Designation Report - Tenement in the Bronx by Gerardo

Gerardo Guerrero April 10, 2018 Site History 2439-41 Jerome Ave. Bronx Neighborhood Development1 Around 1879, the block formed by Jerome Avenue, East Fordham Road, East 184 th Street, and Davidson Avenue on which the tenements are located, was part of a series of farms owned by Jas Thompson and Isaac Levi.2 By 1885 Isaac Levy was the owner of the land, and the Thompson’s had a hotel named “Thompsons Hotel” on the corner of Jerome Avenue and East Fordham Road – formerly known as Highbridge Road (Fig. 1). The hotel was a series of scattered wood framed buildings with two barns. In 1896 the farms were already sold. The block started to be lotified and all the buildings from the hotel were demolished (Fig. 2). Between 18743 up to the beginning of the 20th century, urbanization really took off in the West Bronx. By 1901 the tenement’s lots were already subdivided, sold and the tenements buildings were already constructed.4 The New York & Harlem railroad line arrived to Fordham in 1841, 5 but the subway was the real factor that set off the development of higher-density residential buildings in the area. In the West Bronx, an electric-powered trolley transportation system was already established since 1892. Plans to build an elevated subway route through Jerome Avenue up to Van Cortlandt Park, with a subway station at the intersection of Jerome Avenue and East Fordham Road, existed since 1880 (Fig. 3). The introduction of the long-waited Jerome Avenue IRT subway line to the neighborhood in 1917-18 provoked that the all the remaining undeveloped land was made available for the speculators, builders, and private-

See notes at the end of the paper. G.W. Bromley & Co., “Part of ward 24 Plate 38, 1879,” New York City,” NYPL Digital Collections, accessed April 1, 2018. https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/22f36320-0b8c-0132-4597-58d385a7b928 3 Bronx’s year of annexation to New York City. 4 E. Belcher Hyde Map Company 1901 “Double Page Plate No. 27, Part of Ward 24, Section 11. [Bounded by Aqueduct Avenue, E. 190th Street, Tee Taw Avenue, Kingsbridge Road, Aqueduct Avenue, E. 192nd Street, Jerome Avenue, E. 191st Street, Morris Avenue and E. 184th Street.],” NYPL Digital Collections, accessed April 1, 2018. https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/510d47e2-547b-a3d9-e040e00a18064a99 5 Hyatt, E. Clarence. History of the New York & Harlem Railroad. Columbia University Libraries,1898. Accessed February 16, 2018. https://archive.org/details/historyofnewyork00hyat 2

home seekers.6 Since then Jerome Avenue has been the dividing street between East Bronx and West Bronx. After the completion of the subway and the Grand Concourse in 1918, Fordham Road had an exponential growth of commercial stores and theaters, which increased the neighborhoodâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s population. Since the 1920s and during the Depression, the Bronx had a prosperous construction boom, only possible due to the low costs of the lands and reduced constructions prices. After World War II, the borough was no longer the desired residential option for New Yorkers or immigrants. Instead of the cities, the suburbs were the new residential centers of attraction.7 Later, a period of slum clearance in Manhattan displaced thousands of African-Americans and Latin-Americans, who had continuously lived in the neighborhood. Today the intersection of Jerome Avenue and E. Fordham Road continue to be important commercial streets. Nonetheless, the neighborhood is stagnated, and it appears that the government has forgotten of it.

Old Law Tenements in the Bronx Meanwhile Manhattan had thousands of tenements buildings by the 1870s, the Bronx only had wood framed dwellings and stone farm cottages. The Bronx needed first to provide rapid means of transit, before the residential development of high-density buildings could happen. Between 1890 and 1914, the Bronx changed their residential structures from single residential houses to tenements. Although, developers were still debating if the Bronx would develop as a continuation of Manhattan or more like Brooklyn. 8 As mentioned before, the subway was the transportation factor that set off the development of higher-density residential buildings, and not the train. Tenements in the Bronx were more attractive because everything was newer, cleaner, and a little bigger than the Lower East tenements. Most of the old law tenement buildings were constructed in the oldest parts of the Bronx, such as Mott Have, Melrose,

Plunz, Richard. Building a borough: architecture & planning in the Bronx. Bronx, N.Y., Bronx Museum of the Arts, c1986). P. 19 Plunz, P. 109 8 Ibid., 20. 7

Morrisania and in general, every neighborhood that was close to Manhattan’s island (Fig. 4). Old law tenements were also built near planned subway stations or along commercial districts. After 1901, with the enactment of The Tenement House Law9 commonly known as the “new-law,” tenements needed to improve the living conditions, triggering a transformation in the residential typology that would continue through the 20th century. Also, the law increased the cost of the rent in old tenements buildings, because owners needed to update their buildings in order to fulfil the New Law.10 This was the beginning of a series of problems that old residential dwellings still face nowadays, where the owners of the tenements did not rehabilitate or did a bad rehabilitation in order to implement the new residential laws. By 1934, the Regional Plan Association declared that the oldest parts of the Bronx were “potential slums,”11 but these areas continued to get worse after WW2. Between 1970 and 1980, particularly in the southern part of the Bronx which experienced the worst situation of the arson epidemic, thousands of residential buildings were demolished or burned, including old law tenements. Another factor that stopped the construction of more tenements in the North-West Bronx area, was its constantly irregular topography, condition that was not favorable for the tenement-house building type.

