Bronx County Historical Society Bronx STATS 2021
BRONX COUNTY
HISTORICAL SOCIETY
Address: 3309 Bainbridge Avenue
The Bronx, NY 10467
Phone: (718) 881-8900
Fax: (718) 881-4827
E-mail: administration@
bronxhistoricalsociety.org
Web: www.bronxhistoricalsociety.
org
About: The Bronx County Historical
Society was founded in 1955 to
preserve the heritage of the thriving
community. The Society administers
the colonial era Valentine-Varian House,
which serves as the Museum of Bronx
History; The Bronx County Archives; an
extensive Research Library; and Poe
Cottage, the fi nal home of America’s
great 19th century poet and author,
Edgar Allan Poe. Both historic houses
are listed in the National Register of
Historic Places.
The Society is not only dedicated
to preserving Bronx history. It also
offers a variety of programs for the
casual visitor, tourist, business person,
student, or researcher interested in
learning more about contemporary life
in The Bronx. Tours of the borough are
conducted by The Society’s staff and
volunteers, while special publications,
radio and cable T.V programs, concerts,
educational programs, expeditions, art
shows and lecture series highlight
today’s Bronx as well as the borough’s
heritage.
SITES
Research Library
3309 Bainbridge Avenue
The Bronx, NY 10467
Hours: Tuesday - Thursday 9 a.m.
to 5 p.m. by Appointment Only
Contact: (718) 881-8900 or
librarian@bronxhistoricalsociety.
org
The Bronx County Archives
3313 Bainbridge Avenue
Bronx, NY 10467
Hours: Monday – Friday 9 a.m. to 5
p.m. by Appointment Only
Contact:
archivist@bronxhistoricalsociety.
org
EDGAR ALLEN POE COTTAGE
Address:
2640 Grand Concourse at East
Kingsbridge Road
The Bronx, NY 10458
Hours: The Cottage is undergoing
a major renovation and restoration.
Guided tours for groups and individuals
will be suspended until further notice.
Contact: (718) 881-8900 or
education@bronxhistoricalsociety.org
Admission: $5 per adult, $3 for
students, children and seniors.
About: Edgar Allan Poe spent the last
years of his life, from 1846 to 1849, in
The Bronx at Poe Cottage, now located
at Kingsbridge Road and the Grand
Concourse. A small wooden farmhouse
built about 1812, the cottage once
commanded unobstructed vistas over
the rolling Bronx hills to the shores of
Long Island. It was a bucolic setting in
which the great writer penned many
of his most enduring poetical works,
including “Annabel Lee,” “The Bells”
and “Eureka.”
Administered by The Bronx County
Historical Society since 1975, the
cottage is restored to its original
appearance, with authentic period
furnishings. A fi lm presentation and
guided tour help bring Poe Cottage to
life. Visitors can see the bed in which
Virginia died and the rocking chair Poe
used. In the kitchen, the dishes on the
table appear as if the great author had
just stepped out for air.
VALENTINE VARIAN HOUSE/
MUSEUM OF BRONX HISTORY
Address:
3266 Bainbridge Avenue
The Bronx, NY 10467
Hours: Saturday 10:00 AM - 4:00
PM; Sunday 1:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Group and school tours are only by
appointment during the week.
Contact: education@
bronxhistoricalsociety.org
Admission: $5 per adult, $3 for
students, children and seniors.
About: Blacksmith Isaac Valentine
built this four-level fi eldstone
farmhouse in 1758 near the Boston
Post Road. His property included a
blacksmith shop, outhouses, farmland,
and a number of slaves. His homestead
was later the site of six skirmishes
between American troops and British
forces, who occupied the house for
most of the Revolutionary War. After
the Revolution, the Valentines fell on
hard times and the Dutch Reformed
Church seized the property. In 1791,
the house passed into the hands of
the Varian family. In 1905, William F.
Beller purchased it. In 1965, his son,
William C. Beller, generously donated
the historic house to The Society to be
used as a museum.
In 1968, the restored house was
opened to the public as the Museum of
Bronx History. Visitors today can touch
the fi eldstones Isaac Valentine used to
construct the house and walk on the
oak and pine fl oorboards he fashioned.
The main level contains three galleries
that feature rich rotating bi-annual
exhibitions, and the museum gift store.
The upper levels are not open to the
public.
Books about the Bronx sold at the
Bronx Museum Shop:
Annotated Primary Sources:
From the Collections of The Society:
Colorful, lively historical documents
contextualized by annotations and
classroom implementation questions.
History in Asphalt: The Origin of
Bronx Street & Place Names: Did you
ever wonder how your street got its
name? This fascinating book describes
the history of Bronx names.
