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Save Harlem Now!

@saveharlemnow

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Save Harlem Now! is a not for profit advocacy organization dedicated to protecting, preserving and celebrating Harlem’s irreplaceable built heritage.

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Sharing an important cause hosted by our friends @noblesecondchances taken in Astoria Boulevard by @saveharlemnow

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20 days ago

Save Harlem Now! in the African American Day Parade on Sunday, September 20th. Rain or shine, we show up for Harlem! taken in West 112th Street & Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. Boulevard by @saveharlemnow

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24 days ago

As part of Reimagining the Archive: Black Memory as Design Praxis, join us on Friday, September 18, for a special Community Digitization Day at the Bernard and Anne Spitzer School of Architecture.

📅 Friday, September 18, 2026
🕥 11:30 AM – 2:30 PM
📍 Bernard and Anne Spitzer School of Architecture Room 107

Sign up for our pop-up Dig Day:
https://form.typeform.com/to/uf0hjvJL.
We may be able to accommodate walk-ins too.

Bring your personal photographs, documents, videos, recordings, and other materials that hold stories of your family, community, and lived experiences. Together, we’ll work to preserve these materials and expand the archive through the memories and histories of our communities.

More information and registration available through the link in bio.

Come and learn more about our project!

Free and open to the community.

#PMCI #HPMCA #BlackMemory #DigitizationDay #spitzerschoolofarchitecture taken in Bernard and Anne Spitzer School of Architecture,City University of New York by @saveharlemnow

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a month ago

The vision for Lenox Terrace began with Dr. Godfrey Nurse, one of the first African American physicians at Harlem Hospital. Seeking to revitalize Central Harlem, Nurse purchased 15 acres of land on Lenox to create what would become known as “Harlem’s Best Address.” Facing financial and relocation challenges, the land was eventually acquired by the city and sold to developer Robert Olnick in 1952 at a subsidized rate. With FHA-insured financing and a slum-clearance program, Olnick began construction in 1957. By December 1958, Lenox Terrace was complete, forever changing the standard of luxury living in Harlem.

The six 17-story buildings between 132nd and 135th quickly attracted prominent residents, including musicians like Miles Davis and Charles Mingus, Former Governor David Paterson, Congressman Charles Rangel, and Harlem gangster Bumpy Johnson.

We sat down with Dr. Tracy Peay and Former Governor David Paterson to learn why residents and staff find the building to be such an important cornerstone of Harlem. Save Harlem Now! believes it is imperative that Lenox Terrace be landmarked — not only to preserve its architectural history, but to demonstrate that Harlem residents are worth investing in.

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This video is the culmination of the project summer interns Victoria Barnaby and Amanda Fisher collaborated on throughout their internship with us. They conducted the research, interviews, and editing — and what a great job they did!
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#saveharlemnow #harlemhistory #milesdavis #charlesrangel #architecturalpreservation taken in Lenox Terrace by @saveharlemnow

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a month ago

Reimagining the Archive : Black Memory & Design Praxis
Saturday Panel 1 : Valerie Jo Bradley, Sade Lythcott, Minkah Makalani, Najha Zigbi-Johnson (moderator)

Saturday, Sep 19th, 9:45am-11:15am
Spitzer School of Architecture Auditorium Rm. 107

Valerie Jo Bradley is co-founder and President of Save Harlem Now! – an award-winning nonprofit advocacy organization formed to preserve historic buildings and landscapes reflecting important African American history from the late 19th and early 20th centuries. A staunch community activist, she is former President and co-founder of the Marcus Garvey Park Alliance (MGPA).

Sade Lythcott is the Chief Executive Officer of the historic National Black Theatre (NBT), the nation’s first revenue generating Black Arts complex and one of the longest run theaters by a woman of color. A Harlem native, Sade is the daughter of the late Dr. Barbara Ann Teer, founder of NBT and legendary champion of African-American arts and culture. Her work and activism has been published widely.

Minkah Makalani is an Associate Professor of History and Africana Studies at Johns Hopkins University, where he is the immediate past-director of the Center for Africana Studies. He is the author of “In the Cause of Freedom: Radical Black Internationalism from Harlem to London, 1917–1939.”

Najha Zigbi-Johnson is a writer, educator and cultural organizer. Her practice explores the intersections of contemporary Black art, the built environment, and social movements. She is the editor of Mapping Malcolm, a publication that brings together artists, community organizers, and scholars to consider the politics of Black space-making in Harlem and across the diasporic world. taken in Bernard and Anne Spitzer School of Architecture,City University of New York by @saveharlemnow

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2 months ago

Last week Save Harlem Now! tabled at @senatorccleare’s Senior Day at the Adam Clayton Powell Jr. State Office Building. So many of you came by to chat, ask questions, and tell us stories of your lives in Harlem. We are fortunate to serve those who live and work here — especially those who have been here for decades — and we hope to keep seeing you!

