The Bronx and Beyond: Architecture, Art, and History

The Bronx and Beyond: Architecture, Art, and History This page uses photos to highlight the history, the neighborhoods, the architecture, and the art of New York City's most beautiful and complicated borough.

All photos are taken by me, David Herszenson, except those that are clearly not contemporary. I am a family physician who as worked in the Bronx for 20 years and has lived in the Bronx since 2020. Every place here as a story.

The Fordham neighborhood occupies what was the colonial “Manor of Fordham”. John Arcer who was granted the land In 1671,...
09/14/2026

The Fordham neighborhood occupies what was the colonial “Manor of Fordham”. John Arcer who was granted the land In 1671, called the estate "Fordham" which means "village at a river crossing." Families farmed the Manor that was in existence from 1671 to 1762.

A village was founded in 1751 which was centered around what is now the Grand Concourse and Fordham Road intersection. The area remained rural for a time, but starting in the mid 1800’s, development began. First, archbishop John Hughes bought what had been the Rose Hill estate in 1840 and founded St. John’s College (later Fordham University). Then, the New York and Harlem Railroad came to Fordham in 1841. But once local transportation lines came to the area, the population began to explode. The Third Avenue Elevated was extended to Fordham Road in 1901. Next, the Grand Concourse brought auto traffic in 1909. The IRT Jerome line came in 1917. Finally, the IND line, running underneath the Concourse, came in the 1930’s. Fordham Road quickly became the commercial heart of the Bronx, where all your shopping, religious, banking, and entertainment needs could be met.

In the 1970's, as the South Bronx began to burn, the Fordham neighborhood was just north of the worst of the destruction. As a result, the Fordham area has a higher proportion of preserved apartment buildings from the 1920's and 1930's, many of them in the Art Deco style.

Today, Fordham Road is still a bustling commercial thoroughfare. The surrounding neighborhood is still a home for diverse ethnic groups, but the demographics have changed. Before World War Two, the area had a predominantly Irish, Italian, and Jewish population. Today, Hispanics, especially Dominicans, are the predominant ethnic group. There is also a significant African American minority, and many of whom are immigrants from West Africa. No doubt, the strength of the neighborhood has been, and will continue to be its diverse population, many of whom are newcomers to NYC looking for a better life for them and their children.

For other neighborhood profiles, see the following:

Westchester Square https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1apjyKa2t2/

Allerton
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1JL9P4dXRJ/

Belmont Part 1
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/19N1Q94FWB/

Belmont Part 2
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/19VK1LTVQe/

University Heights
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1Dcrvx9Ste/

Soundview
https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1CwxB55h5d/

Williamsbridge
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1HCSW9zriN/

Mount Eden
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1bK8ENrEn8/

Woodlawn Heights
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/19RTJ9GLzQ/

Morrisania Part 1
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1CRJezn45d/

Morrisania Part 2
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/18Ymk4VFRF/

Morrisania Part 3
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1GURZxGt9S/

Wakefield
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/192rNF4cEq/

Claremont
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1EnLJozFwp/

Throggs Neck
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/19HyJ7ufWg/

Mount Hope
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/18k4ctKbxu/

Marble Hill
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1c1bkGHDhj/

Hunts Point
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1G6u2JeW4S/

Unionport
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1HGZcMm7Td/

Pelham Bay
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/19EWFNdQri/

Mott Haven Part 1
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/196JPXeWbr

Mott Haven Part 2
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1Bzi3G6FKV/

Mott Haven Part 3
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/19MfwrdyZ4/

.

I will be leading a tour this coming Saturday Sept 5th of Mott Haven for The Bronx County Historical Society. To registe...
09/01/2026

I will be leading a tour this coming Saturday Sept 5th of Mott Haven for The Bronx County Historical Society. To register, go to bronxhistory.org/motthaven

Attn Bronx locals: To celebrate the waning days of summer, attend one of many free, outdoor film showings in various pa...
08/20/2026

Attn Bronx locals: To celebrate the waning days of summer, attend one of many free, outdoor film showings in various parks in the coming weeks. The program is presented by Bronx World Film, Inc. See below for more info and for which films are being shown where and when.

