Kusama with Pumpkin, 2010 ©YAYOI KUSAMA. Courtesy of Ota Fine Arts, Tokyo / Singapore / Shanghai; Victoria Miro, London; David Zwirner, New York

Over the next year, celebrated Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama will have a big moment in New York City. In addition to the forthcoming exhibition at David Zwirner Gallery this fall—which will include some of the artist’s insanely popular Infinity Rooms—the New York Botanical Garden has just revealed that its blockbuster 2020 exhibition will be dedicated to Kusama. The exclusive show will include a range of works, old and new, that shed light on the artist’s lifelong engagement with nature, including everything from her famous polka-dot pumpkins to her signature Infinity Rooms.

Alongside a collection of early sketchbooks where Kusama first began documenting her fascination with nature, the exhibition will showcase multiple installations, featuring both her signature Infinity Rooms and site-specific polka-dotted sculptures of flowers and pumpkins, as well as smaller-scale works on paper, to be installed across NYBG’s 250-acres and in its historic buildings. Though we don’t have too many details yet, the show will also debut Kusama’s “first-ever participatory greenhouse installation that will be transformed over the course of the exhibition,” per a recent press release. A robust series of public programming will complement the show.

“We are thrilled to present this unprecedented installation of Yayoi Kusama’s work, including new sculptures made especially for our site. In a lifetime of finding inspiration in nature and pushing against boundaries and biases, she developed a unique lexicon for artistic expression,” notes Carrie Rebora Barratt, CEO, and president of NYBG. “While these works appear as mostly abstract forms to viewers, they are manifestations of how she sees the universe, specifically the natural world. We are grateful to her for sharing her vision and helping us realize this once-in-a-lifetime display at the Garden for our visitors.”

Sponsored by the MetLife Foundation, the exhibition will be on view May 2 through November 1, 2020.

RELATED:

• Yayoi Kusama’s insanely popular infinity rooms return to New York this fall
• Check out artist Yayoi Kusama’s installation in an abandoned Rockaway train garage
• Yayoi Kusama’s Polka Dot-Covered ‘Obliteration Room’ Shows for the First Time in the U.S.

The larger Compass Residences via Dattner Architects

The lottery has just launched for 328 newly-constructed Compass III residences at 1560 Boone Avenue, Crotona Park East and 101 East 173rd Street in Mount Hope, Bronx. In 2011 the West Farms Redevelopment Plan for the 17-acre, 11-block former industrial area in Crotona Park East by Dattner Architects became the largest Bronx rezoning ever passed. When complete, the complex will offer 1,325 units of affordable housing along with retail and community facilities. The new building’s 328 units are available to households earning between 30 percent and 100 percent of the area median income, ranging from $331/month studios to $1,921/month three-bedrooms.

Last March 150 units opened at 1903 West Farms Road for New Yorkers earning 60 percent of the area median income; previously 114 residences at 1544 Boone Avenue became available, also for those earning 60 percent of the area median income.

Apartments have wrap-around, floor-to-ceiling windows, stainless steel appliances, granite counters, wood floors, and ceramic tiles. The complex offers a community room, bicycle room, landscaped courtyard, on-site gym, on-site laundry and closed circuit tv.

Qualifying New Yorkers can apply for the affordable units at Compass III Residences until September 10, 2019. Residents of Bronx Community Board 3 and 4 will be given preference for 50 percent of the units. Complete details on how to apply are available here (pdf). Questions regarding this offer must be referred to NYC’s Housing Connect department by dialing 311.

If you don’t qualify for the housing lotteries mentioned, visit CityRealty.com’s no-fee rentals page for other apartment deals in the city.

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• Apply for 60 affordable apartments in the heart of Harlem, from $562/month
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• Live in an affordable Bronx building with a rooftop garden and greenhouse, from $883/month

Rendering courtesy of WXY Architecture + Urban Design and Body Lawson Associates

The first phase of a project that will bring more than 700 units of affordable housing to the Bronx neighborhood of Hunts Point will get underway in the coming weeks, developers announced Tuesday. Dubbed the Peninsula, the mixed-use complex will rise on the site of the former Spofford Juvenile Detention Center, which closed in 2011 after the city recognized its awful conditions and treatment of children. The first phase, costing about $121.5 million, includes the construction of 183 affordable units by 2021.

Renderings courtesy of WXY Architecture + Urban Design and Body Lawson Associates

In 2016, the city’s Economic Development Corporation selected Gilbane Development Company, Hudson Companies, and Mutual Housing Association of New York. The developers are working in partnership with the city’s Housing Preservation and Development and the Housing Development Corporation.

“The rebirth of the abandoned Spofford Detention Center, which has been a looming symbol of despair for years, is a prime example of the type of investments the city is making to generate better outcomes for communities and residents,” Louise Carroll, HPD Commissioner, said in a statement.

“The Peninsula epitomizes this administration’s commitment to creating opportunity in every corner of the city, whether through housing, economic development, or other critical resources that bolster our neighborhoods and help New Yorkers thrive.”

The first phase, expected to be completed in 2021, will offer 183 units of deeply affordable housing, ranging from studios to three-bedrooms. These units will be set aside for extremely low, very low, and low-income New Yorkers, with 10 percent of them designated for those formerly experiencing homelessness.

As 6sqft previously reported, local tenants like Il Forno Bakery, Soul Snacks, Bascom Catering, Mass Ideation, Hunts Point Brewery, Lightbox film studio and a 15,000-square-foot grocery store will set up shop.

In addition to 740 units of 100 percent affordable housing, the project includes 52,000 square feet of open and recreational space, 48,000 square feet of community facility space, and 21,000 square feet of retail. The three-phase Peninsula project will wrap up sometime in 2025.

