March 8-14, 2019 Your Neighborhood — Your News® 75 cents
SERVING THROGGS NECK, PELHAM BAY, COUNTRY CLUB, CITY ISLAND, WESTCHESTER SQUARE, MORRIS PARK, VAN NEST, PELHAM PARKWAY, CASTLE HILL, ALLERTON
Library for Huntington Free Library site in doubt
Mott Haven historic district turns 50 Bronxites’ incredible feats of acrobatic prowess were on full display
Vol. 39 No. 10 www.bxtimes.com
Acrobatic Artistry
SQUARE BOOK
PLAN SHELVED
Continued on Page 77
Continued on Page 77
at the American Turner Club’s annual Gymnastic Show on
Sunday, March 3. Olivia Verde showcased her skills on the parallel
bars. See photo spread on page 48. Photo by Laura Stone
BY PATRICK ROCCHIO
The plan to build a new
public library in Westchester
Square may be DOA.
The trust that runs the
Huntington Free Library in
Westchester Square was informed
on Monday, March
4 by the city that there has
been additional delays in fi -
nalizing the deal that would
have had the city purchase 5
Westchester Square in order
to turn it over to the New York
Public Library to construct a
new east Bronx library center.
The new glass-cladded library
would have been sited
adjacent to Huntington Free
Library’s historic reading
room and museum at 9
Westchester Square.
The city recently informed
HFL that due to a ‘huge fi -
nancial shortfall’ the library
doesn’t want to move forward
with the land purchase until
the funding situation is resolved,
said Tom Casey, HFL
president.
The HFL has been in contract
with the city for about
three years after a its board
voted in February 2016 to sell
the property to the city even
though developers were offering
more money for the site,
said Casey.
“We had received higher
offers from commercial developers,
but we chose to sell to
the NYPL,” said Casey. “We
felt that we wanted to be good
neighbors and that it might
make sense to have (another)
library as a neighbor as opposed
to a high rise.”
Plans for the modern library
were presented to Community
Board 10 in 2014, and
according to a previous Bronx
Times article, funding was
allocated by three elected offi
cials: $12 million in NYC
City Council funds secured
by former Councilman James
Vacca, $1 million from Borough
President Ruben Diaz
Jr. and $2 million from former
Mayor Bloomberg.
Initial estimates from 2014
projected the cost to be about
$13 million and architectural
fi rm Snøhetta designed a modern
12,000-square-foot library,
according to that article.
Casey said that HFL signed
a non-legally binding memorandum
of understanding concerning
the purchase of its former
annex next to their 19th
century building for $930,000.
The plan, which had been
BY PATRICK ROCCHIO
A historic district that
boasts 19th century town
houses and classic buildings
is celebrating its golden anniversary.
The Mott Haven Historic
District, will celebrate its 50th
anniversary on Monday, July
29.
The historic district, near
Alexander Avenue and parts
of surrounding blocks between
East 137th Street and
East 141st Street, will celebrate
with a program that’s
still being planned at the Mott
Haven Library between 6 and
8 p.m., said Samuel Brooks,
Mott Haven Historic Districts
Association president.
Brooks, who fi rst moved to
the community in 1975, added
that another of its historic districts,
Mott Haven East, would
be celebrating its 25-year anniversary
as well. Mott Haven
East is situated on East 140th
Street between Willis and
Brook avenues.
A similar historic district
in Greenwich Village consisting
mostly of town homes was
designated by the city in April
1969, around the same time as
Mott Haven’s oldest district,
but the Mott Haven district
doesn’t receive as nearly as
much attention, said Brooks,
adding he hopes that this will
change.
“Coincidently, we are turning
50 and not that many people
know this,” said Brooks,
adding that obviously Greenwich
Village is vigorously
celebrating their anniversary,
and that the Mott Haven
should not be overlooked.
“Some of the town houses
or row houses on Alexander
Avenue date back to 1863,”
said Brooks. “They are some
of the oldest row houses in the
city.”
/www.bxtimes.com
/www.bxtimes.com