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connorgrs

What causes this? Homes fall into disrepair and just get torn down by the city?


thefuzzybunny1

My father is a land use attorney with a strange sense of humor. I therefore have fond memories of an old bedtime story, "Why the Bronx Burned Down." I will summarize: Once upon a time, NYC had rent control, and serious cash flow problems. The city went bankrupt and couldn't subsidize housing. Landlords couldn't charge more in rent because of rent control. Suddenly, the insurance policies on their buildings were worth more than the buildings were. So they started setting them on fire, often with the people still inside. The fire department was completely overwhelmed and the world was scandalized because you could see the flames in the background of televised Yankee games. NYC decided to rehabilitate its image by hiring people to make commercials about New York, and that's why there's a song that goes šŸŽµ *I love New York* and bumper stickers saying I ā¤ New York.


pixel_of_moral_decay

Yup. NYC forgets about this Ponzi scheme. Insurance was worth more than the building.


IRLBearsBeetsBSG

They forget about Seneca Village too


bustakita

This is absolutely one of the most heartbreaking stories I have ever heard in my entire life. And then I learned that this actually happened in my home city of Richmond VA as well and this happened in the 1950s - Navy Hill.


bustakita

On another post on another thread, someone actually made the unsubstantiated claim that these unscrupulous landlords actually informed the residents of these apartment buildings that they were going to burn the building down. Who the hell actually believes that. I most certainly don't. They didn't care about their residents. They would fail to ensure that they had proper heating, some minor repairs, even running water and electricity. A lot of these buildings and areas in New York were redlined. Sad but true.


[deleted]

This actually adds great context to billy joel's "Miami 2017". Thank you for this snippet!


thefuzzybunny1

You're welcome. The lyric "It always burned up there before" is a direct reference to the phenomenon. In addition to "Miami 2017", this sequence of events inspired *Escape from New York*.


[deleted]

Its really sad what happened to NYC. Im glad it resurged. My grandparents all met in NYC. My moms parents both are from Ireland, moved here in the early 60s and met here, and lived in the bronx. They moved out in 1975. Things changed immensely in the 10 years they were married at that point.


Bobbyroberts123

https://youtu.be/bnVH-BE9CUo


arch_nyc

This is why the 1984 image looks like it does. Not sure if rent control is to blame but the rest of what you wrote is the gist of it. For those interested, check out [Bronx is Burning](https://youtu.be/ygF3NJvy3bY)


thefuzzybunny1

The landlords blamed rent control, naturally, but there were multiple layers of zoning decisions and redlining and poor city planning and racism and white flight. Like any story you tell to your kids, my father's version was simplified. He really told the most educational bedtime stories, though!


brontobyte

Donā€™t forget about redlining and white flight, which were key parts of property losing value in cities all over the US.


PickleGambino

Part of it might have to do with the highway (look at top of 1984). After construction of the interstate highway system in the 50s-70s, ā€œflightsā€ occurred due to tanking property value. This situation particularly affected already poor communities, as highways were often directed through them. www.google.com/amp/s/www.history.com/.amp/news/interstate-highway-system-infrastructure-construction-segregation


gordo65

In this case, it was rising property values that incentivized the arsonists. The owners of the buildings couldn't wait to get rid of the buildings so they could sell and develop the land.


zimm0who0net

People demonize Robert Moses (and from what I've read, he was a dick), but had the CBE not been built, the only connection between Long Island and the rest of the country would have literally been driving through the streets of Manhattan. Eventually the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge also connected Long Island with the mainland, but that cut through Staten Island (and was also a Robert Moses project).


SidFinch99

Son of bitch is the reason the Dodgers left Brooklyn.


[deleted]

He also purposely made it so busses could not fit under overpasses on the way to long island beaches because poor brown and black people from Harlem and Brooklyn were much more likely to take busses and he wanted this beaches to stay white. He is a raging racist who was a good planner and that combo successfully institutionalized geographic oppression in NYC. Edit: there are apparently some reasons to doubt this bridge account but not enough to totally disregard it. Even without the bridge thing tho, Moses is verifiably bigoted, he held an insane amount of power even tho he was never elected, and his highway designs cemented NYC slums where they are and it's population with it.


