in

The Bronx in the 1920s brought to Life with these Fascinating Historical Photos

The 1920s, often referred to as the “Roaring Twenties,” was a period of significant growth and transformation for the Bronx. This decade saw the borough undergo massive urbanization, demographic shifts, and cultural developments that mirrored the broader changes occurring across the United States. As part of New York City, the Bronx experienced the effects of economic prosperity, the Jazz Age, and the challenges of the era, including the lead-up to the Great Depression.

Urban Expansion and Architectural Development

The 1920s was marked by a construction boom in the Bronx, with the development of residential areas, commercial buildings, and public infrastructure. This growth was fueled by the continued expansion of the subway system, making the borough more accessible and desirable for both residents and businesses.

During this period, the Bronx saw the rise of Art Deco and Moderne architectural styles, which were reflected in the design of new apartment buildings, schools, and public buildings. Notable examples include the Bronx County Courthouse and the Grand Concourse, a major thoroughfare that became synonymous with the borough’s architectural and cultural identity.

Arts, Music, and Entertainment

The Bronx played a significant role in the Jazz Age, hosting a lively music scene that featured jazz clubs, dance halls, and theaters. This era saw the emergence of local talent and the arrival of renowned musicians, making the borough a hotspot for jazz and live entertainment.

The 1920s also saw the Bronx as a nurturing ground for literary and artistic movements. The borough’s diverse communities and dynamic urban environment inspired a generation of writers, artists, and intellectuals who contributed to the vibrant cultural landscape of New York City.

Economic Growth

The economic boom of the 1920s facilitated industrial and commercial expansion in the Bronx. Factories, warehouses, and retail establishments proliferated, providing employment for many residents. The borough became a vital part of New York City’s economic framework, contributing to its prosperity during this decade.

Despite the economic prosperity experienced during much of the 1920s, the latter part of the decade saw signs of the financial instability that would lead to the Great Depression. The Bronx, like the rest of the country, began to feel the effects of economic downturns, which would significantly impact its communities in the following decade.

#1 Interior of New York Coliseum in Starlight Park, Bronx, 1929.

#2 Looking south to Westchester Avenue from Sound View Avenue, 1922.

#7 Farmer Frank Zavistoski and family farming in the Bronx, 4th November 1924.

#8 Frank Zavistoski Jr. and father on their Bronx farm, 1924.

#9 New York Coliseum in Starlight Park, Bronx, 2nd April 1929.

#10 Van Cortlandt House in Van Cortlandt Park, Bronx, circa 1925.

#11 Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey circus at the Coliseum in the Bronx, 1929.

#12 Dilapidated wood house at 2388 Valentine Avenue, Bronx or Yonkers, 1920s

#13 Stone house with mansard roof at 2391 Tiebout Avenue, Bronx, 1920s

#14 Willis Avenue near 148th Street, Bronx, circa 1920.

#15 Pelham Parkway, N.Y. Institute for the Blind, boy’s dormitories, exterior, February 1925.

#16 171st Street and Grand Concourse, Apartment house, circa 1921.

#17 Interior of St. Francis Hospital’s Laboratory X-Ray at 142nd St. & Brook Ave., 1920.

#19 Racquel Court Elevator Apartment Building, circa 1920.

#20 Apartment house at 1820 to 1830 Loring Place, circa 1920.

#22 St. Lawrence Avenue from Westchester Avenue, 1922.

#24 Construction of Yankee Stadium nearing completion, 1923

#25 Former St. Matthew’s Church in Mosholu, Bronx, January 1924.

#26 Third Avenue at 148th Street, Bronx, early twentieth century.

#27 Youths and man viewing eclipse in the Bronx, 1925.

#28 Construction of Yankee Stadium on East 161st Street,1922.

#29 Fordham Manor Reformed Dutch Church, Bronx, 1923.

#31 White residence and old house on Kingsbridge Avenue, Bronx, May 1925.

#33 Townsend Poole House on Featherbed Lane, Bronx, 1924.

#34 Townsend Poole House on Featherbed Lane, Bronx, 1924.

#35 Former St. Matthew’s Church in Mosholu, Bronx, January 1924.

#36 Former St. Matthew’s Church in Mosholu, Bronx, 1924.

#37 Berrien family burial plot in Van Cortlandt Park, Bronx, May 1925.

