1982
Bronx
New York
Named after a portion of Kelly Street in the Bronx shaped like a banana, residents led by Leon Potts and activist Harry DeRienzo formed Banana Kelly Community Improvement Association. The group raised funds to take over three abandoned buildings to prevent their demolition and rehabilitate them. By the late 1980s, the organization expanded as community development funding became more available. By 2000, they had rehabilitated and managed more than a thousand housing units in the Bronx.