Snapshots of a Changing Neighborhood

Many blocks in central and west Harlem show well-maintained, recently renovated homes alongside boarded-up, vacant properties. These two homes are in the Mount Morris Park section.


Many of the properties on the market in Harlem are not in move in condition. After spending about $200,000 for the shell of a four to six-storey row house, homeowners can expect to pay about $40,000 per floor for the necessary renovations.

On one of the most beautiful and well-maintained blocks in upper Manhattan, homes in Hamilton Terrace in the West 140s can command up to $1 million.


Homes on Strivers Row, on West 138th street, were built in the nineteenth century with mews and carriage houses for wealthy homeowners with horses.

 

Some blocks near Astor Row in the Fifth Avenue section, which remains largely undeveloped, feature Savannah-style porches.


Signs of the neighborhood's revitalization can be seen in commercial spaces too. For example, Perks, a bar and restaurant on Manhattan Ave. and West 121st Street, caters to the wealthier residents in the area.


After the painstaking renovation process, homeowners can own a Manhattan mansion for about $500,000 to $600,000 -- at least half the price of comparable homes in midtown and downtown neighborhoods.