After two years of outreach and community engagement, local Bronx artists are finally moving into…
Tag: Melrose
In The Bronx’s Oldest Shopping District, Dozens of Vacant Store Fronts Dominate The Area as Gentrification Tightens Its Grip
The Hub—The Bronx’s oldest shopping and commercial district located in the South Bronx neighborhood of Melrose is going through the most profound changes since the 70s and 80s when the neighborhood burned around it and its main train line, the Third Avenue El was put out of service and torn down.
Since its beginnings over a century ago when the borough was experiencing a population boom adding over 1 million residents in a span of 30 years, Melrose and The Hub, attracted residents from all over The Bronx due to it being an excellent transportation nexus—and still does today.
New “affordable” housing developments have been constructed surrounding the area and adding over 3,000 apartments and tens of thousands of new residents—with thousands of more units in various stages of construction or planning to come.
As gentrification tightens its grip on the South Bronx, long-time businesses are closing their doors as landlords either are not renewing leases or simply the new rents are too high to keep up.
La Central, The Bronx’s Massive 992 Unit Development in Melrose, Is Finally Approved by City Council
After almost three years since it was announced, the mega project La Central has moved one step closer to reality as New York City Council approved this development yesterday.
With 992 units planned, a 50,000 square foot YMCA, 10,000 square foot television studio for BronxNet, and also an astronomy lab and observation deck among many other features, La Central is one of the biggest mixed residential and commercial developments coming to The Bronx.
How Prince Helped The Bronx & His Little Remembered Concert at Lehman
Prince was a larger than life entertainer loved by millions who felt a deep connection to his music and joie de vivre but now fans have something else to celebrate in this man and perhaps take a page from the book and pay it forward.
“Now cracks a noble heart. Good-night, sweet prince;
And flights of angels sing thee to thy rest.”—William Shakespeare’s, Hamlet
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.
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.
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.
Bronx Artist is One of 2 Selected for New 40th Precinct Public Art Which Will Be First of Its Kind in NYC
Two weeks ago we reported on the artist selection process for the permanent public art for the new 40th Precinct which was held at The Bronx Documentary Center.
During last week’s presentation, we got a look into what the new 40th Precinct would look like slated for construction at its new location on 149th Street and St Ann’s in Melrose.
The design itself is that of stacked blocks centered around a common atrium, with each block serving a specific purpose. Each rooftop will be green with plantings but what will make this building unique is the dedicated public community room.
Artist Interview & Selection for Public Art Commission for New 40th Precinct
You are invited to The Bronx Documentary Center, tomorrow, Thursday January 28th for an exciting event!
The 40th Precinct is moving from its current location in Mott Haven at Alexander Avenue and 138th Street to a more central location in Melrose at 149th Street and St Ann’s as part of a $68.9 million modern facility.
As part of the new precinct, New York City’s Percent for Art, a division of the Department of Cultural Affairs, has been tasked with finding an artist who will work on a permanent art exhibition for the new 40th precinct.
Melrose Construction Boom Hits Neighborhood Again; First Market Rate Development Coming to The Neighborhood
In the first wave of construction in Melrose, over 3,000 units of “affordable” housing were constructed bringing thousands of new residents into the area and making the neighborhood the fastest growing neighborhood in The Bronx and 3rd fastest in New York City as per the 2010 census.
Now Melrose is experiencing its second wave of major construction as the last remaining parcels of what was once empty lots filled with the rubble of burnt out and abandoned buildings are being filled in with new affordable developments and even market-rate developments with over 2.1 million square feet of developments are in various phases of construction
Chipotle To Join Starbucks in Melrose in The South Bronx
Here comes the wave of generic, not-so-unique chains.
According to construction workers at The Melrose Building at 260 East 161st Street where a Starbucks just recently opened, the popular fast food chain Chipotle is coming.
Although we were unable to confirm this with the food chain or management at 260 East 161st Street, plenty of construction workers at the space confirmed that indeed Chipotle was coming to Melrose.
Developers of Port Morris Waterfront Towers Say 1 Bedroom to Rent for $3,750; Begin to Snatch Up Retail Spaces in the Area
In a pro-gentrification piece written by The New York Times, it was announced by one of the developers of the three 25 story residential towers (of 6) planned for the South Bronx Harlem River waterfront, that 1 bedrooms would rent for a mind-blowing $3,750.