The Grand Concourse

The Grand Concourse

I'll keep my commentary to a minimum, but I thought I'd share some pictures I recently took along the Grand Concourse in The Bronx. The Concourse and, indeed, much of West Bronx, is similar to SoHo (which I covered last week) in that it is a fantastic time capsule. The Grand Concourse was built largely during the 1920's during a period of tremendous growth in New York. Upwardly mobile second and third generation immigrants (many of them Jewish) left the cramp, crowded conditions of neighborhoods like the Lower East Side for the newly built, and comparatively spacious, apartment buildings of The Bronx.

During this time art deco (or moderne) architecture was very much in vogue as a result of the 1925 Paris Exhibition, and hence many of the apartments built along the Concourse were built in that style. Indeed, the West Bronx (along with Miami Beach) have the largest collections of art deco architecture anywhere in the United States. 

The art deco of the Grand Concourse is what you might call restrained. Exterior ornamentation is minimal and takes the form of patterned brickwork and the occasional sublime mosaic. While many of these buildings have not been properly kept up, there are a select few who still sport absolutely breathtaking lobbies, which I did not document out of respect for the tenants, but if you're ever in the area and can work up the gumption, step inside. I assure you it's worth it.

Details along The Grand Concourse

The most interesting feature of these buildings comes from their dynamic layouts. Block-long buildings are broken up by incised, repeating light wells as well as wedge patterned "sawtooth" facades which meet the street at odd angles, creating ever-changing patterns of light and shadow across their patterned fronts.

Repeated light-wells

"Sawtooth" facade

Apartment construction was largely halted along the Concourse during the Great Depression, however, this was not the end of art deco construction along it's length. Where the private sector let off, the Federal Government picked up.

Bronx County Building (1931-1935)

General Post Office (1935-1937)

Both of these buildings were built on behalf of the WPA and reflect the bold, almost triumphant style of many Depression-era projects. Of special note are the Ben Shahn murals that line the walls of the Post Office.

Cardinal Hayes Memorial High School

I'll close with is the Cardinal Hayes Memorial High School. Built in 1941 it reflects not only the changing demographics of the area, but also the transition away from art deco to more modernist sensibilities. The building is very striped down and features many crisp, simple lines, something that would be a hallmark of mid-twentieth century architecture. The school also makes wonderful use of the oddly curved lot it occupies where the Concourse widens as it makes it's way North along Franz Sigel Park.