Melrose is primarily a residential neighborhood geographically located in the SouthWestern section of the borough of The Bronx in New York City. 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. Zip codes include 10451, 10455, and 10456. The area is patrolled by the 42nd Precinct located at 830 Washington Ave. New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) property in the area is patrolled by P.S.A. 7 at 737 Melrose Avenue.
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Melrose is a high density neighborhood with a population over 30,000. The neighborhood has a relatively diverse population consisting primarily of Latin Americans, predominantly Puerto Ricans (Melrose has one of the highest concentrations of Puerto Ricans in all of New York City). Like most neighborhoods in New York City the vast majority of households are renter occupied[1]. Over one third the population resides in units managed by the NYCHA. Over half the population lives below the poverty line and receives public assistance (AFDC, Home Relief, Supplemental Security Income, and Medicaid). However there is significant income diversity on a block by block basis.
Melrose is dominated by large residential housing complexes of various types, primarily public housing, and tenement style apartment buildings. Most of the original housing stock which consisted of older multi-unit homes and tenements were structurally damaged by arson during the citywide fiscal crisis and eventually razed by the city. In the last decade, construction of modern 2 and 3 unit row-houses and apartment buildings have increased the percentage of owners versus renters. The neighborhood contains one of the highest concentrations of NYCHA projects in the Bronx. The terrain is somewhat hilly.
The Hub-Third Avenue BID is a major local retail district located where five major thoroughfares converge: East 149th Street, Westchester, Willis, Melrose and Third Avenues. The area is served by the 2 and 5 lines at East 149th Street and Third Avenue. One of The Bronx's largest shopping areas (eclipsed only by Fordham Road).
In 1998, the New York City Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) opened two secure 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.
Originally a dense working class neighborhood, after a flight of middle and upper income residents the neighborhood of Melrose became quickly a high poverty "ghetto". Arson soon ravaged the neighborhood throughout the 1960s and 1970s. In 1973, the City of New York dismantled the Third Avenue El due to low ridership. By the 1980s and 1990s the neighborhood had decayed severely, much of the original housing stock was lost.
In the late 1990s but especially the 2000s significant renewal has taken place. Many formally abandoned structures have been renovated and many lots have been constructed on. In most recent years the area has seen a significant "Green" construction boom. Leading the borough in the number of LEED certified apartment buildings. The largest of which, Via Verde. Melrose is also home to The Bronx campus of Boricua College. Despite lingering social problems due to a continued significant poverty presence, Melrose has come a long way from a previously "forgotten" neighborhood.
Grupo TACA operates a Bronx-area TACA Satellite at 570 Melrose Avenue.[3] Melrose is considered part of the socioeconomic South Bronx.