The Bronx County Historical Society has just published a new book, by Bronx historian Lloyd Ultan, on Blacks in the Bronx during colonial times —a first of its kind.
According to the Society’s website:
For the first time in over three and a half centuries, the story of people of African descent in the colonial Bronx, the northernmost borough of New York City, is being told. Discovered in over fifty scattered places, 210 separate accounts written by participants and witnesses from 1664 to 1783 in letters, government documents, court records, wills, memoirs and newspapers are brought together in one volume for the first time. The noted historian and author, Lloyd Ultan, puts these statements and accounts from the era into context, telling what they mean and tying them all together in a revealing narrative.
The timing of the publication of the book during Black History Month couldn’t be more poignant as the relatively recent discovery of an African slave burial ground in Hunts Point.
The discovery of the burial grounds, now known as the Hunts Point Slave Burial Ground, came to be by the intrepid students and teachers at PS 48 when they came across an old photograph from 1910 labeled, “Slave burying ground, Hunts Point Road”. The photo was released along with an archive of 50,000 other photographs by the Museum of the City of New York back in 2010.
Slave burying ground, Hunts Point Road / Museum of the City of New York
“Last September, a team of scientists from the United States Department of Agriculture used ground-penetrating radar at the site and found “anthropogenic features,” suggestive of skeletal remains, about six feet beneath the parkland. On Friday, students and staff from P.S. 48 — which is also named for Joseph Rodman Drake, a poet who lived from 1795 to 1820 — were joined at a news conference by state elected officials and community leaders to call on the state Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation to officially recognize the burial ground.”
Thursday, February 27, 2014
Time6:00pm until 7:00pm
Description
Barnes and Noble at Bay Plaza will host a panel discussion celebrating Black History Month on February 27, 2014, from 6-7 pm. The Bronx Borough Historian Lloyd Ultan will join the discussion and also discuss his new book. The address is 290 Baychester Avenue, Bronx, N.Y. Please call (718) 862-3945 for more information.
When my friend gave me tickets to ‘The Closet Bitch’ (written and performed by Shana Solomon) at Stage Left Studio in Chelsea, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect except that I was going to watch another autobiographical one woman show.
Well halfway through the show I was glad that my friend Tommy had gotten me the tickets.
The play is a riveting look into the rough life of a Bronxite who beat all the odds stacked against her; a schizophrenic mother banished from her life by a drug addicted and dealer of a father, all told with humor which softens the blow of her story.
Yes, I know many are thinking, “here we go again another woe is me, the Bronx is rough” story which has been done ad nauseum but I promise you it’s much more than that.
‘The Closet Bitch’ is about the aforementioned autobiographical story on the surface but it digs a lot deeper and gets into very relevant topics. Shana Solomon questions her identity on so many levels; as a woman, as a woman of color, what it feels like to be a Bronxite in corporate America.
Solomon deftly shows us all the masks she had to wear in life in order to survive in all these circumstances and their related stigmas.
There’s a point in the play which will resound with many Bronxites at some point in their life: feeling ashamed about where they’re from instead of pride. Something which the media helped shaped in not just our consciousness but the global consciousness and perception of the Bronx as well.
I highly recommend this show to anyone whether you’re from the Bronx or not as it is a story that could have come from anywhere.
Details after the interview on location, times, and dates as well as a link to purchase tickets.
Besides this autobiographical one woman show, Solomon has appeared on television in various shows as a lead including several national commercials where she was also the lead.
Read our exclusive interview with Shana Solomon below!
‘The Closet Bitch’ is a pretty raw and self-exploratory piece. What made you want to share such an intimate story with the world particularly that of your parents and their own personal demons?
If I didn’t tell this intimate story of all of the times I wish I would have spoken up in life, then I never would have evolved into the bold woman I am today. I was taught to hold my tongue and smile through the pain. I was “daddy’s little girl” and that title blinded me from seeing the truth in so many people. As women, we hide our truth because we’re taught to be “nice and sweet”. So, I reveal family demons such as, my fathers drug dealing and using lifestyle, his young Puerto Rican mistress and mothers mental disability to relate to an inspire women with their own demons to see things clearer and stand on what they believe in. Women come up to me after the show every night, crying and emotionally touched because they say; my story inspires them to be stronger. I love that! What better reason to embarrass my family and myself every night?
