DWELL: 417 WEST 146TH STREET IN CONTRACT

Harlem Bespoke:  The spring season is picking up also with more home sales. Homebuyers looking for a renovated blank canvas interior but in a historic Sugar Hill townhouse with great bones apparently appreciate 417 West 146th Street just west of St. Nicholas Avenue since a contract is now based on the asking set at $1.8 million.

QUESTION: MORE DEVELOPMENT AT 655 ST. NICHOLAS?

Harlem Bespoke:  We have been taking photos of the development plans by Harlem School of the Arts for a decade now and remember when a huge 111 unit residential building was proposed next door at a massive lot that used to have an old garage building on it.  The lot was even staged as a set for West Side Story recently in a scene that depicts the Puerto Rican neighborhood being taken over by rampant development.  So what did eventually happen here?

REMEMBER: 424 ST. NICHOLAS AVENUE

Harlem Bespoke:  There has been an empty lot at 424 St. Nicholas Avenue since at least the 1980s and we wondered what was possibly here at this location by West 133rd Street.  Archival city photos from the 1940s show a matching building to the one to the left of the lot but somehow everything was demolished and never replaced.  Housing is such a big deal these days in the city and it would be kind of beneficial to have these empty lots in the neighborhood be put back to their original use.  Another point to note is that this side of the avenue faces the park and so would be very ideal for any future dwelling space. 

HarlemBespoke.com 2022

DWELL: 910 ST. NICHOLAS AVENUE IN CONTRACT

Harlem Bespoke: Number 910 St. Nicholas Avenue recently arrived on the market in October and the Sugar Hill home with a Dutch-style aesthetic has been sharply priced at $1.575 million and now has a contract out.  As previously mentioned, there is an abundance of original details within and the home belonged to a notable Harlem quilt artist who has works at The Smithsonian and is one to watch for under the $2 million price point. The 2-family townhouse is also on the same block as the C train station at West 155th Street and a short walk to restaurants, coffee shops and grocery store on the historic hill.  More details and contact information can be found on the broker site: LINK

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INTRODUCING: THE PORCH ARRIVING ON SUGAR HILL

Harlem Bespoke:  We received a tip this weekend that a now restaurant will be arriving on Sugar Hill at one of the commercial storefronts by the express subway entrances at 147th Street. This location is ideal because of the subway proximity and the raised sidewalk out front actually looks like a porch which would make for a great outdoor patio.  An opening date is set for fall which mean construction should be starting soon.  Stay tuned for more details in the coming weeks. 

HarlemBespoke.com 2021

DWELL: FAISON FIREHOUSE REDUCED

Harlem Bespoke:  The Faison Firehouse Theater and the adjacent lot was up for sale for $13 million earlier on in 2018, had a contract out at the end of June 2020 when the price was reduced to $10 million and then went back on the market with a noticeably upgraded $14 million asking.  Now another year has turned the corner and the unique residence had a price reduction in February to $12.75 million.   As previously mentioned, the 29-feet-wide facade was originally a Beaux Arts firehouse which has been converted into a performance theater and living space over the years. This is one of the highest price points in the neighborhood so a developer might end up purchasing the unique property.  Express trains at 125th Street are only a block away and the FDB commercial corridor is also short walk from the location.  More details on Streeteasy: LINK

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ARCHITECTURE: A MISSING BAY WINDOW REVEALED

Harlem Bespoke: Some might have assumed that the missing oriel bay window at 749 St. Nicholas Avenue by 147th Street would have been just a replica of the adjacent neighbors but additional online research has now proven this theory wrong.  Writer Ralph Ellison once lived here so the address has always been a brownstone of interest for the neighborhood.

CELEBRATE: TREE LIGHTING AT ST. NICHOLAS PARK

Saturday, December 5th, 5:00PM-6:00PM, Christmas Tree lighting at St. Nicholas Park Plaza, by West 135th Street. It might not be the gigantic Rockefeller Christmas Tree but St. Nicholas Park has a tree decorating tradition that will continue this year on a smaller scale.  There will not be a formal ceremony because of social distancing concerns but neighbors can hang their own ornaments up on the small tree at the The James Baldwin Lawn at 135th Street when the lights goes live early evening on the first Saturday of December.

