Page 278 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - New York City

276  NE W Y ORK CIT Y AREA B Y AREA

A 90-Minute Walk in Harlem

Few neighborhoods in New York are as rich in cultural history
as Harlem, a haven for African-American heritage. This walk
starts in Strivers’ Row, one of the few areas that provided
affordable housing during the 1920s and 1930s, when the area
was bursting with creative and intellectual expression. It takes
you past renowned gospel churches, jazz and blues clubs, and
ends at the Apollo Theater, Harlem’s famous showcase for new
artists. For more on sights in Harlem, see pages 214–25.

Strivers’ Row renowned for
The tree-lined its truly r Apollo Theater, famous for televised
area on 138th mag ni ficent shows and legendary acts
Street between Sunday gospel
Seventh and Eighth service. Founded philanthropist, she donated
avenues is the in 1921 and named to many African-American E D G E C O M B E A V E N U E
St. Nicholas Historic for the East African charities such as the National S A I N T N I C H O L A S A V E N U E WEST 141ST STREET
District, commonly Americans of its first Association of Colored People WEST 140TH STREET
known as Strivers’ congregation, this (NAACP) and Tuskegee Institute.
Row 1. In the 1920s church has hosted After her death, her daughter WEST 139TH STREET
and 1930s wealthy such notable A’Leila turned the salon into 1
and influential black pastors as Adam an intellectual center WEST 138TH STREET
professionals aiming for Clayton Powell, Jr. for artists, scholars, and 135th St
(STRIVERS' ROW)
better lives moved into A stone’s throw activists. It was named B.C WEST 137TH STREET 2
7
homes designed by away on West “The Dark Tower” after WEST 136TH ST 3
such great architects as 137th Street is Harlem writer ( E I G H T H A V E N U E )
James Brown Lord and the Mother Zion Countee Cullen’s WEST 135TH STREET 4
McKim, Mead & White. church 4, New protest poem. Back WEST 134TH STREET WEST 138TH STREET
Signs on some of the 1 An ornate doorway York’s first black around the corner
gates still read “Private in Strivers’ Row church and one of on Malcolm X S T N I C H O L A S P A R K WEST 133RD STREET 5 6
road walk your horses.” America’s oldest. Boulevard is A D A M C L A Y T O N P O W E L L J R B O U L E V A R D ( S E V E N T H A V E N U E )
135th Street
A short detour left on Seventh While part of the Underground S A I N T N I C H O L A S T E R R A C E WEST 132ND STREET 2.3
Avenue (Adam Clayton Powell, Railroad (an escape route for S A I N T N I C H O L A S A V E N U E 9 8 WEST 135TH STREET
Jr. Boulevard) and right on slaves), it acquired the WEST 131ST ST
139th Street leads to West nickname “Freedom Church.”
139th Street 2, where in 1932 Continue down to 136th Street, F R E D E R I C K D O U G L A S S A V E N U E
16-year-old Billie Holiday moved via Malcolm X Boulevard, and
F I F T H A V E N U E
into No. 108 shortly before the Countee Cullen Library. MA L COLM X B O U LE VA RD ( L E N O X AV E )
landing her first singing job at Next door at No. 108, Madam ROOSEVELT
WEST 132ND STREET
a club in nearby “Jungle Alley.” C. J. Walker (1896–1919) SQUARE WEST 127TH ST WEST 131ST STREET
founded the Walker School 125th Street WEST 126TH STREET WEST 130TH STREET
Abyssinian Baptist Church of Hair 5. With her successful A.B.C.D
Turn right at Malcolm X cosmetics line and hair- r WEST 129TH STREET
Boulevard and right back onto smoothing system, Walker WEST 125TH STREET
138th Street toward the striking was one of the first self- WEST 124TH STREET WEST 128TH STREET
Abyssinian Baptist Church 3 made female millionaires 0
(see p223), which is internationally in the country. An active WEST 123RD STREET e q
the Schomburg w
Center for Research into 125th Street
2.3
Black Culture 6 (see p223),
a national research library WEST 124TH STREET AFRICAN
named for the Puerto Rican- WEST 123RD ST SQUARE
born black scholar who
donated his personal collection MARCUS
GAR VEY
to the library and served as its P ARK
curator for six years. Back along
West 136th Street at No. 267 is
“Niggerati Manor” 7, an artist’s
rooming house, so named by
Zora Neale Hurston, who lived
here while collabor ating with
0 The famous Sylvia’s restaurant, providing authentic soul food Wallace Thurman, Aaron
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