Mott Haven is an American primarily

residential neighborhood A residential area is a land used in which housing predominates, as opposed to industrial and commercial areas. Housing may vary significantly between, and through, residential areas. These include single-family housing, multi-family reside ...

in the southwestern section of the

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

borough of

the Bronx The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New Y ...

. Its boundaries, starting from the north and moving clockwise, are East 149th Street to the north, the

Bruckner Expressway The Bruckner Expressway is a freeway in the borough of the Bronx in New York City. It carries Interstate 278 (I-278) and I-95 (and formerly I-878) from the Triborough Bridge to the south end of the New England Thruway at the Pelham Parkway ...

to the east, the Major Deegan Expressway to the south, and the

Harlem River The Harlem River is an tidal strait in New York, United States, flowing between the Hudson River and the East River and separating the island of Manhattan from the Bronx on the New York mainland. The northern stretch, also called the Spuyte ...

to the west. East 138th Street is the primary east–west thoroughfare through Mott Haven. The neighborhood is part of

Bronx Community Board 1 Bronx Community Board 1 is a local government unit of the city of New York, encompassing the neighborhoods of Mott Haven, Melrose, and Port Morris in the borough of the Bronx. It is delimited by the East River, East 149th Street, and Prospect A ...

, and is located within ZIP Codes 10451, 10454, and 10455. Mott Haven is patrolled by the

New York City Police Department The New York City Police Department (NYPD), officially the City of New York Police Department, established on May 23, 1845, is the primary municipal law enforcement agency within the City of New York, the largest and one of the oldest in ...

's 40th Precinct. The local subway line is the

IRT Pelham Line The IRT Pelham Line is a rapid transit line on the New York City Subway, operated as part of the A Division and served by the 6 and <6> trains. It was built as part of the Dual Contracts expansion and opened between 1918 and 1920. It is ...

(), operating along East 138th Street. The local buses are the . Mott Haven is served by the

Triborough Bridge The Robert F. Kennedy Bridge (RFK Bridge; formerly known and still commonly referred to as the Triborough Bridge) is a complex of bridges and elevated expressway viaducts in New York City. The bridges link the boroughs of Manhattan, Queens, a ...

, the Third Avenue Bridge, the

Madison Avenue Bridge __notoc__ The Madison Avenue Bridge is a four-lane swing bridge crossing the Harlem River in New York City, connecting Madison Avenue in Manhattan with East 138th Street in the Bronx. It was designed by Alfred P. Boller and built in 1910, doubl ...

, the

145th Street Bridge The 145th Street Bridge is a four-lane swing bridge across the Harlem River in New York City, connecting 145th Street (Manhattan), 145th Street and Lenox Avenue in Manhattan with 149th Street and River Avenue in the Bronx. The bridge is operate ...

, and the

Willis Avenue Bridge The Willis Avenue Bridge is a swing bridge that carries road traffic northbound (and bicycles and pedestrians both ways) over the Harlem River between the New York City boroughs of Manhattan and the Bronx, United States. It connects First ...

. The closest

Metro-North Railroad Metro-North Railroad , trading as MTA Metro-North Railroad, is a suburban commuter rail service run by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), a New York State public benefit corporations, public authority of the U.S. state of New Yor ...

stops are Harlem – 125th Street and Yankees – East 153rd Street.

History

Settlement by Jonas Bronck

The Bronx was named after the Swedish sea captain

Jonas Bronck Jonas Bronck (alternatively Jonas Jonsson Brunk, Jonas Jonasson Bronk, or Jonas Jonassen Bronck) was born around year 1600 and died in 1643. Bronck was an immigrant to the Dutch colony of New Netherland after whom the Bronx River, and by extension ...

. In 1639, the

Dutch West India Company The Dutch West India Company ( nl, Geoctrooieerde Westindische Compagnie, ''WIC'' or ''GWC''; ; en, Chartered West India Company) was a chartered company of Dutch merchants as well as foreign investors. Among its founders was Willem Usselincx ( ...

purchased the land of today's Mott Haven from the

Wecquaesgeek The Wecquaesgeek (also Manhattoe and Manhattan) were a Munsee-speaking band of Wappinger people who once lived along the east bank of the Hudson River in the southwest of today's Westchester County, New York,Their presence on the east bank of the ...

(groups of Lenape tribe). Bronck built his farm on this land and named it "Emmanus". The house was located close to what is today the corner of Willis Avenue and 132nd Street. The peace treaty between Dutch authorities and the

chiefs Ranaqua and Tackamuckwas was signed in Bronck's house. This event is portrayed in a painting by the American artist John Ward Dunsmore (1856–1945). Even though Bronck only lived in the area for four years, the land became known as "Broncksland" and the river that bordered his land kept the name Bronck's River. The first time the spelling "Bronx land" was used, was in 1697 in the First Legislature outlined the County of West Chester.

