Sugar Hill, Manhattan

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Sugar Hill Historic District
718-730 St. Nicholas Avenue.jpg
row houses at 718-730 St. Nicholas Avenue (2014)
Sugar Hill, Manhattan
LocationRoughly bounded by W. 155th St., 145th St., Edgecombe Ave. and Amsterdam Ave.
Manhattan, New York
Coordinates 40°49′38″N73°56′36″W / 40.82722°N 73.94333°W / 40.82722; -73.94333
Area75 acres (30 ha)
Built1883-1930 [1]
Architect Richard S. Rosenstock, Arthur Bates Jennings, Frederick P. Dinkelberg, Henri Fouchaux, Theodore Minot Clark, Neville & Bagge, Schwartz & Gross, George F. Pelham, Horace Ginsbern, C. P. H. Gilbert, Clarence True, John P. Leo, Samuel B. Reed, William Grinnell, William Schickel et al. [1]
Architectural style Queen Anne, Romanesque Revival, Renaissance Revival, Beaux-Arts, Neoclassical, Colonial Revival, Gothic Revival, neo-Grec, etc. [1]
NRHP reference No. 02000360 [2]
Significant dates
Added to NRHPApril 11, 2002
Designated NYCLHamilton Heights/Sugar Hill HD: June 27, 2000
extension: October 3, 2001
Hamilton Heights/Sugar Hill Northeast HD: October 23, 2001
Hamilton Heights/Sugar Hill Northwest HD: June 18, 2002

Sugar Hill is a National Historic District in the Harlem and Hamilton Heights neighborhoods of Manhattan, New York City, [3] bounded by West 155th Street to the north, West 145th Street to the south, Edgecombe Avenue to the east, and Amsterdam Avenue to the west. [4] The equivalent New York City Historic Districts are:

Contents

The Federal district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2002. [2] The Federal district has 414 contributing buildings, two contributing sites, three contributing structures, and one contributing object. [6]

History

Sugar Hill got its name in the 1920s when the neighborhood became a popular place for wealthy African Americans to live during the Harlem Renaissance. Reflective of the "sweet life" there, Sugar Hill featured rowhouses in which lived such prominent African Americans as W. E. B. Du Bois, Thurgood Marshall, Adam Clayton Powell Jr., Duke Ellington, Cab Calloway, Walter Francis White, Roy Wilkins and Afro-Puerto Rican Arturo Schomburg. [7]

Langston Hughes wrote about the relative affluence of the neighborhood in his essay "Down Under in Harlem" published in The New Republic in 1944:

Don't take it for granted that all Harlem is a slum. It isn't. There are big apartment houses up on the hill, Sugar Hill, and up by City College – nice high-rent-houses with elevators and doormen, where Canada Lee lives, and W. C. Handy, and the George S. Schuylers, and the Walter Whites, where colored families send their babies to private kindergartens and their youngsters to Ethical Culture School. [8]

Terry Mulligan's 2012 memoir Sugar Hill, Where the Sun Rose Over Harlemr [9] [10] is a chronicle of the writer's experiences growing up in the 1950s and 1960s in the neighborhood, where her neighbors included future United States Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall, early rock n' roll legend Frankie Lymon, and New York baseball great Willie Mays.

Notable buildings

Among the many notable buildings in the Sugar Hill area are: [1]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harlem</span> Neighborhood in New York City

Harlem is a neighborhood in Upper Manhattan, New York City. It is bounded roughly by the Hudson River on the west; the Harlem River and 155th Street on the north; Fifth Avenue on the east; and Central Park North on the south. The greater Harlem area encompasses several other neighborhoods and extends west and north to 155th Street, east to the East River, and south to Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, Central Park, and East 96th Street.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coogan's Bluff</span> Promontory in Manhattan, New York

Coogan's Bluff is a promontory near the western shore of the Harlem River in the Washington Heights neighborhood of Upper Manhattan in New York City. Its boundaries extend approximately from 155th Street and the Macombs Dam Bridge viaduct to 160th Street, between Edgecombe Avenue and the river. A deep escarpment descends 175 feet (53 m) from Edgecombe Avenue to the river, creating a sheltered area between the bluff and river known as Coogan's Hollow. For 73 years, the hollow was home to the Polo Grounds sports stadium.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Upper Manhattan</span> Neighborhood in New York City

