Please join the East Bronx History Forum on Saturday, November 18th at 11 AM for a Walk and Talk of Astor Village. We will meet at 925 Astor Avenue, in front of Columbus High School.

 

Dear East Bronx History Forum Member,

Please join the East Bronx History Forum on Saturday, November 18th at 11 AM for a Walk and Talk of Astor Village. We will meet at 925 Astor Avenue, in front of Columbus High School. Some important destinations will include the multiple educational institutions such as the New York Institute for Special Education, St. Catherine’s High School and some of Columbus High School’s more famous alumni: including actress Ann Bancroft, computer scientist Evelyn Berezin and former New York state attorney general and Bronx borough president Robert Abrahams.

We will be following the legacy of John Jacob Astor IV and his untimely demise on the Titanic and the passing of his real estate fortune to his son Vincent. The Astor family legacy extends back to the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel and to some of the family’s other businesses such as a theater, beverage company, apartment blocks, and a nut shoppe. The neighborhood of northwestern Queens, more commonly known as Astoria bears their surname. However, the family never seemed to have made a visit to this neighborhood on the East River.

We will also track the development and construction of the New York Westchester and Boston’s (NYW&B) Pelham Parkway station. Some other items will include construction photos of the NYW&B before going into full service in 1912 and photos prior to the recommissioning by the New York City Transit Authority to the Dyre Avenue line in 1941. We will end our tour at Esplanade and Pearsall Avenues by the old Community Center of Israel Synagogue and also touch on the lives of some deceased veterans from the neighborhood who left a lasting impact.

The walk is free, so please contact our Facebook or Instagram pages for additional information or email us at EastBronxHistory@gmail.com. 

Looking forward to seeing you.

Dorothy A. Krynicki 

Secretary 

The EBHF is a 501(c)3 non-profit chartered by the New York State Education Department