Starrett City

Starrett City, now often referred to as Spring Creek Towers, is the largest federally subsidized housing project in the United States.

Construction began on the 153-acre complex in 1972. The 46 apartment buildings, each with as many as 20 stories, were originally developed by the National Kinney Corporation but when the Starrett Corporation took over, they named it Starrett City. The name changed once again in 1989 to Starret at Spring Creek, though it is now known as Spring Creek Towers.

In 1975, the first apartments were rented with 65 percent of the apartments reserved for Caucasian residents and 35 percent for non-Caucasian. This quota system was abolished in 1979.

Brooklyn-born Norm Goldstein is retired, after working 44 years for the Associated Press, the global news agency, where he served as a reporter, feature writer, editor, author and administrator. He also worked for AP as director of Educational Services and editor of the AP Stylebook.

He graduated from Brooklyn College and the Penn State Graduate School of Journalism.           

He currently lives in Brooklyn Heights.