This is a machine-generated transcript. Text is unformatted and may contain errors.
Mr Mayor Robert clergy. Or President motley Mr Hellman Father Brown distinguished guests ladies and gentleman and particularly the boys and Darroze that have Tejan of a development where the larger small is always a great day for the housing authority. There is a feeling of achievement for everyone associated with it from the very early days of planning to its completion and readiness for occupancy. These occasions are particularly pleasant ones for me as they offer the more cheering aspects of the chars of chairman of the housing authority. Every new development opens up a brighter life for many people that brings hope and the promise of cheerful living for many families. The development we are dedicating today contains seventy apartments ranging from three and a half rooms to six and a half rooms financed by the federal government through P.H.A.. Because of our continuing concern for our senior citizens twenty five of these apartments are thirty six percent are reserved for elderly couples and elderly single persons. The structure as you can see is not very high. Only nine stories. One of the considerations of the architects was to conform to the character of the predominately brownstone neighborhood. In which it is located. Behind this building on ninety third Street our own brownstones which are part of a group of thirty six such structures in the area being rehabilitated by the housing authority. Between the no building and the brownstones is a very interesting play area even the odd croppings of rock have been used to good advantage. The recreational facilities will accommodate the interests of all age groups from preschool toddlers to the elderly there are decorative columns that are no design concept has blended the dividing wall and was sitting area. The landscaping arrangements for play have resulted in a unique combination of facilities blinding the decorative with the function of. The authorities ever mindful of the pressing need for more housing and under the leadership of Mayor Wagner is doing all it possibly can with limited funds to provide housing for families of low income. But we are faced with difficulties the one thought I want to leave with you this morning is this At present we have practically no more funds for further construction except what is already committed down in the pipeline. But there is something that the people can do. They can bring this matter forcibly to the attention of the are elected officials in Washington and Albany by writing them and impressing upon them the need for more funds. Are building programme must not come to a halt because of lack of funds there are too many who are waiting. And the undertaking of the magnitude of the west side of our urban renewal home. Project must look to community support if success is to be achieved. And this connection the cooperation of the strikers by a neighborhood council has been outstanding. As you know the council is a federation of organizations and institutions in and around the west side and we know in our area. Because the drive of any organization is invariably generated from the top. Those who know are like speak or know this means action. It's always a pleasure from a huge winter douche the president of the Stryker Bay neighborhood council father Henry J. Brown on the right thank you Mr Chairman Mr Mayor friends. The first time I've had the chance to have the clock from saying Gregory's here. Since it may be my last speech on one of these occasions I'm glad to have some friends in the audience. I think it's always nice in these picnic type occasions when all our friends who work so hard in the city offices in the Army know where you can go and get some sun. And on these days I suppose we should simply be festive and say all the nice things and go home and think everything's lovely I really want to address my remarks today to the mayor of our city it was on our community again by his presence on this happy and unique occasion after all have you ever seen a public housing development like this before it's human sized It doesn't have a name as a street address like everybody else's house as you know Mr Mayor many times of public hearings and private sessions in your office are people who strike as being able to counsel tried to voice the feelings the hopes and the aspirations of the neighborhood residents to you. Our frankness and even toughness on some of those occasions may help now to give more than the usual ceremonial credibility to our remarks today Mr Mayor I would maintain firmly that what is good in this whole Westside urban Reno plan has come about because you have listened to the people of this neighborhood and I mean the people who want to be most affected by this whole project let me but list some of these items which are most to your glory and I am like campaigning for you since I think that even the makers of your press releases have missed them. First of all today mocks the fact that over five hundred households with roots and tie and affections for schools churches and synagogues and just for the streets and parks and hordes of that community have been moved into new housing in that part of the city where they wanted so much to stay with the strikers by a neighborhood council know this very intimately because we have encouraged good job organized aided and abetted sometimes risking a legality such a large percentage to take advantage of this opportunity. We have not forgotten the from the Olympian plan is on the social agency point of view this additional vest pocket public housing was considered ridiculous for this urban renewal area they put themselves firmly on the record in one nine hundred fifty nine and again in one nine hundred sixty two but you must a male