On February 2, 1653, the Kingdom of the Netherlands and the Dutch West India Company issued a charter officially establishing a government structure like those existing in the Netherlands. On February 2, 2024, join historians and archivists to learn about New Amsterdam, the colonial records at the New York City Municipal Archives, and connect with a celebration of Lower Manhattan.

Federal Hall National Memorial

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Lunch & Learn: The Birth of New York City's Municipal Government

On Lenox Ave, between 125th Street and 124th Street, is the legendary Lenox Lounge.  Another cultural institution nearby is the Hip Hop Cultural Center.

The end of the HarlemNOW walking tour of 125th Street.

Welcome to the HarlemNOW walking tour of historic 125th Street. This tour will visit various places of cultural and historical significance located on 125th Street.


Abby Suckle presents the Lower East River segment of the tour, beginning with Waterside and the Empire State Building and ending with Carl Schurz Park

At 258 Street Nicholas Avenue is the newest addition to Harlem's cultural scene, the Dwyer Cultural Center. James McCullar discusses this facility, which opened in June 2008, as the City's first cultural center dedicated exclusively to the culture, traditions, and history of Harlem.

 Across the street is the site of the former Blumstein's Department Store at 230 West 125th Street. Designed by architects Charles Kohn and Charles Butler in 1923, it was an amalgam of late Art Nouveau and Early Art Deco styles. In its day, it was one of the most elegant department stores uptown. 

On the corner of 125th Street and Fifth Avenue is the National Black Theater. Founded in 1968, the NBT is a non-profit organization and center for research and development. Also known as the National Black Theatre Workshop, it now promotes African Americans in the arts. It also houses a large collection of art. 

On the next block on the North side of the street is the famous Apollo Theater. First opened in 1914, it was originally known as The Hertig and Seaman New Burlesque Theater. It took nearly twenty years for it to open its doors to African-American patrons for the first time on Friday, January 26, 1934. Amateur Night began that year, and one of its first performers was a young Billie Holiday.

A few doors east of the Apollo Theater stands another grand vaudeville house, the former Loew's Victoria Theater. Designed in 1917 by Thomas W. Lamb, it had nearly 2,394 seats and an organ costing almost $250,000 to build at the time. In 1987 it was converted into a multi-screen movie complex before being shuttered in 1989. There have been several proposals for redevelopment for the building, most notably in 2005. 

If you walk towards the river, you can see the Cotton Club on your right at 656 West 125th Street. The site you see, though, is not the original which occupied such a unique cultural place in Harlem during Prohibition. The Club first stood at 142nd Street, then moved to 48th Street in Midtown, before being reincarnated on 125th Street a few years ago.

On Seventh Avenue, between 125th Street and 124th Street stands the Hotel Theresa, designed by George and Edward Blum in 1913. Once Harlem's most prestigious hotel, the "Waldorf of Harlem" hosted celebrities and world dignitaries, including Cuban President Fidel Castro. It also contained the offices of A. Phillip Randolph's March on Washington Movement (MOWM) and Malcolm X's Organization of Afto-American Unity. Now an office building and rechristened the Teresa Towers, the site was designated a city landmark in 1993. 

Across the street is the Harlem State Office Building. This is where President Clinton has his office and also where the Clinton Foundation is housed. In front is a memorial to Adam Clayton Powell, Jr., sculpted by Branly Cadet in 2005.


Across the street is The Studio Museum of Harlem. The Museum features the work of African-American artists and works that have inspired and influenced Black culture. It offers a wide range of public programs as well as an artist-in-residence program. Architecturally, the museum was renovated several years ago by Rogers Marvel Architects. It was one of the first cultural works they did in New York City.

A talk by Abby Suckle at Fraunces Tavern Museum, New York on July 4, 2024

Presenter: Abby Suckle President, cultureNOW; Vice President, Lower Manhattan Historical Association

Introduction:&nbsp; Ramon E. Mangual, PhD Supervisory Park Ranger National Park ServiceWelcome: Ambrose Richardson III President, Lower Manhattan Historical AssociationPresenter: Ranger Ryan Ventura National Park Service

Lunch & Learn: The Birth of New York City's Municipal Government

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