Melrose

Melrose is a residential neighborhood in the New York City borough of the Bronx. It is north of Mott Haven and west of Longwood and considered as part of the South Bronx. The neighborhood is in Bronx Community Board 1. Its boundaries are East 161st Street to the north, Prospect Avenue to the east, East 149th Street to the south and Park Avenue to the west. Melrose Avenue is the primary thoroughfare. The southeastern corner of the neighborhood is served by the 2 and 5 line at Jackson Avenue, operating along Westchester Avenue. ZIP codes include 10451, 10455 and 10456. The neighborhood is served by the NYPD's 40th Precinct. .

Demographics
Melrose has a population of 30,000. For decades it has been one of the poorest communities in America. Over half the population lives below the poverty line and receives public assistance (AFDC, Home Relief, Welfare and Medicaid). Over one-third of the population resides in units managed by the NYCHA. Melrose has one of the highest concentrations of Puerto Ricans in all of New York City. There is a small Dominican population. The vast majority of households are renter occupied. Like the rest of the South Bronx, the neighborhood is plagued by high levels of gang activity, drug use, prostitution and homelessness.



Land use and terrain
Today Melrose is dominated by public housing complexes of various types, vacant lots and newly constructed subsidized multi-unit townhomes. Most of the original housing stock, which consisted of older multi-unit homes and tenements, was structurally damaged by arson and subsequently razed by the city. There is one secure detention center located in the community. The neighborhood contains one of the highest concentrations of NYCHA projects in the Bronx. The total land area is less than a square mile. The terrain is somewhat hilly.

The Hub-Third Avenue Business Improvement District
The Hub-Third Avenue BID is a major local retail district located where five roads converge: East 149th Street and Westchester, Willis, Melrose and Third Avenues. Many new hip-hop trends can be found here long before they spread to the rest of New York City and the world.

Horizon Juvenile Detention Center
In 1998, the New York City Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) opened two secure juvenile detention centers. Characterized by locks on the doors and other hardware designed to restrict the movement of the residents and protect public safety, the facilities were planned with staff input to enhance residents' overall security, while allowing for quality programming. Horizon Juvenile Center, located in the Melrose section of the Bronx, opened on January 18, 1998.

Low-income public housing projects

 * There are eight NYCHA developments located in Melrose.
 * 1) Adams Houses; seven buildings, 15 and 21-stories tall.
 * 2) Bronxchester Houses; one 18-story building.
 * 3) East 152nd Street-Courtlandt Avenue; two buildings, 11 and 12-stories tall.
 * 4) Jackson Houses; seven 16-story buildings.
 * 5) Melrose Houses; eight 14-story buildings.
 * 6) Morrisania Air Rights; three buildings, 19, 23, and 29-stories.
 * 7) Saint Mary's Park Houses; six 21-story buildings.
 * 8) South Bronx Area (Site 402); four buildings, 3-stories tall.

History
In 1973, the City of New York dismantled the Third Avenue El train, leaving a large portion of the southwestern Bronx underserved by public transportation. There is a direct correlation with the economic disparity of the neighborhoods adjacent to Third Avenue and the lack of viable subway access. The present options are the MTA's BX55 bus and the Melrose station of the Metro-North Railroad, which provides transportation to and from Manhattan. Both options are poor substitutes to the Third Avenue El. The City of New York presently has no plans to replace the Third Avenue El with a subway line.

Urban renewal
After a wave of arson ravaged the low income communities of New York City throughout the 1970s, most residential structures in Melrose were left seriously damaged or destroyed. The city began to rehabilitate many formally abandoned tenement buildings and designate the low income housing beginning in the late 1970s. Also many subsidized attached multi-unit townhouses and newly constructed apartment buildings have been or are being built on vacant lots across the neighborhood.

Economy
Grupo TACA operates a Bronx-area TACA Satellite at 570 Melrose Avenue.

Schools

 * PS 1: Courtlandt (East 152nd St and Courtlandt Av)
 * PS 29: Melrose (East 156th St and Courtlandt Av)
 * PS 157: Grove Hill (East 156th St and Cauldwell Av)
 * MS 162: Lola Rodriguez de Tio (East 149th St and St. Ann's Av)
 * William Lloyd Garrison PS/MS.31x: (250 East and 156 street)
 * Alfred Smith High School (East 151st St and Courtlandt Av)
 * South Bronx High School Campus (St. Ann's Av north of Westchester Av)

Transportation

 * Bx4: to 3rd Avenue-149th Street station or Westchester Square station (via Westchester Avenue)
 * Bx15: to Fordham Plaza or West Harlem (via 3rd Av)
 * Bx19: to New York Botanical Gardens or Riverbank State Park (via East 149th St-Southern Blvd)
 * Bx21: to Westchester Square or Mott Haven (via Boston Rd-Morris Park Av)
 * Bx41: to Wakefield (via Webster Av)
 * Bx55: to Fordham Plaza or Williamsbridge-Gun Hill Rd station (via 3rd Av Limited)
 * Melrose (Metro-North station) (Harlem Line)
 * Prospect Avenue (IRT White Plains Road Line)
 * Jackson Avenue (IRT White Plains Road Line)
 * Third Avenue-149th Street (IRT White Plains Road Line)

Facts

 * Melrose was the site of the fictional South Bronx Law Center on the TV series The Sopranos. Meadow Soprano volunteered at the law center, supposedly located at East 161st Street and Brook Avenue, a few blocks east of Yankee Stadium.
 * Melrose is considered part of the socioeconomic South Bronx.