Place Matters Profile

Joe Scaglione Sr. and his sons, Joe and Dan, own and run Scaglione Bakery. For three generations this bakery has been a cherished feature of the Morris Park neighborhood.

The family has been in this business since Joe Sr.'s father immigrated to New York City from Sicily prior to WWII and opened a bakery in East Harlem at Second Avenue and 113th Street. In 1944, the Scaglione family moved the bakery to White Plains Road in the Bronx, followed by the opening of this Morris Park shop in 1950.

Using the same oven they purchased in 1953, the Scaglione family makes fresh bread and focaccia daily and, unlike wholesale bread makers, they make nothing by machine.

Filmmaker Spike Lee was so impressed by the store's appearance--its facade at that time included the original sign from the 1950s--that he filmed parts of his movie, Summer of Sam, on this block. The sign came down in 2005, however, when the family renovated the interior and exterior of the bakery.

Scagliones Bakery

1078 Morris Park Avenue
Bronx, NY 10461
(718) 892-1736

Sources: Place Matters interview with nominator, 2003