Proposed Arrangement of Sixth or Seventh Avenue between Central Park and Harlem River. Black ink with colored washes (from the New York City Municipal Archives)
The evolution of the Central Park Commission from a purely park-planning body into a comprehensive city-planning body began with a baby step. Andrew H. Green, who headed the commission, was concerned that the approaches to the park, especially from the north, were inadequate. He asked the state legislature to grant the commission the power to widen and improve Seventh and Sixth Avenue (Adam Clayton Powell and Lenox Blvds, today). In 1859 Green was given permission to alter the Commissioner’s Plan north of Central Park and acted on this permission in 1864.
It is this request/permission that led to the grand boulevard aspects of Adam Clayton Powell and Lenox Blvds and distinguished them from their continuations, south of the park.
The drawing (above) shows one of the three designs the commission considered for the project. The widened avenue is 150 feet across, a dimension set by the empowering legislation. Of this, the carriageway is 80 feet wide, the sidewalks are each 20 feet wide, and the so-called courtyards are each 15 feet wide. MM
The Salvation Army’s Easter Parade
The Salvation Army, in partnership with the NYPD, will be marching on Resurrection Day (Easter) this March 31st, at 1:15PM.
Join us for music, prayer, and fellowship as we march from 125th and 3rd Ave to 137th and Malcolm X Blvd, ending in an Easter Egg hunt for the kids!
The Salvation Army is committed to serving East Harlem through our programs, including food pantry, soup kitchen, help with clothing, etc. Go to your nearest location for more information!
Lt. Álvaro Velásquez
Assistant Corps Officer| The Salvation Army │175 E 125th Street, New York, NY 10035
P: (212) 860-3200 | C: 973-404-0107
The Harlem Renaissance Dinner Party
The New York Times has a great piece on the launching of the Harlem Renaissance, and the role a fabulous dinner gathering had on this launch:
The Dinner Party That Started the Harlem Renaissance
An interracial soirée that included intellectual and artistic luminaries set in motion one of the most influential cultural movements of the 20th century.
www.nytimes.com/2024/03/21/arts/harlem-renaissance-dinner-1924-anniversary.html
