ABSTRACT
CinNewYork'sEastVillageisnowmuted.Theunlicensedelderly
Latinostreetvendorsofhouseholdgoods--fromblack-and-whitetele-
visionstokitchenutensils-havemovedon;thehecklingofthemore
desperatedrugusersbyteenagersseemslessfrequent;thegraffiti-
scarredbricksofafive-storyapartmentbuildinghavebeenpainted
over,andalltheunitsinsidehavebeenrenovatedbyitslatestprivate
developer.Finally,thetorchedshellsofthreefive-storytenements
havebeenreconstructedunderacommunity-sponsoredalternativehous-
ingplanandareonceagainoccupiedbylowandmiddle-incometen-
ants.Althoughthisdescriptiondepictsaharmoniousimageofamixed
land-useneighborhood,itconcealsmorethanadecadeofcontroversy
andstrugglebetweenprivatedevelopers,thestate,andresidentsover
residentialdisplacementandthegentrificationofwhatwasonceone
ofthefewremaininglow-rentdistrictsinLowerManhattan,theEast
Village. InJulyof1986,thesixteen-storylandmarkChristodoraHouse,
locatedoneblockwestofAvenueC,reopenedwithitsunitsnewly
renovatedasluxurycondominiums.Itwasamomentousoccasionin
EastVillagehistoryforatleasttwosetsofimportantlocalactors.For
developers,itwastheplunderofahard-foughtbattletobringthe neighborhoodintothefoldofthe1980sManhattanhousingmarketof expensiveluxuryunits.TheprizewassignificantLocatedintheheart ofthe"untamed"EastVillageontheeastsideofTompkinsSquare Park,theChristodora'smanypastusesreadlikealargerhistoryofthe LowerEastSide.Itwasconstructedin1928asasettlementhouse,left vacantformostofthe1940sand1950s,partiallyletouttotheBlack Panthersinthe1960s,soldbythecitytoarealestatedeveloperin 1975,andresold(flipped)twicebeforefinallybeingrenovated(Gordon,1994).Forthemostoptimisticofthecity'srealestatecommunity,theChristodorawastheflagshipfortheireffortstodisplacethe low-incomeimageoftheEastVillage(RealEstateNewsletter,1985).
