Friday, June 12, 2020 – 5 BOROUGHS IN 5 DAYS BRONX

By admin

FRIDAY

June 12, 2020 

RIHS’s 77th Issue of

5 BOROUGHS

IN

5 DAYS

THE BRONX

The Bronx (/brɒŋks/) is a borough of New York City, coterminous with Bronx County, in the U.S. state of New York, the third-most densely populated county in the United States.[4] It is south of Westchester County; northeast and east of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of Queens, across the East River. The Bronx has a land area of 42 square miles (109 km2) and a population of 1,418,207 in 2019.[1] Of the five boroughs, it has the fourth-largest area, fourth-highest population, and third-highest population density.[4] It is the only borough predominantly on the U.S. mainland

if each borough were its own city, the Bronx would rank as the eighth-most populous in the U.S. The Bronx is divided by the Bronx River into a hillier section in the west, and a flatter eastern section. East and west street names are divided by Jerome Avenue. The West Bronx was annexed to New York City in 1874, and the areas east of the Bronx River in 1895.[5] Bronx County was separated from New York County in 1914

.[About a quarter of the Bronx’s area is open space, including Woodlawn Cemetery, Van Cortlandt Park, Pelham Bay Park, the New York Botanical Garden, and the Bronx Zoo in the borough’s north and center. These open spaces are situated primarily on land deliberately reserved in the late 19th century as urban development progressed north and east from Manhattan. The name “Bronx” originated with Swedish-born Jonas Bronck, who established the first settlement in the area as part of the New Netherland colony in 1639.

The native Lenape were displaced after 1643 by European settlers. In the 19th and 20th centuries, the Bronx received many immigrant and migrant groups as it was transformed into an urban community, first from various European countries (particularly Ireland, Germany, Italy and Eastern Europe) and later from the Caribbean region (particularly Puerto Rico, Haiti, Jamaica, and the Dominican Republic), as well as African American migrants from the southern United States.

THE GRAND CONCOURSE

The Grand Concourse (also known as the Grand Boulevard and Concourse) is a 5.2-mile-long (8.4 km) thoroughfare in the borough of the Bronx in New York City. Grand Concourse runs through several neighborhoods, including Bedford Park, Concourse, Highbridge, Fordham, Mott Haven, Norwood and Tremont. For most of its length, the Concourse is 180 feet (55 m) wide. The Grand Concourse was designed by Louis Aloys Risse, an immigrant from Saint-Avold, Lorraine, France. Risse first conceived of the road in 1890, and the Concourse was built between 1894 and 1909, with an additional extension in 1927.

The development of the Concourse led to the construction of apartment buildings surrounding the boulevard, and by 1939 it was called “the Park Avenue of middle-class Bronx residents”
A period of decline followed in the 1960s and 1970s, when these residences became dilapidated and the Concourse was redesigned to be more motorist-friendly. Renovation and redevelopment started in the 1980s, and a portion of the Grand Concourse was reconstructed starting in the 2000s.

The southern portion of the Grand Concourse is surrounded by several historically important residential buildings, which were listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1987 as part of the Grand Concourse Historic District. In 2011, the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission designated numerous buildings around the Grand Concourse as part of a city landmark district. Additionally, several individual points of interest are located on or near the Concourse, including the Bronx Museum of the Arts and Edgar Allan Poe Cottage.

NEW YORK BOTANICAL GARDEN

CONSERVATORY AT THE NEW YORK BOTANICAL GARDEN

Overview Established in 1891, The New York Botanical Garden (NYBG) is distinguished by the beauty of its landscape, collections, and gardens, and the scope and excellence of its programs in horticulture, education, and science. NYBG was inspired by an 1888 visit that eminent botanists Nathaniel Lord Britton and his wife, Elizabeth, took to the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, near London.

The Brittons believed New York should have a great botanical garden to advance public understanding of plants, be a repository of rare and valuable specimens, and lead original research in botanical science. Because of its picturesque terrain, freshwater Bronx River, rock-cut gorge, and 50 acres of old-growth forest, the Garden was sited on the northern half of Bronx Park.

Today, the 250-acre Garden—the largest in any city in the United States—is a National Historic Landmark. In addition to the natural attributes that attracted the Brittons, NYBG encompasses 50 specialty gardens and collections comprising more than one million plants, the Nolen Greenhouses for Living Collections, and the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory, the nation’s preeminent Victorian-style glasshouse.