listen to the people themselves and this development and at least four more buildings like it a little larger in size but still realistically vest pocket will follow and they were put into the plan by you and glad to report to you today moreover that through cooperation with the people themselves your departments of real estate and relocation have made great strides toward improving procedures and human izing the approach to tenants who have to be relocated and I'm glad these guys are here to him he said that they have overcome in great part their own real estate mentality with which their departments were born and have come to treat our neighbors with the dignity of persons and not the colons of statistics it has not been a completely smooth road the way was on trodden and they have accepted graciously us Indigenous is or native guides they and you accepted what the people themselves recognized through our housing and relocation committees low five years ago namely the need for social service help on the occasion of relocation for elderly and for families with problems. There are today some hundreds of families on site and awaiting permanent new housing in their old community because more although we on your housing and redevelopment board worked out this concept of on siding together families have gone from the upper end of this area to the lower stages we don't really care whether we steal them from holy name to St Gregory's in this way of looking at it they're standing by for apartments in low and low middle income housing now being completed or just about to go into the ground all of this happen Mr Man because long before legislation like the Economic Opportunities Act which legislates that the maximum feasible participation of the people affected by programs should be part of the program you gave the people of voice and more than that you listened so you listened not to the self appointed agency spokesman for good causes on a city wide or even on a local level or even to such detached and cold blooded liberal voices as the New York Times but you listen to the people being affected by the destruction of their all too destructible all law tenements and brownstones it would be ridiculous to claim that all has been perfect after all since when was the Department of Real Estate ever put in charge of over four hundred eleven dated buildings all at once when Will relocation manages to ever be so hounded by neighborhood people who were so well acquainted with tenants rights however let me but instance are you Mr Mayor heard us so clearly just last December when heads of our committees executive board some within your office asking for four things first we wanted to see something which we helped come into being namely the Greenlee survey of the social needs of those being relocated we have seen it and we hope since you expressed interest in it that day that you tool of Satan. Secondly we wanted a few pennies carry on the organizational informational work of our store front office we felt that thousands of dollars were being spent for the fuel and nothing for the many we were supporting ourselves that contract is almost in our pocket as of this date it's no record for speed but we understand the problems almost as well as you do now of the size and bureaucratic crisscrossing of the city thirdly we were wondering at that time a relocation could be done without constant contact with the households concerned and we and your department since then have worked out very well great improvements in this regard Finally we asked for permanent space for the Police Athletic League and some public housing facility only on this last two we feel we have not been heard and this case points up a problem which I want to emphasize in my one negative comment Your Honor will have to choose increasingly between listening to the welfare establishment the nineteenth century social missionary's working among the poor natives and the newly organized an increasingly articulate neighborhood people themselves it seems to me that some of your city agencies have not learned this at least on the top level I would not cite just the callous treatment of the communities wish for a P.R. yell permanent facility but also the fact that the tenants of Steven Wise have been ignored for two months in an effort to get a place to sit down for their own housing meetings in their own development much more that is good about the Westside urban renewal on a day like this some of the agony is forgotten much that is going to come about because you have listened increasingly to the people of the neighborhood who stay here after five o'clock and walk closest to its realities. We are still trying to be heard on several items that we got gravely concerned with such as the narrow ethnic and religious sponsorships of middle income housing proposed to stages two and three and the fruits of expensive social service experimentation which seemingly has proved only commonplace trues. If I sound like sour grapes make the most of it and yet we must admit that on a festive occasions like this. At least the closing note should be a glad one so Mr Mayor since families and households thought of the move in yesterday we ask you to look around at the west side is here with move from their old buildings to no in modern homes at rents they can afford and right here in their cherished community and let your joy be linked with theirs you Mr may have accomplished a great and a good and a novel achievement we trust it will deepen your conviction that the voice of the people is the one through which you should hearken thank you thank God we will hear their man home and really holds the purse strings. Safire's federally added projects is concerned and he will tell you all about that and I'm very happy to introduce him Mr Herman. Helm