Sotomayor Houses, re-named in honor of the Supreme Court’s Justice Sonia Sotomayor, is a sprawling New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) development in the Bronx. The development is made up of 28 seven-story buildings arranged across a 30-acre campus. Completed in 1955, the 1,496 apartment development is home to an estimated 3,497 residents.
Nelligan White’s renovation campaign is a result of long-standing deferred maintenance. The masonry facades at these buildings were observed to have wide-spread diagonal and horizontal cracks, open mortar joints, and dislodged masonry units, creating potentially unsafe conditions. Severe cracking at nearly all parapets was observed as well.
The comprehensive rehabilitation consists of selective masonry repair, full parapet and roof replacements, complete replacement of windows, plumbing, security and site sewage. Interior renovations are repairing water damage due to leaks through roof, façade and from deteriorated plumbing.
This project is notable for developing a new type of NYCHA standard window that incorporates an integral AC unit sleeve in addition to utilizing sliding windows. The integral window sleeve eliminates the all-too-common situation where a window AC unit is installed often in a precarious manner. The sliding windows include a window stop that eliminates the need for child guards.
