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Public Housing Developments
The New
Bedford Housing Authority owns and manages a mixture of family and elderly
housing. Most apartments are located within housing developments, products of
earlier times, but recently extensively renovated. These new apartments were offered to eligible families at modest rents. The first two developments were Bay Village Apartments and Presidential Heights. Both developments were built in the early 1940s. Although modestly sized by present standards, the apartments are laid out in utiltitarian floor plans with varying number of bedrooms to serve large and small familes.
The next two developments were Westlawn and Brickenwood. Both developments consist of several buidings each containing multiple apartments. As with earlier developments, the architectural style reflected
the surrounding neighborhoods.
In the 1960s and 1970s federal and state funds were available in many programs targeting poverty and urban decay. New Bedford benfitted in many ways, including a great increase in the number of Public Housing Apartments. There are two sources of funding for public housing. The federal
government provides funds throught the Department of Housing and Urban
Development (HUD). The Commonwealth of Massachusetts provides
The New Bedford Housing Authority owns and manages family and elderly housing developments funded from both sources. 
One type of setting for public housing is the development, such as Parkdale pictured above and to the right, with a number of apartments in several separate buildings on a single site. All of the apartments have separate front and rear entrances to their respective building. The majority of the NBHA's residential units are located in
developments such as these. There are two general exceptions. The first
exception is scattered site housing, a small number of apartments The second general exception is the high rise apartment building. In New Bedford, high rise buildings in general are unusual except within the immediate downtown commercial area. High rise public housing is equally unusual. It is in fact limited to elderly housing (see the next page). |
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In the late
1930s, New Bedford was faced with problems very familiar to modern times --
struggling families, lack of decent, affordable housing and blighted
neighborhoods.With the help of federal funds, New Bedford attacked these
problems in part by the design and construction of clean and modern housing
developments.
The exterior
materials of both developments reflect both their purpose and their heritage:
brick, slate, copper and concrete. They are durable, practical and compatible
with their respective neighborhoods. Although modest, the architectural design
is not devoid of style or beauty. The overall shapes are traditional and well
proportioned in keeping with the gabled residences nearby. There are details
reflecting our historic heritage, elements that provide shadow for highlights
and depth, and the compelling beauty in the rhythmically repeating features.
In the 1950's the
success of the two earlier developments - and the demand for the housing they
provided, led to further construction. New family developments were added to
the Authority's portfolio.
Recent interior and exterior improvements
are evident in the excellent physical condition of all the buildings. 
funding through the Department of Housing and
Community Development (DHCD). 
(for instance four apartments in two
buildings)situated within a residential neighborhood. This type of public
housing is relatively new to New Bedford. It has been undertaken with a
conscious attempt to blend the buildings and their occupants into the fabric of
the existing neighborhoods. To the left is a view of a scattered site housing
building, located on North Street.