Driving on a bus down the main thoroughfares of Harlem is a depressing experience. Almost every block is a collection of decaying or gutted out buildings. Frequently, one passes entire blocks that have been bulldozed and are now sprouting weeds. This neighborhood was once the cultural center and mecca of black America. Harlem of the 1920's was the center of a great cultural flowering known as the Harlem Renaissance. Writing about this Renaissance, James Weldon Johnson describes this period as the one in which "Harlem's fame for exotic flavor and colorful sensuousness was spread to all parts of the world." This fame has survived even into the 1990's, as busloads of tourists from Europe and Japan pay to be shuttled around to the sights and sounds of Harlem.

For the first time in decades, a serious attempt is being made to revive Harlem. In a partnership between elements of the black community, the city of New York, and private investors, a large scale rebuilding program has begun. Amidst the rubble and decay, new housing developments are being initiated along with several large scale shopping areas. 'Harlem USA', a large shopping complex, is being built on 125th St - the main commercial thoroughfare of Harlem. A combined commercial/residential building called 'The Renaissance', is under construction at Lenox Ave. and 116th Street. Brownstones and redstones, with their windows blown out and their interiors gutted, are slowly being renovated and occupied by professional people. Predominantly black, Central Harlem is the last area of Manhattan with empty lots to build on and potentially cheap rental housing for middle class people who haven't gotten rich from the Wall St. boom.

The real question is, will this revival of Harlem succeed, or will it be derailed by the next economic downturn or lack of public interest. If it succeeds, what will Harlem look like in ten years time? In the mind's eye, one can imagine a revitalized Harlem with the famed Apollo Theater (also currently being revived) providing musical performances for the black professional and cultural elite who live nearby in renovated brownstones and townhouses. Alternatively, one also imagine a Harlem whose rebuilding has been such a success that it has been transformed into another gentrified, predominantly white neighborhood like other parts of Manhattan. Finally, it is also possible to imagine the rebuilding effort failing and Harlem remaining a depressed neighborhood of bygone fame and allure.

Which scenario would you put your money on?

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Published: September 2, 1999

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