Looking for information about 172nd Street (Bronx) (Valley Stream, Boston: real estate, houses)

[rohana]

Query from Bronx born - Hi everyone! I was born at Bronx Royal Hospital and spent early childhood 1945-1950 at 872 east 172nd st. in Bronx in a 5 floor walk-up. In those days the neighborhood was old ladies sitting on wooden crates on the sidewalk, there was a butcher across the street where we bought fresh chickens, we went to Crotona Park to swim in "the plunge", hung laundry on the roof, sat on the fire escapes. It was a poor neighborhood, but we felt safe there - just annoyed by mice and cockroaches. From there my parents bought their first home in a new subdivision in Valley Stream in 1950. 2 years later we moved to California. Now I am curious if the same old building remains at the old address on east 172nd? I looked on Google Earth and the area appeared to be entirely rebuilt, looks like years ago, looks like projects or single family homes. Then I also looked at other websites at real estate listings to hopefully find current pics of that area - but got no reliable results. Can any of you drop me a note red1217@gmail.com and tell me about that street around 872 east 172nd st.? I would like to tell my 84 yr old mom. I was hoping to find photos of it now for her, so if you know of a source, that would be wonderful! It costs $100 to get a NY public library card for a non-resident to access their digital photo gallery and I cannot afford that. Thank you for any help or info! Rohana

[cotb16]

You are right. 872 East 172nd st is around Boston Road, meaning it is now a bunch of ranch-style homes called Charlotte Gardens. Although the houses are beautiful, the surrounding areas aren't too good (especially around Southern Blvd and west of Claremont Parkway).

[Green Irish Eyes]

You can see a more-or-less current view by clicking on "Street View" at Google Maps. You can also see aerial views for the past 50 years at Historic Aerials (props to Rachael for that site!).

[rohana]

Thank you to cotb16 and squeezeboxgal for the info on my old neighborhood. Who would ever guess just by looking at those ranch houses that they were built on top of the old neighborhoods of tenements and so much old history. My mom told me those buildings were really old back in 1945 and she has had nightmares about the 5 floor walkup! I still remember hanging out on the fire escape at age 3 and tossing silverware and towels and my dad's paycheck down to the alley. And hanging clothes on the roof. And the "banging lady", an old crone who beat the waterpipes over us when my parents would argue until my mere wimpy wisp of a mother finally reached her tolerance level after one too many insults and threats and slammed the old gal against the wall. Those were the days! Plucking fresh chickens, throwing mice out the window to the roof of the bldg next door! Carrying two screaming babies and a baby carriage up five flights. Yet one feels such nostalgia.

[jt1775]

That neighborhood was leveled, as it was one of the worst hit areas for arson in the Bronx during the 70's. The result was, as the previous poster said- a suburban style home development. The area was like a bombed out war zone before the burnt out shells of buildings were demolished. Today, most of the homes are well kept, and the area is ok, not the worst, not the best. Some buildings remain, but unfortunately, the area would look very different than how you remember it.