Bedford Park

Bedford Park- This Italian enclave was primarily rooted by the neighborhood’s Italian National Parish, Saint Philip Neri. The heart of this neighborhood was Villa Avenue, which is a five block strip where mostly homes and small multi-family apartment houses were home to a large Italian American community. The Italians who moved here sought work in the reservoir and wound up bringing stones from the reservoir to the church to build the church. The neighborhood had two major feasts and processions, one for Saint Anthony, and the other for the Blessed Mother. This neighborhood was brought to the forefront in 1945 when a little boy from the neighborhood saw an apparition of the Blessed Mother. The event wound up on the cover of Time Magazine and was the most covered news event in 1945 besides the ending of WW2.