Development

The area that is now called Mott Haven was sold to the Morris family in 1670. A small part of the larger swath of land known as

Morrisania Morrisania ( ) is a residential neighborhood in the southwestern Bronx, New York City, New York. Its boundaries are the Cross-Bronx Expressway to the north, Crotona-Prospect Avenue to the east, East 161st Street to the south, and Webster Avenue ...

, it was purchased by Jordan Lawrence Mott for his iron works in 1849. A vestige of the iron works can be seen just west of the Third Avenue Bridge on East 134th Street at St. Ann's Church (

ECUSA The Episcopal Church, based in the United States with additional dioceses elsewhere, is a member church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. It is a mainline Protestant denomination and is divided into nine provinces. The presiding bishop of ...

) on St. Ann's Avenue is the resting place of

Lewis Morris Lewis Morris (April 8, 1726 – January 22, 1798) was an American Founding Father, landowner, and developer from Morrisania, New York, presently part of Bronx County. He signed the U.S. Declaration of Independence as a delegate to the Continen ...

Gouverneur Morris Gouverneur Morris ( ; January 31, 1752 – November 6, 1816) was an American statesman, a Founding Father of the United States, and a signatory to the Articles of Confederation and the United States Constitution. He wrote the Preamble to the U ...

and other members of that powerful colonial family, and a Registered Historic Place. As the city below grew, the area quickly developed residentially. At the same time, an upper-middle class residential area, marked by brownstones built in an elaborate and architecturally daring fashion, started to grow along Alexander Avenue by the 1890s (Doctors' Row, aka the Irish Fifth Avenue). A series of brownstones on East 134th Street, east of Willis Avenue., was known as Judges' Row. Soon after, the Bronx grew more quickly, especially with public transit into the area, including the Third Avenue Elevated Line. By the early 20th century, the population density of the area supported the construction of many tenement-style apartment buildings. From the end of the 19th century through the 1940s, Mott Haven was a mixed

German-American German Americans (german: Deutschamerikaner, ) are Americans who have full or partial German ancestry. With an estimated size of approximately 43 million in 2019, German Americans are the largest of the self-reported ancestry groups by the Unite ...

(north of East 145th Street) and

Irish-American , image = Irish ancestry in the USA 2018; Where Irish eyes are Smiling.png , image_caption = Irish Americans, % of population by state , caption = Notable Irish Americans , population = 36,115,472 (10.9%) alone ...

neighborhood (south of East 145th Street), with an

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

enclave west of Lincoln Ave. The first Puerto Rican settlements came in the late 1940s along the length of Brook Avenue. African-Americans came into the area when the

Patterson Houses The Lester Patterson Houses or Patterson Houses is a public housing development in the Mott Haven neighborhood of the Bronx, New York City. It was named after Bronx assemblyman and judge Lester W. Patterson. It is one of the largest New York Cit ...

were built. It was organized by the veterans of the

Irish Republican Army The Irish Republican Army (IRA) is a name used by various paramilitary organisations in Ireland throughout the 20th and 21st centuries. Organisations by this name have been dedicated to irredentism through Irish republicanism, the belief tha ...

, who marched every Easter Sunday, down Willis Avenue from

the Hub The Hub may refer to: Places * The Hub, Bronx, an area of the South Bronx, New York, known for its convergence of subway and bus lines * The Hub (Edinburgh), former church in Edinburgh that is now home to the Edinburgh International Festival * T ...

to East 138th Street, then west to St. Jerome's. The Star of Munster Ballroom at the northeast corner of Willis Avenue and East 138th Street was a center of Irish music for decades. It was speculated at one time that there were more bars on Willis Avenue than on any other city street, given its short length. More recorded Irish musicians lived in Mott Haven than in any place outside Ireland.

"South Bronx" and late-20th century

Mott Haven and Port Morris were the first neighborhoods to give rise to the term "South Bronx". Together, they were earlier known as the North Side or North New York. This area was part of New York County after the incorporation of Greater New York in 1898. The

Chase Manhattan Bank JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., doing business as Chase Bank or often as Chase, is an American national bank headquartered in New York City, that constitutes the consumer and commercial banking subsidiary of the U.S. multinational banking and fina ...

at Third Avenue and East 137th Street was originally the North Side Board of Trade Building (1912). It later became the North Side Savings Bank, which became the

Dollar Dry Dock Savings Bank Dollar Dry Dock Savings Bank was a savings bank that operated in New York City from 1983 until it suffered from bank failure in 1992. History The bank was formed in 1983 by the merger of Dollar Savings Bank of New York and Dry Dock Savings Bank, ...

, which became Chase. In the 1940s when the Bronx was usually divided into the

East Bronx The East Bronx is the part of the New York City borough of the Bronx which lies east of the Bronx River; this roughly corresponds to the eastern half of the borough. Neighborhoods include: Baychester, Castle Hill, City Island, Co-op City, ...

and

West Bronx The West Bronx is a region in the New York City borough of the Bronx. The region lies west of the Bronx River and roughly corresponds to the western half of the borough. The West Bronx is more densely populated than the East Bronx, and is close ...

