A small yet distinct slice of the Big Apple sits at the northernmost part of the Bronx. Largely surrounded by tall trees and shamrock decorated corner stores, Woodlawn is a close-knit area that has been home to the Irish-American community for generations.

Its ties to Ireland are understated yet pronounced. Green-colored awnings dominate Katonah Avenue, Woodlawn’s main street, home to an array of pubs and bakeries that pay tribute to auld sod.

To help preserve the green oasis, a little over a dozen women formed a civic group in 2014 called the Women of Woodlawn (WOW), joining a list of other storied neighborhood groups that include the Woodlawn Taxpayers Association. WOW includes women living in either Woodlawn or McLean Heights, which serves as a buffer between New York City and Yonkers in Westchester County.

“One of the things that I think makes our neighborhood so great is the population for the most part comes here to the United States, to New York, to Woodlawn, to create a brighter future for themselves,” said Erin Lee, president of WOW. “So they tend to be incredibly hard working, community-oriented people.”

With Van Cortlandt Park, Woodlawn Cemetery and Webster Avenue forming a natural barrier, further adding to its enclave feel, Woodlawn could almost be considered hidden. Single-family homes dominate the neighborhood, imbuing a kind of suburb one would find in nearby Westchester County.

“Feels like you’re getting an escape from the city life,” said Kim Holocher-Furletti, vice president of WOW.

WOW successfully put their community in the spotlight. Woodlawn was chosen as one of the “Six to Celebrate,” an annual list of historic neighborhoods in New York City that is granted more attention and preservation. To qualify, a local group must submit an application that describes its strength and historical value.

The education system in Woodlawn is facing an issue with overcrowded schools. With Judith K. Weiss P.S. 19 serving as the only kindergarten to eighth grade public school in the area, parents who tried enrolling their child into kindergarten are being turned away because of space restrictions. Recently, P.S. 19 enforced a new system where children who have siblings already enrolled in the school get priority. Classrooms are typically capped at 25 seats. This year, there were 24 kindergarten children who had siblings.

“We are working with the school and Councilman Andrew Cohen to bring light to this matter,” said Holocher-Furletti. “It has been moving along…there is a general plan waiting for approval to expand the school.”

According to Lee and Holocher-Furletti, there are many charity drives dedicated to residents who are ill or struggling to pay their bills.

“There was a house just down the street [from 236th Street] here a few months ago that was ravaged by a pretty bad fire,” said Holocher-Furletti.  “People came flooding in with gift cards to give [the victims] so that they could rebuild their lives.”

Teens and children have a second home to go to, known as the Woodlawn Arts & Music House. A beloved resident of Woodlawn, the late Martin O’Grady, bought property and donated it specifically for instructors to give music and dance lessons to children in the community. Though he was not in charge of the music school, he took care of rent and utilities, hoping to keep the school open to help keep kids off the streets.

“Something that goes hand in hand with the Irish is that unfortunately they like to drink, and sometimes teenagers go drinking in the park,” said Holocher-Furletti.

Outside of WOW, Lee is a mother and an occupational therapist who specializes in geriatric care. Holocher-Furletti is also a mother and the founder of a consulting business called Rosewater Media. Together, they are part of the middle class fabric in a neighborhood largely home to the city’s civil servants. The pair hopes to attract more visitors to the neighborhood so people can learn more about the community.

“We want to preserve the heritage and culture,” said Lee. “We don’t want to be like a Park Slope or Williamsburg where gentrification has made it become unafforable. We want it to be a comfortable place for Woodlawn families.”

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Welcome to the Norwood News, a bi-weekly community newspaper that primarily serves the northwest Bronx communities of Norwood, Bedford Park, Fordham and University Heights. Through our Breaking Bronx blog, we focus on news and information for those neighborhoods, but aim to cover as much Bronx-related news as possible. Founded in 1988 by Mosholu Preservation Corporation, a not-for-profit affiliate of Montefiore Medical Center, the Norwood News began as a monthly and grew to a bi-weekly in 1994. In September 2003 the paper expanded to cover University Heights and now covers all the neighborhoods of Community District 7. The Norwood News exists to foster communication among citizens and organizations and to be a tool for neighborhood development efforts. The Norwood News runs the Bronx Youth Journalism Heard, a journalism training program for Bronx high school students. As you navigate this website, please let us know if you discover any glitches or if you have any suggestions. We’d love to hear from you. You can send e-mails to norwoodnews@norwoodnews.org or call us anytime (718) 324-4998.