Mount Morris Park Historic District
The first historic district on Fifth Avenue north of 96th Street, the Mount Morris Park Historic District technically only borders two blocks of the avenue despite encompassing 16 blocks overall. Created in 1973 as one of New York City’s earliest historic districts, Mount Morris Park takes its name from the original name for what is now Marcus Garvey Park, which interrupts Fifth Avenue between 122nd and 124th Streets. The original name appears to be a 19th Century commemoration of the family of Governeur Morris, the Founding Father and colonial-era abolitionist, whose family owned much of the current district.
A matchless collection of Gilded Age architecture in Harlem, the district was the center of much of the cultural life associated with the Harlem Renaissance period; it was also where the internationally renowned Harlem Boys Choir was founded in 1968.
The buildings we will be visiting line West 122nd Street; Mount Morris Park West; and West 124th Street and will be covered by our “Just Off Fifth” category.
East of Fifth Avenue educational and hospital architecture has largely replaced the historic fabric of the neighborhood.
The picture shows the view down Fifth Avenue from the crest of the park.