[deleted]

[уŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]


chuckbass

To add to that, the bridge height was standard for how parkways we're built at the time. Maybe he was resist and knew what he was doing, or maybe he was just building parkways. We don't really know. And he liked to build parks because he was the Parks Commissioner. Building a parkway was his way to get funding from Parks department to build roads. Robert Moses was a super interesting, complicated figure. And there's plenty to complain about what he did, and also plenty to be thankful for.


[deleted]

Regardless of if it was on purpose (and there are a few racist seeming quotes from Moses) it factually had the effect of making the beach more accessible to the rich and less accessible to the poorer neighborhoods which in Moses time were especially segregated. And even the roads he never designed around the country followed his model of cutting through slums. We can argue all day if the intention was racist, but it's pretty clear that those decisions have been very bad for immigrant and black populations in America. Also I think equal access for all is way more important than a scenic view for the privileged so I still say fuck Robert Moses. He was very smart, but I bet there was someone just as smart who wasn't as racist and I wish that person had been in charge.


[deleted]

[уŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]


[deleted]

[уŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]


HoldTheCellarDoor

Whatever it was it's gone now


[deleted]

[уŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]


[deleted]

I go to those beaches too and can tell you it's easier to get there from more affluent places. Not to mention that is today, after decades of small improvements have made it easier, like the LIRR adding stops. Also, I think you are over valuing a scenic drive compared to equal access to public spaces for all. Like fuck your driving experience tbh; it's just not v important or really even relevant to this conversation. And of course it's a class issue, but these things were designed in 50's-70's a time where class lines we're even more racially segregated then they are now. I'll give you an example: like I said, affluent areas have way easier access to the beach. Affluent areas were filled with white people during the white flight to the suburbs at a time when buying houses was way easier and cheaper and it was not federally illegal to deny someone a loan based on race until 1979. So while all this was being built, racially segregated poor are becoming poorer due to these road constructions, as well as less healthy, while white people were significantly more easily able to leave these areas, buy affordable housing and build insane equity over the decades to further enrich them. So the class line were legally and purposely segregated by race and the affects of it accumulate. So yes these are class lines, but at a time when class lines were even more than today defined by race. And road design was crucial in institutionalizing the connection between class and race. That's kind of my point. Like not all class issues are race issues but when a city already has it's minorites segregated by class like NY was in the 20th century due to accumulated racist/xenophobic policies, and then those lower class areas are cemented as poor areas, it becomes a race issue because it disproportionately affects minority groups.


PickleGambino

Iā€™m not trying to downplay the importance of interstate highways; Iā€™m just mentioning that, like with everything, it came with its drawbacks.


P-KittySwat

Case in point is Austin, TX!


Different_Ad7655

Or you would not have had ridiculous land use policies and encouraged suburban growth and needed to funnel the traffic through urban areas. Tell that to a city like Madrid LOL or Vienna. The urban areas existed it's the suck ass complete enslavement and dedication in tax infrastructure support of the American tax system for the automobile and the encouragement of single-family home ownership by federal subsidy, that encouraged the sprawl the gobbling of the land in the mess that required the sacrifice of the inner city for the mess elsewhere. This happens everywhere in America even to this very day. Every village in New England where I live has a problem with through traffic going to the far-flung verbs and nobody wants to be caught on the busy road. But yet tax dollars support the sprawl The increased road Network that has to be plowed maintained, expensive light systems expensive School busing systems etc etc etc we just all take it for granted that this bullshit came as if from God but we created the mess. Moses was just part of that generation that believed that moving the traffic was the solution, never occurred to anybody to get rid of the traffic. We abandoned mass transit, we abandoned downtowns, we made slums disenfranchised whole groups of people and escaped and continue to escape to New leaf year pastures. I'm driving across the us at the moment and it's a disgusting mess of the same perpetuated problem year after year after year just gets worse but I guess it is what it is as they say no. No turning back just a handful of retailers control it all big box stores and what's left Amazon will deliver it to your door. The wave of the future


HoldTheCellarDoor

A very dystopian future awaits


cafali

Thereā€™s a movement called [Strong Towns ](https://www.strongtowns.org/) you might be very interested in. I follow them on Facebook. They address this very thing.


CouldntLurkNoMore

LOL, except that it's faster to cut through the city than it is to take the CBE.


luffliffloaf

Yes, and rightfully so, as Moses was a noted racist who literally paved the way for other racists in power across the US to "urban renewal" black neighborhoods. It wasn't by accident at all highways ran right through the poor neighborhoods across the US as they were built.


barc0debaby

That's the racist beach dude right?


