BESPOKE: THE EVA COCKCROFT MURAL IN HARLEM

Harlem Bespoke: We received a question about the colorful mural at the Hope Steven's Garden on west 142nd Street between Amsterdam and Hamilton Place.  Who was the artist? Our original post below from a decade ago reveals the history of the beautiful work of art made of stucco brush strokes:

Today's New York Times has an article on how Harlem's own version of the famous painting, Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte, has been restored in a garden at West 142nd Street. This is a version of the famous Pointilism painting, with all the colored dots, but done on stucco with Harlem folk instead of Parisiennes. Originally the creation of local artist Eva Cockcroft in 1986, the wall was not sealed off from the elements so the restoration experts had to use old photos to faithfully duplicate the colors that had faded. La Grande Jatte of Harlem is located in the Hope Stevens Garden on 142nd Street between Hamilton Place and Amsterdam. The nearest subways are the 1 or A,B,C,D trains at 145th Street.   

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LISTEN: HARLEM CHAMBER PLAYERS AT HOPE GARDEN

Tuesday, July 27th, 7:00PM-8:00PM, FREE Harlem Chamber Players at Hope Garden, 475 West 152nd between Amsterdam and Convent Avenue.   There will be a free performance by uptown professional musicians at Hope Garden on 152nd Street this weekend!  The Harlem Chamber Players are the uptown's classical music crew who have been performing together for over a decade now. Come enjoy live music performed by local professionals in the beautiful community garden which has just received several upgrades.  Bring your family and friends, and a blanket to sit on.  More on the HBCP site: LINK

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EAT: BINGSOO AT SEMICOLON CAFE

Harlem Bespoke:  A new thing to try in the heat is Bingsoo which is the Korean dessert using a special shaved ice machine to make a cool cup of chilly thrills.  It’s all layered with flavored sweetened cream and fruit or other fantastic ingredients which are mixed together as you dig in.  You can see in the lower photo that the frosty ice is smooth and powdery which is quite an experience for those who have not tasted this specialty.  Get it uptown at Semicolon cafe on West 157th just west of Broadway when the summer temperatures hit their peak.  More on Semicolon cafe can be found in our past post: LINK

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RENT: TWO BEDROOM IN MANHATTANVILLE

Harlem Bespoke:  So the average in Manhattan rent for a non-doorman studio went down a couple of hundred since last summer but still is a whopping $2,098 a month but those living uptown can save thousands each year since deals can still be found.  In the past 24 hours, a prewar two-bedroom at 400 West 128th Street by St. Nicholas Terrace has been listed for $2,000 a month.  This recently renovated no-fee rental is around the corner from from St. Nicholas Park and is only a block away from the express train station entrance at 127th Street.  With that said, this is probably a walk-up situation so might not be for everyone.  More details and contact information on Streeteasy: LINK

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SEE: LATINX MURALS AT AUDUBON TERRACE

Harlem Bespoke: A new FREE outdoor public mural exhibit has now debuted at Audubon Terrace in Washington Heights.  Latinx Diaspora: Stories from Upper Manhattan will be be on display until August 14, 2021 and the daily hours are from 10:00AM to 5:00PM with no rsvp necessary.  There are two large walls with four murals in the main courtyard of the Hispanic Society just off of Broadway and 155th Street which celebrate the Latinx experience in the city.  More details on can be found on the Hispanic Society website: LINK

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SEE: THE MORNINGSIDE PARK STATUE OF LIBERTY

Harlem Bespoke:  One of the coolest public art installations ever placed within Morningside Park is happening right now.  A giant Statue of Liberty with a chill attitude has already been set up by the entrance at 120th Street and Morningside Avenue but more is to come.  Right now everything looks like a classic Greek sculpture but will eventually be painted green this week.  We took the above photos on a stroll this morning and all of the dog walkers were stopping by and marveling at this work of art. Apparently this was initially set for last year but the pandemic slowed things down until now. 

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SHOP: WEEKEND AT MORNINGSIDE FARMERS MARKET

Harlem Bespoke: The Morningside Park Farmers Market has been around over decade now and is growing bigger each year.  A couple of new buildings have sprouted up around the park since that first market but what remains consistent is the selection of fresh produce, fish, meats and locally made good from New York City.  Cano Coffee has warm cups of pure Colombian coffee for shoppers to sip and the apple cider donuts at Migliorelli are all worth the trip over to the south end of Morningside Park.  Make sure to check out the roasted pickled garlic from the pickle stand next time around and also see the catch of the day at the fish monger that's usually has a stand.   This outdoor pop-up on 110th and Manhattan Avenue runs every Saturday from 10:00AM to 3:00PM and a list of visiting merchant can be found on the official website: LINK

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INTRODUCING: PIZZA NEXT DOOR TO MAISON HARLEM

Harlem Bespoke:  We noticed that subway tiles were just installed at the storefront next door to Maison Harlem at the corner of 127th Street and St. Nicholas Avenue.  Our first thought was that maybe the French bistro was expanding for takeout so we went in and inquired at Maison.  The gentleman working the bar said it will be an express type of restaurant serving the likes of pizza and such but with no relation to Maison Harlem.  We kind of like the classic look out front so will be more than curious to see the menu when everything opens in the coming weeks.   More on Maison Harlem can be found in our past post: LINK

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DWELL: 313 CONVENT AVENUE RETURNS

