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Harlem Renaissance
Once Blighted Neighborhood Now
Home to Building Boom
by Natalie Keith
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retail development paving the way, the upper Manhattan
neighborhood of Harlem is home to numerous construction
projects, including apartments and condominiums, a health
care facility, auto mall and the first hotel the neighborhood
has seen in a generation. And with available land becoming
increasingly scarce for developers, the building boom
has shown few signs of abating. |
What a difference a decade makes.
If you walked through Harlem 10 years ago, you were more
apt to find abandoned buildings than construction sites in
this historic Manhattan neighborhood. But today, as New York
City continues to become a safer and more economically vibrant
city, Harlem is experiencing a building boom.
"Harlem is currently experiencing an economic reawakening
that rivals its well-documented cultural, arts and entertainment
renaissance of the 1920s, 30s and 40s," said Lloyd Williams,
president and CEO of the Greater Harlem Chamber of Commerce.
When the neighborhood first began attracting the attention
of developers during former Mayor Rudy Giuliani's administration,
much of the new development was retail on the city's main
thoroughfare, 125th Street. The Harlem Center Mall, Harlem
USA, East River Plaza and 125th Street Pathmark projects -
all of which are located on 125th Street - were initiated
during the late 1990s.
But, in 2000, when former president Bill Clinton decided
to locate his private offices on 125th Street instead of 57th
Street, many saw the move as a psychological boost to the
neighborhood. Many developers have followed Clinton's lead
and decided to make Harlem the home for their next project.
Retail, along with other types of development, continues
to thrive. Late last year, East Harlem Business Capital Corp.
was designated to redevelop La Marqueta, a 50,000-sq.-ft.
retail market and open-air plaza in the heart of El Barrio
in East Harlem. Plans call for constructing three to four
one-story buildings ranging in size from 10,000 to 15,000
sq. ft.
Potential tenants include businesses that sell fish, meat,
poultry, fruit and other goods.
"The 'Marqueta International' will be a great asset
to our city and a significant anchor in East Harlem's future
development," said Elizabeth Colon, executive director
of the East Harlem Business Capital Corp.
Other private development has followed the upsurge in retail.
New housing, much of which is aimed at low- to middle-income
homebuyers - is sprouting up with regularity.
Bradhurst Court, a 126-unit condominium project at West 145th
Street and Bradhurst Avenue, is nearing completion. Construction
recently started on Strivers Garden, a $67 million, 170-unit
condominium project on Frederick Douglass Boulevard between
134th and 135th streets. Prices start at $140,000 at Strivers
Garden and $170,000 at Bradhurst Court.
The Washington Cooperatives project consists of the rehabilitation
of 89 units in an existing building and construction of a
new 15-unit building on West 148th Street between Seventh
and Eighth avenues.
Perhaps the most striking example of Harlem's recent attraction
to developers is plans to build a 585,000-sq.-ft. mixed-use
development called Harlem Park that will include Class A office
and retail space and Harlem's first major hotel, a Marriott
Courtyard. It is the first time Marriott has built a Courtyard
hotel in the inner city and it is the first hotel the neighborhood
has seen since 1966.
"The building of the first Marriott hotel in Upper Manhattan
represents a decisive milestone in the evolution of Harlem,"
said Raymond P. Caldiero, a member of 1800 Park Ave LLC, developers
of Harlem Park. "We believe that tourists from around
the country and the world will want to sample the unparalleled
energy of this historic neighborhood
The $190 million development at 125th Street and Park Avenue
will include 250,000 sq. ft. of Class A office space, a 125,000-sq.-ft.
hotel, 38,000 sq. ft. of catering space and 15,000 sq. ft.
of space set aside for a jazz club.
The Marriott is not the only major company to "break
new ground" in Harlem. General Motors Corp. and Potamkin
Automotive recently started construction on the Harlem Auto
Mall on the block bounded by East 127th and 128th streets
and Second and Third avenues. It is the first new auto dealership
built north of 60th Street in 40 years.
"When organizations of the caliber of General Motors
and Potamkin choose East Harlem for a major investment, it's
a sure sign that the neighborhood is maintaining its momentum
toward becoming a major shopping destination as well as a
place where people want to work and live," Bloomberg
said, in a release announcing the project.
The private development is complemented by public improvements
such as the streetscape plan for the stretch of Malcolm X
Boulevard from 110th to 147th streets and plans to create
a park along the Hudson River between 129th and 133rd streets.
The landscape improvements will include lighting, benches
and signs, and the park will include a recreational/fishing
pier and a ferry/water taxi pier.
The neighborhood has also seen institutional development,
such as the new 102,000-sq.-ft. Harlem Health Center at 125th
Street and Morningside Drive. The landmark Apollo Theater
is undergoing a $6 million refurbishment of its exterior,
and the Museum for African Art is developing a plan to build
a new 60,000-sq.-ft. museum at 110th Street and Fifth Avenue.
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