Pelham Parkway, Bronx - History

History

The Parkway’s official name is the Bronx and Pelham Parkway since it connects Bronx Park and Pelham Bay Park. It is also an integral part of the Mosholu-Pelham Greenway. Pelham Parkway was established in 1911 and was originally only one lane, which is today’s westbound lane. The parkway was lined with trees on both sides and had a strict building code. Nobody was allowed to build within 150 feet (46 m) of the center. No railroads were allowed to cross over the parkway; this is why the roadbed of the New York, Westchester and Boston Railway, which is now the Dyre Avenue subway line, had to be laid in a tunnel underneath the parkway. Bars and hotels are also prohibited alongside the parkway. Land in 1900 cost between $3500 and $5000 for one lot; near Bronx Park the prices were even higher.

After a late 20th century deterioration of the neighborhood, coinciding with what was known as white flight from The Bronx, Pelham Parkway showed signs of revitalization in the new century. Many apartments have been rehabilitated and offered as rentals to the growing middle income population found in the area. A number of buildings have been converted to cooperative ownership and the business section on White Plains Road and Lydig Avenue is a beehive of activity. Their stores reflect the neighborhood's polyglot lineage with many ethnic restaurants side by side with Kosher and Italian butchers and bakeries.

Today’s parkway was constructed in the 1930s and is 2.3 miles (3.7 km) in length and 400 feet (120 m) wide and features wide expanses of lawn with full canopies of trees. The center of the parkway, prior to World War II, was closed off on Sunday mornings for professional bicycle racing. Today, a recreational bikeway runs alongside the westbound motor lanes of the parkway, near the north side of the Parkway.