☞ REMEMBER: The Tree of Hope

One of the most famous legends that the older generations of Harlem know very well is that of the Tree of Hope on the Boulevard of Dreams. You see, as Jazz became the center of the Harlem entertainment world in the early part of the 1900's, 7th Avenue (today's ACP) became the Boulevard of Dreams to many performers. The block between West 131st Street and 132nd, where the Lafayette Theatre and Conny's Inn stood side by side, was a sort of nexus for performers since they were two prominent entertainment venues. In between the two buildings was a tall, old elm which would be known as the Tree of Hope. Legend has it that those who would rub the tree would have good luck and fortune, so performers made sure to pay it a visit before heading out for auditions or going on stage.

The top photo shows the second location of the tree since the original one was chopped down to widen the boulevard in the mid 1930's. A plaque and new tree was placed by the stump in the meridian of 7th Avenue, and folks used to come by and rub the stump. The tree mysteriously disappeared but part of the stump was rescued and can now be seen on the stage of the Apollo Theater. Performers who were not around when the tree was on its original plot still rub the preserved trunk for luck before taking the spotlight as part of a modern day tradition.

Today, two more representations of the Tree of Hope can be found near its original spot. During the 1970's, a modernist sculpture was placed in the meridian that represents the Tree of Hope abstractly (far left of lower photo). More recently, a sapling has been planted in front of the church that used to house the Lafayette Theatre (far lower right of photo). To see a glimpse of the Tree of Hope as it originally stood, see our past post on the Lafayette Theatre (you can see the tree branches at the far right of the image): LINK.