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THE GRAND CONCOURSE: A BOULEVARD THAT LIVES
sk anyone who lives or has lived in The Bronx and they will know “The Grand Boulevard a nd Concourse.” Chances are they will affecttionately refer to it as “the Concourse” or “the Grand Concourse,” but without question the name will spark a reaction. The vision for a grand boulevard in The Bronx has its origins in the early 20th century with a Frenchborn street engineer named Louis Aloys Risse. He, like the many others associated with “the City Beautiful Movement,” an architectural idea established in the 1890s, believed that if New York was to be a world class city, it must also be a place where an urban environment lifts the spirit and compliments the eye. In short, the city must be beautiful. In Risse’s own words: “…I recalled that rocky ridge east of Jerome Avenue with which I had been so impressed during my hunting days. And at once the idea occurred to me that this ridge could be well utilized as a location upon which to build a broad and grand avenue that would serve the dual purpose of a connecting link between the Park systems and a Speedway or Grand Concourse.
In 1909, Risse’s Grand Boulevard and Concourse, is initiated into service. It is 182 feet wide, featuring broad tree-lined sidewalks ideal for promenading, with a building wall set back far enough so that the overall width of this Construction begins on The Grand avenue approximates 200 Concourse and Boulevard c. 1903 feet. Offering a striking resemblance to Paris’ Champs-Elysées, this Grand Boulevard is in fact the only New York City street where intersecting avenues are submerged, hence the name “Concourse.” This exclusive characteristic allows major celebrations to occur with virtually no traffic interruption or congestion. Think, when this was happening automobiles were yet to be produced and most of what lined this boulevard are private homes. BRONX FUN GUIDE FALL 2018
By Sam Goodman
Throughout the 1920’s, 536,000 newcomers established homes in The Bronx for the first time. Consequently on the Grand Concourse every block was teeming with construction creating state-of-theart residences. Boasting marble and brass, Persian carpets and rod iron chandeliers, these places conveyed pride. During the Great Depression architects celebrate Art Deco with building facades of A boulevard is yellow, orange and blue. Half moon a promenade, doors of polished steel are a drive, and surrounded by glass avenue of block that at night offer a welcoming pleasure… glow in green or blue. Ironically, the ~Louis Aloys Risse most famous of these Art Deco buildings forewent glass and steel in favor of a mosaic scene of tropical fish. Hence, to this day, 1150 Grand Concourse is known as “The Fish Building.” Indeed, this entire block boasts an excellent array of Art Deco structures, which if seen at dusk uniformly reveals that the location of each window is perfectly aligned with the setting sun. Step inside to discover murals, tinted mirror glass, unique Terrazzo floors, and ways by which the
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The Fish Building Photo Credit: Olga Luz Tirado
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