Designed by Herbert S. Newman and Partners, PC, of New Haven, the Stamford Housing Authority's new Taylor Street Apartments in downtown Stamford, were officially dedicated in December 2007. Attended by federal, state and local government officials, residents and neighbors, the dedication marked the opening of another Hope VI-funded affordable housing project in Connecticut. Hope VI grants from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development provide seed money to replace obsolete or dilapidated public housing with mixed-style and mixed-income housing.
The first phase of the Authority's multiphase plan to replace the 1930s Fairfield Court public housing complex, the Taylor Street Apartments are a 24-unit infill building, comprising 16 rental units and eight condominium townhouses in a 3.5-story building. The rental units are grouped above the townhouses to maintain a townhouse-like character to the complex in keeping with the residential scale and architectural character of the surrounding neighborhood, while allowing slightly higher density.
According to Joseph Schiffer, AIA, principal-in-charge of the Taylor St. project for Herbert S. Newman and Partners, "Working within a traditional American vernacular, we were able to replace the stigma of public housing as a 'place apart' with a modest and inviting residential building, which is acceptable to the community and residents alike."