Montefiore Summer Programming

It looks like Montefiore Medical Center is really stepping up its game in terms of programming for its employees and local residents.

We were alerted to the lunchtime concert series held every Monday by a BxNN post about the recent Fingees set. When we clicked through to the longer Norwood News article about Montefiore's new courtyard we discovered a very nice schedule of programming from the hospital.

Mondays: 12:30pm-1:30pm, free lunchtime concerts (June 7 - the end of August)

Tuesdays: 11am - 3pm, barbecues and food for sale (June 1- the end of the summer)

Thursdays: 10am-3pm, farmers' market (May 27-the end of the summer)

MMC is located in the northwestern part of Norwood at the intersection of 210th Street and Bainbridge Avenue.

We'll be sure to get over there at sometime and let you know what we think.

~ErLu

Big Deals

4401 Bronx Blvd. was recently acquired by Montefiore Medical Center

The Real Deal reported the following in the beginning of September:

The Montefiore Medical Center has purchased the Farrand Building, a former rehabilitation center, at 4401 Bronx Boulevard for $5.19 million. Formerly operated by Our Lady of Mercy Medical, the 40,000-square-foot building will be used in the same capacity by its new owners, according to a statement from Kelly Lee, a representative for NAI Friedland Realty. The realty group's Rick Stassa represented both buyer and seller in the transaction. TRD

It's great to see Monte snapping up such a huge property during this real estate downturn. To the average observer, everything they own is impeccably maintained and their presence brings a sense of stability to neighborhoods.

GlobeSt.com reports the following affordable housing project in Morrisania:

Bronx Pro Real Estate Management opened a new 90-unit affordable housing development at 1085 Washington Ave., in the Morrisania section of the Bronx on Tuesday, according to a release from the management company. The building’s anchor tenant will be DreamYard, a local provider of art education to K-12 aged students.

Bronx Pro says it has completed new construction and renovation projects through the Neighborhood Entrepreneur and New Foundations programs, sponsored by the city’s Department of Housing Preservation and Development. In the release, Peter Magistro, president of Bronx Pro, says, “this building is a testament not only to Bronx Pro’s commitment to developing quality affordable housing, but our commitment to the creation of new communities in the Bronx.”

The New York City Housing Development Corp. provided a $13.6-million construction loan, $5.7 million in permanent financing and a $4.95-million subsidy. Other partners included Enterprise Community Partners, who provided Bronx Pro with an acquisition loan equaling $3.4 million, $95 million in tax credit equity and a $40,000 Green Communities Grant.

The new building includes a 1,850-square-foot green rooftop garden that’s certified a “natural habitat in the Bronx” that includes a sustainable native organic garden, birdhouses and a solar powered birdbath. According to he release, the roof will provide a “safe haven for migrating or native birds, butterflies and bees that may be seeking sanctuary in the Bronx.”[GlobeSt.com]

Good stuff!

~ErLu

Montefiore Pioneering Laugh Therapy

Apologies to all the BoogieDowner faithful, but this is going to be a light day. Post holiday obligations and leftover sandwiches will have me away from the interweb and the blogosphere most of the day.

In any case, here is a light story for a light day.

Montefiore Medical Center, the diadem in the crown of Bronx medicine, is using laugh therapy to help its cancer patients deal with the stress and psychological trauma the deadly disease brings.

While there have been no fancy medical journals explaining or confirming the exact physiological effects of laughter therapy, laughter itself has been proved to lower blood pressure and reduce stress.

To read the AP story about Montefiore and Laughter Therapy, click HERE.

*frightening clown image courtesy of http://www.inspirational-short-stories.com/images/laughter.jpg*

~ErLu

The Prettiest Block in Norwood?

In our infinite wisdom, BoogieDowner hereby proclaims that Rochambeau Avenue must be the prettiest block in Norwood. Aside from the quaint "tree-lined street" feeling you get when you walk down the street (complete with cute chirping bird noises), the buildings are all gorgeous and appear to be nicely maintained. Most of them have grand, hoity toity (another BoogieDowner term similar to "shee-shee-foo-foo") entrances which lend an air of elegance to the block.

I know that after BoogieDowner's official pronouncement that Rochambeau is the prettiest block in Norwood, legions of readers will be flocking to move there and get their slice of real estate heaven. So to further entice you, I've done a bit of rental research... True 1 bedrooms can be had for between $800 and $1,000 per month (the higher end of that scale most of the time reflecting the price of a newly renovated pad). I can't seem to find anything for sale on Rochambeau right now, which leads me to believe that most of these buildings are rentals, and that the single family homes and duplexes/triplexes have very low turnover.

As if its beauty weren't enough, Rochambeau is also a stone's throw away from the express D train at 204th Street, and super close to Montefiore Medical Center and the Williamsbridge Oval. Here are a few pieces of photographic evidence to back up our claim on this hidden secret in Norwood:

~ErLu

Listing of the Day: Norwood 1 Bedroom Rental

ROCHEMBEAU AVE at BAINBRIDGE AVE - 1 Bedroom $1000/mo.

The outside of this building is really beautiful and the interior pics seem to show a pretty decent apartment, for a pretty decent price.

Norwood is a beautiful neighborhood in the shadow of Montefiore Medical Center, so you might find yourself doing some of your shopping on 204th street with lunching medical students and nurses. Actually, if you get further North-West in the neighborhood, you'll see resident housing for medical students and other offices owned by the hospital - of course all impeccably maintained.

The southern edge of the nabe is Mosholu Parkway, which is really a stretch of green space connecting the NY Botanical Garden to Van Cortlandt Park. If you are in to jogging or running, or just hanging out under a tree on some nice grass, the Mosholu Parkway (and Norwood) is for you.

The shopping stretch on 204th includes a lot of mom and pop stores, a CVS, a Foodtown, great fresh vegetable stores, a fish monger, an Albanian butcher,a diner and a few of the old bars left over, like McDwyer's and McMahon's, from Norwood's days as a stop on the Irish Immigrant railroad (when the neighborhood was called Bainbridge). There are also a few decent Latin/Mexican places, of which my favorite is Rio Mixteco down near Webster Avenue and 204th. You have to try a chorizo taco..mmmmmmm!

There is a D train stop right in the heart of Norwood on 205th Street (last stop on the D). Don't let the terminus of the line scare you though, the D runs super express in the am/pm rush.

Another great aspect of Norwood is the misnamed Williamsbridge Oval, which Boogiedowner has covered in the past. The Oval just underwent a multi-million dollar renovation. There are the obligatory hoops courts and playgrounds, but even a dog run and really well maintained tennis courts (that actually get used!). In fact, the Museum of Bronx History is housed right outside of the Oval at the Valentine-Varian House.

And to all those hipsters priced out of renting in Billburg or who don't know enough Polish to live in Greenpoint, there have been sightings in the hood. You wouldn't be alone.

Full Listing

~ErLu