A century-old Bronx landmark, once known for printing currency for countries across the globe, is now helping residents build brighter futures \u2014 and its leaders say they\u2019re just getting started.<\/p>\n
Inside the historic Bank Note building in Hunts Point, high school students at the JVO Wildcat Caf\u00e9 are learning the basics of cooking. With a few slices and peels, students in the free beginner-level course are turning simple ingredients into dishes like homemade applesauce.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was completely scared of the kitchen before I started cooking here,\u201d said Justin, a student chef. \u201cIt feels really empowering to learn such a skill like this.\u201d<\/p>\n
The caf\u00e9 is one of several tenants inside the Bank Note offering programs aimed at uplifting Bronx residents, particularly young people and families with limited resources. Much of that work, tenants say, is possible because of the support of the building\u2019s general manager, Raymond Arroyo, of Avison Young.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe received the BOMA Pinnacle Award for operating a building of our size back in 2024,\u201d Arroyo said.<\/p>\n
Built in 1911, the 400,000-square-foot building once served as a global printing powerhouse, producing money for nations around the world. Arroyo says he\u2019s found bills from as far away as China stamped with \u201cAmerican Bank Note\u201d in English letters.<\/p>\n
For nearly two decades, Arroyo has turned the once-industrial complex into a home for local businesses, nonprofits and educational programs \u2014 many centered on combating poverty and creating pathways to opportunity.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve crossed paths with tens of thousands of kids and made sure there was a bright light to look forward to \u2014 without having to leave The Bronx,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Now, Arroyo is looking beyond the building\u2019s walls. A parking lot across the street is slated to become a residential development aimed at providing more affordable housing for Bronx families. The project is still in early planning stages.<\/p>\n
\u201cRunning properties is not just about business,\u201d Arroyo said. \u201cIt\u2019s knowing I\u2019m contributing to something greater than myself.\u201d<\/p>\n
If completed, the new development would add to the Bank Note\u2019s growing legacy as a community anchor \u2014 one focused not on printing money anymore, but on creating opportunity.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A century-old Bronx landmark, once known for printing currency for countries across the globe, is now helping residents…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":65764,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[38],"tags":[128,9,24,63,129,131,130],"class_list":["post-65763","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-the-bronx","tag-bronx","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-city","tag-nyc","tag-the-bronx","tag-the-bronx-headlines","tag-the-bronx-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/65763","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=65763"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/65763\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/65764"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=65763"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=65763"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=65763"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}