Hamilton Heights / Harlem
Although I'm convinced that New York is actively trying to kill me — I am currently sick for the fifth time since I moved here 8 months ago — I still spend most of my days just completely in awe of the wonderful (and seemingly endless) delights that this city has to offer.
A few weeks ago, somewhere in between taking a "private" tour of Hamilton Grange and gargoyle hunting on the campus of City College, my friend Trent and I took a mini tour of some notable sights in Hamilton Heights and West Harlem. I have found it to be true that you can find something interesting, historical or just nice to look at in almost every neighborhood in the city if you look hard enough.
Usually I'm the one dragging my friends around to obscure filming locations or nerdy National Parks tours, but Trent was actually the one who led me around and showed me things I had never even heard of before. As much as I enjoy doing things by myself, it was definitely nice to have a willing and enthusiastic guide for a change.
The first place we went was Strivers' Row in West Harlem. This was definitely one of those times where we both wished we had done more research beforehand because we actually ended up only seeing one of the "rows" of townhouses, not knowing there were two more.
Constructed between 1891 and 1893, the houses sit back to back and share rear, gated courtyards. The rows were designed by three different architects: McKim, Mead and White, James Brown Lord, and Price and Luce. We ended up only paying attention the Price and Luce row, and I would definitely like to go back now that I know more about what I should be looking for.
Next up was the Royal Tennenbaum house at the corner of w144th Street and Convent Ave. in Hamilton Heights. Convent runs right into City College and is lined with some of the most beautiful houses I've seen in the city. I've never been a die-hard Wes Anderson fan, but when Trent pointed out the house I have to admit it was exciting to see it in person.
I went home and watched the Royal Tennenbaums after reading that they actually did a majority of the filming inside of the house. I love re-watching movies or TV shows with the new perspective of having just been to the location, especially when it's so immediately recognizable.
The next place we went was a tiny, cobblestone street called Sylvan Terrace. Originally a carriage pathway leading to the Morris-Jumel Mansion, in 1882 20 uniform, wooden row houses were built. In the 1960s the houses fell into disrepair, but had been fully resorted by the 1980s. Today they look basically brand new — in fact the whole street feels like it's straight out of a Hollywood backlot.
The fact that these still exist is incredible, even more so that 20 lucky people (or families) get to call this street "home." Sylvan Terrace is one of those quiet, sneaky New York places that not many people know about, and that makes you feel as if you're light years away from the city and/or the present day.
One last place that Trent pointed out on our walk was the James Bailey house at the intersection of 150th and St. Nicholas Place in Harlem. The castle-like house was built from 1886-1888 for James Bailey, the business manager of the Barnum and Bailey Circus. It has stained-glass windows designed by a cousin of Louis Comfort Tiffany, and was turned into a mortuary in the 1950s.
I would love to be able to walk through the inside of what has been referred to as the "Grey Gardens of Manhattan," but I'll probably have to settle for this video of the interior. It was recently put on the market for $6.5 million, and ended up selling for a mere $1.4 million — which is 75% off the original asking price and despite the necessary repairs, still an incredible steal.
I have still yet to do much exploring in the northern portion of Manhattan but after such a great experience I'll definitely be back. There is so much history around this city and I'm grateful that so many of these great buildings are still around, even if I can only dream of one day owning one.
