☞ REMEMBER: Manhattanville & the Harlem Piers

Manhattanville historian Eric K. Washington was just recently acknowledged by the Municipal Arts Society for his collaboration with the design of the West Harlem Piers.  Mr. Washington is the author of Manhattanville: Old Heart of West Harlem and provided historic references, photos and information on the piers. One of the most fascinating finds is the image of the Manhattanville Depot train station (click on lower photo to enlarge) that once stood on 130th Street which had received Abraham Lincoln on his second trip to New York City in 1861. Four years later, that same station would herald the arrival of the 16th president's funeral train. The depot itself was demolished soon after the displayed photo was taken sometimes in the early 1920's. Check out our past post to see this section of West Harlem as it was depicted before most of the industry arrived: LINK.  For those who want to know more about the area, get copies of Mr. Washington's book about the history of Manhattanville on Amazon: LINK

☞ WALK: The Other Side of Manhattanville

There has been a lot written about the demise of Manhattanville via Eminent Domain but what's been written in the papers only reflect the industrial western half of this former West Harlem Village.  The area west of the Broadway elevated 1 train was close to the Hudson and the train tracks just past 12th Avenue so it was the natural industrial port of this section of Harlem.  On the east side of Broadway and going all the way to St. Nicholas Avenue,  one will find the residential part of of Manhattanville today.

A large part of the old tenements and wood frame houses were demolished in the mid 20th century for housing projects but many side streets still remain.  The section around Convent Avenue from 125th to 135th Street is probably the most intact residential section while lower Old Broadway still has a bit of the industrial element. Manhattanville's north border is at 135th Street and 122nd Street at the southern end. Folks over at Riverside Drive by Grants Tomb probably consider their nabe Morningside Heights but the current Community Board 9 map would argue differently: LINK.  Between housing projects and university growth, much of Manhattanville's landscape has been altered but there's still enough around to get a sense of where it came from originally.

INTRODUCING: A COFFEE ROASTER IN MANHATTANVILLE

Harlem Bespoke:  We just received a press announcement that a major anchor tenant will be arriving to one of the storefronts by the Mink Building in Manhattanville.  Plowshares Coffee Roasters, one of the leading specialty coffee roasters in the New York Metropolitan region, has relocated its headquarters and operations from Hillburn, New York in Rockland County to the Manhattanville Factory District in West Harlem.  The location is actually next to the poultry shop on Amsterdam by  126th Street and heralds the return of commercial industry to the area.

This 3,600 square foot space, located at 1351 Amsterdam Avenue between West 125th and 126th Streets, will open soon and includes over 1,100 square feet for retail customers with ample space for seating and community overlooking a 1940’snewly-refurbished vintage 22 KiloProbat roasting operation and espresso lab. Rich maple walls, tables, stools and benches within the cafe were repurposed from the new Malt House development across the street. The West Harlem community and many new tenants of the Manhattanville Factory District will enjoy what appears to be the most beautiful café in New York.

Jerry Salama, Principal of The Janus Property Company, developer of the Manhattanville Factory District, said Plowshares is a wonderful addition to the neighborhood, which includes the Sweets and Mink Buildings, as well as the 200,000 rsf Malt House and 350,000 rsf Taystee Building, both now under construction and scheduled for completion in 2019 and 2020, respectively.   For Plowshare Coffee employment opportunities, visit: jobs@plowsharescoffee.com

HarlemBespoke.com 2019

BEST OF THE WEEK: MANHATTANVILLE COFFEE

So our best of the week feature basically highlights something remarkable in Harlem that we tried out for the first time. There are a lot of great eats in Harlem and this ongoing series will have the best of the best.

