CBS reports on Harlem Grown – an organization that seeks to harvest fresh food for families facing hard times. The 11 year old organization is trying an experimental farm in a shipping container, here in Harlem
“The average head of lettuce in the U.S. is traveling 2,500, 3,000 miles. This one’s traveling 25 feet,” said Frank Sharp, principal technical leader at the national nonprofit Electric Power Research Institute, which oversees 20 such sites across the country.
The New York Power Authority is paying for the $250,000 project.
This photo popped up on Ebay with the date (June, 1943) and a title (New York, New York. Street scene in Harlem):
The two soldiers and clothing/cars certainly looked right for the WWII era, but I wondered where the photo was taken.
Eventually, I was able to figure out that the building on the right, still exists, and (difficult to see) the building above the man in the fedora (looking at the photographer) is the Victoria Theater.
Below is the contemporary street scene:
Follow Black Women
Community Voices Heard asks: ‘How do you achieve a society where everyone wins? Follow Black Women! You are the leader New York needs now.”
HEART TO HEART CONCERT – The Sounds of Gospel! Time: The concert begins at 6:00pm EST Location: Peter Norton Symphony Space Address: 2537 Broadway, NY, NY (Located on the southwest corner of 95th St and Broadway)
We’re back and ready to “Raise the Praise!” Labor of Love Association hosts Heart to Heart Concert – New York’s Premiere Event for Authentic Traditional/Contemporary Gospel Music!
What A Thrilling Line-Up! Our Featured Performers for the 2022 Concert The Labor of Love Ensemble, Reverend Vandell Atkins, Brother Jospeh Ellis, Brother Alson Farley, Jr, Elder George Heyward, The Richard Curtis Singers, and Brother Henry Mitchell
This year Heart to Heart presents, “The Sounds of Gospel!” Join us as we celebrate the origins of Gospel, one of the most prolific genres of American music! Don’t miss this evening that will take you on a journey through the phases of Gospel from the early days of “call and response” to the energizing sounds of contemporary Gospel music!
Patch had an interesting article about thinking at the MTA about extending the Q train up from 96th Street, along 2nd Avenue to Lex/125, and then continuing westward to connect with the 2/3, the A/B/C/D, and maybe even the 1.
For anyone who’d like east/west access, this would be a dream.
On the other hand, this is just a conversation, and the dates floated would be dependent on Phase 2 (getting the Q to Lex/125) and then, well, money.
All New Yorkers know 311 and 911 are the numbers to call for issues (311) and emergencies (911). But, starting today, dialing 988 will connect you to a combined mental health, suicide prevention and substance use disorder response team. This new 988 number is part of a nationwide initiative to better address those needs without always involving the police.
Calls to 988 from local area codes will route to NYC Well, a 24/7 hotline, chat and text service where mental health professionals provide support and offer referrals for treatments and resources. If needed, the hotline staff can dispatch a Mobile Crisis Team, which includes mental health professionals, to an urgent but “non-emergency” situation. But those units only go out between 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
988 is intended to address issues that are not criminal justice issues, but still require professional assistance.
Anyone can call 988 and a person from NYC Well, operated by Vibrant Emotional Health, will answer the call, listen to concerns and provide guidance about how to handle the situation, share resources or possibly dispatch members of the Mobile Crisis Unit — when available.
On scene, a counselor may speak to a person from the other side of the bedroom door, for example, or help them go to a clinic safely, and the team members may also stay in touch with a caller or concerned friend or family member for a period of time after the crisis to make sure they’re getting the support they need.
A huge hitch with this roll-out of 988 is phone technical – people who live in New York City and use cellphones that don’t have a local area code will not be routed to NYC Well, but to the local hotline as the area code indicates.
That means if you got your phone in Idaho, your 988 call is going to a mental health team in Boise…
Let’s hope they get this rediculous situation sorted out, but if you call 911, you can always stress this is a mental health crisis, and the operators will connect you to 988 resources.
The Studio Museum Rises
The Studio Museum of Harlem has now risen far beyond its neighbors. Admittedly the number of floors is low (because much of the space is for displaying/storing art), but the building is soaring above 125th Street between Lenox and ACP.
