What's going on with the landmarked P.S. 31, the Bronx's "Castle on the Concourse?" Not a whole lot, it seems. Welcome2theBronx checked in on the decrepit schoolhouse that garnered an emergency demolition order from the Department of Building's in November. Seems like the structure has flown under the razing radar and made it through the brutal winter without suffering damage due to the heavy snow, even though the roofs of other buildings in the area collapsed. However, the actively crumbling structure still faces an uncertain future, caught in the trenches between those who want to see the structure salvaged, as is believed can be done, and those who see no cost-benefit in repairing the building's massive structural cracks and many other problems.
As Weclome2theBronx petitions for the site's salvage, targeting the attention of wayside supporter Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr., they shared several shots from inside the structure from Bronx documentary photographer Edwin Torres. While lovely, they demonstrate just how much work needs to be done if the landmark is to be salvaged.
The school is in the immediate vicinity of the Exterior Street waterfront district, where borough president Diaz has launched a campaign to create a waterfront park to stimulate economic and residential growth in the overlooked borough. "The Bronx deserves and demands better treatment," says Welcome2theBronx, "We know that no where else in the City would this be acceptable."
· After One of the Roughest Winters in Recent Memory, P.S. 31 Still Stands in the Bronx [W2tB]
· City Going to Demolish Landmarked Bronx School [Curbed]
· All P.S. 31 coverage [Curbed]
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