REMEMBER: THE LANGSTON HUGHES HOUSE CIRCA 1940

Harlem Bespoke: We have written a lot about the Langston Hughes House at at 20 East 127th Street over the years but never pulled up an archival photo.  The above historic images from the city files show the matching brownstones on the block between Fifth Avenue and Park a few year before the Harlem poet would reside within on the top floor as his workspace.  

There was some crazy nonsense about the address being in danger of being demolished if sold over the years but the notable brownstone is an officially designated New York City Landmark as of 1981 and is protected from such actions.  Langston Hughes was one of the few luminaries from the Harlem Renaissance that actually stayed in Harlem and lived at this notable address from 1947 to 1967 until the end of his life. Uptown's most famous neighborhood was a political and artistic stepping stone for many celebrities of the day but only those who truly loved this part of upper Manhattan chose to stay permanently.  Check out our past post from 10 years ago to see interiors of the home when it was last on the market: LINK

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