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.

860 Melrose Avenue. ca. 1910. This narrow, but long two-story building on Melrose Avenue was likely a new construction at the time this photograph was taken. The storefront at the corner is occupied by a "fancy cash groceries" and just down the block (at no. 864 in the same building) is a fish and oyster market. The other storefront are empty and have "to let" notifications posted.

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.

"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