Astor Row

Astor Row is the name of the 130th Street between Fifth Avenue and Lenox Avenue in Harlem in New York City borough of Manhattan.

Appearance

The special feature of the Astor Row is the semi-detached houses on the south side of the road, their design is very unusual: The houses were built back from the road. They all have wooden porches and a front garden - an oddity in Manhattan. This makes a südstaatlichen impression and was compared with the appearance of a part of Savannah (Georgia ).

The houses of the north side of the street, however, are large, attractive brownstone townhouses with a more typical design. 1932 lived Father Divine, leader of the Peace Mission Movement, on the north side of Astor Row.

History

The houses were built on land that was purchased in 1844 by John Jacob Astor for $ 10,000. However, the construction of his grandson William Backhouse Astor was implemented, who hired the architect and builder Charles Buek to manage the project. The houses were all built in 1880-1883.

After the death of William Backhouse Astor, the houses were divided among his grandchildren: Mary, James and Sarah Van Alen. The property remained in the possession of the Astor family until 1911, when the ten westernmost houses were sold to the real estate investor Max Marx, eintauschte this for an interest in an apartment building in Washington Heights. The new owners, the Brown Realty Company was unable to service the loan, so that the houses passed into the possession of the New York Savings Bank.

1920 described a reporter for the New York Times the houses as one of the most attractive and exclusive residential buildings in Harlem ( "one of the most attractive and exclusive home centers" ), which would provide a picture of domestic tranquility and comfort that few other buildings in Manhattan have ("a picture of domestic tranquility and comfort Which few other blocks in the city possess "). 1928 described Claude McKay 's novel Home to Harlem Astor Row as "Block Beautiful" ( " the block beautiful" ).

The houses of Astor Row were originally rented for $ 1,000 per year and were so in demand that there was a waiting list for these items for years to come. Initially, White lived here. 1920 bought the estate entrepreneur James Cruikshank 20 of the 28 houses (ten who were in possession of the New York Savings Bank and ten, who owned the Astor family were still ) and rented them to blacks.

Decline

The houses were not maintained during the decline of Harlem from 1930 to 1990 in state and porches were gradually lost. In the second edition of the AIA Guide to New York City from 1978, the Astor Row is acknowledged that they would have a subtle beauty that is marred by the years of economic misery ( " restrained beauty Which HAS BEEN tarnished by years of economic distress" ).

Rehabilitation

In 1981, New York City, these houses listed and provided financial resources available to restore the facades and to rehabilitate the pipes, radiators and electrical installations. The institutions that monitored these renovations and funded were the New York Landmarks Conservancy, the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission, the Vincent Astor Foundation, Manhattan Community Board 10, which Abyssian Development Corporation, the Commonwealth Fund, the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development and various local banks.

1992 Ella Fitzgerald appeared at a benefit concert at Radio City Music Hall to raise money for the renovation. In the late 1990s the porches and other ornamental elements in almost all the buildings of the block were renovated. In August 2009, the New York Times wrote, was the block in the middle of strong, not yet completed upturn in the surrounding streets in Central Harlem ( " the block is at the center of an intense but, as yet, unfinished revival of the surrounding streets in Central Harlem ").

Astor Row today

Today the Astor Row is culturally diverse and outstanding architectural landmarks in Harlem. It is located near Sylvia 's Restaurant of Harlem, the Mount Moriah Baptist Church, the former residence of Langston Hughes and other attractions in Harlem.