Upon becoming successful in both fame and love, Harry Houdini moved into a Harlem brownstone that he would live in until his death in 1926. The house was just completed in 1904 in a predominantly German and Jewish portion of the newly developed neighborhood of Harlem. Houdini bought the property for $25,000 and moved in with his wife Bess. Not only was it his home space, but also his office and work studio. The house still stands today, not too far off from Morningside Park (click on map to enlarge). The Harry Houdini House is located at 278 West 113th Street, between ACP/7th Avenue and FDB/8th Avenue. Take the B,C train to 110th.
Technicallly, this home is in what is now called Morningside Heights, as Harlem is considered to start above 125th Street by most. Columbia University is a couple blocks east from this house, just on the other side of Morningside Park.
ReplyDeleteI'm with Ulysses - Morningside Heights my ass! Harlem begins at 110th and encompasses everything from Morningside park (Manhattan Avenue) east.
ReplyDeleteMorningside Heights is called that because it's at the top of the large topographical incline west of the park.
This post wrongly states that the Houdini house is "not far from Morningside Park" - actually it is much closer to Central park, just two block south/