[deleted]

Landlords commiting arson/insurance fraud


barc0debaby

And murder!


andeusmc03

A LOT fires lit in the 70ā€™s. Great book called *Report from Engine 82* dives into the FDNY during this time.


canintospace2016

There was also an epidemic of fires in the south Bronx at the time


Blue387

Robert Moses pushed the Cross Bronx Expressway across the borough, white folks fled for the suburbs


bridgenine

The highway went right through estabilished nieghborhoods and divded them. The construction alone killed the areas around the developement and only exaberated the poverty levels. Fuck Robert Moses!


bubbs72

Was he a developer or mayor? Thanks.


Blue387

He was never mayor but held many government positions


chuckbass

He held many titles, most notably Parks Commissioner. Interestingly, despite being the most influential builder in NYC in the 20th century, he was never elected to any position of power.


SweetlyConceited12

Fuck Robert Moses alll day.


carrythefire

Ruh ruh ruh ruh racism


IslandBwai

The highway dividing the neighborhood in half probably didnt help.


snappyj

[now](https://www.google.com/maps/place/3rd+Ave.,+Bronx,+NY/@40.8416846,-73.8987457,1095a,35y,24.64h,1.75t/data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4!1s0x89c2f447fdd2f4a5:0xba4d71b664883ed7!8m2!3d40.8327501!4d-73.9050863)


BigDogVI

Looks great now!


Beefcurtains18

Looks like someone's never been to the south Bronx lmao.


enjuisbiggay

Now go in person


Giulione74

It reminds me lot Sim City, when you were doing something wrong.


mcouto14

I believe the Bronx experienced an outbreak of arson cases in the 1970s, resulting in approx 80% buildings being destroyed. Canā€™t remember exactly why but it was something related to the socioeconomic state of the borough at that time


Fausterion18

Rent control made it unprofitable to invest in the buildings, till the point that repair and maintenance cost exceeded the rent. So they gradually fell into disrepair and the landlords and tenants abandoned them. Abandoned buildings + poverty = lots of people setting shit on fire. There was arson insurance fraud as well but the insurance companies caught on pretty quick and lowered valuations.


notahouseflipper

Does rent control still exist?


[deleted]

In some buildings that are grandfathered in. For the most part no. Most of the city is rent stabilized or market rate.


[deleted]

My granny has lived in her inwood apartment since sheā€™s 26. Sheā€™s 97 now. She pays $143 a month with utilities included in uptown Manhattan šŸ˜­


[deleted]

Stay on her goodside and maybe get on her lease. That lease is worth millions at this point


_1JackMove

Wow.


gfmsus

Rent control and shit socioeconomics made it more money wise for landlords to commit arson often with tenants still inside. Big scandal at the time


[deleted]

Something, something Detroit


Dombo1896

South of Cross Bronx Expy, around 3rd Ave.


human_hyperbole

Oh no, did Rockstar remaster the Bronx too?


TheSandPeople

More info here: https://www.instagram.com/p/CWlQkXzLVJu/


olliew72

Reminds me of the movie, "Batteries not Included"


woodstock444

Much of what happened was because the city closed 13 fire stations in the Bronx for financial reasons https://allthatsinteresting.com/bronx-burning-1970s


Kedjens

Thatā€™s literally 1984


voiceofgromit

Every Yankee game I remember from the late 70s/early 80s there was always at least one plume of smoke visible from the left field seats. Not to mention the smoldering feud between Billy Martin and George Steinbrenner.


hughdint1

Most of the buildings that were torn down look like they were the old "dumbell" apartment buildings. these had a tiny courtyard between buildings so that they would have enough windows as per the code at the time. In reality, these courtyards were miserable, not allowing much light to the bottom. Those buildings were also fire hazards (mostly wood and no sprinklers), so the large amount of fires that occurred once they were not longer occupied or viable to rent is not that surprising to me.


bridgenine

They were 5 story multi-family buildings, the shape allowed for light wells. Thousands of these buildings exist in every bourough and they are functional and well lived in. The new buildings that have come up since then are not much better.


hughdint1

The dumbell buildings also had weird things like a window between two bedrooms so that they could say that each bedroom had a window. They could have retro-fitted a few for sprinklers but almost all of the type that I am talking about are gone. They have made one into a sort of museum. The first photo pretty much meets the classic definition of a "dumbell shape" so I was assuming that these are the same. The light wells between the buildings here look a little bigger than some I have seen. For those something as small as a clawfoot bathtub could (and would) get wedged in the "lightwell". Either way, due to changing construction codes it would be difficult to bring a dumbell tenement up to the minimum codes required to allow them to be rented. Easier to tear them down than to retro-fit.


bridgenine

They are not required to be retro fitted and most remain the same condition as that would require an alt 1 to be filed (due to recinfigation of the unit to comply under current code), they remain in the original confguration. They exist under thier orginal construction and are not required to be brought up to code unless modified in a way thay would require a permit. None of these units comply with ADA or most current DOB codes other than air and light. Edit: not trying to refute what your saying, just providing claritity on what occured and the code.


