Harlem

With East Harlem becoming hipper by the month, this affordable housing lottery for 12 units at the new building 2183 Third Avenue is a super steal, especially considering the building offers a gym, rooftop, recreation area, and laundry room. From $856/month studios to $1,114/month two-bedrooms, the apartments are available to households earning 60 percent of the area median income. Located at the northeast corner of East 119th Street and Third Avenue, the 12-story building is not only three blocks from the 6 train, but it's right near local hot spots like the original Patsy's Pizza and Hot Jalapeno, as well as the Target and Costco at East River Plaza.
Find out if you qualify

Affordable Housing

A mecca of African American history and culture, Central Harlem is designated a historic district

Photo via LPC

May 29, 2018

A mecca of African American history and culture, Central Harlem is designated a historic district

The Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) on Tuesday designated three blocks in Central Harlem as a historic district in recognition of the significant role African Americans played in social change in New York City and beyond during the 20th century. The Central Harlem District measures West 130-132nd Streets, the mid-blocks between Lenox and Seventh Avenues. LPC notes how Harlem residents used residential buildings to accommodate cultural, religious and political activities, starting with the Harlem Renaissance through the civil rights movement of the 1960s. "This collection of buildings is exactly why we designate historic districts: it's an architecturally distinctive and historically significant set of structures that together tell an essential piece of Central Harlem's story,” Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer said. The commission also launched an interactive story map as a way to illustrate the unique influence of this district through photos, maps and video.
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From casino to Malcolm X: The colorful history of Harlem’s Malcolm Shabazz Mosque

Photo via Wiki Commons

May 18, 2018

From casino to Malcolm X: The colorful history of Harlem’s Malcolm Shabazz Mosque

By Hannah Frishberg

At 102 West 116th Street in Harlem sits a mosque singularly incorporated into the cityscape. The building houses street-level commercial businesses and is topped by a large green dome, the structure in-between used as a Sunni Muslim mosque. While the property has seen much local history pass through it, it is not landmarked. Before becoming a religious structure, the lot used to contain the Lenox Casino, a space which was often rented for meetings by the Socialist Party and used as a theatrical performance venue for a number of then-renowned artists. Built in 1905 and designed by Lorenz F. J. Weiher, the Lenox Casino was raided in 1912 for showing "illegal films" in an escapade grippingly documented by the New York Times.
The structure has had many lives

History

Historic West Harlem firehouse theater is for sale for $13M as part of development lot

Image via Google Maps.

May 2, 2018

Historic West Harlem firehouse theater is for sale for $13M as part of development lot

The Beaux Arts firehouse that has been the home of the Faison Firehouse Theater since 1999 (with a celebrated "official" inaugural opening in 2007 that included a presentation by Maya Angelou) is for sale as part of a development property package, asking $13 million. The building at 6 Hancock Place in West Harlem is being offered with a neighboring vacant lot and a four-story townhouse, which together add up to a total of 30,000 square feet. The Faison Firehouse Theater was founded by Tony award winning choreographer George Faison and his partner, Tad Schnugg, and has been operated by the American Performing Arts Collaborative (APAC).
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City orders Central Park statue of ‘hero’ M.D. who performed experiments on slaves be removed

Statue of Dr. J. Marion Sims in Central Park. Image: Wikimedia Commons.

April 17, 2018

City orders Central Park statue of ‘hero’ M.D. who performed experiments on slaves be removed

New York City’s Public Design Commission voted unanimously Monday in favor of removing a statue of 19th century surgeon J. Marion Sims from its Central Park pedestal, the New York Times reports. It was recommended that the statue of the controversial doctor, who conducted experimental surgeries on female slaves without their consent (and without anesthesia), be removed from its spot at 103rd Street in East Harlem after Mayor Bill de Blasio asked for a review of “symbols of hate” on city property eight months ago. 6sqft previously reported on the request by Manhattan Community Board 11 to remove the East Harlem statue of Sims, who is regarded as the father of modern gynecology. The statue, which will be moved to Brooklyn's Green-Wood Cemetery where the doctor is buried, represents the city's first decision to make changes to a prominent monument since the review.
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Uncategorized