What stood out most at yesterday's soft opening of Manhattanville Coffee was that the new cafe by 142nd Street and Edgecombe has a nice baked goods selections that is quite unique.  A beautiful apple galette was on display along with some great artisan bagels, granola scones, muffins, rugelach and savory quiches but we were quite curious about the Vanilla Canneles de Bordeaux.  These French confections are apparently a rare specialty that has creamy sweetened cheese as the main ingredient and are baked to perfection.  We tried one with our coffee and the overall experience was a like a miniature baked crème brûlée with a caramelized crust and an almost molten center.  On the sweet scale, the canneles delivers a strong punch but pairs well with straight coffee with just a touch of milk.  Manhattanville Coffee is open from 7:00AM until 7:00PM for now and extended hours will be established in the next few weeks.

Check out the official Facebook Site for updates on Manhattanville Coffee: LINK

☞ WALK: Manhattanville Beyond the Viaduct

When we reported on the opening of Kura Kuma Coffee in Manhattanville, we received a message that the new cafe was actually within Morningside Heights.  The old town of Manhattanville is part of West Harlem and many might be surprised to hear that the industrial viaduct portion on 125th Street is not the only area it entails.  The above government map shows that the south border begins at 122nd Street and is adjacent to Morningside Heights.  Note Grant's Tomb is actually in Manhattanville and LaSalle Street is definitely within the perimeters.  At the north border is 135th Street and the area around St. Nicholas Park makes up the eastern division before the transition to Central Harlem. Click on map to enlarge.

SEE: MANHATTANVILLE SCHOOL OF TAILORING

Saturday, August 29th,  1:00PM – 5:00PM,  Fall 2015 Open House at Manhattanville School of Tailoring, 419 West 141st Street, between St. Nicholas and Hamilton Terrace.  Manhattanville School of Tailoring and Fashion Arts (MSTFA) is inviting fashion lovers of all ages and those wanting to learn a new skill, to attend an Open House on Saturday, August 29, 2015 between the hours of 1pm-5pm. Guests will be able to tour the school which is housed in a brownstone located in the historic Hamilton Heights section of Harlem. During this free event guests will be able to meet the instructor and create fun take home items in the Kids Kraft Korner. Early registration for the fall 2015 session will be offered with tuition discounts on selected courses.

About Manhattanville School of Tailoring and Fashion Arts (MSTFA) 
The mission of the MSTFA is to promote self-sufficiency by providing education and training in all sectors of the apparel industry. MSTFA offers courses in professional tailoring, beginner through advance levels; outerwear and pattern drafting for career-minded students and sewing basics and alteration classes for the student interested in sewing as a hobby. Want to learn how to make tote bags, hats & scarfs, decorative pillows? We can teach anyone from 10 years of age through adults.


 For more information visit our website at www.manhattanvilletailors.com

SEE: MANHATTANVILLE SCHOOL OF TAILORING

Saturday, December 19th,  10:00AM-1:00PM, 3:00PM-5:00PM,   Spring 2016 Open House at Manhattanville School of Tailoring, 419 West 141st Street, between St. Nicholas and Hamilton Terrace.  Manhattanville School of Tailoring and Fashion Arts (MSTFA) is inviting fashion enthusiasts of all ages and those wanting to learn a new skill, to attend an Open House on Saturday,  December 19th, 2015 for the next semester of classes.  Guests will be able to tour the school which is housed in a brownstone located in the historic Hamilton Heights section of Harlem. During this free event guests will be able to meet the instructor and create fun take home items in the Kids Kraft Korner. Early registration for the fall 2015 session will be offered with tuition discounts on selected courses.

About Manhattanville School of Tailoring and Fashion Arts (MSTFA) 
The mission of the MSTFA is to promote self-sufficiency by providing education and training in all sectors of the apparel industry. MSTFA offers courses in professional tailoring, beginner through advance levels; outerwear and pattern drafting for career-minded students and sewing basics and alteration classes for the student interested in sewing as a hobby. Want to learn how to make tote bags, hats & scarfs, decorative pillows?  Special courses for younger students are also available starting at age 10 and up.


