Take The A Train Walking Tour II: Central Harlem
The walking tour of the Central Harlem–West 130th–132nd Streets Historic District, led by architectural historian John Reddick and Save Harlem Now’s Executive Director Claudette Brady, offers a cohesive architectural journey through the late 19th-century speculative building boom that defined Central Harlem. The district is notable for its remarkably intact collection of residential row houses, showcasing popular architectural styles of the era. Visitors will see prime examples of Neo-Grec style, characterized by its classical ornament and incised details, alongside houses designed in the Queen Anne, Renaissance Revival, and Romanesque Revival styles. This visual consistency provides a powerful backdrop that is representative of Central Harlem’s residential development and sets the scene for the rich history that unfolded within its walls.
Beyond its distinctive architecture, this historic district holds immense social, cultural, and political significance, having been home to key figures and organizations that shaped 20th-century American history. From the Harlem Renaissance through the Civil Rights era of the 1960s, the community’s primarily residential buildings were adapted to foster civic and cultural life. Notable sites include the headquarters of the New Amsterdam Musical Association (NAMA), the home of Scott Joplin, known as the “King of Ragtime,” and the Friendship Baptist Church, which was actively involved in the Civil Rights Movement. The district was also the location of the National Headquarters for the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, highlighting its critical contributions to the arts, social justice movement, civil rights movement, music, and entertainment in the United States.
Sou Sou! Saturdays: Crafting Memory
Join us on Saturday Nov 15th! Bring your archives!
Come out on November 15th, 11 am-onwards for a special edition of Sou Sou! Saturdays, titled:
" Crafting Memory"
Co-presented with the new Harlem PMCA (Harlem Place, Memory & Culture Archive)!
Guided by our Community Archiving Lab for culture Justice.
The Harlem PMCA is a new public resource being launched as a collaboration between the CCNY PMCI (Place Memory Culture Incubator), CCCADI, Save Harlem Now!, Harlem Cultural Archives, and Uptown Grand Central, and soon to be an expanding list of Harlem-based individuals and organizations.
Event link: https://www.cccadi.org/events/craftingmemory
Take the A Train Walking Tour I
In celebration of the 60th Anniversary of the New York City Landmarks Law, Save Harlem Now! and Historic Districts Council invite you to "Take the A Train". Two walking tours will explore the unique architectural and cultural history of Harlem and Bedford-Stuyvesant. Originally built in the late 19th century as grand brownstones and row houses for a burgeoning white middle and upper-middle class, but later became the foundation for two of America’s most iconic African American communities.
The extension of the A Train created a powerful "push-pull" dynamic, allowing the Black population to grow exponentially in Bed-Stuyvesant while enabling residents to maintain essential social and economic ties to Harlem, thus creating a lasting connection between two of America's most significant Black cultural communities.
Take the A Train Part I: Bedford-Stuyvesant will take place on Saturday, October 25 at 2pm and will be lead by popular tour guides Suzanne Spellen, writer and architectural historian, aka columnist “Montrose Morris” on Brownstoner.com, and Morgan Munsey, architect, historian, and expert on the architecture of Bedford Stuyvesant.
Event Details
Location: Girls Highs School, 475 Nostrand Avenue
Date: Saturday, October 25, 2025
Time: 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM
Ticket Price: $15 ($10 for Members / Seniors / Students)
Harlem As An Incubator
Join us, While We Are Still Here, East Harlem Preservation and Teachers College Columbia University for Capturing the Black Imagination: Harlem As An Incubator and immerse yourself in a day of roundtables, presentations, discussions and workshops.
Date: Saturday, October 18, 2025
Time: 9:15 AM to 5:15 PM
Admission: FREE
Educators’ Networking & Planning Lunch: $20
For CTLE Registrants Only
For more information, including schedule and registration, visit: https://harlemasanincubator.org/
While We Are Still Here, East Harlem Preservation and Teacher College Columbia University.
Sacred Sites Open House 2025
Save Harlem Now! is a co-sponsor of the New York Landmarks Conservancy's 15th Annual Sacred Sites Open House, taking place at various and locations on May 17-18th 2025.
Our theme is “Building for Eternity: Religious Architecture and Artisans”, and participating congregations will showcase their buildings and histories through guided tours, lectures, and musical performances.
Landmark West! presents Hirschfeld
Landmark West! is celebrating its 40th Anniversary with an in-person event: Hirschfeld on the Upper West Side on Wed., April 23, at 6pm, with David Leopold of the Al Hirschfeld Foundation on the history and creativity of one of the greatest caricaturists of the 20th century. Leopold tells Hirschfeld’s UWS story through his famous illustrations of the people, places and productions related to the West Side—from Hell's Kitchen up to Morningside Heights.
There will be beloved drawings plus backstories and personal tales of Hirschfeld’s life, art, and friendships with his many celebrity subjects.
Save Harlem Now! members: Check your email for a special discount code!
Event Details
Location: Church of St. Matthew and St. Timothy, 26 W. 84th Street
Date: Wednesday, April 23, 2025
Time: 6:00 PM to 7:30 PM
Ticket Price/General Admission: $30.00 + $2/fee
Panel Discussion on the Harlem African Burial Ground
The Place, Memory & Culture Incubator at Spitzer is pleased to invite all students, faculty, staff, and guests to a special in-person Panel Discussion on the Harlem African Burial Ground at the Bernard and Anne Spitzer School of Architecture, 141 Convent Avenue, Sciame Auditorium (Room 107), First Floor.
This critical conversation is hosted in collaboration with the Harlem African Burial Ground Initiative, NYC Economic Development Corporation, Save Harlem Now!, and Bridge Philanthropic Consulting.
We will reflect on the profound history and cultural legacy of the Harlem African Burial Ground and the current efforts to honor the lives of those interred there.
Founded in 1660, the village of Nieuw Haarlem established segregated cemeteries: one for Europeans, the other for people of African descent. The latter—the Harlem African Burial Ground—served the community for over two centuries. While European remains were relocated in the mid-1800s, those buried in the African cemetery were left behind. The site, now beneath a 1947-built bus depot, experienced decades of desecration and erasure.
In 2015, archaeologists confirmed human remains at the site, substantiating its historical significance. Ongoing work aims to map the full extent of the burial ground. Meanwhile, efforts led by the Harlem African Burial Ground Initiative (HABGI) and NYCEDC continue to envision a future for the site that includes a public memorial, a cultural education center, affordable housing, and community job opportunities.
Please join us as we uplift this vital history and community vision!
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