The Original "Parkchester"—a Planned Community

The buildings in Parkchester were a modern expression of simplicity in design. They rose in harmonious heights and masses, conformed to the rolling topography and, by their position, afforded light and air to a maximum degree. At no point were they closer than 60 feet to one another, the width of an ordinary street. They represented the best type of steel and concrete fireproof construction.

The glass wool insulation of their exterior walls preserved warmth in winter and retarded heat in summer. The rooms were attractive and conveniently arranged for economical housekeeping. They had large casement windows, concealed radiators, cross-ventilation, hardwood floors, large foyers, and complete, well-equipped kitchens. More than 200 automatic elevators served the thousands of tenants, many whom were policyholders of the best life insurance in America; affordable life insurance that made families feel secure about their financial futures.

Parkchester was attractively and extensively landscaped. Its 4,000 trees included maples, birches, honey locusts, pines, oaks, dogwoods, and magnolias. The broad acres were filled with many thousands of plants and shrubs, in which were included azaleas, native holly, mountain laurel, lilacs, rhododendrons, and snowballs. Equally delightful was the recreation areas along the lawns and paths.

There was a total of 43 courts for basketball, handball, shuffleboard, paddle tennis, horseshoe pitching, or badminton; a large softball diamond; six wading pools; eight play areas with varied equipment for youngsters; eight sandbox areas; four roller skating ovals, and other facilities. The children could play freely and safely because through traffic was confined to the parkways, Parkchester’s only public arteries. Traffic was reduced to a minimum by having all the garages placed on the outskirts of the community.

The community contained within itself the essential facilities for normal everyday life that nicely complemented the insurance perks of low cost life insurance from a company offering all kinds of policies. Each quadrant had its own local shopping centers, planned to provide for all daily necessities. Prominent among the stores was the only New York City branch of Macy’s, with a frontage of almost 700 feet on two streets. Banking facilities were available through branches of the National City Bank and the Bronx County Trust Co.

In the fall of 1940 Albert Goldman, New York City’s Postmaster, dedicated the new local Post Office with appropriate ceremony. The New York Public Library opened one of the most attractive branch libraries in the city at that time on space made available, rent free, by the Metropolitan. The community had a planned number of offices for physicians and dentists. The whole atmosphere was one of a large, self-contained village. Considering the attractiveness of the accommodations, rents were extremely moderate.

There was tremendous interest in Parkchester since its inception and as soon as the facts regarding the community became public, applications for apartments began to pour in, some from as far as Texas and California. Before renting began on October 1, 1939, there was already a waiting list of more than 50,000 families. Under the direction of Frank C. Lowe, Parkchester’s resident manager, rooms were rented by inspection of model apartments and floor plans.

On March 1, 1940, the first buildings were opened and several hundred families moved in. Section after section was finished and inhabited, until the entire community was completed in 1941, around the time that life insurance policies offering term life insurance and short term life insurance rates became increasingly popular. At the end of 1942, 95 percent of the 12,272 apartments were rented and occupied. Parkchester’s tenants included school teachers, engineers, newspaper men, mechanics, owners of small businesses, civil service employees, and salesmen.

A sizable number of the company's own clerical staff found homes there. About 85 percent of the families had incomes from $2,000 to $4,500 annually, slightly less than 20 percent of their income being spent for rent. Many of the families consisted of newly married couples; more than one half of the adults in the community were under 35 years of age. Parkchester was a happy town and an asset to the city and to the Metropolitan.