| In 1971,
this neighborhood was designated an Historic District by the
New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission, one of the
earliest landmarked districts in the five boroughs. It encompasses
a 16-block area in Central Harlem, going north from West 118th
to West 124th Streets and west from Fifth Avenue to Adam Clayton
Powell, Jr. Boulevard (Seventh Avenue). The district includes
a remarkable cross-section of late 19th- and early 20th-century
residential and church architecture representing all of the
various eclectic styles associated with the Gilded Age. "Doctors'
Row" (West 122nd Street), Mount Morris Park West, and
Malcolm X Boulevard demonstrate the remarkable survival of
substantially unaltered 19th-century streetscapes, rare in
most areas of Manhattan.
The rocky hill of Manhattan mica-schist
that dominates Mount Morris Park was popular among Native
American tribes as a look-out point from which one could
see over the entire island. Dutch colonists who established
the town of Nieuw Haarlem in 1658 called it Slang Berg,
which translates to Snake Hill. During the War of Independence,
the hill's strategic position near the mouth of the Harlem
River led to a series of skirmishes between the patriots
and the British. On September 4, 1839, a residential square
named Mount Morris Square was established on just over 20
acres of the old Benson family land grant farm. Shortly
thereafter, it became part of the New York City public park
system as Mount Morris Park.
|
119th to 121st Street and Malcolm
X Blvd.
Many New Yorkers came up to Mount Morris
Park from the more congested areas of the city to enjoy
country walks and picnics well into the late 1870's. The
area also enjoyed a colorful history as an entertainment
venue. The Benson farm was the site of the former Harlem
Trotting Course, a race track extending from 120th and 134th
Streets between Madison and Fifth Avenues.
The park was renamed Marcus Garvey Park
in 1973, honoring the charismatic leader of the international
Pan-African movement. Garvey (1887-1940) was spokesman and
President of the short-lived nation known as the "Republic
of Africa," and maintained his headquarters in Harlem.
To honor the rich heritage of the Historic
District and of Harlem, the Mount Morris Park Community
Improvement Association (MMPCIA) was formed in 1981. These
concerned and committed residents of Harlem's elegant brownstone
neighborhoods and proud members of its churches are striving
to create a 21st Century Renaissance. They are involved
in promoting sites such as the historic Apollo Theatre,
the National Black Theatre, the Schomburg Library, the Studio
Museum of Harlem, and the many fine soul food, African,
and Caribbean restaurants in Central Harlem. They are the
sponsors of an annual Historic Neighborhood House Tour (usually
the second weekend in June), featuring historic brownstones
and other landmarked buildings in the area for public view.
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