[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 183 (Tuesday, December 8, 2009)]
[House]
[Pages H13578-H13579]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1345
          RECOGNIZING 100TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE GRAND CONCOURSE

  Mr. LARSEN of Washington. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules 
and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 907) recognizing the Grand 
Concourse on its 100th anniversary as the preeminent thoroughfare in 
the borough of the Bronx and an important nexus of commerce and culture 
for the City of New York.
  The Clerk read the title of the resolution.
  The text of the resolution is as follows:

                              H. Res. 907

       Whereas the Grand Concourse was designed by engineer Louis 
     Aloys Risse beginning in 1894;
       Whereas the Grand Concourse opened in 1909;
       Whereas the 4-mile thoroughfare stretches from 138th Street 
     to Van Cortland Park in the Bronx;
       Whereas Edgar Allan Poe wrote the poem ``Annabel Lee'' in 
     his Bronx cottage which now stands on the Grand Concourse;
       Whereas Babe Ruth, Stanley Kubrick, Milton Berle, Penny and 
     Garry Marshall, and E.L. Doctorow all at one time made their 
     homes on the Grand Concourse;
       Whereas the Grand Concourse hosts such New York landmarks 
     as Yankee Stadium, Loews Paradise Theater, and the Concourse 
     Plaza Hotel;
       Whereas the Grand Concourse has the largest collection of 
     Art Deco and Art Moderne buildings in the United States;
       Whereas the Grand Concourse is registered as a National 
     Historic Place;
       Whereas the Grand Concourse has been designated as a 
     special preservation district by the City of New York;
       Whereas the Grand Concourse is known as the Champs Elysees 
     of the Bronx;
       Whereas the Grand Concourse is the central north-south 
     artery of the Bronx;
       Whereas the Concourse serves the 4, 5, B, and D subway 
     lines as well as several bus routes and is a major 
     transportation route in New York City;
       Whereas the $18,000,000 that was provided for the Grand 
     Concourse in January 2006 led to improving the streetscape 
     and creating better access for pedestrians;
       Whereas the Bronx Museum of the Arts is celebrating the 
     roadway in its exhibition, ``Intersections: The Grand 
     Concourse at 100'';
       Whereas the Grand Concourse has seen the arrival of 
     countless new immigrants as well as people arriving from 
     other parts of the country, including Puerto Rico, and has 
     been their launching point for the valuable contributions 
     that they have made;
       Whereas the people of the Bronx enjoy spending time on the 
     beautiful parks adjoining the Grand Concourse, making it a 
     center for socializing and recreating;
       Whereas the Grand Concourse has fulfilled and exceeded its 
     planners' intentions over a series of generations, occupying 
     a central place in the hearts and minds of Bronxites past and 
     present; and
       Whereas the Grand Concourse since its inception has been an 
     integral part of the cultural life and economic development 
     of the Bronx: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
       (1) recognizes the Grand Concourse on its 100th anniversary 
     as the preeminent thoroughfare in the borough of the Bronx 
     and an important nexus of commerce and culture for the City 
     of New York; and
       (2) directs the Clerk of the House of Representatives to 
     transmit a copy of this resolution to The Bronx County 
     Historical Society located at 3309 Bainbridge Avenue, The 
     Bronx, NY 10467, for appropriate display.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Washington (Mr. Larsen) and the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Duncan) 
each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Washington.


