Welcome to Harlem’s Newsletter

  • The Chronicles of Christmas Concert
    The Chronicles of Christmas Concert

    On Thursday, December 15th, all are welcome to visit the Salvation Army building (125th Street, just west of 3rd Ave.) at 6 PM for a joyous and hopeful concert. The Chronicles of Christmas Concert will feature neighborhood children and teens who are in the fantastic Salvation Army musical program. All are welcome to attend and…

  • Scenes from The 125th Street BID Holiday Lights Parade
    Scenes from The 125th Street BID Holiday Lights Parade

    Mayor Eric Adams Praises Hero Officers from East Harlem’s 25th Precinct In East Harlem, NYC Mayor Eric Adams praised the NYPD officers who saved a man who fell into the subway tracks on Thanksgiving:

  • Criminal Background Checks
    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…

  • NYC Bill Intro 163-2022: Ban on Criminal Background Checks
    NYC Bill Intro 163-2022: Ban on Criminal Background Checks

    NYC City Councilman Keith Power has re-introduced a bill, Intro 632-2022, to ban the use of criminal background checks in rental & sale applications. This bill is supported by both Councilmembers Jordan and Ayala. You can participate in VoterVoice to voice your opinion (for or against) bill, Intro. 632. VoterVoice will allow you to send messages directly to…

  • Our World
    Our World

    Ebay has a 1951 edition of Our World up for sale. The cover has teasers for the stories inside including the children of famous people: A look at Billy Eckstine: And Harlem, the Most Slandered City: 5th and 126th The building on the north-west corner of 126th and 5th Avenue was opened in 1938: and…

  • The Oldest Scaffolding in New York
    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…

  • Atalanta (sic) Casino
    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…

  • Your Invitation to the HNBA Holiday Party
    Your Invitation to the HNBA Holiday Party

    Thursday, December 15th, 7:00 PM Click HERE to RSVP Here’s your chance to celebrate with the neighbors you know, meet some of the ones you don’t, and finally introduce yourself to a few who you’ve seen, but haven’t connected with yet… All welcome.  Feel free to pass this invite on to a neighbor who you think would…

  • Adam Clayton Powell Jr’s Birthday
    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.

  • The Heat Wave
    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…

  • Blank Check
    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…

  • The Worst Subway Stations
    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…