The popular department stores Burlington and Marshall’s are coming to The Hub in Melrose at the old Alexander’s building on Third Avenue at 153rd Street.

These will be the second stores in the immediate area for both chains as they are currently located less than a mile away over at The Bronx Terminal Market.

The building, which dates back to 1928 when the now defunct Alexander’s Department stores was founded at that very location and lasted until 1992 when they went bankrupt and eventually became a Conway’s until they too folded.

In September 2013 the building sold to its current owner for slightly above $16 million and since last year the building has been going major gut renovations. In fact, very little is left of the original art deco department store as everything from interior to exterior walls were demolished.

Gone are the beautiful terrazzo floors that graced the department store that served The Bronx for almost 7 decades.

Marshall’s will be occupying the cellar level of the building while Burlington will take up the 2nd and 3rd floors leaving the ground floor still available for lease but no leads so far have been reported as to who will take up the space.

The Hub, the Bronx’s oldest and busiest shopping district which sees over 200,000 pedestrians pass by daily, has seen a lot of changes in the past 5 years as both landlords and retail chains have increased confidence in the area thus leading to higher rents and displacement of long time businesses on the avenue that stayed put during the burning years.

Five years ago was when Planet Fitness, the national affordable chain of 24 hour gyms opened up on Third Avenue just a block south from the old Alexander’s.

This marked the first foray of a national chain at The Hub outside of cell phone stores like AT&T, Verizon, & T-Mobile.

Shortly thereafter, Blink Fitness opened up 5 blocks away followed by Children’s Place, Carter’s, the opening of two luxury boutique hotels, The Opera House and Umbrella hotels, a Crunch Fitness, and a Boston Market.

Last year we documented how these national chains have driven up rents and forced longtime businesses out to the point that there were over 20 vacant storefronts throughout the shopping corridor of Third Avenue and 149th Street.

Now landlords are beginning to activate the upper floors of these commercial properties which have been dormant and vacant for over 40 years.

Blink Fitness is opening it’s third Melrose location at the old Sach’s building on 150th and Third Avenue and will be occupying the 2nd and 3rd floors of that building.

The building where Children’s Place is located, 2918 Third Avenue, has been completely renovated from the exterior to the interior with new mechanicals hoping to lease the upper floors as more offices are relocating to the area.

Bronx Coworking Space located on the 3rd floor of 2825 Third Avenue (where our offices are located), the area’s first office sharing space which opened in May, is already 75% occupied as local businesses have taken up the spaces and Bronx FlexSpace, another coworking space in the area at 452 E 149th Street is also starting to gain tenants as well.

With gentrification already creeping in something must be done to protect existing mom and pop shops which are the lifeblood of commercial corridors like The Hub. Large big box stores and national chains are already here and will continue to come but there is still room for everyone if landlords can agree to somehow let the smaller businesses thrive.

In the meantime, at the very least, Burlington and Marshall’s offers deep discounts that are affordable to the existing population of the neighborhood and not out of reach for the average consumer in the area.

The stores are slated to open early 2018.

Yes, you read that correctly.

Two Bronx cats inherited $300,000 after their owner, author Ellen Frey-Wouters of Fieldston in The Bronx passed away in 2015 and wanted to make sure that they would be taken care of in her absence.

This isn’t the first time pets get treated better than their human counterparts when it comes to the reading of the will.

Remember back in 2007 when Leona Helmsley passed away and left $12 million to her dog?

Yeah, that also happened.

At the very least, though, the late Bronxite Frey-Wouters had her $3 million estate divided by her two former home health aide and attorney.

Once the cats die, a sister in her native Netherlands will receive the balance of what’s left of the kitty, pun intended.

Watch the story on CBS:

Yesterday, Gothamist revealed that there were two busts of Confederate generals at the Hall of Fame for Great Americans at Bronx Community College during a search across the city following the aftermath of white supremacists and neo-Nazis in Charlottesville, Virginia this past weekend.

This is not up for debate, at least on a rational level: Confederate generals Robert E. Lee and Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson are NOT great Americans to be celebrated. They are traitors in American history who defended the secession of the South and formation of the Confederacy to continue the immoral practice of slavery.

What other nation has allowed monuments to traitors of our country to go up unchallenged?

