Rex Cole Showroom, interior, 1931.

Due to the hilly terrain of the Bronx as well as some parts of upper Manhattan, these steep, often block-long, open air staircases were built to accommodate pedestrian traffic. Referred to as step streets, the staircase seen to the right of 2415 Marion Avenue is one of 63 such "streets" in the Bronx. Though some date to the end of the 19th century, this staircase was constructed by the WPA during the Depression.

Wagner Building, 1937. Constructed in 1937 for the businessman Constantin Wagner, Jr., the Art Deco structure epitomizes the streamlined look and decorative elements (here glazed terra cotta) of the style popular along the Grand Concourse. Early advertising for the building notes its advantageous location on commercial streets, near to public transit, as a well as new population centers (housed in the rising Deco apartment houses on the Concourse) and other shopping and entertainment. The building's Art Deco features remain today, though they have been largely obscured by massive chain store signage, in this case, the huge red and white sign for the stationary store, Staples.

William G. Schrafft was a Boston chocolate and candy maker whose confections were sold in stores owned by a businessman named Frank G. Shattuck. The original candy stores opened in 1898, and by 1909 the shops were selling lunch in addition to sweets. The first two Schrafft stores in New York were in Manhattan, but by 1930 more than 25 stores were open in the New York area. These luncheonettes catered to a largely female clientele, with a largely female front and back of house staff. A descendant of the original owner once said of the patrons, “Everyone wore hats and handmade suits. And if you were a lady, it was safe to sit at the soda fountain and drink gin from a teacup.”

Originally built as the Christ Evangelical Lutheran Church, this brick church building now houses the congregation of the Solomon Temple Baptist Church. The once next door neighbor of the church has been demolished since this 1938 photograph was taken.

"Grand Concourse, west side, north from but not including E. 184th Street, showing W.P.A. men repaving the west lane of the thoroughfare. Shown, too, is Loew's Paradise Theatre." The Loew's Paradise Theatre (seen the distance, flags flying in front) is one of five Loew's 'Wonder Theatres' opened in the New York City/New Jersey area in the 1929 and 1930. This large movie house, opened in September 1929, was designed by architect John Eberson in the Atmospheric style. In this type of design, particular to movie palaces, the construction and decoration of the interior gave the illusion of being in an outdoor setting, complete with celing paintings of the night sky. Both the exterior and interior of the theatre are landmarked and it is currently used as the home of the World Changers Church New York.

Rex Cole Showroom, 1931. Rex Cole was a local tri-state area appliance store in the early to mid 20th century. The man himself was a lamp manufacturer, who in the 1920s became associated with General Electric, and was chosen as the main retailer of GE's new white enamel Monitor Top refrigerators. By the 1930s, more than 15 Rex Cole showrooms dotted the city and surrounding areas and Cole was making a reported $15 million a year in appliances. This Art Deco inspired store (along with other all over the city) was designed by famed Deco architect Raymond Hood. Hood is best known as the senior designer of Rockefeller Center and architect of McGraw-Hill Building on 42nd Street. The Hood-designed showrooms were impressive and perfect for the marketing of shiny new appliances; here he created a two-story-high central window to display the wares. Despite the quick success of the Rex Cole stores in the early 1930s, Cole was forced to file for bankruptcy in 1935. He closed a number of stores as a result, and the few that remained survived only until the mid 1950s.

2444 Tiebout Avenue, 1941. Sadly the two homes squished between the large brick apartment buildings are no longer, and the land is now used as a parking lot.