Schnorer Club Parade near 148th Street and Third Avenue, 1893. The Schnorer Club was a German social club in the Bronx, founded in 1881. Its headquarters building was located north of the location of this parade at 163 Street and Third Avenue. Many members of the club were active in local politics and the club was well known for its entertainment and activities. Each year at the end of the summer, the club paraded from 164th Street to the Harlem River with music and fireworks. As legend has it, Dr. Thomas Curtin, an Irish immigrant and a New York City coroner, invented green beer for St. Patrick's Day at the Schnorer Club in 1914.

East 149th Street, west from Bergen Avenue, as seen across the trestle of the Third Avenue Elevated Line. In the right back is visible the Immaculate Conception Church at the northwest corner of Melrose Avenue and East 150th Street, 1926.

Bronx Theatre, 1909. Opened in 1909 the Bronx Theatre was not only a live performance venue. The wide corner building included the auditorium, two large storefronts on Melrose, a large assembly hall, and office spaces on the third floor. Designed by W.F. McElfatrick, the theatre presented a classic but restrained facade, while the interiors were elaborately paneled and highly decorated with ornamental plaster, murals, and imitation marble. The technology installed was said to be "especially adapted to the needs of modern vaudeville." When opened it was lauded for its excellent sight lines; supposedly any seat in the house provided a complete view of the stage. The theatre was sold to the RKO circuit in 1912, became the Miner’s in the Bronx Theatre in 1917, and finally closed in 1947 under the name the Central Theatre. Today the Cookies children's clothing store that occupies this corner looks to have the same shape as the theatre and likely includes the the original exterior walls, with the windows either filled in or covered over.

"147th Street and Willis Avenue. Dollar Savings Bank, circa 1918." The Dollar Savings Bank was founded in the Bronx in 1887 by John Haffen, a member of a prominent local family. The original location was housed at 2808 Third Avenue, but the space quickly became insufficient for the thriving business. This 1918/1919 Classical Revival building sits on a trapezoidal corner lot and fronts three different streets. The distinguished building remained the headquarters of the bank until the 1950s when the headquarters was moved to the Fordham branch. This building was sold in 1974 to a Seventh Day Adventist Church.

(Michael J. Garvin, 1906-07) The merger of the five boroughs into Greater New York in 1898 caused a wave of public building projects as the new municipal government consolidated and upgraded its services. Like the police station (site 6a) and library (site 6b), this firehouse is designed in the formal Neoclassical style typical of the era. Its architect was Michael Garvin, a Bronx native who served as the borough’s first Commissioner of Buildings. This particular company traces its history to the private fire squad associated with the J. L. Mott Iron Works, established in the mid-19th century and merged into the public service when portions of the Bronx were annexed by Manhattan in 1874. Another individually designated firehouse is located on the opposite side of the neighborhood at 618 East 138th Street. Firehouse Engine Company 83 and Hook & Ladder 29 (Robert D. Kohn, 1904-05) was established during this period of municipal improvements. It was one of the earliest firehouses in the city with two vehicle entrances.

Late night fire at the Brook Avenue facility of Morris & Co., a "meat concern," April 13, 1933. Around 10pm, a fire broke out in rail a tunnel beneath the Morris & Co. building, a cold storage facility for meat products. The tunnel, which led to the New York & Harlem Railroad freight yards then on located on the east side of Brook Avenue, "creating a draught, spread the flames through the building quickly." With the fire partially suppressed, some FDNY resources were redirected to another active blaze, some four blocks south at 506 Brook Avenue.

St. Rita's Roman Catholic Church was founded in 1904.

Mott Haven Dutch Reformed Church, April 28, 1941. In 1850 Mott Haven founder, Jordan L. Mott, donated land and funds for the establishment of a new Dutch Reformed church. Services were first performed in a nearby schoolhouse, but in 1854 the new brick church was completed. Dedicated in March of the next year, the bell tower was finished seven years later. The Mott Haven Dutch Reformed Church bells rung out in celebration on January 1, 1874 when this area, once part of Westchester Country, was annexed by New York City. (These new city residents were certainly happier with their annexation than the disgruntled Brooklynites 24 years later when they became part of the Greater New York City.) With this municipal relationship also came further development, both positive and negative. The erection of the Third Avenue El caused quite a bit of problems for the congregation. The pastors were forced to pause when the trains rumbled by and the vibrations from the train passing caused instability in the old brick church. In the 1910s the church sued the city related to these issues, and following a win, used the reward funds to shore up the church and move it around the corner to a new foundation on 146th Street. The 19th century structure remained until 1971 when it was replaced with a low-rise, bland, and windowless structure.

"E. 143rd Street, adjoining the northeast corner of Willis Avenue showing the North Congregational Church and parish house, 1941." Originally called the Congregation Church of North New York, the direction in the name referenced its location at what was the northern reaches of New York City when the church was constructed in 1903. Designed by Dodge and Morrison, the massive church can fit 1000 parishioners on the main floor and more than 500 on the balcony.

Firefighters battle a tenement blaze on Brook Avenue in Mott Haven; April 14, 1933. The fire broke out in the early morning hours and spread to each floor of No. 506 Brook Avenue (second building from corner, at left). At least three firefighters were awarded Department Medals for their bravery in rescuing trapped residents under dangerous conditions.

"370 and 376 E. 154th Street, south side, between Courtlandt and Melrose Avenues. No 370 is the 2 story frame house set back from the sidewalk. No. 376 is the 1 story Miller's Machine Shop building."

My Archive Summer 2019