And in a borough of immigrants and people of color, the fact that these vestiges of racist pride still exist here in The Bronx is a slap in the face to any one with basic moral and ethical tenants guiding their lives.

I mean come on, this is THE ORIGINAL Hall of Fame and the inspiration for all subsequent hall of fames we know today and dates back to its 1901 dedication at was then New York University and it remained an NYU campus until 1973.

Of course there are those who says they are a part of history and while this is true, it is not an erasure of history as those who cling to their bigotry argue. It is merely taking them down from public places and having them put where they belong if the populace so chooses: In a museum.

New York City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito said it best, “Clearly Confederate Army Generals are not great Americans and have no business being part of this display,” City Council speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito told Gothamist in an email according to Curbed.

After the local media storm and outcry upon the revelation that these American traitors had a place of honor in The Bronx, Bronx Community College president Thomas A Isekenegbe, PhD wrote:

“For 60 years, Bronx Community College of The City University of New York has remained committed to reflecting its values of diversity and inclusion in all of its actions and statements. Embracing difference includes creating space where all people feel respected, welcomed, and valued. To that end, we will be removing and replacing the busts of Confederate Generals Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson from the Hall of Fame for Great Americans.”

No details of when they will be removed or who will replace them but at the very least, the right thing is being done.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said shortly after via Twitter, “There are many great Americans, many of them New Yorkers worthy of a spot in this great hall. These two confederates are not among them.”

In another tweet, Cuomo said, “Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson will be removed from the CUNY hall of great Americans because New York stands against racism.”

And as we said earlier, there really is no debate on this as to why we should uphold these traitors and symbols of white supremacy and neo-Nazis among the Hall of Fame of Great Americans.

Our country, our people have suffered enough under the lasting legacy of institutional racism our nation was founded upon which still permeates society to this day.

Mark Naison, PhD, professor of history and African-American studies at Fordham University told Welcome2TheBronx, “The movement to remove Confederate monuments is only one part of a much larger project making the country come to terms with the legacy of slavery, something it never has done.”

“This also involved exploring how some of our major universities were built on proceeds derived from slavery and the slavery trade ( as Fordham Grad Craig Steven Wilder did in his book “Ebony and Ivy”) exposing how prevalent slave markets were in almost every major Southern city; and creating exhibits throughout the South and the nation which explore how central slavery was to the economic development of the nation and how cruel it was in its daily functioning, especially in terms of the systematic breeding and sale of slaves.” added Dr Naison.

Oh and one more thing to serve as food for thought: No, racism will not go away if we ignore it or don’t talk about it.

As Dr Naison said, “This movement is being driven by the brilliant young race scholars who are now on the faculty of almost every university in the nation. It is not going away. It is only going to gather momentum in coming years.”

The massive 948 unit Mitchell-Lama housing complex in Soundview, Stevenson Commons, will undergo major and much needed capital improvements and upgrades all the while preserving their affordability for at least another 40 years.

Located at 755 White Plains Road at Lafayette, Stevenson Commons will undergo a $36 million renovations and upgrades of roofs, elevators, lobbies, security systems, new landscaping and all apartments will get new kitchens and bathrooms including appliances, countertops, cabinets, and tiles―all while preserving affordability.

This is a huge relief for residents since the rents are extremely affordable and below market rate, ranging from $646-$812 for a studio for folks making $21,720 to $48,100 and $1,299 to $1,631 for a four bedroom for incomes ranging $38,360 to $90,700 depending on family size.

At least these apartments are saved for a couple more generations.

Last year when the city announced the stops for the new Citywide Ferry coming to the transit-starved neighborhood of Soundview in The Bronx, the first thing we noticed was that the route would skip 34th Street where 3 other lines converge from Queens and Brooklyn.

Of course we spoke up and urged Citywide to reconsider because once again, The Bronx would get shafted, I mean, it doesn’t make sense to provide a service and not stop in midtown.

In fact, we were the ONLY ones in the media making noise about this.

Soon after, Bronx politicians and residents also raised their concerns about this short-sighted planning but now that all has changed thanks to our collective voices telling the city to rethink their plans.