#38 Van Cortlandt House in Van Cortlandt Park, Bronx, May 1925.

#39 Mansion at Grand Concourse and 162nd Street, Bronx, early twentieth century.

#40 Baumann’s Furniture at East 149th Street, Bronx, early twentieth century.

#41 Property at 169th Street and Walton Avenue, Bronx, circa 1925.

#42 Interior of New York Coliseum in Starlight Park, Bronx, 1929.

#43 Double-decker bus and cars on Grand Concourse, Bronx, in the 1920s or 1930s.

#44 A baseball game at Yankee Stadium, Bronx, circa 1924, with empty bleachers.

#45 Trolley on Walton Avenue at Tremont Avenue, Bronx, circa 1920.

#46 Elevated train station at 56-58 E. 161st Street, Bronx, circa 1920.

#48 Townhouses at College Avenue and E. 144th Street, Bronx, 1920s

#50 184th Street between Valentine Avenue and Tiebout Avenue, Bronx, NYC, undated.

#51 800, 802, & 804 Courtlandt Avenue, Bronx, circa 1920.

#52 Fordham Manor Reformed Dutch Church, Bronx, 1923.

#53 Third Avenue and East 166th Street, Bronx, circa 1920.

#54 Van Cortlandt House in Van Cortlandt Park, Bronx, May 1925.

#55 Former St. Matthew’s Church in Mosholu, Bronx, 1924.

#56 Former St. Matthew’s Church in Mosholu, Bronx, January 1924.

#59 Willis Avenue near 148th Street, Bronx, circa 1920.

#60 Willis Avenue near 148th Street, Bronx, September 1925.

#63 Aeolian Co., Exterior, Factory Weber Duo Art 138th Street & Willow Ave., 1924.

#65 238th Street and Orloff Avenue, Houses, circa 1923.

#66 Pelham Parkway, N.Y. Institute for the Blind, gymnasium, February 1925.

#67 220th Street and White Plains Road, Bronx Borough Bank, White Plains branch, general exterior, circa 1926.

#68 Burnside and Grand Avenue, northwest corner, Two-story taxpayer, July 1926.

#69 237th Street at the northeast corner of White Plains Avenue, Two-story Tax Payer, general interior, circa 1926.

#70 2001-2011 Morris Avenue at the corner of East 179th Street, Apartment, general exterior, September 1926.

#71 Fieldstone, Riverdale, American House, circa 1927.

#72 225th Street near White Plains Road, Block of two-story houses, circa 1923.

#73 161st Street between Brook and Washington Avenues, Magistrates court, 6th District, circa 1924.

#74 Grand Concourse, Andrew J. Freedman home, general exterior, October 1924.

#75 Construction of Fox Square Laundry on Edgewater Road, 1925.

#76 St. Adelbert’s Parochial School on East 156th Street, circa 1925.

#77 Final view of Fox Square Laundry at 1471 Edgewater Road, 1926.

#78 Exterior of the Winchell residence in Fieldstone, 1927.

#79 Central National Bank at 5 Burnside Avenue, 1928.

#80 Amalgamated Clothing Workers apartment group at Mosholu Parkway and Sedgwick Avenue, 1928.

#81 Amalgamated Clothing Workers apartment group at Mosholu Parkway and Sedgwick Avenue, 1928.

#82 Interior of New Era House at 4506 Riverdale Avenue and 244th Street, 1928.

#83 Apartments at Bronx Parks East and Brady Avenue, 1929.

#84 Alhambra Apartments between Wallace and Barnes on 750 Pelham Parkway, 1929.

#85 Entrance of the New York Public Library at Southern Boulevard and Tiffany Street, 1929.

#86 Amalgamated Clothing Workers Apartments at Sedgwick Avenue and Gun Hill Road, 1929.

#87 Amalgamated Clothing Workers Apartments at Sedgwick Avenue and Gun Hill Road, 1929.

#89 Exterior of Northern Union Gas Co. building at Kingsbridge Road and Webster Avenue, 1926.

#90 Rendering of Bronx Hospital on 169th Street by Scheffler, 1926.

#92 General view of Amalgamated Garment Workers, circa 1928.

#93 Amalgamated Clothing Workers Apartments at Sedgwick Avenue and Gun Hill Road, 1929.

