When we walked by 5 West 120th Street this past weekend, there seemed to be a lot of activity at the formerly boarded up townhouse. This block between Mount Morris Park West and Lenox Avenue has some of the most beautiful brownstones in Manhattan but there are couple of mystery houses at the east side. Checking back on the sales records, this abandoned SRO was sold at the end of summer this year for $700K. A work permit from 2005 show that all the filings were in place for converting the SRO into a 4-family, class "A" building and another permit was also issued this month. Apparently the 20 foot wide townhouse was classified as "I1" which is basically a hospital or sanitarium. Whatever the case may be, this property was boarded up for a long time and it's quite good news to see men on site restoring the landmark building.
This is very interesting to me Ulysses as I know for sure that 1 block north at 121st & Mt. Morris Park West @ #10 & 11 those two buildings once housed the Mt Morris Park Hospital from the late 1940's through early 60's. It was a hospital founded by a consortium of West Indian Doctors, most from Guyana. So I wonder if #5 W. 120th had any affiliation to the Mt Morris Park Hospital? During the Harlem Renaissance there were a significant number of townhouses & brownstones that were converted to hospitals or at that time sanitariums by black physicians because they couldn't get privileges at any of the local hospitals in Manhattan. Louis Wright founded the Booker T. Washington Sanitorium on ACP Blvd and worked there before getting privileges at Harlem Hospital. Wiley Wilson founded the Edgecombe Sanitarium in a town house at 138th & Edgecombe (the same house Josephine Baker had rehearsal in) with the proceeds of his divorce settlement from A'Lelia Walker.
ReplyDeleteAlso, around the corner from 5 West 120th St. was the Laura Franklin Free Hospital for Children which occupied the buildings at 17 East 119th St.
Fascinating Greg. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteAgreed. Thanks Greg. Just to add, the block where I live on 122nd was once known as "Doctor's Row" as so many doctors once lived there.
ReplyDeleteHad heard that this house was once some sort of a hospital from older 120th street residents years ago.
ReplyDeleteCurious though,in early October there was a big commotion on the site. Saw several people arguing with the construction crew. One of those yelling was a woman who we knew was an owner. Police was called and asked them to leave. Rumor has it that she lost the house.
Woke up to DOT putting up a Bump sign. Finally!! Tired of cars driving down this street like they are on a racetrack.
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