WITHOUT a doubt, one of the most obscure alleys in the Bronx, with the exception of Garden Place in Wakefield, can be found in Morris Park. Many passersby who live in the neighborhood have absolutely no idea it exists and it has become even more difficult to detect in recent years.
Just east of Matthews Avenue on Morris Park Avenue, a Graham Place sign is affixed to a lamppost…
…but there’s no Graham Place apparent on either side of the street. There’s some construction to be sure, as spotted in December 2021. It’s only when you look more closely that you spot a very narrow paved sidewalk. This is Graham Place.
While the adjacent lot was still empty in 2006, I got this shot of the alley which makes its way back to a lone building, #191 Graham Place.
Neither Google Maps or Openstreets vouchsafes to show Graham Place. I have helpfully circled the spot on the map where it can be found.
In 1905 this was part of a subdivision called Hudson Park. Sorry I could not capture more of the map, but Historic Map Works’ copyright protections cause immediate zoom when a screen shot tool attempts to capture it. You can see two streets, Graham and Delancey; both survive, as Cruger Avenue, now called Muliner Avenue, was extended south and a dogleg was added to Delancey Street (now Place) to meet it. Graham Street, now Graham Place, remained a dead end and today, just one house on it remains.
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5/23/22
4 comments
Kevin
Have you ever seen this map from the nyc.gov site?
http://gis.nyc.gov/doitt/nycitymap/
Click on ‘advanced search’ and enter any NYC address for all sorts of information on the address.
Too bad you didn’t get a wider shot on the map, I lived around the corner on kinsella st. It’s also a one block street between matthews and Bronxdale ave. Graham place Delaney place, Barnett place a block from here as well as kinsella st were all one block streets.
Interesting, perhaps, that despite signage seemingly suggesting otherwise, according to this easement agreement filed in 2015 Graham Place/Street “is a former private street”, “not shown on the Official Map”, and “not opened and never dedicated”: 2015 Easement Agreement for 1919 Graham Street (Lawdy, please let the link work!)
That should be 191 Graham Street I’ve referenced. But the link works!