RELATED: 

• Jerome Avenue rezoning and Peninsula complex to bring thousands of affordable units to the Bronx
• The Peninsula, a Hunts Point mixed-use complex on former juvenile jail site, gets new renderings
• Former juvenile jail in Hunts Point will be replaced with $300M mixed-use affordable housing complex

Google Street View of Stan Lee’s childhood home at 1720 University Avenue in the Bronx

Stan Lee—the comic book writer and Marvel publisher who brought us Spider-Man, The Incredible Hulk, and the Fantastic Four among other classics—will soon be commemorated with a street naming in the Bronx. According to the New York Post, City Council voted this week to co-name University Avenue between Brandt Place and West 176th Street as “Stan Lee Way.” The proposal was brought by City Council member Fernando Cabrera, who represents the area, and will become official as soon as the mayor signs it.

Lee was born in Manhattan in 1922 and grew up in Washington Heights and the Bronx. He and his family lived in a third-floor apartment at 1720 University Avenue during his teen years, and he graduated from nearby DeWitt Clinton High School. Following a bout with pneumonia and other health issues, Lee passed away in 2018 at the age of 95.

“Mr. Lee’s amazing talent brought joy and entertainment to countless children and adults and he deserves to be permanently memorialized in his home borough, the Bronx,” Cabrera told NBC News.

[Via New York Post]

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• City Council votes to name NYC streets after Notorious B.I.G., Wu-Tang Clan, and Woodie Guthrie

Photo via Bronx Brewery

Tours of breweries in NYC are nothing new. But if you’re looking to shake things up, consider taking a tour of Bronx breweries that takes place on a trolley and starts at one of the largest cemeteries in the city. This Saturday, Woodlawn Cemetery, in partnership with the Bronx Historical Society, is offering a trolley tour that delves into the history behind the borough’s beer-brewing legacy and takes guests into some of the Bronx’s newest breweries and beer halls.

Photo via Flickr

Woodlawn Cemetery is the final resting place of some of the city’s most esteemed citizens, such as Duke Ellington, Herman Melville, and former mayor Fiorello La Guardia. Additional notables include some of the families who started the Bronx’s beer-brewing tradition and shaped many of the borough’s neighborhoods.

Tours start at noon at the Jerome Avenue entrance of the cemetery. Tickets have a tendency to go quickly, so make sure to get them in advance. There’s also a lunch hour scheduled in the Bronx’s Little Italy, so remember to bring your wallet.

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• Six things you didn’t know about Arthur Avenue and Bronx Little Italy
• New Yorker Spotlight: Chris Gallant of the Bronx Brewery Brings Craft Ales to the Boogie Down
• 7 Cool Things You Probably Didn’t Know About the Bronx

Photo by Danny Avila for NYC Parks

Although it’s technically safe, you may not want to swim in the East River. Swimming on the East River, however, is an entirely different story. The Floating Pool Lady is not just a pool. It’s a floating pool located in a retrofitted barge that’s currently docked in Barretto Point Park in the Hunts Point neighborhood of the Bronx. Best of all, it’s the only floating pool in the country.

As 6sqft previously reported, floating pools aren’t new to NYC. After a wave of immigration and a growing awareness of public health and hygiene, the city debuted the first free public floating baths in 1870. These were barge-like structures with a well in the middle, kept afloat by pontoons.

The wells were lined with slats that allowed river water to flow through. By 1911, the city had 15 floating baths, with an estimated yearly attendance of over 1.8 million people. However, the growing pollution of the Hudson and East Rivers made floating baths much less appealing, and by the 1940s, all of the facilities were taken out of commission.

The floating pool experience was entirely gone for nearly 70 years. But in 2007, The Neptune Foundation purchased a cargo barge and renovated it to include a half Olympic-sized pool, changing rooms with lockers, and a sprinkler station. The Floating Pool Lady was initially docked at Brooklyn Bridge Park but moved permanently to Barretto Point Park a year later. Unlike the floating baths of yore, the water in the Floating Pool Lady is chlorine-treated, so there’s no need to worry about polluted water.

Like all of the NYC Parks Department’s outdoor pools, the Floating Pool Lady is completely free and open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Make sure to bring a combination lock, as personal items other than towels aren’t allowed in the pool area and locks aren’t provided.

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• See the colorful makeovers of five NYC public pools
• Floating pools on the Hudson and East Rivers kept New Yorkers cool as early as 1870
• Roosevelt Island’s Manhattan Park pool transforms into a technicolor dreamscape for the summer

All photos by Danny Avila for NYC Parks

Photo by Kristine Paulus on Flickr

Applications are currently being accepted for 169 newly constructed affordable apartments in the Bronx neighborhood of Fordham Manor. Located at 2519 Creston Avenue just half mile from Fordham University’s campus, the building sits on a corner overlooking St. James Park. Qualifying New Yorkers earning 40, 50, 60, 80, 90, and 110 percent of the area median income can apply for the units, ranging from a $475/month studio to a $2,158/month three-bedroom.

Magnusson Architecture and Planning’s (MAP) design of the building, dubbed Creston Parkview, incorporates a number of eco-friendly measures, including air and water conservation fixtures, energy star appliances, and LED lighting. Utilizing the building’s location on the park, the design includes large north-facing windows and elevator lobbies that overlook St. James Park, according to the New York Housing Conference.

Residents can enjoy amenities like a fitness center, which has a landscaped terrace, a laundry room with a children’s play area, and a 7,300-square-foot community center on the ground floor. The building conveniently is located in between both the Fordham Road B, D subway station as well as the 4 train on Jerome Avenue.

In addition to being a short walk from Fordham, Creston Parkview is also near the Bronx Zoo, the New York Botanical Garden, and all of the offerings of Little Italy.

Qualifying New Yorkers can apply for the apartments until October 30, 2019. Complete details on how to apply are available here (pdf). Residents of Bronx Community Board 7 will be given preference for 50 percent of the units. Questions regarding this offer must be referred to NYC’s Housing Connect department by dialing 311.

If you don’t qualify for the housing lotteries mentioned, visit CityRealty’s no-fee rentals page for other apartment deals in the city.