Bronx Arts Ensemble Bronx STATS 2021
14 BRONX STATS - NOVEMBER 26, 2021 BTR
The Bronx: Then & Now: The Bronx:
Then and Now book highlights the
major transition The Bronx has gone
through over the years with fascinating
images.
The Northern Borough: A History Of
The Bronx: This book is an updated
history of the Bronx. Lloyd Ultan
puts together a one volume work of
Bronx history since the prehistoric
era until the present time. It is a
book all Bronxites must have in their
collection.
The South Bronx and the Founding
of America: The South Bronx and the
Founding of America - An Activity Book
for Teachers and Students
Yankee Stadium 1923-2008: This is
a great book about the rise of Yankee
Stadium during the early 1920s until
the present. This book consist of
great images of memorable baseball
moments with excellent descriptions.
Bronx Accent by Lloyd Ultan and
Barbara Unger: This work takes a
look at The Bronx’s relationship to
writers over the years and provides
historical context and documentation
to important literary works. It is perfect
for the coffee table! 310 pages
Bronx Views: Postcards of The
Bronx: Wonderful images of The Bronx
with an essay on the origin of post
cards.
By The El: Third Avenue and Its
El at Mid-Century: Author Lawrence
Stelter takes a look into the past
and remembers one of the fi xtures
that connected Manhattan to The
Bronx. Although it has been gone for
decades, the Third Avenue El was very
important to the development of The
Bronx and lives in many New Yorker’s
memories. 132 pages.
Chief Justices of The U.S. Supreme
Court by George Lankevich: Touching
essays of sixteen of our nation’s
highest judicial post. This work also
includes sections on the origin of
the Court and judicial review. 127
pages.
Legacy of The Revolution. By
Lloyd Ultan: A concise history of the
Valentine-Varian House and its role in
the American Revolution. 130 pages
McNamara’s Old Bronx. by John
McNamara: John McNamara’s
articles from his “Bronx in History”
column in “The Bronx Press Review”
that span the centuries with Bronx
history. 254 pages
Morris High School: The story
of the extraordinary educational
reforms of the 1890s that led to
the opening of Morris High School
and the creation of the Public High
School System. by Gary Hermalyn
247 pages
The Beautiful Bronx: 1920-1950:
Memories of an exciting time in The
Bronx. 192 pages
The Birth of The Bronx: 1609-
1900: Accounts from diaries, letters
and notes describing The Bronx as it
began and developed, accompanied
by rare illustrations. 182 pages
The Bronx In the Innocent Years:
1890-1925: Colorful fi rst-person
reminiscences and rare historical
photographs provide a nostalgic
glimpse into the past. 164 pages
The period from the middle of the
1930s to the middle of the 1960s
was a dynamic one in the history of
the country. The depths of the Great
Depression brought the New Deal to
combat the economic disaster, and
this was followed quickly by the
ferment of the Second World War.
Peace-time brought great changes
in our society, including a movement
from the city to the suburbs and a
vast infl ux of different ethnic groups
in to the cities. No area was more
affected by these changes than
The Bronx. Yet, in the midst of this
upheaval, The Bronx was also
marked by islands of stability and
by continuity with the past. Now, that
story is told in “The Bronx It Was Only
Yesterday, 1935-1965”. “The Bronx
It Was Only Yesterday” is a result of
a project sponsored by the Bronx
County Historical Society. For the past
several years, the Society has been
at work on a history of life series in
the brourough. In 1979, the fi rst part
of the series, “The Beautiful Bronx,
1920-1950” was published, and this
was followed in 1985 by “The Bronx
In the Innocent Years, 1890-1925”.
With this new volume, the focus shifts
to a period of great technological
change that brought the outside world
closer to The Bronx. These were the
decades when entertainment shifted
from enjoying movies and radio to
spending hours watching newlypurchased
black and white television
sets; when the preferred mode of
transportation changed from trolleys,
buses, and subways to automobiles;
when popular taste in music shifted
from big bands to rock ‘n’ roll; when
heretofore tranquil neighborhoods
were disturbed by the clatter of
construction of new highways
and high rise housing complexes.
This absorbing narrative of the
colorful activities of these times is
complemented with rare photographs
from the research archives of The
Bronx County Historical Society. They
offer a vivid glimpse into the wide
range of changes that occurred in
these years and of the elements of
continuity that preserved The Bronx
as a desirable residence for the
countless numbers of people that
chose to make it their home.
A splendid work of social
history,”The Bronx
It Was Only Yesterday” is an
engaging portrait of the mainland
section of New York City at a turning
point in the development of America’s
growing urban society.