Why ‘The Closet Bitch’ as the title?
Haha, my favorite question!
The “CLOSET” is a metaphor for the rules women are taught to obey in life and the “BITCH” is what we get called when we break those rules. I lived in the closet most of my life. Afraid to go against the grain and stand on what I believed in regardless of what others thought. Now I live by my own design.
Where in the Bronx were you raised and how long did you live there? Which schools did you attend?
I moved to the Bronx (Co-op City) when I was about 3 years old. I moved back and forth from Co-op to the South Bronx when I was a teenager living in Jackson Projects and 169th street & Freeman Avenue. I lived in the Bronx for 26 years.
I attended P.S. 153 elementary school, M.S. 180 (Dr. Daniel Hale Williams) and Harry S. Truman High School for almost two years until I was forced to leave because I was a troublemaker, I had a terrible napoleon complex. I signed up for Arturo A. Schomburg Satellite Academy high school and attended Lehman College all in the Bronx, New York.
Do you still live in the Bronx?
I left the Bronx three years ago but I’m there about once a week to see my parents and friends. I get home sick.
How do you feel growing up in the Bronx prepared you for the world?
The Bronx is located in one of the most powerful, fast paced cities in the world, so I took advantage of that! I learned how to hustle up a dollar and survive living in the Bronx. The Bronx taught me how to be independent. At 11 years old I was taking the 12 bus to Fordham Road to see the excitement. The biggest lesson I got from the Bronx was how to communicate with different people. I feel totally comfortable traveling anywhere in the world because of it.
Tell us about when you knew acting was what you wanted to pursue.
I knew I wanted to act when I performed the ghetto version of “Cinderella” in my 4th grade class called “Cindy”. I forgot to leave the glass slipper for my prince to find me. Backstage I heard the prince say, “Here is her glass slipper…” I looked down at my feet and realized I had both slippers on. I quickly took one off, got in my quarter back stance and threw the slipper perfectly to knock him in his head. He picked the slipper up, repeated the line and got tons of laughs! Those laughs made me realize, I could do this for the rest of my life.
What are some of the obstacles you’ve encountered on your journey in pursuing your career?
I think I hold the world record for obstacles of an actor because I take so many risks. I’ve heard exactly 300 “no’s” from casting directors, my mother keeps an excel sheet of all of my auditions, she’s the cutest. But I kept on going. I knocked on every agents door in NYC, they all told me no. I kept knocking. I’ve tried to start a web series and improv group with fellow actors but it fell through every time. I kept searching. I co-wrote a short film, spent my inheritance on the production and it wasn’t accepted into festivals. I kept writing and pushing until I wrote The Closet Bitch. Those obstacles have been my biggest teacher.
Do you have any advice or words for budding Bronxites seeking a career in acting and the arts?
The Bronx has so many artistic outlets. As a kid I would go to “The Point” to audition and perform. I was always involved with the art of acting in some way. Whether it was class, an audition or reading a book on one of my idols, I made sure I stayed busy in acting. If you want to become great at acting, study it, immerse yourself in it and become obsessed until you master it. There are resources all around you. And last, I wish someone would have told me when I was growing up, regardless of the slang you speak, the extra dip in your walk or what you believe people see when you walk in the room, make all the noise you can with acting and make the world respect your individuality by believing in yourself! And always remember where you’re from, but more importantly focus on your destination like a hawk!
‘The Closet Bitch‘ is running every Monday until March 24th at 7:30PM at Stage Left Studio located in Chelsea at 214 W 30th Street on the 6th Floor between 7th and 8th Avenues.
Stage Left Studio is easily accessible via subway on the A, C, E, 1, 2, 3, B, D, F, N, Q and R trains to 34th Street as well as the PATH train to 33rd and 6th Avenue.