Building Description12 The No. 2439-41 Jerome Street Old Law Tenement buildings (Fig. 5) were originally constructed in the year 1899,13 as three tenement row houses14 – the third one (2443 Jerome St.) no longer exists. Besides them, there were two dumbbell tenement buildings (Fig. 6). However, all these buildings shared

9 Dolkart, Andrew S. Living Together. The Architecture and Development of New York City, Columbia University. Accessed April 2, 2018. http://nycarchitecture.columbia.edu/0243_2/0243_2_fulltext.pdf 10 Note: Increases calculated at 25% in the Lower East Side and 30% in Harlem. 11 Plunz, P. 42. 12 See notes at the end of the paper. 13 Note: Block and lot folder from the Bronx Department of Buildings, earliest record of the construction of the tenements. 14 E. Belcher Hyde Map Company 1901, “Double Page Plate No. 27, Part of Ward 24, Section 11. [Bounded by Aqueduct Avenue, E. 190th Street, Tee Taw Avenue, Kingsbridge Road, Aqueduct Avenue, E. 192nd Street, Jerome Avenue, E. 191st Street, Morris Avenue and E. 184th Street.],” NYPL Digital Collections, accessed April 1, 2018. https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/510d47e2-547b-a3d9-e040e00a18064a99

the same neoclassical15 façade style (Fig. 7). The 2443 Jerome tenement house and the two dumbbell tenements (2 – 4 West Fordham Road) were demolished between 1921 and 193816 and their lots were combined into a single one, which is now occupied by four two-story commercial stores (Fig. 8). In 1922, the first floor from both tenements were readapted, transforming the shared space of apartments and stores into a single commercial store in each building. In 1938, there were major interior alterations due to the inspections from the NYC Tenement House Department. Some of the alterations focused on light, ventilation and plumbing, but most of them were changing interior material to fireproof ones.17 The remaining tenements retain a significant amount of its original architectural fabric from the second to the fourth floor. Nonetheless many features from the ground floor were altered, some were demolished, and now the ground floor is mostly covered by commercial signboards.

Jerome Avenue Elevation (North Elevation): No. 2439 building size is 27-feet-wide and 75-feet-deep, and No.2441 size is 27-feet-wide and 70.6-feet-deep18. Each tenement has four stories and the ground floors are used as commercial stores. The second, third, and fourth floors are used as residential spaces. These floors feature orange/red roman brickwork laid in a stretcher bond with raked joints in the same color as the bricks. The brick is in good condition and maintains a similar tone through the whole façade, however there is some graffiti that was painted there after the year 201519. Each floor has four openings with one-over-one double-hung windows, which are non-historical because the window frames are made from a black aluminum and the glazing is modern. However, there is evidence that the original windows had the same design20. The

15 New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission, “Rowhouse manual,” New York, N.Y.: City of New York, Landmarks Preservation Commission, accessed April 1, 2018. https://www1.nyc.gov/assets/lpc/downloads/pdf/lp_rhmanual.pdf 16 G.W. Bromley & Co. 1938, “Double Page Plate No. 17, Part of Section 11, Borough of the Bronx,” NYPL Digital Collections, accessed April 1, 2018. https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/4545ce20-306a-0132-3a1c-58d385a7bbd0 17 See Appendix. 18 Note: Information from the I-Card Images No. 511688 and 511689 for the block 3199, lots 93 & 94, NYC Housing Preservation & Development, accessed April 1, 2018. 19 Note: There is evidence in google maps that in the year 2014 the facade did not have graffiti. 20 Note: Fig. 7 shows how the buildings had one-over-one double hung windows.