on. Head of the raised a lot of the public administration and eastern area harmony. All yours. Thank you thank you very much Mr Chairman reverend clergy male Wagner borough president motley public officials and dedicated citizens of this community teachers and boys and girls of the neighborhood schools. They chairman has just told you that I represent the federal government and that gives me the privilege of telling you that the president of the United States sends his greetings to you today as does they have met a stranger of the housing and Home Finance Agency Bob wave whose home is not far from this very spot in this very neighborhood and also I have the gratings from Commission McGuire of the Public Housing Administration and Washington the occasion of this dedication today comes at a most significant time since the fall as a two day White House Conference on natural beauty all by President Johnson to combat blight in decay of our neighborhoods and to improve the parents of the urban environment the president's concern with beautification of US cities was made very clear when he recently said and I quote beauty is not simply a matter of trees and parks the attractiveness of our cities depends upon the design of the architecture of buildings and blocks and entire urban neighborhoods I intend to take further steps to ensure that federal construction has not contributed to drive an ugly architecture but on this failed as in so many others most of our hopes rest on the concern and work of local governments and private citizens this single new nine story structure of seventy apartment dwellings truly typifies the spared of the president's objectives and the Public Housing Administration same that its financial assistance shall help to create a development to serve human needs as well as to blend into the overall physical plans for Community Improvement. It clearly demonstrates the adaptability and usefulness of the public housing formula and this case it provides a relocation resource for those New Yorkers from the Westside urban renewal area which seems to me is really the outstanding significance of this effort by the New York City Housing Authority and the housing redevelopment board and the backup city agencies and city officials here is a further demonstration how modern city an organism of great complexity can respond to challenges by a value itself of sensitive tools and resources nearly three years ago the housing authority under took a real estate reclamation and salvage operation here on ninety fourth Street just east of the structure and it is noteworthy to recall that a pooling of the resources of government and how the engine already have accomplished officials made into reality the expunging of shameful single room occupancy and structures suffering some ninety five code violations. The New York City Housing Authority and housing and redevelopment board backed by the mayor and the mayor's into the bought metal Policy Committee and the City Planning Commission and as well coordinated the exercise of their power was on the federal level in the Public Housing Administration on the urban renewal administration through the use of entering can see agreement and advance approvals close a circuit or action thus the versatility of the federally aided LORAN housing program is clearly expressed here and the completion of the single mine story apartment house as well as in the new rehabilitation and group development elsewhere and which will follow soon back to back to this structure on ninety third Street this all carries out in part the grand planning concept that will include both private and public construction rehabilitation and conservation in this Westside urban renewal area yet the urban scene does not long remain static with the new legislation now before Congress we will be provided with additional tools to carry out our responsibilities and with the thrust of the governmental assistance strive for attractive physical appearance and social compatibility of the urban environment I am particularly happy to have the honor to have had the honor of sharing this great vision where they are civic leaders and residents here and the dedication of this attractive apartment building and I would say to Mayor Wagner the chairman Reid and members of the housing authority to borrow President Motley and all who also are involved and dedicated here that my belief that the use of public funds requires that its product be a credit to the community in which it is Bell is indeed fully realized Ted thank you very much thank you. Like doing very much harm and this is the first public housing sorry money of our next big earth will be attending send She took office she brings not only graciousness to a difficult and exacting post but also a record of accomplishment and community service and dedication to her fellow citizens ladies and gentlemen and children it's just plain as a pleasure to present the chief executive of the bar of Manhattan president Constance Baker Motley Michael thank you very much Chairman grade list I'm a. Distinguished officials on the platform and distinguished citizens as chairman Reed has told you this is my first opportunity. Here in my official capacity at a happy ceremony of this nature on the west side urban mean old side I would fail me mess if I did not express my understanding and appreciation of the vast amount of time and effort that has been expended by so many citizens and public officials on this monumental undertaking when can see it was a pioneering project from the standpoint of its size the number of people affected and the engine know what the plans of beautification as well as construction. I think it still ranks first in the United States in the co-operative effort by public and private agencies to develop plans which were