Can anyone guess the Bronx train station where this is located? This is only a portion of one mosaic mural of eight at this particular station (four on either side).
Well this time along the 2 and 5 Line at the East 180th yard in the Bronx, several cars were spotted that were bombed last month and it appears it was done by crew from Spain in Barcelona.
Bucky Turco of Animal has informed us that this photo was shot by photographer Aymann Ismail, who was on the scene after this and another subway car were spotted with tags in the yard. Animal had reported that “at least two trains had been tagged by the likes of SEN, ORUS and SHADE SNAQUE. The graffiti experts we spoke to said the style of the pieces were definitely not indigenous to the city, or good, and after some Internet sleuthing, we feel comfortable in reporting that they’re from Barcelona’s OTP crew. These writers continue a long held tradition of coming to New York and painting a train just for the flick.”
In case you’re wondering, no we’re NOT hurtling back to those “dark and dreary” days in the 70s and 80s. This happens throughout the year but the MTA pulls the trains out of service and scrubs the “offending” cars clean.
So this happened overnight…a 1 Train was graffiti bombed all in the name of Trump and not against but what seems to be FOR the disgusting, misogynistic, racist candidate. STYLE WARS
The College of New Rochelle in Melrose at 332 East 149th Street between Courtlandt and Morris Avenues has put its 50,000+ square foot, 9 story campus / office building for sale with an asking price of $10.5 million (the former location of the old Savemart electronic store for you history buffs).
School officials said sale of the building will enable the college to enhance academic offerings and improve facilities, as well as generate significant cash flow, which will increase financial reserves, provide additional income, and reduce operating expenses.
“This sale-lease-back transaction demonstrates prudent financial management and provides a unique opportunity for the College to exchange a fixed asset for a more liquid asset that can be redirected to further strengthen its academics programs and its financial position,” Judith Huntington, president of the college said in a statement. “In conjunction with the implementation of the College’s current strategic plan, this will aid in creating a vibrant and compelling institution, allowing us to thrive and our students to be successful.”
The College of New Rochelle’s property sits in an area that is rapidly growing and has transformed from one of blight to one that is highly desirable due to strategic location.
Confidence in the area by the commercial and retail real estate sector is quite evident and all you have to do is walk around to see what’s happening.
Directly behind Triangle Plaza will rise one of five buildings that will make up the massive, 985 mixed income unit, La Central development that is scheduled to break ground sometime in the summer of 2015 (a 48,000 square foot YMCA with 2 swimming pools will be located in this building).
With all the activity in the area in all sectors of the real estate industry, The John Cardinal O’Connor Campus of the College of New Rochelle probably won’t be on the market too long.
Tomorrow, Wednesday February 12th at the Bronx Museum of the Arts there will be a community meeting at 6:30PM to discuss the possibility of closing a stretch of the Grand Concourse from 165th Street to 167th Street for three Sundays this August in an attempt to revive a smaller version of a beloved Bronx tradition: Boogie On the Boulevard.
Boogie On the Boulevard was started by former Bronx Borough President Fernando Ferrer in 1991 and ran from July through November. The center lanes of the Concourse were shut down on Sundays to vehicular traffic to allow biking and residents to gather along a stretch of the famed roadway for over 3 miles.
Sadly, the popular tradition was ended by former Mayor Giuliani in 1996.
Transportation Alternatives, along with community activists, is looking to restart the tradition and hopefully if it all works out well eventually expand as time progresses.
So far they’ve succeeded in garnering over 1,400 petition signatures (PLEASE SIGN THE PETITION) as well as broad community support.
According to an article in the Daily News, “If approved by the 44th Precinct this month, the event would close down Grand Concourse’s center lanes between 165th St. and 167th St. for interactive art exhibits, fitness classes and live music on Aug. 3, 10 and 17.”
Would you like to see this become a reality once again?
—Attend tomorrow’s meeting at the Bronx Museum (Wednesday, February 12th at 6:30PM) located at 1040 Grand Concourse at East 165th Street. (Meetings are held on the second Wednesday of each month)
—Share this article with your friends, family and networks as well!
