The rebuilding of West 140th and West 148th Streets between Frederick Douglass Boulevard and Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. Boulevard illustrates the incremental yet dramatic change Harlem has seen over the past 15 years. Vacant and dilapidated buildings have been transformed into desirable places to live. Once abandoned by private owners and thought of as the worst blocks in Harlem, today they see new residents and life on the street. To date, 425 rental and 103 cooperative apartments have been developed on these two blocks. These projects illustrate how in neighborhoods throughout the city local goverment, community-based organizations, and private developers have come together to revitalize, renovate and restore pride one block at a time.
West 140th Street
Location: West 140th Street between Frederick Douglass Boulevard and Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. Boulevard
Date: Completed 1997
Developer: LRM Realty, F&S Real Estate Development Corporation, Maxwell Real Estate Development Corporation, Progressive Associates, and Harlem Congregation for Community Improvement (HCCI).
Architect: Barbara Skarbinski of HPD
Cost: $45 million
Program: Neighborhood Entrepreneurs Program, Neighborhood Redevelopment Program
Credits: Courtesy of HPD
The vacant brownstone at 16 West 120th Street facing Marcus Garvey (pictured left in 1996) was renovated in 2001. The pair of identical rowhouses at 62-64 West 119th Street (pictured right in 1996) were completed in 2002. All were converted to three-family homes. The apartments feature granite countertops and brand-name appliances, rear decks, hardwood floors and tile baths.
West 148th Street
Location: West 180th Street between Frederick Douglass Boulevard and Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. Boulevard
Date: Completed 2003
Developer: L & M Equity, BFC Partners and HCCI
Sponsor: HCCI
Architect: Hugo S. Subotovsky, AIA Architects
Cost: $42.7 million
Program: Vacant Buildings 2000
Credits: Courtesy of HPD
203 West 148th Street – Facade before renovations in 1997 and after renovation in 2003 (top row)
211 West 148th Street – Interior hallway before renovations in 1994 and after in 2003 (bottom row)
The North side of West 148th Street between Frederick Douglass Boulevard and Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. Boulevard represented an entire block of vacant buildings. HPD acquired 17 of the 19 residential properties on the block through the Vacant Buildings 2000 Program. L&M Equity, BFC Partners and Harlem Congregation for Community Improvements (HCCI) submitted winning bids to renovate the buildings, creating 187 rental and 103 cooperative apartments. Two remaining buildings and a vacant lot were bought by BFC and L&M, insuring full rehabilitation and stabilization of the entire block.
The rental developments were financed by the New York City Housing Development Corporation (HDC), Empire State Development Corporation and JP Morgan Chase. Monthly rents range from $425 for a one-bedroom apartment to $1,455 for a three-bedroom unit. HDC and Roslyn Savings Bank financed the coops which sell for $81,000 to $125,650.
This entry is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International license.
