The Universal Hip Hop Museum celebrated the first anniversary of its groundbreaking ceremony with a Topping Off event on Wednesday, May 25th at Mill Pond Park located at Exterior St & East 150th St. in the Bronx. The Universal Hip Hop Museum (UHHM) has been designated by the New York City Council as the cultural anchor of Bronx Point; the sprawling new 56,000-square-foot waterfront development project located in the South Bronx is celebrating its completion.
“Witnessing the ’topping-off’ of the Bronx Point development, which features the future home of the Universal Hip Hop Museum, is a dream come true. The continuous support by city and state officials is proof that Hip Hop culture is a Bronx-born, cultural resource embraced by millions worldwide. It’s the passion for Hip Hop culture that we share with the world, that makes this joint effort exciting for the Bronx, New York City, and the world,” said Founder and Executive Director Rocky Bucano.
Bucano was joined by Josue Sanchez, Senior Director, L+M Development Partners; Annie Tirschwell, Partner, Type A Projects; Ruben Diaz Jr., former Bronx Borough President and UHHM Board Member; Vanessa L. Gibson, Bronx Borough President; LaToya Joyner, Assembly Member 77th Dist.; Hip Hop legend Doug E. Fresh; Tom Silverman, Founding Director of the UHHM; Diana Ayala, Deputy Speaker of NYC Council; Adolfo Carrion Jr., Housing Preservation Development Commissioner; Andrew Kimball – New York City Economic Development Corp. President; Laurie Cumbo, DCLA Commissioner, and Rep. Jamaal Anthony Bowman (D-NY 16th District).
Gibson said, “This ceremony is the culmination of a deep commitment, collaboration, and labor of love for hip-hop. The Bronx is the original birthplace of hip-hop and we are proud to cultivate a place to honor and pay tribute to our pioneers and trailblazers in the hip-hop community. From the DJ to the MC, to the rapper, to the dancers, Hip-Hop is a global phenomenon that has created artists and rappers worldwide. The Museum will serve as a place of culture, education, and entertainment for the past, present and future of Hip-Hop.”
“The Universal Hip Hop Museum focuses on the cultural phenomenon that started right here in the Bronx at 1520 Sedgwick Avenue and celebrates a powerful musical genre that expanded the boundaries of contemporary style and touched the psyche of millions of listeners,” said Assemblywoman Joyner (D-Bronx, 77th AD). “Today’s topping-off ceremony is a reminder of how important the state’s $11 investment in the Museum is to the entire Bronx as we celebrate the rich diversity of our community and I want to thank Speaker Carl Heastie for his support.”
“We are excited to see the progress happening at Bronx Point and can’t wait to celebrate its completion next year,” said Kimball. “Bronx Point will activate a long-vacant waterfront to create high-quality public open space, over 500 permanently affordable homes, and a range of cultural facilities that pay homage to the boogie down Bronx.”
As the anchor of Bronx Point, the museum is a significant part of the permanently affordable housing, mixed-use project. In 2020, the project garnered an award for Excellence in Public Design by the New York City Public Design Commission. As the borough enters an era of unprecedented revitalization and economic development, the Universal Hip Hop Museum will serve as a “living document” that will chronicle the rise of the culture and ensure its preservation.
“This development will benefit the Bronx community for generations to come, with 542 permanently affordable homes, extensive cultural and community programming, and the new Universal Hip Hop Museum,” said Eric Enderlin, HDC President. “Congratulations to all our partners on reaching this important milestone in the construction of Bronx Point.”
“I am excited about this historical moment as we celebrate the ‘‘topping-off’ of the Universal Hip Hop Museum (UHHM). This anchor development at Bronx Point will be a cultural destination dedicated to the celebration and preservation of hip-hop music, dance, art, and culture. The museum will be a place for the global evolution of hip-hop to be told. In addition to persevering the legacy of hip-hop culture, there are plans to create educational and mentorship programing, which is truly extraordinary,” said Ayala.
“Hip Hop was born right here in the Bronx, and I can’t wait for the Universal Hip Hop Museum to open and provide a place to commemorate and celebrate this global art form,” said Cumbo.
The unifying force of Hip Hop culture is reflected in its global rise from the streets of the South Bronx to the world. Celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2023, Hip Hop culture’s influence is ubiquitous in art, music, fashion, film, marketing, and entertainment today. Transcending language, age, race, geographic, and socio-economic barriers, “The 5 Elements,” of Hip Hop are universally accepted today as canon by millions worldwide. As the future home of Hip Hop culture, the Universal Hip Hop Museum is poised to become a global tourism destination in the birthplace of the culture, the South Bronx, New York City.
“Bronx Point is one step closer to completion and we could not be more excited,” said Sanchez. “This topping-off ceremony represents new heights for this extraordinary mixed-use project that will improve a formerly vacant site in the South Bronx with new permanently affordable housing, educational community facility spaces, dynamic retail, and a revitalized waterfront park and esplanade. This event is also a milestone for the Universal Hip Hop Museum, the cultural anchor at Bronx Point. I want to thank my colleagues at L+M Development Partners, Type A Projects, and especially, our public and private partners for their ongoing commitment to Bronx Point and UHHM, and the future they represent for The Bronx community and most importantly, its people.”
