Location

Neighborhood in Manhattan, bounded to the north by the Harlem River, to the east by Fifth Avenue, to the south by 110th Street (Central Park North), and to the west by Morningside and St. Nicholas Avenues. It comprehends Hamilton Heights, Manhattanville, Bradhurst, Striver’s Row, and Sugar Hill.

Description

Redevelopment in the 1980s revived interest in the neighborhood and Harlem began to see rapid gentrification in the late 1990s. The number of housing units in Harlem increased 14% between 1990 and 2000 and the rate of increase has been much more rapid in recent years.  Property values in Central Harlem increased nearly 300% during the 1990s, while the rest of the City saw only a 12% increase. 

Beautiful brownstones and stately row houses line the leafy eastern streets of Hamilton Heights. Significant new development is happening in Manhattanville in addition to the proposed expansion of Columbia University.  Strivers Row houses are among the very few private homes in Manhattan that have space for parking, giving up the backyard space. With the post-1995 real estate boom in Harlem, many of these buildings are being restored to something resembling their original condition. Every one of the Strivers Row houses is a designated landmark.  The buildings are lovely from the outside, and afford a striking view of the City College of New York, atop the hill to the west.  Named in 1919 for the "sweet life" of its residents, Sugar Hill became known as a wealthy area.  It was a popular residential area of rowhouses during the Harlem Renaissance, and famous residents included W.E.B. DuBois, Thurgood Marshall, Adam Clayton Powell, and Duke Ellington.