About the Film: Wax Print traces the vast and multi-stranded global history of a fabric that has become an iconic symbol of Africa and her children worldwide. This beautiful, transnational two-year journey has taken director Aiwan Obinyan around the world, in search of African wax prints and the untold story of how wax print fabric came to symbolize a continent, its people, and their struggle for freedom. The film brings forth issues of fast fashion and mass-produced wax print copies, while detailing an Indonesian, English, and Dutch history of the fabric itself and its significance for pan-African identities. As seen in Batik and Kente techniques, bright bold patterns and colors become a significant part of the culture, as well as the identities of the African diaspora that have kept the heritage alive. With names like “The Ungrateful Husband,” which is worn by women to shame their disloyal husbands, each wax print has a pattern and identity embodied in the cloth, and an origin story that is then accepted and integrated into the culture by consumers.
New York YIMBY is reporting that permits have been filed for a 21-story mixed-use building at 35 West 125th Street between Fifth and Lenox. The location had a Rite Aid and 2 story commercial offices.
The proposed 195-foot-tall development will yield 119,064 square feet, with 110,477 square feet designated for residential space and 8,587 square feet for commercial space. The building will have 162 residences, most likely rentals based on the average unit scope of 681 square feet. The concrete-based structure will also have a cellar and a 30-foot-long rear yard.
The Harlem Shuttle
In the first half of the 20th Century, what became the MTA had a 3rd Avenue trolly car line called the Harlem Shuttle:
You can see the “S” on the front of the full photo of the trolly car, below.
Speaking of Transit…
The MTA would like to know your thoughts on mass transit in NYC “post” pandemic:
Make sure to head to the polls today to vote for Governor and State Assembly (among others).
Church > Synagogue > Shake Shack
On the north-west corner of 5th and 125th Street, the lot occupied by Shake Shack and the check cashing business was, at one point the Holy Trinity Episcopal Church of Harlem.
In the photo (above – Robert Bracklow, photographer) from 1905, you can see the church building, and (further west and next door) the tall Flemish style (white) YMCA on 125th Street.
Looking carefully at the church, however, you may notice an absence. There are no crosses on the pinnacles, nor at the top of the pediment.
The reason? At this point, in 1905, the building had been purchased by one of Harem’s Jewish congregations – Temple Israel – and now was their home of worship.
Eventually this synagogue was demolished and now, Shake Shack occupies this corner of 125/5th.
GothamToGo
Gotham To Go has a great article on East Harlem’s African Burial Ground. Make sure to check it out:
Renthop has an analysis of rent price increases for apartments close to subways. Looking at the 2/3 Lenox/125 station, the nearby rent increased by 18.4%:
The 4/5/6 transit area increased by 17.8%:
But the largest increase was near the A/B/C/D 125th Street station. Rents there increased by 20.3%:
If you’re wondering, the Harlem rents near subways above 125th Street all seemed to hover around 10% increase. So proximity to 125th Street increased rents by nearly twice as much as Sugar Hill, Hamilton Heights, and (interestingly, given the juggernaut of Columbia elbowing its way into Manhattanville) stops on the 1 line.
To see the full map, and look at other parts of New York, see
The Harlem Rose Garden at 6 E. 129th St. is hosting a literary event on Saturday, June 11, 2022, at 1 p.m.
Price is a Bronx native, Harlem resident, author of The Wanderers, Clockers, Freedomland, Lush Life and The Whites; writer for HBO series The Wire, The Night Of, The Deuce and The Outsider.
Adams’ novels have been praised in the New Yorker, the New York Times, the Guardian and the Times of London. A former Washington Post writer, she won the Pulitzer Prize for Investigative Reporting for a series on police brutality.
Support NYC Parks
Please see below that New Yorkers for Parks is advocating to send to our email to the Council Members on the Budget and Negotiating Team (BNT). These are the officials who represent your interests directly during budget negotiations with the Adams Administration to advocate for getting the 1% city budget to be dedicated to parks.
PLease share with others as well. Parks are essential
And here’s the letter to make it easy: Also feel free to add a personal note for more impact
Dear Council Member:
I’m writing to you on behalf of Play Fair, a coalition co-founded by New Yorkers for Parks. We are a parks and open space coalition of more than 400 advocacy organizations dedicated to building a better-funded, more equitable and resilient parks system in New York City.