                             General Leave

  Mr. LARSEN of Washington. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that 
all Members have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend 
their remarks and to include extraneous material on House Resolution 
907.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Washington?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. LARSEN of Washington. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I 
may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of House Resolution 907, a 
resolution recognizing the Grand Concourse on its 100th anniversary as 
the preeminent thoroughfare in the borough of the Bronx and as an 
important nexus of commerce and culture for the city of New York. I 
commend the gentleman from New York (Mr. Serrano) for his work on this 
resolution to honor a historic roadway in advance of this milestone.
  First conceived of in 1890 as a means of connecting the borough of 
Manhattan to the northern Bronx, the Grand Concourse was designed by 
Louis Aloys Risse and opened to the public in 1909. The project was 
originally completed for a total cost of $14 million, the equivalent of 
$340 million today.
  Over the past 100 years, the Grand Concourse has served as the 
backdrop to many historic New York City landmarks, while the apartment 
buildings along the roadway have been home to the likes of Babe Ruth, 
Stanley Kubrick, Milton Berle, and other famous New Yorkers.
  Among the many landmarks along the Grand Concourse is the Loew's 
Paradise Theater, which was constructed in 1929 and was at one time the 
largest movie theater in New York City. The old Yankee Stadium opened 
near the Grand Concourse at 161st Street in 1923 and has served as an 
important centerpiece for the Bronx and the city of New York ever 
since.
  In the course of over 100 years, the Grand Concourse has played a 
long-standing role in defining the Bronx community, serving as the 
central north-south artery of the borough. Covering over 4 miles in 
length, it is lined with parks, fountains, and other pedestrian-
friendly community assets that add aesthetic, cultural, and 
transportation value to the borough.
  Recently, $18 million was invested in the infrastructure of the Grand 
Concourse to make it more pedestrian friendly and restore the roadway's 
beauty that has made it vital to the cultural and economic development 
of the Bronx for 100 years.
  So, Mr. Speaker, in honor of this historic landmark and its 
contributions to both the city of New York and the borough of the Bronx 
over the past century, I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting 
House Resolution 907.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. DUNCAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, as the ranking minority member on the Highways and 
Transit Subcommittee, I have been asked to speak on this resolution, 
and I rise in support of House Resolution 907, a resolution--as the 
gentleman from Washington State just described--a resolution 
recognizing the Grand Concourse on its 100th anniversary as the 
preeminent thoroughfare in the borough of the Bronx and an important 
nexus of commerce and culture in the city of New York.
  The Grand Concourse is a rare blend of history, culture, and 
infrastructure that has accommodated the likes of Babe Ruth, Stanley 
Kubrick, and Edgar Allan Poe. The Grand Concourse also plays host to 
the iconic Yankee Stadium, Loew's Paradise Theater, and the Concourse 
Plaza Hotel. Few roads in our Nation's history have reflected the 
personality of the local culture better than the Grand Concourse has 
done for the Bronx.

[[Page H13579]]

  Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to support this very timely 
and appropriate resolution.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. LARSEN of Washington. Mr. Speaker, I would now like to recognize 
for as much time as he may consume the gentleman from New York (Mr. 
Serrano), the sponsor of the resolution.
  Mr. SERRANO. I thank the gentleman for the time, and I thank both him 
and the ranking member for the support.
  Too often we take for granted those places where we live in terms of 
the landmarks that are around us, and this is a celebration of a 
roadway that--it was stated before--it was set up or thought of 
originally to link the borough of Manhattan to the Bronx, but it became 
much more than that. It became a cultural icon. It became part of a 
community. And as the city grew and up to today, in its 100th 
anniversary, it has become grander year by year.
  We are now celebrating 100 years of the Grand Concourse, and this, as 
said, was designed by a French immigrant in 1894, and when it opened in 
1909, it was something spectacular that had not been seen before. Those 
of you who have come on many occasions, I'm sure--and hopefully in the 
future--to visit the Bronx and to visit Yankee Stadium will know that 
the Grand Concourse, that 4-mile thoroughfare that stretches from 138th 
Street to Van Cortland in my borough, the Bronx, is really majestic in 
form and so full of history.
  The Grand Concourse has the largest collection of Art Deco buildings 
in the United States, and those Art Deco buildings are those that you 
walk into and the lobbies are so special with the artwork and the 
murals that were painted, especially during World War II and in the 
late 1930s. Those buildings are now part of the National Registry.
  In accordance, the Grand Concourse itself has been designated and 
registered as a National Historic Place and has also been designated as 
a special preservation district by the city of New York.
  And as was mentioned before, if you go to the Grand Concourse you 
will see the cottage known as Poe Cottage where Edgar Allan Poe wrote 
the poem ``Annabel Lee,'' and that is still standing there.
  Many folks, as we mentioned today, have lived on the Grand Concourse. 
Of course I live on the Grand Concourse, and I certainly did not have 
the kind of year that Babe Ruth had in 1927, but I've had a pretty good 
year in this past year.
  This Congress saw fit a couple years ago to designate $18 million 
that was used to renovate parts of the Grand Concourse and its 
infrastructure. That was in January of 2006. And now as part of that 
celebration, the Bronx Museum of the Arts is celebrating the roadway in 
its exhibition ``Intersections: The Grand Concourse at 100.''
  What's interesting about the Grand Concourse, I believe, is that it 
mirrors so much of what New York City is and what this country is. 
Because as you travel the Concourse not only physically but through its 
history, you see the different groups of people who came to New York, 
who came to the Bronx, who settled on the Concourse, as we called it, 
and became part of America.
  And so as we see people enjoying the park and enjoying and 
socializing on the Concourse, we see the different groups that have 
arrived from throughout the world and from my birthplace of Puerto 
Rico.
  The Grand Concourse has, for them, fulfilled and exceeded its 
planners' intentions over a series of generations--occupying a central 
place in the hearts and minds of Bronxites past and present.
  So I have come here today in support of this resolution. I would hope 
everyone votes for it. I thank the committee, the chairman, and the 
ranking member for their support.
  Mr. OBERSTAR. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H. Res. 907, 
recognizing the Grand Concourse on its 100th anniversary as the 
preeminent thoroughfare in the borough of the Bronx, which serves as an 
important nexus of commerce and culture for the City of New York. I 
commend the gentleman from New York (Mr. Serrano) for his work on this 
Resolution. Designed by Louis Aloys Risse and opened to the public in 
1909, this beautiful, tree-lined thoroughfare was first conceived of in 
1890 as a means of connecting the borough of Manhattan to the northern 
Bronx.
  The original cost of the project was $14 million, the equivalent of 
$340 million today. Over the past 100 years, this investment has 
leveraged significant private and public economic development activity 
in the Bronx, and has served as the backdrop to many historic New York 
City landmarks. Among these landmarks is the Loews Paradise Theater--at 
one time the largest movie theater in New York City--which was 
constructed in 1929 along the Grand Concourse. In 1923, the old Yankee 
Stadium opened near the Grand Concourse at 161st Street and has 
remained an important landmark in the surrounding Bronx community ever 
since.
  Over the course of its 100 years, the Grand Concourse has played a 
longstanding role in defining the Bronx community, serving as the 
central north-south artery of the borough. For over 4 miles, the Grand 
Concourse is lined by several parks, fountains, and other pedestrian-
friendly community treasures. The apartment buildings along the Grand 
Concourse have been home to the likes of Babe Ruth, Stanley Kubrick, 
Milton Berle and other famous New Yorkers over the years.
  Reflecting much of the tumultuous history of the Bronx itself, the 
Grand Concourse is preparing for the rebirth and restoration of key 
social, economic and environmental infrastructure. Recently, $18 
million was committed to upgrading the Grand Concourse to make it more 
pedestrian-friendly and to restore the roadway's beauty that has made 
it vital to the cultural and economic development of the Bronx for 100 
years.
  Mr. Speaker, it is for these great contributions to the City of New 
York and to the Borough of the Bronx over the past 100 years that I 
urge my colleagues to join me in supporting H. Res. 907.
  Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the 100th 
anniversary of the Grand Concourse. As a proud, lifelong resident of 
the Bronx, I am pleased to co-sponsor H. Res. 907 recognizing the Grand 
Concourse as one of the most important and historic commerce and 
cultural centers of New York City.
  The Grand Concourse is both the backbone and the heart of the Bronx. 
Each and every day, thousands of Bronxites travel up and down the 
concourse, connecting our borough from the north and south of the 
borough. It unifies the Bronx and enables people to interact and 
frequent the scores of businesses and cultural landmarks which run up 
and down the highway.
  I grew up only four blocks from the Grand Concourse, and I have very 
fond memories of those days and the time spent along the thoroughfare. 
So much of my life, and the lives of my constituents, are tied to the 
Grand Concourse and I would not trade one moment of it for anything. As 
a child I watched films at the Loews Theater, I've attended numerous 
games at Yankee Stadium, and driven north along the Grand Concourse to 
visit Van Cortlandt Park.
  I look forward to the start of the next 100 years in the life of the 
Grand Concourse, and Mr. Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to come to 
the Bronx and do the same.
  Mr. DUNCAN. Mr. Speaker, I urge support of this resolution, and I 
yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. LARSEN of Washington. Mr. Speaker, we have no further speakers, 
and as a result, I yield back the balance of our time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Washington (Mr. Larsen) that the House suspend the rules 
and agree to the resolution, H. Res. 907.
  The question was taken.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds 
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
  Mr. LARSEN of Washington. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and 
nays.
  The yeas and nays were ordered.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX and the 
Chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be 
postponed.

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