Harlem's New Historic District Gets Street Markers From City

HARLEM, NY — A newly designated historic district in Harlem became extra-official Wednesday, as the city unveiled new street signs to inform passersby that they are walking through the Dorrance Brooks Square Historic District.

The six markers have been installed on street poles around the district, which runs along both sides of Frederick Douglass Boulevard between West 135th and 140th streets, bounded by St. Nicholas Avenue and Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. Boulevard.

After a yearslong campaign from community advocates, the city's Landmarks Preservation Commission designated the district last year, citing its architecture and close ties to the Harlem Renaissance and the Civil Rights Movement.

Named after a Black serviceman who died in action in World War I, the Dorrance Brooks area was home to W.E.B. DuBois, singer Ethel Waters, and the headquarters of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters during the Harlem Renaissance.

One home, at 580 St. Nicholas Ave., played host to the "Harlem West Side Literary Salon," a meetup that helped launch the careers of Countee Cullen, Langston Hughes and other Renaissance luminaries.

The new markers are at the following locations:

• Dorrance Brooks Square Park by St. Nicholas Avenue and West 136th Street
• North side of West 136th Street between Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. and Frederick Douglass boulevards
• North side of West 137th Street between Edgecombe Avenue and Frederick Douglass Boulevard
• South side of West 137th Street between Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. and Frederick Douglass boulevards
• North side of West 138th Street between Edgecombe Avenue and Frederick Douglass Boulevard
• North side of West 139th Street between Edgecombe Avenue and Frederick Douglass Boulevard

Each sign is a 19-by-36-inch, terra-cotta-colored marker, with a map on one side and a description of the district on the other side. They were installed to coincide with Black History Month.

"The Commission designated the Dorrance Brooks Square Historic District both for its architectural merit and to recognize its associations with the Harlem Renaissance and Civil Rights movements, and through this designation recognized the African American figures who played a critical role in creating political and social change in New York City and the nation," Landmarks Preservation Commission Chair Sarah Carroll said in a statement.

"The installation of these historic district markers will memorialize the designation of this historic district – the first named after an African American – and let New Yorkers and visitors alike know about its historic and architectural importance."

The full text on each marker is as follows:

"The Dorrance Brooks Square Historic District, designated in 2021, is significant for its association with notable and pioneering African American individuals, institutions, and organizations during the Harlem Renaissance in the fields of politics, literature, healthcare, and education. The district features a striking collection of late-19th- and early-20thcentury row houses, religious structures, and apartment buildings that create intact and picturesque streetscapes. Dorrance Brooks Square, dedicated in 1925, was named for a Black serviceman who died in action while serving with a segregated military regiment in World War I. It was the first public place in New York City to be named for an African American.”

Related coverage:

• Harlem Historic District, Library Are Designated As Landmarks
• Harlem Historic District, Library Move Closer To Landmark Status
• Harlem Sites Nominated For National Landmark Status