Location
This intersection consists of two major streets in the Bronx, Grand Concourse, also known as Park Ave of the middle class, and Fordham, also known as the low-lying meadow by a source of water.
This picture shows the street sign where it shows the intersection of Grand Concourse, and Fordham Rd. Along the lamppost that holds these two streets, there are two other signs that say Big Pun Plaza and Luis Moreno Way, which are both commemorating the community’s loved ones that left an impact on that area and other areas of The Bronx. “Big Pun” Plaza comes from late rapper Christopher Lee Rios aka “Big Pun,” who created a big impact on the reflection of Black and Latinos in the streets of The Bronx. Luis Moreno was a 19 year old veteran who was shot and killed in Baghdad, Iraq on January 29, 2004.
These pictures were taken in Grand Concourse, Fordham Rd. Some of these pictures can be shown to regulars who usually go to this specific area, and they will say that it is either from Grand Concourse, or from Fordham. While both Fordham and Grand Concourse are their own separately and famously known areas in New York, specifically in the Bronx, there is an intersection where they meet, which is where the majority of these pictures were taken.
Trains
The construction of Grand Concourse led to the expansion of subway lines B, D, and 4, which allowed people to travel to and from Manhattan and the Bronx by train. Also, at the start of the 20th century, Fordham’s population started to expand significantly when families from Manhattan’s middle and working class started to move there because of the convenience of these subway lines.
As you can see in these pictures the 4 train has stairs that lead upward towards the station because the 4 train runs above ground for certain stops, including the Fordham Road stop. Meanwhile, the B and D trains have stairs that lead down to the station because the B and D train station runs underground at all stops. The middle picture was taken inside the 4 train station, but there is a sign that says Fordham Road in both stations to let the passengers know which stop they are at.
Graffiti
Graffiti, which was first seen to be a kind of vandalism, is a key component of New York City’s cultural fabric and has a long and illustrious history. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, graffiti became popular as a means of expression, especially in places like The Bronx, and it soon gained acceptance as a valid form of art with its own distinct and unique styles. These three pictures show that graffiti can be found anywhere, from random spacious walls, to mailboxes, to poles. Something else to take from these pictures is the uniqueness between every single one of these pieces of art, and how they each take up their own shape and style. Some graffiti can be just one color and some lettering, others can be full of designs and colorful.
Parking
If you’re a true New Yorker, you know how obnoxious it can be to look for parking everywhere you go. It feels like everyone owns a car! It’s even worse when they try limiting the already limited parking spaces, like they did in the picture below. Imagine coming home from a long, exhausting day at work, and you have to spend another two hours looking for a parking spot, just to see that a whole street is closed off from parking. Or imagine having to use the bathroom so bad, but not even the fire hydrant has space, and now you’re left going around the block in circles while holding your bladder still. The only other option besides going around in circles for hours on end is to park in one of those paid parking garages, like the one in the picture below, but they’re always so expensive. Some places will charge you over $40! As if living in New York isn’t already expensive enough.
Diversity
During the 1920s, it was known to be in the top 5 for most heavily Jewish communities, with an unspoken rule to not sell to Black and Puerto Ricans. Fordham was predominately white, but there were also Irish, Jewish, Italian, and Albanians that resided in the village. When looking at this intersection today, you are faced with the heavy diversity that is the people of the Bronx, and see people from Puerto Rican, Dominican, Mexican, Black, African, Muslim, Christians, Jews, and more.
Spanish
Taking a look at these pictures will be evident to how diverse Grand Concourse / Fordham Rd actually is. The first picture is a church with spanish words saying “Iglesia Pentecostal / El Rey Ya Viene / Fundador Jesucristo,” which translates to “Pentecostal Church / The King is Coming / Founder Jesus Christ.” The second picture shows the word “Farmacia” which translates to “pharmacy.” These two pictures show that these two places are accommodating for the Spanish population on this street, and the church especially is primarily targeting the Spanish speaking audience by only having the building name in Spanish.
Black
The third picture shows a sign outside of a salon of different braid styles. Braids are special specifically to Black culture because braiding has been utilized historically for several purposes, such as tracking slave escape routes and establishing social status, tribes, and other societal classifications.
Food
Regarding food, looking at the fourth and fifth picture, you can see that there’s even diversity in the food that is sold in this intersection. While there are many traditional American fast-food chains in this street, there’s also accommodations for Latinos and Italians. The fourth picture is a pizza place called “Best Italian Pizza,” and pizza is part of Italian culture. The fifth picture shows a Mexican food truck that is colorful and has pictures of tacos, which is targeting Mexicans, but also any other Latino population since it’s also in Spanish.
During the 1920s, it was known to be in the top 5 for most heavily Jewish communities, with an unspoken rule to not sell to Black and Puerto Ricans. Fordham was predominately white, but there were also Irish, Jewish, Italian, and Albanians that resided in the village. When looking at this intersection today, you are faced with the heavy diversity that is the people of the Bronx, and see people from Puerto Rican, Dominican, Mexican, Black, African, Muslim, Christians, Jews, and more.
Entertainment
Also, there’s a picture of the famous Loew’s Paradise Theater, which was built and opened on September 7, 1929, at the height of grand movie theaters, and it is still standing there to this day. The area above the entrance on the outside was once occupied by a mechanical Seth Thomas clock, in which St. George defeated a fire-breathing monster on the hour. The statue of St. George was taken when the Paradise Theater was later damaged by vandals.