The Hub, Bronx
Encyclopedia
South Bronx
The South Bronx is an area of the New York City borough of The Bronx. The neighborhoods of Tremont, University Heights, Highbridge, Morrisania, Soundview, Hunts Point, and Castle Hill are sometimes considered part of the South Bronx....
, located where four roads converge: East 149th Street, Willis, Melrose and Third Avenue
Third Avenue (Manhattan)
Third Avenue is a north-south thoroughfare on the East Side of the New York City borough of Manhattan, running from Cooper Square north for over 120 blocks. Third Avenue continues into The Bronx across the Harlem River over the Third Avenue Bridge north of East 129th Street to East Fordham Road at...
s. It is primarily located inside the neighborhood of Melrose
Melrose, Bronx
Melrose is primarily a residential neighborhood geographically located in the SouthWestern section of the borough of The Bronx in New York City. The neighborhood is part of Bronx Community Board 1. Its boundaries, starting from the North and moving clockwise are: East 161st Street to the North,...
but also lines the northern border of Mott Haven
Mott Haven, Bronx
Mott Haven is a primarily residential neighborhood in the Southwestern section of The Bronx in New York City. Zip codes include 10451, 10454, and 10455. The neighborhood is part of Bronx Community Board 1...
. The Hub has been called "the Broadway
Broadway (New York City)
Broadway is a prominent avenue in New York City, United States, which runs through the full length of the borough of Manhattan and continues northward through the Bronx borough before terminating in Westchester County, New York. It is the oldest north–south main thoroughfare in the city, dating to...
of the Bronx." It is the site of both maximum traffic and architectural density. In configuration, it resembles a miniature Times Square
Times Square
Times Square is a major commercial intersection in the borough of Manhattan in New York City, at the junction of Broadway and Seventh Avenue and stretching from West 42nd to West 47th Streets...
, a spatial "bow-tie" created by the geometry of the street intersections. It is a primary shopping district for Bronx residents, and many new Hip-Hop trends can be found in the Hub long before they spread to the rest of 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...
and the world. The area is part of Bronx Community Board 1
Bronx Community Board 1
Bronx Community Board 1 is a local government unit of the city of New York, encompassing the neighborhoods of Mott Haven, Melrose, and Port Morris in the borough of the Bronx...
.
The area is served by the Third Avenue–149th Street station on the IRT White Plains Road Line
IRT White Plains Road Line
The White Plains Road Line is a rapid transit line of the IRT division of the New York City Subway, serving the central Bronx. It is mostly elevated, and served both subway and elevated trains until 1952...
of the New York City Subway
New York City Subway
The New York City Subway is a rapid transit system owned by the City of New York and leased to the New York City Transit Authority, a subsidiary agency of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority and also known as MTA New York City Transit...
.
History
The Hub is the oldest major shopping locale in the Bronx. Between 1900 and 1930, the number of Bronx residents increased from 201,000 to 1,265,000. Inhabitants throughout the borough shopped in department stores and boutiques at 149th Street and 3rd Avenue, an area that came to be known in this time as "the Hub". In the 30s the Hub had movie palaces and vaudeville theaters.The Hub today
A few decades after it became a national symbol of urban decayUrban decay
Urban decay is the process whereby a previously functioning city, or part of a city, falls into disrepair and decrepitude...
, the Bronx is now home to a rash of new construction projects that are rebuilding neighborhoods that have seen little new construction in half a century. On March 14, 2006, the mayor and other elected officials took part in the symbolic groundbreaking ceremony for the new “Hub Retail and Office Center.”
After a year and a half of construction, the Hub Retail and Office Center opened in the summer of 2007. Current tenants include Staples, Rite Aid
Rite Aid
Rite Aid is a drugstore chain in the United States and a Fortune 500 company headquartered in East Pennsboro Township, Pennsylvania, near Camp Hill. Rite Aid is the largest drugstore chain on the East Coast and the third largest drugstore chain in the U.S....
, and Forman Mills
Forman Mills
Forman Mills, Inc., is a Pennsauken, NJ, -based retail chain and department store with 28 stores, located in Philadelphia, Detroit, Baltimore, Delaware, New Jersey, Washington DC, Chicago, New York and their suburbs. They also operate a store at the Iverson Mall in Hillcrest Heights, Maryland...
, a clothing store opening its first New York store in the Bronx. Upcoming tenants include Nine West
Nine West
Nine West is a fashion wholesale and retail company best known for quickly translating runway trends into styles attainable by mass consumers. Initially founded as a fashion footwear brand, Nine West has since expanded into handbags, sunglasses, legwear, outerwear, jewelry, belts, watches, cold...
and Sleepy's. As a result, the Hub's district is extended to East 156th Street in Melrose
Melrose, Bronx
Melrose is primarily a residential neighborhood geographically located in the SouthWestern section of the borough of The Bronx in New York City. The neighborhood is part of Bronx Community Board 1. Its boundaries, starting from the North and moving clockwise are: East 161st Street to the North,...
