South Bronx History Project

In the second half of the twentieth century the South Bronx experienced an influx of Latino, African American and minority populations. Massive population shifts contributed to civil unrest and poverty and ultimately to the South Bronx becoming a national symbol of urban deterioration in the 1960s and 1970s. Buildings were abandoned and burned and neighborhoods verged on extinction. Remaining residents, who recognized the severity of their circumstances, formed grassroots community networks and joined together with city officials to improve conditions and rebuild. Affordable housing was created for new groups of Latino and Afro-Caribbean immigrants and neighborhoods stabilized. The residents invested in their communities and successfully organized to rebuild and protect them.

The South Bronx is a model of community dedication and urban restoration. The records of South Bronx community organizations are important because they document the rebuilding and revitalization of an ethnically diverse area once known for poverty, crime and urban deterioration. In completing our survey we reached out to several of these organizations who have responded to the changing conditions in the South Bronx, including Nos Quedamos and BAAD!-The Bronx Academy of Art and Dance, among others.

The target areas for the survey are current cultural groups and organizations that contribute to the economic and cultural development of the South Bronx community. The records of the groups that we will survey are important because like the records of Hostos Community College, they are evidence of the efforts of a diverse and often financially challenged community to reinvest in itself.

Archival Survey Results:

East Side House Settlement
337 Alexander Ave
Bronx, NY 10454
Phone: 718.665.5250
http://www.eastsidehouse.org

Records are located at:
Rare Book & Manuscript Library
Butler Library, 6th Fl. East
535 West 114th St.
New York, NY 10027
http://www.columbia.edu/cu/lweb/indiv/rbml/index.html

History of the Institution

"East Side House is a community resource in the South Bronx. We believe education is the key which enables all people to create economic and civic opportunities for themselves, their families and their community. Our focus is on critical developmental periods - - early childhood and adolescence - - and critical junctures - - points at which people are determined to become economically independent. We enrich, supplement and enhance the public school system and place college within reach of motivated students. We provide services to families in order that other family members may pursue their educational goals. We provide technology and career readiness training to enable students to improve their economic status and lead more fulfilling lives."

East Side House was founded in 1891 on 76th Street on Manhattan's East side. In the late nineteenth century, the immigrant and American migrant working class were settled in tenements along the East river through Second Avenue and row houses occupied predominately by the German, Irish and Italian middle class. The densely populated urban environment contributed to social problems including poor health care and living conditions, crime and few educational opportunities.

Following the model of the English settlement house Toynbee Hall, Prominent lawyer and civic reformer Everett P. Wheeler lead efforts by members of New York's Church Club to found the East Side House. This was accomplished with aid of financial backers including Robert Fulton Cutting, J.P. Morgan and Cornelius Vanderbilt. East Side House provided services including nursery school, clubs, classes, and lectures into the 1920's when rising real estate value began to enact changing demographics in that area. With the help of a new board in 1937 the settlement was able to again expand programming and was associated with the Mayor's Committee for Wartime Care of Children during World War II.

The 1950's saw a change in the demographics of the Upper East side with the influx of middle and upper income families, which resulted in a decline in the need for the settlement's services. The board decided to relocate the settlement to a community where their services were needed. In 1963 the East Side House moved to the Alexander Street in the South Bronx. They began work with the New York City Housing Authority to establish programs in their [NYCHA's] existing buildings. Since that time they have been working in the South Bronx to provide programming that includes senior citizen activities, early childhood services, after school and evening programs for children, young adult and adult education and career initiatives as well as family services.

Scope and Content

The date span of the records is from 1851 to 1992. The records include: addresses and correspondence of East Side House founder Everett P. Wheeler; Board of Managers minutes, correspondence and annual reports; Resident Manager, Headworker and Executive Director files; program files; and audio-visual materials such as photo-prints, negatives and video tape. There are major gaps during the periods 1902-1946 and 1950-1960 in the "Resident Director, Headworker and Executive Directors" series. Fortunately these periods are well documented by other series. Board of Managers minutes document the painful deliberations of the late 1920s and early 1930s, when East Side House nearly closed its doors. Annual reports offer the most comprehensive view of the full spectrum of settlement programs and services from its founding to the early 1960s. These records are complemented by video tape and film in the "Audio-Visual Material" series, which show a variety of youth activities at East Side House during the 1950s.

Quantity of holdings
18 linear feet

Access

The records of the East Side House Settlement are "Available for faculty, students or researchers engaged in scholarly or publication projects.

Processing Status
A finding aid is available in paper and web-based formats.
http://www.columbia.edu/cu/libraries/indiv/rare/guides/East_Side_House/

Restrictions:
Permission to publish materials must be obtained in writing from the Director of the Rare Book and Manuscript Library.

