--Frederick Douglas
One morning, I was on the A train when the familiar, "Attention Ladies and Gentlemen..." plea began. Truth be told I've heard a lot of these stories, but am always a keen listener. This one proved to be truly revelatory. For the most part, I couldnt understand a thing he said, but every now and then, like I was watching Univision, I would pick up proper nouns. Fuck Malcolm X! yhhunnnh, uhnnnhhhyy. and...Marcus Garvey! more unincomprehensible rhythmic speech. Finally, he comes to my section of the train and exclaims, "Frederick Douglas! Yeah, Fredrick Douglas! He's the one...he's the one!!! Before anybody else, he's the one!!! It took a madman to say it, but I believe its true. Frederick Douglas is the man who gets the credit as the original glass-ceiling breaker. He was the Jay-Z, the Malcolm X and the Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. of his day, all rolled into one. It is a fitting tribute to him, that the Avenue that bears his name would be the transition for change here in Harlem. The metaphor is very deep, not the least of which is the Columbia and Freemasonry connection, but suffice to say, he was the first to understand that Black and white success went hand-in-hand. In my earliest memories of Harlem, FDB was the street of numbers joints, crack spots and shooting galleries. Blocks and blocks of abandoned buildings were fertile ground for this illicit element. The rezoning of FDB in 2003 was the real ground breaker and created the foundation for this synergystic development. The change that has gone on is so pervasive, I will have to break this into 2 posts. Part 1 is from 110th to 116th St. Part 2 will be 116th to 125th with a special bonus section. Without further ado...Frederick Douglas Blvd., the gateway to Harlem!
The Thomas Hill Houses (111th)
Still a major drug corner (I also happen to vote here).
The Antler Apartments
Much new development on both sides of the street.
Zoma's in one of my favorite places in Harlem. Great service, great food and great ambiance. What I love about the scale of development here is its modesty. Franchises are given equal footing with small business. Nothing is too tall. And truth be told, in about 3 years, it will all be done. Remarkably, almost all vacant lots have been struck, and as long as this last round of financing holds together, will be completed by the end of 2011.
Residential real estate is doing great, but commercial rents remain low due to vacancy.
Cool pet store (African-American owned and operated).
The 5th Dunkin' Donuts in Harlem.
A venerable institution...
Melba's!
The Gateway project has its stop work order lifted!
And Life in Sips!
Let me also add that this block at night is one of the sketchiest. Im hoping that the Savannah opening there will push the drug trade away,
but until they renovate that housing on the south side of 114th, it will always be weird. Also on this block is the gorgeous Wadliegh School.
Moving north we have the Delany Lofts (if you are still interested in getting into Harlem real estate, this is a good place to start).
I really like this building on 115th. Completed in 2004.
And the Livmor! (Built on the site of a former reform Church.)
But the behind the scenes player will be the East African community of 116th St.
This will be another post, but not only are they gentrifiers, the changes they've effected along this corridor are profound.
This is the north-west corner of 116th and FDB. An amazing Dizney piece used to hang on the facade of this building. Now, it is a allegory of the current real-estate situation in Harlem.
What will the future hold?!?
Courtesy of Michelle Agins (
When I first moved to Harlem in 1995, the name of the game was survival. Many buildings were derelict and served as crack houses to groups of roving drug addicts. From 1995-2000 I was personally robbed about 5 times, with over 2 dozen attempts. The pic above is from the my former apt window, looking into the airshaft of 111th St. All of Northern Central Park, Morningside Park and even Riverside Park were nothing more than large camps of homeless crack addicts, robbing and harrassing people by day, scoring and smoking up by night. This endless pattern went on for years and years with seemingly no end in sight. During this time, Gentrification was a small pinprick of light on a very distant horizon, with many people praying for a reduction in the violence. It's sad to say, but many people did not make it through this phase, either claimed by violence, jail, drugs or a combination of all. Many of my personal friends--and a few enemies--were "taken out" never to return to the block again. Around 2000, things looked like they might improve, but slid two steps backward after the tragedy at the WTC. Finally, in late 2002, the momentum began to shift again...with 2 major Zoning Changes that were to subtley, yet inexorably, tilt the playing field towards Urban Renewal. Those changes were the rezoning of 145th St. from St. Nicholas Ave. to Lenox Ave. and of Frederick Douglas Ave from 110th to 125th St. I will focus on the 
An interesting point to make here is regarding the argument that gentrification "pushes Native Haremites out." My response to this is yes and no. If you look at the picture, all of these residences and commercial spaces had been vacant for years before this pic was taken...with one exception. Obscured by a tree is a small sports bar located on the North side of this block. The guy who owned it, lived above it and was a Harlem native. When my then Super had to go over and inform him that he had been bought out and had to close his business, let's just say the reaction was not positive. But I will say this about it, yeah it sucks, he did get pushed out, but his business was a dangerous and borderline criminal establishment. Cops were always responding to his place on Saturdays and I'll never forget the New Year's Eve when I came home and couldnt get down the street because there was a huge stabbing. I vividly remember being escorted down the block, leaping huge puddles of blood--oddly enough with shiny quarters sprinkled throughout--to get to my door. So yeah, this one guy and his business did get forced out. Honestly, I was relieved that it did!
The Hamilton and Bradhurst today.
The Langston today.
Hillview Towers
Drew Hamilton Houses
Pathmark
View from my former living room window.