Lottery for middle-income apartments in Harlem raises the question of affordability

Photo of Harlem via Ian Freimuth/Flickr

April 11, 2018

Lottery for middle-income apartments in Harlem raises the question of affordability

By Andrew Berman of Village Preservation

Just hours ago, 6sqft published an article about how many middle-income New Yorkers forego affordable housing opportunities because the "affordable" units are actually more expensive than their current market-rate homes. And now here's a perfect example. Five units are available through the city's housing lottery in the heart of Harlem, at 10 West 132nd Street, but the two studios are $1,900/month and the three one-bedrooms are $2,270/month. For a two-person household earning between $ 77,829 and $ 108,550 annually, is a $2,300 monthly rent payment really affordable?
All the details ahead

Affordable Housing

How New Yorker Howard Bennet fought to make Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday a national holiday

Martin Luther King Jr. at the 1963 Civil Rights March on Washington, D.C. via Wiki Commons

April 4, 2018

How New Yorker Howard Bennet fought to make Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday a national holiday

Fifty years ago, on April 4, 1968, Martin Luther King Jr. was shot as he stood on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee. This ended the life of one of the 20th century’s most revered and influential figures. It also began a 15-year campaign to make Dr. King’s birthday a national holiday — the first-ever honoring an African American. That successful quest began with and was spearheaded by a native son of Greenwich Village, Howard Bennett. Bennett was one of the last residents of a Greenwich Village community known as “Little Africa,” a predominantly African-American section of the neighborhood which was, for much of New York’s history through the 19th century, the largest and most important African-American community in the city. That neighborhood centered around present-day Minetta, Thompson, Cornelia, and Gay Streets.
Learn more here

History

Lottery launches for 124 middle-income units in East Harlem, from $822/month

Rendering via MAP Architects

March 29, 2018

Lottery launches for 124 middle-income units in East Harlem, from $822/month

A brand new East Harlem mixed-use development, known as Acacia Gardens, now has 124 middle- income apartments up for grabs. The 12-story brick building at 411 East 120th Street, the site of a former parking lot, includes over 180,000 square feet of residential space. Qualifying New Yorkers earning 60 and 100 percent of the area median income can apply for units ranging from an $822/month studio to a $1,706/month three-bedroom.
Find out if you qualify

Affordable Housing

Three historic East Harlem buildings designated as New York City landmarks

Photos via LPC

March 27, 2018

Three historic East Harlem buildings designated as New York City landmarks

The city's Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) on Tuesday officially designated three East Harlem buildings as individual landmarks, marking them as some of the neighborhood's most culturally significant structures. The landmarks include a former 19th-century meatpacking house and two former public schools. The LPC chair, Meenakshi Srinivasan, said the buildings were designated for their architectural and cultural significance. "They embody East Harlem's unique development history and recognize the civic institutions and businesses that helped shape the lives of the neighborhood's immigrant groups," Srinivasan said in a statement.
More here

Policy

Our 900sqft: Native New Yorkers Aria and John open up their retro, colorful Harlem home

6sqft’s series “My sqft” checks out the homes of New Yorkers across all the boroughs. Our latest interior adventure brings us to the Harlem apartment of Aria and John Chiaraviglio. Want to see your home featured here? Get in touch!

March 14, 2018

Our 900sqft: Native New Yorkers Aria and John open up their retro, colorful Harlem home

When asked to sum up the aesthetic of their Harlem apartment in a few words, Aria and John Chiaraviglio chose "inviting, unique, open, retro and fun," and after a recent visit to the full-floor brownstone home, we couldn't agree more. Aria, a Doctoral student in Child Psychology, and John, Vice President of the Financial Intelligence Unit of a major bank, both grew up in NYC--she in Tribeca and he on the Upper East Side. The old-school, quirky vibes reminiscent of artist-loft Tribeca are seen everywhere, from Aria's Elvis collection to the couple's countless vintage finds, yet the traditional style one would associate with uptown are brought out through mid-century modern furnishings and an attention to entertaining. Ahead, take a tour of this spunky couple's colorful, comfy, and classy home and learn about their best thrifted pieces, the theme parties they host, their Derby collection, and why they love living in Harlem.
Get an inside look!