This information is adapted from the East Side House Records Finding Aid, Columbia University's Rare Book and Manuscript Library, prepared by James Moske, September 2001 and refers to information in: Burrows, Edwin G., and Mike Wallace. 1999. Gotham: A History of New York City to 1898. New York: Oxford University Press.

United Bronx Parents, Inc
1966-Present
773 Prospect Avenue
Bronx, NY 10455
718.617.7100
Website: http://www.unitedbronxparents.org


Records are located at:
Archives of the Puerto Rican Diaspora
Centro de Estudios Puertorriqueños, Hunter College, CUNY
695 Park Avenue
New York, NY 10021
http://centropr.org/lib-arc/
Contact Pedro Juan Hernandez
E-mail: dhernand@hunter.cuny.edu


History of the Institution

United Bronx Parents Inc. was founded in 1965 in the midst of the civil rights and student movements. Founder Evelina López Antonetty was a vocal activist in the city-wide struggles for quality education. Frustrated with the lack of responsiveness of the public school system toward the needs of Puerto Rican and other minority children, she joined forces with other parents to create an organization to advocate on their behalf. United Bronx Parents began as a grass-roots, voluntary organization whose activities centered around educational reform and whose principal objective was to train parents to participate and take leadership roles in issues pertaining to local education. Beginning with training programs and workshops for public school parents, the programs expanded to include parochial school parents, educational workers, teachers, and students.

Under the leadership of López Antonetty, United Bronx Parents flourished, broadening its mission and adding new projects and constituencies that extended well beyond its Bronx headquarters. United Bronx Parents has served as a model for and provided technical assistance in parent training to diverse groups in New York and other cities. With simply written, bilingual instructional materials parents were kept informed and actively engaged. These materials were also widely distributed for use by other groups. As of 1970, the organization expanded its program activities to related areas, establishing a bilingual/bicultural day care center, an adult education program targeting literacy and preparation for the GED, a youth enrichment and leadership program, and a citywide summer lunch program.

Currently, United Bronx Parents, Inc. maintains three sites in the South Bronx. Its mission is defined in new terms "to provide the basic human services necessary for families to obtain self-sufficiency through dignity in their struggle to participate as the functioning and valuable citizens that they are." While this move away from the original focus of direct action in school reform, there still remains a strong commitment to issues in education judging from the existing programs that continue to include the bilingual day care center and various adult education components. General policy continues to be determined by an Executive Director and a Board of Trustees made up of people from the community as well as prominent individuals representing different areas of expertise.

Scope and Content

The Records of United Bronx Parents, Inc. are an important resource for anyone studying the development of Puerto Rican community-based organizations in New York City. The records provide information on education and the public school system, community empowerment, local politics, the South Bronx, and the Puerto Rican leadership of New York City. They are especially valuable for understanding the major issues facing Puerto Ricans in the 1960s and 1970s. To some extent, the records also document the career of the organization's founder, Evelina López Antonetty.

The types of records include correspondence, memoranda, minutes, by-laws, incorporation documents, photographs, flyers, clippings, proposals, reports, speeches, and financial statements. The Records span the years from 1966 to 1989, but the bulk of them are from the 1970s. Most of the materials are in English.

Quantity of holdings
9 cubic feet

Access
Open for research.

Processing Status
A finding aid is available in paper and web-based formats.
http://centropr.org/lib-arc/faids/ubpb.html

Restrictions:
Permission to publish materials much be obtained in writing from:
Archives of the Puerto Rican Diaspora
Centro de Estudios Puertorriqueños, Hunter College, CUNY

This information is adapted from the Guide to the United Bronx Parents, Inc. created by Brian Stevens, at the Archives of the Puerto Rican Diaspora Centro de Estudios Puertorriqueños, Hunter College, CUNY. Website: http://centropr.org/lib-arc/faids/ubpb.html

SoBRO
[South Bronx Overall Economic Development Corporation ]
1972-Present
555 Bergen Avenue
Bronx, Ny 10455
Phone: 718.292..3113
Http://www.sobro.org

History of the Institution

SoBRO [The South Bronx Overall Economic Development Corporation] is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life in the South Bronx by strengthening businesses, and creating and implementing innovative economic, housing, educational and career development programs, for youth and adults.

SoBRO was founded in 1972 by a group of elected officials, business executives, and community representatives convened by the late U.S. Senator Jacob Javits and former Bronx Borough President Robert Abrams. Their mission was urgent: reverse the flight of businesses and jobs from the South Bronx, as a first step toward rebuilding a community whose name evoked images of burned out buildings, crime, poverty, and drugs.

SoBRO soon recognized that community revitalization required a multi-faceted effort. Today SoBRO addresses all facets of community development: assisting businesses to get started and grow, training residents according to the needs of employers, offering opportunities for youth to grow and learn, and creating affordable housing and commercial space that reduces blight in the community.

