Morris Avenue Historic District

This double row of two-family houses and tenements along Morris Avenue, between East 179th Street and East Tremont Avenue, was built over a four-year period by August Jacob. Vast real estate speculation, and a growing market for single-family dwellings developed in The Bronx with the extension of the IRT in 1904. The Morris Avenue District was designed by architect John Hauser to fill the needs of people seeking to escape the increasingly crowded borough of Manhattan.

The block of Morris Avenue that comprises this residential district was once a tiny portion of the 3,200-acre Manor of Fordham. After changing ownership several times, the property was purchased by Jacob from the United Real Estate and Trust Company, and developed in five building campaigns between 1906 and 1910. The mostly three-story, curved-bow façade row houses are surprisingly homogenous considering they were built in several stages. There are differences of detail such as varying shades of brick and diverse patterns in the wrought-iron areaway railings. Along with the two tenement buildings on Tremont Avenue, these houses present an notable example of an intact, early twentieth century streetscape. ©2014