BRONX WORLD FILM CYCLE, A ROVING CINÉMATHÉQUE, TAKES ART HOUSE FILM TO BRONX NEIGHBORHOODS FOR A NINTH SUMMER

DATES & TIMES: August 26-September 6, 2026
VENUES: Various Bronx-wide

FULL PROGRAMME LINK
https://www.bronxworldfilm.org/cycleguide

New York, New York. August 5, 2026. – Bronx World Film Cycle, Summer ’26, the Bronx’s first “roving cinémathèque” started in 2017 by pioneer art house presenter Bronx World Film, returns to neighborhoods, parks and venues borough-wide from August 26th through September 6th with a marquee of cutting-edge films from all over the world and something for everyone.

The series, strong on animation, comedy, documentary and experimental forms, will screen fourteen films from eleven countries by sixteen directors, a good number of them US or New York City premieres. There are works fresh off world premieres at the Short Film Corner at Festival de Cannes, at sister organization International Sound and Film Music Festival in Croatia (both this past May), and from the extensive local and international networks Bronx World Film has cultivated. Many are made by young and emerging filmmakers, the organization’s driving inspiration. The films reflect the diversity that is the organization’s hallmark, its attention to film as art, Bronx demographics and a global sensibility.

Bronx World Film, a non-profit founded in 2011 with programmes in Manhattan and The Bronx, has been called “a place for young filmmakers.” The “Cycle” is its flagship film and multiarts event, presented since its founding at Manhattan host venue La Nacional – Spanish Benevolent Society, and in recent years also at amenable Bronx venues. Bronx World Film holds curated events and programming year-round.

Admission to Bronx World Film Cycle, Summer ’26 events is free and open to the public.

Mott Haven Part 3: The Homes. (For Mott Haven Part 1, The Institutions, go to https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1BJjx2pUU...
08/18/2026

Mott Haven Part 3: The Homes.

(For Mott Haven Part 1, The Institutions, go to
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1BJjx2pUUX/ )

(For Mott Haven Part 2: The Houses of Worship, go to https://www.facebook.com/share/p/195sX638yw/ )

Residential development in the area came about in fits and starts once the J.L. Mott Iron works came to what is now known as the South Bronx. But things really took off once the Third Avenue Elevated train arrived in the 1880's. German and Irish immigrants working in the area needed places to live, of course. Rowhouses were built for families with means, while tenement style apartments were built for those who labored in Mott Haven's industries. Luckily, we can still see many of these nineteenth century homes in the three NYC landmarked districts that are within Mott Haven.

After World War II, Puerto Rican and African Americans began to move to the neighborhood. German, Italian, and Irish Americans began to move elsewhere. At the same time, the housing situation in the postwar years deteriorated rapidly. First, many homes and apartment buildings were destroyed in order to build several large public housing developments. Second, apartment buildings that were not destroyed by eminent domain lost value principally due to redlining policies by banks. Redlining refers to the practice of banks not giving mortgages to buildings in places with a high percentage of minorities. The buildings lost their value, and landlords realized they could get more money out of their buildings by burning them down for insurance money rather than collecting rent. Other landlords simply let the buildings deteriorate to the point that they became unlivable.

More recently, luxury rental highrises have gone up along the Harlem River. It was thought that these developments might spur the creation of new small businesses in the area. Although cafes, bars, restaurants, and bakeries have opened, many of them have closed, finding that the promised customers did not materialize.

Walking through Mott Haven today, you can see the layers of history everywhere you look. You can see that a diverse population with a wide variety of ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds have made the neighborhood their home. Mott Haven certainly has struggled for the last several decades, but a renaissance may be in the cards for this beautiful and complicated neighborhood.