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• Lottery opens for 16 units from $2,100/month across from Bushwick’s Maria Hernandez Park

Photo by cisc1970 on Flickr

The city is looking for land to build a new public cemetery for residents who were unclaimed or unable to afford a burial. The city’s Human Resources Administration on Tuesday issued a request for information (RFI) from private burial companies to develop ideas for new cemeteries, citing concerns over the lack of space on Hart Island, land located off the Bronx where more than one million people have been buried since the Civil War. The RFI comes as the City Council recently finalized a package of bills to reform the Island, as well as the city’s process for public burials.

Hart Island, one of the country’s largest burial grounds, will reach capacity in roughly eight to 10 years, according to the city. As the City Council and Mayor Bill de Blasio’s administration push to end public burials at the overcrowded site, the HRA will look for alternative locations.

The Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday that the agency is “considering several options,” with possibilities including burials at more than one location, cremation, or a combination of both. Any new site will need to be ADA accessible with language interpretation services, according to the request.

“This RFI will help begin to resolve how the City will continue to carry out this critical and solemn role, including through options such as burials at a different location (with the possibility of new locations), cremation, some other potential solution, or some combination thereof,” the request reads.

In May, the Council introduced a package of bills aimed at improving Hart Island, including one that would transfer control of the site from the Department of Corrections to the city’s Parks Department. Currently, visiting deceased family members on Hart Island is not easy.

Family members need to apply through the DOC, get approved, be escorted by staff, and surrender all possessions, like cell phones, to DOC staff. Plus, trips are offered just two days each month, one Thursday and one Saturday.

“It’s heartbreaking that a million people are buried on Hart Island and there is only one Saturday a month that people can visit,” Council Speaker Corey Johnson tweeted in May. “It’s an embarrassment, it’s undignified, and it needs to change immediately. We must do better.”

If Hart Island was controlled by Parks, officials argue security measures could be eliminated, ferries could run to make visiting easier, and the green space on the site could be better maintained. The proposed legislation would also form a task force on public burials and create an office dedicated to helping New Yorkers with the process.

According to Politico NY, the bills are ready for passage, but a spokesperson said they are not on the schedule for this week’s meeting and could still change ahead of the vote. The legislation will likely pass in the coming weeks.

City Council Member Mark Levine told the WSJ he was surprised when he heard the city’s request to open a new public cemetery. “The problem isn’t that we’re burying on Hart Island, the problem is it’s a Department of Correction secure facility that’s made it impossible to have open, dignified access for families,” Levine told the newspaper.

[Via Politico NY, WSJ]

RELATED: 

• NYC Council considers turning mass gravesite on Hart Island into a city park
• INTERVIEW: Melinda Hunt Memorializes the Unclaimed New Yorkers Buried on Hart Island
• Families of city’s unclaimed dead receive more access to graves on Hart Island

Photo by Steven Pisano on Flickr

A lottery will launch next week for 36 middle-income units in the Kingsbridge neighborhood of the Bronx. Located at 3470 Fort Independence Street, the newly constructed building sits about a ten-minute walk from New York City’s third-largest park, Van Cortlandt Park, and steps from Jerome Park Reservoir. Qualifying New Yorkers earning 70 and 130 percent of the area median income can apply for the apartments, which range from $1,075/month studios to $2,388/month three-bedrooms.

Amenities at the building include a recreation room, fitness center, on-site laundry, and security cameras. Nearest transit options include the 1 train at 238th Street and the 4 train at Mosholu Parkway. Commutes into Manhattan come in around 40 minutes to Grand Central, and 40 minutes to Penn Station.

Qualifying New Yorkers can apply for the apartments at 3470 Fort Independence Street until December 2, 2019. Complete details on how to apply are available here (pdf). Residents of Bronx Community Board 7 will be given preference for 50 percent of the units. Questions regarding this offer must be referred to NYC’s Housing Connect department by dialing 311.

If you don’t qualify for the housing lotteries mentioned, visit CityRealty’s no-fee rentals page for other apartment deals in the city.

RELATED: 

• Lottery launches for 169 affordable units near Fordham University, from $475/month
• Nine mixed-income apartments available in the LES tower that replaced old Moscot HQ
• Waitlist reopens for ‘moderate-income’ rentals in Long Island City, with units up to $5,183/month

Aerial view of Co-op City via Wiki Commons

Plans to develop four new Metro-North Railroad stations in underserved areas of the Bronx are moving forward and beginning to engage the local community in the process. Bronx borough president Ruben Diaz Jr. and Westchester county executive George Latimer hosted the first Community Council meeting for the project last week, providing an overview of the broader Penn Station Access plan and kicking off discussions with key stakeholders. The council is composed of representatives from civic organizations and local businesses from the East Bronx and Westchester.

“There are so many direct and indirect benefits to Penn Station Access. What this community council will ensure is that we are hearing from everyone,” Diaz Jr. said in a press statement. “We want to hear the concerns and the questions of the businesses, the major organizations, and especially the residents and commuters who will be served by this expansion.”

“We want to keep the community involved and informed every step of the way because access to Penn Station is advantageous for those who live in Westchester along the Sound Shore and need to commute to the Bronx or parts of Manhattan for work,” Latimer added. “This project also makes these communities even more attractive to live in and will raise property values in the process.”

As 6sqft previously reported, the expansion was first announced in 2014 as part of the Penn Station Access project that will link Penn Station to the New Haven Line. The four new stations in the Bronx—at Hunts Point, Parkchester/Van Nest, Morris Park, and Co-op City—are planned to open after the PSA project is completed. The stations will ease commute times for those living in the east and south Bronx, bring new residents into the area, and make it possible for people to consider jobs in Connecticut and Westchester.

A $35 million contract for “preliminary engineering and design” was approved in January. The MTA’s 2015-2019 Capital Program includes an initial $695 million investment in the plan, with $250 million in state resources coming from Empire State Development. To complete the project, the MTA hopes for additional funding in the 2020-2024 Capital Program. The federal environmental review process for the PSA is currently underway and a draft is expected to be made public within the first quarter of 2020.

