Curbed has launched its new series called ‘New York Narratives’ which takes a look at “Lifelong New Yorkers share stories commemorating, celebrating, and reflecting on the lived experience in New York City” and with its first series, 4 Bronx residents talk about growing up in Co-op City, Mott Haven, Highbridge, in the East Bronx along the 6 line, and living in Morris Park.
People of The Bronx
Born in 1904 in The Bronx and attended St Anselm’s Roman Catholic school on Tinton Avenue, Helen Clare Schroeder would eventually become the inspiration for one of the most iconic and lasting cartoon characters, Betty Boop.
Little did Helen Kane, a German-Irish Catholic woman from The Bronx (as she later became known), know that her likeness would set the globe ablaze as one of the first and most famous of all sex symbols in all the world of animation.
36 years ago in 1980, Immaculate Conception Church in the Melrose neighborhood of The Bronx, along with its convent, rectory, and priests’ residence was calendered for landmarking by New York City’s Landmark Preservation Commission but nothing happened.
Until this past Tuesday.
LPC removed 65 properties from the calendar, many of which sat for decades waiting for action, but kept Immaculate Conception and prioritized for designation as a landmark by year’s end pending further hearings and a vote.
I generally don’t call women girls that I never personally but Doris Perlmutter was always proud to call herself a “Bronx Girl”.
Doris Perlmutter, a strong Bronx-born and raised woman through and through despite having moved to California where she lived for almost 40 years since the late 70s, passed away last month, January 20th, much to many of our surprise who knew her through Facebook.
For several years, Bronx residents—along with Community Board 10 and the City Island Civic Association—have been begging for New York City to fix a hazardous stretch of Shore Road which goes from the Pelham Bay Landfill and into Westchester County.
Water—whether groundwater or from a water main (determination has yet to be made)—not only creates crater-like potholes but also freezes over over in the the winter forcing drivers to swerve and veer into the opposite lane of this two-lane road to avoid the potholes and patches of dangerous ice.
My family moved from Manhattan to the Bronx in 1954. I was raised by my grandparents and we lived in a tenement on Hoe Avenue, near Southern Boulevard. On Saturdays, I would accompany my grandmother, Clara, in trips to the market at Simpson station, serving as translator between her and the meat and produce sellers.
The two schools that I attended were P.S. 75 and P.S. 123. I loved my years at these schools with my favorite teachers, Mrs. Lasher, who taught me English and that you couldn’t use a double negative in a sentence, and Mr. Mathes, who inspired in me an appreciation for science that has always stayed with me.
It was a hot summer day on August 11, 1973 in the Bronx at 1520 Sedgwick Avenue as DJ Kool Herc and his sister held a party in what would become known as the birth of Hip Hop—a genre which has transcended cultural, national, and many other boundaries by leaps and bounds.
Now, the New York City Council, thanks to the leadership of Councilwoman Vanessa L. Gibson, has passed a resolution to co-name to stretch in front of 1520, ‘Hip Hop Boulevard’ further solidifying The Bronx’s importance in the creation of the genre as the birthplace of Hip Hop.
Two weeks ago we reported on the artist selection process for the permanent public art for the new 40th Precinct which was held at The Bronx Documentary Center.
During last week’s presentation, we got a look into what the new 40th Precinct would look like slated for construction at its new location on 149th Street and St Ann’s in Melrose.
The design itself is that of stacked blocks centered around a common atrium, with each block serving a specific purpose. Each rooftop will be green with plantings but what will make this building unique is the dedicated public community room.
207 years ago today, one of The Bronx’s most notable residents was born—the poet Edgar Allan Poe who once lived in what was known as the Village of Fordham in what was once Westchester County.
The famed writer and poet, one of the most important in American history, moved to The Bronx when his wife Virginia became ill from tuberculosis and he thought the fresh country air would help her condition.
Located in Morrisania on Clay Avenue between 165th and 166th Streets, this tiny historic district has been selected by New York City’s Historic District Council’s ‘Six to Celebrate’ which, unbeknownst to many, sits on the former Fleetwood Trotting Track, a horse racing course.
Entering it’s fourth year, the program highlights six areas as the agency provides year long support not just in shining a spotlight but also helping with issues the district or organization may be facing.
This Sunday from 2PM to 5PM, the 3rd Annual Bronx Gentrification Conference will be held, this time, at New Settlement Community Center at 1501 Jerome Avenue.
Since The Bronx Documentary began this series in December of 2012, speculation and gentrification have crept into our borough at a rapid rate despite our Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr denying that gentrification is happening.
2015 became the year that The Bronx was put up for sale and is being sold to the highest bidders not to mention the Piano District party and fiasco which has angered a borough.
As The Bronx Opera Company enters its 49th year of consecutive performances, they will be holding 4 performances this month of ‘Regina’—two at Lehman College and two at Hunter College in Manhattan and by bringing the above flyer and showing it at the box office you get a $10 discount off tickets!
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