Upper Manhattan is the most northern region of the New York City borough of Manhattan. Its southern boundary has been variously defined, but some of the most common usages are 96th Street, the northern boundary of Central Park, 125th Street, or 155th Street. The term Uptown can refer to Upper Manhattan, but is often used more generally for neighborhoods above 59th Street; in the broader definition, Uptown encompasses Upper Manhattan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Manhattan Community Board 9</span> Community District in New York, United States

The Manhattan Community Board 9 is a New York City community board encompassing the neighborhoods of Hamilton Heights, Manhattanville, and Morningside Heights in the borough of Manhattan. It is delimited by Edgecombe Avenue, Bradhurst Avenue, Saint Nicholas Avenue, the 123rd Street and Morningside Avenue on the east, Cathedral Parkway on the south, the Hudson River on the west and 155th Street on the north.

The Macombs Dam Bridge is a swing bridge across the Harlem River in New York City, connecting the boroughs of Manhattan and the Bronx. The bridge is operated and maintained by the New York City Department of Transportation (NYCDOT).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hamilton Heights, Manhattan</span> Neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City

Hamilton Heights is a neighborhood in the northern part of Manhattan in New York City. It is the northernmost part of the West Harlem area, along with Manhattanville and Morningside Heights to its south, and it contains the sub-neighborhood and historic district of Sugar Hill. Washington Heights lies to Hamilton Heights' north, and to its east is Central Harlem.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Nicholas Avenue</span> Avenue in Manhattan, New York

St. Nicholas Avenue is a major street that runs obliquely north-south through several blocks between 111th and 193rd Streets in the New York City borough of Manhattan. The route, which follows a course that is much older than the grid pattern of the Commissioners' Plan of 1811, passes through the neighborhoods of Harlem, Hamilton Heights, and Washington Heights. It is believed to follow the course of an old Indian trail that became an important road in the 17th century between the Dutch settlement of New Amsterdam and the British New England Colonies. In the post colonial era, it became the western end of the Boston Post Road. The road became a street when row housing was being built in Harlem during its rapid urban expansion following the end of the American Civil War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">155th Street station (IND Eighth Avenue Line)</span> New York City Subway station in Manhattan

The 155th Street station is a local station on the IND Eighth Avenue Line of the New York City Subway. Located under the intersection of 155th Street and St. Nicholas Avenue, at the border of the Harlem and Washington Heights neighborhoods of Manhattan, it is served by the C train at all times except nights, when the A train takes over service.

Mount Morris Park Historic District is a 16-block historic district in west central Harlem, Manhattan, New York City. It was designated by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission in 1971, and is part of the larger Mount Morris Park neighborhood. The boundaries are West 118th and West 124th Streets, Fifth Avenue, and Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Boulevard.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clarence True</span> American architect

Clarence Fagan True, AIA (1860–1928) was an American architect in New York City, one of the most prolific and competent architects to work on the Upper West Side and in Harlem during the last decade of the 19th century and the early part of the 20th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">555 Edgecombe Avenue</span> Historic building in Manhattan, New York

555 Edgecombe Avenue is an apartment building at the southwest corner of Edgecombe Avenue and 160th Street in the Washington Heights neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City. It was originally known as the Roger Morris Apartments when it was built in 1914–16 – after the retired British Army officer who built the nearby Morris–Jumel Mansion – and was designed by Schwartz & Gross, who specialized in apartment buildings. The building was declared a National Historic Landmark under the name Paul Robeson Residence in 1976, and it became a New York City designated landmark in 1993.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">155th Street (Manhattan)</span> West-east street in Manhattan, New York

155th Street is a crosstown street separating the Harlem and Washington Heights neighborhoods, in the New York City borough of Manhattan. It is the northernmost of the 155 crosstown streets mapped out in the Commissioner's Plan of 1811 that established the numbered street grid in Manhattan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">145th Street (Manhattan)</span> West-east street in Manhattan, New York

145th Street is a major crosstown street in the Harlem neighborhood, in the New York City borough of Manhattan. It is one of the 15 crosstown streets mapped out in the Commissioner's Plan of 1811 that established the numbered street grid in Manhattan. It forms the southern border of the Sugar Hill neighborhood within Harlem.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North Presbyterian Church (Manhattan)</span> Church in Manhattan, New York

The congregation of North Presbyterian Church, at 525 West 155th Street in Manhattan, New York City, is a combination of three former congregations: North Presbyterian Church, Washington Heights Presbyterian Church, and St. Nicholas Avenue Presbyterian Church.