Once the service begins next year for Bronxites, residents will be able to not just stop at 9oth Street, and Wall Street but also at 34th Street and switch over to another ferry and head to Queens or Brooklyn for an estimated 22/23 minutes shaved off commute times.

amNewYork reports:

The announcement comes after Manhattan Councilman Daniel Garodnick, who represents a district covering a large swath of Midtown East, penned a letter to the agency asking it to add a 34th Street stop to the route. Garodnick believes the stop would boost options for riders looking to access jobs in Midtown, where NYC Ferry offers a free shuttle bus, and increase transfer opportunities to other ferry routes.

By adding the stop, Garodnick estimated that Bronx commuters could save 23 minutes in commuting to Astoria or Long Island City in Queens and 22 minutes to Greenpoint, Brooklyn.

“A 34th Street connection on this route is a no brainer — and will serve to the benefit of riders from the Bronx on down,” Garodnick said in a statement. “This additional connection to Midtown’s transit hubs and job centers is a big win for the commuting public in New York.”

So now let’s get the ferry running elsewhere in The Bronx so we all have equitable access!

This past Tuesday, we attended my 94 year old great aunt’s funeral mass at St Benedict’s Roman Catholic Church in Throggs Neck. For decades, I walked by this house of worship but never stepped foot inside but was impressed at its beauty when I did for my aunt’s farewell.

But of course for me, it’s not just the building itself but the history that I’m interested in (documented on the church’s website) and I immediately noticed the cornerstone declaring it was laid in 1957 just 60 years ago. Although the exterior of the church looks pretty traditional, the interior is a different, mid-century feeling if you will.

The history of the parish began much earlier, however, going back to St Benedict’s Parish first Sunday mass celebrated on Sunday, April 8, 1923 with an estimated crowd of 500 faithful parishioners.

Before that, the growing community of Throggs Neck had to travel to St Raymond’s miles away.

St Benedict’s Church actually has a South Bronx connection too as it was the “articles required for church services were transported from St Anselm’s” and it was that church’s pastor, Father Bernard Kevenhoerster who was appointed by the Archdiocese to, “…take charge of the entire section of land in Throggs Neck, Edgewater, Silver Beach, and any other settlements embraced in this general territory.” and it was St Anselm’s first assistant, Rev Louis Traufler who became St Benedict’s first pastor.

A month after the first mass, the archdiocese granted the parish permission to procure new land for a permanent church as well as $35,000 to do so.

As luck would have it, the property on Eastern Boulevard (now Bruckner Boulevard) across the street from the chapel where that first mass took place was available and vacant and would eventually become the current home of the church.

Throggs Neck grew and so did the parish. By 1930, the new school had opened to the tune of $450,000 and by 1955, the archdiocese granted permission to construct a larger church to better accommodate the faithful which leads up to the current structure we know today at 2969 Otis Avenue which costed a whopping $1,410,900!

Today, the church still serves the Irish and Italian community of the area along with a continuously grown number of Latino parishioners.

Although not quite the flying cars from the Jetsons we thought as kids we’d see by this time zooming around, alternative fuel vehicles are the way towards a more sustainable green future―and The Bronx will be getting a fueling station for such cars soon.

Permits have been filed for a hydrogen station at 2274 Tillotson Avenue in the Co-op City neighborhood of The Bronx by French company, Air Liquide.

Unlike battery electric vehicles which take hours or longer for a full charge, Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles (FCEVs), which run on hydrogen, are refueled in approximately 5 minutes.

Although FCEV cars are currently only being sold in California due to their network of 28 hydrogen refueling stations, according to a Huffington Post article, once multiple hydrogen refueling stations are completed in the Northeast New York-Boston corridor, carmakers will begin to offer the zero emission vehicles.

The hydrogen station, once completed, will be conveniently located right off exit 13 on I95/New England Thruway providing easy on/off access to the busy highway.

Visit Bronx Auto Sales

No exact date has been set for the construction or opening of the station as the application is currently pending zoning approval but in the meantime, check out this video below to learn more about these new cars:

This excellent news segment by CBS shows some of the best of the best handball players and talks a little bit about the history of this beloved sport. Whether at one of the courts at Orchard Beach or in Bronx Park along the Bronx River, handball has the power to unite genders, ages, and ethnic groups together in friendly competition.

Watch below and tell us what you think!

Besides access to over 55 million books and items across 88 neighborhood branches and four scholarly research libraries, your New York Public Library card now grants you access to 30,000 films via Kanopy streaming service. 

