Milteri Tucker, founder of Bombazo Dance Company, performs during Boogie on the Boulevard on the Grand Concourse
Earlier this year, The New York Times declared the South Bronx as “One of 52 Places in The World to Visit” in a horrible blurb that spoke nothing of the true culture and beauty of our neighborhoods and instead focused on new businesses that were barely a year open and with no real roots to our borough.
Of course we rectified it with our own guide and the New York Times did a follow up as well and now Condé Nast did the right thing: They actually spoke to Bronx residents who KNOW THE BRONX.
When we were contacted to be interviewed we knew right away that we needed more than just our voice but that of other Bronxites so we’re excited to read everyone’s take on what to see.
Billie Cohen writes:
A tour of New York City’s northernmost borough.
Bronx locals will tell you that their borough is many things: the birthplace of hip-hop, a living gallery of street art, a global food crawl of family-run restaurants, a destination for world-class attractions including the New York Botanical Garden, the Bronx Museum of the Arts, and the Bronx Zoo.
But recently, as the South Bronx has appeared in the press as an emerging neighborhood, few of these attributes have been mentioned—instead, the write-ups have largely heralded new development projects and controversial retail-and-dining complexes that have sparked backlash from residents about the neighborhood’s gentrification.
With this in mind, we talked to four South Bronx advocates with deep neighborhood roots and cultural connections, to find out, in their own words, what they want us to see when we visit their home—whether we’re traveling from another part of New York City or another part of the world.
About three weeks ago, I was contacted by one of the producers for a virtual reality documentary debuting at the Tribeca Film Festival called ‘Blackout’
They had come across my coming out story which I shared last year here and were interested in interviewing me for the project.
According to the description at the film festival’s website, “Blackout is an ongoing participatory, volumetric VR project gathering the reflections of real people living in today’s tense political climate through the lens of the New York subway. By creating a rotating, ‘crowd-sourced’ cast, Blackout addresses the impossible task of representing the extraordinary breadth of human experience in New York City. Each viewing of Blackout is different, surrounding you with a unique group of straphangers taking you to the places their minds go between destinations.”
Here I was, just a boy, now 42 year old man, from the South Bronx where I still reside and I was being asked for an interview for a virtual reality documentary premiering at one of the most visible film festivals in the world.
My life has taken me through many surreal and exciting journeys but this one seemed to be the biggest one of all.
And all this began because I started Welcome2TheBronx to share my love for the borough that made me.
8 years ago I never thought I’d be here still sharing the stories that I do. Sharing some intimate moments of myself such as my battle with mental health with my anxiety and sharing my coming out story.
Heck, in the thousands of posts I’ve written on this website alone, I’ve only written about myself on 4 occasions.
Fact is, writing about myself is the hardest thing to do for me, this post included.
But I’m here to tell you that all our voices matter, that it’s important to tell our own stories for someone is always listening and you never know the lives you may impact and help.
After my initial interview with Scatter Studios, they decided to take it to the next step and conduct an audio interview as well as record me using a proprietary virtual reality system they developed.
Again I found myself in a state of shock that I was going to be part of such an exciting endeavor and that my story mattered and was seen important enough to showcase to the world.
And The Bronx was the costar to my story.
Immediately after recording the virtual reality segment, the software began intricately stitching the images together
I didn’t share this with anyone, not even my parents until after I finished my audio interview and virtual reality recording.
During the interview I was lost in the moment as I sort of spoke almost in a stream of consciousness style with some guiding by the interviewer.
We got into some heavy stuff regarding my coming out experience and basically was the part two of that story which I almost published here last year as part of the original but I decided to save it for a later date. (I will eventually share it here bit not today).
There was a lot of crying from both sides during those hours which further made me once again think, “How did I get here?”
I thought long and hard about this question long after I left the studio and the answer came to me. Yes, I have been writing extensively now for 8 years on The Bronx but without you, the audience and supporters, I wouldn’t have been there.
Because of every single one of you throughout all these years, you are all as much a part of this journey as my own experiences that I shared.
