Large Bird House, 1911. Constructed in 1905 and designed by Heins & La Farge (the designers of the original IRT subway stations), the Large Bird House is a neo-classical structure of limestone, brick, and terra cotta. The sculpture and reliefs on the building, including the life-size eagle over the door were created by Alexander P. Proctor. Proctor, a prolific sculptor, also created pieces for three other zoo buildings, and was the artist behind the three pumas that watch over the Third Street entrance to Prospect Park. The building originally housed more than 1500 avian specimens.

Belmont was originally part of the Town of West Farms (incorporated 1846), which, with the Towns of Kingsbridge and Morrisania, was annexed by New York City in 1874. From 1901 to 1973 Belmont was served by the Third Avenue Elevated, which had stops at 180th Street, 183rd Street and Fordham Road. Today, the easiest way to get to Belmont from Manhattan is by Metro-North to Fordham. A short walk east along Fordham Road, with Fordham University’s beautiful campus on one’s left, takes one to Arthur Avenue, the main commercial artery of Belmont, renowned as The Bronx’s “Little Italy,” though the neighborhood also contains sizable representations of Albanians and Mexicans. Notable residents have included the esteemed novelist Don DeLillo (b. 1936), who was born and grew up near Arthur Avenue (and who attended Fordham University) and was the recipient of the National Book Award in 1985 for his novel White Noise. DeLillo’s novel Underworld (1997) is partly set in the neighborhood. Perhaps the most famous of Belmont’s native sons is Dion Francis DiMucci (b. 1939), who grew up at 749 East 183rd Street, at Prospect Avenue. A member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Dion (he has always been known by the single name) was one of the most popular recording artists in the world in the late 1950s and 1960s, and has been counted a principal influence by Paul Simon, Bruce Springsteen and Lou Reed. Dion got his musical start by singing a cappella on Belmont street corners. With three other neighborhood boys, he formed Dion and the Belmonts in 1957. Belmont is also notable as the setting of the Academy Award-winning film Marty (1955). Locals like to point ou that actor Joe Pesci was “discovered” by Robert DeNiro while tending bar at Amici’s, an Arthur Avenue restaurant. Another important cultural touchstone for the neighborhood is the off-Broadway play, film, and Broadway musical A Bronx Tale by Chazz Palminteri. Fordham University, on the northern border of Belmont, originated as St. John’s College in 1841. The campus was built on the Rose Hill manor farm of Robert Watts. Renamed as Fordham University in 1907, it was the first Roman Catholic college in the northeastern United States. Among Fordham’s countless notable alumni are Congress Member Geraldine Ferraro, Governor Andrew Cuomo, CIA director William Casey, Attorney General John Mitchell, football coach Vince Lombardi, baseball announcer Vin Scully, novelist Don DeLillo, and actor Denzel Washington. Belmont was once part of the landholdings of the Lorillard family. The Lorillard tobacco firm was founded in 1760 and moved to this part of The Bronx in 1792. In 1870, the family moved their manufacturing operations from The Bronx to Jersey City, and in 1888, the city acquired the eastern section of the Lorillard lands for incorporation into Bronx Park. The western section—today’s Belmont—was subdivided for development. Many Italian immigrants were attracted to the area by jobs in the construction of the New York Botanical Garden (opened 1891), the Bronx Zoo (opened 1899) and the Jerome Park Reservoir (opened 1906). There is a persistent myth that Arthur Avenue was named by one of the Lorillards in honor of President Chester A. Arthur. However, the name “Arthur Street” appears on the New York City Department of Public Parks topographical map of the Bronx in 1873. That is eight years before Arthur became president, making it unlikely that the avenue was named for him. To learn more about the area, visit www.BronxLittleItaly.com

Aquinas High School, 1940 The school known today as Aquinas High School was built on land that came from the Grote Estate, from the Astoria Homestead Company. It first opened in 1900, as a school for young children in a wood-frame house on the property, before being moved into the nearby larger brick mansion. In 1923, it was converted into a business school for women. In 1939, the school officially became a women's high school. The original buildings of the estate, previously preserved and used for academic purposes, were demolished and a more traditional school building was completed. The school's first class had over 400 students, and by 1947, that number had nearly doubled. With two cafeterias, music and art rooms, science labs, a gymnasium, and other modern facilities, it was one of the most well-equipped high schools in the state at the time. In 1985, Aquinas was one of the first schools in New York to be named "exemplary" by the United States Department of Education.

Ever wonder how a blueprint goes from lines on a page to a building of brick and wood? With New York's Fire Stations we have a chance to witness it first hand. The New York Public Design Commission's collection of blueprints of Fire Stations combined with the New York Landmarks Conservancy photos of the Stations in the late 20th Century offer a glimpse into the transformation.

