LATEST NEWS

The Bronx is Close to Breaking Its Population Record Set in 1970

In 1970, The Bronx registered a historic population record of 1,471,701 residents—and then the great decline led to a 20% drop by 1980 as over 300,000 people fled the chaos our borough was thrown into by government officials with planned shrinkage, landlords torching their properties, redlining, and a host of other systemic issues that plagued our borough of which we still feel the impact today.

Now, as of 2014 census estimates, The Bronx has an estimated population of 1,438,159—just 33,542 shy of our historic high in 1970.

Plans Filed for Yet Another Affordable Housing Development in Melrose

Development doesn’t seem to be stopping anytime soon in Melrose, The Bronx’s unofficial downtown neighborhood.

After a lull in construction for a few years, developments are either in the process of breaking ground, in the middle of construction, almost complete or just filing applications in the neighborhood.

Four Bronxites Talk About Growing Up in Co-op City & Other parts of The Bronx

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.

Bronx Woman Helen Kane Was Inspiration For Betty Boop

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.

A Riot of Color Awaits As the Orchids Are Back in ‘Orchidelirium’ at The New York Botanical Garden!

This year’s Orchid show at the New York Botanical Garden, ‘Orchidelirium’ is just a riot of color in all shapes and sizes.

From tiny orchids the size of a mosquito to the larger, more “traditional” ones we’re used to seeing, NYBG’s 14th annual orchid show delivers not just a visual feast for the senses but one chock full of knowledge and tales of conquests by the hunters who discovered some of these species.

Popular East Harlem Bakery Opens Bronx Location in Melrose

In the heart of El Barrio aka East Harlem is Capri Bakery on 116th between Lexington and 3rd Avenue since 1984.

Now, after working on opening their second location for over a year, Capri is open for business and is already a hit having only opened this past Thursday.

As I sit here eating a typical Cuban and Puerto Rican pastelito de guayaba con queso—guava filled pastry with cheese—and a nice warm cup of tea, dozens of people have come and gone happily after purchasing their fresh baked delights.

LATEST NEWS

Immaculate Conception Church in Melrose Prioritized for Landmarking After 36 Years Since First Introduced for Preservation

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.

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A Bronx Girl Until The Very End Despite Being Thousands of Miles Away From “Home”

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.

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Bronx BP Ruben Diaz Jr To Commit $10 Million for Restoration of Historic Orchard Beach Pavilion

Although Robert Moses created Orchard Beach by destroying LeRoy’s Bay in Pelham Bay Park by filling in 1/3 of the bay with landfill and sand from Sandy Hook in Jersey to create the actual beach, he nevertheless created a gem we love and call The Bronx Riviera.

Now, after decades of neglect, Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr announced during his State of The Bronx today that his office is committing $10 million for the restoration of the landmarked Orchard Beach Pavilion, an Art Deco masterpiece.

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Bronx Residents Fearful Treacherous Stretch of Road Will Lead to Fatalities

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.

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