RELATED:

• The Bronx is getting four new Metro-North stations
• The city is looking to bring Metro-North service to the South Bronx
• Cuomo announces $10M in infrastructure and arts upgrades for the South Bronx
• With most approved residential units in NYC, the Bronx building boom continues

Listing photos courtesy of Halstead Real Estate

Located in the University Heights section of the Bronx, this co-op could easily pass for a Victorian period museum. From House of Hackney wallpaper to reclaimed 19th-century doors to a painting that is Louvre-approved (literally!), nearly every inch of the 1,250-square-foot home is filled with old-world furniture and decor. And even if this isn’t quite your style, the two-bedroom, two-bathroom layout and $325,000 price tag will surely grab your attention.

In classic pre-war form, the home opens into an entry foyer, off which are two convenient closets and lovely built-in bookshelves. Intricate crown moldings and custom, handcrafted ceramic tiles jumpstart the opulent interior.

The sunken living room has enough space for two sitting areas. Elaborate coffered ceilings meet the handpainted floral wallpaper, one wall of which is covered with floor-to-ceiling mirrors with copper frames.

Across from the living room, the dining room serves double duty as an elegant tea room. Through here is the kitchen. It’s petite, but it has plenty of character thanks to brick tiles and fully-functioning vintage furnishings. The listing does note that this is the only unit in the building with copper plumbing and in-unit valves, meaning it’s not part of the apartment line and water can be shut off from within.

The master bedroom takes on a lighter feel, with white tin ceilings and moldings. The wallpaper is the Dalston Rose print from House of Hackney, a popular British company that interprets traditional designs. The showstopper, however, is the closet doors, adorned with Eastlake carvings. They are from an 1884 butler pantry. As you can see in the master, all the apartment’s radiators have been received custom wrought iron and bronze cases with white marble tops.

In the master bathroom, you’ll find imported Turkish Iznik tiles on the walls and floors, bordered by Carrara marble tiles.

The guest bathroom is a work of art in its own right. A replica of Jean-Honore Fragonard’s painting “The Bolt” takes up the entire wall; the owners even had to receive permission from the Louvre in Paris to have it recreated! A clawfoot tub and moody wood-paneled walls complete the look.

Built in 1941, the six-story co-op has a total of 42 units. It’s just a block away from St. James Park and two short blocks to the 4 train at Fordham Road.

[At CityRealty]

[Listing: 2506 Davidson Avenue by Michael Holt and Jonathan Cabrera of Halstead]

Listing photos courtesy of Halstead Real Estate

Photos by Marc Hermann, Courtesy of the New York Transit Museum

New York Yankee fans headed to the Bronx this weekend can get to the stadium on trains that were in service during Lou Gehrig and Babe Ruth’s tenure with the team. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority will run an express vintage 1917 Lo-V train on Friday, Oct. 4 and Saturday, Oct. 5 from Grand Central to 161st Street, kicking off the Yankees’ postseason run in historic fashion.

The Nostalgia Train, owned by the New York Transit Museum, began service in 1917. After running for more than 50 years, the city retired the Lo-V fleet in the 1960s. According to the museum, more than 1,200 of these cars ran in the system and were some of the last cars owned by the Interborough Rapid Transit (IRT) before the city took over the subway system in 1940.

“We are thrilled that our vintage trains are heading to Yankee Stadium again!” Concetta Bencivenga, the director of the NY Transit Museum, said in a statement. “Riding the same train cars that were in service back when Lou Gehrig and Babe Ruth were dominating the American League makes an already enjoyable trip that much more special.”

In addition to its army-green exterior, the subway features an old-school aesthetic of rattan seats, ceiling fans, and drop sash windows. Riders can grab on to the old-fashioned straphangers while enjoying the vintage advertisements found throughout the cars.

The vintage train will leave from the uptown 4 train platform at 42nd Street-Grand Central on Oct. 4 at 4 p.m. and on Oct. 5 at 2 p.m, running express to Yankee Stadium. Riders will reach 161st Street in about 25 minutes, getting there in plenty of time to see the Bronx Bombers take on the Minnesota Twins in the first game of the American League Division Series.

Get more details on the Nostalgia Train ride to Yankee Stadium here.

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• The history behind the interlocking ‘NY’ logo on the Yankees uniform
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Photos by Marc Hermann, Courtesy of the New York Transit Museum

Photo via Wiki Commons

The Vernon C. Bain Center, an 800-capacity floating jail in the East River, costs $24 million a year to operate and was supposed to be permanently shut down decades ago. Opened in 1992 to help with an overcrowded prison system due in part to the crack epidemic, the 625-foot-long motorless barge has been docked along New York City’s shoreline since then, the New York Times reports. And as the city plans to shut down Rikers Island, overhaul the criminal justice system, and create more humane jails with fewer inmates, advocates say the barge has to go. The city has pledged to close the facility once the City Council votes on the prison reform plan; both Rikers and Bain would close by 2026.

The parking lot and the main entrance to the barge, via Jim Henderson / Wiki Commons

Criminal justice advocates want to know, however, why the floating jail, which first docked at a very-different-from-today crime-riddled Hunt’s Point, still exists despite the fact that the city’s daily inmate population has plummeted to around 7,000.

Dana Kaplan, a deputy director at the Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice, would like to see the barge closed, telling Council members at a recent hearing, “We do not want a continued vestige of what was not supposed to be a permanent solution and what is not representative of what we think is the right justice system.”

The Bain Center actually was shut down by the Department of Correction, albeit briefly, about three years after it opened, due to a drop in the city’s jail population. Inmates and officers were moved to Rikers in an attempt to save $2 million a month. Then, Mayor Rudolph Giuliani reopened the barge in the late 1990s as a juvenile detention facility, and soon it was back in use as a jail for adult inmates.

The Hunts Point neighborhood has changed since the Bain Center docked off its shores: Violent crime has dropped by 280 percent between 1990 and 2018. Just up the street from the jail, Amazon has opened a warehouse; trucks line up daily to pick up parcels to be delivered.

And the city recently announced plans to develop a marine terminal at Hunts Point to help reduce the congestion caused by those–and other–trucks. Paul Lipson, a former chief of staff for neighborhood Representative José E. Serrano, commented to the Times, “That’s the nature of a lot of temporary things that become permanent in the city. Once a city agency grabs a parcel of land, it’s very hard for them to relinquish it.”

