SCOUTING
FIELD NOTES

An Art Deco Masterpiece in the Bronx

01/03/2012

Right before Christmas, I was scouting up along Grand Concourse in the Bronx near 166th Street, where you find a whole bunch of art deco apartment buildings…

They’re all pretty neat, but one in particular caught my eye for a small detail I nearly walked right past…

Surrounding the entrance, beneath a stainless steel awning…

…A beautiful mosiac aquarium!

I stopped for a moment to take it in – I love the whimsical design and pops of color…

So much detail in this guy’s face…

Aquatic plantlife is also on display…

As I was taking pictures, someone told me I should check out the lobby. Intrigued, I went in the entrance hallway…

…and found myself standing in an absolutely stunning Art Deco masterpiece:

Seriously, how great is this??

As it turns out, 1150 Grand Concourse, popularly known as the “fish building” for its mosaic, is widely regarded as one of Grand Concourse’s art deco gems:

Built in 1937, the red, green, and gold terrazzo floor is particular stunning:

Really neat wall ornamentation:

Two murals by Rene and CP Graves adorn the walls, both sadly faded (I adjusted the photos to better make them out):

The second, following in the aquatic theme:

Entrance to apartments:

The elevators:

Finally, two rearlit floral stained glass windows adorn the walls near the entrance:

Ha, wow – I had NO idea this existed. A great reminder for the New Year that no matter how much of New York City you think you’ve seen, there’s always something amazing waiting to be discovered.

-SCOUT

PS – A few additional close-ups of the mosaic:

Many more posts in the archives!

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Cat

01/10/2012

Wow, this is gorgeous! I love that they kept it looking the same. Nothing is more sad than tearing down beautiful old things for modernization’s sake.

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Jen

01/10/2012

Wow, so beautiful! Thanks for sharing so many of NYC’s hidden gems!

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julianne fenton

01/12/2012

I lived and grew up in the Bronx, remember these bldgs……it was at that time in the 40’s a very expensive and exclusive area to live in………it slowly declined and became quite ugly….what a shame..

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Thomas F Flanagan

08/16/2012

That area as a kid I believed all the rich people lived there ?? I lived on Ogden ave in Highbridge up the hill from the Yankee Stadium Tommy Flanagan

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Brenda Balin

11/14/2012

As a kid, growing up on the Concourse, I always wondered what the Fish building looked like inside. I’m so pleased it is so well preserved! It is more wonderful than I imagined.
The terrazzo floors were a frequent feature in those deco buildings. My cousins lived in the pink and white buildings shown at the top of the page. I loved visiting the building. The lobby had terrazzo floors in the entry, deco designed carpeting in the main lobby, circular blue mirrors on the ceiling, and lobby furniture that was either designed by Donald Deskey, or a very skilled imitator. The apartments featured sunken living rooms, and luxurious sprawling layouts. It was a golden era in architecture in the Bronx.

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e.j. rossi

07/19/2013

i lived in this building growing up in the 50’s and early 60’s. it is truly a gem. i often dream about the lobby that used to have big cushy burgundy colored leather chairs and sofa.every apartment in the building including the studio apartments had what they called ‘sunken’ living rooms which meant there were two steps down into the room. the proximity to yankee stadium didn’t hurt either……

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1. alyce
  
  04/30/2014
  
  You must remember the super, Chick, and his daughter Mopsy. I don’t remember his wife’s name or other kids.
  My aunt, uncle & cousins Harold and Marty lived on the 3rd floor, a front apartment.
  I was there a couple of times a month, at least — just LOVED going there. I remember the lobby at Christmas, they did quite a job.
  
  Reply
alyce

03/17/2014

My aunt, uncle and cousins lived in the fish building in the 1950s-60s. It was beautiful. They had a large, dropped living room overlooking the Concourse, and the 2 bathrooms were done in the most unusual colored tile (navy, maroon).
The cross street at the corner was McClellan St. There was an intricate cement “backyard” where we’d play ringolevio. Izzy and Sarah’s candy store was on the next corner.

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E/F/T/

06/19/2014

Thank you once again for High lighting such beauty in the crevices of N.Y. and the Boroughs! My sister and I would march down in the area of the Concourse in our American Legion Band! The absolute artful and Deco era are on display as you portrayed. So many hidden gems, so many places – YAY! thank you for the memories you have conjured up for me. The Murals on walls, buses, and random places are all Masterpieces of people expressing themselves within the beat of the City, Art is Art!! The soda shops, lunch at Woolworths, candy stores, and the like are still etched in my head–The wrecking ball finds and destroys many a forgotten Memory, or loving ones. How about the fire hydrant as our source of cooling down? Mom took us to Beaches, such as The Bronx Beach and Freedom Land and Coney Island!! such treats

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Jonathan Collins

11/20/2015

My father grew up on Plimpton Ave, and always told me that the Concourse was one of the most beautiful streets in NYC with VERY wealthy families residing in large 4-5 bedroom apartments.

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ken

03/27/2016

great job check out ceramic burials lobby 400 1st ave.

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