Highlights include the award-winning Peggy Rockefeller Rose Garden, considered among the world’s most sustainable rose gardens; the Native Plant Garden, celebrating the diversity of northeastern North American plants; and 30,000 distinguished trees, many more than 200 years old.

More than one million visitors annually enjoy the grounds, view innovative exhibitions, and participate in educational programs that are larger and more diverse than those of any other garden in the world. From its earliest days, NYBG has also been driven by a mission to conduct basic and applied research on the plants of the world with the goal of protecting and stunning urban oasis, created one of the world’s most comprehensive plant research and conservation programs, amassed unrivaled research collections, and, as a living museum, taught millions of visitors of all ages to love and respect the plants of the world. The New York Botanical Garden is committed to preserving and protecting the planet’s biodiversity and natural resources and enhancing human well-being by educating, training, and empowering the next generation of Earth’s caregivers—in partnership with both local and global communities.

THE BRONX ZOO

THE BRONX ZOO OR NOW KNOWN AS THE WILDLIFE CONSERVATION SOCIETY

Located right across the street from the Botanical Gardens is the Bronx Zoo. 

The Bronx Zoo is a zoo located within Bronx Park in the Bronx, New York. It is one of the largest zoos in the United States by area, and is the largest metropolitan zoo in the United States by area,[5] comprising 265 acres (107 ha) of park lands and naturalistic habitats separated by the Bronx River. On average, the zoo has 2.15 million visitors each year as of 2009.[5] The Bronx Zoo is world-renowned for its large and diverse animal collection, and its award-winning exhibitions.[5] The zoo is part of an integrated system of four zoos and one aquarium.

HALL OF FAME

LOCATED ON THE CAMPUS OF BRONX COMMUNITY COLLEGE, FORMERLY NY UPTOWN THE HALL COMMEMORATES GREAT AMERICANS, THOUGH SOME HAVE PROVEN CONTROVERSIAL

YANKEE STADIUM

BOROUGH OF PARKS

CROTONA  AND PELHAM BAY PARK

LOEW’S PARADISE THEATRE

The Loew’s Paradise, located on the Grand Concourse at East 188th Street, is widely considered the grand dame of the Bronx’s former movie theaters. Long before the multiplex era, this single screen auditorium had over 3,800 seats, making it one of the largest in the city. It was one of the five famed “Wonder Theatres” developed by the Loew’s move chain in the late 1920s as movie palaces with highly elaborate details inside and out. The Loews Paradise was designed by John Eberson, who was the originator and leading architect of this style of “atmospheric theater.” Eberson designed theaters throughout the country and as far away as Australia. Today known as the Paradise Theater, it is now home to World Changers Church. It is designated as both an exterior and interior New York City Landmark.

PHOTO OF THE DAY

WHAT IS THE IS AND WHERE IS IT LOCATED?
SEND ANSWER TO JBIRD134@AOL.COM

YESTERDAY’S PHOTO OF THE DAY

THIS IS A PORTION OF A PLAQUE THAT HUNG IN CITY HOSPITAL “DIED IN THE  DISCHARGE OF DUTY”  THE PIECES WERE BORROWED IN THE 1980’S AND RETURNED TO THE R.I.H.S. YEAR LATER.

EDITORIAL

Today we are starting a 5 borough series on FROM THE ARCHIVES.  Let’s explore one or more special aspects of each boroughs.

Looking for more fun subjects for the ongoing series.  If you recognize areas that you grew up in  or know well, send us some photos and stories.

Judith Berdy

Text by Judith Berdy
Thanks to Bobbie Slonevsky for her dedication to Blackwell’s Almanac and the RIHS
Thanks to Deborah Dorff for maintaining our website
Edited by Melanie Colter  and Deborah Dorff


All image are copyrighted (c) RIHS
Thanks to the RIHS Archives for Images


FUNDING PROVIDED BY:
THE ROOSEVELT ISLAND OPERATING CORPORATION PUBLIC PURPOSE FUNDS

CITY COUNCIL MEMBER BEN KALLOS DISCRETIONARY FUNDS ADMINISTERED BY NYC DIVISION OF
YOUTH AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT

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