Mott Haven

How six Italian immigrants from the South Bronx carved some of the nation’s most iconic sculptures
July 31, 2018

How six Italian immigrants from the South Bronx carved some of the nation’s most iconic sculptures

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When the Piccirilli Brothers arrived in New York from Italy in 1888, they brought with them a skill-- artistry and passion for stone-carving unrivaled in the United States. At their studio at 467 East 142nd Street, in the Mott Haven Section of the Bronx, the brothers turned monumental slabs of marble into some of the nation’s recognizable icons, including the senate pediment of the US Capitol Building and the statue of Abraham Lincoln that sits resolutely in the Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall. The Piccirillis not only helped set our national narrative in stone but they also left an indelible mark on New York City. They carved hundreds of commissions around the five boroughs, including the 11 figures in the pediment of the New York Stock exchange, the “four continents” adorning the Customs House at Bowling Green, the two stately lions that guard the New York Public Library, both statues of George Washington for the Arch at Washington Square, and upwards of 500 individual carvings at Riverside Church.
Chisel away at this tale
Designer Sebastian Errazuriz opens up his South Bronx studio full of functional art and furniture
February 14, 2018

Designer Sebastian Errazuriz opens up his South Bronx studio full of functional art and furniture

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6sqft’s series “Where I Work” takes us into the studios, offices, and off-beat workspaces of New Yorkers across the city. In this installment, we’re touring the South Bronx design studio of Sebastian Errazuriz. Want to see your business featured here? Get in touch! Sebastian Errazuriz is a Chilean-born artist, designer, and activist but over the years, he's grown his multidisciplinary studio to incorporate everything from virtual reality to activism. But nothing he does is cookie-cutter. His cabinets undulate and mimic kaleidoscopes; his public art makes social commentary on issues from Wall Street and capitalism to Chile's politicide; and he's created sculptures that mix a boat with a coffin and a crystal chandelier with taxidermy birds. Sebastian likens his ability to work in these mediums separately but together to how he can speak both English and Spanish but also Spanglish. "It's the freedom to incorporate words that do not exist in one particular language but that enrich communication with someone else that I really enjoy within the boundaries of art and design," he explains. Now, Sebastian is at the forefront of yet another new frontier. Though he has a 5,000-square-foot space at the uber-hip Industry City, he opened his second location last summer in Mott Haven, one of the city's newest artist enclaves due to its affordable warehouse spaces and non-residential nature that sets it apart from the more gentrifying parts of the area. 6sqft recently paid Sebastian a visit here to learn how his firm is growing, the process behind his "functional art," and why he moved to the South Bronx.
Tour the studio and meet Sebastian
Lottery opens for 130 mixed-income apartments in the South Bronx, from $865/month

Rendering courtesy of Dattner Architects

January 3, 2018

Lottery opens for 130 mixed-income apartments in the South Bronx, from $865/month

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A Dattner Architects-designed building at 491 Gerard Avenue in the Mott Haven section of the South Bronx is now accepting applications for 130 low- and moderate-income apartments. Developed by Signature Urban Properties and Monadnock Construction, the 12-story, 136-unit building is part of a bigger mixed-use complex. Qualifying New Yorkers earning 60 and 90 percent of the area median income can apply for units ranging from a $865/month studio to a $1,831/month three bedroom.
Find out if you qualify
Mixed-income Mott Haven building opens lottery for 163 affordable units, starting at $788/month
September 1, 2017

Mixed-income Mott Haven building opens lottery for 163 affordable units, starting at $788/month

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Not only has Mott Haven been dubbed the next "it" 'hood, but it's become one of the city's top areas for large, new affordable housing sites. One such development, the three-building Crossroads Plaza, is a $157 million project from Douglaston Development that will all together bring 425 units of affordable housing to the South Bronx, as well as a 20,000-square-foot public plaza. The first building opened in 2015, the second the following year, and now the city is accepting applications for the final phase at 828 East 149th Street. The 163-unit building is open to those earning 60, 100, 110, and 120 percent of the area median income, and apartments range from $788/month studios to $2,120/month three-bedrooms.
Find out if you qualify here
New renderings of South Bronx passive house feature vegetated roof deck and solar shading

