THERE are a curious pair of short streets in the north end of Bedford Park alongside the Grand Concourse at its northern end at Mosholu Parkway, St. Georges Crescent (no apostrophe) and Lisbon Place. As it turns out each street was developed by a northern Bronx landowner, George Opdyke (I do not have definitive information, but it may have been the same as the George Opdyke (1805-1880) who served as NYC mayor from 1862-1864, and as such was mayor during the infamous NYC Draft Riots of 1863. Opdyke also developed Woodlawn Heights, that wedge of territory between Woodlawn Cemetery and Van Cortlandt Park, which has since became an enclave for Irish immigrants. One thing’s for sure: George Opdyke was not closely related to Amelia Opdyke “Oppy” Jones, whose “Subway Sun” artwork provided public info and admonitions to NYC subway riders from the 1940s through the 1960s.
Lisbon Place, shown in the title photo, is a very short street wedged between East 205th Street and West Mosholu Parkway North. According to Bronx historian John McNamara in the indispensable “History in Asphalt,” Opdyke fancied himself a historian, or at least an enthusiast of the legends of history: one of the legends was the spirit of St. George (the 2nd century Greek-born warrior best remembered for the legend of him defeating the dragon) waging war during the Crusades against the Saracens at Cadiz, Grenada and Lisbon, and gave those three names to area streets. The first two have disappeared, with the very short Lisbon Place remaining.
St. Georges Crescent is more substantial and winds as a two-way street between the confluence of the Concourse and Mosholu Parkway and East 206th Street. It runs over a long-buried stream as well as the IND subway cut carrying the D train. Opdyke apparently named it not only for the saint but for himself (similarly, St. George in Staten Island is also named for a real person, developer/financier George Law).
Check out the ForgottenBook (HarperCollins, 2006), as well as Forgotten Queens (Arcadia, 2013). I also have a chapter in the anthology “New York Calling: From Blackout to Bloomberg” (Reaktion, 2007). As always, “comment…as you see fit.” I earn a small payment when you click on any ad on the site.
8/26/26