United Workers Cooperatives, also known as Allerton Coops (colloquially ''Coops'' or ''Commie Coops'' ), is a historic

apartment An apartment (American English, Canadian English), flat (British English, Indian English, South African English), tenement (Scots English), or unit (Australian English) is a self-contained housing unit (a type of residential real estate) that ...

building complex located at 2700–2870 Bronx Park East in Allerton, Bronx, New York City. The complex includes three contributing buildings and five contributing structures. The

Tudor Revival Tudor Revival architecture, also known as mock Tudor in the UK, first manifested in domestic architecture in the United Kingdom in the latter half of the 19th century. Based on revival of aspects that were perceived as Tudor architecture, in rea ...

style buildings were built during two construction campaigns, 1926–1927 and 1927–1929 by the United Workers' Association. The buildings feature half timbered

gable A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of intersecting roof pitches. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system used, which reflects climate, material availability, and aesth ...

s, horizontal half-timbered bands topped with sloping

slate Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous, metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade, regional metamorphism. It is the finest-grained foliated metamorphic ro ...

roofs, corbelled and crenellated towers, and picturesque chimneys. ''See also:''

History

The complex was built by the United Workers' Association (part of the

Industrial Workers of the World The Industrial Workers of the World (IWW), whose members are nicknamed "Wobblies", is an international labor union founded in Chicago, United States in 1905. The nickname's origin is uncertain. Its ideology combines general unionism with indu ...

or "IWW"), and was an important early example of cooperative housing for working-class people. Most of the Association members were secular

Jews Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

with

Communist Communism () is a sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology within the socialist movement, whose goal is the creation of a communist society, a socioeconomic order centered on common ownership of the means of production, di ...

political leanings who were engaged in the needle trades. The association sought to improve the living standards of its members, many of whom lived in squalid conditions in the

tenements A tenement is a type of building shared by multiple dwellings, typically with flats or apartments on each floor and with shared entrance stairway access. They are common on the British Isles, particularly in Scotland. In the medieval Old Town, i ...

of the

Lower East Side The Lower East Side, sometimes abbreviated as LES, is a historic neighborhood in the southeastern part of Manhattan in New York City. It is located roughly between the Bowery and the East River from Canal to Houston streets. Historically, it w ...

. The plans for forming "the Coops", has its origins partially as a response to the

Palmer Raids The Palmer Raids were a series of raids conducted in November 1919 and January 1920 by the United States Department of Justice under the administration of President Woodrow Wilson to capture and arrest suspected socialists, especially anarchist ...

in 1919 where radicals and immigrants were targeted by the government, with neighborhoods mapped by ethnicity. Facing this, Jewish socialists & communists began selling shares for the planned cooperative at $250 a room (). They bought a plot of land in 1925 in an undeveloped section of the Bronx, near the open space of Bronx Park, and envisioned a community of socially and politically engaged residents who would each have an equal say in the running of the complex, regardless of the size of their apartments or the prices that they paid for them. The complex had classrooms, a library, and other amenities and activities that were uncommon in other cooperative complexes that were built for profit. The complex also had a non-eviction policy, so although many workers had trouble paying rent during the Great Depression, they had greater security during it. It was also racially integrated after active efforts from the Jewish tenants living there. In the 1940s, facing potential foreclosure there was the opportunity to re-mortgage if rent was raised a dollar more a month, however political divisions among the coop tenants lead to the discussion breaking down and ultimately voting against it. Though considered a social success, the complex failed financially in the

Great Depression The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...

and was converted to rental housing in 1943. Taken over by the BX Corporation that year. In spite of this, because of the highly organized nature of the tenants there, the conditions in the Coops remained largely the same at first. Later on they were targeted by the FBI during the Second Red Scare (1947–1957). The electoral voting districts were also split 3 ways along the Coops to prevent them voting as a Bloc at the time. After decades of neglect by a succession of landlords, the complex was purchased and renovated by a new owner in the mid-1980s. The complex was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

in 1986, and was designated a

National Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a National Register of Historic Places property types, building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the Federal government of the United States, United States government f ...

in 1991. It was designated a

New York City landmark The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) is the New York City agency charged with administering the city's Landmarks Preservation Law. The LPC is responsible for protecting New York City's architecturally, historically, and c ...

in 1992.

References

External links

United Workers' Cooperative Colony (The Coops), Flickr.com website
* {{National Register of Historic Places listings in the Bronx Residential buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in New York City Tudor Revival architecture in New York City Residential buildings completed in 1926 Residential buildings in the Bronx National Register of Historic Places in the Bronx National Historic Landmarks in New York City