One of the last known urban cowboys, Buster Marengo, is being evicted from his home in Bronx, New York, so an apartment complex can be built its place.
“This is my little piece of heaven in the world. Now if you look at it, this is your home and you’re pointing out that it’s dilapidated, you know it doesn’t have to be dilapidated,” Marengo said.
Marengo’s horse stable is one of the last remaining in Bronx, and it’s located right on the Pelham Parkway which has a rich history of horseback riding up and down the parkway.
“This represents the past, years ago you would see horses here. You would see horses on Pelham Parkway every single day. It was the last resemblance of good things in the Bronx,” community activist Egidio Sementelli.
However, the developers think that this apartment complex would greatly benefit the community of Bronx and supply them with affordable housing.
“It’s a great place for residential development and clearly there’s a need for housing, for affordable housing for working families, there’s a need for market rate housing for middle income families,” former Bronx Borough President Adolfo Carrion said.
The developers also said that the stable has been an eyesore for many years with graffiti on the walls and homeless people living inside.