Welcome2Melrose

In the ever increasing signs of Melrose and the surrounding areas experiencing a renaissance and a boom, it was announced in yesterday’s Daily News that hotelier Jay Domb, who owns 7 hotels in Manhattan including the Belvedere and the Lucerne, is transforming the old Bronx Opera House into one of the borough’s boutique hotel.  The 4 story building which is located on East 149th Street between Brook and Bergen Avenues, is still undergoing renovations and is expected to be open for business sometime in December of this year.  The hotel will be located on the upper 2 levels of the building while the ground floor space is being reserved for big box stores such as Old Navy (no confirmation on whether or not they will take the space).

Stay tuned for more information on this exciting news.

FROM: Notify NYC

Two F-18 jets scheduled to fly over Yankee Stadium today at 1 PM for the Yankees’ Opening Day. Low flying military jets in area.
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It’s a good thing they’re issuing an alert because they did this in 2002 with no warning and we were in a panic. It sounded as if an airplane was about to crash – windows shaking and car alarms going off. Not a smart thing to do months after 9/11.

“Magical.”
“Phenomenal.”
“Speechless.”

These were just some of the words I kept hearing throughout what many consider to have been the event of the year and perhaps the new century for the Bronx. The event presented by No Longer Empty – the non profit entity that converts empty spaces into art exhibits and connects them to their neighborhoods is “This Side of Paradise” and has transformed the old Andrew Freedman Home on the Grand Concourse into a veritable art scene.

The evening began as I had gathered the troops and we walked over to the Home from my neighborhood. As we approached the massive palazzo, I began to feel a bit anxious for I knew that this evening would be one of the most important in the borough’s history and I wanted it to go smoothly. Here was one of the borough’s grandest buildings that sat so forbidding with its gates for so many years as myself and residents alike always wondered what the history of the building was – which we eventually found out that it was a retirement for the formerly wealthy so that they continue to live in the lifestyle in which they were accustomed to. But that all went out the window as I saw so many people walking in through the front gates of the estate. Ladies and gentlemen wearing period costumes of Prohibition speakeasy era greeted visitors or were seen carefully dusting the gates and signage. Later on through the evening, I noted that dozens upon dozens of ladies and some gents who were just visiting were also garbed in the fashion of the Roaring 20′s as they were getting into the spirit of the Home and the fundraiser at the end of the night.

As I walked through the gates and stepped off the Grand Concourse and onto the grounds of this imposing limestone beauty it was as if I stepped back into time. Already there was a substantial crowd on the front steps, milling about, socializing with drinks in hand. The people were a great, diverse mix of backgrounds and as colorful a palette as the colors of the exhibit indoors. A true representation of the rich, ethnic diversity found throughout the Bronx was well reflected in the throngs attending this opening reception.

We walked through the front doors – gorgeous masterpieces in their own right, and the sheer number of people was overwhelming. Literally hundreds could immediately be seen walking about this way or that trying to get from one room to another. Working our way through the crowd and rooms on the ground floor, we made it to the beautifully appointed bed and breakfast located in the south wing where we learned that you can stay in a room exam for as little as $125 per night.

After leaving the bed and breakfast wing we made our way towards the stairs to ascend to the second floor where all the buzz was with over 30 rooms all designed in their own unique way by each artist. The exhibits beautifully tie in the past history of the Andrew Freedman Home with the present realities of the Bronx. Outside one of the rooms was a board with the original keys to some rooms, along with the names of the former residents of the retirement home of the formerly wealthy who had fallen on hard times. Walking through the halls, you could feel the air thick with history, lore and perhaps the ghosts of some of the original residents walked along with us too.

Photographer Lisa Kahane of Fashion Moda fame who documented the South Bronx during the 80s with riveting photography that showed how bad things were during that dark era, is one of the many artists that you will find here.

Room 246, designed by Silvia Plachy, a photojournalist who had once visited the Andrew Freedman Home over 30 years ago, recreated the room to feel as it had back in the days when she was documenting its storied past.  Once again you get that feeling of traveling in time when you walk into her exhibit with furnishings and personal effects of the artist that pertain to that period.  While in Room 246 we spotted her son, Academy Award winner, Adrien Brody who was taking in the opening reception and enjoying his mother’s work.