[Via NYTimes]

RELATED: 

• This Barge Floating in the East River Is Home to 800 Prisoners
• De Blasio’s plan for a borough-based jail system as Rikers replacement moves forward
• City scraps controversial plan for a new 40-story jail on top of the Manhattan marriage bureau
• City proposes four jail sites with community amenities as Rikers replacement

Photo by Adam Moreira on Wikimedia

Four hundred local bus stops in the Bronx will be cut as part of a major system redesign, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority announced Tuesday. The large reduction is an attempt to speed up travel times by moving bus stops further apart, from an average of 882 feet to 1,092 feet between them. The new plan also brings two new local routes and an express route to the borough, providing commuters better peak-hour service between north Bronx and Midtown.

“The Bronx bus redesign gives us the opportunity to build a foundation for a new high-frequency network to serve the largest number of riders at the times when they need bus service the most,” Andy Byford, president of NYC Transit said in a press release.

“This is a customer-focused proposal that incorporates an unprecedented level of public input realized by finding innovative ways to reallocate and reinvest finite resources.”

The MTA will run two new routes, the Bx25 and the M125, to better connect neighborhoods lacking transit options. The Bx25 will run between Bedford Park and Co-op City via Allerton Avenue, with the M125 replacing some parts of the Bx15 that runs along 125th Street to Manhattan.

On average, it takes a bus between 20 and 60 seconds to re-enter traffic from a bus stop. By reducing the number of stops, the buses will be able to travel faster, according to the MTA’s plan. The agency said it will consider the impact on the community when removing the stops, especially those near retirement communities and schools, or those that serve as transfers to subway stations.

Other plans include bringing Select Bus Service further east on Story Avenue into Soundview, improved crosstown bus service in the central part of the Bronx, new bus maps and real-time bus information at stops, as well as all-door boarding for all routes by 2021. OMNY, the new contactless payment system, will hit all buses by the end of next year.

According to the MTA, bus routes in the Bronx have not undergone a major upgrade in over a century, when the city changed the routes from trolley lines. The detailed report, made in collaboration with the city’s transportation department, falls under the Fast Forward plan, aimed at modernizing both the city’s subway and bus systems.

The plan requires approval from the MTA board before the redesign is implemented, which the agency says could happen by the middle of next year.

Transit advocates had hoped the plan would go further. TranistCenter, a group pushing for better public transportation across U.S. cities, said the plan “doesn’t deliver the all-day/every-day frequency riders need on major routes.” The group tweeted on Tuesday: “Gov Cuomo needs to invest in more bus service, not more MTA cops.”

RELATED: 

• MTA report says subway speeds should be increased by 50 percent
• NYC bus stops that are too close together slow down service, report says
• DOT plans to roll out 14th Street ‘busway’ this week after judges give the stalled project a green light

Photo by Fletcher6 on Wikimedia

Ninety-four newly constructed units are up for grabs at 985 Bruckner Boulevard in Woodstock, the Bronx. Non-profit Community Access worked with Think! Architecture and Design on the project, which spans across ten floors and 170,000 square feet and includes 215 residential units and a 70,300 square foot community facility. Qualifying applicants earning 60 percent of the area median income can apply for units that range from $748/month studios to $1,148/month two-bedrooms.

The development includes bike storage, a laundry room, fitness center, dining room, mail center, and children’s recreation area. The building is organized around several communal spaces on the first, second, fourth, sixth, eighth, ninth, and tenth floors.

The 121 units that are not part of the housing lottery have been set aside for low-income individuals or families with special needs, including formerly homeless or disabled households. The project has been under construction since January 2018 and is nearly complete.

The closest transit option is the Hunts Point Avenue 6 station, about one block away. There’s also the 2 and 5 train station at Intervale Avenue, about eight blocks away. A ten-minute walk will bring you to nearby Bill Rainey Park, which features three baseball fields.

Applicants who live in New York City will receive a general preference for apartments. A percentage of units is being set aside for applicants with disabilities (mobility, 5%; vision/hearing 2%). Residents of Bronx Community Board 2 will receive a preference for 50 percent of units; municipal employees will receive preference for five percent of units.

Qualifying New Yorkers can apply for the affordable units until December 31, 2019. Complete details on how to apply are available here (pdf). Questions regarding this offer must be referred to NYC’s Housing Connect department by dialing 311.

If you don’t qualify for the housing lotteries mentioned, visit CityRealty.com’s no-fee rentals page for other apartment deals in the city.

RELATED:

• Lottery opens for 399 units at newly-constructed East Harlem rental complex two blocks from Central Park
• Apply for 40 affordable apartments in East New York, from $590/month
• Live near Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx, from $1,075/month
• Lottery launches for 169 affordable units near Fordham University, from $475/month

Photo via CC on Wikimedia

Seniors who identify as LGBT often experience housing discrimination, but dozens of affordable openings at one of New York City’s first subsidized developments targeted to this vulnerable population aim to create a different experience. Non-profit developer HELP USA partnered with advocacy group SAGE to create the mixed-use development at 775 Crotona Park North in the Bronx, which will combine low-income housing with an LGBT-oriented Senior Center on the ground floor. Starting Tuesday, individuals or households that have at least one household member who is 62 years of age or older and who qualify for Section 8 can apply for the 57 available units. Eligible residents will pay 30 percent of their income for rent.

Designed by Magnusson Architecture and Planning with elements of passive house design, the building comprises 84 units: 53 studios and 31 one-bedrooms. Located across the street from Crotona Park, the seven-story building features lounges overlooking the park on every floor, as well as a laundry room, library, cyber center, and terrace with accessible gardening plots. The Senior Center on the ground floor will host a daily meals program and physical recreation classes.

Applicants who live in New York City will receive a general preference for apartments. A percentage of units is being set aside for applicants with disabilities (mobility, 5 percent; vision/hearing 2 percent). Current residents of the Bronx will receive a preference for 50 percent of units; municipal employees will receive preference for five percent of units.