Be involved in your community so that we can all continue to make the Bronx a better place.
In what’s become a holiday tradition at the Bronx Documentary Center, this Friday from 5pm to 7pm Bronx residents will be able to receive a free 8×10 portrait for Valentine’s Day. Each additional print is available for $5 each.
Non Bronx residents can also participate with the first portrait at $10 and each additional portrait at $5 each as well.
Contact the BDC at: info@bronxdoc.org
TO GET TO THE BRONX DOCUMENTARY CENTER
Subway 2 & 5train to 3rd Avenue-149th Street
Bus BX2,BX6, BX13, BX 15, BX 19 BX32, BX41
Car 24-hour parking available directly next door to BDC
614 Courtlandt Avenue (@ 151st St.) Bronx, NY 10451
Below are some pictures from last year’s Christmas Holiday Portraits at the BDC.
The following is a guest article by John Rozankowski, PhD
One of the most glaring transit deserts in the Bronx is Co-op City. This development with some 44,000 residents, as well as the northeast Bronx, is in dire need of a new subway line. And it can become a reality if the abandoned trackways of the Bronx Amtrak line are put to use.
The Amtrak line which runs the entire length of eastern Bronx is wide enough to accommodate both the Amtrak and the proposed Metro North Connecticut railroads on one set of tracks, and a new subway on a separate set of tracks. This is critical since federal regulations prohibit commuter rail and subways to run on the same tracks.
The Amtrak line has been in the news recently with the proposal to build four Metro North stations at Hunt’s Point, Parkchester, the Municipal Hospital Complex and Co-op City. At a City Council Transportation hearing of 6/19/12, William Wheeler of the MTA categorically stated: Building the Metro North stations is absolutely dependent upon the completion of East Side Access, now targeted for 2023. Even if Governor Cuomo gets some funding for this project, work on it won’t take place any time soon.
Continued below the break
The Bronx can take advantage of this delay since the proposed design of the new Metro North stations would block any subway line from also using the Amtrak track-bed. Why should north east Bronx riders settle only for Metro North when they can have both the commuter rail and a new subway?
Two Subway Lines for Co-op City and the Northeast Bronx
Two separate subway lines could run via Amtrak through the northeast Bronx to Co-op City: an extension of the Triborough RX and the 2nd Avenue subway:
The Triborough RX is a subway proposed by the Regional Planning Association (RPA). It would link abandoned railroads in Brooklyn and merge with the Amtrak line in northwestern Queens. There is already a bridge over Hell Gate with four tracks: 2 are used by Amtrak and the other two would be used by the new subway. The RPA has suggested running this line to Yankee Stadium. Without eliminating this option, trains on the Triborough RX could also continue along Amtrak to Co-op City.
The second subway is the 2nd Avenue subway. Here is a way for this new subway to serve the Bronx very effectively without having to dig new tunnels. This proposal is not unprecedented. The RPA proposed using the northern portion of Amtrak for its Metrolink proposal which included tunneling into Co-op City to create three additional stations there.
Currently, the MTA is working on Phase I of the 2nd Avenue subway from 63rd Street to 96th Street. Next up is Phase II from 96th Street to 125th Street and here the proposed MTA plan creates an obstacle for a Co-op City bound 2nd Avenue subway. In sharp contrast to all previous 2nd Avenue subway proposals, which had the line going to the Bronx, this plan turns the line west on 125th Street with the station on an east-west axis to facilitate transfers from Metro North and the Lexington Avenue line.
It must be added that this extension is extremely expensive. The Phase II tunnels from 110th to 120th Streets were built in the 1970’s and are shallow. The western extension, however, would have to go under the Lexington Avenue line, which has two levels. This means deep tunnel boring with a super-expensive cavern station accessible only by very long escalators.
In a recent article on this blog, Richard Garey proposed extending the Manhattan-marooned #3 train into the Bronx. At the turn of the 20th century, IRT planners can be forgiven for not envisioning the explosive population growth in the Bronx and terminating this line in Harlem. Because of it, the #3 trains are useless to the Bronx.1 It’s therefore shocking that the MTA’s Phase II plan creates a similar “dead-end” for the 2nd Avenue subway at 125th Street. It would prevent 15 Q trains, planned to run on the line, from ever reaching the Bronx and would condemn them to permanent “one-way loads.”
