The Bronx General Post Office is back on the market with hopes to sell the…
Tag: Bronx General Post Office
The top story this morning continues to be how community boards across New York City are striking down de Blasio’s zoning changes. Meanwhile, a look into the world of green taxis, Comptroller Scott Stringer thinks it’s fine time to shut down Rikers, 4 buildings get a new lease on life, and a peek inside the Bronx General Post Office and plans for the landmark.
When the Bronx General Post Office was purchased by YoungWoo and Associates last year, one of the first things they announced they would work on would be the restoration of the landmarked interior murals—masterpieces from the New Deal Era by Ben Shahn created in 1939.
Earlier this year, after selecting Parma Conservation, LTD, the delicate work of restoring these important works of art treasures began.
Now that the Bronx General Post Office is in the private hands of developer YoungWoo & Associates, work has begun on restoring the 13 iconic and landmarked Ben Shahn murals in the lobby.
The building, which opened on May 15, 1937 after 2 years of construction, was the largest of the 29 New Deal Era edifices built in New York City. In 1976 the building received landmark status from NYC’s Landmark Commission and in 2013, after Welcome2TheBronx broke the news that the United States Postal Service was selling the property, the interior lobby was granted landmark status as well—a feat that is not easy to achieve.
Bronx Week will officially kick of this Sunday, May 3rd at the Bronx General Post Office on the Grand Concourse and 149th Street in the Concourse/Melrose area of The Bronx.
The event will be filled with local food trucks and vendors, music, children’s activities and art presented by The Bronx Museum and Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr will announcing the festivities surrounding the event.
Untapped Cities took us on a trip last month on New York City’s Interior Landmarks and gave us a peek at some The Bronx’s very own special gems and here’s what they wrote. Be sure to check out the link at the end to see others in our beautiful borough as well as throughout the rest of New York City.
This past Tuesday, January 20th, YoungWoo and Associates finally unveiled a more detailed look at the full plans for the restoration and development of the landmark Bronx General Post Office at a hearing with New York City’s Landmark Preservation Commission.
Sold earlier this year for $19 million, the Bronx General Post Office is on its way to a new life as new owners Youngwoo & Associates have filed plans to begin redevelopment of the landmarked property. Retail, office spaces, restaurants and rooftop terraces appear to be on their way for the iconic building.
YoungWoo & Associates has partnered up with the San Francisco based Bristol Group, a real estate investment and development firm, to restore the Bronx General Post Office to its former glory.
Not only will the exterior once again shine gloriously but the firms will also preserve and restore the landmarked lobby, including the 13 Ben Shahn murals. “We are firmly committed to honoring the building’s historic legacy and working with the USPS to ensure that the interior landmarked lobby, including “Resources of America”—the 13 murals created by the great American artists, Ben Shahn and Bernarnda Bryson—are honored, restored to their original glory and preserved for all to enjoy” said Mr. Zucker.
Welcome2TheBronx first broke the exclusive story, back on January 2013, that the landmark Bronx General Post Office was for sale. Subsequently the story was immediately picked up by the New York Times in an article by Donald Dunlap. Now after almost 2 years speculation of what the fate of the beloved Post Office would be, Welcome2TheBronx has learned via Denis Slattery of the Daily News that the General Post Office has been sold to developer Young Woo & Associates.
The lower levels can be used as a market much like Eataly except it would not solely be Italian but offer the best variety of ethnic culinary delights the Bronx has to offer. Think of the place permeating with the aroma of the cuisines of Albania, Ghana, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Italy, Bangladesh, India, Jamaica, Ireland, Nigeria, Mexico, and all the many other ethnicities that our borough is home to.
Imagine a year-round farmer’s market located inside as well where you can buy locally grown produce or the smell of a spice market also located indoors.
At a meeting at the Landmarks Preservation Commission today, the board decided to preserve the lobby in its entirety by granting the interior lobby landmark status!
We first broke the story to the public on the sale of the Landmark building earlier this year and immediately we became concerned of the lobby and the historical Ben Shahn murals and the New York Times even did a more in depth article on the issue.
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