Arthur Avenue

Last updated

Arthur Avenue
Owner City of New York
Maintained by NYCDOT
Length1.2 mi (1.9 km) [1]
Location Bronx, New York City
South end Crotona Park North in Tremont
North end Fordham Road in Belmont

Arthur Avenue is a street in the Belmont neighborhood of the Bronx, New York City, which serves as the center of the Bronx's "Little Italy". [1] Although the historical and commercial center of Little Italy is Arthur Avenue itself, the area stretches across East 187th Street from Arthur Avenue to Beaumont Avenue, and is similarly lined with delis, bakeries, cafes and various Italian merchants.

Contents

The Bronx's Little Italy has an Italian immigrant heritage that dates back to around the 1910s or 1920s. [2] [3] [4] Arthur Avenue and Morris Park are viewed as the Bronx's primary Italian American communities. Other Italian-American communities in the Bronx are the working class and middle-class neighborhoods of Schuylerville, Country Club, Pelham Bay, and sections of Fordham. The avenue itself is named for former U.S. president Chester A. Arthur. [5]

Arthur Avenue pushcarts in 1940. Italian pushcart market - Arthur Avenue.jpg
Arthur Avenue pushcarts in 1940.
Arthur Avenue in 2014. Arthur Avenue between 184th and 186th Street in the Bronx, New York City 001 crop.jpg
Arthur Avenue in 2014.

Robert De Niro's directing debut A Bronx Tale takes place in the vicinity of Belmont. However, it was largely filmed in Astoria, Queens. The series Third Watch was based on Arthur Avenue initially, with the first episode referring to the firehouse as "Camelot," based on its location at the intersection of King Street and Arthur Avenue. The 1973 film "The Seven-Ups" starring Roy Scheider was filmed on Arthur Avenue and Hoffman Street. In 2003, a scene from the HBO hit series The Sopranos was shot in Mario's Restaurant, which had been the planned site of a mob hit in The Godfather , which was turned down by the owner of the restaurant [6]

Leonard of James Frey's A Million Little Pieces grew up in this area. Much of the novel Underworld takes place near Arthur Avenue. [7] The author himself, Don DeLillo, grew up there. [8]

The opening scene of the 1955 film, Marty shows Arthur Avenue. The film's main character, Marty Piletti, works at a meat market on Arthur Avenue, and in the movie he considers buying it from its owner. [9]

Early scenes in the mid-1960s film, The Incident take place on 183rd Street and Third Avenue and in the Third Avenue El station (once the primary El station for Arthur Avenue). The scenes, featuring Martin Sheen and Tony Musante, involve the mugging of a pedestrian. The Belmont station filled in for one on the Jerome Avenue El line, which is the line that forms the film's narrative.

The 1950s doo-wop music group called Dion and the Belmonts originated in this area, named after Belmont Avenue. Italian rock band Elio e le Storie Tese at the end of their song "Gargaroz" in studio album Studentessi featured a mock advertising of a food shop in Arthur Avenue, in Italian language with some strange Americanisms.

A reality TV show called Mama's Boys of the Bronx [10] was about grown men living on and around Arthur Avenue in the Bronx with their mothers.

Lady Gaga's music video for "Eh, Eh (Nothing Else I Can Say)" takes place in and around Arthur Avenue/Little Italy.

In 2016, Arthur Avenue was named one of "America's Greatest Streets" by the American Planning Association. [11]

The 2019 movie Bottom of the 9th , which stars Joe Manganiello and Sofia Vergara, was filmed throughout the neighborhood, specifically featuring Arthur Avenue. The screenplay for the film was written by Robert Bruzio, who grew up on Arthur Avenue. [12]

Related Research Articles

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The Bronx is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the U.S. 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 York City borough of Queens, across the East River. The Bronx has a land area of 42 square miles (109 km2) and a population of 1,472,654 in the 2020 census. If each borough were ranked as a city, the Bronx would rank as the ninth-most-populous in the U.S. Of the five boroughs, it has the fourth-largest area, fourth-highest population, and third-highest population density. It is the only borough of New York City not primarily on an island. With a population that is 54.8% Hispanic as of 2020, it is the only majority-Hispanic county in the Northeastern United States and the fourth-most-populous nationwide.

