Dictionary definition of “Fedders house”

Fedders house

n. a cheaply made apartment building, specifically those featuring highly visible window air conditioner sleeves bearing the brand name “Fedders.” Subjects: New York City, English, Architecture

Editorial Note: This term is specific to New York City and is usually plural, Fedders houses, in an echo of naming terminology for government-sponsored apartment complexes, such as Walt Whitman Houses. It was coined by Victoria Hofmo, a community activist from Bay Ridge, Brooklyn.

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Citations: 2004 Paul Berger Gotham Gazette: Community Gazette for District 43 (New York City) (Feb. 7) “Bay Ridge: Fighting the Fedders Houses”: Last year, a group took to the streets to protest the loss of their homes to condominiums and co-ops—buildings they have labeled “Fedders houses” after the air-conditioning units that protrude from the outside walls. 2004 NYC Department of Urban Planning (New York City) (Oct. 18) “City Planning Certifies Zoning Proposal To Preserve Character Of Bay Ridge, Brooklyn”: The recent proliferation on detached house blocks of multi-family housing, characterized by some as “Fedders buildings” for the name on the air-conditioning sleeves, prompted local officials to request that Department of City Planning (DCP) study the area. 2005 Greg Mango Brooklyn Papers (New York City) (Mar. 12) “In Bay Ridge, Fedders doesn’t mean cool”: Perhaps most vocal among the complainants decrying the development of “Fedders houses,” as they have come to be known, are residents of Bay Ridge, whose neighborhood awaits city approval of a rezoning measure that would bar such housing developments. So ugly and bland are those buildings, say some, that their most striking architectural trait may well be the air conditioner sleeve itself.…“I would hope the houses are as well built and as high quality as the air conditioners they’re named after.” The colloquialism, while originating by most accounts in Bay Ridge several years ago, has spread to all corners of the city in recent months.…Bloomberg has used the term “Fedders houses” on numerous occasions and, said Coffey, uses it when referring to zoning measures in other neighborhoods and boroughs. 2006 [Derek2k3] Wired New York Forum (Sept. 15) “New Rochelle is rising too”: These kinds of developments could easily happen in certain areas of the Bronx if only city planning would wake up and rezone the area but they seem keen on making the Bronx a 6 story fedders housing paradise.

Posted 17 Mar 05 | Permalink | Tell a Friend