Concourse, Bronx

Grand Concourse is a low income residential neighborhood geographically located in the South Bronx. The neighborhood is part of Bronx Community Board 4. Its boundaries, starting from the north and moving clockwise are: The Cross-Bronx Expressway to the north, Webster Avenue to the east, East 149th Street to the south, and Jerome Avenue to the west. The Grand Concourse is the primary thoroughfare through Concourse. The local subway is the D line; operating along the Grand Concourse. Zip codes include 10452 and 10456. The area is patrolled by the 44th Precinct located at 2 E 169th Street. NYCHA property in the area is patrolled by P.S.A. 7 at 737 Melrose Avenue in the Melrose section of the Bronx.

Demographics

Concourse has a population over 90,000. For decades Concourse has been one of the poorest communities in America.Fact|date=July 2008 Over half the population lives below the poverty line and receives public assistance (AFDC, Home Relief, Supplemental Security Income, and Medicaid). The neighborhood is now predominantly Dominican with a significant longstanding Puerto Rican and African American population.Fact|date=July 2008 The vast majority of households are renter occupied. [ [http://www.nyc.gov/html/dcp/pdf/lucds/bx4profile.pdf Bronx Community District 4] ]

Land use and terrain

Concourse is dominated by 5 and 6-story tenements. The apartments on the Grand Concourse are often taller. The total land area is roughly 1.5 square miles. The terrain is elevated above adjacent areas and is very hilly. Stair streets connect areas located at different elevations. There are five NYCHA developments located in Concourse. [http://www.nyc.gov/html/nycha/html/home/home.shtml NYCHA] ]

Clay Avenue Historic District

The landmarked Clay Avenue Historic District lines Clay Avenue between East 165th and 166th Streets. The district consist of semi-detached brownstones, most of which have been converted into S.R.O.'s (Single Room Occupancy). [ [http://www.nyc.gov/html/lpc/downloads/pdf/maps/clay_ave.pdf Clay Avenue Historic District] ]

History

Many of the historical buildings along the Grand Concourse were built in the 1920s and 1930s. Quite a few of those buildings are still standing today including 1100 Grand Concourse. Concourse was once a predominantly Jewish neighborhood until about the 1960s and 1970s. During the 1980s many of the buildings that were still occupied along the Concourse became coop. In 2007 and 2008 there has been an uptick in the amount of units that have transitioned from being owned by coop sponsors to being owned by the tenants of the coop. Much of the increase in sales activity has been the result of the buzz surrounding the new Yankee Stadium development and the additional community developments that are coming along with the new stadium. The Grand Concourse is being completely redeveloped to include trees, flowers, and bushes in the median areas of the roadway.

Many social problems associated with poverty from crime to drug addiction have plagued the area for some time. Despite crime declines versus their peaks during the crack and heroin epidemics violent crime continues to be a serious problem in the community. [http://www.nyc.gov/html/nypd/downloads/pdf/crime_statistics/cs044pct.pdf 44th Precinct CompStat Report] ] Concourse has significantly higher drop out rates and incidents of violence in its schools. [http://www.gothamgazette.com/article/fea/20060320/202/1792 NYC Dropout Rates] ] Students must pass through metal detectors and swipe ID cards to enter the buildings. Reminiscent a prison environment which many feel encourages bad behavior. Other problems in local schools include low test scores and high truancy rates. Drug addiction is also a serious problem in the community. Due to the lucrative drug trade in the area many addicted reside in the community. Peer pressure among children who come from broken homes contributes to the high rate of usage. Many households in the area are headed by a single mother which contributes to the high poverty rate. [ [http://www.lehman.cuny.edu/deannss/bronxdatactr/discover/bxtext.htm Bronx Census Data Analysis] ] Many of whom had their children at a very young age and unfortunately could not provide for their children. Many of the families living in Concourse have been in poverty for generations. The incarceration rate in the area is also very high. [ [http://www.wnyc.org/blog/lehrer/archives/archive/NYC%20Analysis-9%20copy2.gifNYC Prison Expenditure] ] Many if not most males in the community have been arrested at some point in their lives. This has a direct correlation to aggressive policing tactics including "sweeps" due to the area's high crime rate. Concourse is home to a significant number of inmates currently held in New York state prison and jail facilities.

Urban renewal

After a wave of arson ravaged the low income communities of New York City throughout the 1970s, many of the residential structures in Concourse were left seriously damaged or destroyed. The city began to rehabilitate many formally abandoned tenement style apartment buildings and designate them low income housing beginning in the late 1970s. Also many subsidized attached multi-unit townhouses and newly constructed apartment buildings have been or are being built on vacant lots across across the neighborhood.

ubsections

Mount Eden

Mount Eden is a subsection of Concourse. Its boundaries, starting from the north and moving clockwise are: The Cross-Bronx Expressway to the north, Webster Avenue to the east, East 170th Street to the south, and Jerome Avenue to the west. Mount Eden includes Claremont Park and the Mount Eden Parkway.

Concourse Village

Concourse Village or more recently referred to as the downtown Bronx is a subsection of Concourse. Its boundaries, starting from the north and moving clockwise are: The East 165th Street to the north, Park Avenue to the east, East 149th Street to the south, and Jerome Avenue to the west. Concourse Village is home to Yankee Stadium along with many of the Bronx's city, state, and federal buildings. Concourse Village includes Franz Sigel Park and the Concourse Village subsidized housing development.

chools

Public

*PS 9: (230 East 183rd Street & Ryer Avenue)
*PS/MS 31: William Lloyd Garrison (East 156th Street and Morris Avenue)
*PS 35: Franz Sigel (East 163rd Street and Morris Avenue)
*PS 53: Basheer Qusim (East 168th Street and Findlay Avenue)
*PS 64: Pura Belpre (East 171st Street and Walton Avenue)
*PS 70: Max Schoenfield (East 174th Street and Weeks Avenue)
*PS 88: Sidney Silverstein (Marcy Place and Sheridan Avenue)
*PS 90: George Meany (East 166th Street and Sheridan Avenue)
*PS 114: Luis Llorens Torres (McClellan Street and Cromwell Avenue)
*PS 156: Benjamin Banneker (East 156th Street and Concourse Village West)
*CJHS 145: Arturo Toscanini (East 165th Street and Teller Avenue)
*MS 22: Jordan L. Mott (East 167th Street and College Avenue)
*MS 151: Lou Gehrig (East 156th Street and Morris Avenue)
*MS 166: Roberto Clemente (East 164th St and Grant Avenue)
*William H. Taft High School (East 172nd Street and Sheridan Avenue)
*Bronx High School of Law, Government, and Justice (East 163rd Street and Sherman Avenue)

Transportation

*Bx1: to Riverdale or Third Avenue–138th Street station (via Grand Concourse)
*Bx2: to Kingsbridge Heights or Third Avenue–138th Street station (via Grand Concourse)
*Bx11: to Simpson Street station or George Washington Bridge Bus Terminal (via 170th Street)
*Bx13: to George Washington Bridge Bus Terminal (via Ogden Avenue)
*Bx18: to 170th Street station or Morris Heights {via Macombs Road)
*Bx32: to VA Hospital or Third Avenue–138th Street station (via Morris Avenue)
*Bx35: to Simpson Street station or George Washington Bridge Bus Terminal (via 167th Street)
*161st Street–Yankee Stadium (NYCS Yankee Stadium)
*167th Street (NYCS Jerome local)
*170th Street (NYCS Jerome local)
*Mount Eden Avenue (NYCS Jerome local)
*167th Street (NYCS Concourse)
*170th Street (NYCS Concourse)
*174th–175th Streets (NYCS Concourse)

References