The Bronx River Parkway is a 19.12-mile (30.77 km) long parkway in downstate New York in the United States. It is named for the nearby Bronx River, which it parallels. The southern terminus of the parkway is at Story Avenue near the Bruckner Expressway in the Bronx neighborhood of Soundview. The northern terminus is at the Kensico Circle in Valhalla, Mount Pleasant, Westchester County, where the parkway connects to the Taconic State Parkway and, via a short connector, New York State Route 22 (NY 22). Within the Bronx, the parkway is maintained by the New York State Department of Transportation and is designated New York State Route 907H (NY 907H), an unsigned reference route. In Westchester County, the parkway is maintained by the Westchester County Department of Public Works and is designated unsigned County Route 9987 (CR 9987).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Little Italy, Manhattan</span> Neighborhood in New York City

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tremont, Bronx</span> Neighborhood of the Bronx in New York City

Tremont is a residential neighborhood in the West Bronx, New York City. Its boundaries are East 181st Street to the north, Third Avenue to the east, the Cross-Bronx Expressway to the south, and the Grand Concourse to the west. East Tremont Avenue is the primary thoroughfare through Tremont.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lexington Avenue</span> North-south avenue in Manhattan, New York

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eighth Avenue (Manhattan)</span> North-south avenue in Manhattan, New York

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">First Avenue (Manhattan)</span> North-south avenue in Manhattan, New York

First Avenue is a north-south thoroughfare on the East Side of the New York City borough of Manhattan, running from Houston Street northbound to 127th Street. At 125th Street, most traffic continues onto the Willis Avenue Bridge over the Harlem River, which continues into the Bronx. South of Houston Street, the roadway continues as Allen Street south to Division Street. Traffic on First Avenue runs northbound (uptown) only.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lenox Avenue</span> North-south avenue in Manhattan, New York

Lenox Avenue – also named Malcolm X Boulevard; both names are officially recognized – is the primary north–south route through Harlem in the upper portion of the New York City borough of Manhattan. This two-way street runs from Farmers' Gate at Central Park North to 147th Street. Its traffic is figuratively described as "Harlem's heartbeat" by Langston Hughes in his poem Juke Box Love Song. The IRT Lenox Avenue Line runs under the entire length of the street, serving the New York City Subway's 2 and ​3 trains.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">East Tremont, Bronx</span> Neighborhood of the Bronx in New York City

East Tremont is a residential neighborhood located in the West Bronx, New York City. From the north and moving clockwise, it is bounded by East 180th Street, Southern Boulevard, the Cross-Bronx Expressway and Third Avenue. East Tremont Avenue is the primary thoroughfare through the neighborhood.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">York Avenue and Sutton Place</span> Avenue in Manhattan, New York

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West Farms is a residential neighborhood in The Bronx, New York City. Its boundaries, are: Bronx Park to the north, the Bronx River Parkway to the east, the Cross-Bronx Expressway to the south, and Southern Boulevard to the west. East Tremont Avenue is the primary thoroughfare through West Farms.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Belmont, Bronx</span> Neighborhood of the Bronx in New York City

Belmont is a primarily residential neighborhood in the Bronx in New York City. Its boundaries are Fordham Road to the north, Bronx Park to the east, East 181st Street to the south, and Third Avenue to the west. These boundaries give the neighborhood a crescent-like shape. The neighborhood is noted for its "close-knit community" and "small-town feel", and as a result of its cultural history and wide array of Italian businesses, is widely known as the "Little Italy of the Bronx". Arthur Avenue, noted for its local restaurants and markets, is its primary thoroughfare.

