[1] Unlike the rest of the surrounding neighborhood, the block on which the Houses stand was among the last to be developed because of its soil quality.

Near the corner of Colonial Avenue and the future Long Island Expressway, a mill was built in 1652 damming the creek.

By the 1930s, surrounding development had dried up the creek and in 1938, the mill was demolished to make way for the Long Island Expressway.

Following a 1992 investigation alleging discrimination, the white percentage of the residents has decreased, in favor of more minorities.

Tenants voted in 2017 to convert the public housing project into private rental units and leave NYCHA management.