REMEMBER: THE BATTLE OF HARLEM HEIGHTS

Harlem Bespoke:  Below is an article published on HB back in 2016 about one of the most incredible military battles that happened uptown on September 16, 1776 during the nation's fight for independence.  The above plaque can be found on the walls of one of the Columbia University buildings on Broadway at 118th Street.

The Battle of Harlem Heights in 1776 was a major turning point during the American Revolutionary War since the Continental Army lead by General George Washington lost the Battle of Long Island in the previous month and also had to pull back after a defeat at Kips Bay in lower Manhattan.  Roughly 1,800 men on the American side would engage in battle with over 5,000 soldiers from the British Army from 106th Street up to Manhattanville by 125th Street and would end up victorious by day's end.

BESPOKE: FAUX FINISHING WORSHOP AT MORRIS-JUMEL

Faux Finishing Painting Workshop, Saturday, January 21st, 1:00PM-3:00PM at the Morris-Jumel Mansion, 65 Jumel Terrace between 160th and 161st Street. Come experience the new reinterpretations of the museum’s Octagon, Hall and George Washington’s war room while learning the details of decorative and faux painting from Mike McMath who completed the work here at the Mansion. You’ll also get to try your hand at some basic techniques and take your work home with you. Reservations are strongly recommended as space is limited. Tickets are $30 per person, $25 for members.

To make a reservation email: publicprograms@morrisjumel.org

RENT: TWO BEDROOMS BY HIGH BRIDGE PARK

A two-bedroom by High Bridge Park in the Heights going for $1,840 a month is the rent pick of the week and also does not include any broker fees.  The walk-up building at 501 West 173rd Street is only 5 blocks away from the express station so those who want to get a little more space in the new year for less should check out the listing on Streeteasy for more details: LINK

MEET: A PARANORMAL HOLIDAY AT MORRIS-JUMEL

Tuesday, December 20th, 6:30pm-9:30pm, A Paranormal Victorian Holiday & Book Release, at Morris-Jumel Mansion, 65 Jumel Terrace by 161st Street.  Celebrating the publication of The Morris-Jumel Mansion Anthology of Fantasy and Paranormal Fiction, the Mansion will be hosting a Paranormal Victorian Holiday event! Guests will be served hot spiced wine and cider, cheese, cookies and other holiday fare, and given an overview of paranormal activity at the mansion. Copies of the book will be available for purchase. Victorian attire is encouraged, but not required. Holiday singing will close the evening’s festivities.  More details on the MJM website: LINK

LISTEN: MORRIS-JUMEL HOLIDAY CONCERT 2016

Annual Holiday Concert, Saturday, December 10th, 2016, 3:00PM-4:30PM at the Morris-Jumel Mansion, 65 Jumel Terrace betweend 160th and 161st Street. No holiday season is complete without MJM's Annual Holiday Concert. Brooklyn Baroque and guests will perform chamber and vocal music perfectly suited to the season. Featuring works by Telemann, Gluck, Cesti, Boismortier, others. Michael Maliakel, baritone; Margaret Ziemnicka, violin; David Bakamjian, cello; Rebecca Pechefsky, harpsichord.  $25, $20 (Members).

For more information, email: publicprograms@morrisjumel.org.

BESPOKE: FAUX FINISHES AT MORRIS-JUMEL

Saturday, December 3rd,1:00PM-3:00PM,  Faux Finishing Workshop at the Morris-Jumel Mansion, 65 Jumel Terrace by 161st Street.  Come experience the new reinterpretations of the museum’s Octagon, Hall and George Washington’s war room while learning the details of decorative and faux painting from Mike McMath who completed the work here at the Mansion. You’ll also get to try your hand at some basic techniques and take your work home with you. Reservations are strongly recommended as space is limited.

Tickets are $30 per person, $25 for members. For more information and to make a reservation please email:  publicprograms@morrisjumel.org

DRINK: SCOTCH TASTING AT MORRIS-JUMEL

Thursday, November 10th, 7:00pm 9:00pm, Tastings At Calumet Hall: Scotch, at the Morris-Jumel Mansion,  65 Jumel Terrace at 160th Street.  Celebrating the brief period in which the Mansion served as a tavern, come partake in a discussion and tasting of libations synonymous with the colonial period. This month’s focus will be scotch. $30, $20 Members/Students.  For additional information, please email:  publicprograms@morrisjumel.org

INTRODUCING: FANCY ME MAD AT MORRIS-JUMEL

Friday-Saturday, October 28th-29th, 8:00pm, Fancy Me Mad Theatrical Performance at Morris-Jumel Mansion,  65 Jumel Terrace by 161st Street.  Set within a Baltimore, Maryland apartment circa 2009, Fancy Me Mad is Morris-Jumel Mansion’s newest theatrical production. Audiences will witness the story of a young man, who upon the death of his Grandmother, arrives at her apartment and discovers her secret infatuation with the author Edgar Allen Poe. In reading his Grandmother’s secret journal he evokes the spirits embodying Poe’s works. Fancy Me Mad highlights the love, loss and mystery of a man whose life is so often hauntingly reflected in his work.