Our very own Bronx Documentary Center has a chilling display where a documentary by the late war  photojournalist Tim Hetherington who was killed in the line of duty, is shown on a wall of a room that was created to make you feel as if you were in the middle of action. To say that it made a profound impact and connection with these unsung heroes who risk their lives daily to report the truth is an understatement.

By 8pm, which was closing time of the exhibit upstairs, the crowds had no sign of dwindling. In fact, my friend, Danisha Nazario who was just leaving the event quickly sent a text message stating that, “… TONS of people are begging to be let in – LITERALLY!” She later told us that a second security guard was posted at the entrance of the stairs to prevent anyone from getting in. This was confirmed as well made our way down and saw the hundreds of people still waiting to get in – all disappointed that it was closed too early. No one had anticipated the well over a thousand people who came last night, certainly not No Longer Empty for had they imagined the turn out would be so huge we’re sure the hours would have been extended. Perhaps they underestimated the thirst Bronxites have for the arts?

The evening ended with the fundraiser in the north wing’s ballroom, complete with a latin band playing the dulcet tones of salsa and love ballads. The air was charged with dancing and merry making as the visitors mingled with those alive and the ghosts of residents past who once walked the halls of this mansion. It was a night full of who’s who of Bronx society, every other minute being stopped by acquaintances, friends and colleagues.  Beaming with pride were not so much the artists but Bronx residents who came out in full force to support our borough’s moment in the limelight.  For many, it felt that finally, our time out of obscurity and darkness had arrived.

This is an exhibit that you should allow yourself ample time to experience and absorb.  Should you not be able to fit it all in one day as it happened with me, fret not for it runs straight through June 5th, 2012 so you’ll be able to enjoy this free adventure on multiple visits.  You can visit the Andrew Freedman Home on Thursdays through Sunday from 1pm – 7pm. (hours extended on days with special events).

As I stepped off the estate of this grand palazzo and onto the Grand Concourse, the glitter strewn sidewalk gleamed in the street and moonlight as if paved with gold.

For decades, the Andrew Freedman Home, described by the New York Times in 1999 as, “… the Grand Concourse’s grandest building, a broad limestone palazzo…”, sat in relative obscurity between 166th and McClellan Streets – local residents and passerby alike wondering what the history of this seemingly out of place mansion was. The home, was built in 1924 as a retirement home for the formerly wealthy who had fallen on hard times. Talk about an “only in New York moment”.

Now the non-profit group, No Longer Empty (NLE) , has turned 30 rooms of the old mansion into a new and exciting exhibit called “This Side of Paradise“. NLE describes the presentation on their site as:

“On April 4, 2012, the gates of the Andrew Freedman Home will open to the public. The Home was once built to be a haven, a paradise, for the rich elderly who had lost their fortunes. Bequeathed by millionaire Andrew Freedman, the Home provided not only food and shelter but all the accoutrements of a rich and civilized life style – white glove dinner service, a grand ball room, a wood-paneled library, billiard room and a social committee who organized concerts, opera performances and the like.

Referencing this quixotic history, This Side of Paradise will reference the past and reconnect the vision of Andrew Freedman to today’s Bronx and its realities. The exhibition and its extensive public programming onsite and offsite will draw together the economic and social history of the Home with the present day realities of the Bronx and its residents.

The selected artists’ will work in a site-specific manner and will respond to such issues as memory, immigration, storytelling, aging and the creation of fantasy that the original concept of the Home “being poor in style” suggests. This Side of Paradise will celebrate human ingenuity, the strength of the human spirit and the resilience needed to fashion beauty, hope and rejoicing.”

Tomorrow’s opening reception is not to be missed as it will be an important moment in Bronx history. Check out NY1′s video of the exhibit.

Opening reception is on Wednesday, April 4th at 6pm to 8pm followed by a speakeasy fundraiser beginning at 8:30pm and the exhibit runs through June 5th, 2012. Throughout the two months of the exhibit there will be over a dozen programs related to “This Side of Paradise” including Easter related events for children on April 7th. The Andrew Freedman Home is located at 1125 Grand Concourse at the corner of 166th Street and is easily accessible via the B, D and 4 trains to 167th Streets and bicycle valet will be available.

Our borough’s very own culinary ambassador, Baron Ambrosia – a latino of Dominican roots, won a New York Emmy yesterday for Best On-Camera Talent: Performer/Narrator for his show hit show on BronxNet, Bronx Flavor.

