Wednesday, December 4, 2013

☞ DWELL: Number 1: Mount Morris Park

Harlem is a large part of Manhattan that changes block by block so we have put together a list of the best micro-nabes in Harlem based on location, architecture, transportation and local amenities. This is our own opinion based on reporting on the neighborhood for a few years.  

No. 1: Mount Morris Park Historic District and proposed extension,  South Harlem, within the blocks spanning Lenox Avenue from 118th Street to 124th Street.  The proposed historic district extends from ACP/7th on the west border over to Fifth Avenue at the east border. Mount Morris Park is one of the oldest landmark districts in the city and that designation has helped preserve the spectacular architecture within its blocks.  There were quite a few shells in the neighborhood up until the past couple of years but those have mostly been restored and now many boutiques businesses have appeared within the brownstone storefronts along the boulevard.  In our opinion, Mount Morris Park is basically equivalent to being the West Village of Harlem. Anyone discovering this historic neighborhood for the first time can easily see why it is one of the best in all of Harlem.

Documentary filmmaker Albert Maysles, poet laureate Maya Angelou and celebrity chef Marcus Samuelsson all have landmark townhouses in this neighborhood located right below the express stop at 125th Street which gets one to midtown in 10 minutes.  In the next coming months a new Whole Foods will also break ground at the northern border on Lenox and a new incarnation of Lenox Lounge should also come together by notable restauranteur Richard Notar.  Home prices are still under $3 million in Mount Morris Park but we expect this to fluctuate higher once the aforementioned developments take off.  For a full map of the historic district, check out our previous post: LINK

6 comments:

  1. We have also seen supermodel Liya Kibede at the local coffee shop and assume this is where she lives in Harlem.

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  2. I've seen Liya Kibede at Caffe Latte and also hanging out at Red Rooster. She's definitely a local denizen.

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  3. I think the Mount Morris Park Community Improvement Association can take credit for the preservation and development of this spectacular part of Harlem. Also, had this top ten neighborhood comparison been run on HB (Harlem Bespoke) since the inception of HB, I would expect this neighborhood to have won every year, and continue to win every year into the foreseeable future, deservedly so.

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  4. Yay, I just knew it from the start of the rankings. To me this is one of the most beautiful parts of the city. The park itself still has more cleaning up to do but great strides have been taken by the parks department. I will forever be in love with my neighborhood and what it brings to my community.

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  5. Best area - no doubt

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