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New York
Architecture Images-Harlem and the Heights Strivers' Row |
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architect |
McKim, Mead and White |
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location |
West 138th and West 139th between Powell and Douglass Blvds |
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date |
1890 |
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style |
Renaissance Revival |
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construction |
brick |
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type |
Apartment Building |
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images |
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| There were several designers
involved in the development of this area. 202-250 West 138th street and
2350-2354 ACP was designed in 1891 by James Brown Lord. 203-271 West 138th
street , 202-272 West 139th street and 2360-2378 ACP was designed in 1891 by
Bruce Price and Clarence S. Luce. 203-267 West 139th street and 2380-2390 ACP Blvd was designed in 1891 by McKim, Mead & White. By the time David H. King Jr. built these distinguished row houses and apartments, he had already been widely recognized as the builder responsible for the old Times Building of 1889 on Park Row, Stanford White's Madison Square Garden, and the base of the Statue of Liberty. Displaying rare vision, King commissioned the services of three different architects at on time to develop this group of contiguous blocks for the well-to-do. The results are an urbane grouping reflecting the different tastes of the architects: all with similar scale, varied but harmonious materials, and related styles. Georgian inspired in the two southern blocks and neo-Italian Renaissance in McKim, Mead & White's norther group. In adddition, they share the amenity of rear alleys with entrances from the side streets. No wonder they were so prized by their original occupants. As Harlem became first a refuge for blacks and then a ghetto, the homes and apartments retained their prestige and attracted (by 1919) many ambitious as well as successful blacks in medicine, dentistry, law and the arts (such as W.C. Handy, Noble Sissle, and Eubie Blake.) As a result, "Strivers' Row" became a popular term for the district in the 1920s and 1930s. |
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notes |
Moving on to
West 138th and West 139th between Powell and Douglass Blvds. we find the
King Model Houses, more popularly known as Striver's Row.
Called "two of the most spectacular streetscapes in New York City" by Andrew Dolkart and Gretchen Sorkin in Touring Historic Harlem, 146 rowhouses and three apartment buildings were built by developer David King Jr. beginning in 1890. Appointed with elegant woodwork and modern plumbing (then in its infancy in NYC in 1890), the buildings employ designs from the most illustrious architects of the period. Subtle variations in each building break up monotony as does the presence of handsome iron gates that open up to allow access to service alleys--very unusual in New York City. How did Strivers' Row get its name? It is a tribute to the fact that in the 20s and 30s the King Model Homes were the residence of several prominent Harlemites, notably Vertner Tandy, the first commissioned African American architect in New York State; W.C. Handy, "father of the blues", composer and compiler of African American folk music traditions; Fletcher Henderson, the jazz pianist and orchestra leader; and Harry Wills, a top heavyweight contender who never got to fight for the title due to racism in the boxing hierarchy. |
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Strivers Row, a Historical Profile Strivers Row is a very important part of African American history because this location is the strivers,", or the people with ambitions have always lived. Its residents have included the performers Eubie Blake, Fletcher Henderson and Vertner Tandy, as well as, many other African American who have excelled in Law, Dentistry, and the Arts. The two rows of 1890¹s brownstones on 138th street and 139th street in Harlem were originally built for middle class black families, but in the 1920s and 1930s, they started attracting wealthy and influential African Americans. Today, renovated Georgian style homes go for half a million to 700,000 dollars. Strivers row is also very important street because the first African American, architect David H. King who built Madison Square Garden, and the base of the Statue of Liberty, also built them. The Row houses on these two blocks reflect the architecture of the period. The northern part of 139th street group expresses the neo-Italian style of McKim, Mead and White an architecture firm that dominated New York at the turn of the 19th century. Other designers that contributed to the building of Strivers Row are James Brown, Bruce Price, and Clarence S. Luce. As my photographer and I entered the 138th street entrance of Strivers Row we were both light awestruck. The street was very quiet and covered with dense patches of trees. We came across a very expensive Lexus and several Mercedes Benzes. As my photographer and I expolored the block we came across a very interseting man Named O'Reily Curtis. Name: O'Reily Curtis What sort of changes has Strivers Row gone through within the past 20 years of living here?A whole lot. You can name it from A to Z. Outsiders moving in, buying and selling of homes. A town house down the street recently went for almost a half a million. How do you feel about these outsiders moving in? It doesn't really matter to me, but these people are renovating the inside of the homes and are completely destroying the originality of the building, because they cant touch the outside because its considered a historical street from w 138th street to 143 street. Do you know any history of Strivers Row?Not really, but Scott Joplin an entertainer used to live here, and one point there were sevaral doctors living in here. Do you know where the name Strivers Row came from? In the 1930s, when blacks were up[ and coming and began to move in. They were doctors and lawyers, and at one point, the block was full of professional blacks. Do you know how much the brownstones go for now? Yes, some of the newly renovated homes can go for a half a million to 700,000 dollars. Leaving O'Reily we walked toward the other end of the block and found De Spa, a beauty salon owned by a mother and daughter team, housed in a quiet and comfortable brownstone on Strivers Row. Wilimina Frazier a retired social worker, owned a Brownstone down the street and happen to win the lottery for rehabilitated homes in Strivers Row. " I guess I'am lucky thats all. i met the requirments for the lottery and here I'am." Name Ms Ferminster How do you feel about the outsiders moving in?I wish the neighborhood would stay black because it has a lot of black history behind it but the new people dont bother me much. Do you know any history behind Strivers
Row? Strivers Row's residents aren't just
doctors,entertainers, and lawyers. While walking down the shady street
of 139th, my photographer and I came across a Surpreme Court Justice of
New York State. All types of people live in Strivers Row and it show s
how diversified Harlem is becoming. Even when you walk by the entrance
of the homeowners parking lot you can still see a sign of Strivers Row
unchanging appreance, that reads "Private road please walk your horses".
This goes to show you, even when the whole world changes, some special
things don't. and strivers row is definitely special because it gave
headway for other Harlem landmarks such as Graham Court, Edgecomb and
Sugar Hill.
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