There is no sound reason for turning the 2nd Avenue subway west on 125th Street:
—Metro North riders would not transfer to the 2nd Avenue subway even though the fare might be cheaper than continuing straight to Grand Central. The demise of the NY, Boston and Westchester Railroad demonstrates this point convincingly.2
—Metro North as well as #4 and #5 riders would not transfer to the 2nd Avenue subway to get to Times Square. It will remain faster and easier to stay on their trains and transfer at 59th Street or Grand Central to the appropriate trains. Riders don’t have time for long escalator rides or taking a cruise through the Upper East Side.
—The same riders would not transfer to the 2nd Avenue subway to get to the developing Far West Side. Transferring to the 2nd Avenue subway would require another transfer to the #7 at Times Square.
—A stated MTA goal of the 2nd Avenue subway is to relieve the crush on the Lexington Avenue line. As any regular rider knows, the biggest crush comes at 125th Street as #6 riders transfer to the #4 and #5 expresses. If the 2nd Avenue subway ran via Amtrak to Co-op City, it would draw West Side bound riders from the #6 at each proposed station–especially at Hunt’s Point where a transfer would not involve long escalator rides.
Many Metro North riders would transfer to the 2nd Avenue subway at 125th Street in large numbers only if it went below Grand Central–especially to Downtown Manhattan. That, however, is in the far distant future.3
The people of the northeast Bronx could have service far sooner.
The money saved by not turning the 2nd Avenue subway west and instead proceeding to the Bronx would cover the cost of a dedicated subway bridge and much of the cost to install tracks and signals on the Amtrak as well as stations that would serve both the subway and Metro North.
The Bronx Must Develop and Fight For Its Transit Needs
Overall, the problem is that no has ever defined what are the borough’s transit needs. Today decisions such as the routing of the 2nd Avenue subway, the design of the proposed Metro North stations are made by people who don’t live in the borough, are not interested in the real needs of its people and relegate it to an afterthought. The westward turn of the 2nd Avenue subway at 125th Street is clearly discriminatory, an insult and a crime against the Bronx.
It shouldn’t and wouldn’t be this way if the Bronx paid the attention to mass transit that it deserves. The Bronx Borough President should set up a task force to study, investigate and to define all Bronx transit needs from new subway lines to meaningful improvements in present bus and subway service. This task force must reach out far and wide for extensive public participation.
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In the campaign against the Shops-in-the-Armory and for the Living Wage campaign, Bronx Borough President Reuben Diaz, Jr. has bravely picked up the leadership baton. It must be recalled that in both campaigns, he had the strong support of the people. Likewise, in transit, a task force must define and launch a campaign for Bronx transit needs and without a doubt, Diaz will swing into action once again.
Notes
1. On July 16, 1940, the New York City Board of Transportation tried to rectify this problem by extending the #3 to the 9th Avenue El station at West 155th Street. The #3 would then proceed on what was called the Polo Grounds shuttle to a junction with the #4 line at 162nd St. World War II intervened and sadly this was never done. Today the new Yankee Stadium blocks this route.
2. The New York, Boston & Westchester Railroad opened in 1912 with a terminal at 132nd St. There a special station was constructed on the 3rd Avenue El to facilitate transfers to Manhattan. Even though this was cheaper than a straight ride to Grand Central on Metro North, riders paid the higher fare on Metro North dooming the New York, Boston & Westchester railroad to bankruptcy in 1937. Today a segment of this railroad survives as the Dyre Avenue subway. Cf. Stan Fischler, The Subway: A Trip through Time on New York’s Rapid Transit, pp. 174-182.
3. The current Phase II MTA plan does feature a bellmouth tunnel at 125th St. pointing north to the Bronx. With the 15 Q trains diverted west, however, this would be useless at least until completion of Phase III of the 2nd Avenue subway, which would launch the proposed T train. If at that time, the Metro North stations are built as currently planned, a completely new and expensive tunnel would have to be dug in the Bronx.
