Education Relief, United Workers Cooperative Colony, Bronx, New York

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The entranceway spandrel bas relief depicts symbols of education (globe, books, compass).The apartment complex is known as "The Coops" (pronounced "coops", not "co-ops"). The project was established as a non-profit trade union cooperative by the United Workers’ Association. It was designed by Springsteen & Goldhammer. This section was built in 1926-27. Union members were mostly involved in the needle trades. Most were non-religious Jews and many were Communists. (Jewish holidays and traditional ceremonies were not celebrated.) There were a sprinkling of non-Jewish and black or inter-racial families. Residents were called "coopniks". The complex housed 339 families in the first complex and 328 in the second. The raised basements featured classrooms, recreational facilities, a restaurant, a day-care center and a library. Shops in the neighborhood were sponsored by the organization. When completed, it was the largest cooperative housing complex in the

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Size: 5184px × 3456px
Location: Bronx Park East and Allerton Avenue, Bronx, New York,
Photo credit: © Matthew Kiernan / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

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