Labor Day weekend marks the traditional end of the summer season in NYC. So before you fire up the BBQ, check out this tour of historical summer scenes across the city.

Andrew J. Freedman Home Designated June 2, 1992 1125 Grand Concourse (Joseph H. Freedlander & Harry Allan Jacobs, 1922-24; wings by David Levy, 1928-31) – NYCHD, NYCIL Sitting prominently on the Grand Concourse, the four-story Andrew Freedman home was designed by Joseph Freedlander and Harry Jacobs in the tradition of the Italian Renaissance palazzo. This monumental building is defined by its symmetrical massing and architectural details, including a balustraded terrace and beautiful ironwork. After his death in 1915, Andrew Freedman, who was involved with the construction of New York City’s first subway and had close ties to Tammany Hall, left his fortune for the establishment of a home for the “care and maintenance of aged and indigent persons of both sexes…who have been in good circumstances but by reason of adverse fortune, have become poor and dependent.” This home for the once-wealthy was expanded between 1928 and 1931 and remained in its original use until 1983. Purchased by the Mid-Bronx Senior Citizens Council, the rechristened Andrew Freedman Complex now serves as a lodging facility, cultural center and event space.

Aquarium mosaic at the entrance of 1150 Grand Concourse, ca. 1980-2000. 1150 Grand Concourse is a well-known Art Deco apartment house, locally referred to as the 'Fish Building' for its colorful entrance mosaic of tropical fish. Built in 1936-7, and designed by architects Horace Ginsbern and Marvin Fine, the building includes fantastic interior and exterior architectural details. The lobby has a red, green, and gold terrazzo floor and aquatic themed murals by Rene and CP Graves. The Art Moderne facade includes a horizontal metal canopy over the entrance and round corner windows that look out onto the Grand Concourse.

Daughters of Jacob Home and Hospital, ca. 1920. Bronx architect Louis Allen Abramson designed the building of the Home and Hospital of the Daughters of Jacob with eight wings that radiated from the center, like the spokes of a wheel. Completed in 1916, the expansive building serviced as a Jewish nursing home, its unique layout providing the residential spaces with light and air access on three sides. In the late 1960s, the neighborhoods demographics had changed dramatically and the nursing home considered a move out of the city. Instead they elected to remain in their home and renovate and expand to continue their mission. Architect Abramson was hired once again (he was in his mid 80s by 1970) to design a modern senior apartment complex adjacent to the old home. Completed in late 1971, the new structure allowed the old building to be emptied, gutted, and brought up to code. The historic exterior of the old building was preserved and a second new building, to serve as a geriatric center, was completed later in the decade. Today both the 1971-built Abramson residence and the later Triboro Center are connected to the 1916 main building by pedestrian bridges.

Where do the rich go when they lose all their money? To a mansion in the Bronx of course. This was the brainchild of millionaire Andrew J. Freedman.

Jerome Avenue commercial strip, north of East 167th Street, 1940. In the background, a train is visible on the IRT Jerome Avenue Line elevated tracks. At right is Oxford Hardware, with a flurry of related advertisements. At center are signs for the Midway Bar & Grill and Beefsteak Daly’s, which may be the same establishment. A 1955 posting in the Irish-American advocate announces the transfer of a liquor license for 1212 Jerome Avenue from the estate of William A. Daly to Irene C. Daly, doing business as “Midway Cafe.” The photo is dated 1940, but the Beefsteak Daly’s awning carries an advertisement reading “television here,” possibly indicating a later date.

Andrew J. Freedman Home, October 1, 1924. Opening its doors in 1924, the Andrew J. Freedman Home's mission was a rather peculiar one: to serve as a retirement home for wealthy individuals who had lost their money. Having almost lost his entire fortune in the Panic of 1907, Andrew Freeman, a self-made millionaire, came up with this peculiar charity and, upon his death in 1915, left some of his substantial fortune to create the eponymous home. The four-story building in French and Italian Renaissance style cost a million dollars to build and was only to serve individuals who been in "good circumstances" financially. The recently impoverished were supposed to adhere to a set of manners and formal dress. In exchange, these residents were allowed to live rent free in the plush palazzo and were attended to by servants. Two wings were added in 1928 and 1931 just in time to accommodate the suddenly destitute stockbrokers of the Great Depression. Eventually during the 1960s, the trust that supported the home, much like the denizens of the Home, ran out of money and the Home's residents were forced to pay rent. It was eventually bought by the mid Bronx Senior Citizen's Council and turned into a retirement home for the destitute. The Andrew J. Freedman Home was named a New York City Landmark in 1992 and now serves as an event and art space as well as a day care center.

The Daughters of Jacob Home and Hospital was built on land that had been the William E. Morris estate. The grounds included a large mansion and a smaller stone structure used supposedly as a schoolhouse. The stone building was said to have been constructed in 1792, while the mansion was erected in 1816 by James Morris. His son William was a Civil War major general. According to various sources, former President of the Confederacy, Jefferson Davis, was a frequent visitor to the home following his release from prison in 1869, though the connection to the house or the Morris family (who fought on the side of the Union) is unclear.

My Archive Spring 2019 "Family photo of future singing star Eydie Gorme (born Edith Gormezano) as a very stylish child on her rooftop in The Bronx. Eydie would go on to star on Broadway, in Las Vegas, at Carnegie Hall, The London Palladium, etc. and was frequently on TV's Tonight Show and Carol Burnett Show, with hit records and albums that topped both the pop and Latin charts." —Neil Cohen

1150 Grand Concourse, ca. 1980-2000.