Renaissance Youth Center, Morrisania, Bronx. (Credit: Sophie McDougall)
Elissa Carmona has lifelong roots in Morrisania and remembers a time when there was music everywhere. Her mother used to take classes at the Morris Houses, just south of Crotona Park. But by the time her own daughter was a student, public schools in the area had outsourced music teachers. Carmona had to seek out music herself.
“The arts is not accessible in neighborhoods like this,” said Carmona, who used to commute to other areas for her daughter’s ballet and music lessons. That changed one day in 2012, when she walked into Renaissance Youth Center to buy guitar strings. What she discovered was an entire universe of musical options for her daughter and for the neighborhood. “That gave me a lifeline,” said Carmona, who began writing grants for the center and performing in their adult choir.
For 25 years, that lifeline operated out of a rental space on 3rd Ave. Now, as of Sept. 17, Renaissance Youth Center owns the building, making it a permanent home in Morrisania, purchasing its building for $7 million, and anchoring affordable music access for the residents of the South Bronx.
“Thanks to all of your commitment and hard work, you now own your own building in your community,” said Bervin Harris, who cofounded the center in 2001, at the ribbon cutting ceremony on Sept. 17.
Before the purchase, Renaissance Youth Center was paying more $500,000 annually in rent. “I am a professional beggar,” said Ginette Diaz, chief operating officer of the center. “Funding for the arts is really hard to do right now.” City funding covers staff salaries and basic supplies, but everything else relies on grants and donor support. “Thank goodness we have foundations and individuals who believe in our mission,” said Diaz, who was able to raise the $7 million needed to buy the building.
“The Street Ends Here” sign is showb in the lobby of the building. (Credit: Sophie McDougall)
Morrisania wasn’t always short on music. From the 1940s to the 70s, the area was an incubator for jazz, doo-wop, salsa, and hip-hop, launching the careers of early rap legends like Grandmaster Flash and Grand Wizard Theodore. Between 1965 and 1975, every single one of the live music venues in Morrisania closed, and between 1970 and 1980, Morrisania lost 53 percent of its population. The clubs and musicians that once dominated the streets, seemed to vanish. With a permanent building, the center is bringing a piece of that back.
Renaissance Youth Center relied on crucial support from local leaders, including New York City Council Member Althea Stevens who helped secure $3.3 million toward the purchase. “With this new building, Renaissance will have the stability and space needed to continue opening its doors to Bronx youth and families for generations to come,” Stevens said in a statement.
Carmona, who once commuted outside of Morrisania to find music opportunities, is now the lead singer of Morrisania Band Project, an R&B Soul Collective. After her time at the Renaissance Youth Center, she got funding from the Bronx Council on the Arts, and free space from Dream Yard Project to start the band. Today, alongside her daughter, Carmona performs regularly around the Bronx. Still, she remembers her time grant-writing for the center, all those years ago. “Whatever small part I played in anything that happens with Renaissance, I’m honored,” she said.
The bright yellow storefront building on 3rd Avenue opens to multiple hallways and floors full of color, art and photography. “The street ends here” is written on the wall at the entrances. Third floor music rooms are full of drums, guitars, pianos, and even architecture models of the Bronx. Previously unused fourth and fifth floors will soon be available as science rooms, freeing the lower floors entirely for music.
“You won’t see another after-school program like this,” said Harris, the cofounder, beaming with pride.
About the author(s)
Sophie McDougall, currently in the M.S. program at Columbia Journalism School, is a New York based journalist reporting on culture, education, and family.