I've been spending some time up in the Bronx. "Up" because it's north of Manhattan, and everyone says "up in the Bronx", because Manhattan has always been seen as the center of the city. However the Bronx is quite remarkable on it's own.
Population 1,385,108, area 42 sq. miles; divided by the Bronx River with the hillier section to the west and a flatter area to the east. 25% of the Bronx is open space. Comprised of Woodlawn Cemetery, Van Cortlandt Park, Pelham Bay Park, NY Botanical Gardens and the Bronx Zoo.
The Bronx was named after Jonas Bronck an early settler from Sweden whose land was east of the river. Immigrants to the Bronx at first were Irish, German, Jewish, and Italian and they were succeeded by African Americans and Hispanic Americans from the Caribbean Basin especially Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic. That recent mix has made the Bronx a wellspring for Latin and Hip Hop Music.
The 16th congressional district in the Bronx, represented by Jose Serrano, is one of the 5 poorest in the country and just north of it in the Bronx is Riverdale, one of the most affluent parts of the city.
Riverdale is home to some great buildings: the modernist landmark, Saul Victor House designed by Frederick Gottlieb in 1967. Other famous mansions include, Greyston [1864], Alderbrook [1880], Stonehurst [1861], and Oaklawn [1863]. It has 3 top tier private schools, Horace Mann, Riverdale Country, and Fieldston. All members of the Ivy League School League. There are 2 Roman Catholic Colleges, The College of Mount Saint Vincent and Manhattan College. There is also the Academy for Jewish Religion, one of two in the country. In 1974 the permanent mission of the USSR, now the Russian Federation, to the UN built a large compound and school in Riverdale for their diplomats and families.
I started to write the names of famous Riverdale natives and residents but there are too many. I'll just list some.
Nobel prize winners: Eric Kandel, and Rosalyn Sussman Yalow
Arts: Ray Baretto, Bela Bartok, Rudolf Bing, Ted Brown, Bill Evans, Ed Sullivan, Fred Friendly, Yvonne De Carlo and most surprising, to me, Ella Fitzgerald who lived at the Colored Orphans Asylum
Sports: Ron Blomberg, Chris Chambliss, Julio Franco, Nat Holmes, Sal Magli, Sugar Ray Robinson, Willie Mays, and Lou Gehrig
Politics: U Thant, Elliott Spitzer, Theodore Roosevelt Sr., Fiorello La Guardia, and John F. Kennedy at 5040 Independence Ave., across the street from Wave Hill.
And Me at 1912 Loring Place.
No, that's not in Riverdale. It's that place between Riverdale and the 16th Congressional District.
