Markham Gardens Manor

Markham Gardens Manor was the final component of the Markham Gardens Development located in Staten Island’s West Brighton neighborhood. The building was designated for funding under the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development Section 202 program for low-income senior citizens over the age of 62, and qualified as nonprofit housing for the elderly. The five-story, 60,000-square-foot building contains 80 dwelling units and is sited parallel to Richmond Terrace.

The building is comprised of 79 one-bedroom units for seniors, and a superintendent’s unit. At the first-floor level, a community room with warming kitchen, library, computer room, laundry room, and ten apartments are provided. A partial basement houses mechanical rooms, tenant and building storage, an arts and crafts room, lounge, superintendent’s office, and compactor. Each typical residential floor contains 17 one-bedroom senior units, along with a refuse room, compactor chute, and janitor’s closet. The building features two egress stairs and two elevators, which operate without machine rooms. The site was landscaped and a passive outdoor recreation space was provided for residents. The site has gated access to the adjacent Markham Gardens Development, including the existing Markham Gardens Community Center, located on North Burgher Avenue.

Markham Gardens Manor was designed as a masonry building with a brick chosen to harmonize with the surrounding buildings. Universal design was incorporated into the construction to make the building readily usable by residents and visitors alike. Load-bearing masonry construction with precast concrete plank floors was utilized for the structure of the building. Double-hung, double-glazed aluminum windows with low e-glass were used. Through-wall air-conditioning sleeves with architectural louvers are located in each bedroom and living room.

Five percent of the units were designed for handicapped people and two percent of the units for the visually and hearing impaired. All units are handicap accessible and comply with Uniform Federal Accessibility Standard and New York City Local Law number 58/87. All areas of the building are also accessible, with adaptability and usage for all disabled visitors. The building is designed to accommodate aging in-place seniors. Grab bars in bathrooms, handrails in corridors, and nonslip materials on floors are provided to assist the elderly residents. In addition, an emergency pull-cord system is provided in the bathrooms and bedrooms of each unit.