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REOPENING: B2 HARLEM AT 119TH STREET

Harlem Bespoke: Even more reopenings are happening this week with B2 Harlem returning to the dining scene as of yesterday.  There are a wide variety of crafted cocktails to choose from at the eatery on West 119th Street by St. Nicholas Avenue but the fine seafood selection is the shining star.  There should be outdoor tables at some point in time so we will have an updated photo later on in the week.  More on B2 Harlem can be found in our past post: LINK


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SEE: CHLOE BASS EXHIBIT AT ST. NICHOLAS PARK

Harlem Bespoke:  The public art exhibit by Chloë Bass called Wayfinding that debuted at St. Nicholas Park last fall was basically prescient about the current mood of the neighborhood.  There are actually 24 sculptures to discover along the green space between 128th and 141st street but one of the signs that really stick out in our minds is the statement about coping in life.  Those who want some exercise should drop by the park and check the installations which also has a map at the lower level by 135th Street.  Everything will be up until end of September which provides a lot of time to check things out during the current shelter-in-place pause in neighborhood.  More details can be found on the Studio Museum site: LINK

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CELEBRATE: THE HARLEM HARVEST FESTIVAL 2019

Saturday, October 5th, 11:00AM-4:00PM, 10th Annual Harlem Harvest Festival,  St. Nicholas Avenue between 117th Street and 118th Street.  Harlem Park to Park will present the 10th annual Harlem Harvest Festival on Saturday, October 5th. The event began as a way to bring green markets and artisanal products to Harlem, at a time when there were few to none available for locals. Today, Harlem enjoys a plethora of farmers markets and Harlem Park to Park’s Harvest Festival has evolved into an opportunity to showcase the best, and newest Harlem made products available. Producers of culinary and lifestyle products come together to showcase their wares, providing samples, and selling their goods to festival goers and even retail buyers.  Chef Joseph Johnson’s newly opened FieldTrip Harlem will be one of the many vendors included at this year's celebration. There will also be music by DJ Stormin Norman of Sundae Sermon, Farmers Market vendors, restaurant vendors, demos and community bake offs along with children's activities throughout the day.


HarlemBespoke.com 2019

FILM: GIMNASIO MOVIE SET ON ST. NICHOLAS

Harlem Bespoke:  We walked by the vacant construction site on St. Nicholas Avenue just north of Harlem School of the Arts at 143rd Street yesterday and notice a crew on hand creating a couple of  large murals.  As can be seen from the above photos, a boxer's image has been painted on the side of the old industrial building with a very professional crew team at hand doing the work.  Rivera Boxing and the Gimnasio are also written so we suspect this all might have to do with a movie posted as San Juan Hill (code name for West Side Story?) on all of the filming permits seen around town lately.  This all makes sense but another painting on site is a little more puzzling.

INTRODUCING: ETHIOPIAN COLD BREW AT LITTLE BEAN

Harlem Bespoke: We finally got a chance to drop by Little Bean by 111th Street and Lenox this past week to try out the award winning cold brew at the local coffee shop.  The owner mentioned that the cool java comes from a whole Ethiopian bean that has been minimally processed so a more bold flavor comes through.  There definitely was a richer but complex taste to the cold coffee served without ice and berry notes can also be tasted at the end of each sip.  Adventuresome foodies or coffee purist should definitely try this uptown specialty when on the blocks by Central Park North but those not into stronger coffee blends should probably go for the standard brew.  More on Little Bean can be found in our past post: LINK

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DANCE: WINTER BLAZE 2019 AT HSA

Saturday, March 9th, 7:00PM,  Sunday, March 10th, 1:00PM, 5:00PM, Winter Blaze at the Harlem School of the Arts, 645 St. Nicholas Avenue and 142nd Street. The third annual Winter Blaze features the HSA Dance Ensemble and HSA Dance Junior Ensemble. Choreographers include, HSA Dance Director Aubrey Lynch II, HSA Dance Resident Choreographer Leyland Simmons and will also feature HSA Dance alumni and special guests. $20 general or $15 student and senior advance tickets can be purchased online: LINK

HarlemBespoke.com 2019

SEE: AROUND HARLEM THIS WEEKEND

Keep it all uptown and help out Harlem's great local businesses over the weekend.  Below is the Bespoke list of what is new and notable in the north neighborhoods to try out this upcoming weekend. 