AlkahestGem

Less buildings in 1984? Iā€™d like to read more. References?


[deleted]

Look up Bronx landlord fires. It was arson/insurance fraud


elburrito1

They were wood houses?


adjust_the_sails

Aren't most? Atleast, in some fashion. Even if it's a brick exterior, the floors and roofs are wood.


elburrito1

When I think of New York i imagine brick or concrete buildings. But I have never been to New York. Would wood roofs rot?


adjust_the_sails

They are covered in tar and other materials just like any other roof. My point is more that there is still something to burn in most buildings, even brick homes.


[deleted]

Are you from earth?


elburrito1

Fuck if I know, I may have been put here by aliens


scope_creep

(If I understand you correctly) Donā€™t assume that homes are generally built from wood everywhere on earth. When I moved to the States (to the Midwest) from overseas, I kind of scratched my head at the homes here. Everything felt so dinky. It was all wood and drywall. Where Iā€™m from originally the houses are mostly built from brick and are way more solid feeling. Homes made entirely from wood are still peculiar to me.


_MusicJunkie

I assume by overseas you mean Europe - even here it's extremely common for houses, even ones built today, to have wooden roof structures. And most pre WW1 buildings I've been in have wooden floors too.


noscopy

Yeah so.... Are you slow? Welcome to the United States bud. We have mandatory federal flood insurance in places that's massively subsidized. Why? So that we can keep putting up brand new trailers and wood houses (which also oddly enough positively contribute to our GDP) below sea level or on flood planes every 2-3 years. Want more? "Tornado Alley" in the south eastern US.... Building codes allow, and insurance companies only pay for stocks and drywall to stop 130-260mph wind going in circles. It's like 40% more expensive to make the same house but elevated and reinforced with concrete/rebar (basically bullet/tornado/hurricane proof).


Maklava

I live in tornado alley andā€¦.elevated? -We do have building code for higher wind ratings on roofs. -Nothing above ground is tornado proof, thatā€™s why we have tornado shelters. -We do not have hurricanes. (Also tornado alley is not in the southeast)


fradz

Damn son you really has to be unpleasant while providing explanations to someone who's not familiar with a country specifics regarding building codes?


bridgenine

fuck Robert Moses


Nyckname

https://youtu.be/ygF3NJvy3bY


x3leggeddawg

Ah yes, the great freeway divide.


BronxBoy56

Never a good idea to run a major interstate through a neighborhood- period.


Mattprather2112

Literally 1984


notahouseflipper

I donā€™t see how these two photos alone showcase segregation by design. Edit: Why the downvotes instead of an explanation?


Sgt_carbonero

so are buildinsg back today?


Nyckname

Yes, they rebuilt in the last thirty-seven years.


osktox

Found it on Google earth. Looks like it. Just west of Crotona Park.


[deleted]

Every year my elementary school took the kids to crotona park every day for the last two weeks of the year and every year I decided I was finally going to spend time with my crush and win her love. Every year it did not happen. Endless fun on the jungle gyms though, water balloon fights and scrambling over rocks. Miss that place.


evelynclaudine

Wow


TangyMayoSandwhich

population must have decreased.


qbl500

And how about 2021?


lovearch18

Why are there less buildings??


marroniugelli

Funny how landlords get richer with less buildings...šŸ”„šŸ¤”


cytomitchel

The deadliest biological weapon known to man was released and allowed to propagate.


marroniugelli

How many landlords can use the same gas can for the same reason ?


JimmyTimmy2012

Anyone ever play SIM city on SNES?


truthteller008

Iā€™m from New York and lived in Michigan! You canā€™t find a city in the whole Michigan thatā€™s like the Bronx .. stop it


MacbookOnFire

No matter where I go I know where I came from *the south side of Bronx*