Silver Beach, Bronx
Encyclopedia
Silver Beach is a neighborhood in the Throgs Neck
section of the new York City
borough
of the Bronx
.
Silver Beach is a predominantly Irish, German, and Italian neighborhood in the southeastern Bronx, lying on a bluff on the southern shore of Throggs Neck. The land was used as a lockout during the American Revolution. A farm in the area owned by the Stephenson family was sold in 1795 to Abijah Hammond, who built a large mansion (later the offices of the Silver Beach Garden Corporation). In the 1920s the Peters and Sorgenfrel families formed Silver Beach Garden (named for the color of the beach at low tide), a summer colony of bungalows that were later adapted for year-round usemost of the streets were named for flowers and trees found on the Hammond estate. Residents owned their houses but rented the land when they joined together to buy it. In the mid 1990s there were 350 small houses lying along narrow lanes.
Throgs Neck
Throggs Neck is a narrow spit of land in the southeastern portion of the borough of the Bronx in New York City. It demarcates the passage between the East River , and Long Island Sound...
section of the new York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
borough
Borough (New York City)
New York City, one of the largest cities in the world, is composed of five boroughs. Each borough now has the same boundaries as the county it is in. County governments were dissolved when the city consolidated in 1898, along with all city, town, and village governments within each county...
of the Bronx
The Bronx
The Bronx is the northernmost of the five boroughs of New York City. It is also known as Bronx County, the last of the 62 counties of New York State to be incorporated...
.
Silver Beach is a predominantly Irish, German, and Italian neighborhood in the southeastern Bronx, lying on a bluff on the southern shore of Throggs Neck. The land was used as a lockout during the American Revolution. A farm in the area owned by the Stephenson family was sold in 1795 to Abijah Hammond, who built a large mansion (later the offices of the Silver Beach Garden Corporation). In the 1920s the Peters and Sorgenfrel families formed Silver Beach Garden (named for the color of the beach at low tide), a summer colony of bungalows that were later adapted for year-round usemost of the streets were named for flowers and trees found on the Hammond estate. Residents owned their houses but rented the land when they joined together to buy it. In the mid 1990s there were 350 small houses lying along narrow lanes.
Landscape and other areas
The landscape is a long breezy bluff about 50 to 60 ft above the water. There are two beaches below and along Indian Trail, the latter, a popular place to live that is right on the river. From the southern end of Indian trail, Ft Schuyler is visible at the tip of Throggs Neck (this area is referred to as "strawberry fields"). At the northern end the trail opens up into a common area that the locals call the "green grass". From there there are nice views of the Throggs Neck Bridge to the left and the Whitestone Bridge to the right. Beneath the Whitestone Bridge the Manhattan skyline straddles the western horizon. Both strawberry fields and the green grass are popular drinking spots for teenagers in the area.Sources
- John McNamara: History in Asphalt: The Origin of Bronx Street and Place Names (New York: Bronx County Historical Society, 1984)
- Gary Hermalyn and Robert Kornfe: Landmarks of the Bronx (New York: Bronx County Historical Society, 1990)
- Gary D. Hermalyn, The Encyclopedia of New York CityThe Encyclopedia of New York CityThe Encyclopedia of New York City is a comprehensive reference book on New York City. Historian and Columbia University professor Kenneth T...
, Edited by Kenneth T. Jackson. New Haven, Yale University Press. 1995.