8 West 119th Street, 4

Quick Profile

Central Harlem is an enclave filled with cultural landmarks, gilded age brownstones and a vibe you don’t find in many neighborhoods these days. Mount Morris Park Historic District, located in west central Harlem, is a vibrant neighborhood with tree-lined streets and gorgeous brownstones. The large 16-block section is the byproduct of Harlem’s first building boom and should not be confused with Mount Morris Park, which is a 20-acre park that was renamed Marcus Garvey Memorial Park in 1977. What can we say? Sometimes gentrification complicates things.

The boundaries of Mount Morris Park Historic District are West 118th and West 124th Streets, Fifth Avenue, and Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Boulevard. The neighborhood was designated a historic district by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission in 1971. Architectural buffs will be enamoured by the neighborhood's handsome architecture that includes late 19th- and early 20th century row houses designed in the Romanesque Revival, neo-Grec and Queen Anne style.