Page 41 - Bronx Chamber of Commerce - 2019 Business Directory & Resource Guide

ARTS & CULTURE
In October 2011, part of the Grand Concourse, a boulevard that has been compared to the Champs- Élysées in Paris, was designated a historic district. Residential construction in the historic district includes Colonial, Renaissance and Tudor-Revival styles that were popular in the 1920s, and Art Deco and Moderne buildings constructed in the 1930s and 1940s.
The South Bronx Cultural Corridor is home to the Bronx Museum of the Arts, as well as other cultural institutions such as the Pregones Theater and the Longwood Art Gallery (at Hostos Community Col- lege). The Museum’s collection includes 20th- and 21st-century work by artists of African, Asian and Latin American descent, and by other artists who demonstrate a connection to the borough. The Bronx is also home
to many diverse smaller galleries, museums and cultural institutions, including Bartow-Pell Mansion Museum; Bronx Council on the Arts, the official cultural agency of Bronx County; Bronx Dance Theatre; Bronx Documen- tary Center; BronxNet; Bronx River Art Center; City Island Historical Society and Nautical Museum; Hall of Fame for Great Americans [at Bronx Community College]; Ford- ham Museum of Greek, Etruscan & Roman Art; Hall of
Fame for Great Americans at Bronx Community College; Lehman College Art Gallery; Poe Park Visitor Center; Van Cortlandt House Museum; and Wave Hill.
The performing
arts are well-
represented in
the borough.
The Bronx Opera
Company, the
Bronx Symphony
Orchestra and
the Bronx Arts
Ensemble provide musical entertainment. The Hostos Center for the Arts and Culture [at Hostos Community College], the Belmont Italian American Playhouse and Lehman Center for the Performing Arts present theatri- cal performances. Many clubs, restaurants, galleries and community groups also host a wide range of mu- sic, comedy shows and theater. The Bronx has a rich musical history as the birthplace of hip-hop and rap music in the 1970s. Some musicologists believe that the term “salsa,” the fusion of Cuban, Puerto Rican and other Latin musical genres, originated in the Bronx.
TOURISM
Some of New York City’s best-known tourist attrac- tions are located in the Bronx. The Bronx Tourism Council (http://ilovethebronx.com) was created in 1991 to promote the history of The Bronx, its cultural diversi- ty, and its institutions on local, national and international levels. The Bronx Overall Economic
Development Corporation (BOEDC. com), which serves as the borough's economic development for the Of- fice of the Bronx Borough President, is helping people to find their op- portunities in the Bronx area. Be it a small business, a satisfactory job or living opportunity - their portal covers everything that’s important.
The Wildlife Conservation Society’s Bronx Zoo, which opened in 1899, is the largest urban zoo in the world, attracting over 2 million visitors each year. The Bronx Zoo houses more than 600 species, including mam- mals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish and insects.
The Bronx Zoo is involved in protecting animals and educating the public about wildlife.
The New York Botanical Garden, which is a national landmark, was founded in 1891, and has 50 gardens and more than one million plants from around the world spread over 250 acres. Each year, it hosts more than 800,000 visitors. The Garden is also the site of
botanical research that has been conducted by scientists for more than 100 years in efforts to catalogue and conserve the earth’s plants.
The Garden also offers educational programs, including programs for children, graduate studies and continuing education.
The Bronx is also home to the New York Yankees baseball team. The 27-time World
Series champions attract more than 3.5 million fans each year. The Bronx has been home to the team since 1923 (except for two years in the 1970s), when the original Yankee Stadium was under renovation. A new stadium was built near the old stadium and opened
in 2009. The New York Yankees won their 27th World Series that year.
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