West Harlem: Alive in Spring and Summer

After an unusually cold winter, spring has arrived in western Harlem and there is a joyous energy in the air.

Visitors who go there in search of jazz and a taste of African-American culture will not be disappointed, however, the history of western Harlem precedes the African-American settlement by several centuries.

In the early 1600s, Dutch colonizers of “Nieuw Amsterdam” established farms in what is now St. Nicholas Park and gave a Dutch name to the surrounding region.

 

The Morris-Jumel Mansion, the oldest surviving house in Manhattan, is here near 160th Street, on the second highest point of land on the island. The house was built as a summer residence in 1765 by Col. Roger Morris, a British soldier, and his American wife, Mary. The location caught the summer breezes and afforded an unobstructed view of the rivers on both sides of Manhattan.

Though houses and apartment buildings now surround the mansion, the breezes are still there to cool a summer’s day and the gardens and lawns surrounding the mansion are still inviting.

A little further south at 141^st Street, is founding father Alexander Hamilton’s summer home, The Grange, like Morris-Jumel, a museum. And on Audubon Terrace not far from Morris-Jumel, the Hispanic Society of America houses one of the finest collections of Spanish art in the world, with masterpieces by Goya, Velazquez, El Greco and other, more contemporary artists.

Western Harlem’s African-American culture is also abundant, with music, art and dance that take place in parks, in churches, in theaters and even in someone’s home.

Marjorie Eliot, musician, actress and playwright, has been holding jazz sessions in her western Harlem apartment every Sunday for the past 22 years, playing what she calls, “African-American classical music.”

The building where she lives, 555 Edgecombe Ave., near the Morris-Jumel Mansion, was once home to numerous renowned musicians. “The 14^th floor of the building was “Swing Row,” she recalls. “You really had to be hip to be on that floor. Talking to the oldsters, they said this is where they really created – in their houses – not in the white hotels, where they had to look good in their tuxedos and go on their break in the kitchen.”

Eliot welcomes everyone to her apartment — no tickets needed and no reservations necessary. Payment is by free-will donation. Here, visitors can experience the creativity and communal spirit that made Harlem what it was and that survives to inspire another generation.

Spring and Summer Events

• Morris-Jumel Mansion, 65 Jumel Terrace; Phone: (212) 923-8008; http://www.morrisjumel.org. Open, Wednesday-Sunday, 10 a.m. -5 p.m. and by appointment. Closed Memorial Day and Independence Day.

• Parlor Music with Marjorie Eliot, 555 Edgecombe Ave. (at 160th Street), ''The Triple Nickel,” Studio 3F; Phone: (212) 781-6595.

At 3:30 p.m. every Sunday, Marjorie Eliot sits down at the upright piano in her living room for a jazz performance that usually includes a trumpeter, a bass player and a singer.

Her parlor, as she calls it, her hallway and her kitchen are filled with folding chairs and with an appreciative audience that has heard of her, largely by word of mouth. People come from all over New York City and from all over the world for Eliot’s parlor music.

She started the performances 22 years ago to ease her grief over the death of her son, Phil. Subsequently, she lost another son, Michael.

“I started out to keep from going crazy,” she says. “But the weight of history is always there. You walk out of the door, and it’s just there.  I know why I’m doing it. The faith of that helps me do it. I never worry about how many people are coming, and they come.”

She refuses to charge for her concerts, though she pays the musicians and provides a snack for the audience at intermission. She accepts free-will donations.

• Church of the Intercession, 550 W. 155^th St.; Phone: (212) 283-6200; www.intercessionnyc.org.

The handsome, stone church, consecrated in 1915, is built in the Gothic Revival style, with a tower, cloister, parish house and vicarage. Originally, it was a chapel belonging to Trinity Church on Wall Street, positioned next to Trinity’s uptown cemetery where John James Audubon, Clement Clark Moore and the notorious Mme. Eliza Jumel are buried, along with many other people. In 1976, the Church of the Intercession became a separate parish. The building is on the National Register of Historic Places and is a New York City Landmark.

