Melrose (New York City, New York)

 neighbourhood, draw only border

Melrose is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of the Bronx. It is north of Mott Haven and west of Hunts Point, and considered as part of the South Bronx. The neighborhood is part of Bronx Community Board 3.

In 1973, the City of New York dismantled the Third Avenue El train, leaving a large portion of the central Bronx underserved by public transportation. There is a direct correlation with the economic disparity of the neighborhoods adjacent to Third Avenue and the lack of viable subway access. The present options are the MTA's BX55 bus and the Melrose station of the Metro-North Railroad provides transportation into Manhattan. Both options are poor substitutes to the Third Avenue El. The City of New York presently has no plans to replace to Third Avenue El with a new subway line.

Melrose was the site of the fictional South Bronx Law Center on the TV series The Sopranos. Meadow Soprano volunteered at the law center, supposedly located at 161st Street and Brook Avenue, a few blocks east of Yankee Stadium.

After arson destroyed many established tenement buildings in the 1970s, urban renewal has struck gold in Melrose. Many new housing (both apartment buildings and multi-family homes) dominate the area between 161st Street and 156th Street. Staples and Rite Aid are building new stores on 3rd Avenue and 156th Street, extending the Hub shopping district into Melrose.