Casa Amadeo, antigua Casa Hernandez facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Casa Amadeo, antigua Casa Hernandez
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 Location in New York
Location in the United States
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| Location | 786 Prospect Ave., Bronx, New York |
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| Area | less than one acre |
| Built | 1905 |
| Architect | Meehan, James F. |
| Architectural style | Renaissance |
| NRHP reference No. | 01000244 |
| Added to NRHP | March 23, 2001 |
Casa Amadeo, antigua Casa Hernández is a very special place in New York City. It is the oldest Latin music store that has been open non-stop in New York City and the Bronx. This amazing store first opened its doors in 1941.
Casa Amadeo is located inside a historic apartment building. This building is in the Longwood area of The Bronx, New York. It was built in 1905 and was called The Manhaset. The building has six floors and looks like a Neo-Renaissance style building. This means it was designed to look like buildings from the Renaissance period. The first floor has shops, and the bottom two floors are made of rough stone. The upper floors are made of red brick. It also has a cool entrance porch with tall columns. A local group called Banana Kelly helps take care of the building. They have been fixing up and looking after buildings in Longwood since the 1970s.
History of the Music Store
The very first music store owned by Puerto Ricans in New York City was Almacenes Hernández. It was started by Victoria Hernández and her brother Rafael Hernández in 1927. This store was located on Madison Avenue. In 1939, they sold Almacenes Hernández to a record producer named Luis Cuevas.
The Hernández siblings then opened a second music store in 1941. They called this one Casa Hernández. Many years later, in 1969, they sold Casa Hernández to a musician and composer named Miguel Angel "Mike" Amadeo. Mike Amadeo renamed the store Casa Amadeo, antigua Casa Hernández. This means "Amadeo's House, formerly Hernández's House." Mike Amadeo still owns and runs the music store today.
Because of its long history and importance, Casa Amadeo was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2001. This list includes places that are important to the history of the United States.
Meet Mike Amadeo
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Miguel Ángel Amadeo
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| Birth name | Miguel Ángel Amadeo Vicente |
| Born | Bayamón, Puerto Rico |
| Occupation(s) | musician, composer, music store owner. |
| Years active | 1954––present |
| Labels | Alegre Records, Fania Records |
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Miguel Angel Amadeo, who most people know as "Mike" Amadeo, is a talented musician from Puerto Rico. He is also the owner of the famous Casa Amadeo music store in the Bronx. Mike was born in Bayamón, Puerto Rico. His father, Alberto "Titi" Amadeo, was also a musician. His father played with the famous Cuban bandleader Desi Arnaz. Mike Amadeo is also the uncle of the Grammy Award-nominated musician Tito Nieves.
Mike Amadeo is a very busy composer. He has written almost 300 songs! Many famous artists have performed his songs, including Celia Cruz and Danny Rivera. In 1947, when Mike was 13 years old, he moved to New York with his mother.
In 1954, Mike took a trip back to Puerto Rico. While he was there, he met a pianist named Rafael Ithier. Rafael was working with a bandleader at the time. Later, Rafael Ithier started his own group called El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico. Mike Amadeo began writing music for El Gran Combo. One of his most famous songs for them is Que Me Lo Den en Vida, which means Give it to Me in Life.
When Mike returned to New York City, he joined a record company called Alegre Records. He became friends with many important Latin musicians from New York. These included Johnny Pacheco, Ray Barretto, and the brothers Eddie Palmieri and Charlie Palmieri.
Because Mike Amadeo has lived in the Bronx for so long and knows so many people in the Latin music world, he is known as a community historian. He has been honored many times for his contributions to Puerto Rican music and to the Bronx. He was honored by the National Puerto Rican Day Parade in 2008. He also received honors from the Hostos Center for the Arts & Culture in 2005 and the Bronx Council on the Arts in 2010. In 2014, a street corner in the Bronx was even renamed Miguel Angel "Mike" Amadeo Way in his honor!
See also
- Alegre Records
- Fania Records
- Rafael Hernández Marín
- El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico
