Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I drove up the Concourse in August of 2001 and visited my old High School (DeWitt Clinton, class of '67). I was sickened by what I saw. The entire area had deteriorated. It looked like Melrose Avenue in the 1970's. A complete turnaround from what it was from 1964-77. I used to take the 21 bus to White Plains, catching it at Bedford Park, from 1974-1978. While the Concourse below Fordham Road was rapidly deteriorating, that are remained stable. Not any more. It's a shame to see a once beautiful area destroyed like that.
I drove up the Concourse in August of 2001 and visited my old High School (DeWitt Clinton, class of '67). I was sickened by what I saw. The entire area had deteriorated. It looked like Melrose Avenue in the 1970's. A complete turnaround from what it was from 1964-77. I used to take the 21 bus to White Plains, catching it at Bedford Park, from 1974-1978. While the Concourse below Fordham Road was rapidly deteriorating, that are remained stable. Not any more. It's a shame to see a once beautiful area destroyed like that.
To be fair, the 52nd precinct had one of it's worst years in 2001 with 23 homicides.
8 years later, I think things are a little better.
the Fordham Bedford section is badly run down and even Bedford Park is getting there but they are still quieter and less dense than the areas farther south. It seems the streets that have large structures like schools and Nursing homes are better taken care of than the streets with all those tenements. I bike thru there several times a week and it's a great place to ride because there's little foot and vehicle traffic
Yeah Fordham road is a bit of a dump now. The only part of Fordham road which is nice to walk around is near towards the Bronx park east and southern Boulevard. Even walking around little Italy is not even safe. Bedford park and Norwood is still nice and sometimes quite and sometimes loud. Like any niegborhood you have your good eggs and your bad eggs and dont try to mix the two. Some of the facade of the buildings along mosholu still look nice and are intact. But I do agree Bedford park is slowly deteriorating, the only thing that can possibly save it is gentrifcation which is going to happen in near by kingsbridge thanks to that planned development of that existing armory. The only part of the Grand concourse that is going to be nice for years to come is below 167 street. Buildings and facades are being repaired. New rezoning laws. Condos are going to spruce up along Grand Concourse. Anything between 167 street and 193 street of the grand concourse is pretty much a dump. I guess things are slowly deteroiating up North!
Yeah Fordham road is a bit of a dump now. The only part of Fordham road which is nice to walk around is near towards the Bronx park east and southern Boulevard. Even walking around little Italy is not even safe. Bedford park and Norwood is still nice and sometimes quite and sometimes loud. Like any niegborhood you have your good eggs and your bad eggs and dont try to mix the two. Some of the facade of the buildings along mosholu still look nice and are intact. But I do agree Bedford park is slowly deteriorating, the only thing that can possibly save it is gentrifcation which is going to happen in near by kingsbridge thanks to that planned development of that existing armory. The only part of the Grand concourse that is going to be nice for years to come is below 167 street. Buildings and facades are being repaired. New rezoning laws. Condos are going to spruce up along Grand Concourse. Anything between 167 street and 193 street of the grand concourse is pretty much a dump. I guess things are slowly deteroiating up North!
It was much dumpier in the early 90's. Actually I've never felt unsafe on Fordham Road proper. Lots of people, lots of cops. The side-streets are way way worse. However it does tend to get pretty isolated at night. If anything Fordham Road is what is keeping the area together and is what provides hope the area might someday turn around. The Grand Concourse up there is way iffier. A lot less people shop on the Concourse and it has a much grittier vibe. However a lot of the buildings are in surprisingly good shape, like that big Emigrant Savings bank building where Montefiore set up some medical offices for instance. By the way speaking of the Emigrants Savings building, does anybody have any old pictures of it? I'm curious how it used to look in its heyday. You can really tell those buildings were built with quality and by skilled people.
Actually now that I think about it, it's kinda funny but Fordham Road gets better pretty much block by block as you go eastward. The part of Fordham Road that is less safe if any is the part going west towards the Deegan. From like where that big church is going west. Pretty much the Uni Heights strip of Fordham Road. A lot less people, and Devoe park tends to attract a lot of knuckleheads.
Last edited by NooYowkur81; 08-11-2009 at 10:26 AM..
It was much dumpier in the early 90's. Actually I've never felt unsafe on Fordham Road proper. Lots of people, lots of cops. The side-streets are way way worse. However it does tend to get pretty isolated at night. If anything Fordham Road is what is keeping the area together and is what provides hope the area might someday turn around. The Grand Concourse up there is way iffier. A lot less people shop on the Concourse and it has a much grittier vibe. However a lot of the buildings are in surprisingly good shape, like that big Emigrant Savings bank building where Montefiore set up some medical offices for instance. By the way speaking of the Emigrants Savings building, does anybody have any old pictures of it? I'm curious how it used to look in its heyday. You can really tell those buildings were built with quality and by skilled people.
Actually now that I think about it, it's kinda funny but Fordham Road gets better pretty much block by block as you go eastward. The part of Fordham Road that is less safe if any is the part going west towards the Deegan. From like where that big church is going west. Pretty much the Uni Heights strip of Fordham Road. A lot less people, and Devoe park tends to attract a lot of knuckleheads.
Glad that you agree, Fordham gets nice when you go east very east and gets nasty when you go towards the deegan. University hieghts is another problem, that area is just as bad as the whole entire south bronx!
Anything between 167 street and 193 street of the grand concourse is pretty much a dump. I guess things are slowly deteroiating up North!
With all due respect, Bronxguyanese, please refrain from making so many blanket statements about the Concourse past 167th. The truth is that not all of it is "pretty much a dump," as you call it. You could take it from someone who lives there and knows many proffesionals who also reside within 167th street and 193rd. Not every square inch past 167th is a "dump."
Most of the areas in The Bronx, as I'm sure you probably know, are hit-and-miss. Some blocks are grimy, some are not. And this is not unique to the Central Bronx. Mott Haven is also like that.
Let's get serious, please.
Last edited by Curiousguyeducator; 08-11-2009 at 07:58 PM..
With all due respect, Bronxguyanese, please refrain from making so many blanket statements about the Concourse past 167th. The truth is that not all of it is "pretty much a dump," as you call it. You could take it from someone who lives there and knows many proffesionals who also reside within 167th street and 193rd. Not every square inch past 167th is a "dump."
Most of the areas in The Bronx, as I'm sure you probably know, are hit-and-miss. Some blocks are grimy, some are not. And this is not unique to the Central Bronx. Mott Haven is also like that.
Let's get serious, please.
Easy, there. You have been on here for less than a month. What's cool about this board is that people can express their opinions freely and that you can agree not to agree. What Guyanese wrote was HIS opinion even if you don't share his point of you.
However, add my two cents, I live in the South Bronx in the 160s and my opinion is probably closer to his than to yours. Yeah, there are very handsome buildings on the Grand Concourse, but with the exception of maybe 4-6 of them below 167th St., almost all are poorly maintained, full of graffiti, have garbage in front of them, have undesirable tenants, and/or frequently have crowds of people doing nothing, being loud, and just "hanging around" in front of them. Please don't think that anybody is truly fooled into believing that even Concourse in the 150s/160s is any great shakes. With a handful of exceptions, the neighborhood is still largely a low-income ghetto. Sorry.
I do think if the area below 167 continues to improve as it currently seems to be doing, it might have a trickle effect. Like I mentioned before a lot of the buildings on the concourse going all the way up are still in surprisingly good shape especially considering the years of abuse. We'll have to wait and see though.
BTW since we are on the topic, the Solara is rounding up applications again,
Last edited by NooYowkur81; 08-12-2009 at 10:12 AM..
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Sickened