Throughout this budget session, we fought alongside Parks Committee Chair Shekar Krishnan to demand an increase of NYC Parks funding to 1% of the city’s budget, something both Mayor Adams and Council Speaker Adams have committed to. This funding is needed for critical maintenance and operations, and to realize a comprehensive policy approach ensuring all New Yorkers have access to safe, equitable, and vibrant parks and open spaces.
There is momentum to make this happen in 2022. We urge the BNT to implement these transformative funding priorities:
Increase parks funding to 1 percent of the city’s budget: Every world-class park system in the US receives at least 1-2 percent of annual city funding. New York has underinvested in parks for over 50 years, allocating only about 0.5 percent for parks, despite parks and natural areas covering 14% of our city and more than 30,000 acres.
Save critical parks maintenance workers: NYC Parks will suffer a net loss of 1800 Cleaning Corps workers, leaving a gap in the workforce which will disproportionately impact communities of color. Last July, the Bronx had 1,047 maintenance workers. The Executive Budget proposes 822; a loss of 255 maintenance workers. The city must invest in funding these essential positions.
Protect the Play Fair positions at NYC Parks: Last year, we fought for Council-funded positions to accommodate increased park usage during the pandemic. With Covid cases and temperatures rising, New Yorkers are again relying on these spaces for mental and physical health. The Play Fair positions are vital for enforcement, maintenance, and operations.
Additionally, ensuring continued funding for the Parks Equity Initiative is critical to supporting community programs. These are critical investments that the City Council needs to remain committed to.
(I spend every day in my park, walking my dog and not only volunteering with our Park non-profit but also with our dog run. There is not enough staff to keep the park clean let alone take care of needed repairs. That is why I’m writing.)
Concert – Harlem Rose Garden – June 4th at 4:00 PM
On Saturday, June 4th at 4:00 PM, come to hear a garden concert in the Harlem Rose Garden (East 129th Street, just east of 5th) with the Dorothy Maynor Singers:
Note the sharply dressed young men and women, and the black police officer on the right:
Careful observation will likely tell you where this photo was taken. The most obvious clue is that we’re near a subway stop, even if the signage is markedly different from contemporary signage:
The most powerful clues, however, are embedded in the image below. Note the street sign, likely saying 125th Street. Also the church steeple to the left of the gentleman looking into the distance. That church is at 123/Lenox, and if you look carefully below the (1)25 ST you might be able to make out “…NOX AV”
Thus, the large building in the background – on the corner – is where Whole Foods currently resides.
The Caribbean Cultural Center African Diaspora Institute (CCCADI) has a new lease for new cultural space across the street and a bit more east from their current East Harlem location.
The new addition – 201 East 125th Street – is in the lower, commercial space of a large new residential/commercial building. CCCADI will now have an additional 5,000 square feet to further its mission of exploring the African diaspora through art, music, and community.
“Expanding CCCADI’s presence in an ever-changing Harlem furthers our commitment to serving as an anchor for, and reflection of, the people of Harlem, particularly African descendants, and the promise that states that we are here and here to stay,” Melody Capote, executive director of CCADI, said in a statement.
The new location will house the Institute for Racial and Social Justice in Arts and Culture, providing artists a hub to collaborate, create, perform, and “affirm their roots and diverse cultural expressions.” It will also include a larger presentation space for the local community.
The CCCADI’s new location is within One East Harlem, a mixed-use, 19-story development that includes 300 affordable apartments and 100 market-rate units, in addition to 65,000 square feet of commercial space. CCCADI will share the building with other cultural organizations, including Groove With Me, a youth development dance center. Its developers and landlords include the Richman Group, Bridges Development, Monadnock Development, Hope Community, and El Barrio Operation Fightback.
Harlemites have been at the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic for two years, hard hit by the immediate health emergency and the longstanding challenges that the pandemic underscored. On our road to recovery, we must address High unemployment, rising gun violence, a houseless and affordability housing crisis, food insecurity, systemic mental health and psychiatric care failures, poor sanitation, and inadequate access to open spaces.
I am working in collaboration with New York City Mayor Eric Adams, local elected officials and community stakeholders to address the ongoing needs of our community and enhance the safety of West and East Harlem through criminal justice and health reform.