Qualifying New Yorkers can apply for the affordable units until January 2, 2020. Complete details on how to apply are available here (pdf). Questions regarding this offer must be referred to NYC’s Housing Connect department by dialing 311.

If you don’t qualify for the housing lotteries mentioned, visit CityRealty.com’s no-fee rentals page for other apartment deals in the city.

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Photo by Tdorante10 on Wikimedia

A housing lottery launched this week for 52 mixed-income units in the Bronx neighborhood of Bedford Park. Located at 16 East 204th Street, the building, dubbed “Villa Gardens,” sits just east of Jerome Park Reservoir and the 37-acre campus of Lehman College. Qualifying New Yorkers earning 60, 90, and 100 percent of area median income can apply for the apartments, ranging from $736/month studios to $2,066/month three-bedrooms.

Developed by Galaxy General Contracting Corp, the site was purchased in 2013 for $783,000. “We liked Bedford Park, it’s a strong neighborhood with transportation accessibility,” Richard Sica, vice president of Sica, told Norwood News in 2017.

Residents will be able to enjoy amenities like a recreation area on the roof, a shared community room, bike storage, and a laundry room. In addition to being located just a five-minute walk from the main Lehman campus, Villa Gardens is near quite a bit of green space, including the Jerome Park Reservoir, Harris Park, and Van Cortlandt Park.

Transit options include the B/D at Bedford Park Boulevard Station and the 4 at Bedford Park Boulevard and Jerome Avenue.

Qualifying New Yorkers can apply for the apartments at 16 East 204th Street until January 3, 2020. Complete details on how to apply are available here (pdf). Residents of Bronx Community Board 7 will be given preference for 50 percent of the units. Questions regarding this offer must be referred to NYC’s Housing Connect department by dialing 311.

If you don’t qualify for the housing lotteries mentioned, visit CityRealty’s no-fee rentals page for other apartment deals in the city.

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• Lottery launches for 57 low-income units for LGBT seniors across the street from Crotona Park
• 94 affordable units up for grabs in the South Bronx, from $748/month
• Live in a new Williamsburg rental with rooftop views and L train access, from $2,176/month

Rendering by BLA and WXY

The city on Monday broke ground on a five-acre mixed-use project that will bring more than 700 affordable apartments, open space, and manufacturing space to the Bronx. The Hunts Point complex, called the Penninsula, will sit at the site of the former Spofford Juvenile Detention Center, which closed in 2011 following reports of cruel conditions. Construction will now kick off on the project’s first phase and includes space for industrial and light manufacturing businesses and 183 deeply affordable housing units.

Rendering by BLA and WXY

“With today’s groundbreaking, we begin the transformation of a former detention center into a vibrant affordable housing campus and wellspring of economic opportunity,” Louise Carroll, Housing Preservation and Development Commissioner, said in a press release.

“The Peninsula is the result of a collaborative interagency effort to invest in our communities and create better outcomes for the New Yorkers we serve.”

The Spofford Juvenile Detention Center, or the Bridges Juvenile Center, was notorious for its cruelty to children and awful conditions. After more than 50 years in operation, and years of work from criminal justice advocates and nonprofit groups, the city shuttered Spofford Juvenile Detention Center in 2011.

Renderings by BLA and WXY

In 2016, the city’s Economic Development Corporation, along with HPD and the Housing Development Corporation (HDC), selected the Gilbane Development Company, Hudson Companies, and the Mutual Housing Association of New York to develop the property after a request for expressions of interest process. WXY Architecture + Urban Design and Body Lawson Associates are collaborating on the design.

Phase one of the Peninsula project includes 56,000 square feet of industrial space for local small or medium-sized manufacturing businesses and 183 apartments for New Yorkers with incomes considered extremely low, very low, and low. Plus, 10 percent of the units will be designated for those formerly homeless. This residential phase will cost $121.5 million and wrap up in 2021.

In total, the development will contain 740 units of affordable housing, ranging in size from studios to four bedrooms. Peninsula includes 52,000 square feet of open space, 56,000 square feet of light industrial space, 53,500 square feet of community space, which includes a daycare center and artist workshop.

There will also be a health center operated by Urban Health Plan, retail space, and an on-site educational facility. As 6sqft previously reported, local tenants like Il Forno Bakery, Soul Snacks, Bascom Catering, Mass Ideation, Hunts Point Brewery, Lightbox film studio and a 15,000-square-foot grocery store will open at the development. The project is expected to be completed by 2025.

“For more than five decades, the grounds of Spofford Juvenile Detention Center symbolized a system that caused much pain and despair,” Council Member Rafael Salamanca, who represents Hunts Point, said in a press release. “While we will never forget the terrible legacy of Spofford, a transformative movement spearheaded by the community has led to a groundbreaking of hope.”

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• The Peninsula, a Hunts Point mixed-use complex on former juvenile jail site, gets new renderings

You’re probably familiar with the big attractions in the Bronx: Yankee Stadium, the New York Botanical Garden, and the Bronx Zoo. But the borough has a lot more going on, from historic and cultural treats and treasures to new breweries and restaurants and acres of beaches, parks, trails, and gardens. Read on for a collection of destinations in the city’s northernmost, greenest, and most diverse borough that are worth the trip, wherever you’re coming from.

View of Madonia Bakery in 2018; Map data © 2019 Google

In addition to being New York City’s furthest north borough, it’s the only one that isn’t an island. Also, the U.S. Census considers the Bronx to be the most diverse area in the country, telling us that there is an 89.7 percent chance that any two randomly-chosen residents would be of different ethnicity or race. Its many ethnic enclaves include Belmont’s Little Italy section surrounding Arthur Avenue (which also counts among its residents Mexicans, Puerto Ricans, African Americans, Italians, Dominicans, Albanians, Koreans, and Jamaicans). And the verdant estates of Riverdale and Fieldston could not be more different from the South Bronx neighborhoods whose recent rebirth as a center of culture and community has been the subject of both pride and controversy. And, of course, the boogie-down Bronx was the birthplace of hip-hop.

As the greenest borough, about one-fourth of the Bronx is open space, occupied by Woodlawn Cemetery, Van Cortlandt Park, Pelham Bay Park, the New York Botanical Garden, and the Bronx Zoo. These undeveloped areas sit on land that was reserved in the late 19th century to protect them from the urban development that threatened from all directions. The city’s largest park, Pelham Bay Park, is three times the size of Central Park. And Orchard Beach is one of the city’s best beaches.

Photo of the Grand Concourse via Wikimedia Commons

Culture, history and the arts

The borough’s historic architectural highlights might well begin with the Grand Concourse, modeled after the wide Champs-Elysées of Paris. That’s where you’ll find an assembly of Art Deco and Art Moderne style architecture spread along four miles–the nation’s largest collection of its kind–on Deco Row.

Photo taken by Erin Kestenbaum exclusively for 6sqft.

The Mott Haven historic district is the borough’s first designated historic district. Located within the gentrifying South Bronx (which seems to have narrowly escaped the “SoBro” moniker), it’s also home to blocks of picturesque row houses dating from the 19th century.

Photo courtesy of The Lit Bar.

Take a day to gallery-hop around Grand Concourse and points south: The South Bronx has become a hub of art galleries and museums. Their longtime anchor has been the venerable Bronx Museum of the Arts, one of the city’s most respected arts destinations. Additional must-see art spaces include Bronx Documentary Center, Bronx Art Space, Wallworks NY gallery, and Longwood Gallery of the Arts. A new wave of informal art spaces includes The Lit. Bar, the Bronx’s first independent book store. To revisit the early days of hip-hop and the ongoing celebration of its culture, check out the street art at Whitlock Avenue and Hunts Point.

Arthur Avenue between 186th Street and 184th Street. Photo by Leonard J. DeFrancisci / Wikimedia Commons

Another cultural treasure can be found along Arthur Avenue in the borough’s Belmont neighborhood. Known as the Little Italy of the Bronx, the street is lined with Italian-accented food shops, restaurants, and specialty stores whose stories reflect the borough’s diversity. No matter what the flavor, it’s definitely worth a taste.

Edgar Allan Poe’s house in the Bronx. Photo by Zoirusha / Wikimedia Commons

The Edgar Allan Poe Cottage, built circa 1812, is a New York City and State landmark listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Now a historic house museum, the house was the final residence of the writer.

Woodlawn Cemetery, in addition to being among the city’s largest, is a designated national historic landmark. Its tree-lined roads lead to unique memorials designed by famous American architects like McKim, Mead & White and Cass Gilbert. Opened during the Civil War in 1863, it is notable in part as the final resting place of great American figures from Herman Melville to Irving Berlin and Miles Davis.

If you’re a golfer, a treat awaits: Van Cortlandt Golf Course in the North Bronx is the oldest public golf course in the USA. It’s also the most easily accessible NYC course to mass transportation.

Image courtesy of The Bronx Brewery.

Nightlife, breweries, bars and music venues

Following in the footsteps of early German immigrants, the South Bronx has been making use of available former industrial spaces for brewing craft beers and ales. Launched in 2011, The Bronx Brewery in Port Morris creates top-quality beer and traditionally-crafted pale ales with a passion for local culture. Look for DJ nights, food trucks, and other events in the taproom and the extra-large backyard. Newcomer Gun Hill Brewing Company is rising to the top of the quality heap with its complex-flavored beer.

In Mott Haven, trendy newcomer Bricks and Hops Beer Garden serves up brews and fun, and if beer’s not your thing, try the classic, yet somehow-just-right Charlie’s Bar & Kitchen. Hit the Bronx Beer Hall for local beers, trivia, or karaoke, or Clinton Hall for beer, adventures, and outdoor games after a visit to Arthur Avenue. Bronx Alehouse is the place to go if you’re in Riverdale, Kingsbridge, or Van Cortlandt Park, or you’re just incredibly serious about your beer. Further afield, a favorite gathering and quaffing spot is the beloved Irish pub An Beal Bocht Cafe, offering music, theater, cafe food, and drink in quiet, reserved Fieldston.

For cocktails in surroundings that are a little different, check out the bar car nights at the Botanical Garden when the Holiday Train Show hits during the winter holiday season. And if you’re exploring City Island, The Snug is a charming and cozy hit.

Images via Bronx Night Market

Restaurants, cafes, and food markets

Among Arthur Avenue‘s tempting Italian fare, it’s hard to go wrong. Zero Otto Nove features experimental pizzas and escape-to-Italy interior decor. Casa Della Mozzarella highlights fresh mozz in signature paninis. For classic family-style Italian fare, try Dominick’s. A dessert must-try is the classic Madonia Brothers Bakery, in the neighborhood for three generations churning out savory breads, cookies, and cannolis. Teitel Brothers offers a bounty of market goods at the crossroads of Jewish and Italian cultures, and the Calabria Pork Store offers Italian meats beneath a “chandelier” of hanging sausages.

In the South Bronx, top choices include trendy Hip-Hop-themed newcomer Beatstro, Bronx Public and The Hill Bistro. Mott Haven Bar and Grill shines at brunch and after dark, but also serves the community with classes and gatherings. Mottley Kitchen and the hip-hop-focused Boogie Down Grind Cafe keep the caffeine beat covered.

More options for authentic ethnic eats include La Morada (Oaxacan Mexican in the South Bronx), Havana Cafe (Cuban in Schuylerville) and Nano Billiards Cafe (in a basement across from Yankee Stadium, it’s been called the city’s best Dominican restaurant). Moss Cafe is a favorite for kosher vegetarian in Riverdale. On City Island, the City Island Lobster House is an old-school seafood favorite.

The Bronx Night Market claims to be the largest celebration of cuisine and culture in the Bronx, Westchester County, and Uptown Manhattan. In its debut season, 80,000 people visited Fordham Plaza to partake of the market’s 35+ food, drink, and artisan vendors, catch live music and meet up with friends, all after sundown. The market is free and happens every Saturday from May through October. Look for special celebrations after the season, like a November harvest festival.