Harlem Bespoke: Number 313 Convent Avenue by 143rd Street was on the market last summer for $3.1 million and now the 20-foot wide historic home has returned with a major discount with a new asking set at 2.595 million.  As mentioned previously, this historic location on one of Manhattan's most breathtaking blocks has had record breaking townhouse sales and the express trains are also just a short walk north at 145th Street.  We especially like the  preserved original details within but the listing photos might have been staged digitally.  The other point to consider is that home has been chopped into a 4-family layout and most higher end buyers are usually looking for a single family configuration.  More photo and details can be found on Streeteasy: LINK

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EAT: BIRRIA TACOS AT OSO

Harlem Bespoke:  We have been reviewing all of the spots uptown to get birria tacos and dropped by Oso in Hamilton Heights last week.  The local favorite facing City College on Amsterdam and West 140th Street always has an excellent contemporary version of Mexican cuisine and we wondered what the trendy dipping tacos would be like.  As can be seen from the above photos, there is a minimalist approach to the presentation but the taste was still quite spectacular with a lot of flavor.  It all comes from birria stew which is probably the thickest we have tried and full of super tender beef.  No melted cheese here in this preparation but the handmade tacos really do not need this extra addition.  Purist might not be 100 percent with the birria here but those looking for a fine dining option should really check Oso out.  More on Oso can be found in our past post: LINK

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REMEMBER: YURI KOCHIYAMA OF HARLEM

Harlem Bespoke: One of the local human rights activist of Harlem suddenly became visible to the nation for the first time in 1965 when a photo of a Japanese woman holding up the head of a wounded Malcolm X was published in LIFE magazine.  When gunfire erupted amongst the crowd at a rally at the Audubon Ballroom by 165th Street, everyone in the audience dispersed but Yuri Kochiyama ran to her friend's aid.  On the stage a small group of followers was desperately trying to save Brother Malcolm's life and the Asian woman who was part of the uptown community did not stand by and do nothing.  

GREEN HARLEM: PROGRESS AT MONTEFIORE PARK

Harlem Bespoke:  Some major progress has finally been happening at the Montefiore Park expansion just off of Broadway and 137th Street.  Before the triangular patch of green space was regulated by a couple of narrow paths and was not really a public environment to enjoy. Ground breaking was back in 2018 but not much seemed to be happening until now.

MCNY ONLINE: REVISITNG THE HARLEM RENAISSANCE

Series starting Thursday, April 29th, 5:30PM,  Revisiting the Harlem Renaissance, a conversation via Zoom from the Museum of the City of New York.    Dive into the Harlem Renaissance in this four-part series of live virtual talks with Pulitzer-Prize winning historian Jeffrey C. Stewart. Each session will begin with an illustrated presentation by Stewart exploring a different facet of the Renaissance, followed by a conversation with a special guest (plus time at the end for Q & A).  More details and online tickets for the series at the MCNY site: LINK

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EAT: MATZOH BALL SOUP AT COMMUNITY FOOD

Harlem Bespoke:  Bagels are not so hard to find in Harlem these days but the classic matzoh ball soup is a different story.  Harlem was actually a very Jewish neighborhood over a century ago and the chicken soup with soft matzoh as the starch would have been easy to order at a local restaurant. We have not had any for literally years but the holiday season coming was a good time to check out what was offered locally.  

Community Food & Juice by 112th Street on Broadway has been around since 2009 and features the classic during dinner service and we had stopped by previously about a decade ago. This is a pretty straight forward presentation from what we can gather and a side order of Israeli couscous with vegetables really made for a great light meal in the afternoon.  Community Food is the sister restaurant to Clinton Street Baking Co. on the lower east side aand we hear the weekend brunch menu is really worth checking out for those over in West Harlem. 

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SEE: VETERAN VOICES PROJECT AT MJM

Veteran Voices Project: Capturing the Oral History of New York City Veterans at Morris-Jumel Mansion,  65 Jumel Terrace, between 160th and 161st Street.  Morris-Jumel Mansion is proud to partner with the NYC Department of Veterans' Services (DVS) to host a special pop-up exhibit highlighting the stories and experiences of local veterans who are featured in the Veteran Voices Project, a DVS oral history initiative designed to preserve the stories of NYC's Military Veterans. Together, both organizations are proud to introduce an audio library of Veteran stories across all military branches and service areas, in a shared mission to preserve our City's history. Until March 7th, 2021.  More details on the MJM site: LINK

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DWELL: 52 HAMILTON TERRACE OFF MARKET

Harlem Bespoke: Anyone uptown will agree that this is another one of the most beautiful blocks to be found in Harlem but now the townhouse is off the market.  Number 52 Hamilton terrace sold back in 2014 for $2.9 million and the Hamilton Heights historic district home returned for $4.25 million and did not have much success this time around.  This recently renovated, turnkey single-family townhouse has all of the modern upgrades but at the same time retains a great amount of original details that the higher end buyer is looking out for.  We especially like this unique block by Convent Avenue since all of the original architecture is intact and the location is close to the express trains on 145th Street and St. Nicholas Avenue.   More interior photos and contact information can be found Streeteasy: LINK

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DWELL: 419 WEST 146TH SOLD IN DECEMBER

Harlem Bespoke:  One of the lowest priced Harlem townhouses on the market is pretty much just a shell on Sugar Hill but found a buyer at the end of December.  Number 419 West 146th Street by St. Nicholas Avenue had an asking set at $1.295 million and apparently closed in the past week according to Streeteasy.  There is not much left inside since most everything has been gutted and apparently a 2-family layout has been approved.  As previously mentioned, potential buyers should probably check out if a Certificate of Non Harassment is in place and what the occupancy has been officially approved for any brownstone in this current condition.  As far as the location goes, this historic home is on an otherwise great landmark block and the express train entrance is only a block away.  More details and photos can be found on the broker site: LINK

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