The crypt of the church is used frequently for concerts. A series called, “Jazz in the Crypt” started four years ago. “We found that local groups were looking for a venue,” says Bill Randolph, who directs the church’s music programs. The space is free to the artists. “We charge a $20 donation,” says Randolph, with half of the money going to the musicians and half to support the church’s music at Sunday mass.

“We are now taking requests for the spring and summer season,” he says. “We can expect more jazz groups, an opera master class and chamber music. Check our website for future events.”

• Hispanic Society of America, Audubon Terrace, Broadway between 155^th and 156^th Streets; Phone: (212) 926-2234; http://hispanicsociety.org. Open Tuesday to Saturday, 10 am.- 4 p.m.; Sunday, 1 p.m.-4 p.m. Free.

• Dance Theatre of Harlem, 466 W. 152 St.; Phone: (212) 690-2800; http://www.dancetheatreofharlem.org.

The renowned company of Dance Theatre of Harlem performs in major venues around the world, but on Sundays between November and May, DTH offers another kind of very special performance. Its Sunday matinées take place in the company’s headquarters building on West 152^nd Street, showcasing guest artists, students and company members.

“It’s always a mixture of art forms: classical, contemporary, jazz, spoken word piano – because we really feel that art is a living part of our experience,” says DTH’s artistic director, Virginia Johnson. 

The Sunday performances have been taking place since Arthur Mitchell and Karel Shook founded Dance Theatre of Harlem 45 years ago. “The Sunday Matinées really go to the heart of the meaning of DTH because Dance Theatre of Harlem is about sharing the art form at every level and with everybody, so the chance to come into our building at very low cost to see the highest quality performance on a Sunday afternoon is really core to our mission,” says Laveen Naidu, the company’s executive director.

• Riverbank State Park, 679 Riverside Drive (at W. 145^th St.); Phone: (212) 694-3600; http://nysparks.com/parks/93. Open daily, 6 a.m.-11 p.m.

On 28 acres perched high above the Hudson River, Riverbank State Park offers athletic activities (including swimming, roller skating, tennis, basketball, softball) plus picnic facilities, a restaurant and snack bar, and cultural events for adults and children. A carousel opens for the season on May 24.

• The Alexander Hamilton National Memorial - "The Grange", 414 W. 141^st St.; Phone: (646) 548-2310; www.nps.gov/hagr. Open Wednesdays-Sundays, 9 a.m.-5p.m.

In 1802, Alexander and Elizabeth Hamilton built a summerhouse for themselves and their seven surviving children in what is now called Hamilton Heights. Here, they escaped from the oppressive heat and fevers of lower Manhattan and entertained friends, colleagues and government leaders. The house is elegant but warm. It is possible to imagine it filled with the voices of young people and their friends as well as the many dignitaries who would have visited. A piano in the family room actually belonged to the Hamiltons. The rest of the furniture is reproduced from furniture they owned, now in other museums, or is of the period. The house is a National Memorial and is run by the National Park Service.

Ranger guided-tours: 10 a.m., 11 a.m., 12 p.m., 1 p.m., 2 p.m. and 4 p.m.

• Harlem Stage at the Gatehouse, 150 Convent Ave. (at West 135^th Street); Phone: (212) 281-9240; http://www.harlemstage.org

For nearly 30 years, Harlem Stage has been celebrating the artistic legacy of Harlem and the indelible impression it has made on American culture. Famous people such as Harry Belafonte, Max Roach, Bill Cosby, Abbey Lincoln, Maya Angelou and Tito Puente have appeared on its stage. It has also given young artists a start and emerging artists, a showcase.

In October 2006, Harlem Stage moved to the Gatehouse, once part of the Croton Aqueduct water system. Designed by Frederick S. Cook and completed in 1890, it is a New York City landmark and on the National Register of Historic Places. Visitors can still hear the water gurgling under the street! In its 200-seat theater, Harlem Stage presents dance, music, poetry slams and readings.

For a full schedule of events Uptown and Harlem, visit www.harlemonestop.com