Sources
Dana Rubenstein, “The Surprising Return of the Triboro RX,” Capital New York 5/25/12.
Steven Weber & Jeffrey Zupan, “Metrolink: New Transit for New York,” January 1999, RPA (Regional Planning Association) http://www.rpa.org/pdf/metrolink.pdf
Mark S. Feinman, “The NYC Transit Authority in the 1970’s,” nycsubway.org: Developments 1940-Present
“New York, Westchester & Boston Railroad: #1. East 177th St. – East 180th St. Area,” nycsubway.org: Developments 1940-Present.
Richard Garey, “Extend the #3 Train to the Bronx,” Welcome2theBronx.com
About John Rozankowski, PhD
Although born in Brooklyn, John Rozankowski, PhD spent most of his life in the Bronx and received his Ph.D. in history from Fordham University at Rose Hill.
After selling his rental property, John became a community activist fighting against the new Yankee Stadium, the term limit extension, the Kingsbridge Armory Shops-in-the-Armory proposal and for Bronx Borough President Reuben Diaz’s living wage campaign. Last year, he was a volunteer in the Letitia James for Public Advocate campaign and continues to campaign in Queens for the reactivation of the Rockaway line.
John has a very strong interest in mass transit issues especially relating to the subways and buses. The outer boroughs have always been shafted and it’s high time that Bronxites did something about it.
In addition, he is a writer and blogger on New York City issues.”
Dr Rozankowski has lived in the Bronx for 58 years and currently resides in the Bedford Park neighborhood of the Bronx.
Disclaimer:
Comments, views, and opinions are that solely of the author and should never be misconstrued as that of Welcome2TheBronx or any other authors of this site. Welcome2TheBronx only edits articles submitted by readers for grammar and spelling leaving fact checking up to the author.
Welcome2TheBronx encourages reader submissions for consideration for publication on our site. It is our mission to be able to provide a platform where Bronx residents can have their voices broadcasted to a wider audience.
To submit an article, email us at submissions@welcome2thebronx.com
Join the Bronx Documentary Center tomorrow, Saturday February 8th for a screening in connection to the current exhibition ‘Too Young To Wed’
Noted VII Photo Agency documentary photographer and videographer Jessica Dimmock will present her video series from the BDC’s current Too Young to Wed exhibition, created by Stephanie Sinclair, about child marriage around the world. Jessica will present other recent documentary projects as well.
Contact us at: info@bronxdoc.org
TO GET TO THE BRONX DOCUMENTARY CENTER
Subway 2 & 5train to 3rd Avenue-149th Street
Bus BX2,BX6, BX13, BX 15, BX 19 BX32, BX41
Car 24-hour parking available directly next door to BDC
614 Courtlandt Avenue (@ 151st St.) Bronx, NY 10451
Join the folks at El Fogón Center for the Arts tomorrow night, February 8th at 8pm for an evening of poetry, dance, music, and the visual arts all rolled up into one!
This is a monthly event at El Fogón and is just one of many that the center provides.
According to their website, the center “… presents art from the NYC area and around the world that reflects the profound issues and ideas of our time (past, present and future), expands the boundaries of artistic practice, and celebrates the diversity of human experience and expression.”
El Fogon Center for the Arts is located at 989 Home Street, at the corner of Vyse.
SUBWAY
El Fogon Center for the Arts is subway accessible by taking:
the 2 train to Freeman Street
the 5 train to Freeman Street
the 6 train to Whitlock Avenue
BUS
El Fogon Center for the Arts is bus accessible by taking:
Bx 19 to Freeman Street
Last night was the opening exhibition of GAY at the Longwood Gallery at Hostos Community College —a very much ‘in your face body of work by 20 artists of color exploring the shift in gay culture within the past decade.
I ran into friend and fellow Bronxite Jeffrey Guard of The Bronx Arts Exchange and we were both pretty much in awe at the exhibit and frankly quite proud that we were experiencing this in the South Bronx of all places.