The Urban Lens: Documenting 20 years of Harlem architecture

6sqft’s series The Urban Lens invites photographers to share work exploring a theme or a place within New York City. In this installment, Albert Vecerka shares some images from his “Harlem project.” Are you a photographer who’d like to see your work featured on The Urban Lens? Get in touch with us at [email protected].

February 16, 2018

The Urban Lens: Documenting 20 years of Harlem architecture

By Hannah Frishberg

After moving to New York in 1992 and earning a degree in architecture from City College, Yugoslavia-born photographer Albert Vecerka moved to Harlem and started documenting the neighborhood. Originally an attempt to dispel the notion that Harlem was "dangerous," his "Harlem project," also captures its architectural fabric and aesthetic changes over time. 6qft recently caught up with Vecerka to hear his thoughts on Harlem--what it was like 20 years ago and why he still calls it home.
See more photos and hear from Albert

Places

February 15, 2018

In a former Harlem school building, this rococo-inspired studio asks $695K

By Emily Nonko

There's no overlooking this studio apartment from the former Harlem public school at 220 West 148th Street. Carved from the early 1900s school building, this is a 750-square-foot pad with 12-foot ceilings and light through three exposures. In this bright space, the current owner has packed every corner with a rococo-inspired design. Plenty of elaborate touches make this feel less like a tight studio and rather a lofty apartment with plenty to look at.
Head right in

Distinctive Homes

February 8, 2018

East Harlem housing lottery offers less-than-affordable prices

Despite the city's recent rezoning efforts to make East Harlem more affordable, it seems as though the latest batch of lotteries are anything but. Last month, a middle-income lottery came online for 111 East 115th Street, where some of the "affordable" apartments were actually more expensive than the market-rate units. As of today, New Yorkers earning 130 percent of the area median income can apply for five one-bedroom apartments at the new rental 1992 Third Avenue, just off 110th Street. The units are reserved for one- and two-person households earning between $77,246 and $99,320 annually and are renting for $2,253/month--not much less than the neighborhood's $2,392/month average for one-bedrooms.
Find out if you qualify

Affordable Housing

February 7, 2018

This chic and affordable Harlem co-op, asking $512K, has just one catch

By Emily Nonko

This is quite the appealing one-bedroom, one-bathroom apartment, located on the first floor of the Harlem cooperative 1919 Madison Avenue. And it's asking $512,000, a reasonable price for NYC real estate. There is, however, a catch behind that asking price. This is an HDFC apartment, meaning that to qualify to buy it you may need to make less—rather than more—money. (Such tight income restrictions have kept hundreds of HDFCs empty around the city.) Still, the apartment value has seen a boost in recent years, as it last sold in 2013 for $140,000.
Take a tour

Distinctive Homes

Live around the corner from Central Park in a renovated Harlem rental, from $675/month

Photo of Randolph Houses via HPD

February 7, 2018

Live around the corner from Central Park in a renovated Harlem rental, from $675/month

Applications are now being accepted for 106 newly constructed, affordable units at Central Harlem's Randolph Houses. Named in honor of civil rights leader, Phillip Randolph, the houses consist of 36 buildings along West 114th Street, between Adam Clayton Powell and Frederick Douglass Boulevard. Qualifying New Yorkers earning 50 and 60 percent of the area median income can apply for units ranging from $675/month studios to a $1,289/month three-bedrooms. Located at 265 West 114th Street, the building is just a five-minute walk to Central Park.
Find out if you qualify

Affordable Housing

February 2, 2018

The Urban Lens: ‘Once in Harlem’ is a portrait of ’90s New York City

By Hannah Frishberg

6sqft’s series The Urban Lens invites photographers to share work exploring a theme or a place within New York City. In this installment, Katsu Naito shares his 1990s portraits from Harlem. Are you a photographer who’d like to see your work featured on The Urban Lens? Get in touch with us at [email protected]. In 1983, when Katsu Naito immigrated to America at the age of 18, he spoke barely any English. Growing up in Maebashi, a small city about 90 miles north of Tokyo, he had never heard of Harlem before moving to New York but was drawn to the energy of the neighborhood, quickly realizing he wanted to document it with his camera. Now, more three decades since he first fell in love with Harlem, Naito’s photos of the 'nabe's residents in the early to mid-‘90ss are being published in a book and unintentional time capsule titled “Once in Harlem,” out now from TBW Books. 6sqft chatted with Naito about his journey and what makes Harlem so special to him, and he shared a collection of his amazing images.
See them all here

