National Black Theatre’s new 21-story home in Harlem opens lottery for 58 apartments, from $834/month

A 21-story mixed-use tower in Harlem that will soon house the historic National Black Theatre (NBT) and over 200 apartments opened an affordable housing lottery last week. On the corner of 125th Street and 5th Avenue, the new development, Ray Harlem, will include 27,000 square feet for NBT, the city’s longest-running Black theater founded in the neighborhood in 1968, 222 residences, and commercial space. About a quarter of the apartments are designated affordable. New Yorkers earning 40, 60, and 130 percent of the area median income can apply for the units, priced from $834/month for studios to $3,643/month for two bedrooms.

Founded in 1968 by the late artist Dr. Barbara Ann Teer, NBT became one of the nation’s first revenue-generating Black arts complexes, telling stories by, and about, Black Americans ignored by mainstream culture. In 2021, the theater announced plans to replace its longtime home with a new mixed-use tower.

Developed by real estate venture Ray and LMXD, the project includes offices, classrooms, a 250-seat immersive technology performance space, a 99-seat flexible studio theater, and a set-building shop, across the ground floor, basement, and floors three through five. There will also be a “living room” on the ground floor that will be open to the public as a community gathering space.

Ray Harlem was designed by Handel Architects and Frida Escobedo. Escobedo’s firm is also designing the new condo Bergen in Boerum Hill and a new wing at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

The project’s pink-red brick facade references the Osun-Osogbo Sacred Grove in Nigeria, a nod to the original artists behind the NBT space.

Construction began in 2022 and the building topped out in 2023. NBT plans to begin fitting out the interior of the theater in 2025, aiming to launch its inaugural season in the new building in 2027, according to its website.

Amenities include bike storage lockers, a 24-hour attended lobby, gymnasium, yoga and dance studio, media room, party room, outdoor spaces, library, workshop, communal kitchen, and rooftop terrace.

Apartments have in-unit washers and dryers, dishwashers, high-end kitchen appliances, countertops and finishes, and smart-controlled heating and cooling.

Nearby public transit options include the 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 subway lines, the Metro-North, and numerous bus lines.

Qualifying New Yorkers can apply for the apartments until February 3, 2025. Complete details on how to apply are available here. Preference for 20 percent of the units will be given to residents of Manhattan Community District 11.

Questions regarding this offer must be referred to NYC’s Housing Connect department by dialing 311.

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