Pictured left to right: President Valerie Bradley; Communications Intern Samuel Geronimo; Administrative Associate Angelique Racine taken in Adam Clayton Powell Jr. State Office Building by @saveharlemnow

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2 months ago

Harlem week represents many things to many people. At its core, it’s a celebration of love. Love of community, love of togetherness and love of each other! @vozarivers shared how Harlem week came about and helped save Harlem! by @saveharlemnow

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2 months ago

Save Harlem Now! staff were honored to meet with Governor David Paterson at the Lenox Terrace buildings in Central Harlem for a future segment on the historic apartment complex.

Pictured left to right: Summer Intern Victoria Barnaby; SHN! Admin. Angelique Racine; Governor David Paterson; Intern Amanda Fisher; SHN! board member Mark Satlof; and Dr. Tracy Peay, Governor Paterson’s Administrative Assistant. taken in Lenox Terrace by @saveharlemnow

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2 months ago

Save Harlem Now! and The March on Washington!

In the heart of Central Harlem, you'll find 170 West 130th Street – a hallmark building within the 130th-132nd historic district. Save Harlem Now! helped landmark this district back in 2018. The building was the headquarters for the March on Washington over 60 years ago.

Our own Lynn Hendy, Board Member and Treasurer of SHN!, shares how her father, the prophetic Harlem Reverend Dr. Thomas Kilgore, Jr., shared a connection with the building. Rev. Dr. Kilgore, Jr. served in Harlem’s Friendship Baptist Church who owned 170 West 130th Street and let it be used by the March’s organizers (including Bayard Rustin) as its headquarters. This is where the roots of Lynn’s activism were planted. All these years later, Lynn is a part of the organization that helped preserve the building and the district. Talk about a full circle moment!

#marchonwashington #preserveharlemculture #drmartinlutherkingjr #bayardrustin #thomaskilgorejr by @saveharlemnow

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3 months ago

We are privileged to have spoken to Karsten Theadore at the launch of DREAMLAND, a beautiful photobook created to display the beauty of its Jamaican subjects. Photographed by Theadore and edited by Nadia Batchelor (@nadtato), the project seeks to blend “documentary moments with surreal visual language to create a deeply personal yet collective portrait of Jamaica and its people.”

The room was buzzing with creatives, entrepreneurs, and members of the community who all came down to support one of their own. While the event was held in the quaint bookstore @doyoureadme_nyc at @swissinstitute we were reminded of gatherings in Harlem, where Jamaican immigrants have often settled to forge a life for themselves. We are grateful for the opportunity to speak with Theadore about his work.

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Quote via Dreamland’s description. taken in Swiss Institute / Contemporary Art New York by @saveharlemnow

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4 months ago

⛪️ ROAD TO HARLEM: SHILOH PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, A BEACON OF HOPE ☀️

TONIGHT!

Save Harlem Now! will examine the founding of Shiloh Presbyterian Church in Greenwich Village, one of the earliest Black Presbyterian congregations in New York City. Founded in 1822, Shiloh played a vital role in the abolitionist movement and was an active station on the Underground Railroad.

Event Details:

📅 TONIGHT! June 18th, 2026
⏰ 6:00-7:30pm
📍 Virtual
💲 Free

Click the link in our bio to register! (Or use the QR code on the second slide.)

Together with preservation partner @gvshp_nyc we will explore Shiloh’s enduring legacy, including its connection to the founding of St. James Presbyterian Church in Harlem, a descendant institution that continues this powerful history of faith, activism, and community leadership.

Our presenter, the Reverend Dr. Derrick McQueen (Senior Pastor of St. James Presbyterian Church) will guide us through this remarkable history, connecting Greenwich Village’s 19th-century Black community to the rise of Harlem.

We hope that you will join us for this important conversation as we continue to trace the history of Black communities in Manhattan.

OUR SPEAKER ✝️
REVEREND DR. DERRICK MCQUEEN was named Senior Pastor of St. James Presbyterian Church in Harlem in 2020. He previously served as Interim Pastor since 2015. Dr. McQueen earned his Ph.D. in Homiletics and the New Testament from Union Theological Seminary in New York City, where he also completed his M.Div. with a focus on Theology and the Arts. He contributes to LGBTQ inclusion through organizations such as Presbyterian Welcome (now Parity) and That All May Freely Serve.

OUR PARTNER 🌆
VILLAGE PRESERVATION, founded in 1980, works to document, celebrate, and preserve the special architectural and cultural heritage of Greenwich Village, the East Village, and NoHo. by @saveharlemnow

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4 months ago

“Dreamland is an immersive photo book and visual experience by photographer and director Karsten [Theadore], exploring Jamaican culture, youth, memory, and diaspora through vibrant imagery and storytelling. Rooted in themes of identity, home, and transformation, the work blends documentary moments with surreal visual language to create a deeply personal yet collective portrait of Jamaica and its people.”

Save Harlem Now! attended the launch of DREAMLAND last Friday, June 12th. It was a wonderful evening and we are grateful for the opportunity to speak with @karstentheadore about his project. Interview coming soon! taken in Swiss Institute / Contemporary Art New York by @saveharlemnow

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4 months ago