In 1996 Phillip Morrow became the president of SoBRO with a vision of growth and expansion. Under Morrow's leadership SOBRO has expanded programming in all areas and has been instrumental in revitalizing the South Bronx and is a huge part of the current renaissance the area is experiencing. Their programming includes education and career development, youth services, real estate development, business development and expansion and commercial revitalization and community development. Over the past 35 years, SoBRO has helped people in the Bronx to learn to speak English, find jobs, become more financially literate and be more self-sufficient individuals. They hold an annual job fair to match up Bronx individuals with Bronx based businesses. The goal of SoBRO's residential real estate projects is to construct high quality, energy efficient housing for low and moderate income people. To date they have developed over 400 units of affordable and special needs housing.

In 2004 SoBRO relocated their offices to Bergen Avenue, directly off of the "HUB" retail center in the heart of the South Bronx. Following the move in 2006 they brought the first public wi-fi "hot spot" to the South Bronx "HUB". This initiative provides free high speed internet service to residents and businesses in the area. Looking forward, SoBRO's specific initiatives include providing financial literacy to all clients, creating more middle-income housing and homeownership opportunities, and infusing more leadership development and college preparation into all of our youth programs, and continuing their commitment to "building a better Bronx".

Scope and Content
This collection contains the records documenting the creation, projects and programs of the South Bronx Overall Economic Development Corporation. Unfortunately following their move to 555 Bergen Street in 2004 the some archives of SoBRO sustained water damage and while currently located in the SoBRO office, they are scattered and relatively inaccessible. The records and papers of SoBRO following 2004 are current records and are retained in their respective departments. The development office contains photo albums, photographs, newsletters, press clippings and press kits from the past 30 years to the present.

Processing Status
The collection is unprocessed.

Restrictions
Many of the records are inaccessible, contact SoBRO for further information.

Nos Quedamos
754 Melrose Ave
Bronx, NY 10451
Phone: 718.842.5223
Website: http://www.nosquedamos.org

Contact Yolanda Gonzalez, Director

History of the Institution

Nos Quedamos is a non-profit community development corporation comprised of residents and members of the local business community from the South Bronx, committed to preserving their voice and vision for their community and its future - will promote, support, and advance ideas of healthy, sustainable growth for local communities and the larger society. By investing in local communities, their residents and businesses, assisting them in planning, development, and by taking a proactive stance in strengthening and preserving communities, as well as through advocacy and reinforcing the creation of new policy, Nos Quedamos will encourage growth that is truly sustainable - environmentally, economically, and culturally. By building on the knowledge and skills learned in the Melrose Commons Urban Renewal area; through engaging in and fostering education, outreach, financial assistance, organizing, and planning, Nos Quedamos will assist to empower local communities to develop their own visions for futures by engaging community partners - residents, businesses, community-based organizations - and government; facilitating communication to ensure good development and understanding.

Nos Quedamos was founded by Yolanda Garcia in 1992 as a committee of the Bronx Center Project, which was a collaborative community-based multi-discipline plan to revitalize a severely deteriorated 300 block section of the South Bronx, encompassing economic development, health and human services, education and culture, housing and transportation. Nos Quedamos spearheaded a collaboration effort with the community, planners and local, city, state and federal agencies and elected officials to construct the Melrose Commons Urban Renewal Area. Drawing on this experience Nos Quedamos has continued to be involved in development, management, environmental and educational issues within the South Bronx Community. Yolanda Garcia served as executive director until her death in 2005. Her daughter Yolanda Gonzalez continues as the executive director of Nos Quedamos.

Scope and Content
This collection contains the records documenting the creation, projects and programs of Nos Quedamos. The records span from the creation of the organization in 1992 to the present day. Materials include board minutes, daily correspondence, correspondence with local, city, state and federal representatives and organizations, project files containing original maps and plans, financial records, outreach and promotional materials, press clippings and an extensive collection of photographs of South Bronx neighborhoods and development projects. Photographs exist in both print and digital formats. Materials are arranged by date and by project. Nos Quedamos maintains a web presence which includes project information and a blog.
Most of the financial and administrative records are stored offsite.

Processing Status
The collection is unprocessed.

Restrictions:
Financial records and personal papers of Yolanda Garcia are restricted.

Bronx Academy of Arts and Dance and Arthur Aviles Typical Theater
841 Baretto Streeet
Bronx, NY 10474
Phone: 718.842.5223
Website: http://www.bronxacademyofartsanddance.org
Contact: Charles Rice-Gonzalez

History of the Institution

Arthur Aviles Typical Theatre, Inc (AATT, Inc. ) dba BAAD! Is a South Bronx-based arts organization that carves a niche in the Bronx cultural landscape, emphasizing contemporary modern dance and creating, producing and presenting cutting edge and challenging works in all artistic disciplines that live in a societal reality.