, a group of social workers identified a pocket of poverty on East 134th Street, east of Brown Place, and called it the South Bronx. This area of poverty would spread in part due to an illegal practice known as

blockbusting Blockbusting was a business practice in the United States in which real estate agents and building developers convinced white residents in a particular area to sell their property at below-market prices. This was achieved by fearmongering the ho ...

and to

Robert Moses Robert Moses (December 18, 1888 – July 29, 1981) was an American urban planner and public official who worked in the New York metropolitan area during the early to mid 20th century. Despite never being elected to any office, Moses is regarded ...

building several housing projects in the neighborhood. The poverty greatly expanded northward, following the post-war phenomenon colloquially referred to as

white flight White flight or white exodus is the sudden or gradual large-scale migration of white people from areas becoming more racially or ethnoculturally diverse. Starting in the 1950s and 1960s, the terms became popular in the United States. They refer ...

, reaching a peak in the 1960s when the socioeconomic North Bronx-South Bronx boundary reached

Fordham Road Fordham Road is a major thoroughfare in the Bronx, New York City, that runs west-east from the Harlem River to Bronx Park. Fordham Road houses the borough's largest and most diverse shopping district. It geographically separates the North Bron ...

. At this time a wave of arson destroyed or damaged many of the residential, commercial, and industrial structures in the area. During the course of Mott Haven's growth, the communities of Wilton and North New York were incorporated into it. Later attempts to market Mott Haven as the "Piano District" and the South Bronx as "SoBro" have not found traction.Hughes, C. J. (March 6, 2020)
"The Neighborhood Name Game"
''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

''.

Redevelopment

There has been a significant wave of residential redevelopment in the neighborhood especially along East 138th Street corridor with developments such as "The Joinery", the first luxury mid-rise condominium in the area, in addition to recently built affordable housing such as "Borinquen Court" and "Tres Puentes" apartment complex. Mott Haven is home to a community-supported agriculture program hosted at Brook Park. Recent development plans include two affordable rental buildings, a

Hampton Inn Hampton by Hilton, formerly known (and still commonly referred to) as Hampton Inn or Hampton Inn & Suites, is an American chain of hotels trademarked by Hilton Worldwide. The Hampton hotel brand is a chain of moderately priced, budget to midscale ...

by Monadnock Development and Signature Urban Properties, and the so-called

Piano District Port Morris is a mixed use, primarily industrial neighborhood geographically located in the southwest Bronx, New York City. The neighborhood is part of Bronx Community Board 1. Its boundaries are the Major Deegan Expressway and Bruckner Expressw ...

Demographics

Mott Haven is a high-density and mainly low-income neighborhood. Like most neighborhoods in New York City, the vast majority of households are renter-occupied. The neighborhood is largely Puerto Rican, with smaller numbers of African Americans,

Mexicans Mexicans ( es, mexicanos) are the citizens of the United Mexican States. The most spoken language by Mexicans is Spanish language, Spanish, but some may also speak languages from 68 different Languages of Mexico, Indigenous linguistic groups ...

and Dominicans present. Based on data from the

2010 United States Census The United States census of 2010 was the twenty-third United States national census. National Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2010. The census was taken via mail-in citizen self-reporting, with enumerators servin ...

, the population of Mott Haven and Port Morris was 52,413, a change of 3,383 (6.5%) from the 49,030 counted in

2000 File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from ...

. Covering an area of , the neighborhood had a population density of .Table PL-P5 NTA: Total Population and Persons Per Acre - New York City Neighborhood Tabulation Areas*, 2010
Population Division -

Department of City Planning, February 2012. Retrieved June 16, 2016. The racial makeup of the neighborhood was 1.7% (867)

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...

, 24.7% (12,927)

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 0.2% (95) Native American, 0.4% (214)

Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

, 0% (7)

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe the original p ...

, 0.2% (124) from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...

, and 0.6% (310) from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

of any race were 72.3% (37,869) of the population.Table PL-P3A NTA: Total Population by Mutually Exclusive Race and Hispanic Origin – New York City Neighborhood Tabulation Areas*, 2010
Population Division -

Department of City Planning, March 29, 2011. Retrieved June 14, 2016. The entirety of Community District 1, which comprises Mott Haven and Melrose, had 98,403 inhabitants as of NYC Health's 2018 Community Health Profile, with an average life expectancy of 77.6 years. This is lower than the median life expectancy of 81.2 for all New York City neighborhoods. Most inhabitants are youth and middle-aged adults: 28% are between the ages of between 0–17, 28% between 25–44, and 21% between 45–64. The ratio of college-aged and elderly residents was lower, at 12% and 10%, respectively. As of 2017, the median

household income Household income is a measure of the combined incomes of all people sharing a particular household or place of residence. It includes every form of income, e.g., salaries and wages, retirement income, near cash government transfers like food stamp ...

in Community Districts 1 and 2, including Longwood, was $20,966. In 2018, an estimated 29% of Mott Haven and Melrose residents lived in poverty, compared to 25% in all of the Bronx and 20% in all of New York City. One in eight residents (12%) were unemployed, compared to 13% in the Bronx and 9% in New York City. Rent burden, or the percentage of residents who have difficulty paying their rent, is 58% in Mott Haven and Melrose, compared to the boroughwide and citywide rates of 58% and 51%, respectively. Based on this calculation, , Mott Haven and Melrose were considered to be low-income relative to the rest of the city and not

gentrifying Gentrification is the process of changing the character of a neighborhood through the influx of more affluent residents and businesses. It is a common and controversial topic in urban politics and planning. Gentrification often increases the ec ...

