Located in the East New York section of Brooklyn, Vandalia Houses is bordered by Flatlands Avenue, Louisiana Avenue, and Vandalia Avenue. Built in 1983, the NYCHA complex is one of Brooklyn’s smaller developments, consisting of approximately three buildings and 600 apartments home to more than 1,500 residents.
Compared to many of the high-rise NYCHA complexes built during the same era, Vandalia Houses were constructed at a lower scale and as lower-rise buildings, creating a more intimate, community-oriented environment.
Designed as housing for low-income families, Vandalia Houses has often been viewed as quieter and more orderly than some of the larger surrounding NYCHA developments.
Its proximity to Gateway Center Mall and Shirley Chisholm State Park also provides residents with access to shopping, green space, and recreation that many other complexes lack.
Despite this relative tranquility, Vandalia Houses has not been immune to the broader challenges facing NYCHA citywide. Aging infrastructure, insufficient funding for repairs, and periodic safety concerns have affected its residents’ quality of life.
Still, the determination of the community has allowed the development to persist and, in some ways, thrive. Tenant leaders and community groups have worked persistently to secure improvements, launching programs for children and seniors and advocating for better conditions.
Activists and local leaders who have lived in the development have taken on the responsibility of strengthening and uplifting the community.
Though smaller in scale, Vandalia Houses remain an important part of NYCHA’s Brooklyn heritage—a legacy defined by community pride, stability, and a determination to remain a healthy and safe place to live despite long-standing adversity.
Residents of Vandalia Houses have ample reason to feel pride, as the development represents a stalwart and close-knit community rooted in resilience and mutual support.
