From The Peopling of New York City
Contents |
Group Members
Jocelyne Jeannot * Dennis Kim * Christina Dumitrescu * Justin Simmons
View of the Neighborhood
Gallery Of Images
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The Bronx Court House
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Institution Report
There are several courthouses in the Bronx covering both civil and criminal cases. The Bronx County Courthouse stands on a hill at the cusp of 851 Grand Concourse and 161st St. Completed in the 1930's and built in the Art Deco style, ubiquitous in the early and mid-1900s, the Bronx County Courthouse serves the community primarily as a civil and low-offense criminal court. It became clear in the 1980's that the County Courthouse had structural and design problems which led to overcrowding and the backlog of cases were unable to be cleared. This left the Bronx community with a problem: either somebody had to move or a new courthouse had to be built. Today, the streets surrounding the County Courthouse have experienced a flurry of new construction projects including the new Yankee stadium, the recently finished Lou Gehrig plaza, and 161st and the Grand Concourse itself. How will this affect the Bronx?
Working in a Broom Closet
It certainly looks spacious. Well, if truth be told, it looks enormous: a palace fit for kings or, in this case the Borough President. Unfortunately this monument also houses the Surrogate’s Court, Supreme Court, County Clerk, Sheriff, Public Administrator, District Attorney and other civic agencies, thereby significantly diminishing the personal space per occupant.
Looks can be deceiving.
Surrounded by the Grand Concourse, E. 161st St., Walton Ave. and E. 158th St., the Bronx County Court House (also known as the Mario Merola building, in tribute to the former District Attorney) combines the styles of several cultures and centuries; from the ancient friezes that surround the building to the usage of sleek lines to define the space it stands out among the crowd of construction sites that litter the area.
Built in 1933, during the Great Depression, the project cost a whopping $8 million dollars yet provided much needed jobs to local architects (though the supervising architects were Max Hausel and J. Freedlander), sculptors and numerous construction workers. Construction began in 1931 and took 1934 and a half years to complete. Upon completion Mayor LaGuardia received the bronze key to the courthouse during the three following days of celebration.
The colossal steel framed building with a granite and limestone façade rises nine stories and has a total floor area of 555,600 square feet, effectively dwarfing all of the surrounding buildings. The interior includes vaulted elevator lobbies with bronze doors topped with pediments and arched marble entrances complete with Doric columns. All of the courtrooms are adorned with wood paneling in various styles and types of wood. The upper windows are set in vertical ribbons of copper and nickel Art Deco spandrels separated by limestone piers.
However, though the architecture is superb, the Bronx County Court House is recognized for both the quality and quantity of its sculpture. Charles Keck designed the frieze above the base. Adolph Weinman supervised the creation of two pink marble sculptures located at the entrances. Other sculptures surrounding the court house were created by such renowned sculptors as George Snowden and Edward Sandford, Jr. In fact, according to the Herald Tribune, the new Courthouse was the quintessential example of the “Twentieth Century American style”, which was in fact based on the most popular architectural trends in Europe during the 1920s and 30s.
Unfortunately, the Courthouse presently seems like the perfect location for a ‘once upon a time’ fairy tale or the subject of nostalgia. “That lobby was beautiful once,” as Justice Jospeh A. Cerbone told the New York Times. Though the building has withstood the tests of time (unlike its counterpart: the Bronx County House of Detention for Men), and its external architecture remains a work of art, internally, it is a touch overcrowded. Housing so many civic agencies, the court house has found itself overflowing with backlogged cases and juries have found themselves deliberating guilt in maintenance rooms and courtrooms have even been split in two to accommodate the sheer number of cases and the clear lack of space. By dividing older courtrooms and transforming offices into courtrooms the courthouse, which had 28 courtrooms in 1933, now houses 63 but even that is far from the minimal amount necessary. However, a new courthouse was recently built a few blocks away along 161st St., allowing for the gradual process of refurbishment and the return of rooms to their original sizes and purposes. We’ll just have to sit tight and wait… wait for the return of the grand old days that nostalgia is fond of raising…
Don’t plagiarize!