acceptable to the community and consistent with the fast interests of the city I extend my congratulations to the small army of private citizens who spent so many thousands of hours in planning and conferences which helped to make this Westside urban renewal program a major achievement in Urban Development and I feel now that you Chairman three city housing coordinator and other members of your administration have set a remarkably high standard of response of action that is a credit to the concept of local government also I want to extend my best wishes to the seventy families who will occupy this beautiful example of pocket housing to the tenants present at this gathering today. May I say I hope you will enjoy living in the heart of this great renewal area. But the progress of this being they here on the last certainly must not blind us to the huge task that remains to be done in our goal of providing safe sanitary and decent housing for all of our citizens still remaining in our city are about three hundred and forty one thousand whiling illness which for condemn those unsuitable in nineteen hundred and one and hence signed on as all or tenements it is probably conservative to say that one million or more of our citizens who cannot afford anything but a lot of us friends are still living in such waters but help make this great need low rent apartments have been built for more than half a million persons a number sufficient to house a combined populations of Rochester thing unturned and Unica certainly there has been no failure on the part of this administration. To realize the Emilia saying and seriousness of the problem and to deal with it to the maximum extent possible. But the continuation of this program is periodic lane handicapped by the failure of the electorate to ratify propositions authorizing bond issues for state A It is therefore good to know that the Wagner administration is sponsoring two bills presently before the legislature which have as their purpose increasing the amount of money which would be made available for additional public housing if these measures we've received final approach the risk we take of asking the electorate to approve at periodic intervals authorization for bond issues of hundreds of millions of dollars would be eliminated. The prospect for greater continuity and stated public housing will be thus greatly enhanced I submit that this prospect and any other prospect that promises to reduce the number of slum dwellers is in the best interest of our set a state and nation slum housing of course creates human misery and merits consideration in terms of human as well as dollar values I hope the legislature and Governor Rockefeller will bear these human values in mind and up roll both of the bills proposed by the Wagner administration for giving additional assistance to public housing the housing we dedicate here today of course was aided by our federal government and before sitting down there for I'd like to say a word of find to Mr Herman the Helmund Bill just spoke to you as a regional director of the Public Housing Administration and to express my personal appreciation for his cooperation and bringing about this beautiful new housing project here in our great bar all of Manhattan thank you very much thank you. Thank you very very much Mr Motley pre-shared very much for being with us today on the phone the story is told what I like Speaker has accomplished. In the field of public housing history must record the fire. That he provided more and better housing for more families of low income. Than any other mayor in the history of the United States. Ladies and gentlemen. It is a great honor and a privilege for me to win our Doz our wonderful mayor Joe you may or Robert F. Wagner thank you OK very much you OK thank you very much Chairman Reed members of the clergy. Distinguished by a President Johnson spake a mightily good friend Herman Hellman and friends I had some prepared remarks I hope that the newspaper friends here will consider that I have said them and I'll just make my remarks very very brief because I think we all know it's very hot and not only for us but for the youngsters here and I know that the distinguished speak is far more eloquent than I am crusaded may have covered the field quite well I just like to first of all. Thank Father Brown for his kind remarks we've been able to attain this better cooperation between city government and the agencies involved with people thanks to the good work that he and the strikers Bay Committee has done and other people here in this area so that we can hear the voice very clearly of the people who live in the area and work together for a better day for all who are here. I am proud of the fact that we have been able to make the progress already made in this great urban renewal development here. Proud to be here for the opening of this vest pocket to housing project we will have six more to open in the very immediate future to give better housing opportunities to so many of our people particularly the elderly because as chairman Reed mentioned about thirty six percent and practically all of these projects will be reserved for the elderly who certainly deserve all the consideration possible before because of their contribution to our economic and social life of the city over all of the years so again that I saw and keep working together for that better day for that better day for this great section of a city and throughout all of us city so that we can leave as a heritage a better and finer New York and the type of New York that these youngsters here and be proud of in the years ahead Good luck and God bless thanks thanks very much Mr Mayor I want to thank you all for the cooperation I know your kids are anxious to get back to school when aren't you. Yack God thanks very much.