page_title: Longwood, Bronx
section_title: History
hierarchical_section_title: Longwood, Bronx / History
caption_attribution_description: English: Looking southeast from under the track at Casa Amadeo on a mostly sunny afternoon.
context_page_description: Longwood is a mixed-use neighborhood geographically located in the southwest Bronx, New York City. Its boundaries, starting from the north and moving clockwise are East 167th Street to the north, the Bronx River and the Bruckner Expressway to east, East 149th Street to the south, and Prospect Avenue to the west. Southern Boulevard is the primary thoroughfare through Longwood.
  The neighborhood is part of Bronx Community District 2, and its ZIP Codes include 10455 and 10459. The neighborhood is served by the New York City Police Department's 41st Precinct. NYCHA property in the area is patrolled by P.S.A. 7 at 737 Melrose Avenue in the Melrose section of the Bronx. The local subway, the 6 and <6>​ trains, operates along Southern Boulevard.
context_section_description: The Bronx initially began to urbanize with the construction of a streetcar network. Eventually, the expansion of the elevated and subterranean rapid transit lines from Manhattan rapidly accelerated development. Solid rows of 5 and 6 story, walk-up and larger elevator, apartment buildings were built to the sidewalk and dominated the landscape of Upper Manhattan, the West Bronx and in walking proximity of the elevated lines in the East Bronx. Commercial corridors quickly developed in close proximity to rapid transit stations and primary thoroughfares. Early in this construction boom, Longwood was one of the most dense and developed Bronx neighborhoods. For much of the first half of the 20th century, the Bronx was overall home to a predominantly middle-class population of European and Jewish descent hailing from diverse nationalities, including immigrants directly from the corresponding countries of varying socioeconomic statuses.
  Beginning in the 1950s, the older, more developed parts of the Bronx experienced a socioeconomic shift due to a number of factors. The construction of the Cross Bronx Expressway displaced thousands and physically divided communities, Co-op City in the northeast Bronx offered modern amenities and spacious apartments, and suburban communities outside New York City became more appealing with their auto-centric lifestyle. As people with financial means began to leave, impoverished people often replaced them. White flight and abandonment only accelerated over time. By the late 1970s, many buildings in the greater South Bronx had been burnt out in an epidemic wave of arson. Scammers realized they could manipulate the system and collect insurance money after more lucrative tenants had fled. The area was severely run down as the community became increasingly disfranchised. At this time, crime reached such a level that the 41st Precinct building at 1086 Simpson Street became known by the police as "Fort Apache".
  The wave of arson eventually ended with the help of community groups such as Banana Kelly CIA, Inc. and SEBCO (South East Bronx Community Organization), who worked to bring recognition and protect the remaining apartment buildings in the greater South Bronx. What was left was a wasteland of abandoned buildings, vacant lots, filthy streets and a severe lack of even basic commercial amenities. During this period of time, the neighborhood was dealt another blow as violent crime hit historic highs during the crack epidemic. The police seemed to be fighting a losing battle as many young men in New York City were killed on the streets over drug turf. The greater South Bronx was one of the hardest hit areas, with a largely poor population which lacked local jobs, many began to turn to the lucrative drug trade.
  Some of the first federal funding in decades for new investment began in 1986 under the Ed Koch administration. In blighted neighborhoods across the city, various housing experiments were attempted. The NYCHA was one of the first agencies to create and renovate residential units in Longwood, the city soon followed up with independent, locally driven developments. This construction resulted in escalating reinvestment in these communities Continuing into the mid-1990s, local and federal governments invested over $550 million in new subsidized residential housing and the expansion of businesses and commerce. This period saw the construction of the South Bronx headquarters of the Police Athletic League of New York City and the relocation of the 41st Precinct of the NYPD from Simpson Street to Longwood Avenue. In addition, investments were made to the Banana Kelly High School, and to several small and large businesses such as Rite Aid and McDonald's. This investment has only increased exponentially since that time. A vast number of new housing and commercial units have been constructed on formally vacant lots, with more planned. A community once dominated by blight and disinvestment, is now towered over by modern apartment buildings, renovated pre-war structures, and rows of attached row houses. Social p
caption: Casa Amadeo, antigua Casa Hernandez, a historic landmark and music store
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