#94 Condition of sidewalk edge at 2012 Vyse Avenue, 1925.

#95 Intersection of Eastern Blvd. and E. Tremont Ave. in the Bronx with 3rd Ave. rail and Fort Schuyler signage, 1920.

#96 Charles Evans Hughes Jr. residence in Fieldston, showing garage detail, 1926.

#97 Degener residence in Fieldston from southeast, 1926.

#99 General view of George F. Wagner residence in Fieldston, with front lawn, 1928.

#100 General view of Armino A. Campagna residence from across the street, 1929.

#101 Science laboratory at Lincoln School for Nursing, 141st Street and Southern Boulevard, 1929.

#102 General exterior of Lincoln School for Nursing from southwest on elevation, 141st Street and Southern Boulevard, 1929.

#103 General exterior of Lincoln School for Nursing facing south from elevation, 141st Street and Southern Boulevard, 1929.

#104 Front view of Vernon C. Brown Mausoleum at Woodlawn Cemetery, 1929.

#105 General exterior of Simone LaSala residence from left, 246th Street and Fieldston Road, 1929.

#106 House on William B. Ogden estate looking south from Montgomery Ave, just north of 174th Street, 1923.

#107 Lewis G. Morris stable looking northeast from Montgomery Avenue between 176th and 177th Streets, 1923.

#108 Anderson Avenue looking north from Burnside Avenue, 1922.

#111 Bergen Avenue and 148th Street, looking south to Willis Avenue, 1920.

#118 Looking south on Broadway from 261st Street, circa 1920.

#121 New apartments at northeast corner of 238th Street and Broadway, circa 1920.

#122 Public School 26 in Mount Hope, Bronx, circa 1920.

#124 Houses under construction on Holland Avenue near the Mace Estate, circa 1925.

#129 East 157th Street near Forest Avenue, circa 1920.

#131 Forest Avenue north of 153rd Street, circa 1920.

#132 East 151st Street from Forest Avenue, circa 1920.

#134 Morris House in Fleetwood Concourse Village, 1929.

#136 Thomas Garden Apartments showing footbridge across pool and landscaping effect, 1927.

#139 Gun Hill Road and White Plains Road, circa 1920.

#140 Corner of Jerome Avenue and 169th Street, showing Huber property, circa 1920.

#141 Devoe Cottage on the west side of Jessup Avenue, 1923.

#142 East Kingsbridge Road and 194th Street, circa 1920.

#144 Overlooking property on East Kingsbridge Road and 194th Street, a wooded area with a small house, circa 1920.

#149 McGraw Avenue and Beach Avenue, a rural, residential section of the Bronx, 1922.

#150 Looking across property on Metcalf Avenue from 177th Street to Westchester Avenue, plots of land to be sold at auction, circa 1922.

#151 Looking across property from corner of Metcalf Avenue and 177th Street, plots of land to be sold at auction, circa 1922.

#152 Metcalf Avenue from Westchester Avenue, circa 1922.

#157 St. Lawrence Avenue looking east from 177th Street, circa 1922.

#158 Sedgwick Avenue opposite Jerome Park Reservoir, circa 1920.

#159 Simpson Avenue between E. 163rd Street and Westchester Avenue, 1920.

#161 Southwest corner of 149th Street and 3rd Avenue, 1920s

#162 3rd Avenue and Willis Avenue at 148th Street, June 7, 1924.

#164 East Tremont Avenue looking towards Starlight Park, circa 1925.

#166 East Tremont Avenue looking east from West Farms subway station, circa 1925.

#168 Tremont Avenue and Commonwealth Avenue, circa 1925.

#169 South along University Place from Brandt Place, circa 1925.

#170 North along University Ave from Brandt Place, circa 1920.

#175 Northern Union Gas Company at 1815 Webster Avenue, circa 1920.

#176 Northern Union Gas Company at 1815 Webster Avenue, circa 1920.

#182 Corner of Westchester Avenue and Evergreen Avenue, 1920.

#183 Southwest corner of Westchester Avenue and Hoe Avenue, circa 1920.

#184 Westchester Avenue and Southern Boulevard, 1922.

#185 St. Lawrence Avenue looking east from Westchester Avenue, circa 1922.

#189 Barnard School for Boys, now the Horace Mann School, circa 1920.