Italicize!
For more info on what’s italicized, check out the following links!
[1] NYC.GOV: Bronx Courthouse
[2] "Space Crunch"
[3] "Opening a Courthouse, Overdue and Over Budget"
Institution Interview
As I walked into the courthouse metal detectors and x-rays that detected that I had a camera in my bag greeted me. My camera was taken aside and held to make sure that I was not going to take pictures of the building and blow it up. There were many rules listed all throughout the building such as no cell phones, food, or drink. I walked into a random room and spoke to an officer at a desk that stated in large bold letters that you must state your business to the officer before proceeding. The officer was willing to answer some questions, although insisted on seeing my syllabus and my school id to make sure that I was really doing the interview for a school project. She would not allow me to have me her name or badge number for the report in fear that her supervisor would find out that she was being interviewed on the job.
The officer talked about the different roles that the building takes on within the legal system. The building holds the lower civil court for cases that dealt with money under $20,000, the Bronx County clerk's office, She stated that the past week was exciting since the supreme court that deals with cases worth more than $20,000 moved to the other building and the housing court moved in. The particular room she works in is referred to the "passport room" holds the notaries, business certificates, and certain actions concerning over $20,000 including divorce, legal actions, violations, leans on houses. Before 9/11/2001 people were to get Hunting and Fishing licenses at the building, now people have to go downtown in order to obtain them. Veterans are able to obtain a vender's license as they have that right; there is a sector for religious corp., law and equity. The officer explained that the Bronx borough president Adolfo Carrion Jr. who holds the executive office runs the building.
Furthermore the officer stated that the building has an interesting and rich history. She referred me to a person who was rolling a cart filled with papers would be able to tell me more about the building and its history. Mark Nusenbaum is in charge of records in the building as part of the county clerk of the Supreme Court's office. One of the main activities of this office is to retain and preserve records permanently for their historical significance. He talked of the controversy over some of the new ways that files are being presented, such as digital information that is not considered to some as real documents. Nusenbaum explained that there is a lot of drama in the office as many people are resistant to change in record keeping. For instance they are putting records onto computers to be posted on their website. People in the office believe that digital documents are not real like the ones on actual paper but rather a copy, so accepting them as evidence can be controversial. Nusenbaum believes that this sort of controversy and the different jobs he has to do in record keeping makes his job interesting. The courthouse its self also holds the consultant engineer, The Bronx County Bar Association, Legal referral service, civil court rooms, the court clerk, arbitration, the judges's chambers, small claims court, the executive office, census records, the juror's division, naturalization records, passports, criminal court jury trials, public administrator, law library room, supreme court rooms, clerk's special term, criminal division clerks, surrogate's court, the marriage license bureau, and the New York City Housing Authority, among other offices. Clearly the courthouse takes on a very important role within the neighborhood, The Bronx and in the city as a whole.
Inside the building its self there is a lot of use of intricate designs along the walls and framed signs that say where the various rooms are. The outside of the building has an intricate design that incorporates statues and even gold coloring.
South Bronx's Development from 1900-1920s
If something is to mark the Bronx in the 1920s and 30s it must be the gargantuan growth in population. By 1925, the Bronx housed more than a million people. The sheer influx of numbers transformed the Bronx community into the “place to be”. But it was not merely the growth in population that affected the cultural and economic development but rather who moved into the neighborhood. We shall focus our sights on a more narrow location: the South Bronx.
During the 1920s and 30s, the term “South Bronx” was originally used to refer to the two neighborhoods of Mott Haven and Melrose, both historically working-class, low-income neighborhoods that served as a zone of emergence for Irish, Italian, and Polish immigrants. Mott Haven was famous for its piano factories whereas its counterpart was known for its breweries. However, during the “Boom Times” the border was extended to include the Grand Concourse.