For other neighborhood profiles, see the following:

Westchester Square https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1apjyKa2t2/

Allerton https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1JL9P4dXRJ/

Belmont Part 1
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/19N1Q94FWB/

Belmont Part 2
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/19VK1LTVQe/

University Heights
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1Dcrvx9Ste/

Soundview
https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1CwxB55h5d/

Williamsbridge
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1HCSW9zriN/

Mount Eden
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1bK8ENrEn8/

Woodlawn Heights
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/19RTJ9GLzQ/

Morrisania Part 1
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1CRJezn45d/

Morrisania Part 2
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/18Ymk4VFRF/

Morrisania Part 3
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1GURZxGt9S/

Wakefield
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/192rNF4cEq/

Claremont
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1EnLJozFwp/

Throggs Neck
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/19HyJ7ufWg/

Mount Hope
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/18k4ctKbxu/

Marble Hill
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1c1bkGHDhj/

Hunts Point
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1G6u2JeW4S/

Unionport
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1HGZcMm7Td/

Pelham Bay
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/19EWFNdQri/

Mott Haven Part 1
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/196JPXeWbr

Mott Haven Part 3
To see other neighborhood profiles, see the following:

Mott Haven Part 2: Houses of Worship(For Mott Haven Part 1, The Institutions, go to https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1BJ...
08/12/2026

Mott Haven Part 2: Houses of Worship

(For Mott Haven Part 1, The Institutions, go to
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1BJjx2pUUX/ )

For Mott Haven Part 3, The Homes, go to https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1BfhdmCVHQ/ )

As Mott Haven's population grew, houses of worship became important centers of community for the mostly immigrant population at the turn of the century.

Congregations would sometimes first build a rectory or a school until funding could be secured for a larger building. Sometimes a larger church would replace a more modest one on the same grounds. Languages heard in these sites would often vary over time, reflecting the various waves of immigration. Today, services are usually conducted in Spanish.

The Bronx County Historical Society

To see other neighborhood profiles, see the following:

Westchester Square https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1apjyKa2t2/

Allerton https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1JL9P4dXRJ/

Belmont Part 1
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/19N1Q94FWB/

Belmont Part 2
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/19VK1LTVQe/

University Heights
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1Dcrvx9Ste/

Soundview
https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1CwxB55h5d/

Williamsbridge
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1HCSW9zriN/

Mount Eden
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1bK8ENrEn8/

Woodlawn Heights
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/19RTJ9GLzQ/

Morrisania Part 1
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1CRJezn45d/

Morrisania Part 2
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/18Ymk4VFRF/

Morrisania Part 3
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1GURZxGt9S/

Wakefield
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/192rNF4cEq/

Claremont
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1EnLJozFwp/

Throggs Neck
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/19HyJ7ufWg/

Mount Hope
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/18k4ctKbxu/

Marble Hill
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1c1bkGHDhj/

Hunts Point
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1G6u2JeW4S/

Unionport
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1HGZcMm7Td/

Pelham Bay
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/19EWFNdQri/

Mott Haven Part 1
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/196JPXeWbr

Historic Districts Council

Mott Haven Part 1: The Institutions (For Mott Haven Part 2--Houses of Worship--see https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1Hj9...
08/10/2026

Mott Haven Part 1: The Institutions

(For Mott Haven Part 2--Houses of Worship--see https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1Hj9H2zfT9/ )

(For Mott Haven Part 3--The Homes--see https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1BfhdmCVHQ/ )

Mott Haven is the area in the very South Bronx below 149th Street. It is the area where the namesake of the Bronx, Jonas Bronck, made his home in 1639. After the British took over from the Dutch in 1664, the Morris family made the entire South Bronx their bucolic "Manor of Morrisania". In the 1840's, Jordan L. Mott bought a large area near the Harlem River from the Morris's. He then transferred his iron works from Manhattan to the South Bronx. And the area soon became known as "Mott Haven".

The iron works triggered an influx of Irish and German immigrants seeking work. Townhomes were built for the upper class professionals and tenements were built for the blue collar workers. And religious institutions were founded to serve this buegeoning population.

The iron works left for Trenton in 1902, but Mott Haven remained an industrial center. The arrival of the New York Central Railroad, the elevated Third Avenue line, and the IRT subway lines all ensured that Mott Haven would remain an important industrial and residential center well into the twentieth century. As such, financial, commercial, and public institutions were built, several of which are highlighted in the photos below.

