[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 6 (Wednesday, January 20, 2010)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E46-E47]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




PAYING TRIBUTE TO THE 1270 FIFTH AVENUE RESIDENTS AS THEIR COOPERATIVE 
                       MARKS ITS 50TH ANNIVERSARY

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. CHARLES B. RANGEL

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, January 20, 2010

  Mr. RANGEL. Madam Speaker, this year marks the 50th Anniversary of 
the 1270 Fifth Avenue Cooperative in my Congressional District. 1270 
has the distinction of being the first middle-income co-op in my and 
surrounding Congressional Districts and the only residential co-op in 
Manhattan that is a cooperative nonprofit corporation.
  Incorporated on August 8, 1957, under the New York State Cooperative 
Corporations Law, the building was constructed with a stream of funding 
from Section 213 of Title II of the National Housing Act. The $4.5 
million dollar mortgage held by the Federal Housing Administration has 
since matured in November of 1999.
  Despite the neighborhood's initial negative reaction to 1270s 
construction, there was a tremendous demand for the apartments. At a 
time when segregated housing in Manhattan was still the norm, 1270, 
which was unrestricted regardless of race, gender, or creed, and priced 
for middle-income residents, was seen by minorities and liberal-minded 
folks as a desirable place to live. By November 1959 when the building 
first opened for occupancy, 194 of the 201 available units had been 
sold. The remaining seven apartments were sold and occupied by July 
1961.
  Making history for 1270 had its difficult moments. A board of 
directors was quickly elected in order to tackle problems as they 
surfaced. Throughout the years of struggle to establish and maintain a 
viable middle-income cooperative in East Harlem, the families and 
individuals at 1270 held together through a tremendous sense of home 
and community. Men and women who arrived as young adults lived and 
raised their children, and grew old here. Neighbors became lifelong 
friends and took care of each other.
  There is no better measure of 1270's success than the fact that 
people who move there, stay there. Of the 201 shareholders, 69 percent 
have been there for more than 10 years; 44 percent for more than 20 
years; 35 percent for more than 30 years; and 17 percent for more than 
40 years. The average length of residency is 21.6 years.
  1270 was and continues to be called home by multiple celebrities and 
other notables, including: Odetta, internationally celebrated folk 
singer; James Dumpson, former commissioner of the New York City 
Department of Health and Welfare; Elaine Jones, former executive 
director of the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund; Verne Oliver, 
former headmaster of New Lincoln School; Debbie Allen, television and 
stage actress; Phylicia Rashad, television and stage actress; Charles 
Henry Alston, internationally acclaimed artist; Ruth Slenczynska, 
internationally acclaimed concert pianist; Gus Trowbridge, founder of 
Manhattan Country School; Lois Small, founder of senior dance group, 
``The Steppers''; the family of Ralph Bunche, Nobel Peace Prize 
Laureate; the family of Harry Belafonte, singer; and the family of 
Johnny Mathis, singer.

[[Page E47]]

  1270 has not only survived, but it has thrived through the years. 
Current neighborhood beautification projects have magnificently 
transformed the setting of the building's home. 1270 faces the Harlem 
Meer section of New York City's Central Park and the Conservatory 
Gardens, which have been restored and maintained with an endowment. The 
on-site Museum of African Art adds a part of the building to New York's 
Museum Mile. Sightseeing buses now regularly stop in the neighborhood 
for tours.
  Madam Speaker, on the occasion of 1270's 50th anniversary, as we look 
back on the successes of the National Housing Act, we can all feel a 
sense of pride. For many long-time residents, the soul of this section 
213 building can never be separated from its historic roots.

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