The majority of people who moved to the South Bronx in the early 1920s were 1st and 2nd generation European immigrants of chiefly middle class Irish, Italian, Jewish and Polish families. In fact, some immigrant families moved to the South Bronx from Jewish and Italian Harlem for a better life in newer, more spacious apartments, better opportunities (economic mobility) and the hope of brighter futures for their children. Education was of vital importance to these families. It was within the school system that the children of immigrants would find themselves thrust into the mainstream American culture of a revolutionized standard of morals and mores. However, families clung to their close-knit communities aided by the surge of entrepreneurial opportunities in the form of local businesses and shops that sprung up in the area and that remained faithful to their ethnic origins.
However, evidence today proves that the several neighborhoods comprising the South Bronx housed people of drastically different socio-economic status. The long stride known as the Grand Concourse, with its wide and spacious berth (there are four lanes of traffic on either side of traffic), was modeled after Park Avenue in Manhattan and the chic Champs Elysees in Paris. The apartment buildings along the Grand Concourse were fashioned after the art deco style that monopolized trendy European architecture. Situated on a hill above the low-income neighborhoods of Mott Haven and Melrose, the elevated street gave the impression of social and economic superiority looking down at industrial areas littered with low-income housing and slums. Unfortunately, when the 18th amendment was passed in 1919, effectively enforcing prohibition, breweries, a major source of jobs, were forced to shut down. This led to the emergence of the infamous speakeasies run by bootleggers and gangsters alike.
Although the Great Depression of 1929 further exacerbated the problem, the South Bronx seemed to flourish. Through the political connections of Edward J. Flynn (who was close with President F.D. Roosevelt) several public projects were funded by the government, creating jobs for some. These projects included the Bronx Central Post Office, the Bronx Detention for Men, the Bronx County Courthouse (completed in 1934) and several expansions in parks, schools, streets, and other recreational facilities. Moreover the late 20s and early 30s also saw a surge in real estate that appeared unhindered by the economic crisis facing the country as can be seen by the completion of the Thomas Garden Apartments (1928) that became the blueprint for other real estate projects in the following decade.
The influx of people seems to outweigh the depravation of the Depression in the 1920s and 30s. Areas of the South Bronx had suffered before the stock market collapse of 1929 and areas suffered after it. However, perhaps because of it or in spite of it, the era is remembered for its successes rather than its failures. Through hardship and adversity, the South Bronx continued to thrive.
Every era has its name, a name that inducts that time and place into immortality, to be remembered throughout history. For the South Bronx, the 1920s and 30s shall forever be remembered as “Boom Times”.
Impressions of the South Bronx Pt. 2
After visiting all these months the South Bronx comes to be what it is--a home, a village, a community, a tribe, a self. The months we have spent compiling our project supports the idea that the South Bronx has outgrown the idea that it is a state of mind where people are subjected to urban decay and poverty. No, it is indeed a physical location on the map with its own vibrant communities that continue to flourish today. The neighborhood has had and will have its ups and downs, peaks and renewals just like any other district. The image emblazoned in our memory, the folklore of a past generation fades with every visit to this community. Because of the influx of money concentrated in the new Yankee Stadium, construction to the Lou Gehrig Plaza, and the anniversary of the Grand Concourse, there can only be fresh and renewed attention to the area. Will these historical moments prove to be a boon to its residents? Far from the "Mecca of murder" the South Bronx is a community of working-class people. The difference between the South Bronx and any other neighborhood is in degrees not nature. Knowing this simple truth we have come to respect the South Bronx as an end in itself (as a viable community) and not a means to money, publicity or fame.
