New York 2023: Harlem Renaissance Tour

As part of our exploration of the upper west side of Manhattan, my husband Rich and I looked into the possibility of getting a tour of Harlem, which runs from 110th street north to 155th Street between 5th Avenue and the Hudson River. On our first visit together to New York City in 1999, we took a hop-on, hop-off bus tour around the city to get a feel for what was available to see.  As the bus passed through Harlem, the bus driver warned the passengers that we could get off if we wanted to, but he advised against it.  Between the 1960s to the end of the 20th century, the area was rife with drugs, crime and poverty.  Since then, large parts of this area have been cleaned up and gentrified significantly. Harlem is now a thriving community that is safe to visit.  It also boasts a fascinating cultural history that we were interested in learning more about.

During the pandemic, my friends and I entertained ourselves by researching and giving weekly art talks on Zoom.  One of my topics focused on Jacob Lawrence, an African-American painter associated with the “Harlem Renaissance”.  This was period in US history spanning 1918-mid 1930s that saw a burst of creativity from the African American community especially in New York’s Harlem district in the areas of art (e.g. Jacob Lawrence, Aaron Douglas, Augusta Savage), music (e.g. Duke Ellington, Fats Waller) and literature (e.g.Langston Hughes).  Thus we were delighted when we found a walking tour of Harlem that was titled “Harlem Renaissance plus Lunch” and quickly signed up for this.  We took the subway to the West 125th  station, then walked back to 122nd St. where our tour would start, taking note of the vibrant street art on the bustling streets along the way.

While walking east on West 125th Street to the starting point of the tour, we crossed two major boulevards named after important figures in African American history.  The first boulevard is named after abolitionist and statesman Frederick Douglass whose sculpture we encountered at the New York Historical Society. The second is Adam Clayton Powell Boulevard, named in honour of the American Baptist pastor who served as a Democrat in the U.S. House of Representatives for almost 3 decades and acted as a powerful national spokesperson on civil rights.  His statue stands in front of the Adam Clayton Powell Jr. State Office where the boulevard intersects West 125th Street.  We would pass by this building again on our tour.  We also took notice of the elegant sign for the old Victoria Theatre which has been converted into a restaurant, bar, ballroom, event space, hotel and eventually, spaces for live theatre.  Images of the restaurant show a staircase that honours the old jazz greats including Louis, Ella, Billie, Duke, etc. (no last names required).  We also went by the striking building of the “Greater Refuge Temple” founded in 1919 and moved to its current location (formerly a dance hall known as the Harlem Casino) in 1945.  The colourful façade consisting of multi-hued elongated vertical panels were added in the late 1960s.

When we finally reached the house where the tour would start, we were amazed by the gorgeous brownstone buildings in the area.  We still had our 1999 impressions of a Harlem that had rundown buildings in desperate need of repair.  This might still be the state in different parts of Harlem but certainly not in this neighbourhood where the beautifully restored buildings featured intricate, ornate designs carved in red sandstone.  Today many of these buildings would be subdivided into multiple apartment units.  We entered the apartment that was the meeting point for the tour and found the interior also renovated with a brick wall covered with African masks and a cool spiral staircase leading to a second floor.  On the coffee table was a Harlem version of Monopoly where the squares represent important historical sites relating to the Harlem Renaissance period.  Our tour guide Doris had lived in the neighbourhood her entire life and pointed to the steps or stoop where she would play double-dutch (a skipping game) as a child and have her hair braided.

Across the street from our starting point was a sculpture of “Mother” Clara Hall, a humanitarian who founded Hale House Centre, a home for disadvantaged children including those born addicted to drugs due to drug use by their mothers.  From there, we were off on our walking tour which would take us from West 116th north to West 135th Street between Frederick Douglass Boulevard to the west and Lenox Avenue, which was co-named Malcolm X Boulevard in 1987, to the east.  Since 1984, West 125th Street was also co-named Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard so that the major roads in Harlem honour significant Black figures from American history.  At West 123rd St is the Greater Bethel A.M.E. Church which poignantly has a sign saying “This Church is not affiliated with the church on the corner. WE support President Barack Obama”, distancing themselves from the adjacent Atlah World Ministry Church which displayed hateful signs railing against both Obama and homosexuals.  Continuing on, we reached Marcus Garvey Park which is named after a publisher and activist for black nationalism.  It is also known as the Mount Morris Park after the historical district that was first settled by the Dutch in 1658 in the area they called Nieuw Haerlem.  That would explain the Dutch architecture in the surrounding homes.  Doris pointed out the field in the park where Prince Harry played baseball with a group of children in 2013.  As we walked by, she also showed us the former house of poet and civil right activist Maya Angelou on West 120th Street and the bakery that Oprah frequents when in the area.

