Kingsbridge, Bronx

Kingsbridge is a working class residential neighborhood geographically located in the northwest Bronx, New York. The neighborhood is part of Bronx Community Board 8. Its boundaries are Van Cortlandt Park to the north, the Major Deegan Expressway to the east, West 230th Street to the south, and Irwin Avenue to the west. Broadway is the primary thoroughfare through Kingsbridge. The area is patrolled by the 50th Precinct located at 3450 Kingsbridge Ave. NYCHA property in the area is patrolled by PSA 8 at 2794 Randall Avenue in the Throgs Neck section of the Bronx.

Kingsbridge Heights, a separate but similarly named neighborhood, lies across the Major Deegan Expressway from Kingsbridge proper.

History

The neighborhood is named for The King's Bridge, erected in 1693 by Frederick Philipse a local Lord loyal to the British Monarch. The bridge spanned the now-filled-in Spuyten Duyvil Creek, roughly south-parallel with today's 230th Street. The Kingsbridge carried Boston Post Road, connecting continental America (today's Bronx) with Marble Hill, once part of the Manhattan island, but still today part of the Manhattan borough. The bridge is said to still be in place, having been buried when the creekbed was filled in. The creek water flow was redirected to the new and deeper shipping canal, south of Marble Hill.

Click for depiction of King's Bridge [http://www.loyalamericanregiment.org/bridge.jpg]

Until the latter part of the 19th century Riverdale, Kingsbridge, and other areas now in the northwest Bronx were part of the Town of Yonkers. The areas that are inside the modern-day New York city line broke off to form the Town of Kingsbridge. In 1874, the City of New York annexed three towns that later became the western half of The Bronx, including the Town of Kingsbridge. As the trains to Manhattan were built in the 20th century, a stop in the northwest Bronx along the Hudson River called Riverdale-on-Hudson, now Riverdale, was created. This gave rise to the Riverdale neighborhood; the remainder of the old Town of Kingsbridge developed into the modern-day Kingsbridge neighborhood.

Kingsbridge was once a neighborhood of predominately Irish immigrants. From the late 1970s the Irish population has decreased significantly, being replaced by large numbers of Hispanics, Asians, Albanians and Greeks. The largest hispanic group in Kingsbridge today are Dominicans replacing the earlier Puerto Ricans and Cubans who were the first hispanics to settle in the neighborhood in the 1970s. In order to truly understand this community one must acknowledge the legacy of the Irish contributions which can still be seen in the Roman Catholic churches and schools that serve the current residents. The Irish contribution here is a microcosm of their contribution to the rest of the United States.

For example, walking through the neighborhood one would immediately notice St. John's Roman Catholic Church on Kingsbridge avenue near 231st street, and its two schools; the elementary school on Godwin Terrace (just south of 231st street), and the junior high school on Kingsbridge Ave just a block north of 231st street. In northern Kingsbridge the Visitation Roman Catholic Church and School is located on West 239th street. To the east, on Sedgwick Ave we have Our Lady of Angels Church and School. For recreation on the weekends, one can go to Gaelic Park (now operated by Manhattan College) which is located on 240th street & Broadway and watch a variety of sports including Gaelic football or a good hurling match and have a few pints after the game at one of the local pubs. Finally, the neighborhood is home to Manhattan College (Jaspers) located on Manhattan College Parkway (W. 240th Street) where many of the children of these Irish immigrants received excellent Lasallian educations and left Kingsbridge for new and improved lives.

Over the past five years, the neighborhood has held two reunions at Manhattan College with large turnouts. Former residents of Kingsbridge from all over the U.S. and even from places as far as Japan attended.

Land use and terrain

Kingsbridge Heights is dominated by detached, semi detached, and attached homes. There is also a significant number of apartment buildings along Broadway where most of the Dominican segment of the population currently resides. At many points throughout the area, Riverdale and Kingsbridge are connected by a series of "step streets", with stairways of as many as 160 steps built into the hills. Some jokingly refer to Riverdale as the "rich uncle" of Kingsbridge which has its origins during the Irish period. The neighborhood is also part of a Business improvement district that is home to 200 merchants, which is one of the largest retail shopping districts in The Bronx. River Plaza Shopping Center is located nearby (in Marble Hill, Manhattan) but it is not part of the business improvement district. During the past several years there have been significant improvements in the infrastructure of the community. For example, the parks have been improved significantly and there are new elementary schools on 230th street. These improvements along with the growth of the business community have resulted in an increased quality of life for its residents.

Transportation

*Bx1: to Third Avenue–138th Street station (via Grand Concourse)
*Bx7: to College of Mount Saint Vincent or 168th Street station (via Broadway)
*Bx9: to Riverdale or West Farms Square–East Tremont Avenue station (via Kingsbridge Road)
*Bx10: to College of Mount Saint Vincent or Norwood–205th Street station (via Riverdale Avenue)
*Bx20: to Riverdale or Inwood–207th Street station (via Henry Hudson Parkway)
*231st Street station (NYCS Broadway-Seventh north)
*238th Street station (NYCS Broadway-Seventh north)

Demographics

Kingsbridge has a population of over 10,000. The neighborhood has a high concentration of Dominicans living in the tenements along Broadway and the adjacent side streets, with a predominantly mixed ethnic area east and west of Broadway.

See also

Walton High School (New York City)