The stunning rooftop terrace at Casa Celina in Soundview, a new affordable housing residence for seniors that celebrated its opening on June 11, 2024.
Photo Emily Swanson
About a hundred guests gathered June 11 at 1001 Thieriot Ave. to celebrate the ribbon-cutting of an all-electric affordable housing residence for seniors called Casa Celina, named for Celina Báez, the mother of Supreme Court Justice and Bronx native Sonia Sotomayor. The justice grew up next door in the NYCHA building formerly called Bronxdale Houses that now bears her name.
“If there’s anything we do in this world, we have to ensure that we have our seniors’ backs,” said Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson, who said Casa Celina is a place where seniors can live “with dignity and joy.”
The state’s 65-plus population is “booming” at 3.5 million — equal to the population of 21 states, according to a 2023 report by the Center for an Urban Future. And Bronx County has the state’s highest rates of poverty among seniors.
Casa Celina will get some of the city’s poorest seniors into permanent housing. Of the 204 units, 62 (30%) are set aside for those coming from homeless shelters, and the building as a whole is designated for extremely low- to low-income residents. To qualify, the head of household must be 62 or older and earn income below the limit of 50% Area Median Income (AMI).
But the building’s light-filled, open design stems from the idea that affordable housing should be both “beautiful and inclusive,” architect Fernando Villa told the crowd.
The cool pale gray brick tower was built around interaction and community-building. Each floor has a lounge area, and other shared spaces include a fitness room, laundry room and a forthcoming library donated by Sotomayor following her April visit to the site.
Residents also have an amazing view from the 16th floor rooftop terrace, which could easily pass for a trendy Manhattan bar. The…
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