 For more information visit our website at www.manhattanvilletailors.com

BESPOKE: MANHATTANVILLE TAILOR SCHOOL 2016

Saturday, April 2nd,  1:00PM – 4:00PM,   Spring 2016 Open House at Manhattanville School of Tailoring, 419 West 141st Street, between St. Nicholas and Hamilton Terrace.  Manhattanville School of Tailoring and Fashion Arts (MSTFA) is inviting fashion lovers of all ages and those wanting to learn a new skill, to attend an Open House on Saturday, between the hours of 1:00PM-4:00PM. Guests will be able to tour the school which is housed in a brownstone located in the historic Hamilton Heights section of Harlem.  Meet the instructors, participate in a quick sewing demonstration and enjoy refreshments while hearing more about the next semester.

About Manhattanville School of Tailoring and Fashion Arts (MSTFA) 
The mission of the MSTFA is to promote self-sufficiency by providing education and training in all sectors of the apparel industry. MSTFA offers courses in professional tailoring, beginner through advance levels; outerwear and pattern drafting for career-minded students and sewing basics and alteration classes for the student interested in sewing as a hobby.  Early learner courses for children 10 years of age an up are also available along with the standard adult classes.

 For more information visit our website at www.manhattanvilletailors.com

☞ READ: Automat Collector to Exit Manhattanville

Steve Stollman who has a large collection of automat machines, vintage bars and various antique ephemera currently has his businesse in one of the Manhattanville warehouse buildings that will be demolished for the new Columbia University Manhattanville Campus. The New York Times caught up with the 67 year old collector and antique curator at 600 West 131st Street and takes a look at the nostalgia of the food vending machines that were popular in the 1940's and 1950's. It is still unclear if Mr. Stollman, who has had his business for 24 year, will continue elsewhere or if Columbia University is aiding in the process of relocation. The second photo is an example of the various period bars that the antique dealer also specializes in (future speakeasy and restaurant revival proprietors should take note). Read more about the automat collector of Harlem in today's NY Times: LINK. For those interested in old antiques, check out the inventory at A Beautiful Bar in Manhattanville before it's gone: LINK

☞ REVIVE: Manhattanville Demolition Phase I

As everyone waits for to see if the Eminent Domain ruling gets turned around in Columbia's favor by the Court of Appeals, many might be wondering why a majority of the land between 126th Street and 130th Street has been pretty much wiped out as of last week (top photo). Since the Appellate Division of the New York State Supreme Court, this past December, declared that the university caused the blight in Manhattanville (and thus could not use Eminent Domain to take away property from the remaining owners), the demolition of Phase 1 of the project has still been going strong.

The top photo shows the area where the old stables-turned-garage had existed and now the entire land has been stripped bare. Columbia officials are so confident that the ruling will be overturned in the next three weeks that they have stated that no Plan B has been drawn out if the verdict does not go in their favor. If the property owners who own the last 9% of the Manhattanville site win out next month, the remaining fate of the rest of the new campus will be unclear. Read more details on what the university officials have to say in the Columbia Spectator (No Plan B for Manhattanville): LINK

☞ WALK: Manhattanville's Carriage Houses

The carriage houses on the main section of Manhattanville are currently in the process of demolition to make way for the Columbia University Manhattanville campus but we did find one a block east that has dodged the wrecking ball for quite some years. East of Broadway, on West 126th Street, there are a few smaller buildings left from the village days of Manhattanville. One of the more handsome stables is currently used as garage (top photo) and can be found on West 126th Street right before Convent Avenue. There are couple of extra garages and empty lots in this hidden corner and somehow time has forgotten these lost buildings of a once rural past. Let's hope that the empty lots get developed in the future and maybe these century old buildings could be converted into adaptive reuse housing when the time comes around. The closest subways are the A,B,C,D trains on 125th Street to get to this corner of West Harlem. Photo by Ulysses

REMEMBER: A MANHATTANVILLE GAS STATION C. 2012

Harlem Bespoke:  We have been going on over a decade of photos taken for the blog of local gas stations that have been closed down and found these images in our archives of the one by the car wash in Manhattanville.   The above photos are from 2012 and shows the corner of 12th Avenue and 125th Street before everything was demolished.  Construction on site finally finished up in recent months and the after photos are pretty dramatic.

