Category: Harlemscape
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Spatial Equality NYC – The Good News
It’s always best to lead off with good news… Spacial Equality NYC provides an easy-to-use online tool to explore how our community compares to the rest of NYC in a wide range of environmental, health, and infrastructure concerns. Here are the areas in which Harlem is doing better than the city’s average(s). While no amount…
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Moth Proof
A photo from the 1930s of a street scene in Harlem with a pawnbroker’s, a fruit and vegetable stand, and a grocery store. The pawnbroker promotes that his business is “moth-free” and thus a safe location to pawn an article of clothing. The grocery store has a number of brands that we would recognize today,…
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25th Precinct’s Community Council Meeting with Borough President Mark Levine
Kioka Jackson, the president of the 25th Precinct’s Community Council writes: Good Morning All, It is my hope that everyone is doing well. Hope you guys are preparing for the Holiday, to purposely spend quality time with family and friends. We are planning our last meeting of 2022. Yikes! 2022 is coming to an end. …
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Rhum Boogie
Ebay has a 1943 image of Rhum Boogie, and three dapper men walking past: The song, Rhum Boogie has the following lyrics: All Harlem’s got a brand new rhythmAnd it’s burning up the dance hallsBecause it’s so hot.They took a little rhumba rhythm,And they added boogie-woogie,And-a look what they’ve got Rhumboogie.Rhumboogie-woogie.It’s Harlem’s new creationWith a…
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It’s Time to Celebrate on 126th Street
The ever-fabulous Labor of Love and United New Church of Christ are putting on their annual Gospel Christmas. All are welcome on East 126th Street to join in the holiday spirit, build community, and celebrate all that we have to be thankful for. Mark your calendars! December 16th. 7:30 PM. 57 East 126th Street. The…
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Criminal Background Checks
New York City Council bill 632 – a “local law prohibiting housing discrimination on the basis of arrest record or criminal history” – if passed, will prohibit owners, managers and brokers from inquiring about criminal record information in rentals, leases, subleases, or occupancy agreements at any stage in the rental application process in New York…
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The Oldest Scaffolding in New York
Patch.com recently had an article on Village residents rejoicing that a long-standing sidewalk scaffolding was coming down. Harlem residents near Lenox and 115th Street claim that scaffolding on the north-east corner has been there since 1990 – 32 YEARS! Somehow generations of City Council and NYC Mayors have not found a way to end the…
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Atalanta (sic) Casino
An ephemeral advertisement for the “Atalanta” (sic) Casino, owned by Gerken & Hedden and located at 155th St. & 8th Ave. The Atlanta Casino (or “Atalanta”) was a 3 story wood-framed entertainment complex that was eventually destroyed by fire in 1898. This suburban complex was served by the elevated railroad that then ran on Eighth…
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Adam Clayton Powell Jr’s Birthday
An (audio) recording of Adam Clayton Powell Jr. from 1967 titled Keep The Faith, Baby: Harlem Is Home As seen on West 135th Street.
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The Heat Wave
Another Ebay photo of a Harlem nightclub’s interior from June, 1945. This one was called The Heat Wave, and was located on 145th Street, between 7th and 8th Avenues. The Heat Wave was located at 266 West 145th Street. The club was active in the 1930s and 1940s under the direction of Louis Metcalf, who…
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Blank Check
While the phrase ‘blank check’ may live on, increasing numbers of young people have very little experience with physical checks. When I saw this pristine blank check from the Harlem and Spuyten Duyvil Navigation Co. for sale on Ebay, I was taken by the partially prefilled-out date: “187_” The image on the left-hand side of…
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The Worst Subway Stations
The MTA’s customers have spoken. Harlem and East Harlem have some of the dirtiest stations, with the most open drug use on the platforms, and begging in the mezzanine. https://new.mta.info/document/95531 In the spring survey of MTA riders, Harlem riders expressed frustration that their departure stations looked so much worse than the ones they exited. Get…