second-floor windows have a continuous grey stone sill that goes from side to side across the building. Each window has cream color terracotta architrave in a neoclassical style, decorated with classical details on its perimeter (Fig. 9). The frieze and cornice of the architrave probably are made of stone. The thirdfloor windows have a slightly different enframement than that of the second floor, yet the color and materials are the same. Each window has a terracotta bracketed sill and a terracotta enframement similar to the one below, but without the frieze and cornice (Fig. 10). Underneath the fourth-floor windows there is a terracotta flat string course that goes side to side of across the building. The string course has motifs such as a fleur-de-lis and a something similar to a plant (Fig. 11). Above the molding, we can find a terracotta overhang, slightly decorated with a dentil band that also goes from side to side across the building. The window enframement of the fourth floor is similar to the others but has comparatively more simple design (Fig. 12). The enframement of the window stops on the sill in a detail similar to a plinth block. All the terracotta details seem to be original and in good condition. A simple galvanized-iron cornice in a stylized neoclassical style is attached to the parapet (Fig. 13). The cornice has egg-and-dart moldings, brackets, dentils, modillions, and a small fascia. Although both cornices had been repainted in a white or cream color, similar to the terracotta window details, both paint jobs are flaking, and No. 2441 is in a severe state of oxidation. Ground story: The first floor is the area which has had more significant alterations since its construction. Although it has always been used for commercial purposes, at the beginning the rear part of the floor was also used as a residential space. The original design for both tenements had a main entrance in the middle of the building, diving the space in order to have a store on each side. The residential entrance had a small brick stoop with small brick walls on both sides and cast-iron railings (Fig. 14). There is historic evidence

of commercial stores in the first floor since 190121, but the earliest physical evidence of a storefront dates from 1916 (Fig. 15). The main stairs were in the middle of the building and the two shafts went from the first floor up to the roof. In the back there were two small apartments, each one with one bathroom, two windows on each side and one window at the back. In 1922, there were major alterations made by Architect Albert E. Davis on both tenements. The residential entrance was moved to the left side of each building and the storefronts were combined into a single store with a recessed central entryway flanked by show windows. The stoop was demolished, and the floor level was lowered to the same level as the street.22 A bathroom and all the Interior walls from the apartments were demolished. The shafts were removed, and the stairs were designed in a “L” shaped design and were constructed at the end of the side residential hallway. The stairs on the upper floors remained in their original position. The store structure was built with cast-iron, which is still visible flanking the residential doors. These rectangular cast-iron columns still have some ornamented panels attached to their front. The 1922 display windows frames were built in copper with a plate glass and a bulkhead made of marble (Fig. 16). Also, the cast-iron storefront structure is still supporting the entrance but has been covered with several coats of paint and signboards. The storefront windows were replaced by aluminum windows and gypsum board walls along both facades. Apparently, there is a cast-iron lintel structure and a second cornice covered by commercial signs on both stores. In the 1940s both storefronts designs are very similar to the ones from the 1922 alterations, but at the time the lintel was already covered with commercial signboards (Fig. 17). The two doors are non-historic metal doors because they are made of modern steel and have contemporary lock mechanisms, except the doorjamb and transom above the door of No.2439 tenement, which appears to be from 1922 and the number is painted by hand.

21 E. Belcher Hyde Map Company 1901 “Double Page Plate No. 27, Part of Ward 24, Section 11,” describes that the tenements had a commercial floor by 1901. 22 Note: See Floorplans from 1922

West Elevation: The West Elevation is not visible from any street, but there is evidence that it features a regular size red brickwork laid in a stretcher bond with concave or raked joints in a white or grey color. Probably these façades are covered with a grey paint, similar to the North and South façade, and it has flaking issues. Each tenement has four visible stories. The first floor is part of the commercial store and has two openings facing the rear patio. Each residential floor has also two openings, probably with similar windows as the Jerome elevation ones, but without the terracotta enframements. Each building has a fire escape structure attached to the façade installed before 1938, but probably was not part of the original design, although there is evidence that by 1916 these tenements had already installed the fire escapes. These “modern” wrought-iron fire escapes are suspended from the top floor to the second stories. There are also three small brick chimneys per tenement, but the floorplans do not show any chimney.

The future of old tenements in the present Currently, the New York City Housing Development Corporation (HDC) and some private investors are buying old or abandoned constructions for mixed-use projects in the Bronx.23 Some of these projects explain that they will be “housing projects with 30% apartments for homeless tenants, 55% for lowincome households and the remaining for middle-income families.”24 The private institutions mention to be working with the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD), to create affordable housing for homeless veterans and at-risk young adults.25 Institutions such as B&B Urban, Jericho Project and West End Residences, are a couple of examples of private institutions trying to provide

