Lenox Terrace at Fifth Avenue

With an official address of 470 Lenox Avenue, the Lenox Terrace development covers six square blocks between Lenox and Fifth Avenues, alternating six residential slab towers with single-story commercial developments on the Lenox Avenue frontage.  The first tower was completed in 1958 and was lauded by The New York Times as “Harlem’s best address”. Currently… Continue reading

Lincoln Houses at Fifth Avenue

Named after the American President, Lincoln Houses is a 14-building complex of over 1,200 apartments spanning a six-block area between East 132nd Street and East 135th Street between Fifth And Park Avenues.  Completed in 1948, the complex’s official address is 60 East 135th Street.

The Final Stretch: Fifth Avenue North of 132nd Street

132nd Street, while not counted as a major thoroughfare among the city’s crosstown boulevards, is indeed the cutting-off point for the Fifth Avenue corridor that separates the fairly intact brownstone blocks south to 125th Street from the vast public housing works to the north. It is easy to dismiss the latter as being of no… Continue reading

The Greater Central Baptist Church at 2158 Fifth Avenue

The last church on Fifth Avenue is unfortunately one of the most uninteresting – at least, from an architectural standpoint.  Built in the 1950s for its present congregation, the Greater Central Baptist Church at 2158 Fifth Avenue is an important center of gospel music. Stained glass brightens the interior.

2151- 2153 Fifth Avenue and 2 East 132nd Street

A somewhat run-down trio of identical buildings, 2151- 2153 Fifth Avenue and 2 East 132nd Street are evidently the survivors of a block-spanning row.  Enough remains to suggest the crude vigor of the original design; corbels, lintels and aggressive stonework enliven the remaining facades. These are unusual in being perhaps among a mere handful of… Continue reading