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.

High Bridge Branch of the New York Public Library, 1933. Designed by Carrère & Hastings and opened in 1908, the original High Bridge Branch was demolished in 1975. It was replaced by a new library building on the same site, which according to sources was dark and airless. The branch underwent extensive renovations between 2007 and 2010 with the roof being raised to make for a larger space with generous windows.

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.

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.

Entrance to the Park Plaza Apartments, ca. 1995. The Park Plaza, built in 1931, is an early example of Art Deco apartment building architecture in the Bronx. Situated on the west side of Jerome Avenue at 164th Street, the Park Plaza entrance used to face Macombs Dam Park. Today, the southern section of that parkland has been replaced by the new Yankee Stadium. This black and white photo doesn’t do justice to the intricate polychrome terra cotta details that surround the entranceway and enliven the building’s facade.

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.

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

1295 Shakespeare Avenue, about 1924. The two-story clapboard house appears on Bronx maps as early as 1891, when Shakespeare Avenue was known as Marcher Avenue. Despite the 20th century addition of sky-blue vinyl, the house’s bones remain intact, including its distinctive first floor bay window.

FDNY Engine 68, Mack truck from 1978.