Grand Concourse Photo Tour - part three

[ZippyTheChimp]

The last part of the photo journey.

The Edgar Allen Poe cottage in Poe Park
http://www.pbase.com/image/20414402.jpg

Building across from the park. I actually took this one a few weeks ago when I was in the area, and it inspired the rest.
http://www.pbase.com/image/20416909.jpg

View west on East Kingsbridge. I'm not sure about the towers, but the quonset hut like building is the Kingsbridge Armory. The Concourse runs on top of a ridge, so there are great views along the intersections.
http://www.pbase.com/image/20414482.jpg

E 196 St, west side
http://www.pbase.com/image/20414774.jpg

E 197 St, NE corner
http://www.pbase.com/image/20415226.jpg

E 205 St, NW corner
http://www.pbase.com/image/20415510.jpg

I almost missed this street. E 206 St on the east side of the Concourse. The street to the left is St Georges Crescent which curves back downhill to the Concourse.
http://www.pbase.com/image/20415889.jpg

View north on St Georges Crescent
http://www.pbase.com/image/20415629.jpg

On the west side at about E 206 St, I found this outcropping between two buildings. Anyone have a story about this?
http://www.pbase.com/image/20416013.jpg

Van Cortlandt Ave, NW corner.
http://www.pbase.com/image/20416122.jpg

The Grand Concourse comes to an end at the Mosholu Parkway.
http://www.pbase.com/image/20416362.jpg

My impressions:

I was apprehensive about doing this. My strongest memories of the Concourse are from childhood. A friend of mine moved there from Brooklyn, and whenever I travelled to a Yankee game, I would stay overnight at his family's apartment. As a ten year old, I thought he was very lucky to be able to walk to Yankee Stadium. I also thought he was rich.

Although a little worn in some places, in my opinion, this is a great boulevard. The traffic never seems to be a problem. Despite the density, the openness of the area is incredible. Great views. The buildings speak for themselves.

For a weekday, the commercial areas are very vibrant. I can't remember too many boaded up buildings. What would help considerably is a little greenstreets, though it must be difficult to keep trees healthy on those
little islands.

I was not disappointed - a positive experience.

[Gulcrapek]

So much art deco in so little time. Thanks.

Greener medians would be a good thing, yes.

[Merry]

Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful series. *Art Deco heaven. *Thank you, Zippy.

[JMGarcia]

Great pics Zippy! I just love deco. This one is especially fabulous.

http://www.pbase.com/image/20415226.jpg

[Just Rich]

Gulcrapek I was thinking the same thing, there must have been a lot of construction going on in the area over the course of about a decade.

The buildings all look very well kept and clean, *it looks like there's a certain amount of pride taken in the area.

Is the Concourse on Manhattan island or in the Bronx?

Love the pictures

[TLOZ Link5]

The Grand Concourse is in the Bronx, and to some is that borough's answer to Park Avenue.

Very nice pics, Zippy. *I was amazed that there are so few remnants of '80s-era blight--very little graffiti, some weeds in the sidewalks, but that was it. *The whole city has definitely come a long way, and these pictures definitely show it.

[NYatKNIGHT]

This one's really good too:
http://www.pbase.com/image/20416122.jpg

In that other picture, do you think that outcropping is there because it's simply too steep and rocky to build on? Hard to tell from here. Notice how thick the forest grows in when left undisturbed.

Fun tour, fantastic photography, ZippyTheChimp. Thanks for spotlighting this unique place in our city.

[Kris]

Starting at 138th Street and running north to Mosholu Parkway, the Grand Boulevard and Concourse (as it is properly named) is the Bronx's grandest street, four and one half miles long. Designed in 1892 by farsighted engineer Louis Risse to give access to parkland to be built north of the city, it was finally constructed in the first decade of the twentieth century. The eleven lanes run between tree-shaded islands, originally meant to separate bicycle, horse and pedestrian traffic. Cross-traffic at major intersections passes below or above the boulevard (an innovation borrowed by Risse from Olmstead and Vaux’s Central Park). The Concourse is lined with apartment buildings, many of them brilliant examples of the 1930s Art Deco and Art Moderne styles. The newly-restored Heinreich Heine fountain at 161st Street marks the original entrance to the Concourse, which was extended southward in 1927.

http://bronxart.lehman.cuny.edu/pa/neighborhood.htm

The inspiration was the Champs Elysées.

[angeladevi]

Very nice set of pics! Beautifull looking buildings.

[dornbirn]

These are the neighborhoods where I grew up. I moved out 30 years ago!

That lot was a home, a multi level private home amongst all the high rise bldgs. I use to know the family that lived there, Had a cool back yard that you could play great "manhunt" and "hide" and seek games.
One of the shots shows my home and apartment!! Nice to see that nothing has changed.

It was (is?) a great neighborhood to grow up. Multi cultural for the 50's. Irish, Italian, German Jewish, some chinese and a few afro-americans.

Those great art deco bldgs!! They had sunken living rooms..very high style for the area!

I use to joke that you can tell the rich kids from the poor kids by if their bldg had an elevator! ( I lived on the 5th floor walkup..great cardio workout before cardio was even a word!!)

I can answer many questions about the area if anyone is interested.

Dornbirn

[Schadenfrau]

So can I- and my responses won't be outdated by 30 years, either.

[ablarc]

Nice to see that nothing has changed.
Not physically, anyway.

I can answer many questions about the area if anyone is interested.

Were there more people on the street when you lived there?



Btw welcome, dornbirn.

Where did you move to?

[ASchwarz]

Ablarc, the Concourse has pretty heavy pedestrian traffic, especially near subway stations and the intersecting commercial streets.

Remember that the Concourse is not a commercial street, so it does not have quite the same foot traffic as a Fordham Road.

I assume these photos were taken at "off-hours", because the street is almost always lively during my walks.

As for the Concourse remaining the same, I think it's true to an extent. The demographics have changed somewhat, but the Concourse has always been a "better" street than the surrounding streets, and most of the buildings seem in pretty good shape.

[Schadenfrau]

When the Bronx was infamously burning, all of the buildings on the Grand Concourse remained untouched.

[dornbirn]

Thanks for the welcome!

Were there more people? It sure seemed that way. I grew up in the time where usually the father worked. Moms stayed home to take care of the kids and the day to day.

The area was middle class. The concourse had quite a few upper class. The schools were very middle class. No one seemed to feel better or worse than any one else.

Unlike today, if you had more than one car in the family you were considered doing pretty well. The area had excellent public transportation and most of the shopping was done within a few blocks of the apartments.

Parking was (is) impossible. So once your DAD had his "space", he was pretty reluctant to take the car out!!

My mother stayed till the end in her apartment. That brought me back many times to see her and what was left of the 'Old Timers" who did not move to Westchester, Connecticut and Florida!!

Here is an aside. We had quite a few celebrities in our midst. Although at the time they were "snot nosed kids like us!!
Penny and Gary Marshall (I believe on of the shots shows their house!!
Calvin Klein went to the school PS 80 So did Ralph Lauren,
Robert Klein talks about the school and the area.

Sweet Memories. One of the great street names St. Georges Crescent!!

Dornbirn