The Baron has been gracing us with his antics since January 2007 in his wildly popular culinary podcast, The Underbelly which was subsequently picked up by BronxNet executive producer Michael Max Knobbe and rebranded as Bronx Flavor. Through his colorful yet knowledgeable exploration of the borough’s richly diverse ethnic neighborhoods, Justin Fornal, aka Baron Ambrosia, has taught us about cultural delicacies typically unheard of outside of their countries of origin let alone on dinner plates in these off the beaten path restaurants in the Bronx.

On his win, the Baron had this to say on his Facebook page:

“[Bronx Baron Ambrosia]…is thrilled to win a New York Emmy for Bronx Flavor on BronxNet Television. Victory is a decision. No matter how hard your circumstances might be, when you are working two jobs to barely pay your rent and your phone is disconnected, true victory lies in the decision to never stop doing what makes you feel alive. In these moments when conventional success seems a complete impossibility, look around and see who is still standing beside you. These are the people who truly love you. These are the samurais who love the challenge of battle, and not just the spoils of victory. When other networks looked at me with confusion or fear, BronxNet Television gave me a time slot, a budget, and creative license. What we lacked in resources and funding we made up for with hard work and passion. Thank you to everyone in the beautiful Bronx and beyond for supporting me. The dream can be adapted but it will never be compromised! ”

As you may recall, we have had the distinct honor and privilege of being a part of several of Baron Ambrosia’s shows and antics including an evening at the Old Bronx Courthouse where we feasted on such delectable delights as squirrel, raccoon, and silkworms (I stopped at the waterbugs!).

We would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to the Baron as well as everyone after BronxNet who continues to portray the Bronx in a positive light where so many other networks have failed. Baron Ambrosia, you truly are our ambassador and we are proud to call you one of our own.

Don’t forget to catch the latest episodes either online or:

Network Showtimes

In The Bronx

BronxNet Television Sunday-6:30 PM Tuesday- 9:30 PM Thursday-11:00 PM Cablevision: Chanel 67 Verizon Fios: Channel 33

Beyond the Bronx

NYC Life Television – Wednesday 9 PM Late Night Showings at 12:30 AM on Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, & Friday Verizon Fios, Comcast, RCN, Time Warner Cable: Channel 25 Cablevision: Channel 22

http://www.bronxflavor.com/about/

Bike racks in the Greater Melrose area

One of the lesser thought of means of getting to Melrose and the surrounding neighborhoods is via good ole fashioned sweat power – the bike. With its unparalleled access to Manhattan via FIVE bridges (Third, Willis, Madison Avenues, 145th Street and Macomb Dam Bridges) biking is one of the best options available to the community, employees and visitors alike.

The blog, Starts and Fits, just recently published two Google Maps of over 400 bike racks in the South Bronx in the area below Fordham Road giving you not only the exact location but also the type of bike racks you will find.

Next time you wanna visit and eat at Xochimilco, the best Mexican cuisine in the South Bronx, you may want to bike it to stave off the calories you’ll ingest!

Don’t forget to check out the nifty NYC Biking Guide and Maps provided by NYCDOT.

Bicycle routes and bridge access to the Greater Melrose area

For the first time in my life, a demographic trend has done an about face: the white population in my neighborhood has increased, reversing a 40 year decline that defined white flight in this country.

As I read the article from the New York Times, I was pleased to see many of my friends who were interviewed for the piece but a nagging question kept coming up and distracted me from the article: Is a neighborhood considered “good” and acceptable when whites begin to move back in? What about the thousands of latino and black professionals that stayed behind in the rubble that the white flight created? They strived to make do with what little they had after being abandoned by everyone from government to businesses and banks.

My sentiments aren’t alone as others mentioned similar feelings in the article as evidenced from an excerpt below:

Several residents pointed out that there have always been black and Latino professionals raising families along the Concourse, proud of having arrived at a symbol of upward mobility even when the atmosphere was harshest.

“Why do people only pay attention when other races move into the neighborhood?” said Marlen Valarezo, 40, a lawyer of Hispanic descent who works at the Neighborhood Association for Intercultural Affairs, which works to prevent evictions. Five years ago Ms. Valarezo moved into a rental apartment off the Concourse with her mother.

