Tasker Homes

Tasker Homes. The History. , The Tasker Homes construction began in 1939 on land that was once a trash dump. Bounded by 29^th, 33^rd Mifflin Streets and the Schuylkill Expressway, the development consisted of 133 two and three story buildings for a total of 1,040 units., Tasker was built as a low-rent housing project owned and operated by the Philadelphia Housing Authority and financed with money from the Housing Act of 1937. With the war effort underway and the project's close proximity to the Navy Yard, the new housing units were also in demand by defense workers. This led to the construction of an additional 77 units in 1943., The concept behind Tasker was to combine economic use of the land with open space with a minimum amount of car traffic. To this end the site consisted of three huge superblocks, each around a central court or play area. , ,br> The design essentially complied with PHA's "no frills" low maintenance approach: small rooms, alcoves serving as dining rooms, curtains functioning as a closet doors, no ceramic tiles, washable walls, steel doors and casement windows. While the units provided clean air, light and a minimum standard of living space, they were not successful from an aesthetic or social perspective., The first 60 tenants moved in December 1940 with the first units going to enlisted men and non-commissioned officers attached to the Navy Yard. The remainder went to low-income families. This created racial issues that caused considerable delays in the leasing process. It was PHA's policy to establish a racial balance within a project that reflected the surrounding neighborhood, in this case 90% white and 10% African American., Tasker remained mostly white until the early 50s. And by 1970, 60% of the residents were African American.