Welcome to Harlem’s Newsletter

  • Mass Transit – 1837
    Mass Transit – 1837

    The New York and Harlem Railroad was the first public streetcar service – mass transit – in New York City. The first line of horse-drawn carriages traveled from Prince Street to the Harlem Bridge on 4th Avenue (Park Avenue), reaching Harlem in 1837. Below is an image of the early depot that serviced the horse-drawn streetcars. Among the…

  • Subways and Rubble
    Subways and Rubble

    With the 2nd Avenue Subway getting (theoretically) closer and closer to becoming a reality for East Harlem, it’s interesting to ask where does all the soil and rock that used to take up the space the tracks, tunnels and trains now occupy. First of all, it’s important to note that Donald Trump held back funding…

  • They’ll Come To Your Home
    They’ll Come To Your Home

    Flanking Cranes The details you see on some Harlem buildings can often bring a smile to your face. This pair of heads – male and female – flank the entrance to an otherwise nondescript apartment building: But look at the panels below. On the left the crane or stork has a webbed frog in its…

  • After-School Job Training and Pay for High School Students
    After-School Job Training and Pay for High School Students

    Get paid up to $1000 for an after school training in construction management Learn about how to bid for projects and manage projects using industry software Training 6 months of classroom and field training for 2-3 hours twice a week Internships A 3 month paid internship with a real estate firm in NYC Must be…

  • Testing Sites
    Testing Sites

    Harlem River Houses Because Harlem River Houses has been designated a historic site, the Historic Districts Council has weighed in on a renovation plan for the grounds of this NYCHA property. What does the HDC do? Well…The Historic Districts Council (HDC) reviews every public proposal affecting New York City’s landmarks and historic districts and provides…

  • Even Bigger
    Even Bigger

    Fast Company is reporting that the urban critters we see (yes, a euphemism for rats) are getting bigger. So it’s not your imagination: Researchers at the Florida Museum of Natural History are expressing surprise at the results of a new study showing that urban mammals are growing. A quartet of scientists analyzed over 140,000 measurements…

  • Two 25th Precinct Toy Giveaways

  • One Bedroom Heat Map
    One Bedroom Heat Map

    Zumper.com has a new heat map out that identifies the most/least expensive parts of Manhattan to rent a one-bedroom. The most expensive neighborhoods are Chelsea – $5,120 Tribecca – $5,000 Nolita, East Village, and Lower East Side – $4,890 Inwood – $1,735 Washington Heights – $2000 East Harlem – $2,355 To see the detailed heat…

  • Elizabeth Jennings
    Elizabeth Jennings

    On July 16th, 1854 – a young black schoolteacher named Elizabeth Jennings was on her way to the First Colored American Congregational Church. Elizabeth was the church organist, and needed to catch the Third Avenue streetcar. Although slavery had been abolished in New York in 1827, New York City was heavily formally and informally segregated.…

  • Worst Landlords
    Worst Landlords

    The Office of the Public Advocate’s Worst Landlord Watchlist is an information-sharing tool that enables tenants, public officials, advocates, and other concerned individuals to identify which residential property owners consistently flout City laws intended to protect the rights and safety of tenants. The vast majority of this list of infamy are in Central Harlem. Not…

  • East 129th Street Renamed: Ann Petry Place
    East 129th Street Renamed: Ann Petry Place

    After years of work, petitioning, and navigating bureaucratic morass, the renaming of East 129th Street has finally been approved. East 129th Street (at 5th Avenue) will be renamed Ann Petry Place. Ann Petry was a celebrated Black author whose novel, The Street, became the first novel by a Black woman to sell over a million…

  • The Holiday Spirit on East 126

    Children’s COVID Vaccine Event Harlem Pride is hosting a children’s specific vaccine event happening this Saturday, December 18th from 10am to 6pm at 215 West 125th Street. The event is sponsored by NYC Health & Hospitals and National Black Leadership Commission on Black Health. HarlemPride.org 42 Macombs PlaceNew York, NY  10039 West Harlem Festival of…