Land use and terrain

Mott Haven is dominated by tenement-style apartment buildings and large public-housing complexes. There are three historical districts consisting of brownstone-style rowhouses. In the last two decades, construction of modern two- and three-unit rowhouses and apartment buildings has increased the percentage of owner-occupiers. The neighborhood contains one of the highest concentrations of

New York City Housing Authority The New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) is a public development corporation which provides public housing in New York City, and is the largest public housing authority in North America. Created in 1934 as the first agency of its kind in the U ...

(NYCHA) projects in the Bronx. The total land area is roughly one square mile. The terrain is low-lying and flat except around St. Mary's Park, where it is somewhat hilly.

Historical districts and landmarks

Three

Historic Districts A historic district or heritage district is a section of a city which contains older buildings considered valuable for historical or architectural reasons. In some countries or jurisdictions, historic districts receive legal protection from cer ...

are located in Mott Haven: Mott Haven, Mott Haven East and the Bertine Block. * The Mott Haven Historic District is located on Alexander Avenue between East 138th and East 141st Streets. The district is primarily residential in character with four- and five-story

row houses In architecture and city planning, a terrace or terraced house ( UK) or townhouse ( US) is a form of medium-density housing that originated in Europe in the 16th century, whereby a row of attached dwellings share side walls. In the United State ...

dating to the last half of the 19th century, and contains the row of brownstones known historically as Doctors' Row and Irish Fifth Avenue. It also has the 40th Precinct

police station A police station (sometimes called a "station house" or just "house") is a building which serves to accommodate police officers and other members of staff. These buildings often contain offices and accommodation for personnel and vehicles, al ...

, the 1905 neo-renaissance Mott Haven Branch of the New York Public Library, and Saint Jerome's Roman Catholic Church. ''See also:'' It was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

in 1980. * The Mott Haven East Historic District is located on East 139th and East 140th Streets between Brook and Willis Avenues. The district contains rows of brownstones, designed by William O'Gorman and William Hornum in 1883, combining Dutch and Flemish architectural aspects on the north side of East 140th Street and neo-Grecian aspects on the south side of East 140th and on East 139th Streets. * The Bertine Block Historic District is located on East 136th Street between Brook and Willis Avenues. The district contains yellow-faced brick brownstones, designed by Edward Bertine between 1891 and 1895. St. Ann's Episcopal Church is located on the west side of St. Ann's Avenue, between East 139th and East 141st Streets. It is the Bronx's oldest church, having been built in 1841 and dedicated to

's mother Ann. Notable figures buried there include

, a signer of the Declaration of Independence; Gouverneur Morris; and former

Mayor of New York City The mayor of New York City, officially Mayor of the City of New York, is head of the executive branch of the government of New York City and the chief executive of New York City. The mayor's office administers all city services, public property ...

, R. H. Morris.

Public housing projects

The seventeen NYCHA developments in Mott Haven illustrate the various types of public-housing initiatives in vogue in New York City over the decades. # Dr. Ramon E. Betances I; thirteen buildings, 3, 4, 11 and 19 stories tall # Dr. Ramon E. Betances II, 13; one 6-story building # Dr. Ramon E. Betances II, 18; two buildings, 4 and 6 stories tall # Dr. Ramon E. Betances II, 9A; one 4-story building # Dr. Ramon E. Betances III, 13; two rehabilitated tenement buildings, 5 stories tall # Dr. Ramon E. Betances III, 18; one rehabilitated and three abandoned tenement buildings, 5 stories tall # Dr. Ramon E. Betances III, 9A; two rehabilitated tenement buildings, 6 stories tall # Dr. Ramon E. Betances IV; eight buildings, 3, 4 and 5 stories tall with 282 apartments # Dr. Ramon E. Betances V; six rehabilitated tenement buildings, 5 and 6 stories tall # Dr. Ramon E. Betances VI; three rehabilitated tenement buildings, 5 and 6 stories tall # Millbrook Houses; nine 16-story buildings # Millbrook Extension; one 16-story building # Mitchel Houses; ten buildings, 17, 19, and 20 stories tall # Moore Houses; two 20-story buildings # Mott Haven Houses; eight buildings, 20 and 22 stories tall #

; fifteen buildings, 6 and 13 stories tall # Southern Boulevard M.H.O.P. (Multi Family Homeownership Program); one 7-story rehabilitated tenement building

Media

The '' Mott Haven Herald'' is a news outlet that reports in Mott Haven, Melrose and Port Morris.

