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Van Cortlandt House Musuem - Van Cortlandt Park

Nestled in the beautiful expanse of Van Cortlandt Park, this 1748 historic home is a must for history and architecture buffs as well as anyone fond of antiques and the decorative arts.  To book a $5 tour, just call ahead to make sure one of the volunteer guides are available.  My friend and I showed up today sans reservations but were lucky that the wonderful David Kappes was around! Thanks David!  I can’t wait to return for the Decemeber Christmas Evening Candlelight Tour!!! (Check out their website for a list of upcoming events.) Afterwards, you can cross the street to grab some great Mexican food at Santa Fe Grill (I had a fantastic shrimp enchilada platter for $6.50) or a meal at the more upscale Jake’s Steakhouse.

COUNTRY CLUB, The Bronx

…here’s more proof that housing in the Bronx isn’t about burnt out buildings, run down tenements and crack houses….(I know that’s what your thinking, but I’m just sayin’…)

Teasing aside, Country Club is actually a little enclave in the East Bronx, a place that has a serene, small-town feel unlike most places in the Bronx, or in NYC for that matter (Well, ACTUALLY, the Bronx does have  City Island, Riverdale, Throgg’s Neck, Pelham Bay…)  Some of the homes in CC are right on the water.  To have those views coupled with Bronx real estate pricing, is (in my opinion anyway) to die for!

THE BARTOW PELL MANSION MUSEUM - THE BRONX (Near City Island)

Visiting this 1836 historic country mansion is such a wonderful way to spend a weekend afternoon. Architecture, antique and history buffs will be delighted at what this Greek Revival home (with wonderful touches of Federal Style) has to offer.  (Be sure to visit their website for a beautiful slide show, directions and to find out when the hour-long tours are scheduled.)  Afterwards, feel free to enjoy the beautiful grounds complete with koi pond and cherub fountain. And then perhaps head on over to City Island for your seafood fix!

My favorites are the ones way up high that seem to be floating and watching over the community, welcoming and comforting us Parkchester residents as we pass underneath.  (My favorite is the first photo below - being at the top of a 10th floor building, you can only really see the sillouette of this statue.  To me, when I’m looking up from ground level, she looks like Wonder Woman hovering from a lofty perch.)  

 Nothing to be melancholy about here. The former opulent Grand Concourse Plaza Hotel, built in the twenties, is now a very well run home for the elderly.  Rumor has it that with all the development going on around the area, the City and/or developers approached the current owners about buying the property with the intention of returning it to its former state - a luxury hotel.  “No deal”, was the answer they got.  Can we all not agree - those folks are living in some seriously glorious digs!

The formerly opulent and majestic Loew’s Paradise Theatre (recently restored), sitting seemingly forlorn on the Grand Concourse. Can’t you just imagine this place in its heyday!  And though from the outside, it looks like it has seen better days, I bet when the curtains goes up, it is just as mesmerizing as it was when it opened in 1929. For more information, please visit here to read my article on The Boogiedowner Blog - ”Treasures of the Grand Concourse”. 

I cannot wait to get inside.    (Picture courtesy of the NY Times…)

While not as ornate or seemingly grand as some of the other buildings along the Grand Concourse and in other parts of the Bronx, these streamlined, simple and quintessentially Art Deco buildings hold great appeal for me.  This was taken this evening and is located just across from the Court House along the Grand Concourse, near Yankee Stadium.

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The Mario Merola Building, or Bronx County Courthouse, one of the largest court houses ever built in the United States dominates the landscape where it sits majestically overlooking The Grand Concourse and the adjacent park.  Although not technically Art Deco, there are enough of the design’s influences to include it here. This is the first sight most visitors see when they step out of the Yankee Stadium subway stop - its size and scope is mesmerizing!

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Two of these beautiful sculputres flank the Court House.

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Just another simple deco building similar to others scattered throughout the Grand Concourse and surrounding area.

Horace Ginsbern's Art Deco Building

Tags: Deco Architecture, Horace Ginsbern, The Fish House
Posted in BRONX ARCHITECTURE, BRONX ART and CULTURE, SOBRO | 1 Comment »