We next saw the Masjid Malcolm Shabazz Mosque, a Sunni Muslim mosque also known as Mosque #7.  It was renamed in 1976 to honour the memory and contributions of Malcolm X.  We actually spotted the unique green dome from afar and wondered what it was.  There are so many buildings of worship in Harlem that represent different religions and denominations.  It is fascinating to see the different architectural styles of each of them.  We had already passed the colourful Greater Refuge Temple and the Greater Bethel A.M.E. Church which happens to be on an intersection (23rd and Malcolm X Blvd) where the Ephesus Seventh-Day Adventurist Church and the St. Marks Holy Tabernacle can also be found.  On our tour, we also passed by the First Corinthian Baptist Church and the Mount Morris Ascension Presbyterian Church, each beautiful in its own right.  We actually didn’t make it as far north as the Abyssinian Baptist Church where both Adam Clayton Powell Sr. and Jr. were ministers.

Minton’s Playhouse is a jazz club and bar located at the corner of West 118th  Street and St. Nicholas Ave., inside the Cecil Hotel.  Founded by saxophonist Henry Minton in 1938, it is known as the place where the jazz style bebop was developed.  Artists such as Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Parker and Thelonious Monk held jam sessions there.  To commemorate the importance of this location, a special street sign designates this corner “Bebop Blvd”.  At West 122nd St. and Frederick Douglass Blvd can be found the memorial to abolitionist and Underground Railroad leader Harriet Tubman, a slave in the South who not only escaped herself but returned multiple times at great personal risk to lead other friends and family to freedom in the North.  The large-scale 13-foot-tall bronze sculpture, known as “Swing Low”, depicts Tubman as a metaphorical freight train barreling forward despite the roots of slavery at her back trying to hold her down.  Imprinted on her skirt are the faces of former slaves who Tubman helped to escape while plaques at the base of the sculpture depict events from Tubman’s life.  A few streets north at the corner of West 125th street is a beautiful mosaic by Louis Del Sarte titled “Spirit of Harlem”, commissioned in 2005.  For a brief period of time, the mural was bricked over by Foot Locker who took over the building whose wall it was on, but public protest quickly led to a reversal of this undertaking.  What a great example of the spirit of the people of Harlem in action!

Heading east on West 125th St., we finally reached the Apollo Theatre, arguably the most famous cultural landmark in Harlem.  Open since 1914, the Apollo played an important role in promoting jazz, swing, bebop, rhythm and blues, gospel, blues and soul music.  Plaques on the sidewalk in front of the theatre boasts some of the more famous performers including Aretha Franklin, Ella Fitzgerald, Little Richard, Smokey Robinson, Lionel Richie and more.  Continuing down the street, we passed the Hotel Teresa, a historical landmark that was a vibrant centre of African American life in the mid-20th Century.  As one of the few prestigious hotels to accept black guests, famous musicians, athletes, performers and businessmen stayed here including Malcolm X, Louis Armstrong, Josephine Baker, Sugar Ray Leonard, Mohammed Ali, Jimi Hendrix, Dorothy Dandridge and Ray Charles.  Even Fidel Castrol stayed at Hotel Teresa during his visit in 1960.  Passing by the Adam Clayton Powell Jr. State Office for the second time, we next stopped at  a large mural spanning the side wall of the Corner Social Restaurant.  The original work was a result of a mural contest in 2012 that was won by artist Paul Deo.  His mural, painted to resemble a collage, depicted Harlem’s history, culture and landmarks.  It featured famous and inspirational figures such as Josephine Baker, Malcolm X, Maya Angelou and more.  The Apollo Theatre was highlighted as a hotspot for Harlem night life.  The mural seems to have been updated since then, but the overall themes remain the same.  From this vantage point, we could see the building where after his presidency, Bill Clinton kept an office from 2001 through 2011.

We were promised lunch as part of this Harlem Renaissance tour, but we actually had a couple of eating experiences before that official meal.  Walking along Malcolm X Blvd., our tour guide Doris bragged about Mo’s Famous Burgers food truck which offered the cheapest hot dog in Manhattan.  This was a Harlem culinary experience that we needed to participate in, so our tour group lined up for a hot dog and large drink, which came to $4 including a small tip.  Next Doris brought us to Lee Lee’s Bakery where she bought us each a delicious handmade rugelach, a Jewish treat of a croissant shaped pastry filled with chocolate or apricot (Rich and I shared one of each).  Owner Alvin Lee Smalls has been running the shop since 1988.  Then after walking all over Harlem for a few hours, we finally stopped for lunch at Jacob’s Soul Food Restaurant.  Each person was given a box to fill with options from a large buffet that included fried chicken, oxtail, candied yams, collard greens, fresh salads and fruit and more.  We had a lovely meal on the outdoor patio and thought that this was the end of the tour.  Rich and I gave Doris a tip, thanked her for a wonderful tour and prepared to leave when she asked whether we were staying for the rest of the tour?  There was more to come after lunch!