Yes, it sounds cliché but it’s true.
From the bottom of my heart, I thank you all for sticking around with me especially when we don’t agree.
Thanks to my parents most of all for the love, support, and everything they’ve taught me.
I’m just a guy from the Bronx who happened to get lucky. I don’t feel anything special other than just fortunate.
Fortunate to go to the Tribeca Film Festival this week and catch a documentary that I’m a small part of.
Bronx artists came to supplies before the official closing of the store today.
WILLIAMSBRIDGE—When we first broke the story that The Bronx got its first full-fledged art store in 2015, Bronxites cheered for the arrival of Artist & Craftsman.
The worker owned store quickly became a fixture for many Bronx organizations not just because they were the go to art store for our borough’s artistic community but more importantly through their generous donations of supplies for many events throughout their time here.
They became a real partner in our communities across the entire Bronx.
Sadly, today they will be closing down partly due to not generating sufficient sales to keep their massive 8,000 square foot White Plains Road store open and in part do to a somewhat recent buyout of one of the partners who owned a larger share in the business.
Ironically, today and this week were some of their busiest ever as Bronx artists flocked to get their supplies before their closing.
Artist & Craftsman regional manager Rob Dingman rings up a steady flow of sales on closing day.
But all is not lost as Rob Dingman, a senior regional manager for Artist & Craftsman, told us that they are looking to come back to The Bronx in 2018 as long as things go according to plan.
Per Dingman, they need roughly 10 to 12 months to regroup and get back in financial shape to begin the process anew and look for a spot perhaps with higher foot traffic and better accessibility.
They are truly committed to figuring out a way to make it work for their return to our borough so fret not, this will be temporary.
Oh and best of all? Artist & Craftsman will continue to support the Bronx community even though they won’t be physically here. They’ll be at Boogie on the Boulevard among others.
To all our friends at Artist & Craftsman, thank you for everything you did in the past almost 2 years and look forward to welcoming you back again!
Thanks to online apartment search site RentHop, you can see what asking rents are in your neighborhood according to subway stops.
In The Bronx, unsurprisingly, stations in the South Bronx neighborhoods of the Lower Concourse area, Melrose, Mott Haven, and Port Morris are showing the highest average asking rents with at roughly $1,900. This is looking at data in Bronx Community Board 1 which is where the highest asking rents were found according to RentHop’s map.
The Prospect Station on the 2 and 5 line, also in CB1 showed the biggest increase from least year at 14.2% to $1,713.
Other key findings from the data:
While rents below 96th street in Manhattan saw a DECREASE in asking price, the reverse is true for The Bronx as a whole where all but 3 stations indicated a decrease.
7 of 14 stations along the 4 line saw a double-digit increase in asking rents (Including High Bridge/Morris Heights along the proposed rezoning area of Jerome Avenue)
South Bronx asking rents versus North and East Bronx asking rents on average higher by $400 a month.
Via RentHop: The Interactive Map Below Shows All Prices, Stops, and YoY Fluctuations
It’s important to realize that these numbers are ASKING rents and it doesn’t indicate that those are the actual rents. What it does show is that landlords are becoming ever more confident in asking for higher and higher rents as folks are priced out elsewhere.
Also, it should be noted that these data collections rarely utilize the complete listings in an area so numbers may be skewed in either direction.
Let us know what you think in the comments below or on our page. Do you see rents rising in your neighborhood?
Michaelangelo Apartments (Right) sold for $78 million
MELROSE—According to The Real Deal earlier this afternoon, Michaelangelo Apartments, a multi-tower 500 unit development, sold for $78 million last month on March 16th.
The Mitchell-Lama complex for moderate to middle income families spans an entire city block across the street from Lincoln Hospital on 149th Street, Park Avenue to the West, de-mapped 150th Street now serving as parking and playground facilities for commercial tenants of the development, and Morris Avenue to the East.
In such developments, residents pay no more than 30% of their income on rents, however, a landlord can attempt to opt out the program which began in 1955.
If the building was constructed before 1974, then all apartments would automatically enter rent stabilization otherwise they can convert to market rate rentals.