23 Note: See 2880 Jerome Ave. Commercial-Residential Project, 10 Minerva Place Commercial-Residential Project, 2808 Jerome Ave. Residential Project, East 162nd St. Court Residential Project, 2065 Walton Ave. Residential Project, and 2700 Jerome Avenue CommercialResidential Project. 24 New York YIMBY, “13 Stories of Affordable, Supportive Housing Planned For 2700 Jerome Avenue, Kingsbridge Heights” Accessed April 8, 2018. https://newyorkyimby.com/2016/01/permits-filed-13-stories-of-affordable-supportive-housing-2700-jerome-avenue-kingsbridgeheights.html 25 Ioana Neamt, “Affordable Housing Project Fights NYC Homelessness,” Commercial Property Executive, published July 08, 2015, last accessed April 8, 2018. https://www.cpexecutive.com/post/affordable-housing-project-fights-nyc-homelessness/

affordable housing in NYC. Most of them with help of governmental programs, such as the HPDâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Extremely Low & Low-Income Affordability program (ELLA).26 Other organizations, like Lott Community Development Corporation (Lott CDC) or Fordham Bedford Housing Corporation (FBHC), are trying to resolve the problems of abandonment and decay in NYC, by renovating or redeveloping vacant or underutilized buildings. However, thousands of residential buildings from the 19th century and beginning of the 20th century remain forgotten. Old law tenements are not a common housing type around the Bronx, but there are still remaining residential buildings like these. Tenements were designed with small spaces, poorly ventilated and with inhuman living conditions, characteristics which still exist. Many of them got stuck between several housing regulations such as the Tenement House Act (1878), the New Law (1901), and the Multiple Dwelling Law (1929), where their owners did not try or did minimum efforts in order to update the living conditions into worthy residential ones. However, as mentioned before there are some non-profits or governmental subsidy programs working on this challenge. In 2017, HPD announced that it financed affordability on over 4,500 homes along the Jerome Avenue Corridor.27 In spite of HPD efforts, residential examples such as Jerome Ave. No. 2439-41 buildings, that have not had a major alteration in their residential interior since 1977,28 are major examples of how governmental or real estate institutions are not providing enough or favorable solutions for affordable housing problems. No. 2439-41 is just an example of how buildings intended for poor people at the end of the 19th century, are still being occupied by a low-income population in our days, but that were not updated to meet 21st residential necessities. Even though their original design was intended for two families per floor with only one small bedroom per apartment, now there is evidence that some of these apartments could have been modified in order

26 NYC Housing Development Corporation, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Term Sheet Extremely Low & Low-Income Affordability (ELLA) (Tax-Exempt Bonds). Accessed April 8, 2018. http://www.nychdc.com/content/pdf/Developers/HDC_ELLA_Termsheet.pdf 27 Note: Focusing in Southwest Bronx or Community Boards 4 and 5. http://www1.nyc.gov/site/hpd/about/press-releases/2017/10/10-24b-17.page 28 Block and lot folder list mentions that there is not alterations since 1977.

to increase its occupancy capacity up to two families per apartment. Yet, the low-income population needs to continue renting these types of places because they are “cheap” or they are rent-stabilized. Meanwhile, Community Board 7 continues to have the highest concentration of rent-regulated apartments in the city. In addition to these problems, the foreclosure crisis continues to negatively impact residents from the Bronx. West Bronx communities are especially being affected by this problem and it is reported that over 8,000 properties have been impacted by these bank owned properties.29 It happens to be that tenements No. 2439-41 history are very close to banks. Since the 1980s, the commercial spaces have been occupied by businesses related to banks (Fig. 18) and several owners have been banking institutions.30 In spite of being related to the banks and having bad interior conditions, the apartments are still being used and have never had foreclosures, although they had a couple of DOB violations. Furthermore, besides tenement No. 2439, several rowhouses from the same time the tenements were built, were demolished and the lots will be occupied with a four-story building with a retail space on the ground floor and a school on the upper floors.31 Although this case is a good example of how abandoned buildings can be transformed into useful constructions for the community, this is not a common practice in the Bronx. On one hand, is interesting to know that HPD is trying to provide affordable housing solutions, although they are focusing more in rebuilding rather than preserving. On the other hand, private institutions and non-profits such as Lott CDC or FBHC are focusing the solutions in renovating or redeveloping old buildings. At the same time, the Northwest Bronx Community and Clergy Coalition are interested in community land trusts in order to create safe and affordable housing for the northwest Bronx community. While all these community efforts are great, the government and real estate are more concerned about profits. Building affordable housing is not a type of building that private investors are

