The Bronx is getting its first newly constructed music venue in 50 years

Despite being the birthplace of some of New York's best-known recent exports (we're looking at you, Ice Spice), the Bronx has also been one of the most neglected boroughs in the city's recent history. But if the Bronx once burned, it's now going through an astonishing revival, and the newly constructed Bronx Music Hall is a shining example of exactly that. 

A $15.4 million music hall, which is opening in Melrose today, is the first newly constructed independent music performance venue in the borough in more than 50 years.

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Located at 438 East 163rd Street, the spanking new 14,000 square-foot Bronx Music Hall hosts a 250-capacity theater, a lobby and exhibition hall, a dance studio, a recording studio, an amphitheater for outdoor performances, and more. 

All in all, the venue is expected to welcome 20,000 visitors each year and will be a place where residents can take music and dance classes, theater workshops and perform spoken word poetry, as well as check out rotating art exhibitions.

One of the main purposes of the Bronx Music Hall is to uplift local artists and foster the bustling Bronx arts scene by providing free or low cost dance and music classes to residents. On top of that, co-artistic directors Elena Martínez and Grammy nominated percussionist Bobby Sanabria will curate much of the programming, so residents can rest assured that they're in good hands. 

But this is not just a cultural center: It's a sort of radical project that incorporates affordable housing and the arts with a philosophy to not only provide locals with a place to live, but also a place that will enrich their day to day lives. The Women’s Housing and Economic Development Corporation incorporated the music hall to the Bronx Commons, which has 305 below-rate apartments, per the New York Times. 

The grand opening is taking place tonight, Friday October 18 at 5:30pm, with a ribbon-cutting event, opening reception and performances by local legend Grandmaster Caz and MC Sha-Rock, the Bronx DJ collective Uptown Vinyl Supreme, and the Afro-Haitian roots music band Kongo.

If you can't make it to tonight's celebrations, don't worry: The festivities will continue tomorrow, Saturday, October 19, at 6pm with the opening of the Music Hall's first exhibit, “The Place to Be: A Decade at the BMHC,” a photo exhibit curated by Edwin Pagán and Elena Martínez. Then, at 8pm, a program called “Caribbean Sounds: New Orleans to The Bronx,” will feature the Bobby Sanabria Multiverse Big Band and will feature guests Janis Siegel, Antoinette Montague, and Jennifer Jade Ledesna, among others.

Finally, the celebratory weekend will come to an end on Sunday, but not before a 3pm performance by “African Diaspora in The Bronx” featuring Yawuza Alhassan and the Wuza Wuza Ensemble and GrupoMaburuaña.

Visit the Bronx Music Hall's website for more information and updates on programming.