True power doesn’t come from a socket in the wall. It comes from the person standing next to you Written by Dennis Harvell The 1977 Blackout – The Day the High-Rise Became a Cave The Vanishing The night of July 13, 1977, began with the hum of the 20th century. In our Bronx high‑rise, we… Continue reading The 1977 Blackout -The Day the High-Rise Became a Cave
Tag: Bronx History
9 Innings at 161st: 1st Inning – The Eviction and the Ego
Written by Dennis Harvell There is a specific kind of alchemy that only happens in the Bronx. It’s the ability to take an insult and turn it into an empire. 1st Inning: The Eviction and the Ego Most people think Yankee Stadium was built out of pure ambition. The truth? It was built out of… Continue reading 9 Innings at 161st: 1st Inning – The Eviction and the Ego
Bronx Hero: Colin Powell
“Leadership is solving problems. The day soldiers stop bringing you their problems is the day you have stopped leading them.” Written by Dennis Harvell Bronx Hero: Colin Powell The Statesman & Strategic Commander The Son of the Hunt’s Point Colin Luther Powell was born on April 5, 1937, in Harlem but was raised in the… Continue reading Bronx Hero: Colin Powell
The Crescent Riviera
A man‑made crescent of sand became one of the Bronx’s greatest myths. Written by Dennis Harvell THE CRESCENT RIVIERA A Bronx Archive Entry The Making of a Man‑Made Myth Orchard Beach, carved into the edge of Pelham Bay Park, is the Bronx’s most unlikely monument. A crescent of imported sand, a Roman‑style bathhouse, and a… Continue reading The Crescent Riviera
Bronx Hero: Milton Glaser
“To design is to communicate clearly by whatever means you can control or master.” — Milton Glaser Written by Dennis Harvell Bronx Hero: Milton Glaser The Origin Story Milton Glaser was born on June 26, 1929, in the Bronx. He grew up in the United Workers Cooperative Colony, known as “The Coops,” a famous housing… Continue reading Bronx Hero: Milton Glaser
The Soul of the Concourse: How Dominicans Rebuilt a Borough
Written by Dennis Harvell The Soul of the Concourse: How Dominicans Rebuilt a Borough For years, I walked the Grand Concourse thinking I understood what I was seeing. I saw families on stoops during those long, airless summers, crowds pushing toward the #4 train, kids turning concrete into playgrounds — and I saw people who… Continue reading The Soul of the Concourse: How Dominicans Rebuilt a Borough
THE IMMIGRANTS | Vol. 1: The Culinary Seed
Written by Dennis Harvell THE IMMIGRANTS | Vol. 1: The Culinary Seed The Bronx has always been a borough of arrivals. It is a place where the air is thick with the ghosts of a thousand different homelands, and nowhere is that more evident than in the way we eat. To understand the evolution of… Continue reading THE IMMIGRANTS | Vol. 1: The Culinary Seed
The Melting Pot: The Sovereign Future, Part 6
Written by Dennis Harvell The Foundation of The Sovereign Future This is where it all comes together. The foundation is set, the aroma has filled the air, the rhythm is pulsing, the language is spoken, and the struggle has forged us. Now, we look at what’s next. The New Alloy The “Melting Pot” isn’t a… Continue reading The Melting Pot: The Sovereign Future, Part 6
The Melting Pot: The Shared Struggle, Part 5
Written by Dennis Harvell The Foundation of the Shared Struggle If language is our voice, then the Shared Struggle is the gravity that holds us all together. It is the common denominator of the Bronx. While our flags, our foods, and our rhythms might differ, the weight we carry often feels the same. In the Melting… Continue reading The Melting Pot: The Shared Struggle, Part 5
Bronx Hero: Willie Colón — The Architect of The Urban Chronicle
Si quieres cosechar, primero hay que sembrar.” (If you want to harvest, first you must sow.) from the song “Siembra (with Rubén Blades) which became a generational anthem for Latino identity and self-determination. Written by Dennis Harvell Bronx Hero: Willie Colón — The Architect of the Urban Chronicle Willie Colón (1950–2026) was much more than… Continue reading Bronx Hero: Willie Colón — The Architect of The Urban Chronicle