29 Jeffrey D. Klein, “Foreclosure crisis still haunting New York City neighborhoods & decreasing property values,” The New York State Senate, modified December 18, 2017, accessed April 8, 2018. https://www.nysenate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/jeffrey-d-klein/foreclosurecrisis-still-haunting-new-york-city 30 See Appendix. 31 New York YIMBY, “Four-Story, Multi-Use Building with School Filed At 2429 Jerome Avenue, University Heights,” accessed April 7, 2018. https://newyorkyimby.com/2016/04/four-story-multi-use-building-with-school-filed-at-2429-jerome-avenue-university-heights.html

really interested to construct because at the end, it is all about making money. Demolishing and constructing new â&#x20AC;&#x153;luxuryâ&#x20AC;? apartment buildings will generate displacement and gentrification problems, which owners and investors decide to ignore meanwhile they continue generating profit. Efforts in rehabilitating old tenements are great solutions, however sometimes is cheaper to demolish and build things from scratch. Meanwhile, residents of the Bronx are the ones who struggle the most while they live in buildings intended for people that used to live 100 year ago, but that were not updated into 21st century conditions. Solutions like new buildings in abandoned lots and underused buildings or fixing the old residential dwellings are a good beginning , but providing safe, worthy and affordable housing is urgent. While money and not people are priority, thousands of residents from the Bronx will continue to struggle.

IMAGES:

Figure 1: Part of ward 24 Plate 38, 1879 Source: NYPL Digital Collections

Figure 2: Bronx, V.12, Double Page Plate No. 266 Â½ [ Map bounded by Kingsbridge Rd., Anthony Ave., E. 184th St., Fordham Rd., Harlem River] Source: NYPL Digital Collections

Figure 3: Local Map Showing Bailey Estate Property. Source: The New York Public Library. 1907.

Figure 4: Old Law Tenements 351-352 138th Street. 1898 Source: Building a Borough. Architecture and planning in the Bronx 1890-1940

Figure 5: 2439-41 Jerome Ave. Bronx, NYC. 2018. Source: Collage made by photos taken by Gerardo Guerrero.

Figure 6: Plate 18 [Map bounded by Aqueduct Ave. E., W. Fordham Rd., E. 188th St., Grand Blvd., E. 181st St.] Source: NYPL Digital Collections 13

Figure 7: Fordham Road and Jerome Avenue 1916 Source: Museum of the City of New York Digital Collection

Figure 8: Double Page Plate No. 17, Part of Section 11, Borough of the Bronx. 1938 Source: NYPL Digital Collections

Figure 9: Photo taken from Jerome Avenue. Main Elevation. 2018 Source: Gerardo Guerrero

Figure 10: Photo taken from Fordham Subway Station. Third Floor Windows. 2018 Source: Gerardo Guerrero

Figure 11: Photo taken from Fordham Subway Station. Detail. 2018 Source: Gerardo Guerrero

Figure 12: Photo taken from Fordham Subway Station. Fourth Floor Windows. 2018 Source: Gerardo Guerrero

Figure 13: Photo taken from Fordham Subway Station. Cornice. 2018 Source: Gerardo Guerrero

Figure 14: Alteration Floor plan, 1st Floor, 2439 Jerome Ave. Source: Block and Lot Folders. Bronx Department of Buildings

Figure 15: Fordham Road and Jerome Avenue 1916 Source: Museum of the City of New York Digital Collection

Figure 16: Alteration, Front Elevation, 2439 Jerome Ave. Source: Block and Lot Folders. Bronx Department of Buildings

Figure 17: 3199 Jerome Ave. 1940s Property Cards. Source: NYC Municipal Archives

Figure 18: 3199 Jerome Ave. Lot 94,93. 1980s Source: 80s NYC

NOTES: 1

Sources for this section include: Landmarks Preservation Commission, Dollar Savings Bank Building Designation Report LP-1889, New York, 1994. Landmarks Preservation Commission, St. James’ Episcopal Church Designation Report LP-1081, New York, 1980. John McNamara, “History in asphalt: the origin of Bronx street and place names, the Bronx, New York City,” The Bronx, N.Y.: Bronx County Historical Society, 2010. The Bronx County Historical Society, “The Bronx: A Historical Sketch,” accessed April 2, 2018, http://bronxhistoricalsociety.org/about/bronxhistory/. NYC Subway, “Service begun on the Jerome Avenue Line (1917),” accessed April 2, 2018, https://www.nycsubway.org/wiki/Service_Begun_on_the_Jerome_Avenue_Line_(1917). Lloyd, Ultan, “Bronx accent: a literary and pictorial history of the borough,” New Brunswick, N.J.: Rivergate Books, an imprint of Rutgers University Press, [2006].

Sources for this section include: Landmarks Preservation Commission, 172-174 East 73rd Street building Designation Report LP-1068, New York, 1980. Landmarks Preservation Commission, 94 Greenwich Street House Designation Report LP-2218, New York, 2007. 190 Grand Street House Designation Report LP-2411, New York, 2010. Landmarks Preservation Commission, Perry Avenue Historic District Designation Report LP-2339, New York, 2009. Ching, Frank (Francis D.K.), and Cassandra Adams. Building Construction Illustrated, 3rd ed. John Wiley, New York 2003. Ching, Frank (Francis D.K.), A Visual Dictionary of Architecture, 2nd ed. John Wiley & Sons, New Jersey. 2012. New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission. [revised edition, n.d.]. Rowhouse Manual. Poppeliers, John C. and S. Allen Chambers. What Style Is It? A Guide to American Architecture. John Wiley & Sons, 2003.