.
Its shopping traffic in the Hub generated via foot, car and public transportation. The sidewalks in the Hub are often packed with people. Merchants hawk their wares by calling out to the crowd or passing out small handbills. Music stores offer a wide selection of Latin music, Hip-Hop, Reggae, and Gospel. Craft stores have knitting and sewing supplies. Local clothing stores such as Revolution Boutique compete with major chains like Jimmy Jazz
Jimmy Jazz
Jimmy Jazz may refer to:*"Jimmy Jazz", a song by The Clash from their 1979 album London Calling.*Jimmy Jazz Records, a Polish record label featuring bands such as The Analogs, WC, and Karcer.*Jimmy Jazz, a 1982 movie starring Fabrice Luchini....
and Foot Locker
Foot Locker
Foot Locker, Inc. is an American sportswear and footwear retailer, with its headquarters in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, and operating in approximately 20 countries worldwide. Formerly known as Venator Group, Inc., it is the successor corporation to the F.W. Woolworth Company , and many of...
.
Transportation
- Bx2: to Kingsbridge HeightsKingsbridge Heights, BronxKingsbridge Heights is a working class residential neighborhood geographically located in the northwest Bronx, New York City. The neighborhood is part of Bronx Community Board 8. Its boundaries are Van Cortlandt Park to the north, Jerome Avenue to the east, Kingsbridge Road to the south, and the...
or Third Avenue–138th Street station (via Grand ConcourseGrand Concourse (Bronx)The Grand Concourse is a major thoroughfare in the borough of the Bronx in New York City...
) - Bx4/Bx4A: to Westchester Square (4 via Westchester Avenue, 4A via Westchester and Metropolitan Avenues)
- Bx15: to Fordham PlazaFordham (Metro-North station)The Fordham Metro-North Railroad station serves the residents of the Fordham neighborhood of the Bronx, New York via the Harlem Line and New Haven Line. It is the only Harlem Line stop in the Bronx that is an express station. It is 8.9 miles from Grand Central Terminal...
or ManhattanvilleManhattanvilleManhattanville is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Manhattan bordered on the south by Morningside Heights on the west by the Hudson River, on the east by Harlem and on the north by Hamilton Heights. Its borders straddle West 125th Street, roughly from 122nd Street to 135th Street and...
(via Third Avenue local) - Bx19: to New York Botanical Gardens or Riverbank State ParkRiverbank State ParkRiverbank State Park is a park built on the top of a sewage treatment facility on the Hudson River, in the New York City borough of Manhattan....
(via 149th Street–Southern Boulevard) - Bx21: Westchester Square or Third Avenue–138th Street station (via Boston Road)
- Bx32: to VA Hospital or Third Avenue–138th Street station (via Morris-Jerome Avenues)
- Bx41: to Gun Hill RoadGun Hill Road (IRT White Plains Road Line)Gun Hill Road is an express station on the IRT White Plains Road Line of the New York City Subway. Located in the Bronx at the intersection of Gun Hill and White Plains Roads, it is served by the 2 train at all times while the 5 train provides additional rush hour service in the peak direction.This...
(via Webster Avenue) - Bx55: to Fordham PlazaFordham (Metro-North station)The Fordham Metro-North Railroad station serves the residents of the Fordham neighborhood of the Bronx, New York via the Harlem Line and New Haven Line. It is the only Harlem Line stop in the Bronx that is an express station. It is 8.9 miles from Grand Central Terminal...
or Gun Hill RoadGun Hill Road (IRT White Plains Road Line)Gun Hill Road is an express station on the IRT White Plains Road Line of the New York City Subway. Located in the Bronx at the intersection of Gun Hill and White Plains Roads, it is served by the 2 train at all times while the 5 train provides additional rush hour service in the peak direction.This...
(via Third Avenue Limited) - Third Avenue–149th Street subway Station
The Hub does not today have a nearby Metro-North Railroad
Metro-North Railroad
The Metro-North Commuter Railroad , trading as MTA Metro-North Railroad, or, more commonly, Metro-North, is a suburban commuter rail service that is run and managed by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority , an authority of New York State. It is the busiest commuter railroad in the United...
station, with the exception of the Melrose
Melrose (Metro-North station)
The Melrose Metro-North Railroad station serves the residents of the Melrose section of The Bronx via the Harlem Line. It is 6.1 miles from Grand Central Terminal and is located in an open cut beneath Park Avenue at its intersection with East 162nd Street, six tenths of a mile from Yankee Stadium...
Station, a few blocks north at 162nd Street and Park avenue. However in 1902 it was proposed to build a large Grand Union Station near 138th Street, half a mile from the Hub, which would have been served by many of the railroads entering Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
at the time.