Police and crime

Mott Haven and Melrose are patrolled by the 40th Precinct of the

NYPD The New York City Police Department (NYPD), officially the City of New York Police Department, established on May 23, 1845, is the primary municipal law enforcement agency within the City of New York, the largest and one of the oldest in ...

, located at 257 Alexander Avenue. The 40th Precinct ranked 59th safest out of 69 patrol areas for per-capita crime in 2010. , with a non-fatal assault rate of 186 per 100,000 people, Mott Haven and Melrose's rate of

violent crime A violent crime, violent felony, crime of violence or crime of a violent nature is a crime in which an offender or perpetrator uses or threatens to use harmful force upon a victim. This entails both crimes in which the violence, violent act is t ...

s per capita was greater than that of the city as a whole. The incarceration rate of 1,214 per 100,000 people was higher than that of the city as a whole. The 40th Precinct has a lower crime rate than in the 1990s, with crimes across all categories having decreased by 66.9% between 1990 and 2020. The precinct reported 13 murders, 30 rapes, 440 robberies, 722 felony assaults, 279 burglaries, 730 grand larcenies, and 177 grand larcenies auto in 2018.

Fire safety

Mott Haven contains three

New York City Fire Department The New York City Fire Department, officially the Fire Department of the City of New York (FDNY), is an American department of the government of New York City that provides fire protection services, technical rescue/special operations services, ...

(FDNY) fire stations: * Squad 41 – 330 East 150th Street * Engine Company 60/Ladder Company 17/Battalion 14 – 341 East 143rd Street * Engine Company 83/Ladder Company 29 – 618 East 138th Street

Health

preterm birth Preterm birth, also known as premature birth, is the Childbirth, birth of a baby at fewer than 37 weeks Gestational age (obstetrics), gestational age, as opposed to full-term delivery at approximately 40 weeks. Extreme preterm is less than 28 we ...

s and births to teenage mothers were more common in Mott Haven and Melrose than in other places citywide. In Mott Haven and Melrose, there were 95 preterm births per 1,000 live births (compared to 87 per 1,000 citywide), and 35.1 births to teenage mothers per 1,000 live births (compared to 19.3 per 1,000 citywide). Mott Haven and Melrose has a relatively high population of residents who are

uninsured Insurance is a means of protection from financial loss in which, in exchange for a fee, a party agrees to compensate another party in the event of a certain loss, damage, or injury. It is a form of risk management, primarily used to Hedge ( ...

. In 2018, this population of uninsured residents was estimated to be 14%, slightly higher than the citywide rate of 12%. The concentration of fine particulate matter, the deadliest type of

air pollutant Air pollution is the contamination of air due to the presence of substances in the atmosphere that are harmful to the health of humans and other living beings, or cause damage to the climate or to materials. There are many different types ...

, in Mott Haven and Melrose is , more than the city average. Fifteen percent of Mott Haven and Melrose residents are smokers, which is higher than the city average of 14% of residents being smokers. In Mott Haven and Melrose, 42% of residents are

obese Obesity is a medical condition, sometimes considered a disease, in which excess body fat has accumulated to such an extent that it may negatively affect health. People are classified as obese when their body mass index (BMI)—a person's we ...

, 20% are

diabetic Diabetes, also known as diabetes mellitus, is a group of metabolic disorders characterized by a high blood sugar level (hyperglycemia) over a prolonged period of time. Symptoms often include frequent urination, increased thirst and increased app ...

, and 38% have

high blood pressure Hypertension (HTN or HT), also known as high blood pressure (HBP), is a long-term medical condition in which the blood pressure in the arteries is persistently elevated. High blood pressure usually does not cause symptoms. Long-term high bl ...

—compared to the citywide averages of 24%, 11%, and 28%, respectively. In addition, 24% of children are obese, compared to the citywide average of 20%. Eighty-two percent of residents eat some fruits and vegetables every day, which is less than the city's average of 87%. In 2018, 72% of residents described their health as "good", "very good" " or "excellent", lower than the city's average of 78%. For every supermarket in Mott Haven and Melrose, there are 25 bodegas. The nearest hospital is

NYC Health + Hospitals/Lincoln Lincoln Hospital is a full service medical center and teaching hospital affiliated with Weill Cornell Medical College, in the Mott Haven neighborhood of the Bronx, New York City, New York. The medical center is municipally owned by NYC Health + ...

