Category: Culture

  • James Van Der Zee

    James Van Der Zee

    The Studio Museum in Harlem holds a 50,000 item plus archive of negatives and prints of James Van Der Zee Having held the archive for decades, the Studio Museum will now partner with the Metropolitan Museum of Art, to manage the prints and negatives by the Van Der Zee, as well as his ephemera and photo equipment. In…

  • Harlem Street Scenes

    Harlem Street Scenes

    The National Archives has outtakes from METROPOLIS 1939 with scenes from central Harlem, Harlem River Houses, and the building of the Queensbridge Houses. The incredible vitality of the Harlem scene (Harlem was much more densely populated then – due to racially restrictive housing policies and practices) comes across clearly in this film. Ginjan Featured in…

  • The Marcelle

    The Marcelle

    One of the big disappointments of American aesthetic trends is that this country never caught Art Nouveau fever in the late 19th century. Yes, we have Tiffany, but any keen observer in NYC is hard-pressed to list more than a handful of Art Nouveau treasures in the 5 boroughs. Here in Harlem, where so much…

  • Candlelight Vigil

    Candlelight Vigil

    Dr. Keith Taylor, a neighbor and friend writes: Neighbors,If you are able, I ask you to attend a community candlelight vigil at the 32nd Precinct tonight at 6:30 pm to show support for our officers at a time of great loss to the NYPD and to the Harlem community. Your presence will mean a tremendous…

  • Florence Mills

    Florence Mills

    At our January HNBA meeting, we heard from Savona Bailey-McClain about her effort to name the plaza at St. Nicholas Ave and 135th street after Florence Mills. Savona is looking for letters of support from you. Below are the email addresses for letters of support as well as a draft letter that can be modified.…

  • Jelly Lived Here

    Jelly Lived Here

    On this beautifully articulated brick facade is a glass (plexiglass?) sign noting that in 1939-40, the famous Jazz pianist “Jelly Roll” Morton lived here in Central Harlem, on West 131st Street. Born sometime around 1890 in New Orleans, Jelly Roll began to play the piano in a brothel at age 14. He took the nickname…

  • Calabar Gallery

    Calabar Gallery

    One of the joys of Harlem is visiting the galleries, large and small, that display such a range of amazing art. The Calabar Gallery, at 2504 Frederick Douglass Blvd, (646-964-5062) focuses on representing underserved artists locally and globally, with a special interest in African, African American and Caribbean artists. The gallery is an exhibition space,…

  • MLK

    MLK

    Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. A guiding star for all who work for justice. Food Stamp Building Moving from Chelsea to East Harlem Register to attend the CB11 meeting tomorrow (Tuesday) night at 6:30pm: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_hT2KI2B0QDCYZrgKWph53A The Community Board will be addressing a move of 700 SNAP recipients from 14th Street in Chelsea to 126th Street…

  • Lead

    Lead

    Ancient Greek stone architecture with its bleached symmetry and powerful ornamentation often looks as though it’s survived for more than 2,000 years simply through force of presence. A closer look, however, at the stones that make up classic Greek architecture reveals curious channels and depressions inside the centers of the stones that were carved to…

  • Block Association Meeting on Thursday, 7pm

    Block Association Meeting on Thursday, 7pm

    The January HNBA meeting will be virtual, and you are invited.  We’ll gather on Thursday, January 20th at 7:00 PM to hear from, and ask questions of, NY State Senator Cordell Cleare.  If there is something you want Albany to do for you, or Harlem, here’s your chance to speak directly to our state senator. In addition,…

  • Join Your Community Board

    Join Your Community Board

    The Manhattan Community Board Application Deadline is March 1. Each board has up to 50 members, all volunteers. Board members serve via staggered two-year terms, which means half must be reappointed or replaced every year. All of those people are appointed by their own borough president. City Council members can recommend new applicants, but the…

  • Saved from The Ku Klux Klan

    Saved from The Ku Klux Klan

    The New York photographer, Percy Loomis Sperr, was interested in everyday people and how their lives were lived in the 1920s to the 1940s. Sperr sought to document and preserve the city as fully as possible. Born on December 27, 1899, Sperr attended Oberlin College, and by the 1920s was venturing into East Harlem to…