Bronx Arts Ensemble
Address: 80 Van Cortlandt Park
South Suite 7D-1
Bronx, NY 10463
Phone Number: (718) 601-7399
Fax: (718) 549-4008
Email: info@bronxartsensemble.org
Website: http://bronxartsensemble.org/
The Bronx Arts Ensemble is a
not-for-profi t organization founded
in 1972 to enrich the cultural
environment of the Bronx with a
year-round schedule of concerts and
special programs for families and
a full music and arts-in-education
program for schools.
The Bronx Arts Ensemble
serves its diverse community with
a repertoire of many cultures,
educational services for children and
adults and concerts. The concerts
feature guest artists and conductors
of varied backgrounds, including
Willie Rodriguez, the Valerie Capers
Quartet, Kelly Hall-Tompkins, Jay Lee,
Christine Dookie, Marina Piccinini,
and Stewart Goodyear, among others.
Genres featured include chamber
music, jazz, Latin music, and classical
music. These concerts frequently
include new works or commissions
or rarely performed music of all
periods. Some performances
accompany notable stories, like
the Three Little Pigs, Hansel and
Gretel, The Emperor’s New Clothes,
and Beauty and the Beast, and are
geared toward children. Programs
are taken to areas free of charge or
at low admission so that our cultural
outreach is accessible to all.
The organization commands
the respect of the music world
for its high artistic standards,
innovative programming and
acclaimed recordings, as well
as its demonstrated service and
commitment to the Bronx community.
The Bronx Arts Ensemble engages
some of New York’s fi nest freelance
musicians who perform on a regular
basis. The cultural institution also
comprises all instruments of the
standard orchestra, performing as a
small group or full symphony. They
present over 100 concerts each
season, reaching an audience of
over 50,000 annually at such Bronx
institutions as The New York Botanical
Garden, Fordham University, Lehman
Stages, Lehman Center for the
Performing Arts, Hostos Community
College, Bartow-Pell Mansion
Museum, Philipse Manor Hall and
numerous Bronx school districts.
Youth and Education
Programs:
The Bronx Arts Ensemble
has displayed a commitment to
enriching the lives of students
through performance programs and
curriculum-related arts projects. Its
programs take place throughout the
Bronx as well as in other boroughs
and Westchester County. Teaching
artists work with school faculty in
developing programs to enhance
their teaching curriculum. Some of
the schools that have worked with
BAE include P.S. 126, P.S. 64, P.S. 58,
Bronx International High School, Bronx
International Community High School
and University Heights High School.
BAE Arts in Education programs
combine a workable balance
of hands-on teaching, student
participation in interdisciplinary
projects, teacher training and
professional performances, which
are acclaimed throughout the New
York City region.
BAE’s programs are praised
for directly involving children in the
creative process, making them aware
of the arts’ importance and exposing
them to great music of both Western
and other cultures. In addition to
education students about music and
boosting their self-esteem through
the arts, the program serves State
Learning Standards and helps to
improve reading and writing skills as
well as English comprehension. Their
projects involve the interdisciplinary
learning of English, history and social
studies, as well as art and music.
Auditorium Programs
As an extension of its educational
programs, the Bronx Arts Ensemble
makes it easy for students to enjoy
shows at either the Lovinger Theatre
or Hostos Center for the Arts & Culture.
Through BAE, schools may book groups
to attend professional performances
each fall and spring. The 45-minute
shows are performed in the morning
and are geared for both younger
and older students. All programs
offer teachers’ guides, introduce the
instruments with musical examples
and invite student participation.
Residency Program
The Bronx Arts Ensemble
has had a Residency at Fordham
University since 1979 which include
a free summer concert series; free
chamber music programs for both
University and general community at
University Church; annual Christmas
and Spring concerts with Fordham
University Concert Choir, conducted
by Robert Minotti; and an annual
music competition for Fordham
students, the winner of which
performs with the organization.
Competitions
In addition, the organization has
hosted its Young Bronx Artist Contest
since. The competition is open to
music students between ages 14
and 20 who either live in or at least
go to school in the Bronx. Whether
the applicant is a instrumentalist
or vocalist, the competition affords
talented students with valuable
public performance experience. Many
have gone on to have professional
solo or orchestra careers. This year,
Madeleine Manasse, a violinist and
sophomore at Bronx High School of
Science, was awarded fi rst prize in
the competition and was awarded
$500 and a solo performance with
the Bronx Arts Ensemble that will take
place during one of its subscription
concerts during the upcoming 2012-
13 season. Runner-ups were also
awarded.
Bronx Arts Ensemble
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