Mott Haven- Bronx’s oldest neighorbood and the beginning of the “South Bronx”

The area that is now called Mott Haven was first developed in the mid 19th century with industrial uses along the river. Upper-middle class Brownstones emerged in the 1880s and 1890s starting along Alexander Avenue and moving to E 135th St. Population boomed by the early 20th century with the creation of the Third Avenue Elevated Line. By the 1910s & 1920s many tenement-style apartment buildings were build filling in the neighborhood and often replacing the slightly older brownstones. Ethnically Mott Haven was a mix of Irish and German residents and a small Italian enclave west of Lincoln Ave. The first Puerto Rican immigrants came in the 1940s. African-Americans arrived mainly in the mid-1950s with the construction of the Patterson Houses projects. The first signs of trouble in Bronx started with a  pocket of poverty on East 134th Street east of Brown Place. This was dubbed the South  Bronx and this pocket of poverty spread northwards thanks to blockbusting and several major Robert Moses housing projects. By the 1970s Mott Haven and the South Bronx endured waves of arson damaging many structures in the neighborhood. But the neighborhood stabilized as a grassroots effort rebuilt most of the destroyed buildings. Only recently has Mott Haven seen signs of gentrification as several new residential redevelopments have sprung up along the East 138th Street corridor and further south along Bruckner Blvd. Mott Haven also hosts the famous “Hub district” on its northern edge. The Hub is the Borough’s oldest and largest shopping district and is known locally as the Broadway of the Bronx. The Hub more recently was the center of many hip hop trends. 

From an urban perspective this is a solid urban district with little need for a car. The district has convenient access to Midtown, great public transit access, solid bike infrastructure, and most retail amenities including the shopping hob at the Hub. There are also surprisingly good schools and park amenities. But for Mott Haven to become a top tier urban district there needs to be a lot more rental and for-sale housing options, quality urban infill in some of the rougher spots, better tree canopy, and riverfront access.

Click here to view my Mott Haven album on Flickr

URBAN STRENGTHS:

* Just under 50K per square mile but that is partially due to lower denser on the edges. The heart of Mott Haven is much denser.
* Excellent public transit access as 4 subway lines run through the district. Midtown is only a 30 min subway ride.
* Solid bike infrastructure include great dedicated bike stations and a good system of bike lanes.
* This is probably one of the most walkable neighborhoods with such a high level of poverty and affordably in the US.
* Generally good sidewalk infrastructure but ADA curb cuts are hit or miss on about half of all intersections.
* Hispanic majority at about 60% but also a large Black population at around 25%.. * Large #s of family households.
* There is a decent amount of historic architecture remaining from the turn of the 20th century but its often pretty gritty. Lots of 1960s & 1970s infill that’s not particularly beautiful including plenty of project high rises but still a good amount of this stock has decent urban form. Some more recent in-fill that looks nicer.
* Not a ton of pedestrians (for NY standards on most streets) but very busy street life at the Melrose, 3rd Ave, Willis Avenue & 149 St business district node, also referred to as “the Hub”.
* Mott Haven has surprisingly really good park amenities starting with the large and multi-functional St. Mary’s Park which is built on an elevated rocky outcrop and includes an indoor recreational center and pool. Lots of small parks, playgrounds, and ballfields & basketball courts well distributed throughout the neighborhood. This is likely thanks to all the Project Housing and new housing built in the neighborhood in the wake of the destructive fires in the 70s & 80s.
* Decent # of restaurants & bars esp. along Bruckner Blvd, decent # of cafes, a couple art galleries and small museums; there is also the  Hostos Center for the Arts & Culture & another smaller theater.
* Lots of walkable schools and generally pretty good ratings other than a handful of public schools. Lots of public and charter schools options across all grade levels. Private schools are limited to a couple Catholic grade schools.
* Mott Haven has a ton of rental inventory but most of it is not market rate (7:1 lease below 2K). Smaller market rental concentrated on the western and southern edges where studios lease btwn 2K-3.2K & 1-beds btwn 2.4K-3.5K. More 2 & 3 beds throughout the neighborhood. 2-beds lease btwn2-4K & 3 beds btwn 3.5-5.5K
* Several supermarkets, plenty of drug stores & discount stores, a couple dept stores & lots of retail located north of 149 in the HUB. Also lots of clothing stores along 138th, several hardware stores, plenty of bakeries & dessert joints, a couple gyms & bike shops, tons of churches, a major hospital and plenty of doctor’s appointments, local post office & public library.

URBAN WEAKNESSES:

• Not a ton of abandonment but certainly plenty of grit and industrial areas.
• While sidewalks are consistent they are all very gritty and often dated.
• Mott Haven is still a very working class area with a 38% poverty but also large representation below 50K household income. Some middle and upper middle class rep too.
• Like most of the South Bronx Mott Haven is much safer than it was in the 90s and 2000s. That being said there does still seem to be some crime in the neighborhood but nothing like it used to be.
• Urban massing is generally good on the Biz Districts but plenty of Industrial areas that are not pleasant urban environments.
• Good tree canopy in the high-rises projects and on some of the more historic brownstone streets but many blocks have limited tree canopy.
• Mott Haven and South Bronx as a whole still struggle with negative persecutions but it does seem that more young professionals are taking a chance on the neighborhood with its lower rent, yet white professionals are still staying away.
• Even though there is lots of riverfront surrounding Mott Haven there is limited access to it. A Mott Haven resident would need to cross over to Randalls Island for this.
• Not a ton of for sale product. Very few 1 & 2 bedroom condos. Some 3-bed townhouses (musty from the 60s that sell btwn 500K-700K and a handful of newer renovations selling for 800K-900K. 4 & 5 beds sell btwn 700K-1M but not a ton of product.
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