A shout-out to Harlem Bespoke who mentioned this Pathe 8 minute film of stock images of New York City in 1963:
If you want to focus on the short section on Harlem, scrub over to 5:15 on the YouTube video.
Janes Walk – A Great Day In Harlem
Join members of Landmark East Harlem (LEH) for a walk around a roughly 12-block area that LEH has proposed for listing on the State and National Registers of Historic Places. A residential section with clear borders, it retains much of its original Victorian character, with long rows of Italianate and neo-Grec brownstones punctuated by the spires of neo-Gothic churches. The earliest buildings date to the time when Harlem was a rural village not yet annexed to the City of New York. The area also includes clusters of new-law tenements dating from the turn of the 20th century, ultramodern townhouses, tasteful contemporary conversions, 32 New York City landmarks, and the brownstone stoop that served as the site of Art Kane’s iconic 1958 photo, “A Great Day in Harlem.” A virtual tour will be available at www.landmarkeastharlem.org
05/06/2023 01:00 PM – 02:15 PM
ACCESSIBILITY
Walking around neighborhood, will be slow walking pace and wheelchair access, but uneven surfaces. All of tour takes place on sidewalk.
LOCATION INFORMATION
RSVP is required and capacity is limited. Meeting location, ending location, and directions will be provided via email before walk date.
Camellia Burris [email protected] who attended Tuesday’s HNBA meeting from Columbia University wants to speak to her about an environmental justice project. Camillia is investigating the link between redlining and global warming —more specifically, how racist disinvestment in Harlem has led to some of its neighborhoods experiencing hotter temperatures than areas in the city that were not previously redlined.
Please email Camillia at: [email protected] to talk to her about environmental justice in our community
Princess Nokia in Thomas Jefferson Park
Princess Nokia + puffer jackets hits Thomas Jefferson Park in the video for her single “No Effort”. The artist says she’s bringing “it back to Harlem” in the song’s video and the aesthetic is late 90’s.
Princess Nokia’s video is inspired by a photo from a 1996 New York Magazine article: “Prep-School Gangsters.” about a group of wealthy students at upscale private schools who fetishized hip-hop culture.
Nokia writes, “I wanted to recreate the photo and symbolize the beauty of the actual inner city [from a] female perspective.”
Jane’s Walk in Harlem
Jane’s Walk is back in person. The annual citizen-led walking tour named for the urbanist Jane Jacobs will be anchored with four tours in Harlem, including the newly created Dorrance Brooks Historic District, which honors a World War I soldier from the neighborhood, known for his exceptional bravery.
The West Harlem Art Fund, and Jane’s Walk have three descriptions for three historic districts that will be a part of Jane’s Walk 2022. (A fourth one will be submitted shortly.)
It would be great to also include Astor Row. If you love that street and are willing to share that enthusiasm with the Harlem-curious, please consider signing up to lead a walk on Astor Row.
The West Harlem Art Fund will help you organize and set it up. All you need to do is walk and talk about this neighborhood gem.
To learn more about how easy and much fun it would be, email Savona Bailey-McClain at:
Below are descriptions of 3 other Jane’s Walk tours happening in Harlem:
Mt. Morris Historic District
Mount Morris Park Historic District was designated a landmark in 1971, due to the unaltered streetscapes of its late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century townhouses and churches. French Neo-Grec, Queen Anne, Romanesque Revival, and Classical Renaissance are the predominant styles of housing. One of the oldest parks in New York City is Mount Morris Park (today known as Marcus Garvey Park). City officials purchased the land in 1839. In the area lived White Protestant families, a Tammy Hall boss, wealthy Eastern European Jews, less wealthy Western European Jews, and later African Americans.
During this walk, we will learn about the people who lived in Harlem and what events, such as the Summer of Love, which was filmed and won a recent Oscar, made Harlem so important. This Free Jane Walk will be led by Carolyn Johnson, owner of Welcome to Harlem. Register with the Municipal Art Society.
Central Harlem’s Little Known District
Friday, May 6, 2022 at 1pm
Meeting location: 130th Street & Lenox Ave (North Corner)
The Central Harlem Historic District is a fairly new designation. It spotlights little-known Black history. Several Black charities like the Clubman’s Beneficial League and the Utopia Neighborhood Club found homes in this district. Many Black entertainers like James Reese Europe, of WWI fame, lived here. The district shows that a tight-knit community once lived and still lives in Central Harlem. They supported each other and made sure they could enjoy a rich, quality of life. This FREE Jane’s Walk will be led by Savona Bailey-McClain, Executive Director of the West Harlem Art Fund. Register with the Municipal Art Society.
Who were the Strivers
Friday, May 6, 2022 at 3pm
Meeting location: 515 Malcolm X Blvd (135th Street)
Row houses were considered tract homes for the middle and upper-middle classes. New York counts over 200,000-row houses across the City. Once derided as too modern and artificial at the end of the 19th century, these homes are highly sought after now.
The St. Nicholas Historic District was originally known as the David H. King Model Homes or the King Model Houses. Four rows and three architectural styles — Italian Renaissance, Georgian and Yellow Brick facades with limestone. Built from 1891 to 1893, these homes remained empty until after World War I. Black families from the South and the Caribbean could finally purchase these homes after years of push back. Learn who lived here and how they became known as Strivers in this FREE Jane’s Walk. Understand how row houses transformed NYC forever. Register with the Municipal Art Society. This FREE Jane’s Walk will be led by Savona Bailey-McClain, Executive Director of the West Harlem Art Fund.
