The Sumner Houses are located in Brooklyn’s Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood, bordered by Myrtle Avenue and Lewis Avenue, and Marcus Garvey Boulevard and Park Avenue. Built in 1958, the development consists of 13 buildings and is home to more than 2,600 residents.
One of NYCHA’s older developments, the Sumner Houses were constructed during the postwar housing boom to help address New York City’s severe housing shortage.
The complex was designed around open-space planning principles, incorporating green areas and play spaces intended to promote community cohesion and healthier living for working-class families.
Like many NYCHA developments in the decades that followed, the Sumner Houses experienced deteriorating infrastructure, disinvestment, and rising crime. Yet these challenges never fully eroded the community.
Residents have organized and advocated for improved living conditions and expanded youth programming through out the years, with many of these becoming successful professionals beyond the development.
Though comedian and actor Tracy Morgan grew up in the nearby Tompkins Houses, he has often spoken publicly about growing up in the neighborhood and how it shaped his resilience and sense of humor.
In difficult times, the Sumner Houses have drawn their greatest strength from the people who call it home. The daily presence of both remembered and unnamed residents reflects a deeper history of survival, solidarity, and perseverance in the face of adversity.
Residents of the Sumner Houses carry not only memories, but a shared heritage rooted in endurance and pride.