Rendering of 425 Grand Concourse, courtesy of Dattner Architects

August 24, 2017

New renderings of South Bronx passive house feature vegetated roof deck and solar shading

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Adding to the passive house development push happening in New York City, Dattner Architects released new renderings of their energy-saving project at 425 Grand Concourse in the South Bronx’s Mott Haven neighborhood. Formerly the site of the Gothic-style P.S. 31, the mixed-use and mixed-income development will sit at the corner of Grand Concourse and East 144th Street. According to CityRealty, when it opens in 2020, this project will be the tallest in Mott Haven and the largest development of its kind in the country (though East Harlem's massive Sendero Verde complex will steal the title soon after). The highly-insulated building features a vegetated roof deck, solar shading, solar panels, cogen power generation, and an energy recovery system.
See the design
124 chances to live in the burgeoning South Bronx, from $822/month
June 19, 2017

124 chances to live in the burgeoning South Bronx, from $822/month

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The South Bronx is arguably the city's largest hotbed of new affordable housing development, and the latest chance to live in the up-and-coming 'hood for less than market rate starts today for 124 units at 530 Exterior Street in Mott Haven. Here, New Yorkers earning 60 percent of the area median income can apply for apartments ranging from $822/month studios to $1,224/month three-bedrooms. The 13-story building is part of a larger, mixed-use project, right near Mill Pond Park on the Harlem River and the 145th Street Bridge to Harlem. The other two components are a similarly low- and moderate-income housing building at 491 Gerard Avenue and a 152-room Hampton Inn hotel with commercial space and ground-floor retail.
Find out if you qualify
87 mixed-income apartments up for grabs at new Mott Haven rental The Graham, from $386/month

255 East 138th Street via MHG Architects

May 17, 2017

87 mixed-income apartments up for grabs at new Mott Haven rental The Graham, from $386/month

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Applications are currently being accepted for 87 affordable apartments in The Graham, a new sustainable building located in the Mott Haven section of the South Bronx. The eight-story building at 255 East 138th Street has a full floor of retail at the street level, bike room, outdoor terrace and underground parking garage. New Yorkers earning 30, 40, 50, 60 and 100 percent of the area median income can apply for the mixed-income units, ranging from $368/month studios to $1,683/month three-bedrooms.
Find out if you qualify
NYCHA’s open space development plans move ahead with affordable senior housing in the South Bronx

Rendering of Mill Brook Terrace courtesy of NYCHA

March 15, 2017

NYCHA’s open space development plans move ahead with affordable senior housing in the South Bronx

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As part of the New York City Housing Authority’s NextGen initiative--the controversial policy of partnering with private companies to develop housing on open space in existing public housing projects--an affordable senior development is coming to the South Bronx. As reported by NY Yimby, Mill Brook Terrace in Mott Haven will be a nine-story, 169-unit building at 570 East 137th Street and will be set aside for seniors who earn no more than 50 percent of the area media income, or less than $36,250. Designed by Perkins Eastman Architects, the building will include a 9,000-square-foot senior center on the ground floor, which will include a commercial kitchen, community space, activity room and an outdoor garden.
Find out more here
More renderings, details released for massive South Bronx waterfront development
March 9, 2017

More renderings, details released for massive South Bronx waterfront development

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Just two days ago, 6sqft brought you a brand new rendering of the second parcel at Somerset Partners and Chetrit Group's massive South Bronx waterfront development, and now, YIMBY has uncovered even more views of the full seven-tower, 1,300-unit residential project, along with some more specific details. The renderings come courtesy of Hill West Architects and also show the publicly accessible 25,500-square-foot public waterfront esplanade.
More details and another rendering
My 2,400sqft: Preservationist and arts champion Samuel Brooks shows off his Mott Haven rowhouse

Our ongoing series “My sqft” checks out the homes of 6sqft’s friends and fellow New Yorkers across all the boroughs. Our latest interior adventure brings us to the Mott Haven rowhouse of Samuel Brooks. Want to see your home featured here? Get in touch!