NYPL writes:
Kanopy offers a broad selection of more than 30,000 feature films, documentaries, foreign language, and training videos. Additionally, as part of a Kanopy subscription, cardholders gain access to The Criterion Collection, which focuses on licensing “important classic and contemporary films.”

Now, for the first time, NYPL cardholders can stream these cinematic masterpieces and more anywhere, anytime, on smartphones, tablets, PCs and smart TVs.

Kanopy subscribers can view up to 10 films a month; once a film is started, patrons have three days to watch it. Videos are also accessible with captions, transcripts, and compatibility with assistive technologies.

Don’t have a library card yet? Then what are you waiting for and head on over to get yours online! But remember to actually stop by your local branch and upgrade your card for full benefits! 

Happy streaming! 

The Bronx’s own culinary ambassador Baron Ambrosia, aka Justin Fornal wrote a brilliant piece in ‘Anthony Bourdain’s Explore Parts Unknown’ documenting a perfect day in The Bronx hopping from restaurant to restaurant from eight in the morning straight until 3AM as Bronx born and bred photographer David “Dee” Delgado documented the journey shooting some beautiful photographs.

One of the most beautiful things about our borough is our diversity which affords residents the opportunity to sample cuisines from across the world right here in our own backyard, something which The Baron has been chronicling for well over a decade quite well.

Baron takes us on his most intimate account of 16 distinct eateries and temples to libations yet in this article from the kitchen of a “…High Priestess of Garifuna culture…”, in the South Bronx to Pelham Parkway for some Albanian meat bread, aka burek.

But it’s the end where he nails it and talks about what makes this borough so special, for you see, The Bronx is a borough of immigrants and it’s something worth protecting here for they all work to make us a better place.

Fornal writes about his culinary journey:

“This is just one of a hundred different combinations of ways to spend a day in the Bronx that does not include the Yankees, the Zoo, or even the beautiful Botanical Gardens. These are the people and flavors that make it my favorite city in the known world.

For many immigrants who are moving to America, the Bronx is the first place they call home. It is an affordable haven where diverse old world cultures and groundbreaking creativity can co-exist side by side. This unique blending of languages, style, art, music, food, and attitude have given the Bronx a unique cultural heritage unto itself.

This culture needs to be protected, and it will be. So I say unto every opportunistic real estate vulture and fair weather investor who is out to bulldoze the Boogie Down and “rebrand” it as a watered down homogenized strip mall of gentrification:

Watch your f***ing back.”

Watch your friggin’ back indeed. Don’t mess with us.

Check out the list of restaurants here: The Perfect Day in The Bronx – Explore Parts Unknown

“We have heard Bronx and Staten Island residents loud and clear―they want Citi Bike in their neighborhoods,” said Jay Walder, President & CEO of Motivate, Citi Bike’s operator in a press release issued today.

Throughout August and September, Citi Bike will come to The Bronx as a ‘pop-up’ event so residents can get FREE day passes, test ride the bikes, and see demonstrations as well as learn more about the popular bike sharing program.

Walder added, “We look forward to introducing ourselves in these boroughs over the course of the next several weeks and bringing some of the fun of Citi Bike while we also educate residents about how Citi Bike works and the benefits of bike share.”

Welcome2TheBronx has been a strong advocate of this program expanding into our borough as an alternative for low-income residents to MTA subways (which is crumbling before our very eyes during the “Summer of Hell”).

With tens of thousands of residents living in public housing at NYCHA, the $5 dollar a month membership for those residents is cheaper than a roundtrip on the subway, I mean for an entire MONTH residents can get around on a bike to their errands and destinations for just 5 bucks.

(story continues below after the break)



Not to mention the fact that we can help combat the obesity epidemic in our borough with more access to such infrastructure.

Schedule of events for The Bronx are as follows:

Bronx

• Citi Bike demonstration and test rides at Boogie on the Boulevard, Grand Concourse from 162^nd to 170^th Street, August 20 & September 10, 12:00pm-4:00pm
• Citi Bike Ride with Bronxworks departing from Second Saturdays at St. Mary’s Park, September 9, 11:00am-2:00pm
• Citi Bike demonstration and test rides at Bronx Summer Fest, Walton Ave between 167th and 168th St, September 22^nd, 2:00pm-6:00pm

Hope to see you at one of these events and make sure to bring your family and friends along! Bronxites deserve access to the same resources and amenities as the rest of the city!