Michaelangelo Apartments were constructed in 1974.
No word as of yet of what the plans are for the building’s future. Hopefully greed won’t creep in and Michaelangelo can continue to be an affordable home for thousands.
Our guess is that the new owners will rehab the apartments and complex through capital upgrades as both purchasers, MDG Construction and Design and Housing Partnership specialize in rehabilitation of affordable housing units.
Of course, this is just speculation but that’s where the clues point towards.
Having personally been through Michaelangelo many times myself (I grew up next door) I can attest that they can use some upgrades at the complex.
All you die-hard freestyle lovers get ready to get your groove on with Lisa Lisa at St Mary’s Park this July 30th at 5PM!!!
From City Parks Foundation’s SummerStage website:
80s superstar who brought freestyle to the mainstream with hits like I Wonder if I Take You Home
Lisa Lisa
Born in Hell’s Kitchen, of Puerto Rican descent, Lisa Velez got into dance pop at an early age. As a teenager, she auditioned for the Brooklyn group Full Force, and her accompanying band, Cult Jam, was formed. They released a debut album in 1985, the seminal freestyle record Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam with Full Force. Together they produced a single “I Wonder If I Take You Home” that instantly saw widespread radio play and climbed the charts, hitting Billboard’s Hot Dance/Disco chart, and crossing over to the pop chart (#34) and the R&B chart (#6), going gold. The following singles “Can You Feel the Beat” and “All Cried Out” performed remarkably well, too. Their subsequent album, 1987’s Spanish Fly, incorporated throwback Motown sounds and went platinum, led by two #1 hits “Head to Toe” and “Lost in Emotion.” Next came 1989’s Straight to the Sky (with club sensation “Just Git It Together”) and their final recordStraight Outta Hell’s Kitchen, featuring “Let the Beat Hit ‘Em.” Lisa Lisa then went solo, putting out 1994’s LL77, with the popular jams “When I Fell In Love” and “Skip To My Lu.” She put out a triumphant comeback album in 2009, Life ‘n Love, which contained the single “Can’t Wait,” featuring Pitbull, to the delight of her massive and dedicated fan base. Lisa Lisa is synonymous with freestyle dance music, a highly energetic figure that performs with grace.
Also that day, reggae artist Marlon B will be performing!
Iconic salsa singer La India is returning to her hometown borough of The Bronx for a free concert at St Mary’s Park this July 28th.
Born in Puerto Rico and raised in The South Bronx, La India first came into the music scene singing freestyle music before crossing over to Salsa in 1992.
Yes she can and she does! Bronx raised Sarina Olmo not only still lives in our borough but she also works as a firefighter in the Boogie Down.
The 38 year old Puerto Rican started first as an EMT before heading into becoming one of New York City’s Bravest in the FDNY.
9 years later, she’s still going strong saving lives and even delivering new ones into the world.
This is the first time that we’re raising funds for an awesome Bronx organization and we’re kindly asking you to donate whatever you can whether it’s $5 bucks or whatever you can! (We rarely, ask our readers to donate!)
The Bronx River Alliance has been an amazing steward of our beautiful Bronx River along with the many Bronxites who volunteer their precious time to take care and cleanup this beautiful resource.
Thanks to all the volunteers and the Alliance the Bronx River is the cleanest it has been in over 100 years with wildlife returning like the first beavers in New York City in 200 years!
So please consider donating for a great cause!
To make a secured donation via FirstGiving, click hereand donate directly to the Welcome2TheBronx team!
It’s the story of the little big borough that could.
For decades, the business and commercial sector had given up on The Bronx as the city abandoned us along with the arson by landlords trying to unload quickly devaluing properties.
But through it all, we persevered and rebuilt ourselves the best way we could—by ourselves with the sweat equity of volunteers community leaders, orgs and everything in between.
New York’s strong economic recovery is breathing new life into the Bronx. As Manhattan and Brooklyn struggle to cope with housing affordability, more and more people are moving to the Bronx, enticed by its strong transportation access and affordable housing stock.