A similar resentment was expressed by Amy Moran, 39, a schoolteacher who is white and has lived in the area since 2004. “I’m cautious about a narrative that just because white people move in makes it a livable place,” Ms. Moran said. “This has been a livable place for people who were already here.”

Overall, the article is good for our neighborhood as we all know that being mentioned in a positive light in the New York Times lends us a certain caché along with bragging rights that we were right all along about investing in our neighborhood. Let’s just not forget those who stood by and came back in the beginnings of the renaissance are the true visionaries for they saw hope where most saw despair. Let us continue to make this the wonderful neighborhood which we love so much. Let us make this neighborhood a true melting pot belonging to not one group but to all. If gentrification is the end result, it is our responsibility to show the rest of the world how it’s done with heart and soul.

http://mobile.nytimes.com/2012/03/26/nyregion/grand-concourse-neighborhood-in-the-south-bronx-gentrifies.xml

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The NYPD continues to sink to new lows. Today at 6pm, Bronx residents from all walks of life, gathered at the Bronx Museum of the Arts on the Grand Concourse to attend a meeting with top Bronx NYPD brass and the Department of Justice to discuss the gross civil rights violations of stop and frisk which is disproportionately higher in the Bronx.

But the meeting never happened.

When a reporter from Bronx News 12 was outside interviewing people who were arriving for the meeting, supervisors in the NYPD called the meeting off. Since the meeting was arranged two weeks ago, the NYPD adamantly insisted that there be no media presence inside the meeting. Although the group was hesitant at this request, they nevertheless proceeded to take the opportunity to meet and begin working with the powers that be in hopes that meaningful dialog would be had.

New York’s Finest? More like New York’s Cowards. Such tactics are not of an ethical organization but that of an unscrupulous entity that hides that hides its actions behind a veil of secrecy. When this meeting was scheduled, I was excited for the opportunity afforded to me by my peers to give a voice to the voiceless. Then, two weeks ago it became personal when I was arrested for defending my constitutional rights. This was a moment where perhaps my unfortunate incident could have been a learning experience for all but that was taken away when NYPD yellows called off the meeting.

Patience is wearing thin. We demand accountability from those paid by us to serve and protect. Or are we already living in a fascist, gestapo police state?

Back in late January we were privileged to have an excellent opportunity to take a look at our transportation network, particularly the Melrose Metro North Station at 162nd Street and Park Avenue. Now we have an opportunity to participate in the follow up to that meeting by participating in an interactive community workshop. Such grassroots opportunities for the community to interact with government agencies and the likes are crucial to the survival and sustainability of our beloved neighborhood. That being said, I implore you to participate in this workshop for there are strength in numbers. We are the ones who live in the neighborhood and are ultimately affected by the decisions made in government.

There is no longer a question of when Melrose will grow because as the last census showed us, we have grown. This critical juncture

This Saturday March 10 th from 1PM-4PM, Join the Bronx Sustainable Communities Team and your fellow community members for a unique opportunity to participate in an Interactive Community Workshop in the Melrose Neighborhood. The Bronx Sustainable Communities Team has been working hard to spread the word in the community – so we hope to see you all there! Please reply via phone/email to attend or with any questions.

JOIN US FOR AN EXCITING OPPORTUNITY TO GIVE YOUR INPUT ON CREATING A MORE COMPLETE COMMUNITY!

* how do you want your community to grow? * what will make your commute easier? * how can your community become more livable?

Melrose Community Workshop: When: Saturday March 10 th 1:00 PM –4:00 PM Where: Boricua College, 4 th Floor Conference Room 890 Washington Avenue (Corner 161 st and Elton)

LIVE or WORK NEAR A METRO NORTH STATION? DONT FORGET TO TAKE OUR COMMUNITY SURVEY!
https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/

SCBronx o en español
http://www.nyc.gov/html/dcp/pdf/sustainable_communities/survey_spanish.pdf

SHAWN BREDE NYC DEPT. OF CITY PLANNING•BRONX BOROUGH OFFICE ONE FORDHAM PLAZA, FIFTH FLOOR•BRONX, NY 10458
t 718.220.8505
sbrede@planning.nyc.gov

Bronx Sustainable Communities http://www.nyc.gov/sc_bronx

Follow us on Twitter @NYCPlanning www.nyc.gov/planning