THE NEW YORK LANDMARKS CONSERVANCY CELEBRATES BLACK HISTORY MONTH

Here is an educational post related to Black History Month detailing landmarks with particular significance to the African American community. Please note you can suggest additional locations as mentioned below.

Gregory
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In February, The New York Landmarks Conservancy honors Black History Month by celebrating the many contributions of African Americans to New York’s rich cultural legacy.

From the Latimer House Museum… to Astor Row… to St. Philip’s Episcopal Church, designed by George Washington Foster, Jr. and Vertner Tandy, among the first African American architects in the United States, the Conservancy highlights notable buildings designed or built by African Americans and places important to understanding the extraordinary role of African Americans in New York’s history.

The Conservancy invites all New Yorkers to submit their own photographs of historic African American landmarks by email to photos@nylandmarks.org, subject line “Celebrating Black History”. Photos will be considered for posting on the Conservancy’s Facebook album.

Over the past 40 years, the Conservancy has provided its unique financial and technical assistance to a number of historic sites important to celebrating the African American experience in New York. Some of these sites are listed below. We encourage you to visit and find out for yourself!

Abyssinian Baptist Church – the first African American Baptist congregation in New York

Apollo Theater – a symbol of the brilliance of American artistic accomplishment

Astor Row – one of Harlem’s most picturesque architectural landmarks

Hamilton Heights Historic District – consists of 192 rowhouses, apartment buildings and churches built between about 1886 and 1931

Louis Armstrong House – home of the legendary entertainer from 1943-1971

Schomburg Center – one of the world's leading research facilities devoted to the preservation of materials on the global African and African diasporan experiences

Strivers’ Row – home to Eubie Blake, W.C. Handy and Bill “Bojangles” Robinson among others

Stuyvesant Heights Historic District – boasts some of Brooklyn's most handsome and historic brownstones and grand old apartment buildings

Sugar Hill – home to W.E.B. Du Bois, Thurgood Marshall and Adam Clayton Powell, Jr.
Weeksville Heritage Center – one of the few remaining sites of pre-Civil War African American communities

The New York Landmarks Conservancy is dedicated to preserving, revitalizing and reusing New York’s architecturally significant buildings. Through pragmatic leadership, financial and technical assistance, advocacy, and public education, the Conservancy ensures that New York’s historically and culturally significant buildings, streetscapes, and neighborhoods continue to contribute to New York’s economy, tourism, and quality of life. For more information, please visit www.nylandmarks.org.

Photo: Apollo Theater
Photo credit: The New York Landmarks Conservancy