The Universal Hip Hop Museum celebrated the first anniversary of its groundbreaking ceremony with a Topping Off event at Mill Pond Park located at Exterior Street and East 150th Street 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 District; 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, Department of Cultural Affairs 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.”
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, the organization said.
