Melrose, Bronx
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Melrose is a residential neighborhood in the New York City borough of the Bronx. It is north of Mott Haven and west of Longwood, and considered as part of the South Bronx. The neighborhood is part of Bronx Community Board 1. Its boundaries, starting from the north and moving clockwise are: East 161st Street to the north, Prospect Avenue to the east, East 149th Street to the south, and Park Avenue to the west. Melrose Avenue is the primary thoroughfare through Melrose. The southeastern corner of the neighborhood is served by the 2 and 5 line at Jackson Avenue, operating along Westchester Avenue. ZIP codes include 10451, 10455, and 10456. The area is patrolled by the 40th Precinct located at 257 Alexander Avenue in the Mott Haven section of the Bronx.
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[edit] Demographics
Melrose has a population of 30,000. For decades Melrose has been one of the poorest communities in America. Over half the population lives below the poverty line and receives public assistance (AFDC, Home Relief, Supplemental Security Income, and Medicaid). Over one third the population resides in units managed by the NYCHA. Melrose has one of the highest concentrations of Puerto Ricans in all of New York City. The vast majority of households are renter occupied.[1]
[edit] Land Use and Terrain
Today Melrose is dominated by public housing complexes of various types, vacant lots, and newly constructed subsidized multi-unit townhomes. Most of the original housing stock which consisted of older multi-unit homes and tenements were structurally damaged by arson and eventually razed by the city. There is one secure detention center located in the community. The neighborhood contains one of the highest concentrations of NYCHA projects in the Bronx. The total land area is less then a square mile. The terrain is somewhat hilly.
[edit] The HUB-Third Avenue B.I.D. (Business Improvement District)
The Hub-Third Avenue B.I.D. is a major local retail district located where four roads converge: East 149th Street, Willis, Melrose and Third Avenues. Many new Hip-Hop trends can be found here long before they spread to the rest of New York City and the world.
[edit] Horizon Juvenile Detention Center
In 1998, the New York City Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) opened two state-of-the-art juvenile detention centers. Characterized by locks on the doors and other hardware designed to restrict the movement of the residents and protect public safety, the facilities were planned with staff input to enhance residents' overall security, while allowing for quality programming. Horizon Juvenile Center, located in the Melrose section of the Bronx, opened on January 18, 1998.
[edit] History
Melrose was once predominantly White non-Hispanic. In the 1960s and 70s arson combined with White flight ravaged the community. Most of the original housing stock which consisted of older multi-unit homes and tenements were structurally damaged by arson and eventually razed by the city.
In 1973, the City of New York dismantled the Third Avenue El train, leaving a large portion of the southwestern Bronx underserved by public transportation. There is a direct correlation with the economic disparity of the neighborhoods adjacent to Third Avenue and the lack of viable subway access. The present options are the MTA's BX55 bus and more recently the Melrose station of the Metro-North Railroad provides transportation into Manhattan. Both options are poor substitutes to the Third Avenue El. The City of New York presently has no plans to replace to Third Avenue El with a new subway line.
[edit] Urban Renewal
After a wave of arson ravaged the low income communities of New York City throughout the 1970s, most residential structures in Melrose were left seriously damaged or destroyed. The city began to rehabilitate many formally abandoned tenement 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.
[edit] Schools
- PS 1: Courtlandt (East 152nd St and Courtlandt Av)
- PS 5: Port Morris (East 149th St and Jackson Av)
- PS 25: Bilingual (East 149th St and Tinton Av)
- PS/MS 29: Melrose (East 156th St and Courtlandt Av)
- PS 157: Grove Hill (East 156th St and Cauldwell Av)
- PS 161: Juan Ponce de Leon (East 151st St and Tinton Av)
- MS 162: Lola Rodriguez de Tio (East 149th St and St. Ann's Av)
- MS 184: Rafael Cordero (East 156th St and Forest Av)
- Alfred Smith High School (East 151st St and Courtlandt Av)
- South Bronx High School Campus (St. Ann's Av north of Westchester Av)
[edit] Transportation
- Bx2: to Kingsbridge Heights (via Grand Concourse)
- Bx15: to Fordham Plaza or West Harlem (via 3rd Av)
- Bx19: to New York Botanical Gardens or Riverbank State Park (via East 149th St-Southern Blvd)
- Bx21: to Westchester Square or Mott Haven (via Boston Rd-Morris Park Av)
- Bx41: to Wakefield (via Webster Av)
- Bx55: to Williamsbridge-Gun Hill Rd station (via 3rd Av Limited)
- Jackson Av station (IRT 2/5)
[edit] Facts
- Melrose was the site of the fictional South Bronx Law Center on the TV series The Sopranos. Meadow Soprano volunteered at the law center, supposedly located at East 161st Street and Brook Avenue, a few blocks east of Yankee Stadium.
- Melrose is considered part of the socioeconomic South Bronx.
[edit] References
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