IMAGE REFERENCES Figure 1: Robinson, E. 1885, “Plate 38, Part of Ward 24, New York City,” NYPL Digital Collections, accessed April 1, 2018. https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/510d47e2-0aa4-a3d9-e040-e00a18064a99 Figure 2: Sanborn Map Company 1884 - 1896 “Bronx, V.12, Double Page Plate No. 266 ½ [ Map bounded by Kingsbridge Rd., Anthony Ave., E. 184th St., Fordham Rd., Harlem River],” NYPL Digital Collections, accessed April 1, 2018. https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/98028ecb-b297-62cb-e040-e00a18060bc0 Figure 3: “Absolute Sale without reserve By Order of the Kingsbridge Real Estate Co. comprising the Whole of their Real Estate Holdings. The Bailey Estate Property at Kingsbridge., 305 Lots. [Catalog No. 522]” https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/6aba00e0-69cb-0131-5464-58d385a7bbd0#/?uuid=6b137b60-69cb-013149bd-58d385a7bbd0 Figure 4: Old Law Tenements 351-352 138th Street. 1898 Source: Building a Borough. Architecture and planning in the Bronx 1890-1940 Figure 5: 2439-41 Jerome Ave. Bronx, NYC. Source: Collage made by photos taken by Gerardo Guerrero. Figure 6: Figure 6: Plate 18 [Map bounded by Aqueduct Ave. E., W. Fordham Rd., E. 188th St., Grand Blvd., E. 181st St.] Source: NYPL Digital Collections Figure 7: Fordham Road and Jerome Avenue 1916 Source: Museum of the City of New York Digital Collection http://collections.mcny.org/C.aspx?VP3=SearchResult&VBID=24UAYWL0MIH5M&SMLS=1&RW=1018&RH=938 Figure 8: G.W. Bromley & Co. 1938, “Double Page Plate No. 17, Part of Section 11, Borough of the Bronx,” NYPL Digital Collections, accessed April 1, 2018. https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/4545ce20-306a-0132-3a1c58d385a7bbd0 Figure 9: Photo taken from Jerome Avenue. Main Elevation. 2018 Source: Gerardo Guerrero Figure 10: Photo taken from Fordham Subway Station. Third Floor Windows. 2018 Source: Gerardo Guerrero Figure 11: Photo taken from Fordham Subway Station. Detail. 2018 Source: Gerardo Guerrero Figure 12: Photo taken from Fordham Subway Station. Fourth Floor Windows. 2018 Source: Gerardo Guerrero Figure 13: Photo taken from Fordham Subway Station. Cornice. 2018 Source: Gerardo Guerrero Figure 14: Alteration Floor plan, 1st Floor, 2439 Jerome Ave. 1922. Source: Block and Lot Folders. Bronx Department of Buildings Figure 15: Fordham Road and Jerome Avenue. 1916 Source: Museum of the City of New York Digital Collection

Figure 17: 3199 Jerome Ave. 1940s Property Cards. Source: NYC Municipal Archives BIBLIOGRAPHY A Bronx Housing Strategy. New York, City of New York, Department of City Planning & Office of the Bronx Borough President, 1977. Birns, Harold, Department of buildings City of New York. New York, 1964. Bronx land book of the city of New York. New York, G. W. Bromley, 1960-1965. Commissioner’s Plan. Accessed February 12, 2018. https://www.nypl.org/blog/2010/07/30/designingnew-york-commissioners-plan-1811

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Landmarks Preservation Commission, Poe Cottage Designation Report LP-0110. New York, 1966. Landmarks Preservation Commission, Valentine House Designation Report LP-0119. New York, 1966. McNamara, John. “History in asphalt: the origin of Bronx street and place names, the Bronx, New York City,” The Bronx, N.Y.: Bronx County Historical Society, 2010. Lloyd,

Ultan, “Bronx accent: a literary and pictorial history of the borough,” New Brunswick, N.J.: Rivergate Books, an imprint of Rutgers University Press, [2006],