Post offices and ZIP Codes

Mott Haven is covered by multiple ZIP Codes. The section west of Third Avenue is part of 10451, while the sections east of Third Avenue are part of 10455 (north of 145th Street). The section south of 145th Street is part of 10454. The

United States Postal Service The United States Postal Service (USPS), also known as the Post Office, U.S. Mail, or Postal Service, is an independent agency of the executive branch of the United States federal government responsible for providing postal service in the U ...

operates three post offices in Mott Haven: * Bronx Station – 558 Grand Concourse * Mott Haven Station – 517 East 139th Street * Hub Station – 633 St. Ann's Avenue * Uptown Parcel Annex Station – 845 East 136th Street

Education

Mott Haven and Melrose generally had a lower rate of college-educated residents than the rest of the city, . While 16% of residents age 25 and older have a college education or higher, 41% have less than a high school education and 43% are high school graduates or have some college education. By contrast, 26% of Bronx residents and 43% of city residents have a college education or higher. The percentage of Mott Haven and Melrose students excelling in math rose from 18% in 2000 to 37% in 2011, though reading achievement decreased slightly from 25% to 24% during the same time period. Mott Haven and Melrose's rate of elementary school student absenteeism is more than the rest of New York City. In Mott Haven and Melrose, 32% of elementary school students missed twenty or more days per

school year A school is an educational institution designed to provide learning spaces and learning environments for the teaching of students under the direction of teachers. Most countries have systems of formal education, which is sometimes compulsor ...

, higher than the citywide average of 20%. Additionally, 62% of high school students in Mott Haven and Melrose graduate on time, lower than the citywide average of 75%.

Schools

Public: * South Bronx Classical Charter School II (East 135th Street and Alexander Avenue) * P.S. 18 John Peter Zenger School (East 148th Street and Morris Avenue) * P.S. 277 Dr. Evelina Lopez Antonetty (East 147th Street and St. Ann's Avenue) * P.S 25 Bilingual School (811 East 149th Street) * P.S. 30 Wilton School (East 141st Street and Brook Avenue) * P.S. 40 Mott Haven Village (East 140th Street and Brook Avenue) * P.S. 43 Jonas Bronck School (East 136th Street and Brown Place) * P.S. 49 Willis Avenue School (East 139th Street and Willis Avenue) * P.S. 65 Mother Hale Academy (East 141st Street and Cypress Avenue) * I.S. 139 A. Burger Intermediate School (East 143rd Street and Brook Avenue) * I.S. 162 Lola Rodriguez de Tio (East 149th Street and St. Ann's Avenue) * M.S. 223: The Laboratory School of Finance and Technology (East 145th Street and Willis Avenue) * P.S. 154 Johnathan D. Hyatt School (East 135th Street and Alexander Avenue) * I.S. 183 Paul Robeson School (East 140th Street and Morris Avenue) * P.S. 754 School for Career Development/Foreign Language Academy of Global Studies (East 147th Street and Jackson Avenue) * P.S. 221 South Bronx Preparatory: A College Board School (East 144th Street and Willis Avenue) * South Bronx Charter School for International Cultures and the Arts * The Bronx Charter School for Children * The Bronx Academy of Letters * Bronx School for Law Government and Justice * Health Opportunities High School * Community School for Social Justice * Family Life Academy Charter School II * New York City Montessori Charter School * Mott Haven Academy Charter School *

Samuel Gompers High School Samuel Gompers Career and Technical Education High School was a public vocational school for grades 9–12 located in East Morrisania, Bronx, New York, named for American Federation of Labor founder Samuel Gompers. The school was founded in 1 ...

(closed) *

KIPP The Knowledge is Power Program, commonly known as KIPP, is a network of free open-enrollment college-preparatory schools in low income communities throughout the United States. KIPP is America's largest network of charter schools. The head o ...

Academy Elementary School *

Academy Middle School * Success Academy Bronx 1 * Eugenio María de Hostos Community College of The

City University of New York The City University of New York ( CUNY; , ) is the Public university, public university system of Education in New York City, New York City. It is the largest urban university system in the United States, comprising 25 campuses: eleven Upper divis ...

(CUNY) * Hostos Lincoln Academy (located within the Hostos Community College campus) Parochial: * Saint Luke School * Saint Pius V School * Saint Pius V High School * St. Anselm's School

Library

The

New York Public Library The New York Public Library (NYPL) is a public library system in New York City. With nearly 53 million items and 92 locations, the New York Public Library is the second largest public library in the United States (behind the Library of Congress ...

operates the Mott Haven branch at 321 East 140th Street. The branch, a Carnegie library, opened in 1905 and is a

New York City designated landmark The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) is the New York City agency charged with administering the city's Landmarks Preservation Law. The LPC is responsible for protecting New York City's architecturally, historically, and cu ...

Transportation

The following

New York City Subway The New York City Subway is a rapid transit system owned by the government of New York City and leased to the New York City Transit Authority, an affiliate agency of the state-run Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA). Opened on October 2 ...

stations serve Mott Haven: * 138th Street–Grand Concourse () * Third Avenue–138th Street () * Brook Avenue () * Cypress Avenue () * East 143rd Street–St. Mary's Street () * 149th Street–Grand Concourse () * Third Avenue–149th Street () The following

MTA Regional Bus Operations MTA Regional Bus Operations (RBO) is the surface transit division of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA). It was created in 2008 to consolidate all bus operations in New York City operated by the MTA. , MTA Regional Bus Operations ru ...

bus routes serve Mott Haven: * : to Riverdale (via Grand Concourse) * : to

Kingsbridge Heights Kingsbridge Heights is a residential neighborhood geographically located in the northwest Bronx, New York City. Its boundaries are Van Cortlandt Park to the north, Jerome Avenue to the east, Kingsbridge Road to the south, and the Major Deegan Expr ...