March 8, 2017

My 2,400sqft: Preservationist and arts champion Samuel Brooks shows off his Mott Haven rowhouse

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Samuel Brooks has been living in the Mott Haven section of the South Bronx for the better part of 43 years, never budging in his passion for this vibrant area that's recently been dubbed the next "it" neighborhood. After buying a historic rowhouse within the Mott Haven Historic District 12 years ago (and then spending about nine of those scraping paint off the beautiful moldings!), Samuel is now a major player in Mott Haven's local community efforts--he's the President of the Mott Haven Historic Districts Association, runs an art gallery in his basement to exhibit local artists, and spearheaded the effort to transform his home this summer into the first ever Mott Haven Decorator Show House as a way to promote Bronx-based and up-and-coming designers. 6sqft recently paid Samuel a visit and toured his historic-meets-artsy home and learned all about his work putting Mott Haven on the map for reasons other than real estate development and food halls.
Tour the home and learn more about Samuel's preservation and community efforts
New rendering emerges for Keith Rubenstein’s ambitious South Bronx development
March 7, 2017

New rendering emerges for Keith Rubenstein’s ambitious South Bronx development

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The massive South Bronx waterfront development planned by Somerset Partners and Chetrit Group is coming together--at least visually. CityRealty revealed a rendering of the second parcel of a two-parcel master plan that will eventually hold six residential towers and park space. Construction on the first three buildings within the first parcel at 2401 Third Avenue was approved last summer. This second parcel at 101 Lincoln Avenue will hold three more towers, 25 stories each, with a grand total of 826 apartments. The developers have long heralded this development as a game-changer for the South Bronx, but faced pushback after Somerset developer Keith Rubenstein attempted to rebrand the area as the “Piano District” and held a party that capitalized on the struggles of the Bronx in the 1970s, featuring burning trash cans and a bullet-ridden car.
See more images of the development site
This renovated historic townhouse in Mott Haven is only $800,000
January 16, 2017

This renovated historic townhouse in Mott Haven is only $800,000

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File this one under things you won't find in Brooklyn: This pretty, totally modernized 2,828 square-foot Queen Anne row house at 418 East 136th Street in the Bertine Block Historic District offers four bedrooms with room for more, and four stories of townhouse loveliness, all for the well-under-a-million price of $800,000. Caveats apply, of course: It’s a narrow house at only 14 feet wide, and single-family so no rental income if you live there. But The Bronx is the place to be if you’re looking for townhouse living for under a mil.
Take a look
114 affordable units at the Bronx’s new Compass Residences complex up for grabs, from $822/month
December 9, 2016

114 affordable units at the Bronx’s new Compass Residences complex up for grabs, from $822/month

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When the West Farms Redevelopment Plan came to fruition in 2011, it was the largest private rezoning ever in the Bronx. The 17-acre, 11-block site in Crotona Park East was a former industrial area that's being transformed according to a master plan by Dattner Architects that calls for a total of 1,325 units of affordable housing and 46,000 square feet of retail space and community facilities. The first two buildings in the complex, also designed by Dattner, are called the Compass Residences and offer 237 units organized around a series of "gracious courtyards." As of today, 114 of these apartments are available through the city's affordable housing lottery. They're open to individuals earning 60 percent of the area media income and range from $822/month studios to $1,224/month three-bedrooms.
READ MORE
See how Keith Rubenstein’s trio of South Bronx towers will transform the ‘Piano District’ skyline
August 30, 2016

See how Keith Rubenstein’s trio of South Bronx towers will transform the ‘Piano District’ skyline

