Joel’s Neighborhood Nostalgia

124 East 176th Street apartment building

124 East 176th Street apartment building

My friend Joel lived at 124 East 176th until he was 13. Like many others at the time, his family moved out of the Bronx when it was deteriorating. Joel recalls the neighborhood – Mike the cop, mothers sitting out in lawn chairs, kids playing in the school across the street, walking to P.S. 28, the Henning Place street steps, and the elevated on Jerome Avenue.

entry to 124 East 176th Street

entry to 124 East 176th Street

The ironwork fence was added after Joel’s time.

view of East 176th toward Jerome Avenue elevated

view of East 176th toward Jerome Avenue elevated

To a kid living at Morris and East 176th, anything beyond the Jerome Avenue elevated station was terra incognita.

school on East 176th Street

school on East 176th Street

Right across from #124, the kids played in this schoolyard, under the watchful eye of their mothers, sitting in lawn chairs on the corner.

East 176th and Morris Ave.

East 176th and Morris Ave.

hanging sneakers - a Bronx tradition

hanging sneakers – a Bronx tradition

Joel didn’t say whether hanging sneakers was a Bronx tradition back in the day.

Henwood Place street steps

Henwood Place street steps

Henwood Place street steps

Henwood Place street steps

East 176th Street from Grand Concourse

East 176th Street from Grand Concourse

row houses on Topping Avenue at East 176th Street

row houses on Topping Avenue at East 176th Street

old mansion on East 176th Street and Anthony Avenue

old mansion on East 176th Street and Anthony Avenue

This old place was surely there when Joel was. I’ll have to ask him if he remembers it.

P.S. 28 elementary school

P.S. 28 elementary school