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Video: Old Bronx Mansion For "Cultured Poor" Revitalized
By
Christopher Robbins
Published Mar 21, 2012
Modified Mar 21, 2012
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By
Christopher Robbins
Published Mar 21, 2012
Modified Mar 21, 2012
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Decades ago the Andrew Freedman Home in the Bronx had a singular purpose: to keep wealthy people in the standard of living that they were used to in case they ever went broke. But now, rich people are all too big to fail so the giant mansion fell into disrepair. The Jewish Daily Forward documents the property's transformation into a community center and temporary art gallery. See if you can spot any of the ghosts of the "Cultured Poor" lurking in the decrepit hallways (hint: they wear monocles).
Founded by a Tammany Hall-connected real estate mogul, its endowment provided luxuries like a pastry chef and a staff of servants free of charge (that is, if you could get in: according to the Times only 14 of the first 84 applicants were admitted in 1924). The art exhibition, set up by No Longer Empty to open on April 4, is entitled "This Side of Paradise." And the owners of the property, the Mid-Bronx Senior Citizens Council, intend to open a B&B on the bottom floor in April, and renovate the property one level at a time.
“It felt like I was in The Shining," artist Cheryl Pope told the Times of a recent night in the Andrew Freedman Home. Pope was given a machete by one of the caretakers for protection against intruders. “I said, ‘What’s this for?,’ and he said it was in case I came across anyone who broke in during the night. Nothing like that happened. There were just a lot of weird noises.”
If it's a spirit of one of the rich people who once lived there, necklaces made of K-Mart fliers and Slim Jims should ward them off.
Tagged
andrew freedman home
bronx
mid bronx senior citizens council
rich people
tammany hall
Christopher Robbins
Christopher Robbins is a New York City reporter covering transportation, affordable housing, local politics, and criminal justice. His work has also appeared in New York Magazine, The Village Voice and The New York Times. Chris is a graduate of Patrick Henry High School in Roanoke, Virginia, and enjoys biking to Fort Tilden in the summertime.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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