Alfred Tredway White

Alfred Tredway White
Born (1846-05-28)May 28, 1846
Brooklyn, New York
Died January 29, 1921(1921-01-29) (aged 74)
Central Valley, New York, USA[1]
Nationality American
Denomination Unitarian Universalist[2]

Alfred Tredway White (May 28, 1846 January 29, 1921) was an American housing reformer and philanthropist, and was known as "Brooklyn's first citizen."[1] He developed the Home Buildings (1877), Tower Buildings (1879, now Cobble Hill Towers)[3] and the Riverside Buildings (1890).[2] He advocated a model of "philanthropy plus five percent," accepting a limited financial return on his projects.[4]

White's buildings were extensively praised by Jacob Riis in "How The Other Half Lives" as a "beau ideal" and a "big village of contented people."[5] They covered roughly half of their lots, leaving large courtyards suitable for concerts and other recreation.[6]

He served as Commissioner of City Works for Brooklyn during the administration of Mayor Schieren.[7]

He was an early benefactor of the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, and is memorialized there by the Alfred T. White Memorial and Amphitheater.[8][9] He was also a major supporter of both the Hampton Institute and Tuskegee Institute.

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Alfred Tredway White.
  1. 1 2 "Alfred T. White, Brooklyn Philanthropist, Leaves $15,000,000 Estate to Daughter". The New York Times. February 20, 1921. Retrieved 18 September 2013. "[D]rowned on Jan. 29 while skating in Central Valley, N.Y."
  2. 1 2 Hoogenboom, Olive. "Alfred T. White". Dictionary of Unitarian & Universalist Biography. Unitarian Universalist History & Heritage Society. Retrieved 18 September 2013.
  3. Gray, Christopher (October 10, 2008). "Architectural Wealth, Built for the Poor". The New York Times. Retrieved 18 September 2013.
  4. Jamieson, Wendell (January 24, 2003). "Landmark Towers, Still Loved and Lived In". The New York Times. Retrieved 18 September 2013.
  5. Riis, Jacob (1890). How the Other Half Lives. Macmillan. p. 264. ISBN 0312574010.
  6. Gray, Christopher (August 23, 1992). "The Riverside Buildings; A Model Tenement In Dickensian Style". The New York Times. Retrieved 18 September 2013.
  7. "WHAT ALFRED T. WHITE HAS SPENT; Mayor Schieren Learns How One Man He Appointed Has Save Brooklyn Money Without Penury". The New York Times. October 25, 1895. Retrieved 18 September 2013.
  8. Furman, Bob. "Heights History: Alfred T. White". Retrieved 18 September 2013.
  9. "Alfred T. White Amphitheater - Brooklyn Botanic Garden".


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