Carolyn Wade Cassady Kent was an American historical preservationist and activist who lived most of her life in New York City on Riverside Drive, one block west of her alma mater Columbia University. As founder of Manhattan Community Board 9's Parks and Landmarks Committee and co-founder of the Morningside Heights Historic District Committee she worked to advocate for the architectures and communities of Morningside Heights, Manhattanville and Hamilton Heights in close collaboration with community, city and state organizations and agencies, to effect landmark designations, restorations and interventions that have preserved and protected buildings and entire neighborhoods. In 2007, she was given the first Preservation Angel Award. In addition, Kent served as Secretary of the Renaissance English Text Society.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frank A. Rooke</span> American architect (1904 - 1946)

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jackie Robinson Park</span> Public park in Manhattan, New York

Jackie Robinson Park is a public park in the Hamilton Heights and Harlem neighborhoods of Manhattan in New York City. The approximately 12.77-acre (5.17 ha) park is bounded by Bradhurst Avenue to the east, 155th Street to the north, Edgecombe Avenue to the west, and 145th Street to the south. The park has baseball fields, basketball courts, restrooms, and a bandshell, which are arranged around the park's steep terrain. It also includes the Jackie Robinson Play Center, which consists of a recreation center and a pool. Jackie Robinson Park is maintained by the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation.

The following is an alphabetical list of articles related to New York City. New York City is a city in the United States state of New York.

References

Notes

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission; Dolkart, Andrew S.; Postal, Matthew A. (2009). Postal, Matthew A. (ed.). Guide to New York City Landmarks (4th ed.). New York: John Wiley & Sons. pp. 189–208. ISBN   978-0-470-28963-1.
  2. 1 2 "National Register Information System  (#02000360)". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
  3. "Harlem - New York City Neighborhood - NYC". nymag.com. New York (magazine). 2003-03-10. Retrieved 2009-01-04.
  4. "Harlem, Hamilton Heights, El Barrio, New York City". ny.com. Retrieved 2009-01-04.
  5. Siegal, Nina (2000-06-15). "Landmark Status For Harlem Buildings; District Holds Hub of Black Culture". The New York Times . Retrieved 2009-01-04.
  6. Howe, Kathleen A. (January 2002). "National Register of Historic Places Registration: Sugar Hill Historic District". New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation . Retrieved 2011-03-25.See also: "Accompanying 69 photos".
  7. 1 2 White, Norval; Willensky, Elliot; Leadon, Fran (2010). AIA Guide to New York City (5th ed.). New York: Oxford University Press. p. 546. ISBN   978-0-19538-386-7.
  8. Hughes, Langston. "Down Under in Harlem". The New Republic (March 27, 1944): 404-5
  9. Terry Baker Mulligan website
  10. Henderson, Jane (6 May 2012). "Penned in St. Louis: Terry Baker Mulligan". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Retrieved 22 February 2013.
  11. 1 2 Taborn, Karen Faye (2018-05-21). Walking Harlem : the ultimate guide to the cultural capital of black America. New Brunswick, New Jersey. ISBN   978-0-8135-9458-3. OCLC   1038016815.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  12. Elaine Woo, "Marvel Cooke; Pioneering Black Journalist, Political Activist", Los Angeles Times, December 6, 2000.
  13. Perrone, Pierre (2011-10-04). "Sylvia Robinson: Hitmaker who co-founded Sugar Hill Records and became known as 'the mother of hip-hop' - Obituaries - News" . The Independent. Archived from the original on 2022-05-25. Retrieved 2013-09-15.
  14. "Claudine (1974) - Filming & Production - IMDb". imdb.com. Retrieved March 18, 2020.
  15. O'Connor, John J. "TV: Harlem Setting for Cinderella", The New York Times , March 24, 1978. Accessed December 28, 2022. "With the story's setting switched to Harlem during World War II, Cinderella is transformed into an ebullient, naive country girl brought to the big city by her father.... She finally gets to go to the famous Sugar Hill Ball only with the help of Michael, who lives on a fire escape of the tenement next door."