Real Estate

Historic District Council’s FREE Summer Mixer This Monday!

We are at a critical juncture in our borough’s history.

101 years ago, when The Bronx was born as the 62nd and last county of New York State in Melrose at The Old Bronx Borough Courthouse, there began a frenzy and expansion into our borough that forever changed our landscape.

Today we are facing a second gold rush so to speak as we are considered the last frontier in real estate development in New York City—a city that is no longer recognizable to us with the loss of many neighborhoods that have succumbed to the white washing of gentrification and “progress” littered with the same chain store after chain store.

This is a chance to mingle and meet other Bronxites concerned about the future of our borough and the issues we face. It doesn’t matter if you’re from Riverdale, The South Bronx, Morris Park, Soundview, Throggs Neck, Kingsbridge or anywhere in The Bronx—this is an event for ALL of our residents.

These 3 Grand Castle Mansions In the Bronx Are Up For Grabs – On the Market – Curbed NY

Our friends over at Curbed NY spotted these three Bronx castles—of course all located in Riverdale. Where else would you find such homes in The Bronx and the rest of New York City for that matter?

This isn’t the first time that a Bronx castle has caught the attention of the folks at curbed and I’m sure it won’t be the last considering the beauties located in Fieldston and Riverdale.

Hip-Hop Museum Coming To The Old Bronx Courthouse?

After No Longer Empty’s residency and exhibition at the Old Bronx Borough Courthouse, ‘When You Cut Into The Preset The Future Leaks Out’, and over 6,000 visitors—over 75% from the area and not counting youth programs who graced the halls of this hallowed landmark—many have asked what now?

Well one possibility is that The Universal Hip Hop Museum—the only and official Hip-Hop museum chartered by the State of New York—may in fact call the Old Bronx Borough Courthouse Home. A fitting tribute given the fact that The Bronx is the birthplace of the global phenomenon that is Hip-Hop.

Undesiging the Red Line Interactive Exhibit

Join Designing the We for a new conversation on how Undesigning the Redline and contextualizing the work we do in the Bronx, New York City, and beyond opens alternative models, collaborations, and processes where another reality is possible. Check out the interactive exhibit and participate in new conversations, both one-on-one and in small groups.

See What The Bronx Could Look Like in 200 Years—Underwater

Although there are many who claim climate change isn’t happening (even in the face of science) and that humans aren’t impacting climate change (even in the face of science), this map of what The Bronx will look like in 200 years with a 2°C increase in temperature globally will sober you up.

If the projections and data continue to hold true, Port Morris will be mostly underwater, along with large swaths of Mott Haven, Melrose, Soundview, Castle Hill, Throggs Neck, City Island, Morris Park, Country Club, Riverdale and yes, even Co-op City.

Vacant Lot in The South Bronx Sells For Over $15 Million—Is The Area No Longer Affordable?

Let’s face it: We already knew that developers were going to set their eyes on The Bronx, often called “The Last Frontier” by real estate developers and moguls due to The South Bronx’s proximity to Manhattan and excellent transportation network but as speculative purchases are made on properties far more than their actual worth, is it over for those trying to make a quick buck on our back?

198 E 135th Street, which was owned by storage company CubeSmart, was sold on May 12, 2015 for $15,470,000 to Deegan 135 Realty LLC.

Luxury Boutique Hotel, The Umbrella, Is Open For Business

Melrose—and The Bronx—just added it’s second luxury boutique hotel as The Umbrella opened officially on Wednesday and Welcome2TheBronx was on site for the official tour of this finished gem.

From the moment you walk into the hotel, you immediately notice it is a very space and unlike The Opera House Hotel where its luxury finishes and decor are more traditional, The Umbrella Hotel went for a sleek, modern look.

No Longer Empty & Hostos Center For Bronx Nonprofits To Address Redlining, Gentrification, & Art This Thursday, June 18

Panel: Thursday, June 18, 11:30am–1pm
Opening Reception for Mini Exhibition, Undesign the Redline: Thursday, June 18, 5:30–7pm

In conjunction with the panel discussion, Undesign the Redline, organized in tandem with Designing the We, is a mini exhibit that explores the history of Redlining (PDF FILE); maps its effects into the present day; and prompts, collects, and showcases the experiences and knowledge of visitors.

Mayor of San Juan Stays In Melrose, The Bronx—Not Manhattan—But Cab Driver Refuses to Take Her There

Rather than staying in a glitzy hotel in Manhattan, the mayor of San Juan—the capital city of Puerto Rico—Carmen Yulin Cruz Soto decided to stay in Melrose at The Opera House Hotel at the recommendation of her friend,City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito according to the New York Daily News.

The Opera House Hotel, located on 149th Street in Melrose, between Brook and Bergen Avenues is nothing to sneeze at either as it is a beautiful luxury boutique hotel in the heart of The South Bronx and the Puerto Rican heart and soul of our city.

Two More Developments Rise in the Lower Concourse As PS 31 Is Torn Down

After six years of filings with NYC’s Department of Buildings and construction delays, 500 Exterior Street is rising with the 11 story hotel slated to be completed sometime in 2016 and Holiday Inn Express has leased the building according to owner Harshad Patel. The property sits across from the Special Harlem River Waterfront District where a proposed waterfront park would go along with 4,000 units of housing (2.8 million square feet of housing, 2.3 million square feet of commercial space, 1 million square feet of community space).

Courtlandt Corners Rebranded As ‘The Upton’ & Marketed as ‘Affordable Luxury’—But Not So Affordable

Courtlandt Corners in Melrose, the development which comprises of Courtlandt Corners I & II and Courtlandt Crescent, has rebranded the phase II building on the northern side of 161st Street as ‘The Upton’ offering ‘affordable luxury living’ but at rents that are well above the neighborhood average and clearly are not affordable to the general area population.

Is This The Bronx’s Future? Displaced, Dispersed, Disappeared: What Happens to Families Forced Out of Bushwick?

Coming Soon: Bushwick…If We Let It.

The following is syndicated from CityLimits and is very appropriate and applicable to The Bronx as signs of gentrification continue to manifest itself in the South Bronx. Is this what Bronx residents have to look forward to as developers are given free reign by our politicians to come into our neighborhoods and development with rampant disregard?

New York City has become a sterile, cookie-cutter “suburban” city. Neighborhoods in Manhattan and many parts of Brooklyn no longer have a distinct character or are losing them and becoming more homogeneous. Is this what we really want to happen to The Bronx?