Melrose Now Repped in Bronx Blogosphere

We've been lucky enough to have a wise man named Eddie, who is a lifelong resident of Melrose, as a dedicated reader of the ol' BD. Actually, he just recently submitted a tip about the opening of PeaceLove Cafe in his hood.

We are happy to report that Eddie has started his own blog dedicated to all things Melrose, aptly named: Welcome to Melrose. Awesome! We look forward to following it closely to find out about all the good things happening in and around that area.

Congrats, Eddie! By the way, thanks for the shout out to BD in your inaugural post... We're totally blushing!

~ErLu

Listing of the Day: Melrose Rental

841 Courtlandt Avenue, 2 Bedrooms - $1450/month

This is a two bedroom in a private house just south of 160th Street. The price is right for a hood that seems to be on the upswing with the new PeaceLove Cafe, a more walkable pedestrian friendly HUB, the Via Verde project in the pipeline, and some good old fashioned infrastructure improvements.

The unit itself isn't stunning; I could do without the weird carpeting (if that's what it even is). But, I am digging the backyard. I wonder if it's just for this unit or shared space with the rest of the building. Probably shared space, but that's a good way to meet the neighbors - community garden in your own backyard.

The transportation would be pretty nice with the B,D, and 4 trains all at 161st and River Ave on the other side of the Concourse. Melrose also has its own Metro North stop, which is only a few blocks from this place.

FULL LISTING

~ErLu

A Wise Man Speaketh About the New PeaceLove Cafe in Melrose

Here's a hot tip from Eddie, whom we dubbed a wise man about a year ago, about the recently opened PeaceLove Cafe in Melrose. Eddie sounds pretty psyched. I'd be too - who doesn't love live jazz, organic food, WiFi, and caffeinated products?

I'm excited to inform you all that Melrose has gotten it's first Cafe featuring organic coffees, teas, salads, wraps and the likes as well as homemade sweet potato pie!!

Also Live Jazz every Friday and Saturday at 8:00PM.

The cafe also features wifi access as well as a couple of lap tops for your use as well as a printer.

As a resident of the area I am glad that I no longer have to travel for this amenity and can just walk a block to a cafe to just sit down and relax!

PLEASE SUPPORT OUR COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL BUSINESS!!!

Check it out! 617 Melrose Avenue between East 151st Street and East 152nd Streets in the heart of the HUB/3rd ave/149th Street shopping district.

Here are some pics from Eddie...
Eddie might be seeing ErLu one of these Fridays or Saturdays for some jazz, if we can secure some babysitting.

~ErLu

Two Bronx Walking Tours This Weekend

Two Bronx tours from the Municipal Art Society:

Saturday at 10 a.m. “Back to the Bronx, Part II: Melrose” focuses on housing and retail renewal of the area, meeting in front of the Chase bank, north of Melrose Avenue and 149th Street.

Sunday at 4 p.m. “Cool, Green Edge: Mosholu Parkway and Norwood” explores the greenery and varied architecture of these neighborhoods, meeting at the token booth of the Mosholu Parkway subway station on the No. 4 train. (212) 439-1049, mas.org/tours; each, $15; $10 for members.

Information courtesy of NY Times

~ErLu

Melrose Revitalization Continues

Daily News' Bill Egbert reports that some of the last city-owned abandoned lots in the Melrose section of the BoogieDown are poised for development.

No, it won't be a gleaming glass condominiums with a rooftop terraces and pools with one-bedrooms starting at $600K... (ahem, are you listening Brooklyn?) Instead the new developments there will continue Melrose's trend of revitalization without displacement.

The Department of Housing Preservation and Development is proposing commercial/retail space (including an Administration for Children's Services child-care facility), along with mixed income housing across the 5.5 acre site.

Of course, since the BoogieDown is the greenest borough, all proposals for the site must reflect green-building practices.

We'd love to hear our favorite Melrose resident Eddie weigh in on this development...

~ErLu

614 Courtlandt Avenue Up for Sale

Do you remember that really cool landmark building in Melrose that BoogieDowner let you in on last month? Of course you do...Gentrification: 1800s style .

Well it seems like the renovations are done and this sucker is on the market. The asking price is a mere $800,000. For three two bedroom apartments AND commercial space downstairs, the $800K price tag is a steal.

Interested buyers should visit Neighborhood Housing Services Web site at http://www.nhsnyc.org/ for information about the property's lottery.

Last Landmark Building in Melrose - built in 1871 - is up for sale [NYDN]

~ErLu

Legacy of the Gentrifiers of the 1800s

614 Courtlandt Avenue in the Melrose section of the Bronx is evidence of a past wave of gentrification to hit Melrose. Julius Ruppert, a saloon and billiard hall owner from the cramped Lower East Side, built this beauty in 1871 to cash in on the influx of German immigrants seeking the space and greenery of the Bronx.

The landmarked building fell into disrepair and was vacant for decades following the 1970s, but now it is getting a new life on a new wave of development for Melrose. (Photo courtesy of NYC Landmarks Commission via NY Times]

Neighborhood Housing Services and Landmarks Preservation Commission are working to renovate this beautiful building and then to place it on the open market to court a private buyer.

"When finished, it will house three two-bedroom apartments and a commercial space on the first floor. The top floor, with its tall, sloping walls and oval windows, is like a painter’s garret. On the first floor, original cast iron columns lend a graceful note to the entrance. The asking price is $800,000." [NY Times]

If you have the money, love the Bronx or just want to be ahead of the curve in landownership in the borough with the largest upside in the city, please contact Neighborhood Housing Services, Landmarks Preservation Commission to secure your spot as a real estate smarty-pants.
(Photo courtesy of David Gonzales/NY Times]

A Neglected Bronx Landmark Gets a New Life [NY Times Article by David Gonzalez]

~ErLu

Via Verde Development to Transform Melrose into a Green Oasis

Nancy A. Ruhling reports that Via Verde, an affordable residential complex in the South Bronx that will include rentals, co-ops, and live/work town homes, will make its debut in Fall 2010.

Jonathan Rose Companies, a leader in the 'green' housing and development movement, will help bring the benefits of the green lifestyle to the Bronx. The buildings in the 202-unit development—low-rise town homes, a mid-rise duplex building, and an 18-story tower—are connected by rooftops that will be used to harvest rainwater, grow fruits and vegetables and to provide exercise and relaxation space for residents. In addition, the project will have many green features: cross ventilation, solar shades, non-toxic paints, rapidly renewable wood products, high-efficiency mechanical systems, energy-conserving appliances, and renewable energy strategies, including solar voltaic canopies.

To be honest, I don't even know what solar voltaic canopies are, but they must be good, right? And who doesn't like to grow produce on their roofs?

Nancy A. Ruhling's Full Article

Click to learn more about Jonathan Rose Companies

~Jay O. + ErLu

Melrose Reborn

I am fascinated and intrigued by the wholesale rebuilding and development happening in Melrose, a community in the South Bronx. This community is literally being rebuilt from the ground up, with new sidewalks, streets, decorative street lights, tree plantings, new condos and rentals, affordable and market rate, new 3 family homes, new retail, a new college, and a number of green housing and initiatives, including solar panels and green roofs.

This community is in the midst of a major transformation, and you can see how much has happened thus far, and it is only about 1/3 complete: about 1 million more square feet of retail, commercial and residential will be coming online in the next 2 years, with further development over the following 3 years. The changes are dramatic. Take a look...this is the South Bronx of today AND tomorrow...





















~Jay O.