A New Harlem Renaissance?

Massive changes are coming to Harlem, and depending on who you talk to, that can be a good or bad thing.

As the wealth of Wall Street seems to be transforming every corner of the New York City, the historic neighborhood north of Central Park that has been a cultural and political mecca for black Americans in the 20th century is certainly no exception.

Harlem has some of the finest real estate in the city – regal nineteenth 19th century brownstones with spacious stoops spilling out onto tree-lined streets. For some, wooden doors reveal marble pillars, original moldings and working fireplaces in the interior of some of the finest – and most affordable – mansions left in Manhattan.

Sadly, in many cases, entire blocks have decayed for decades, leaving behind only facades and brick shells where pigeons roost or the homeless squat. Of course the neighborhood’s magnificent housing stock has been there for years, but new waves of wealth and an increasingly tight real-estate market have created a newfound feeling of discovery about homes in Harlem.

Property values have skyrocketed in the past three years; in some cases home prices have tripled. Change is certainly coming – in small pockets, it already has.

While some hail the coming of a so-called second Harlem Renaissance, another crucial question has emerged: Who is going to own these homes in the years to come?

“To what extent the neighborhood remains black is going to be a question,” says Orlando Rivera, executive director of the Greater Harlem Real Estate Board, a membership organization that runs homeownership programs for Harlem residents.

“You may find black folks moving into Harlem, but the majority of folks that are going to be able to afford these homes are going to be rich white families,” he says.