#190 523 Commonwealth Avenue, Clason Point, Academy Housing, 1920s

#191 Gould Hall, New York University, University Heights Campus, 1925

#193 East 133rd Street, Welte Mignon Piano Company, 1928.

#194 West 165th Street and University Avenue, apartment building construction view, 1927.

#195 Burnside Avenue and Jerome Avenue, northeast corner, future site of Corn Exchange Bank, Fordham branch, 1922.

#196 Telephone Building, 167th Street and Grand View Place, New York City, 1921.

#197 Fordham Hospital Temporary Wards from South Looking North, 1920.

#198 St. Ursula’s Academy, 198th Street and Marion Avenue, N.Y.C., from West Wall of Auditorium looking East, 1922.

#199 St. Ursula’s Academy, 198th Street and Marion Avenue, N.Y.C., General View looking S.W. from N.E. corner Second Floor, 1922.

#200 East 171st Street at Webster Avenue, Our Lady of Victory Church, Children, nuns, and priest on roof, 1921.

#201 East 171st Street at Webster Avenue, Our Lady of Victory Church, 1921.

#202 Sedgwick Avenue and Gun Hill Road, Amalgamated Clothing Workers Apartments, Bus stop, 1929.

#203 735 Walton Avenue, apartment complex, circa 1929.

#204 Gun Hill Road between Hull Street and Decatur Street, Apartments, 1929.

#205 321 East 140th Street at Alexander Avenue, “Northern Branch” N.Y. Public Library, 1928.

#206 137th Street and Walnut Avenue, Q.R.S. Music Roll Company, circa 1920s

#207 East 207th Street and Perry Avenue, Saint Brendan’s Parochial School, 1924.

#208 207th Street and Perry Avenue, Saint Brendan’s Parochial School, Church, 1924.

#211 177th Street and Tremont Avenue, Bronx Borough Bank, 1924.

#212 East 158th Street and Grand Concourse, Fleischmann Laboratories, 1924.

#213 Calvary M.E. Church, University Avenue and 177th Street, N.Y.C., from N.E. corner of Church Auditorium looking West, 1924.

#214 St. Ursula’s Academy, 198th Street and Marion Avenue, 1924.

#215 Grand Concourse, The Roosevelt Apartments, 1924.

#218 Broadway Series, at the end of the subway, 242nd Street, “honeymoon house” on the hill, 1920.

#219 Broadway Series, looking north from the platform of the subway station at 242nd Street, 1920.

#220 Broadway Series, looking north on Broadway, Beck’s Hotel main building, between Old Albany Post Road and 246th Street, 1920.

#221 Broadway Series, view looking north on Broadway from Van Cortlandt Park, 1920.

#222 Broadway Series, looking north on Broadway on embankment between 246th and 251st Streets, 1920.

#223 Broadway Series, looking north from Mosholu Avenue, Broadway Inn, 1920.

#224 Broadway Series, looking south from Caryl Avenue, 1920.

#225 Tremont Ave and 177th Street, Bronx Borough Bank, view of front entrance, 1924.

#226 Van Cortlandt House in Van Cortlandt Park, Bronx, 1924.

Van Cortlandt House in Van Cortlandt Park, Bronx, 1924.

-1 Points
Upvote Downvote

#227 6201 Broadway at 251st Street, apartment house, circa 1921.

6201 Broadway at 251st Street, apartment house, circa 1921.

-1 Points
Upvote Downvote

#228 Vernon C. Brown Mausoleum at Woodlawn Cemetery from right, 1929.

Vernon C. Brown Mausoleum at Woodlawn Cemetery from right, 1929.

-1 Points
Upvote Downvote

#229 Broadway looking north from 242nd Street, 1920.

Broadway looking north from 242nd Street, 1920.

-1 Points
Upvote Downvote

#230 New York Roller Skating Marathon winners at Starlight Amusement Park, Bronx.

New York Roller Skating Marathon winners at Starlight Amusement Park, Bronx.

-2 Points
Upvote Downvote

Written by Dennis Saul

Content creator and Professional photographer who still uses Vintage film roll cameras. Not that I loved London less But that i Love New York City More.

Leave a Reply

Comment using name and email. Or Register an account

GIPHY App Key not set. Please check settings