MTA Info. Remembering the Third Avenue El, 2011. Accessed February 16, 2018. http://www.mta.info/news/2011/10/10/remembering-third-avenue-el New York YIMBY, “13 Stories of Affordable, Supportive Housing Planned For 2700 Jerome Avenue, Kingsbridge Heights” Accessed April 8, 2018. https://newyorkyimby.com/2016/01/permits-filed-13-stories-ofaffordable-supportive-housing-2700-jerome-avenue-kingsbridge-heights.html New York YIMBY, “Four-Story, Multi-Use Building with School Filed At 2429 Jerome Avenue, University Heights,” accessed April 7, 2018. https://newyorkyimby.com/2016/04/four-story-multi-use-building-with-schoolfiled-at-2429-jerome-avenue-university-heights.html NYC Housing Development Corporation. “Term Sheet Extremely Low & Low-Income Affordability (ELLA) (TaxExempt Bonds). Accessed April 8, 2018. http://www.nychdc.com/content/pdf/Developers/HDC_ELLA_Termsheet.pdf Oser, Alan S.“Making Tenements Modern.” The New York Times, NY. Modified April 4, 1999. Accessed March 8, 2018. Plunz, Richard. A history of housing in New York City: dwelling type and social change in the American metropolis. New York, Columbia University Press, c1990. Plunz, Richard. Building a borough: architecture & planning in the Bronx. Bronx, N.Y., Bronx Museum of the Arts, c1986). Samtur, Stephen M. The Bronx: lost, found, and remembered, 1935-1975. Scarsdale, NY: Back in the Bronx, c1999. Schreiber, Max B. “A History of Public Housing in the Bronx.” The Bronx County Historical Society Journal Volume XIX. Number 2. NY, Fall 1982. Sweeney, John J. “The growth of the Fordham section and its environs.” The Bronx County Historical Society Journal Volume XIII. Number 2. NY, Fall 1976.

APPENDIX I-card Jerome 2439 Buildings ALT ALT BN (Illegible) BN ALT

Plan No. 27 92 944 168/64 534-70 200-17

Date Filed 3/6/22 6/12/31 10/15/64 3/5/65 4/16/70 7/28/77

Alteration Plans Approved 4/19/22 7/11/32

5/26/70

6/3/70

BASEMENT ---------------

LEGAL OCCUPANCY DATE NO. APTS 6/29/33 6

HEIGHT 4

CELLAR ----------

ORIGIN F.E. PC J.S. RE OR

ITEM No. 1 2 3-7 8 9-10

DISPOSITION 7/22/30 2/9/38 2/4/57 2/4/57 5/15/58

DATE 6/27/30 9/10/37 8/14/56 12/3/56 11/18/57

Completed 4/26/23 CANCELLED

Date 10/15/08 Skylight / Over stairwell / In roof / Area glazed surface 15Sq’ / Size of opening 30’ x 6’ No louvres; no obstructed, no dome light under, no other ventilation, No ADEQUATE No windows in hall, halls heated., Stairs; Stationary, wood, handrail, accessible, ADEQUATE Bulkhead; Door top of stairs, no lock, no door foot of stairs. Fire Escapes; One each apartment, location rear, no party wall balcony, No ADEQUATE Balconies; Iron Railings; Iron Floors; Iron Ladders; Inclined, double rung, hand rail, drop ladders SHAFTS / LENGTH / WIDTH / AREA / MATERIAL OF WALLS / STARTS AT / COVERED / VENT. SKYLIGHT A 12’ 4’6” 54Sq’ Brick 5TY No No B 6’ 4’6” 27Sq’ Brick 2 5TY No No

O.LT. FIRE RETARDING CARD 2/8/38 PUBLIC HALLS MATERIAL OF VESTIBULE ENTRANCE HALL Wainscoting None None Walls 1 Wall Brick None 1 wall Terracotta None Ceiling Metal Lath and None 2 coats of mortar None STAIRS HALLS MATERIAL OF Wainscoting Walls Ceilings Well Facia Stringers Soffits Handrails Balustrades Newel Posts

WINDOWS SASHES PUBLIC HALLS OPENING TO APTS. None Removed ½ PL BDS METAL Openings Lath 2 coats mortar Metal lath and Sealed coats of mortar

None ½ PL. BOS – Metal Lath, 2 coats mortar Metal lath and 2 coats of mortar Wood with 3/16” ASB and in gauge metal Wood with 3/16” ASB and in gauge metal Metal lath and 2 coats mortar Hard wood None None

Size 12”

Doors / Self closing Glass panels / Wire Wire Glass Transoms / Yes Wire Glass Floors Material Wood Covering / None Partitions Fire Stopped / Yes Method / Brick, gypsum blocks Public extension halls / Yes Doors and assemblies / Wood self-closing Offset (Public halls and stairs) none Bulkhead / Yes Walls / 1/2” PL BDS Mortar and PL Ceiling / Same Vestibule, entrance and public halls F.R. in accordance with sec. 238 M.D.L. and depth rules and regulations.