Organized firefighting has long been a part of New York City’s history. Groups of volunteer firefighters were first formed by Dutch colonists in the 1640s and the more formal volunteer Fire Department of the City of New York was established in 1737. It wasn’t until the 19th century that volunteers began to be replaced by professional firefighters. In 1865, the New York’s state legislature established the Metropolitan Fire Department to serve the residents of Brooklyn and Manhattan. In 1870, when the new city charter relinquished control of the city from the state, the name was reverted to the Fire Department of the City of New York (FDNY). When the city expanded to include all five boroughs in 1898, the various departments were unified into a single citywide firefighting organization. Some volunteer firefighters still remained in sparsely populated areas, but were disbanded or absorbed by the FDNY in the early 20th century as new paid companies were installed. Professionalization of firefighting also led to standardization of fire stations and equipment. An increasing number of stations were built throughout the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Between 1880 and 1895, Napoleon LeBrun & Son was the official architectural firm of the FDNY. After 1895, the FDNY employed in-house architects, including FDNY superintendent of buildings Alexander Stevens, and outside architects, including Walter E. Parfitt, Herts & Tallant, Hoppin & Koen, Satterlee & Boyd and Dennison, and Hirons & Darbyshire. At the turn of the century, new stations were built with neo-classical details, following the principles of the City Beautiful movement. The expansion and professionalization of the FDNY are exemplified in the large number of projects reviewed by the Art Commission in the early 20th century, including fire alarm boxes and over 60 fire stations in all five boroughs.

FDNY Engine 88, 1993 Seagrave truck.

Elephant House interior ca. 1940 The architectural heart of the Bronx Zoo is Astor Court, a group of Beaux-Arts pavilions designed by Heins & La Farge. The principal building, originally called the Elephant House, is structured as a series of Guastavino vaults crowned by a two-tiered dome covering a central rotunda. The shallow inner dome features a distinctive herringbone tile pattern pierced by a ring of circular skylights. Polychrome tiles initially finished the tall outer dome, later re-clad in metal.

Bronx Zoo Built 1899-1910; Heins & La Farge, architects; Harold A. Caparn; landscape architect. Sculptural decoration by Eli Harvey, Charles R. Knight, and Alexander Phimister Proctor. National Collection of Heads and Horns (now Security, Education and International Conservation Offices). Built 1922; Founded 1895, opened 1899 In 1884, Fordham University sold a large parcel of its campus to the City for use as a zoo and garden, known as Bronx Park. The property had historically been part of the Lorillard estate, whose snuff mill is still extant within the New York Botanical Garden. In 1888, the City allotted 250 of its acres to the New York Zoological Society, and in 1891, another 250 to the New York Botanical Society. The largest of the city’s five zoos, The Bronx Zoo is divided into northern and southern sections. The north is characterized by its formal layout, with Astor Court in the center, surrounded by Beaux Arts buildings, some of which are designated city landmarks. The landscape in the south is more naturalistic, with buildings ranging in style from Modern to Brutalist. This entry is the Asia Gate, which leads into a forest surrounding the Bronx River, with Asian wildlife displays.

Astor Court stands as one of the few intact ensembles in New York City realized according to City Beautiful ideals. It was designated a New York City Landmark in 2000. Zoo Center, once known as the Elephant House, is the Court's terminus. Originally known as Baird Court, the architects Heins and LaFarge designed it in consultation with early WCS officials. Its Beaux Arts style—marked by heavily ornamented buildings that reflected the animal inhabitants within—was influenced by the Court of Honor at the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago. While WCS’s leaders wanted the court’s refined style to reflect the society’s commitment to learning and culture, they were also dedicated to maintaining the natural landscape throughout the rest of the park. This distinct balance between built and natural environments is still evident at the Bronx Zoo today.

A selection of engine companies in the Bronx gathered from the New York City Fire Museum's archives.

Elephant House, Bronx Zoo, ca. 1975. The Beaux-Arts Elephant House, completed in 1908 and now known as the Zoo Center, is the centerpiece of the Astor Court master plan designed by the Heins & La Farge firm. The elaborate structure features Guastavino tile and extensive terra cotta sculptural detail.

As New York battles the Coronavirus pandemic this summer, city businesses and public spaces are re-opening in phases. While we await the call to reopen museums and other indoor cultural activities, Phase 4 will bring New Yorkers back into the zoos, botanical gardens, and key tourist attractions throughout the city like the Statue of Liberty and Empire State Building. Plus, professional sports will resume, though without fans in the stands.