Neighborhood History
(cont)
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By the early years of the 20th century, much of Hamilton Heights as it exists
today had already been constructed. The row houses, built in a variety of styles
such as Beaux Arts, Queen Anne, Dutch and Romanesque Revival, and in a rich palette
of colors and materials, are considered among New York City's most beautiful.
The work of many notable architects, including Neville & Bagge, George Pelham,
and William Mowbray, is represented here. Apartment buildings became more fashionable
and the most comfortable were described as "French Flats". Early residents
of these houses were middle-class, professional people and their families, either
native-born or immigrants from Germany, Ireland, and Italy. Norman Rockwell, America's
great illustrator, lived with his parents, from age three to seven at 789 St.
Nicholas Avenue. The impresario Oscar Hammerstein I lived at 333 Edgecombe Avenue.
George Gershwin wrote his first hit song "Swanee" at his residence at
520 W. 144 street in 1919.
In the1920s and 1930s, as an increasing black population occupied Harlem's
housing, many affluent African-Americans began to discover Hamilton Heights. During
these years, the Harlem Renaissance was in full swing, and many of the new residents
were artists, writers, musicians, government workers, and professionals. Part
of the area became known as "Sugar Hill", where the sweet life was enjoyed.
At that time, the neighborhood's most elite addresses were 409 and 555 Edgecombe
Avenue. Important residents of 409 included singer Julius Bledsoe (the original
Joe in Showboat); William Braithwaite, poet and novelist; Eunice Carter, one New
York State's first African-American judges; May Chinn, a pioneering physician;
Aaron Douglas, the great muralist; W.E.B. DuBois, founder of the NAACP and editor
of Crisis; and Thurgood Marshall, the first African-American Supreme Court Justice.
Number 555 boasted actor and political activist Paul Robeson; legendary jazz pianist
Count Basie; and social psychologist Kenneth Clark.
During the1950s and 1960s, Hamilton Heights suffered a fate similar to other
row house neighborhoods in New York. Flight to the suburbs, poor building maintenance,
and abandonment of property all contributed to the neighborhood's decline. Many
one-family homes were divided into apartments. In spite of this decline, Hamilton
Heights retained its remarkable beauty. In 1974, the New York City Landmarks Preservation
Commission designated a significant portion of the neighborhood an historic district.
However, several community activists and architectural historians recognized that
this designation failed to incorporate many outstanding blocks of row houses and
apartment buildings. After a long campaign, a much wider area was given protection
by the landmark laws. In March of 2000, the Landmarks Preservation Commission
designated the Hamilton Heights Historic District Extension, which includes the
fine apartment houses along the east side of Amsterdam Avenue between West 145th
and West 140th Streets. The Hamilton Heights/Sugar Hill Historic District, designated
in 2000-2002, takes in the blocks between West 145th and West 155th and stretches
generally between Amsterdam and Convent Avenues to Edgecombe Avenue. Aside from
honoring the architectural heritage of the neighborhood, this significant designation
recognizes the important cultural and historical role Sugar Hill has played in
African-American history.
Today you will see a neighborhood in the midst of what some have described
as a second Renaissance. In 1968, Arthur Mitchell established the Dance Theatre
of Harlem finding a permanent home at 466 West 152nd Street in 1971 in a renovated
former garage which was further enlarged by Hardy Holtzman Pfieffer Associates
in 1994. Other arts organizations that have impacted upon the revitalization of
the neighborhood include the Harlem School of the Arts at 645 St. Nicholas Avenue
in a building by Ulrich Franzen & Associates (1977), the Children's Art Carnival
at 62 Hamilton Terrace.
But today Hamilton Heights is a row-house lover's paradise. Block after block
of elegant and picturesque architectural gems serve as reminders of the neighborhood's
rich history.
Restoration and renovation abound, and scores of new homeowners, attracted
by the neighborhood's astounding beauty have made Hamilton Heights their home.
Enjoy!
A neighborhood like no other…