SHOP: MORE AT MANHATTANVILLE STARBUCKS

Harlem's newest Starbucks opening in Manhattanville looks like it will be opening any day now.  A Bespoke tip came in that all the furniture has been moved into the store over the past few days and all of the signage has been installed at the location just south of 125th Street on Broadway.  Manhattanville will be even going through more changes in the next few years since the new Columbia University campus has been established in the area but things are pretty much still under construction.   More on the $7 billion Manhattanville Campus can be found in our past post: LINK

☞ REVIVE: Manhattanville Demolition Up Close

For those who do not live in West Harlem, the whole new Columbia Manhattanville campus is quite confusing to figure out so we are taking a closer look at Phase 1 that is scheduled to finish in 2015. The first image is the architect's model plan of the new buildings to be built (looking north) in the industrial area of far west Manhattanville (which is bordered by the elevated 1 line on broadway at the eastside and the riverside viaduct at the westside). West 125th Street is the diagonal street at the lower section of the construction area.

The area between 129th and 130th, which has been shown in all the recent photographs (2nd photo down), is highlighted in green at the top model map (click to enlarge). The second photo shows the site looking westward from the elevated 1 subway tracks at Broadway. The furthest building under the dark scaffolding in the distance is the building right before the Tuck-it-Away facility at 12th Avenue (see 3rd photo down for street view). The building furthest west currently under demolition is marked in orange at the top map.

What's left of phase 1 is highlighted in yellow at the top map. The said Tuck-It-Away storage building is the small yellow wedge furthest to the left. The yellow wedge in front of the green demolition area is the Floridita building which also had a lot of controversy in recent years since that business was displaced (this is the low yellow structure with the striped awnings in the 2nd photo). The gas station in question of the the eminent domain hearings is the small triangle right in front of Floridita.

The three smaller buildings furthest south at bottom of the top map (facing 125th Street) consist of a line of low level commercial buildings and a McDonald's at the corner of Broadway. This corner land was negotiated so that a new school would be built for the community (which might be a charter). The last photo shows the current lot today from 125th Street looking south. Check out the diagram of phase 1 on the Columbia site: LINK. Phase 2 will be reviewed further next week. Model map courtesy of SOM and Jock Pottle.

SHOP: CHRISTMAS TREES IN MANHATTANVILLE

It now seems that every neighborhood of Harlem is selling Christmas trees these days but we were most surprised to see the holiday merchants show up over in Manhattanville. The elevated train station on Broadway provides a good amount of foot traffic but some massive housing projects can be seen just across the street as well as a pretty uninspiring McDonalds.  A new building from the Columbia University expansion into the neighborhood looms just north of the block and Starbucks is preparing to open to south so this could just be the beginning of the major visible changes to neighborhood.   Manhattanville has been previously a neglected part of the island but will be probably be dramatically transforming within the next 5 years based on what we can see thus far.

INTRODUCING: PANDA SIGNS IN MANHATTANVILLE

Harlem Bespoke: A new nightclub appears to be taking over the former Solomon & Kuff space on West 133rd and 12th Avenue over in Manhattanville which has been vacant for two years now.  We walked by the empty restaurant space in Harlem's former industrial neighborhood this week and saw that Panda signage has now been posted up. 

☞ SHOP: The Harlem Last Minute Valentine's List

Here's the annual Harlem Valentine's Day Check List for all the last-minute Romeos out there. Red Rooster will probably be booked all night so here are some other selections that might be easier to get a table at. Florists are also listed.

