Podcast: Professor Lloyd Ultan, Bronx Borough Historian (Part 2)

September 21, 2009 at 3:58 am 5 comments

Professor Lloyd Ultan in Bronx Historical Society library.

Here, at long last, is the second part of my interview with Bronx Borough Historian Professor Lloyd Ultan.
{The first part is here.}

Or download the podcast as an mp3.

Show Notes

00:00 Intro

01:14 What makes the Bronx unique? Its size / parks / types of homes. The Bronx is large enough to be the 6th largest city in America.

02:41 Bronx population is very diverse.

04:45 “The Bronx has always welcomed the other.”

07:03 European immigrants come to the Bronx from Ireland and Germany.

10:00 Eastern European Jews arrive in the Bronx.
Baron de Hirsch Fund established workshops to teach Jewish immigrants industrial skills necessary for living in an urban environment.

11:34 African-Americans and Puerto Ricans arrive in the Bronx.

11:56 In 1980s to 1990s, the Bronx becomes still more diverse.

12:54 Bohemian Community in the Bronx near Fordham in the 1860s:
John Savage, Irish poet
Robert Barry Coffin, writing as Barry Gray, wrote “Cakes and Ale at Woodbine: from Twelfth Night to New Year’s Day”, “Out of Town: A Rural Episode”.

14:15 Edgar Allan Poe lived in Fordham in 1846.

17:08 Small bohemian community of Broadway actors and actresses lived on Wilton Street near St. Ann’s Avenue, west of St. Mary’s Park.

17:50 East and north of Crotona Park, writers gathered in Crotona Park.
These writers were Eastern European Jews who wrote in Yiddish.

18:43 Literary salon in the home of a Bronx dentist and his wife every Sunday.

19:38 Today, artists in Mott Haven
Jazz musicians live on Manida Street in Hunts Point

Additional Resources for topics discussed in this podcast:
The Bronx County Historical Society
Intersections The Grand Concourse beyond 100
New York Public Library: The Bronx on the Web

Books by Prof. Lloyd Ultan
“The Bronx In The Innocent Years, 1890 – 1925″, with Gary Hermalyn (1991 2nd ed).
“The Beautiful Bronx, 1920-1950″ , (1979).
“The Bronx: It was Only Yesterday, 1935 – 1965″, with Gary Hermalyn (1992).
“Bronx Accent: A Literary And Pictorial History of the Borough”, with Barbara Unger (2000).
“The Northern Borough: A History of the Bronx”, to be released this year. It is the first single volume on the history of the Bronx since 1912.

This podcast features Creative Commons music:
“One for Me” by SackJo 22
“Que Pena” featuring Tamy by s.c.mixer

A Special Thank You for all things IT related to:
Colin Turner, Chief urbologist, urbTek, LLC

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Entry filed under: History, Lloyd Ultan, People, Podcasts, The Bronx, Writers. Tags: Bronx Borough Historian, History, Lloyd Ultan, The Bronx.

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5 Comments Add your own

1. Citizen Powell | March 30, 2010 at 8:54 am

Friends:

That structure was explained to me by a urban design professional who is an expert on the Bronx river Parkway as a one-time design of the New york Botanical Garden. Before the 1950s expansion of the Bronx River Parkway south of Bronx Park, the New York Botanical Garden maintained that part of the park where this structure is. Parks records clearly indicate that there was a pond to the south of this area where kids play in a little league now. The designer thought that NYBG built this structure as a viewing post for a earlier rose garden. NYBG history buffs are largely aware that the siting of the rose garden there has had quite a past with no fewer than three sites over the years.
Reply
2. Peter Fragale | January 5, 2010 at 7:31 am

I am a lifelong resident of the Bronx and long wondered what the history of a structure located in the Bronx Park alongside the Bronx River Pkwy between Thwaites Place and Waring Avenue. It appears to have been a Band Stand.
Reply
- 3. Bronx Bohemian | February 16, 2010 at 12:08 am
  
  Dear Peter,
  I did a google search and double checked the NYC Parks sites without finding any info about the stand you mentioned. I asked my friend Sahara, native Bronxite and blogger, who lives across the street from the park. And she had this reply:
  
  for your reader, the structure in the park there may have just been a gazebo of some type; a band stand would have been larger. It’s a beautiful Romanesque structure, and if it wasn’t so close to the highway (now), it would be a beautiful place to knit. Indeed, in the time of the Lorillards, it may have built as a place of repose on their property. Hope this helps.
  
  My other suggestion is to give a call to the Bronx Historical Society.
  BB
  Reply
4. Laura S. | November 23, 2009 at 6:35 am

Great interview. I have several of Mr. Ultan’s books. I was born and raised in the Bronx and love his work. Thanks for sharing
Reply
- 5. Bronx Bohemian | November 30, 2009 at 8:29 pm
  
  Hi Laura S.,
  Prof. Ultan is indeed a great storyteller.
  Thank you for your comments and I’m glad you enjoyed the podcast.
  
  BB
  Reply

Bronx Bohemian