Performances run between October 20th and November 5th on Thursdays through Saturdays at 8:00pm. Admission is $30 per person, $20 for members, seniors, and students with a same day student rush of $10 (limited to 10 tickets per show). A reception will follow each performance.

Seating is strictly limited so advanced registration is required. Please call 212-923-8008 or visit mjmfancymemad.brownpapertickets.com to purchase tickets.

SEE: FANCY ME MAD AT MORRIS-JUMEL

Thursday, October 20th, 8:00pm, Fancy Me Mad Theatrical Performance at Morris-Jumel Mansion,  65 Jumel Terrace by 161st Street.  Set within a Baltimore, Maryland apartment circa 2009, Fancy Me Mad is Morris-Jumel Mansion’s newest theatrical production. Audiences will witness the story of a young man, who upon the death of his Grandmother, arrives at her apartment and discovers her secret infatuation with the author Edgar Allen Poe. In reading his Grandmother’s secret journal he evokes the spirits embodying Poe’s works. Fancy Me Mad highlights the love, loss and mystery of a man whose life is so often hauntingly reflected in his work.

Performances run between October 20th and November 5th on Thursdays through Saturdays at 8:00pm. Admission is $30 per person, $20 for members, seniors, and students with a same day student rush of $10 (limited to 10 tickets per show). A reception will follow each performance.

Seating is strictly limited so advanced registration is required. Please call 212-923-8008 or visit mjmfancymemad.brownpapertickets.com to purchase tickets.

SEE: ARTNOIR AT OPEN HOUSE NEW YORK 2016

Open House New York will be happening this year on October 15th and 16th throughout greater New York City.  Those who caught a glimpse of the United Palace Theatre in Luke Cage will be excited to hear that the historic landmark will be featured in the ArtNoir portion of this weekend's Open House New York events.  ArtNoir celebrates the connection that architecture has with communities and all of the sites listed are free to view on a walk-in bases this Saturday or Sunday.  Check out the full list of places to visit on the OHNY website: LINK

REMEMBER: WIDOWS WALK ON RIVERSIDE CIRCA 1937

This old photo from MCNY of Number 857 Riverside Drive shows a tiny semi-detach house with a widow's walk attached to the roof.  This cupola built on top of homes in the 1800s provided a view of the nearby waterway and the myth is that the wives of mariners would woefully wait for the return of their loved ones by peering through the windows up top.  We were able to get a good look at the home as it stands currently which was quite a surprising discovery.

DWELL: 815 RIVERSIDE DRIVE

An interesting corner building at 815 Riverside Drive has just arrived not the market for the asking of $3.75 million.   Some of the major details such as the cornices are missing but the location by 158 Street is only a couple of blocks away from the subway station on Broadway which has had a lot of new commercial arrivals in the few years.  Since this is basically a six-unit apartment building, the buyer will just be an investor at this point but it would be great to see this one fixed up.  More details on the broker site: LINK

READ: THE TIMES EXPLORES WASHINGTON HEIGHTS

The New York Times recently had a lovely article on an empty-nester seeking to downsize who moved back to the city and immediately fell in love with Washington Heights.  All of the grand pre-war apartments by 157th Street had the architectural beauty of Paris and the neighborhood still felt like a community which was a refreshing change from lower Manhattan.   Prices are rising in the Heights but the uptown addresses are still considered a deal as far as Manhattan is concerned and we expect more to arrive in the neighborhood in the upcoming years.  Read the full article in the Times: LINK

RENT: TWO BEDROOMS ON SUGAR HILL

Number 463 West 159th Street arrived on the market this past weekend and the two-bedroom is going for $1,895 a month.  The Sugar Hill location is close the Morris-Jumel Historic District and and short walk away to the C or 1 trains.  St. Nicholas is pretty residential at this part of uptown but the Broadway corridor further west by 157th Street has new businesses opening all of the time.  More details on Streeteasy: LINK

SEE: ALICE IN WONDERLAND AT MORRIS-JUMEL

September 15th-18th, 22nd-25th, 29th-30th & October 1st-2nd, Alice in Wonderland at Morris-Jumel Mansion, 65 Jumel Terrace at 161st Street. The Morris-Jumel Mansion will offer audiences the opportunity to experience Lewis Carroll's acclaimed children's story Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (1865) as a unique theatrical performance! In contrast with the many sesquicentennial celebrations of Carroll's beloved fantasy, the Mansion's adaptation will incorporate its celebrated association with the American Revolution represented in the characters of the play such as the Mad Hatter (George Washington), Cheshire Cat (Marquis de Lafayette), and White Rabbit (Benedict Arnold).

