[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 152 (Wednesday, September 12, 2018)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1238]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     CONGRATULATING MASARYK TOWERS

                                  _____
                                 

                        HON. NYDIA M. VELAZQUEZ

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                     Wednesday, September 12, 2018

  Ms. VELAZQUEZ. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to extend my congratulations 
to Masaryk Towers on the special occasion of its 50th and 51st 
Anniversary Rededication ceremony.
  This complex is more than brick and mortar. Built at the height of 
the Civil Rights movement, and three decades after the New Deal and the 
1934 Federal Housing Act, the Masaryk Towers development is a symbol of 
vision, innovation and hope in the Lower East Side of Manhattan.
  We all know and embrace the rich history of the Lower East Side from 
the arrival and settlement of hard working immigrants seeking freedom 
and the American Dream to the history of poor tenants living in crowded 
subpar tenements, with unsanitary and unsafe housing conditions.
  From the 1900's to the present, government initiatives have sought to 
improve the quality of life for its citizens. In the 1930's, after the 
stock market crash, our nation had more than 12 million unemployed 
people, many of whom faced homelessness. This crisis pushed New 
Yorkers, especially immigrants, into decades of despair. After World 
War II, New York City saw a peak in population, but also a massive 
flight by the middle-income. families, industries and businesses to the 
suburbs, leaving lower-income working families behind.
  Recognizing a need to help address the housing crisis facing working 
families, New York State Representatives Senator MacNeil Mitchell and 
Assemblyman Alfred Lama created the Mitchell-Lama program in 1955. In 
1967, Masaryk Towers was completed under the program and named after 
Tomas Masaryk, the first President of Czechoslovakia. Today, Masaryk 
Towers consists of more than 1,100 apartment units and is home to 
thousands of residents in Manhattan's Lower East Side community.
  Mr. Speaker, please join me in congratulating Masaryk Towers and its 
leadership: President Bernice McCallum, Board Officers Laura Pagan and 
Ted Reich and the entire Board on this special anniversary, and for 
their dedication and commitment to preserving Masaryk Towers for future 
generations.

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