Below is an excerpt of his review:
“Upon entry to the Longwood Gallery’s Gay exhibition viewers are immediately greeted by Jose Joaquin Figueroa’s massive photograph, Playboy depicting a nude attractive hirsute man wearing a communist beret and in the iconic coquettish pose of Marilyn Monroe’s Playboy centerfold. It is the gay love child of both Monroe and Che Guevara. The lush satin red backdrop coupled with the exposed naked body will make anyone stop and take notice. It is both a slap in the face and a kiss on the lips. It’s also the perfect amuse-bouche for what’s to come. Gay organized by curator and artist Ivan Monforte is an ambitious and provocative exhibition that features 20 artists seeking to explore the ever-shifting identity of what it means to be gay. The unapologetic, uncensored and brazen tone of Gay harkens back to the days of Robert Mapplethorpe and Keith Haring. There is a fearless excitement in this aggressive and beautiful depiction of contemporary gay male culture—that hasn’t been seen in the Bronx (or the rest of NYC for a very long while).”
Community activists and residents alike, along with politicians, were (and still remain) upset at the sale of a landmarked building which is a heart and pride of the South Bronx and the borough overall.
According to the article, Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr met with developers Youngwoo & Associates last month who are entertaining the idea of turning the post office into a marketplace.
The New ‘Bronx Market’
Since I first found out about the sale I began to brainstorm on what possible uses the building could take on. I can’t help it with 15 years of real estate experience.
I also am not opposed to the sale especially since the exterior of the building is landmarked and so is the lobby.
We need to be realistic. The USPS is dying and rather than have the building end up decaying like the landmarked PS 31 just a few blocks south, I would prefer it sold to a developer who has the vision to bring something transformative to the building and truly world-class for the Bronx.
One of the best uses of the landmarked building would be to transform it into a hybrid of the Chelsea Market and Eataly — the immensely successful and popular indoor markets — with a Bronx twist.
The Bronx General Post Office is huge at 150,000 square feet and due to its high ceilings can easily add another 100,000 square feet of space by dividing some of the floors.
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 right in our borough or the smell of a spice market also located indoors.
Like Eataly, the rooftop can be used for a restaurant and bar and maybe even add some green space.
The floors in between the market and the rooftops can be used as offices like at the Chelsea Market or business incubators, gallery spaces for local artists — the possibilities are endless.
Surrounding the post office on either side are wide terraces which can be used as outdoor cafés.
The post office can easily remain in the building as they only need 7,500 square feet to operate.
Such a marketplace can be a major boon for Melrose, The Lower Concourse, and the Bronx as a whole.
The building is located right next to the 149th Street and Grand Concourse subway station on the 2,4, and 5 express trains which sees over 4 million passengers annually. Just one stop North on the 4 train is 161st Street and River Avenue, right next to Yankee Stadium, which has a ridership of almost 9 million a year and one stop East on the 2 and 5 Line you have 3rd Avenue and 149th Street Station with 7.5 million riders annually.
That’s an impressive 20 million riders at the location and adjacent stations alone.
The first luxury boutique hotel in the Bronx, the Opera House Hotel which has already received over 5,000 guests since it opened in August of last year and attracts folks from all over the country and the world, is also right on 149th Street just a 10 minute stroll or a 2 minute, one stop subway ride from 3rd Avenue and 149th Street — one of the busiest intersections in the city with over 200,000 pedestrians a day.
The Upper East Side is 10 minutes away at 86th and Lexington Avenue on the 4 and 5 train. Harlem is only 1 stop away and 3 minutes on the 2 Line or even the 145th Street bridge which is heavily used by pedestrians.
A ‘Bronx Market’ of this caliber as I’ve described would keep much needed money locally as it would not only be a destination for Yankee Stadium fans and tourists but it would be a place where residents of the Bronx can congregate and keep their money in our borough.
If the sale is to go on, let’s make sure whatever goes in there is something that the entire Bronx can enjoy and be proud of.
Ultimately, whatever goes in the building should be a transparent process and have community input as hard as that would be considering it would be dealing with a private owner.