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Pleasant Avenue is a north-south street in the East Harlem neighborhood of the New York City borough of Manhattan. It begins at E. 114th Street and ends at E. 120th Street. The street was the northernmost section of Avenue A, which stretched from Alphabet City northward, and was added to the grid wherever space allowed between First Avenue and the East River. This stretch was renamed "Pleasant Avenue" in 1879. Unlike York Avenue, however, the addresses on Pleasant Avenue are not continuous with that on Avenue A.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New York City ethnic enclaves</span> Ethnic group in New York City

Since its founding in 1625 by Dutch traders as New Amsterdam, New York City has been a major destination for immigrants of many nationalities who have formed ethnic enclaves, neighborhoods dominated by one ethnicity. Freed African American slaves also moved to New York City in the Great Migration and the later Second Great Migration and formed ethnic enclaves. These neighborhoods are set apart from the main city by differences such as food, goods for sale, or even language. Ethnic enclaves provide inhabitants security in work and social opportunities, but limit economic opportunities, do not encourage the development of English speaking, and keep immigrants in their own culture.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South Bronx</span> Region of the Bronx in New York City

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mario's</span> Italian-American restaurant in New York City

Mario's is an Italian-American restaurant on Arthur Avenue in Belmont, Bronx. in 2000, the James Beard Foundation named it an America's Classic.

References

  1. 1 2
    • Google (July 3, 2018). "Arthur Avenue" (Map). Google Maps . Google. Retrieved July 3, 2018.
    • Google (July 3, 2018). "Arthur Avenue" (Map). Google Maps . Google. Retrieved July 3, 2018.
  2. Mariani, John (June 5, 2016). "The Real Little Italy and Best Restaurants Are in the Bronx". HuffPost. Retrieved June 8, 2017.
  3. "Is NYC's Arthur Avenue the Real Little Italy?". Fox News. Associated Press. September 11, 2011. Retrieved June 8, 2017.
  4. Crowley, Chris (December 14, 2014). "A GUIDE TO ARTHUR AVE, NYC'S BETTER LITTLE ITALY". Thrillist.org. Retrieved June 8, 2017.
  5. Donovan, Aaron (July 29, 2001). "If You're Thinking of Living In/Belmont; Close-Knit Bronx Area With Italian Aura". The New York Times . Retrieved October 11, 2007. When the city began to build streets in the area in the late 19th century, Catherine Lorillard, an admirer of the 21st president, Chester A. Arthur, asked that the main street in the area be named after him, Mr. Ultan said.
  6. Signorile, Vito. "Famous Arthur Avenue Eatery Turned Down ‘The Godfather’", Bronx Times, February 23, 2011. Accessed May 8, 2023. "What many people don’t know is that Coppola originally wanted the scene to take place at Mario’s Restaurant at 2342 Arthur Avenue, however, the restaurant’s owner and namesake, Mario Migliucci, declined the offer from the movie’s director because he wanted his restaurant to be known for its food and family-oriented atmosphere, not a movie scene involving mob murder.... Although Joe Migliucci had approved a scene from HBO’s hit series The Sopranos to be filmed in the restaurant in 1999, he believes his father would have enjoyed having the show filmed there because it only portrayed the cast eating dinner after a Billy Joel concert, not a murder scene."
  7. On page 234 of the novel, an old, infirm character easily walks from the main character's old house to Arthur Avenue.
  8. Passaro, Vince (May 19, 1991). "Dangerous Don DeLillo". The New York Times . ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved May 6, 2015.
  9. Chronopoulos, Themis (Spring–Fall 2007). "Paddy Chayefsky's 'Marty' and Its Significance to the Social History of Arthur Avenue, The Bronx, in the 1950s". The Bronx County Historical Society Journal. XLIV: 50–59. Archived from the original on January 20, 2013. Retrieved June 6, 2012.
  10. Mama's Boys of the Bronx at IMDb   OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
  11. Rocchio, Patrick (October 8, 2016). "Arthur Avenue selected as one of 'America's Greatest Streets'". The Bronx Times.
  12. Myers, Kimber (July 18, 2019). "Review: Baseball drama Bottom of the 9th can't come back from dull start". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved March 24, 2021. Almost two decades ago, Sonny Stano (Joe Manganiello) was headed to the major leagues, but a deadly mistake sent him to prison and derailed his baseball career. When he finally returns home to Arthur Avenue in the Bronx, he hopes for a second chance with a minor-league team on Staten Island, and with his ex-girlfriend Angela (Sofía Vergara).
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