We’re back for another look at old photographs of The Bronx. Most of these images are from 100 or more years ago and are from the New-York Historical Society’s Digital Collections.
So much has changed and yet some are still so recognizable if you look hard enough.
It’s always fascinating to think about who lived in these buildings and who are some of the people we see in the photographs.
1157 Fulton Avenue at 167th Street across from the now demolished St Augustine Roman Catholic Church in Morrisania taken August 18, 1915. Notice the now demolished Third Avenue El on the lower left of the photograph/New York Historical Society, William D. Hassler photograph collection
Today, only one of the buildings at 1157 Fulton Avenue survived and of course, the Third Avenue El has been gone for over 40 years now.2513 Webster Avenue directly south of Fordham Road in an undated photo estimated to have been taken between 1899-1904/ New York Historical Society, William D. Hassler photograph collection 2513 Webster Avenue today2654 Bainbridge Avenue in Fordham Manor in 1917/ New York Historical Society, William D. Hassler photograph collection 2654 Bainbridge Avenue today. As you can see all homes are still standing including the garage in the back. Oh and the tree survived too!335 and 337 E 241st Street in Woodlawn taken in 1917/ New York Historical Society, William D. Hassler photograph collection 335 and 337 E 241st Street today. As you can see they have both been significantly altered as they were expanded outwards towards the front.
Below, parts of Alexander Avenue remain frozen in time while others have changed drastically.
Alexander Avenue in Mott Haven facing south from 138th Street. St Jerome’s Roman Catholic Church on the left/ New York Historical Society, William D. Hassler photograph collection St Jerome still and its school still stand today but NYCHA’s Mitchel Houses has replaced all the townhomes that once dominated Alexander Avenue.
This strip in Kingsbridge is relatively the same except with the addition of rows of trees now.
Bailey Avenue in Kingsbridge looking North from Albany Crescent on June 2, 1916/ New York Historical Society, William D. Hassler photograph collection Bailey Avenue today mostly unchanged
Almost unbelievable that this is Jerome and Bedford Park Boulevard.
Jerome Avenue and Bedford Park Boulevard, February 4, 1919/ New York Historical Society, William D. Hassler photograph collection Notice Tracy Towers in the distancePilgrim Congregational Church on the Grand Concourse at E 175th Street in Mount Hope in June 1919/New York Historical Society, William D. Hassler photograph collection Today, the church is slated for demolition to make way for housing. It has sat in disrepair for well over a decade.
That’s it for now. We’ll continue to go through the thousands of images and share a select few here as always.
Ed García Conde is a life-long Bronxite who spends his time documenting the people, places, and things that make the borough a special place in the hopes of dispelling the negative stereotypes associated with The Bronx. His writings are often cited by mainstream media and is often consulted for his expertise on the borough's rich history.
You must be logged in to post a comment.