(photo: Espaillat tour with Mayor Adams, March 2022)
In coordination with key local stakeholders, the following suggestions to help address some of these issues have been put forth:
1. Amplify Neighborhood Safety Teams in West and East Harlem.
2. Reduction of Methadone Clinics and other related services in the 125th Street corridor by no less than 50%.
3. Crack down on the “Iron Pipeline” and “Ghost Guns” in the 125th Street Corridor.
4. Increase Violence Interrupters in the 125th Street Corridor – specifically in neighborhoods that currently have few or none.
5. Establish additional bus routes from Randall’s and Wards Islands.
6. Support Mental Health Assistance throughout West and East Harlem and Enhance Homeless Services.
7. The establishment of an ad-hoc committee composed of senior leadership members of the offices of the Mayor, Representative Espaillat and the Governor, key agencies including OASAS and DOHMH, MTA, DOT, NYCT, DSNY, law enforcement including the NYPD and the Manhattan DA, and lastly- elected officials and key stakeholders on 125th street.
8. Engage and Support Youth in the 125th Street Corridor.
9. Mitigate Financial Stress in the 125th Street Corridor.
10. Increase the number of Park Enforcement Patrol officers at ART Park, Dr. Ronald McNair and Marcus Garvey parks to help discourage illicit activity and encourage a safe welcoming open space environment.
Sincerely,
Adriano Espaillat Member of Congress
============================
Los residentes de Harlem han estado en la primera línea de la pandemia de COVID-19 durante dos años, y han sido muy afectados por la emergencia sanitaria inmediata y los desafíos de larga data que subrayó la pandemia. En nuestro camino hacia la recuperación, debemos abordar los índices alto de desempleo, el aumento de la violencia con armas de fuego, una crisis de viviendas asequibles y de personas desamparadas, la inseguridad alimentaria, las fallas sistémicas en la atención psiquiátrica y de salud mental, el saneamiento deficiente y el acceso inadecuado a espacios abiertos.
Estoy trabajando en colaboración con el alcalde de la Ciudad de Nueva York, Eric Adams, los funcionarios electos locales y las partes interesadas de la comunidad para abordar las necesidades actuales de nuestra comunidad y mejorar la seguridad en el Oeste y el Este de Harlem a través de reformas de la justicia penal y de la salud.
En coordinación con participantes locales clave, se han presentado las siguientes sugerencias para ayudar a abordar algunos de estos problemas:
1. Ampliar los Equipos de Seguridad Vecinal en el Oeste y el Este de Harlem.
2. Reducción de clínicas de metadona y otros servicios relacionados en el corredor de la calle 125.
3. Tomar medidas enérgicas contra la “Iron Pipeline” (ruta de contrabando de armas ilegales) y las “Armas indetectables” en el Corredor de la calle 125.
4. Aumentar los Interruptores de la Violencia en el corredor de la calle 125, específicamente en los vecindarios que actualmente tienen pocos o ninguno de estos servicios.
5. Establecer rutas de autobuses adicionales desde Randall’s y Wards Island
6. Apoyar la asistencia de salud mental en todo el Oeste y Este de Harlem y mejorar los servicios para personas desamparadas.
7. El establecimiento de un comité ad-hoc compuesto por interesados clave en la calle 125, miembros de las oficinas del alcalde, la gobernadora y yo, agencias clave que incluyen OASAS, DOHMH, MTA, DOT, NYCT, DSNY, agencias de aplicación de la ley, incluyendo el NYPD y el fiscal de distrito de Manhattan y, por último, los funcionarios electos locales.
8. Involucrar y apoyar a los jóvenes en el corredor de la calle 125 a través de servicios de mejora de la educación y el empleo.
9. Mitigar el estrés financiero en el corredor de la calle 125 a través de oportunidades económicas.
10. Aumentar el número de agentes de la Patrulla de Vigilancia de Parques en los parques ART, Dr. Ronald McNair y Marcus Garvey para fomentar un ambiente de espacio abierto seguro y acogedor.
Atentamente,
Adriano Espaillat Miembro del Congreso
Construction Has Topped Off
Construction on a massive new building east of the State Office Building.
