A coffee and bagel at Jerome Deli Delicious is $4, a rarity in New York City these days. Regulars pour into the Morris Heights locale at the corner of Jerome Avenue and 176th Street from either the elevated 4 Train or a small pedestrian plaza connected to a signature Bronx step street, much like the one Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga made famous in Joker. Above the promenade, and its accompanying bodega, a brick building with nice detailing rises up, offering low-income and supportive housing for New Yorkers in need. Many of the residents there are mothers and their children, and people who had previously experienced houselessness. The intersection of Jerome Avenue and 176th Street used to be home to Jerome Hotel, a 2-story building with no windows looking out onto the street, whose only sunlight came from an internal courtyard. Now, a 16-story midrise by Marvel Architects stands where Jerome Hotel once did. The new building has 175 residential units perched above two storefront properties, a deli and a hardware store, with ceiling heights that are almost as tall as the elevated subway line across the sidewalk. Rent from the ground leases helps support the wraparound services offered to the residents who live upstairs.The buildings height was made possible thanks to the Jerome Avenue Neighborhood Plan from 2018, which entailed upzoning. (Josh Simpson/Courtesy Marvel Architects)The foyer has an original sign from Jerome Hotel. (Josh Simpson/Courtesy Marvel Architects)Marvel completed Jerome Court Redevelopment, or 1769 Jerome, in 2021, with clients Bronx Pro Group and Service for the Underserved (S:US). The former is a for-profit developer committed to building affordable housing in The Bronx; the latter is a nonprofit that operates supportive housing all over New York City. The buildings in S:USs portfolio like 1769 Jerome provide vital services for residents such as on-site nursing, case managers, social workers, and so forth. Many people who live in S:US properties came there by way of the New York City Department of Homeless Services (DHS).Giving someone a home of their own was the absolute goal, but also making them feel comfortable, said Tenisha Powell, a senior property manager at S:US, who helped steer the project together with Arlo Chase, S:USs senior vice president of real estate and property development. We tried to build a community-based environment instead of an institutional setting, giving great opportunity to those struggling with mental health issues, and other things.A HybridAside from a good, cheap breakfast, The Bronx is great for lots of reasons: Architects like its irregular, sometimes bewildering street layout that contrasts with the 1811 Commissioners Plan for Manhattan, and the hyper orthogonal geometries it yielded, but also its topography which affords sweeping views as far as the eye can see. From the upper floors at 1769 Jerome that face north, Kingsbridge Armory is clearly visible, a bulwark soon to be transformed by FXCollaborative, but also Westchester County further afield. Guido Hartray, founding partner at Marvel, told AN that the design for 1769 Jerome responds to the sites unique urban conditions. He described the building as a hybrid between, say, the heroic, midcentury residential towers that populate much of The Bronx (think: River Park Towers by Davis Brody Bondor Herman Jessors Co-op City) and the kind of architecture Jane Jacobs preferred, where sensitivity to the human scale is paramount.1769 Jerome is just a few feet away from the 4 train. (Josh Simpson/Courtesy Marvel Architects)In an institutional setting, you either get tons of privacy, or you have lots of openness with no privacy, both of which can be really off putting, Hartray said. It was a challenge to find the right balance between privacy and openness. We tried to find ways of achieving both privacy and openness that would give people choices and flexibility, so they can choose the space to support what theyre doing. Powell echoed Hartrays sentiment, she said that the design was about moving away from the closed walls typical in so many institutional buildings. This was achieved by thoughtful conversations between clients and architects which resulted in choices to have a light-filled, open foyer, expansive windows that look out onto terraces, conference rooms with semi-opaque glass for privacys sake, and so on. 1769 Jeromes community lounge, landscaped patio, computer room, food-based operators, laundry and fitness area all make for good, stable housing for people who need it most.Building HomePrior to 1769 Jeromes construction, S:US had converted the former Jerome Hotel into Single-Room Occupancy (SRO) housing. The Jerome Avenue Neighborhood Plan from 2018, which rezoned two miles of Jerome Avenue, afforded both S:US and Bronx Pro Group the opportunity to build something much taller than the existing 2-story building that was on the site. Hartray noted that the upzoning unlocked all sorts of architectural opportunities that wouldnt have been previously possible before 2018.Typical Unit Interior (Josh Simpson/Courtesy Marvel Architects)Some units look out toward the Manhattan skyline (Josh Simpson/Courtesy Marvel Architects)Residents are welcome to use a number of building amenities, including a computer area (Josh Simpson/Courtesy Marvel Architects)We wouldnt be doing our job if we built one less apartment to make what we think is a nicer looking, more aesthetically pleasing building, Hartray said. We had to build all the apartments we could. That was the fundamental goal. Hartray added that the final building envelope was a thoughtful negotiation between achieving maximum density, sculpting architectural form, reducing noise from the train tracks, and figuring out how to get as much natural light as possible in the units. The primary entry for residents was also intentionally placed on the pedestrian plaza that feeds into the Bronx step street, which was meant to help activate the area, and make it safer for everyone.S:US employees have offices inside the building on the ground floor. (Josh Simpson/Courtesy Marvel Architects)Powell noted that the housing scheme underway at 1769 Jerome is different from other affordable developments that went up as a result of the Jerome Avenue Neighborhood Plan and the Mandatory Inclusionary Housing (MIH) program former Mayor de Blasio strived for. 1769 Jerome has 105 supportive housing units, and 69 affordable housing units. Theres also a superintendents unit inside the building. This ratio between supportive and low-income housing, as opposed to market rate and low-income housing, Powell said, is a relatively new idea that S:US is experimenting with. A terrace located on an upper floor was furnished with outdoor seating and planters. (Josh Simpson/Courtesy Marvel Architects)Housing is the biggest component when it comes to not recycling the system of homelessness, and having the services available to maintain community, psychiatric services, case management services, transportation is essential, Powell said. Having people continuously checking up on them is also huge, she added. Here, managers are able to meet residents either in their office or right in their homes, and even at the deli; wherever they feel comfortable. Theyre available during the days and evenings, if necessary.In the next few years, another project by Marvel Architects and S:US will complete just a few blocks north of 1769 Jerome, adding even more much needed supportive housing in The Bronx.