Harlem Bespoke: A Bespoke reader emailed us about plans for the block from famous
A Great Day in Harlem photo at East 126th Street to be named after the photographer who took the picture in 1958 but there seems to be some concerns with this idea. Art Kane, outside of taking a photo of jazz musicians on a Harlem stoop for Esquire magazine, has no connection to the neighborhood otherwise and is not even African American. Apparently a petition was passed around just indicating that the street would be named after the jazz photo and the document was not transparent about the actual photographer getting the final street moniker.
Now residents who live on the block are trying to reverse this decision or at least use another name that does not reference the photographer and everything appears to be on hold. Maybe a better way to honor the history here is to have the block landmark protected and raise some funds to get the cornice and hand railings back to the original condition. A plaque on the brownstone itself like the one at the nearby
Langston Hughes house would also be helpful here instead of a street sign. More details on the debacle can be found on the Columbia University newspaper site:
LINK
Just added the photo of the signage that is still covered. Taken this afternoon at the corner of Madison Avenue.
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