#urbexnyc

[historysisco]

Last night (early this morning actually 🥱🥱) took the 2 train home from work and got off at the Simpson Street station. On the corner of Simpson St. and Westchester Avenue is the awesome mural by the talented @tatscru highlighting some of the historic places and events from the Bronx. Since the building is being renovated, I wanted to take a picture of it in case it gets removed.

Hope you enjoy the pictures of the Bronx-centric images.

[historysisco]

Today's Urban Exploration post takes me to the Bronx with a look at this magnificent church: St. Raymond's Catholic Church located at 1759 Castle Hill Avenue at East Tremont Avenue.

The parish was established in 1842 in the then Westchester Village in what was part of Westchester County. The area would become part of the Bronx in 1895. St. Raymond's has the distinction of being the first Catholic Church in the Bronx.

The original church was built in a converted barn and its first priest was Rev. Felix Villanis. With the unflux of Irish, German and Italian immigrants to the area the parish woulr outgrow their first church.

Set behind the original, Archbishop Corrigan laid the cornerstone for the present church on October 10, 1897. The church was designed by George H. Streeton in the Byzantine Revival-style. Amazingly the church was dedicated on October 23, 1898.

The church would grow to include an elementary school (1908), convent (1928), rectory (1931), brothers residence (1942), boys high school,Academy for girls (high school) and an auditorium and gymnasium that is still in operation today. St. Raymond Cemetery is the only Catholic cemetery in the Bronx.

#StRaymondsCatholicChuch #BronxHistory #ReligiousHistory #UrbanExploration #UrbanHistory #ArchitecturalHistory #EngineeringHistory #TouristInNY #History #Historia #Histoire #Geschichte #HistorySisco #SiscoVanilla

[historysisco]

Was at Westchester Square (East Tremont Avenue and Westchester Avenue) in the Bronx today and noticed an old sign peeking out behind the sign for this newsstand.

What I find curious is that next to the old school 7-Up logo is the word "Midget." Was that part of the name of the previous newsstand/soda shoppe that was located there? Any old school Bronxites know what the "Midget." was?

#WestchesterSquare #UrbExNYC #Bronx #TheBronx #BronxHistory #OldSigns #History #Historia #Histoire #Geschichte #HistorySisco (at Westchester Square–East Tremont Avenue)

https://www.instagram.com/p/Ce1neJ3u9uq/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[historysisco]

Today #UrbExNYC post comes from the County of Kings in the form of the iconic Coney Island landmark Nathan’s Famous, on the corner of Stillwell and Surf Avenues.

Polish immigrant Nathan Handwerker opened his first nickle hotdog stand in 1916 and the original stand has expanded to the location you see here. As of 2019, Nathan's had 213 locations worldwide.

#NathansFamous #NathanHandwerker #UrbanExploration #BrooklynHistory #NewYorkHistory #NYHistory #NYCHistory #CulinaryHistory #FoodHistory #History #Historia #Histoire #Geschichte #HistorySisco (at Nathan’s Famous)

https://www.instagram.com/p/CdytRZEu47w/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[historysisco]

Today's Urban Exploration post focuses on The Hell's Gate Bridge (originally named the New York Connecting Railroad Bridge or the East River Arch Bridge,) which is an icon of the Astoria landscape.

Connecting Astoria Queens and Randall's and Wards Islands, the bridge crosses over the Hell Gate waterway which is a small but very treacherous stretch of water. Named by the Dutch as Hellegat (hell channel), many a ship throughout the centuries has met their demise there. Rumor has it that Hell Gate is the home to sunken treasure that came from the 1780 shipwreck of the British ship H.M.S. Hussar.

The bridge was designed by famed civil engineer Gustav Lindenthal and built by the American Bridge company for the Pennsylvania Railroad. Construction started in 1912, Hell's Gate Bridge was completed in 1916. It would be dedicated and opened on March 9, 1917.

The main arch is 305 feet above the river’s average high-level water mark. The bridge deck is 135 feet above the average high-level water mark, and the deck is 93 feet wide. Measuring at 1,017 feet in length, the Hell's Gate Bridge was the longest steel arch bridge in the world. It held that title until 1933 with the completion of the Bayonne Bridge that connects Bayonne, New Jersey and Staten Island, New York. One cool feature of the bridge's arches is that you can walk under them while walking the footpath on Randall's and Wards Islands.

In total three bridges make up the Hell Gate Bridge. The other two span over Randall's and Wards Island and the Bronx Kill (Dutch for Little Stream.) The bridge connects New York and New England rail traffic for Amtrak and the CSX freight line.

#HellsGateBridge #HellGate #Hellegat #TransportationHistory #EngineeringHistory #ArchitecturalHistory #NewYorkHistory #NYHistory #NYCHistory #AstoriaQueens #QueensHistory #UrbanHistory #UrbanExploration #TouristInNY #History #Historia #Histoire #Geschichte #HistorySisco #SiscoVanilla

[historysisco]

Beautiful Springtime view of the Bronx Whitestone and Throgs Neck Bridges from Classon Point Park.

The Bronx Whitestone Bridge was completed in 1939, in time for the 1939 World's Fair. The Throgs Neck Bridge was completed in 1961. Both bridges were designed by Swiss-American architect Othmar Ammann. Amman also designed the George Washington, Triborough and Verrazano Narrows Bridges in New York City.

Also still in the hunt for more information on the shipwreck to the right of the picture. Any leads?

#UrbanExploration #Bronx #TheBronx #BronxWhitestoneBridge #ThrogsNeckBridge #NewYorkCity #NYC #NewYorkHistory #NYHistory #NYCHistory #AmericanHistory #USHistory #History #Historia #Histoire #Geschichte #HistorySisco (at Clasons Point Park)

https://www.instagram.com/p/CcTGBo9OP9w/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[historysisco]

You ever walk by a building and think to yourself "Man, that building looks like an old movie theater." I've walked by the building on the bottom for years now in my neck of the woods in the Bronx and thought that it looked like an old movie theater. For today's #UrbanExploration post, it seems that I was right.

On Randall Avenue between Beach, Taylor and Soundview Avenues the church known as Casa De La Fe/House of Faith is located in the former Beach Theater.

The Beach Theater had a rather short life on Randall Avenue. The theater was built around 1938 and was in use until 1969. In 1970 it was converted into a place of worship. The above picture is a NYC Tax photo from 1940. The bottom one is from last week.

I really haven't found out more about the old Beach Theater. When I do, I'll update the post. I also have a series of old movie theaters throughout NYC in the works. So keep an eye open for it.

#UrbanExploration #BronxHistory #NewYorkHistory #NYHistory #NYCHistory #TheaterHistory #CinematicHistory #TouristInNY #History #Historia #Histoire #Geschichte #HistorySisco (at Bronx New York)

https://www.instagram.com/p/CYr1XLUO08K/?utm_medium=tumblr

[historysisco]

Took a walk from the Ferry Point Park @nycferry stop and came across the September 11 Living Memorial Grove.

The idea is that the flowing plants would represent those who lost their lives on September 11, 2011. That the yearly blooms would honor their memory from a vantage point that overlooked the Twin Towers. Five spots, one in each Borough was chosen. This is the Bronx's vantage spot.

It is definitely a breathtaking location. Look forward to seeing the view when the footprint lights are on.

#FerryPointPark #UrbanExploration #UrbExNYC #UrbExBronx #Bronx #September11LivingMemorialGrove #September11Memorial #NewYorkHistory #NYHistory #NYCHistory #History #Historia #Histoire #Geschichte #HistorySisco (at Ferry Point Park)

https://www.instagram.com/p/CgNG6x3ugC6/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=