Earn less than $30,560 annually? Apply for affordable units in East Harlem, from $613/month

1955 First Avenue, image via Aspen Management Office

January 24, 2018

Earn less than $30,560 annually? Apply for affordable units in East Harlem, from $613/month

An East Harlem building, dubbed the Aspen, is currently accepting applications for low-income studio and one-bedroom apartments and will also replenish its waitlist. Designed by Costas Kondylis and Magnusson Architecture and Planning, the building, located at 1955 First Avenue, rises seven stories and features 232 apartments. Qualifying New Yorkers earning between $22,903 and $26,720 can apply for $613/month studios, and those earning between $25,549 and $30,560 are eligible for $659/month one-bedrooms.
Find out if you qualify

Affordable Housing

My 460sqft: Comedian Pat Brown recharges in her relaxed Harlem home

6sqft’s series “My sqft” checks out the homes of New Yorkers across all the boroughs. Our latest interior adventure brings us to comedian Pat Brown‘s Harlem apartment. Want to see your home featured here? Get in touch!

January 23, 2018

My 460sqft: Comedian Pat Brown recharges in her relaxed Harlem home

When it comes to her stand-up routines, comedian Pat Brown (you may recognize her from the "Late Show with Stephen Colbert" or as the winner of the Las Vegas Comedy Festival's best female comic) doesn't shy away from bold topics, touching on personal issues, politics, and NYC-specific themes. But after finishing a set at one of New York's many comedy clubs, Pat prefers a less in-your-face aesthetic at home, opting for comfortable furniture, soothing colors, and a display of keepsakes from several trips to Africa. 6sqft recently paid Pat a visit at her Harlem apartment and got a glimpse into her professional and personal lives. She filled us in on how she decorated her place after moving from her hometown of Atlanta, what makes performing comedy in New York City unique, and how she's seen the neighborhood change--"I'm beginning to see white people on the weekdays now," she jokes.
Have a laugh and tour Pat's apartment

Live in a one-bedroom off of East Harlem’s bustling 116th Street for $2,270/month

Photo of East Harlem’s 116th Street via Wikimedia

January 10, 2018

Live in a one-bedroom off of East Harlem’s bustling 116th Street for $2,270/month

A brand new residential building at 245 East 115th Street in Manhattan's East Harlem neighborhood is currently accepting applications for four middle-income one-bedroom apartments. The eight-story building sits just one block from 116th Street, the business hub of Spanish Harlem that features lots of restaurants and shops. Qualifying New Yorkers earning 130 percent of the area median income can apply for the one-bedroom apartments for $2,270/month.
Find out if you qualify

Affordable Housing

Replacement of Harlem icon Lenox Lounge to be a decidedly less jazzy commercial building

New rendering of 288 Lenox Avenue via Gambino + La Porta Architecture; Lenox Lounge photo via Ciro Miguel’s Flickr

January 9, 2018

Replacement of Harlem icon Lenox Lounge to be a decidedly less jazzy commercial building

The proposed replacement of the Lenox Lounge, a Harlem Renaissance club that once featured jazz greats like Billie Holiday, Miles Davis and John Coltrane, is nothing to sing about. Designed by Gambino + La Porta Architecture, a rendering of the commercial building at 288 Lenox Avenue between 124th and 125th Streets reveals a non-descript four-story building, as CityRealty reported. While the space is rumored to bring Harlem's first Sephora, a tenant for the retail space on the ground floor has not been confirmed. There will be offices located on the second through fourth floors.
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New Developments

Harry Houdini’s one-time Harlem townhouse conjures a buyer at $3.6M

Houdini image: Wikimedia Commons.

