Archival image courtesy NYPL
Harlem Bespoke: The corner of Lenox and 145th Street is making big news these days because the community is trying to block a residential tower from being built on the now vacated land. Somehow the demolition of 697 Lenox Avenue back in 2019 did not get any attention at all even though this was Harlem's most notable black hotel during a time when the city was vastly segregated. The Hotel Olga had the distinction of being the first uptown hotel to lease out to African-Americans during the early 20th century and would open its doors to all citizens while the Hotel Theresa on 125 Street remained segregated. Hotel Olga would be the establishment to stay at for black tourists throughout the 1920s and 1930s but then became obsolete in the 1940s when Hotel Theresa was finally integrated.
Older city photos form the 1980s show that the building was even boarded up back then and we took the color photo about 10 years ago but regretfully have no others to show. Somehow this very important landmark did not get the city's protection and there is not much left of this historic corner of Harlem. Demolition photos can be found in our past post:
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