The Posing Modernity exhibit at the Wallach Gallery by 125th Street: LINK

The Jackie Robinson exhibit at Museum of the City of New York: LINK

Cocktails and small bites at L'Argot on Hamilton Place: LINK

Grabbing brunch at Ruby's Vintage on ACP by 147th Street: LINK

Coffee and ambiance at Common Good on FDB by 149th Street: LINK

Arepas and drinks at Barepas on Amsterdam by 148th street: LINK

Drinking craft beer at Harlem Hops on 7th Avenue by 133rd Street: LINK

Ethiopian cuisine at Benyam on FDB by 149th Street: LINK

Burgers, shakes and fries at Shake Shack on 125th Street: LINK

Drinks at Boxers Washington Heights on Broadway by 159th: LINK

Pizza Happy Hour on the weekends at Uncle Tony's by 139th Street: LINK

More drinks at the new Harlem Ale House on 127th Street: LINK

Tasting tacos in East Harlem at La Chula on 116th Street: LINK

Hanging out at the Bierstrasse beer garden on 12th Avenue: LINK

Coffee and donuts at Shuteye on 116th between Lenox and 7th Ave: LINK

Waffle ice cream sandwiches at Mikey Likes It on FDB: LINK

Cocktails at Hexagon Lounge on 142nd Street by Edgecombe: LINK

Checking out the new location of Charle's Pan Fried Chicken on FDB: LINK

Visiting Bo's Bagels on 116th early in the morning before they sell out: LINK

Tasting delicious Japanese curry at the new Curry-Ya Uptown: LINK

Trying out the brunch burger at RDV on FDB by West 112th Street: LINK

Weekend dinners at Belle on ACP 7th Avenue by 139th Street: LINK

Discovering Japanese style crepes at Crepe Master on 116th: LINK

Tasting ice cream at Sugar Hill Creamery on Lenox by 119th: LINK

Dinner service at Clay on Manhattan Avenue and 123rd Street: LINK 

Grabbing coffee at Little Bean on St. Nicholas and 111th Street: LINK

Drinks at the new Honeywell in Hamilton Heights on Broadway: LINK

Eating hand-made tacos at the Oso on Amsterdam and 140th Street: LINK

Sipping java at the new Harlem Coffee Co. on Lenox by 118th: LINK

New local brew and pizza at Hop House on FDB and 120th Street: LINK

Discovering the East Harlem Bottling Co. on Lexington by 107th Street: LINK

Seafood and craft cocktails at  B2 Harlem on West 119th: LINK

Trying out southern whiskey at Uptown Bourbon by 152nd Street: LINK

Drinks at the new Alibi lounge on 7th Avenue by 139th Street:  LINK

Trying out burgers at Harlem Burger Co. on FDB and 118th Street: LINK

Slurping up authentic ramen at R.O.K.C on Broadway by 141st Street: LINK

Brunch or dinner at Sottocasa Pizzeria on Lenox by 121st Street: LINK

Eating great Italian at Fumo on Amsterdam and 139th Street: LINK

Destination worthy brunch at Solomon & Kuff on 12th Avenue: LINK

Sunday Brunch at Mountain Bird on East 110th Street: LINK

Tasting incredible Edomae style sushi at Inoue on Lenox and 129th: LINK

HarlemBespoke.com 2019

READ: SANDRA SPANNAN IN THE TIMES

Harlem Bespoke: We have been featuring the work of Harlem gilder Sandra Spannan on the blog for several years and now the New York Times has recently had a feature on how the uptowner spends the weekends with her daughters.  Gold signage found on upper Manhattan's local shops or townhouse numbers have been worked on by Spannan's company but the artisan's craft can also be found throughout New York City.  Her business might be setup on lower St. Nicholas Avenue but the Harlem resident has also traveled internationally for accounts like Balthazar in London.  Check out the full photo essay from this weekend's Times: LINK

HarlemBespoke.com 2018

CONSTRUCTION: 691 ST. NICHOLAS AVENUE 2018

Harlem Bespoke: The old gas station site at 691 St. Nicholas Avenue broke ground for a new construction about a year ago and now everything appears to be finishing up.  This development located just below 145th Street is for a good cause since the building will be used as a charter school. As can be seen by the above photo, the stark design is reminiscent of 50s or 60s architecture so the construction looks a bit retro.  Check out the original rendering for 691 St. Nicholas Avenue in our past post: LINK

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RENT: THREE BEDROOM ON ST. NICHOLAS AVENUE

Harlem Bespoke: The rent pick of the week is a 3-bedroom at 723 St. Nicholas going for $2,935 a month.  This location at the corner of 146th Street is in the Sugar Hill Historic District and the express subway station is only one block away.  More details and photos can be found on Streeteasy: LINK

HarlemBespoke.com 2018

EXERCISE: COMMUNITY CLASSES AT UNITY YOGA

Harlem Bespoke:  We walked by Unity Yoga just north of 127th Street at 350 St. Nicholas Avenue last night and noticed a sign mentioning community classes so inquired within.   These session apparently are only $9 and are available until the capacity numbers are reach.   For the full community class schedule and standard yoga hours, check out the Unity Yoga site:  LINK

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INTRODUCING: OUTDOOR DINING AT LA DIAGONAL

Harlem Bespoke:  We have not tried brunch at La Diagonal on St. Nicholas at the corner of 119th Street but now it looks like an elevated outdoor dining space has been created at the Mexican eatery.  There is also more woodwork at the top of the facade with a remarkable trellis detail which is pretty unique to Harlem and the ambiance of this new restaurant is one of the best in the neighborhood.  For more on La Diagonal, check out the first review in our past post: LINK

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