Friday, December 16, 2011

☞ REMEMBER: Manhattanville Gas Station c.1941


A photo from 1941 shows the triangular intersection at 125th Street and 12th Avenue that houses the third incarnation of the Cotton Club in Manhattanville.  This peculiar commercial plot has a distinct shape to it and the lower photo shows that the lounge is really just a white stucco version of the original building.  Harlem's first Cotton Club was located more centrally than this location (by West 142nd Street) and the owners eventually moved the venue to midtown in latter years.  This new version of the iconic Harlem boîte was open in more recent decades and does not share the history of the original two.

Wurts Bros. New York, NY, St. Clare and 12th Avenue at 125th Street gas station, 6/21/41 via the digital collection at the Museum of the City of New York
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1 comment:

  1. BradDecember 21, 2011 at 12:29 PM

    Thanks so much for unearthing this photo and sharing. Some years ago there was a failed push on the Community Board to landmark this iteration of the Cotton Club. You've correctly pointed out that just because it shares a legendary name with its predecessors doesn't mean that it is historically worthy of designation. And, unfortunately the stucco bastardization of the gas station destroyed what would have been an eminently worthy architectural landmark had its Art Deco? Bauhaus? features been retained.

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