Floridita, the Cuban-Dominican diner at the east side of the triangular intersection of West 125th and 129th Street, has been one of Manhattanville's cultural centers for the Caribbean community since 1969. This tropical colored restaurant serves traditional variations of plantains (mofongo), Cubano sandwiches, arroz con pollo, soups and pastries for locals and curious Columbia students alike. The owners of the institution have more recently been trying to keep the restaurant in Manhattanville since Columbia University owns the land and will eventually build a high-rise on top of the plot. As we have been reporting, things are moving along briskly in the initial phase of the Manhattanville Campus so if you haven't tried it out yet, come by before it's gone. Floridita is at 3216 Broadway, on the corner of 129th Street with the 1 train at 125th being the closest station. Photo by Ulysses
This part of Harlem will be unrecognizable in a few years, all replaced with gleaming new modern architecture. In my opinion this will be an improvement over the low rise car repair shops that will be razed but some nice older buildings will be lost in the process. This will have the same effect as the redevelopment of FDB which no longer looks like Harlem as we know it. This reinforces the importance of preserving the beautiful architecture elsewhere which I predict will define the most desirable areas in Harlem’s future.
ReplyDeleteIt would be a shame if there was no place for Floridita in the neighborhood after the expansion. Does anyone remember when La Rosita was closed down because the rent was increased? The storefront was empty for 2 years until it was replaced by a hairdress or a nail salon. That wasn't Columbia's fault, just a symptom of the neighborhood gentrification.
ReplyDeleteI think its sad that Columbia had to resort to using their political influence on the government to use eminent domain. Look what happened recently in New London with Pfizer when they took people's homes and then Pfizer ended up not evening building there.
The gov. is only supposed to seize private land if the use will benefit the public good. Right now Columbia is looking like they're going to piss off the next 3 generations of Harlem residents. I hope they reconsider their plans and try to involve Harlem more.