White, Alfred Tredway, 1846-1921
Variant namesAlfred Tredway White (1846-1921) was a philanthropist who resided in Brooklyn, N.Y. In 1876, he constructed the first low-rent housing project in the United States in South Brooklyn. He completed another building of this kind, the Riverside Apartments, on Joralemon Street and Columbia Street in 1893. White was also the director of the Children's Aid Society of Brooklyn. In 1910, he purchased a building at 78 Schemerhorn Street and presented it to the Brooklyn Bureau of Charities.
From the guide to the Alfred T. White passport, 1865, (Brooklyn Historical Society)
Gabriel Furman (January 23, 1800-November 11, 1854) was a respected historian of early Brooklyn. Among his works were the Notes Geographical and Historical, Relating to the Town of Brooklyn, on Long-Island (1824), still available in a recent reprint. Little is known of Furman's youth; he attended Columbia Academy in Bergen (now part of Jersey City), New Jersey, from 1814-1816. Professionally, Furman became a lawyer, having studied law beginning in 1823 in the office of Elisha W. King of Beekman St., New York. Furman was later a justice of the Brooklyn municipal court, a member of the New York State Senate (1839-1842), and an unsuccessful Whig candidate for lieutenant governor. For further biographical information, see Brooklyn Historical Society's guide to its collection of original Furman journals and commonplace books; the guide is available on-line and the call number for the collection itself is ARC.190.
From the guide to the Typescripts of Gabriel Furman's notes on Brooklyn, N.Y., 1821-1823, circa 1920 typescripts of 1821-1823 journal, (Brooklyn Historical Society)
Brooklyn businessman; philanthropist.
From the description of Papers, 1865-1949. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 155477135
Alfred T. White (1846-1921) was one of Brooklyn's most prominent philanthropists and a civil engineer by trade. In 1876, White oversaw the building of the Tower and Home Apartments on Hicks and Baltic Streets, the first low-rent housing project in the United States. The apartment units, which featured a central garden and exterior iron staircases, were designed by White with the architectural firm William Field & Son. White also built his own dwellings around the perimeter of the property so that the interior half of his land could be used for gardens and recreational purposes. Another of White's low-rent housing projects, the Riverside Apartments on Furman, Columbia, and Joralemon Streets, was built in 1890. Though low in rent, White's housing projects proved to be a great financial success. In 1935, White's heirs and new owners of the apartments modernized all units, adding bathrooms, a central heating plant, electric lights, gas ranges, and refrigerators.
From the guide to the Alfred T. White Tower and Home and Riverside Apartment Buildings records, 1878-1949, (Brooklyn Historical Society)
Merchant in Brooklyn, N.Y.
White did a study of homes of the laboring classes and , in 1876, erected the first successful improved tenement homes in the country.
From the description of Papers, 1884-1910. (Columbia University In the City of New York). WorldCat record id: 122530079
| Role | Title | Holding Repository |
|---|
Filters:
| Place Name | Admin Code | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brooklyn (New York, N.Y.) |x Description and travel | |||
| Brooklyn (New York, N.Y.) | |||
| Brooklyn (New York, N.Y.) | |||
| Brooklyn (New York, N.Y.) |x Climate | |||
| Paulus Hook (N.J.) |x Description and travel | |||
| Brooklyn (New York, N.Y.) |x Buildings, structures, etc. | |||
| Brooklyn (New York, N.Y.) | |||
| Brooklyn (New York, N.Y.) |x History | |||
| New York (State)--New York | |||
| New York (N.Y.) | |||
| New York (State)--New York | |||
| New York (N.Y.) |x Description and travel | |||
| Brooklyn (New York, N.Y.) |
| Subject |
|---|
| Apartment houses |
| Ferries |
| Housing |
| Labor and laboring classes |
| Low-income housing |
| Low-income housing |
| Low-income housing |
| Philanthropists |
| Public housing |
| Rental housing |
| Tenement houses |
| Working class |
| Yellow fever |
| Occupation |
|---|
| Merchants |
| Activity |
|---|
Person
Birth 1846
Death 1921
