Harlem Landmark Trail

Harlem Landmark Trail. . , The 17th century Dutch farming community of Harlem became the first fashionable New York suburb when the Harlem River Railroad opened in the latter part of the 19th century. Elegant townhouses were built for the well-to-do, while the less affluent were housed in tenements. The use of the elevator after 1900 allowed for the construction of luxurious apartment buildings., But too much was built in an area which, in spite of the new Lenox Avenue Subway, was still considered too far away from Manhattan's center. So that buildings would not remain vacant, landlords reluctantly began to rent to Negroes. Forced out of the West Side by urban redevelopment, Blacks made Harlem their new home. Churches and other institutions followed their move uptown., The revitalization and preservation efforts of recent decades have helped Harlem regain some of its original splendor. Today, Harlem is still considered the capital of Black America., The Graham Court , 1901 Clinton and Russell , 1923-1937 Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. Boulevard , The most luxurious apartment house in Harlem, the Graham Court was built on the property of the Astor family. This block-wide courtyard building, designed in the Renaissance style, is entered through a majestic two-storey archway. The building offers spacious, formal apartments, with servants' quarters in a separate wing. What became a very fashionable address for Harlemites was not open to Negroes until 1928.