January 9, 2018

Harry Houdini’s one-time Harlem townhouse conjures a buyer at $3.6M

The 6,008-square-foot four-story townhouse at 278 West 113th Street that once belonged to master escape artist Harry Houdini has sold for $3.6 million–a full $1 million below its original ask–according to Mansion Global. 6sqft reported last June that the former home of the illusionist, magician and one of the most talked-about celebrities of the early 20th century and his wife, Bess, had hit the market for $4.6 million. Houdini–born Erich Weiss, the son of a rabbi from Budapest, lived at the Harlem home for 22 years until his death in 1926.
This house is no illusion

Middle-income housing lottery in East Harlem provides little financial relief

View of 111 East 115th Street wrapping up construction in August, via CityRealty

January 8, 2018

Middle-income housing lottery in East Harlem provides little financial relief

In most cases, the city's affordable housing lotteries provide an opportunity to live in market rate-level apartments for a lower price. But at the new East Harlem rental building at 111 East 115th Street, the middle-income units provide minimal financial relief, and in some cases are even more expensive than the market-rate units. The general listings include $2,025/month studios, $2,300 one-bedrooms, and $3,100 two-bedrooms, while the "affordable" offerings for those earning 130 percent of the area median income start at $2,099/month studios and go up to $2,253 one-bedrooms and $2,716 two-bedrooms.
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Affordable Housing

Five chances to live near Columbia’s Manhattanville campus from $950/month

Photo of 517 West 134th Street via CityRealty

January 2, 2018

Five chances to live near Columbia’s Manhattanville campus from $950/month

Applications are now being accepted for five affordable units at 517 West 134th Street, in the burgeoning Manhattan neighborhood of West Harlem. Developed by KP Developers, the eight-story building sits between Amsterdam Avenue and Broadway, near Columbia University's Manhattanville Campus. Qualifying New Yorkers earning 60 percent of the area median income can apply for four $950/month one-bedrooms and one $1,050/month two-bedroom.
Find out if you qualify

Affordable Housing

Battle heats up over East Harlem park where a 760-foot tower is planned

Rendering of 321 East 96th Street via Perkins Eastman Architect

January 2, 2018

Battle heats up over East Harlem park where a 760-foot tower is planned

Located on Second Avenue between East 96th Street and East 97th Street, the Marx Brothers Playground boasts a jungle gym and ball fields spread out over 1.5 acres. The East Harlem green space, which first opened in 1947 on land formerly occupied by the car barn of the Second Avenue Railway, has found itself at the center of a debate between preservationists and developers. As the New York Times reported, park advocates and city officials disagree on whether the parcel is considered a park or a playground. If it's a park, any plans to modify it require the approval from the State Legislature and the governor; playgrounds do not. While it seems irrelevant, the categorization of the land will determine whether a 68-story mixed-use tower will rise on its site, a project backed by city officials and affordable housing advocates.
More this way

November 30, 2017

Art-filled ‘Musée Maison,’ Hamilton Heights home of artist/acrobat, still a tough sell at $2.7M

In 2015, 6sqft took a look at this unusual Hamilton Heights three-family townhouse at 532 West 148th Street, then on the market for $2.5 million. The home was purchased by Portuguese-born architect/artist Luis Da Cruz in 2006 for $995,000 and thoroughly renovated, emerging as a canvas for the artist's personal creative vision. Cruz restored the 1920 home's carved wood stairways and railings, moldings, five fireplaces, beamed ceiling and exposed brick walls, and added his signature art pieces to an eclectic industrial/bohemian decor. Luis called the home Musée Maison (aptly, Museum House), and made it his studio and workshop; he also hosted art events during which all of the work was for sale and he would perform tricks on aerial silks suspended from the ceiling. The home has apparently yet to find the perfect match, and has seen its asking price rise with the market rather than fall to entice buyers; the four-bedroom house was just re-listed for $2.7 million.
Get lost in this amazing home

Waitlist opens for middle-income units at East Harlem’s Riverton complex, from $1,968/month

Riverton Houses, via NYC Housing Partnership

November 29, 2017

Waitlist opens for middle-income units at East Harlem’s Riverton complex, from $1,968/month