Old Pictures of The Grand Concourse

Every now and again we get lost in the New York Public Library’s Digital Collections and we like to share some of our findings with our readers.

Today we’re taking a stroll down the Grand Concourse, the beautiful and grand boulevard in The Bronx designed by French immigrant Louis Aloys Risse using Paris’ Champs Élysées as his inspiration.

1150 Grand Concourse / Irma and Paul Milstein Division of United States History, Local History and Genealogy, The New York Public Library. 

You may notice that along most of the Concourse, streets rise to meet the famed boulevard. This is because it was constructed along a small ridge thus elevating it above all other streets in the area.

The Grand Boulevard and Concourse, as it was known when it was completed in 1909, is also an architectural outdoor museum with its vast collection of art deco apartment buildings in one of the largest collections along a street in the world.

These images are all from the New York Public Library’s Digital Collections showing some of these beauties along the Concourse shortly after many of them were constructed.

Enjoy!

1791 Grand Concourse / Irma and Paul Milstein Division of United States History, Local History and Genealogy, The New York Public Library. 
1851 Grand Concourse / Irma and Paul Milstein Division of United States History, Local History and Genealogy, The New York Public Library. 
The Grand Concourse at 162nd Street in 1926. Notice to the left the empty field that would become Joyce Kilmer Park/Irma and Paul Milstein Division of United States History, Local History and Genealogy, The New York Public Library.
The Andrew Freedman Home / Irma and Paul Milstein Division of United States History, Local History and Genealogy, The New York Public Library. 
The northern end of the Grand Concourse at Mosholu Parkway/ Irma and Paul Milstein Division of United States History, Local History and Genealogy, The New York Public Library. 
1460-1466 Grand Concourse taken in 1921/ Irma and Paul Milstein Division of United States History, Local History and Genealogy, The New York Public Library. 
2515 – 2525 Grand Concourse in 1921 / Irma and Paul Milstein Division of United States History, Local History and Genealogy, The New York Public Library. 
The historic Bronx County Courthouse aka the Mario Merola Building was still under construction in this 1933 photograph / Irma and Paul Milstein Division of United States History, Local History and Genealogy, The New York Public Library. 
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Ed García Conde

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.