In 2015 alone, more than 13,500 people relocated to the Bronx. Since 2010, the borough’s population has increased by 70,300 people, or 5.1 percent. The Bronx has led not just the city of New York, but also the entire state, in terms of growth.
The Bronx’s Creative Class—workers who make a living using their minds, whether in science, technology, law, and medical industries, or academia, media, management, and finance—contains just over 86,000 workers, or about 32 percent of the borough’s workforce. On average, creative workers in the Bronx earn an annual salary of $77,875 per year—4 percent more than those working in Brooklyn. Just two out of every ten residents in the Bronx—around 130,000 workers—are members of the Creative Class.
The Bronx’s creative workforce pales in comparison to the size of its Service Class, which consists of routine jobs in food preparation and service, retail trade, personal care, and clerical and administrative positions. With 132,000 employees, the Service Class accounts for nearly half of the Bronx’s workforce, or approximately 272,000 residents. Service workers in the Bronx earn just $30,400 annually—34 percent less than those working in Manhattan.
While many still think of the Bronx as a manufacturing center, the Bronx’s Working Class accounts for just 18.2 percent of its total workforce—50,000 workers. Members of the Working Class in the Bronx earn an average annual salary of $39,000—more than the Service Class, but just half the average salary of the Bronx’s Creative Class. Altogether, an estimated 140,000 blue-collar workers call the Bronx home—around 25.7 percent of the borough’s total residents.
The Bronx’s Creative Clusters
While dominated by the Service Class, the Bronx boasts a number of competitive strengths in the creative economy. The chart below breaks down the borough’s creative clusters by employment, ten-year projection, annual salary, and location quotient.
The conservatory/Image via Halstead Property from an old listing.
The opulent 15,000 square foot Riverdale mansion which was built for the Second Coming of Jesus Christ finally has sold after being on and off the market since 2009.
Sold for $6,250,000 on January 9th of this year, it closed for considerably less than its original listing price of $15 million in 2009 and the most recent listing in 2015 for $10,000,000.
Below is what we wrote when it hit the market in 2015:
Sitting on the second highest peak in NYC, Jesus has apparently been priced put of Manhattan and will have to settle in The Bronx once he makes his comeback and rule the world from our borough.
As much as this sounds like a satirical piece from The Onion, it isn’t.
The extravagant mansion began construction in 1928 by the wife of a wealthy executive and she was part of a religious group that was considered by many a cult.
Genevieve Ludlow Griscom was a member of the Outer Court of the Order of the Living Christ—Theosocial order for short who along with other members apparently lived on the property but never inside the mansion itself. Instead, they lived in shacks and cottages on the property.
The conservatory/Image via Halstead Property from an old listing.
With 17 rooms, 7 bedrooms, 5 bathrooms, 3 half baths, the 15,000 square foot home is simply an excess of opulence—not quite sure that a carpenter would feel so comfortable among these riches. Along with the aforementioned rooms, the mansion also boasts a conservatory, library, a fitness center (perhaps to keep Jesus in top physical condition and those six pack abs we always see), a home theater, staff quarters (because Jesus loved to have servants, no?), and of course a wine cellar (you know, to keep all the bottles of water he’ll turn into wine).
All this can be yours for $10 million and remember that it sits atop the 2nd highest peak in NYC (perfect for sermons) on a lush 2.3 acre lot. (For those not familiar with the estate section of Riverdale, most properties sit on HUGE lots compared with the standard 25’x100′ lots throughout NYC).
Yet another only in New York story right here in our own borough.
The master bedroom / Image via Halstead Property from an old listing.
Image via Halstead Property from an old listing.
For when Jesus entertains, they can do so in the billiards room / Image via Halstead Property from an old listing.
So much space. For all the loaves and fish? Image via Halstead Property from an old listing.
Image via Halstead Property from an old listing.
Image via Halstead Property from an old listing.
Image via Halstead Property from an old listing.
The property even features marble floors from the Vatican and chandeliers from The Plaza Hotel / Image via Halstead Property from an old listing.
