Tompkins Houses is a NYCHA development located in Brooklyn’s Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood, bounded by Myrtle Avenue, Park Avenue, and Throop Avenue. Built in 1964, the complex consists of eight buildings and is home to more than 1,700 residents.
Like many public housing developments of its era, Tompkins Houses was created to provide affordable housing for working-class families during a period of rapid urban growth in New York City. Its design incorporated courtyards and playgrounds intended to encourage social interaction and to foster a sense of community.
Over the decades, Tompkins Houses has faced many of the same challenges common to NYCHA developments, including delayed repairs, aging infrastructure, and periodic public safety concerns. Despite these obstacles, residents have consistently come together—forming tenant associations, building support networks, and participating in broader housing justice efforts across the city.
Strengthened by adversity, the development has been home to generations of families whose roots in the neighborhood run deep.
Perhaps its most famous former resident is rapper and cultural icon Jay-Z, who spent part of his youth at Tompkins Houses. His trajectory stands as a powerful example of how talent, imagination, and creativity can flourish within public housing.
Today, Tompkins Houses remains a source of pride and identity for its residents. More than a housing complex, it represents the endurance, cultural richness, and collective will that define both Bedford-Stuyvesant and Brooklyn itself.