Photo by Postdlf / Wikimedia Commons

For the whole family

Yankee Stadium needs no explanation, but a new addition is the Plymouth Rock Kids’ Clubhouse. Built to resemble a miniature baseball field, this new kids’ space features Yankees-themed playground equipment, interactive exhibits, and an area for parents to watch the game.

The Bronx Zoo is one of the nation’s largest, spanning 265 acres with over two million visitors each year. Highlights are too many to list, but check out the bug carousel and the “secret” fountain of youth. In winter, the holiday light display dazzles.

Jupiter Joe’s Sidewalk Astronomy is an outreach program designed to educate the public on astronomy and space-related sciences, teaching future astronomers about the solar system and lunar exploration, and constructing paper models of mysteries from robots and Mars habitats. You’ll never know where Joe will pop up–unless you check his website and social media.

Thain Family Forest. Photo by Allison Meier via Flickr.

Nature and the great outdoors
With over a million annual visitors, The New York Botanical Garden is one of New York City’s most compelling attractions. Located within Bronx Park, the NYBG hosts over one million living plants. It’s also a major educational institution and operates one of the world’s largest plant research and conservation programs. Highlights include the Thain Family Forest, the largest expanse of New York’s original wooded landscape. Another don’t-miss event is seasonal: The Holiday Train Show.

Another of the borough’s botanical treasures is Wave Hill. The 28-acre estate in the Hudson Hill section of Riverdale offers public horticultural gardens and a cultural center with dazzling views overlooking the Hudson River. The historic estate offers a multi-room art gallery and a cultural center as well as a garden. Concerts, classes and other programs are frequently offered.

Orchard Beach. Photo by Dan DeLuca / Flickr

At over three times the size of Central Park, Pelham Bay Park is the city’s largest park. Stop by the Bronx Equestrian Center in the park for $5 pony rides or go horseback riding along a trail. Orchard Beach, the Bronx’s only public beach, was once known as “The Riviera of New York.” The 115-acre, 1.1-mile-long beach features a promenade, a central pavilion, snack bars, food and souvenir carts, playgrounds, picnic areas, and 26 courts for basketball, volleyball, and handball, plus changing areas and showers.

The 1,146-acre Van Cortlandt Park is the city’s third-largest and offers golf courses, running paths, athletic facilities for baseball, basketball, cricket, cross-country running, football, horseback riding, lacrosse, rugby, soccer, softball, swimming, tennis and track and field as well as lots of hiking trails. It also contains the largest freshwater lake in the Bronx.

Photo by Elena Gaillard on Wikimedia

Paddle the Bronx River: The Bronx River Alliance invites visitors to explore this 23-mile “hidden gem in New York City” that flows for eight miles through the heart of the Bronx including borough’s gorgeous forested northern areas.

Cool and out-of-the-ordinary

City Island Marina. Photo by Jim Henderson / Wikimedia Commons

City Island is both a neighborhood and an actual island located at the extreme western end of Long Island Sound. The island is 1.5 miles long by a half-mile wide, and while it–and the seaport community it supports–has a unique small-town vibe that seems miles away from the big city, it’s very much a part of the borough’s history. The island offers a variety of boating, recreational and cultural activities, museums and art galleries in addition to historic homes, restaurants and bars. MTA buses serve City Island, and The Bronx Tourism Council runs the Free City Island Land Ferry.

After traveling to France to visit the famous grotto in Lourdes, Msgr. Lombardo constructed a replica of it on the grounds of St. Lucy’s Church in hopes that it would convey to parishioners and visitors the intimate and spiritual nature of the original. Completed in 1939, Our Lady of Lourdes Grotto at St. Lucy’s Church is made of fieldstones stacked together in a 30-foot-high cave in which steps lead up to an altar filled with candles lit by visitors. Though it’s gated within the churchyard and rarely open to the public, the grotto is easily visible from the street.

Additional photo credits used in lead image: New York Botanical Garden conservatory by King of Hearts / Wikimedia Commons; Yankee Stadium by Matt Boulton / Flickr; elephants at the Bronx Zoo by Julie / Flickr; Spaghetti by jeffreyw / Wikimedia Commons

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Rendering by Peter L. Woll Architect, P.C; Courtesy of Community Access

An affordable housing complex with health and wellness perks officially opened in the South Bronx on Tuesday, after breaking ground more than two years ago. The $52 million building at 111 East 172nd Street in the neighborhood of Mount Eden contains 126 apartments, with 60 of them set aside for those living with mental illness. The units are affordable for households earning 60 percent of the area median income.

Rendering by Peter L. Woll Architect, P.C; Courtesy of Community Access

Resident Crystal Gonzalez spoke at the press conference on Tuesday and gave a tour of her newly decorated studio; courtesy of Sean Sime Photography

“The opening of this project is a major step forward in our efforts to increase affordable housing across the state, and in the Bronx, especially,” Gov. Andrew Cuomo said in a press release. “This project will help ensure that some of our most vulnerable New Yorkers have access to the supportive services they need to live independently in their community.”

Community Access, an organization that provides services for those with mental health struggles, developed the 14-story tower with Peter L. Woll Architect, P.C., handing the design. The nonprofit will also provide on-site services for those residing in the 60 designated units.

Services include 24-hour front desk services, access to a part-time psychiatrist, counseling, self-help groups, group activities, crisis intervention, and money management and employment help.

In addition to those services, residents can enjoy amenity space that is centered around health and well-being. The building will feature a community urban garden and communal kitchen, exercise equipment and outdoor playground, and a bike-sharing program.

In August of 2018, the housing lottery launched for the second round of affordable units, with apartments ranging from $864/month studios to $1,122/month two-bedrooms. This is the seventh Bronx project for Community Access.

“Access to stable housing is the single biggest contributor to helping people improve their physical and emotional health and wellness, and this building has all the landmarks of Community Access housing–a place where people can live with dignity, create community and move forward with their lives,” Cal Hedigan, the CEO of Community Access, said in a press release.

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