Mott Haven suffered through the trauma that came to the Bronx in the 1970's and 1980's. Redlining, eminent domain projects, crumbling housing, drugs, and HIV/AIDS all had a terrible effect.

But today, Mott Haven seems to be going through a renaissance, such that some now call the area "SoBro". Luxury towers have sprung up along the Harlem River. Bars and quaint cafes have opened. And schools, offices and apartments have taken over some of the old industrial buildings.

Stay tuned for additional posts on Mott Haven covering religious institutions and housing.

Note: Port Morris, the area south of the Bruckner, is considered by some to be a subsection of Mott Haven. Others consider it a neighborhood in its own right. I hope to do a post devoted to Port Morris in the future.

To see other neighborhood profiles, see the following:

Westchester Square https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1apjyKa2t2/

Allerton https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1JL9P4dXRJ/

Belmont Part 1
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/19N1Q94FWB/

Belmont Part 2
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/19VK1LTVQe/

University Heights
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1Dcrvx9Ste/

Soundview
https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1CwxB55h5d/

Williamsbridge
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1HCSW9zriN/

Mount Eden
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1bK8ENrEn8/

Woodlawn Heights
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/19RTJ9GLzQ/

Morrisania Part 1
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1CRJezn45d/

Morrisania Part 2
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/18Ymk4VFRF/

Morrisania Part 3
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1GURZxGt9S/

Wakefield
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/192rNF4cEq/

Claremont
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1EnLJozFwp/

Throggs Neck
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/19HyJ7ufWg/

Mount Hope
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/18k4ctKbxu/

Marble Hill
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1c1bkGHDhj/

Hunts Point
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1G6u2JeW4S/

Unionport
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1HGZcMm7Td/

Pelham Bay
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/19EWFNdQri/

Mott Haven Part 1
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/196JPXeWbr/

1 The Bronx County Historical Society Historic Districts Council

2121 Grand Concourse is a 1936 Art Deco apartment building that was designed by architect Horace Ginsbern. Ginsbern desi...
08/07/2026

2121 Grand Concourse is a 1936 Art Deco apartment building that was designed by architect Horace Ginsbern. Ginsbern designed many Deco buildings in the Bronx, especially along the Concourse. This apartment building's store fronts over the years included a furrier, a pizza shop, and a barber shop.

Currently on view at the Museum of the City of New York is "He Built This City: Joe Macken’s Model". Joe Macken has bee...
07/28/2026

Currently on view at the Museum of the City of New York is "He Built This City: Joe Macken’s Model". Joe Macken has been working on a huge replica of the five boroughs (including the Bronx, of course) since 2004.

The model was inspired by "Panorama of the City of New York", a model of the city that was created for the 1964 World's Fair that is on view at the Queens museum.

Attention Bronx Archaeologists! A little piece of Bronx history has just been revealed at one of the borough's busiest a...
07/22/2026

Attention Bronx Archaeologists! A little piece of Bronx history has just been revealed at one of the borough's busiest and oldest subway stations.

The station that is now located at the intersection of 149th Street and The Grand Concourse opened in 1905. When it opened, it was called "149th Street-Mott Avenue" because the street that ran north/south at that location was called Mott Avenue. In the 1930s, the Grand Concourse was extended south beyond its previous southern border of 161st Street. No new road was created--the avenue south of 161st, Mott Avenue, was simply renamed Grand Concourse, making that prestigious thoroughfare even longer.

Because the station then had to be renamed "149th Street-Grand Concourse", new signs had to be created. These signs covered the original mosaic that read "Mott Avenue".

Fast forward to 2026 and the station is renamed again, Now it is called "149th Street-Hostos" after the community college located at the site. Because the new signs are considerably shorter than the previous ones, the beginning "M" and ending "E" of the original "Mott Avenue" mosaic are now seeing the light again after several decades.

Metropolitan Transportation Authority - MTA

Address

2900 Southern Blvd.
The Bronx, NY
10458

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