Hunts Point residents may seek landmarking

Widely-known for its troubled past, when the neighborhood was rampant with arson, drugs and prostitution, Hunts Point is a community on the rise — and some of its residents think it’s high time their homes were landmarked. The owners of approximately 40 homes on the 800 block of Manida Street in the South Bronx neighborhood, say that their properties, which were built at the turn of the century and represent a style of Flemmish architecture rarely seen in the city, deserve recognition for their history, restoration and longevity in a community that was shattered in the 1970s. Cybeale Ross, a a homeowner in the neighborhood for more than 50 years, said that she, like other residents on her street, has taken great pains to keep her 2,792-square-foot home well-maintained, preserving the gothic arches, stained-glass skylight and other aesthetic touches on her house. “When the Bronx was burning, people were running like it was the plague,” Ross said. “We never sold our home… I said, ‘No, I live in the Bronx, I work in the Bronx, the Bronx is my home.'” Her decision to stay, however rooted in her emotional connection to the neighborhood, had an undeniable financial windfall: her home, which she bought for $16,500 in 1958, could be worth as much as $370,000 today. Although the residents on the block have made no formal landmark application yet, they said they’re considering seeking historic status.