Adapted and directed by Vincent Carbone with costumes designed by Vanessa Soto, the interactive production tells the story of young Alice, who, visiting the Mansion with her brother, separates from a tour after catching a glimpse of the White Rabbit dashing through the garden. She discovers herself in Wonderland with the American Revolution as the backdrop. Contention hangs thick in the air, almost as if the revolutionary spark will ignite at any moment. In this environment, Alice (and the audience) must adapt quickly in order to survive this curious land.

The audience and Alice will explore the grounds of the Mansion as they encounter Carroll's iconic characters. $40, $30 Members/Students/Seniors; $20 same-day Student Rush tickets will be available at the door (Limit 10 per performance).  Purchase online tickets at the Morris-Jumel site: LINK

SEE: ALICE IN WONDERLAND AT MORRIS-JUMEL

September 15th-18th, 22nd-25th, 29th-30th & October 1st-2nd, Alice in Wonderland at Morris-Jumel Mansion, 65 Jumel Terrace at 161st Street. The Morris-Jumel Mansion will offer audiences the opportunity to experience Lewis Carroll's acclaimed children's story Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (1865) as a unique theatrical performance! In contrast with the many sesquicentennial celebrations of Carroll's beloved fantasy, the Mansion's adaptation will incorporate its celebrated association with the American Revolution represented in the characters of the play such as the Mad Hatter (George Washington), Cheshire Cat (Marquis de Lafayette), and White Rabbit (Benedict Arnold).

Adapted and directed by Vincent Carbone with costumes designed by Vanessa Soto, the interactive production tells the story of young Alice, who, visiting the Mansion with her brother, separates from a tour after catching a glimpse of the White Rabbit dashing through the garden. She discovers herself in Wonderland with the American Revolution as the backdrop. Contention hangs thick in the air, almost as if the revolutionary spark will ignite at any moment. In this environment, Alice (and the audience) must adapt quickly in order to survive this curious land.

The audience and Alice will explore the grounds of the Mansion as they encounter Carroll's iconic characters. $40, $30 Members/Students/Seniors; $20 same-day Student Rush tickets will be available at the door (Limit 10 per performance).  Purchase online tickets at the Morris-Jumel site: LINK

READ: MORE AFFORDABLE RENT IN MANHATTAN

Uptown is still one of the better deals to be had for renters in Manhattan with an average for a one-bedroom apartment set around $2,000 a month but two-bedrooms can still definitely be found at that price points.  A map via Zumper as featured in Time Out New York reveals that even prime parts of Brooklyn and Long Island City are $1,000 more a month to live in than the very accessible neighborhoods north of 96th Street.

SEE: THE FIRST FILM AT MORRIS-JUMEL MANSION

Thursday, September 8th, 2016, 7:00PM-10:00PM, The First Film Screening at Morris-Jumel Mansion, 65 Jumel Terrace at 161st Street.  Weeks before a planned debut of his films at the Morris-Jumel Mansion in 1890, Louis Le Prince mysteriously disappeared and was largely forgotten as the father of moving pictures. In a stunning documentary titled "The First Film," director David Nicholas Wilkinson presents the case that Louis Le Prince was the world's first cameraman, director, and producer of movies. Through extensive research with Morris-Jumel documents, interviews with film historians and criminal investigators, and meetings with Le Prince descendants, Wilkinson reveals a compelling story of innovation and the ruthless international competition to create the first moving pictures.

The screening will take place outdoors on the Morris-Jumel Mansion grounds. Screenings will be followed by a program with Mr. Wilkinson and the Mansion's Executive Director, Carol Ward. Refreshments will be served. Visitors are welcome to bring blankets and tour the Mansion. Admission is $40 per person, $30 for members, seniors, and students: LINK

BESPOKE KIDS: COLONIAL TOYS AT MORRIS-JUMEL

Saturday, August 27th, 11:00PM-1:00PM, Make Colonial Toys at Morris-Jumel Mansion,  65 Jumel Terracea at 161st Street.  Summer is almost coming to an end, but there's still time for some colonial family fun! Come make toys children enjoyed 250 years ago, such as a whirligig. Also, enjoy some outdoor colonial games in our park. Free with museum admission! Advanced registration recommended.  Register by emailing:  education@morrisjumel.org

RENT: TWO BEDROOMS IN THE HEIGHTS

The rent pick of the week is a two-bedroom on the top of Sugar Hill at 509 West 159th Street going for $1,750 a month. This prewar building is just a couple of blocks away from the Morris-Jumel Mansion, the subway stop, supermarket and also a short walk to the Broadway commercial corridor.  More on the broker site: LINK