Harlem
Harlem
Harlem is a Manhattan neighborhood known for its Afro-American history and culture
Location
Location
Where is Harlem?
Where is Harlem?
Harlem is a neighborhood in the northern borough of Manhattan in New York City, United States. It sits between North 96th Street and Washington Heights.
Harlem's story
Harlem's story
Harlem a culturally and historically rich neighbourhood
Harlem a culturally and historically rich neighbourhood
Some History
Some History
The village of Harlem was founded in 1658 by Governor Pieter Stuyvesant who gave it the name of Nieuw Haarlem in reference to the Dutch city Haarlem. This area was renamed Harlem in 1664 when the English captured New Amsterdam. At the end of the 18th century and the beginning of the 19th century, this district of New York was marked by a rural side: large families held land and Alexander Hamilton, a politician, also owned a large estate, now called Hamilton Heights. Its population was mainly white.
A few years later, many African Americans moved to Harlem. Why ? Well, because of the real estate crash of the early 1900s and the rise in rents in New York. But it was also the consequence of the discrimination that they experience in southern states pushed them to look for a more welcoming living place. This new presence brought about the rebirth of Harlem and the African-American culture emerged in several fields: literature, painting but also in music. It was known as the HARLEM RENAISSANCE.
Street Art
Street Art
Harlem is also known for its street art. Among its many paintings on the city walls, several paintings are very well known, they still convey messages like the mural representing Dizzie Gillepsie by Brandan « B Mike » Odums and Marthalicia Matarrita, 229 W1135th St, 2017. It was painted to celebrate the 100th birthday of Dizzie Gillepsie a famous Afro American jazz musician of the Harlem Renaissance. The mural was painted to pay tribute to the artist.
Architecture : lovely Red Houses
Architecture : lovely Red Houses
Brownstone is a Triassic red sandstone used for the construction of townhouses. The first "brownstones" were built in the middle of the 19th century in New York. The stone was used all over the world before being abandoned around 1900 because of its fragility. There are many "red houses" in Harlem.