Due to factors such as the exorbitant price of real estate in Manhattan, lower property value, and the relatively light travel it takes to get to the other boroughs, talks of gentrifying the South Bronx are not only becoming fashionable, it is becoming more affordable to those locked out of the other boroughs. The South Bronx suddenly finds itself experiencing an influx in new residents. While gentrification is often received as a positive development - it is in many aspects - there are the often ignored problems associated with property value in an area surging to levels that reflect the changing market. The irony of this new chapter in the history of the South Bronx is that once land developers buy up cheap land and build condos on them in the near future, the area may find itself too expensive for the already existing inhabitants of the South Bronx. It is too soon to say if the residents of the South Bronx will find themselves pushed out into the fringes unable to afford living in their homes. This interesting development will play itself out in the coming years.
[4] Workers see new Yankee stadium as golden opportunity
[5] Outsiders Tiptoe Into the South Bronx
Boom Times at the Stadium: Scalping the albatross that is bleacher tickets...
My off-the-cuff scalping experience proved to be a memorable one. The proposition seemed disarmingly simple: get rid of two bleacher tickets at their $14 face value. I was up for a challenge and so was my cohort, David.
From the beginning, we were operating on conflicting and incompatible ideologies (we didn't realize this at the time.) But as the novice to the enterprise, I followed his lead because I didn't know what I was doing. We first went 1,000-feet or so away from the stadium because we arbitrarily decided scalping would be legal at the distance where the cops probably aren't present. I mention the word "legal" because the law proved to be a powerful deterrent for the both of us since we didn't want the leviathan coming down and stamping us out. I would usually not feel nervous around cops, but I found myself unnerved by their presence. We were also wrong in our assumption that cops would not be around in some areas. They patrolled everywhere people were around which effectively made the chances of a successful scalp less and less likely. I came to realize that my jovial experimentation in criminality would not be interpreted so kindly by the law so I began to tread more lightly because there is absolutely no leg room in the backseat of police vehicles.
As we would approach people and ask if they wanted tickets, many looked at us as if we just offered them dangerous and unpopular drugs. Most didn't even make eye contact, but some people replied, "No." After about 40 minutes of walking around to what we thought would be good spots, I began to realize that this wasn't fun at all. Eventually, there was this one guy that David approached who threatened to call the police "on your ass" and that was when I decided to get rid of the thing at any price. As we ran away from that direction, it became clear that this wasn't as easy as I thought it would be. However, out of principle, I couldn't simply hand the ticket over to David and head to the stadium.
During the course of the experience, we met other scalpers and saw numerous deals going off successfully, but they were most likely selling the more valuable box tickets. They were also more skillful and discreet than we were since I saw several tickets changing hands while cops were no less than a stone's throw away. We simply did not have the gall to attempt the same.
I knew I had a snowball's chance in hell of selling the ticket for face value. The experience was a good reminder in basic economics: if there is no demand, you should stop trying to sell the product. A successful scalp - at any price - still eluded me, and the price I was willing to accept plummeted down to chump change. It was then I approached a group of scalpers and offered my ticket for $2. They were reluctant at first, but they took it off my hands. Unbeknownst to me, selling a single ticket instead of a pair is epic failure because only a loser would go to a game by him or herself. I was reprimanded by David, who was still determined to get face value for his ticket.
Shortly after my transaction, word somehow got out that bleacher tickets were a waste of mass. To put it succinctly by a fellow scalper, fellow sufferer, "I don't care if it's a penny, nobody is buying." After nearly a hour of David trying to scalp his ticket, it became clear that there was absolutely no market. It's sad but the ticket for I sold for $2 actually reflected the going price. I insisted that he simply give away the ticket since it would feel good on the soul but David had principles of his own.
In the end, with time running out before the start of the first pitch, I suggested to David to give me the ticket and watch me offer it to a cop. He accepted probably because watching me being arrested would be priceless. I approached a cop with a stupid grin on my face said, "Officer, I want you to watch this game with me." He politely declined but still took the ticket. It was finally the end of an arduous time. I strongly recommend all my fellow classmates to study hard and make sure your livelihoods are not determined by how many tickets you get to scalp. We made our way into the stadium and basked in our share of ultraviolet UV goodness.