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Controversial South Bronx Developer Keith Rubenstein of Somerset Partners, along with the Chetrit Group, received approvals earlier this summer for a two-site, six-tower, mixed-use master plan on the Mott Haven banks of the Harlem River. This is the same project that Rubenstein touted as part of his campaign to rebrand the southern portion of the borough as the "Piano District," a marketing ploy that nodded to the piano manufacturers that dotted the area 100 years ago, but that featured a misguided party with burning trash cans and a bullet-ridden car, referencing the horrible "Bronx is burning" days of the 1970s. Contention aside, the development is moving ahead, and CityRealty.com has a 360-degree look at how the first site's three towers (two at 20 stories and one at 25) will transform the South Bronx skyline. These buildings at 2401 Third Avenue will rise just to the northwest of the Third Avenue Bridge, the former site of an 1880s iron works building that will soon boast $3,500/month apartments.
More details ahead
First Look at Tres Puentes Affordable Housing Development Planned For Mott Haven
June 8, 2016

First Look at Tres Puentes Affordable Housing Development Planned For Mott Haven

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The West Side Federation for Senior and Supportive Housing is moving ahead with plans to expand their recently finished Borinquen Court senior housing complex at 285 East 138th Street in Mott Haven. Two new mixed-use buildings will be constructed on either side of the existing 145-unit building, and once complete the entire complex will be home to more than 300 affordable apartments and will be known as Tres Puentes (Three Bridges) due to its views of the Willis Avenue, Madison Avenue, and Third Avenue bridges. All housing will be reserved for the elderly or physically disabled.
More on the buildings
Apply for 65 New Affordable Apartments in Mott Haven, Studios Start at $494/Month
June 2, 2016

Apply for 65 New Affordable Apartments in Mott Haven, Studios Start at $494/Month

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Another Mott Haven affordable housing lottery has just kicked off, today's bringing us a slew of brand new units at 463 and 469 East 147th Street. The development, named the Brook Avenue Apartments, falls under Mayor de Blasio's Housing New York plan, which seeks to create and preserve 200,000 units of affordable housing in NYC over 10 years. The de Blasio administration paired up with local developer Yuco Real Estate Company on the project and uses city-owned land. When construction wraps this year, this part of South Bronx will gain 65 much-needed, below-market units ranging from studios to three-bedrooms in two buildings. Apartments have been priced for those earning between 40 to 60 percent of the Area Median Income (AMI).
Find out more about the units and if you qualify
Housing Lottery Launches for 135 New Rentals in Mott Haven, From $538/Month
May 27, 2016

Housing Lottery Launches for 135 New Rentals in Mott Haven, From $538/Month

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Up-and-comer "It" neighborhood Mott Haven in the South Bronx kicks off a brand new housing lottery today with 135 new rentals up for grabs at 500 Union Avenue. The 14-story residence, dubbed the Crossroads II Plaza, has been dedicated to below-market rate housing and is part of the larger three-building Crossroad Plaza project, which includes a include a 21,278-square-foot community facility and 37,687 square feet of commercial space. Affordable apartments have been priced between $538-$861 for one-bedrooms, $655-$1,042 for two-bedrooms, and $749-$1,196 for three-bedrooms.
FInd out if you qualify here
Field Trip to the American Dream (Via the Bronx)
May 28, 2014

Field Trip to the American Dream (Via the Bronx)

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My English composition class at a CUNY school resembles a Benetton ad minus the posing and singular fashion aesthetic. I could run the numbers, but I don’t need to make like Nate Silver to prove my class is almost entirely of immigrants or first generation Americans from a wide range of backgrounds. This makes things particularly interesting when we study the 'American Dream', for it’s far more relevant to my students than it is to, say, me — all snug and secure in my status as a second-generation American not living with the hope for citizenship nor the fear of deportation of myself or my loved ones. One of the materials I use when teaching the American Dream is an article from September of 2013 in The Times about Marco Saavedra, a young man brought here illegally as a toddler in the early ‘90s by his Mexican parents who own and operate a restaurant in the Mott Haven section of the Bronx. Under the auspices of his parents’ emphasis on education, Marco was able to thrive in the public schools’ of NYC and secure full scholarships to Deerfield Academy and then Kenyon College, from where he graduated in 2011. Impressive.
But then it all went south. Literally. More of Andrew's Story here
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