The Mount Morris Park block of West 119th Street between Fifth and Lenox is probably a good example of how much Central Harlem has changed over the years but yet still remains the same. Houses on the north side of the street are looking much better these days with most of the shells fixed up as can be seen at the top photo. While on the south side, homes are up on the market for
$2.25 million on the lower end if they are in decent condition but the same can not be said for many of the neighbors. As can be seen in the other photo, a handful of shells with ominous gates and blocked up windows still stand as a reminder of tougher times in the neighborhood. Those who are patient might eventually be living on the one of the best blocks below 125th Street but for now it all still looks like a scene from the 90s before most of Harlem started its period of modern revitalization.
hey—that’s my block! It has a certain funky charm worth preserving. And as a proud owner (right to the left of the boarded up houses shown) of a building on the South Side I would like to point out that there are still some dead dodgy vacant buildings on the North.
ReplyDeleteThis block was famous for crack. It’s a lot quieter if not quite as . . .um, interesting, now