1/21-38 1/24-38 1/25-38 1/26-38 1/27-38 1/28-29 – 38 1/31 – 38 2/2-8 – 38

PUBLIC HALLS ANDS STAIRS FIRE RETARDING – PROGRESS From newels and bal’s installed all stys. Soffito (ceiling in Italian) stripped. (Illegible) being removed hall walls. All stys fire stopped. Wire lath being applied. 1 sty push hall brick and terracotta blocks 1 sty coat mortar being applied As above – push hall windows sealed Wall facias and stringer covered with 3/16” asbestos and 14 gauge metal. One coat mortar applied, 2 (Illegible) started 2 coat mortar applied. Springs applied and all above. 2 sty push hall floors being fire stopped 2 sty push hall floor fire stopped All glass wired . Glass and (Illegible) plastered. Walls (Illegible) finish. Work completed.

I-card Jerome 2441 Buildings ALT ALT ALT ALT ALT BL OF B BN

Plan No. 3 93B 122 10 17 RS 917 935 38

LEGAL OCCUPANCY (OVER) DATE NO. APTS 6/29/33 6 ORIGIN F.E. 3876 PC V.S. OR

DATE 6/27/30 8/7/30 9/10/37 8/14/56 11/18/57

Date Filed 1/21/03 5/24/15 8/1/16 3/11/19 2/18/22 7/14/33 8/16/38

Alteration Plans Approved 2/25/03 6/30/15 8/4/16 3/21/19 3/21/22 8/12/33 EXPIRED

HEIGHT 4

CELLAR ----------

ITEM No. 1

DISPOSITION 12/12/30 CCR 2/10/38 10/3/56 5/15/58

2-4 5-6 7-8

Completed 3/2/03 9/20/15 1/24/17 6/26/19 4/28/22 3/30/42

BASEMENT ---------------

Date 1/27/03 Skylight / Over stairwell / In roof / Area glazed surface 16Sq’ No louvres; no obstructed, no dome light under, no other ventilation, No ADEQUATE No windows in hall, halls heated., Stairs; Stationary, wood, handrail, not short, accessible, ADEQUATE Bulkhead; Door top of stairs, no lock, no door foot of stairs. Fire Escapes; One each apartment, location rear, no party wall balcony, No ADEQUATE Balconies; Iron Railings; Iron Floors; Iron Ladders; Inclined, double rung, hand rail, drop ladders SHAFTS / LENGTH / WIDTH / AREA / MATERIAL OF WALLS / STARTS AT / COVERED / VENT. SKYLIGHT A 11’4” 4’5” 50Sq’ Brick 2” FL Not None B “ “ “ “ “ “ “ C 2’4” 2’4” 4¾ “ Cellar WINDOWS WIDTH HEIGHT DIST. BELOW CEIL. HOW HUNG

J 4’ 5’3” 17” PULL

K 18’ 4’6” 17” PULL

L 4’ 5’3” 17” PULL

O.LT. FIRE RETARDING CARD PUBLIC HALLS MATERIAL OF VESTIBULE ENTRANCE HALL PUBLIC HALLS Wainscoting None None None Walls 1 Wall Brick ½ PL BOS METAL None 1 wall ½ PL BOS 1 ATH and 2 coats mortar Ceiling Metal Lath and Metal lath and None 2 coats of mortar coats of mortar STAIRS HALLS MATERIAL OF Wainscoting Walls Ceilings Well Facia Stringers Soffits Handrails Balustrades Newel Posts

WINDOWS SASHES OPENING TO APTS. Removed Openings Sealed

Size 12”

Doors / Self closing Glass panels / Wire Wire Glass Transoms / Yes Wire Glass Floors Material Wood Covering / None Partitions Fire Stopped / Yes Method / Brick, gypsum blocks Public extension halls / Yes Doors and assemblies / Wood self-closing Offset (Public halls and stairs) none Bulkhead / Yes Walls / 1/2” PL BDS Mortar and PL Ceiling / Same Public halls F.R. in accordance with depth rules and regulations and Sec. 238 M.D.L. 1/21 – 38 1/24 – 38 1/25 – 38 1/26 – 38 1/27 – 38 1/28-29 – 38 1/31 – 382 2/2-9 – 38

From newels and bal’s installed all stys. Soffito (ceiling in Italian) stripped. (Illegible) being removed hall walls. All stys fire stopped. Wire lath being applied. 1 st coat mortar being applied. As bove “ “ public hall windows sealed. Wall fascias and stringers covered with ¾” asbestos and 1” gauge metal. One coat mortar applied. 2 coat mortar applied. (Illegible) applied to apartment doors. 2 sty public halls floor being fire stopped 2 sty public hall floors fire stopped (Illegible) panels and transoms replaced with wire glass. Walls craftex finished. (Illegible) and soffito plastered. Walls completed. (Illegible) and soffito completed. Cellar (Illegible) ½” approved department buildings.