Aurthur Aviles founded his own dance company, the Arthur Aviles Typical Theater in 1996 in the South Bronx. AATT is a contemporary modern dance company committed to carving a permanent niche in the Bronx cultural landscape with a repertory of works that explore life on the margins of Latino and gay cultures, and to bring these works to a local, national and international audience.

In 1998 in order to provide a home for the AATT company, Mr. Aviles and his partner, Charles Rice-González, founded the Bronx Academy of Arts and Dance with the help of the Point Community Development Center. At the outset friends, dancers and local residents helped the founders clean out 3500 square feet of an abandoned warehouse in Hunts Point's American Banknote Building for a single weekend performance. Since then BAAD! has bloomed into a 70-seat workshop, rehearsal and performance space dedicated to presenting cutting edge and challenging works of emerging, evolving and established choreographers, directors, playwrights, dancers, poets, musicians and artists who are women, people of color and/or from the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community. BAAD! annually presents festivals including: BAAD! ASS WOMEN, a cultural celebration of works by women; the Boogie Down Dance Series, a spring festival of dance in the Bronx; OUT LIKE THAT!, the Bronx's only fest celebrating works by Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender artists during the month of June; and the BlakTino Performance Series, presenting the works of Black, Latino and artists of mixed race, in the fall. The space also sponsors BAAD! eyes, the visual arts component which curates visual art exhibitions to coincide with each of BAAD!'s festivals.

In 2002 AATT founded the Bronx Dance Coalition to support Bronx dance companies and to develop strategies to sustain and market Bronx-based dance entities. The Bronx Dance Coalition publishes the Bronx Dance Magazine which documents and features historical and contemporary Bronx dance and provides a forum for communication and advertisement for the Bronx dance community.

Scope and Content

BAAD! and AATT are separate entities whose missions and paths intersect and divide throughout the years and projects. The records will reflect this intertwined relationship. As of the 2007 year, the board of trustees oversees both entities. BAAD! and AATT contains records and media dating from 1998 to the present. These records document the creation and development BAAD and the evolution of AATT. The materials include board of trustee minutes, correspondence grant applications, project notes, programs, photographs and video footage of performances, festivals and exhibits, press kits and clippings. BAAD also publishes the Bronx Dance Magazine in conjunction with their Bronx Dance Coalition; all issues are also available in PDF format on their website. The magazine also compiles the Bronx Dance Directory.

Quantity of holdings
Approximately 36 cubic feet of files including photographs and 15 cubic feet of video in VHS, DVD and reel formats (The bulk of which are VHS).

Processing Status
The collection is unprocessed.

Restrictions
Financial records other than the 990 filings are restricted.

The following groups were contacted in the course of this archival survey, however either they were unable to be surveyed within the time period of this grant or they were had not responded to archives staff. It is anticipated that record descriptions for some of these organizations will be added in the future.

Inner City Press
P.O. Box 580188
Mount Carmel Station
Bronx , NY 10458
718.716.3540

The Point CDC [Community Development Corporation]
940 Garrison Avenue
Bronx NY 10474
718.542.4139
http://thepoint.org

Promesa, Inc
1776 Clay Avenue
Bronx, NY 10457
718.299.1100
http://www.promesa.org

The Greater Universal Baptist Church
253 East 153rd Street
Bronx, NY 10451
Http://www.greateruniversal.org

Highbridge Community Life Center
979 Ogden Ave
Bronx, NY 10452
718.681.2222
www.highbridgelife.org

The Mary Mitchell Family and Youth Center
2007 Mapes Ave
Bronx, NY 10460
718-583-1765
http://www.themarymitchellfyc.org/

Narco Freedom, Inc.
250 Grand Concourse
Bronx, NY 10451
718.2929.2240
http://www.narcofreedom.com

South East Bronx Community Organization [SEBCO]
885 Bruckner Blvd
Bronx, NY 10459
718.617.2800
http://www.sebcodevelopment.com

South Bronx Job Corps Academy
1771 Andrews Avenue
Bronx, NY 10453
718.731.7700
http://southbronx.jobcorps.gov/html/home/

Sustainable South Bronx
890 Garrison Ave, 4th Floor
Bronx, NY 10474
718.617.4668
http://www.ssbx.org


Descriptions for this survey were compiled by Amanda Timolat.
Funding for this project was provided by Documentary Heritage Program at the New York State Archives.

For additional information on South Bronx Archival Records, The Bronx County Historical Society received a grant from the New York State Archives Documentary Heritage Program, through the Metropolitan New York Library Council. Their Project, The Bronx African American Archival Survey websites is located at http://www.fordam.edu/baahp