Long before the South Bronx neighborhood of Morrisania was a predominantly low-income residential area, it was the Manor of Morrisania—the estate of aristocrat and signer of the Declaration of Independence Lewis Morris. The facade of a recently opened affordable-apartment building there, designed by Alexander Gorlin Architects, draws upon this history with the use of a rich color palette for a series of rhythmically patterned metal panels. Paired with handsome gray brick cladding, the concrete block structure’s simple material treatment avoids the stereotypical affordable housing aesthetic. “People actually think it’s luxury housing,” says Alex Gorlin.

The 86,000-square-foot project, called Boston Road Supportive Housing, is Gorlin’s second with Breaking Ground, a New York nonprofit that provides permanent affordable housing for the chronically homeless. The organization used funds from government subsidies, private investors, and bank loans to finance the $47 million development.