Soldiering on, we next visited the National Museum of Jazz, which is a not-for-profit museum aimed at honouring the Jazz greats of the past who frequented Harlem including Duke Ellington, Benny Carter, Thelonious Monk, Charlie Parker, Charles Mingus, Count Basie, John Coltrane, and Billie Holiday.  Its mission was also to continue fostering interest in jazz music in the current day by holding regular concerts as well as educational events and lecture series. One of the prized possessions of the museum is a piano once owned by Duke Ellington while the tenor saxophone of Eddie “Jawlock” Davis is also prominently featured.  A large poster titled “Sounds of Harlem” illustrates a map of all the night clubs that used to be popular including “The Cotton Club” starring Cab Calloway’s Band, La Fayette Theatre, Club Hot-Cha and more.  Photos and posters of jazz greats such as Billie “Lady Day” Holiday are on display as well as books, recordings and documentaries. Several displays reference the recent Pixar animated movie Soul about a piano teacher who dreams of playing Jazz professionally.

Our final stop was at the Schomburg Centre for Research in Black Culture which is a division of the New York Public Library system that focuses on research, preservation and exhibition of materials related to African American experiences.  It features a large collection of artifacts and diverse programming promoting Black history, arts and culture.  A portrait of scholar, historian and collector Arturo Schomburg is hung in the lobby of the centre.  The donation of his personal collection formed the basis of the institution that was named in his honour.  The “Langston Hughes Lobby” is named after the American writer, activist and innovator of the literary art form “jazz poetry”.  A steel book-like container containing his ashes are buried underneath the lobby floor, which is decorated with an art piece called “Rivers” that contains text from Hughes’ poem “The Negro Speaks of Rivers”.   The Aaron Douglas Reading Room is dedicated to the American painter and visual arts educator who was a major figure in the Harlem Renaissance.  Four panels of  his murals titled “Aspects of Negro Life” are hung in various spaces throughout the building including in this reading room.

The major exhibition on display during our visit was titled “Marking Time: Art in the Age of Mass Incarceration” which explores the impact of the U.S. prison system on contemporary art including pieces created by prisoners during their incarceration, as well as artists who reference the penal system in their works. Between 2014-2022, Prisoner Mark Loughney created a series of over 700 portraits of other inmates which he drew using graphite and ink on paper.  In contrast to the mug shots taken at their time of arrest, these beautifully drawn and personal portraits humanize the inmates.  Gilberto Rivera created a collage made of prison clothing, prison reports, newspapers, floor wax and acrylic paint which he titled “An Institutional Nightmare” to protest the dehumanization he felt during his imprisonment.   Also in the exhibition was a sculpture made from prison cafeteria trays.  Another sculpture created to resemble the tables  and stools found in prisoner visiting rooms was created by Sable Elyse Smith based on her experiences as a child visiting her father while he was in jail.  The work is created in blue as a reference to “prison blues”, blues music as well as the colour of her father’s prison garb.

There were many very impressive paintings in this exhibition that depicted prison life.  The use of different media was interesting.  Following his incarnation, Henry Frank created a Lego sculpture titled “Mind Prison” showing the different experiences of prisoners who received visitors versus those who did not.  While in his cell at night, Dean Gillispie created a series of amazing miniatures that reflected his memories of his rural youth including a 1960s Airstream diner, ice cream parlor and gas station, all made from materials he could find in prison such as cigarette wrappers and tea bags, plus any contraband materials that he could procure.  Another inmate created images using quilting techniques that reflected his heritage in Pennsylvania where generations of his family were quilters.

After touring the Schomburg Centre, our lengthy tour was finally over.  Exhausted but chastened by the fact that our tour guide who probably had 3 decades on us did not seem the least bit tired, we made the trek across West 135th Street back to the subway.  Along the way, we passed one last reminder of the Harlem Renaissance—two gigantic street art murals of Dizzy Gillespie in honour of what would have been his 100th birthday.  We want to return to New York next year for the upcoming exhibition on the at the MET titled “Harlem Renaissance and Transatlantic Modernism” to learn more about this thrilling and culturally invigorating time.