Built in 1956 at the cost of $29.2 million, Grant Houses consists of 10 residential high-rises and is home to more than 4,400 residents. The development occupies a large stretch of Manhattan’s Morningside Heights, spanning the block around Amsterdam Avenue, Broadway, La Salle Street, and West 123rd Street.
Designed within walking distance of major academic institutions—including Columbia University and the City College of New York—the Grant Houses were originally conceived as modern, spacious alternatives to the city’s overcrowded tenements by Morningside Heights Inc, which was an organization that included Columbia University and David Rockefeller.
At the time of their construction, they were the tallest housing projects in New York City built, and were intended to provide stable, affordable housing for working-class New Yorkers. Like many NYCHA developments, though, the Grant Houses have faced chronic challenges over the years, including broken elevators, heating issues, aging infrastructure, and insufficient funding to facilitate repairs.
In recent years, rapid gentrification has transformed the building directly across from the development, highlighting a stark economic contrast between longtime residents and newer, wealthier arrivals. Still, the community continues to persevere.
Among its most well-known former residents is A$AP Rocky, who spent part of his childhood in the development before rising to international fame as a rapper and fashion figure. His story—and the stories of countless neighbors who continue to work, raise families, and support one another—reflect the enduring resilience of public-housing communities.
Like many complexes, the Grant Houses carry a dual legacy: sorrow rooted in decades of neglect and underinvestment, and deep pride grounded in heritage, culture, and community strength.