(via Grand Concourse) * : to Westchester Square (via Westchester Avenue) * : to

Fordham Plaza Fordham Plaza, originally known as Fordham Square, is a major commercial and transportation hub in the Fordham and Belmont sections of the Bronx in New York City, New York, United States. It is located on the south side of Fordham Road at Thir ...

(via Prospect and Crotona Avenues) * : to

Riverbank State Park Riverbank State Park is a state park built on top of a sewage treatment facility on the Hudson River, in the New York City borough of Manhattan. It was opened in 1993. On September 5, 2017, it was renamed Denny Farrell Riverbank State Park, afte ...

Bronx Park Bronx Park is a public park along the Bronx River, in the Bronx, New York City. The park is bounded by Southern Boulevard to the southwest, Webster Avenue to the northwest, Gun Hill Road to the north, Bronx Park East to the east, and East 180 ...

(via 149th Street and Southern Boulevard) * : to Westchester Square – East Tremont Avenue () (via Boston Road and Morris Park Avenue) * : to VA Hospital (via Morris Avenue and

Jerome Avenue Jerome Avenue is one of the longest thoroughfares in the New York City borough of the Bronx, New York, United States. The road is long and stretches from Concourse to Woodlawn. Both of these termini are with the Major Deegan Expressway which ...

) * : to

Harlem Harlem is a neighborhood in Upper Manhattan, New York City. It is bounded roughly by the Hudson River on the west; the Harlem River and 155th Street (Manhattan), 155th Street on the north; Fifth Avenue on the east; and 110th Street (Manhattan), ...

Port Morris, Bronx Port Morris is a mixed use, primarily industrial neighborhood geographically located in the southwest Bronx, New York City. The neighborhood is part of Bronx Community Board 1. Its boundaries are the Major Deegan Expressway and Bruckner Express ...

(via 138th Street) * (including

Select Bus Service Select Bus Service (SBS; stylized as +busservice) is a brand used by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA)'s Regional Bus Operations for limited-stop bus routes with some bus rapid transit features in New York City. The first SBS route ...

): to Williamsbridge (via Melrose and Webster Avenues) * : to

The Hub The Hub may refer to: Places * The Hub, Bronx, an area of the South Bronx, New York, known for its convergence of subway and bus lines * The Hub (Edinburgh), former church in Edinburgh that is now home to the Edinburgh International Festival * T ...

Manhattanville Manhattanville (also known as West Harlem or West Central Harlem) is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Manhattan bordered on the north by 135th Street; on the south by 122nd and 125th Streets; on the west by Hudson River; and on t ...

(via Willis Avenue and 125th Street) The

and

eastward and the

northward from

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

lead to Mott Haven and are maintained by the

New York City Department of Transportation The New York City Department of Transportation (NYCDOT) is the agency of the government of New York City responsible for the management of much of New York City's transportation infrastructure. Ydanis Rodriguez is the Commissioner of the Departm ...

. The

, which also ends in Mott Haven, is maintained by the

MTA Bridges and Tunnels The Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority (TBTA), doing business as MTA Bridges and Tunnels, is an affiliate agency of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority that operates seven toll bridges and two tunnels in New York City. In terms of traf ...

, and is tolled.

Notable residents

People who were born, raised, or live in Mott Haven include: * A.G., rapper of the duo

Showbiz and A.G. Showbiz and A.G. (also shortened as Show and AG) is an American hip hop duo from The Bronx Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City, composed of record producer Rodney "Showbiz" Lemay (born July 7, 1969) and rapper Andre "A.G." Barnes ...

was raised in the

. *

Danny Aiello Daniel Louis Aiello Jr. () (June 20, 1933 – December 12, 2019) was an American actor. He appeared in numerous motion pictures, including ''The Godfather Part II'' (1974), ''The Front'' (1976), ''Once Upon a Time in America'' (1984), ''Hide in ...

(1933–2019), actor who lived on Bergen Avenue and attended Monroe High School *

Nate Archibald Nathaniel "Tiny" Archibald (born September 2, 1948) is an American retired professional basketball player. He spent 14 years playing in the National Basketball Association (NBA), most notably with the Cincinnati Royals/Kansas City–Omaha Kings ...

(born 1948), former NBA player, was raised in the

. *

Iran Barkley Iran Barkley (born May 6, 1960) is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1982 to 1999. He held world championships in three weight classes, including the WBC middleweight title from 1988 to 1989, the IBF super middleweight tit ...

(born 1960), former boxer was raised in the

. *

(died 1643), sea captain who was the borough's first European settler and after whom the Bronx is named. *

Bobby Darin Bobby Darin (born Walden Robert Cassotto; May 14, 1936 – December 20, 1973) was an American musician and actor. He performed jazz, Pop music, pop, rock and roll, Folk music, folk, Swing music, swing, and country music. He started his car ...