Central Harlem

Flora Expressions, Harlem oldest florist at 135th: LINK

Barbara's Flowers, a florist on upper FDB: LINK

Maison Harlem, French Bistro on St. Nicholas: LINK
Chez Lucienne, French Bistro on Lenox: LINK
Sylvia's, The soul food classic on Lenox: LINK
Yatenga, French Bistro on ACP: LINK

South Harlem
Harlem Flo, florist on FDB: LINK
Katrina Parris, florist on Lenox: LINK
Franz James, FDB's newest florist: LINK
Jado Sushi, Authentic Japanese on FDB: LINK
Cedric, Harlem's new French bistro: LINK
5 & Diamond, expensive but one of the best restaurants uptown: LINK
Lido, the newest Italian restaurant on the FDB corridor: LINK
Melba's, contemporary southern on FDB: LINK
Native, contemporary and cozy with a touch of southern: LINK
Settepani, modern Italian on Lenox: LINK
Zoma, sleek, minimalist Ethiopian on FDB: LINK

East Harlem
Lexington Social, downtown ambiance on Lexington: LINK
Ricardo Steak House on 2nd Avenue: LINK
Moustache, East Harlem branch of the West Village favorite: LINK

West Harlem
Bettolona, contemporary Italian in Manhattanville: LINK
Pisticci, popular traditional Italian also in Manhattanville: LINK
Covo, Italian served up in a former Manhattanville train station: LINK

☞ REVIVE: The Old Dinosaur Bar-B-Que Building

UPDATE: added the lower photo which shows that the building has completely been demolished. 

Demolition over at 12th Avenue and 131st Street has begun as the Manhattanville campus makes progress and that means that the original location of Dinosaur Bar-B-Que is going down. The old gritty warehouse space was transformed to uptown's best BBQ joint years ago before much of anything had arrived in Manhattanville and proved that the right business could work in the area.  Walking by the building over week ago, we found the telltale scaffolding up so it is only a matter of time before all will be gone. A new location with the same ambiance opened just down the avenue at 125th Street this past year so the business is still in the industrial neighborhood. The 12th Avenue side of this section of Manhattanville is the furthest west border of the new campus and these buildings will be one of the last ones to go before new construction arrives.

☞ INTRODUCING: Noodle Bar in Manhattanville

There has been a lot of activity at 3185 Broadway between Tiemann and 125th Street and now it appears that a noodle shop will be arriving sometimes soon to this section of Manhattanville.  Construction workers have been on site since the summer and occasional glimpses of the interior reveal wall-to-wall narrow horizontal wood paneling in gradient thicknesses.  This is a contemporary finishing that a lot of modern Thai restaurants have in common so we were guessing that something with an Asian offering would be coming along.  Looking up the DOB permits, it appears that a business called Jin Noodle Bar will be arriving sometimes in the near future at this fringe section located right before the new Manhattanville campus construction site.

BESPOKE: TAILOR SCHOOL SPRING OPEN HOUSE

Tuesday, March 7th, 5:00PM – 8:00PM,   Spring 2017 Open House at Manhattanville School of Tailoring, 419 West 141st Street, between St. Nicholas and Hamilton Terrace.  Manhattanville School of Tailoring and Fashion Arts (MSTFA) is inviting fashion lovers of all ages and those wanting to learn a new skill, to attend an Open House on Tuesday, between the hours of 5:00PM-8:00PM. Guests will be able to tour the school which is housed in a brownstone located in the historic Hamilton Heights section of Harlem.  Meet the instructors, participate in a quick sewing demonstration and hear more about the next semester.

About Manhattanville School of Tailoring and Fashion Arts (MSTFA) 
The mission of the MSTFA is to promote self-sufficiency by providing education and training in all sectors of the apparel industry. MSTFA offers courses in professional tailoring, beginner through advance levels; outerwear and pattern drafting for career-minded students and sewing basics and alteration classes for the student interested in sewing as a hobby.  Early learner courses for children 10 years of age an up are also available along with the standard adult classes.

 For more information visit:  www.manhattanvilletailors.com