(1936–1973), singer who lived at 629 East 135 Street and attended P.S. 43. *

ESG ESG may refer to : Groups * Election Support Group, an internationally sponsored organization analyzing and supporting the electoral process in Pakistan * ES Guelma, an Algerian football club based in Guelma * Escuela Superior de Guerra (Argenti ...

, band, are from the Moore Houses. * Pedro Espada Jr. (born 1953), former member of the

New York Senate The New York State Senate is the upper house of the New York State Legislature; the New York State Assembly is its lower house. Its members are elected to two-year terms; there are no term limits. There are 63 seats in the Senate. Partisan compo ...

, who was convicted on federal corruption charges in May 2012 and sentenced to five years in prison. *

Guy Fisher Guy Thomas Fisher (born July 21, 1947) is an American convicted racketeer who was once part of " The Council", an African-American crime organization that controlled the heroin trade in Harlem from 1972 to 1983. He became the first black man to ...

(born 1947), former drug lord is from the

. *

Edward J. Flynn Edward Joseph Flynn (September 22, 1891 – August 18, 1953) was an American lawyer and politician. Flynn was a leading Democratic politician of the mid-twentieth-century, known for his tight control of the Bronx Democratic Party organization aft ...

(1891–1953), politician who served as chairman of the

Democratic National Committee The Democratic National Committee (DNC) is the governing body of the United States Democratic Party. The committee coordinates strategy to support Democratic Party candidates throughout the country for local, state, and national office, as well a ...

from 1940 to 1943. * Kase2 (1958–2011), graffiti artist, is from the Moore Houses. *

Jonathan Luna Jonathan Paul Luna (October 21, 1965 – December 4, 2003) was an Assistant United States Attorney in Baltimore, Maryland, who was found dead under mysterious circumstances. Luna had been stabbed 36 times with his own pocketknife before he dro ...

(1965–2003) lawyer who served as Assistant United States Attorney in Baltimore. *

French Montana Karim Kharbouch (Arabic: æɾiːm χɑɾbuːʃ born November 9, 1984), better known by his stage name French Montana, is a Moroccan-American rapper. Born and raised in Morocco, he emigrated to the United States with his family when he was 13. ...

(born 1984), rapper, is from the Mott Haven Houses. *

Percee P John Percy Simon (born July 9, 1969), better known by his stage name Percee P, is an American rapper from The South Bronx, New York City. ''Unkut'' described him as the "legendary lyricist of the subterranean". Career In 2007, Percee P released ...

(born 1969), rapper, was raised in the

. *

Johnny Pacheco Juan Pablo Knipping Pacheco (25 March 1935 – 15 February 2021), known as Johnny Pacheco, was a Dominican musician, arranger, composer, bandleader, and record producer who in the 1970s became one of the leading exponents of salsa as well in t ...

(1935-2021), musician, arranger, composer, producer and bandleader of Cuban music, who coined the term "salsa" to denote the genre."1960's – 1980's"
Bronx Music Heritage Center. Retrieved October 15, 2018. "The leaders in this genre were the Fania record label, which was founded by a former lawyer and cop from Brooklyn, Jerry Masucchi, and a Dominican musician who grew up in Mott Haven, Johnny Pacheco." *

Luis Antonio Ramos Luis Antonio Ramos (born July 13, 1973) is an American actor who has been on and starred in various film and television shows such as ''Martin'', '' Early Edition'', ''New York Undercover'', '' In The House'', ''Friends'', ''The Shield'', '' CSI'' ...

(born 1973), actor, is from the

. *

Prince Royce Geoffrey Royce Rojas (born May 11, 1989), known professionally as Prince Royce, is an American singer. At an early age, Royce took an interest in music, and in his teenage years began experimenting with music and writing poetry. By age nineteen ...

(born 1989), singer, is from the

. *

José E. Serrano José Enrique Serrano (born October 24, 1943) is an American politician who was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1990 until his retirement in 2021. Serrano, a Democrat from New York, represented a district that is one of the ...

(born 1943), United States Congressman, representing the Bronx, was raised in the Millbrook Houses. *

Rod Strickland Rodney Strickland (born July 11, 1966) is an American basketball coach and former professional basketball player. He is currently the head coach at Long Island University. Prior to LIU, he served as the program manager for the NBA G League's profe ...

(born 1966),

NBA The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United St ...

player, was raised in the Mitchel Houses.

References

External links

''The Mott Haven Herald''
- produced by the

CUNY Graduate School of Journalism The Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at the City University of New York is a public graduate journalism school located in New York City. One of the 24 institutions comprising the City University of New York, or CUNY, the school opened ...

Mott Haven in Forgotten NY

* ttp://www.livingplaces.com/NY/Bronx_County/Bronx_Borough/Mott_Haven_Historic_District_Map.html Mott Haven Historic District Map (Living Places.com) {{National Register of Historic Places in New York Neighborhoods in the Bronx