Here Are Harlem's Top 10 'Secrets'

HARLEM, NY — Harlemites are accustomed to their neighborhood being spotlighted for its beauty, its culture or its history. But what about its secrets?

The website Untapped New York aims to unveil some of Harlem's hidden stories in a new list published this week, titled "Top 10 Secrets of Harlem."

Their roundup features some architectural gems, historic oddities and other locations that tend to fly under the radar. Let us know in the comments whether you have a secret spot of your own that didn't make the list.

Here's Untapped New York's top 10 list:

1. Alexander Hamilton had his home in the neighborhood

The Founding Father and first-ever Treasury Secretary "commissioned architect John McComb, Jr. to design a country home on 32 acres of land in Harlem," the authors wrote.

“Known as the Grange, the house was completed in 1804, two years before Hamilton would be killed in a duel against Aaron Burr across the Hudson River in Weehawken, New Jersey.”

The Alexander Hamilton Grange National Memorial is located at 414 West 141st St.

2. Strivers Row, one of Harlem’s most beautiful areas, sat abandoned at the turn of the 20th century

"Along both sides of West 138th Street and West 139th Street between Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Boulevard and Frederick Douglass Boulevard is Strivers Row," Untapped wrote.

"Originally, the buildings were intended for upper-middle-class white residents, but by 1895, Harlem was being abandoned by white New Yorkers. Despite almost all of the units being foreclosed on by the Equitable Life Assurance Society, which had financed the project, the company refused to sell the houses to the area’s incoming Black residents. As a result, Strivers Row remained empty until 1920, when the homes became available for African Americans to purchase at $8,000."

3. Harlem was once the third-largest Jewish settlement in the world

"While Harlem is known today as a center for African American culture, it was once the third-largest Jewish settlement in the world behind the Lower East Side and Warsaw, Poland. From around 1870 to 1930, individuals of Jewish ancestry resided in East Harlem — sharing the area with Italian Americans — and in Central Harlem, where the majority of the population was German."

4. The “Harlem Hellfighters” were based at the 369th Regiment Armory

"Located between West 142nd and 143rd Streets is the 369th Regiment Armory, a historic National Guard Armory built for the 369th Infantry Regiment, or “Harlem Hellfighters.” Established in 1913, the 369th Infantry Regiment became the first National Guard unit in New York State composed solely of African Americans. In addition, the Infantry was one of the first African American regiments to serve with the American Expeditionary Force during World War I, spending 191 days on the frontline — more than any other American unit."

5. The neighborhood houses cultural and artistic institutions dedicated to conserving the work of Black Americans

"Given the large African American presence in Harlem, it’s no surprise that the neighborhood houses some of the city’s most important cultural and artistic institutions dedicated to conserving the work of Black Americans. One such institution is the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, a research library of the New York Public Library system."

6. Harlem became a safe haven for Black theater in New York City

"With the influx of African Americans to the neighborhood during the Great Migration, Harlem came to be known as a center of Black culture in the United States. One institution that has gained worldwide fame is the Apollo Theater."

7. The Harlem Fire Watchtower is the only cast-iron watchtower left in New York City

"Inside Marcus Garvey Park is the Harlem Fire Watchtower — also known as the Mount Morris Fire Watchtower — the only surviving cast-iron watchtower left in New York City. Completed in 1857, the watchtower was used by volunteer residents to watch for fires, which were common given the area’s wooden structures."

8. The Harlem Courthouse’s prison is the oldest building in New York City ever used as a jail

"Located on East 121st Street near Mount Morris Park is the Harlem Courthouse, a gothic and Romanesque-style building constructed from 1891 to 1893 by the architecture firm Thom & Wilson. Currently, the courthouse’s prison remains the oldest structure in New York City ever used as a jail, with five tiers, 40 cells, double bunk bed frames, and cell doors remaining intact."

9. The greater Harlem area has the first 100% African-American owned craft beer bar in New York City

“One of Harlem’s most illustrious areas is Sugar Hill, a National Historic District bounded by West 155th Street to the north, West 145th Street to the south, Edgecombe Avenue to the east, and Amsterdam Avenue to the west. The neighborhood has its very own beer named after it produced by the Harlem Brewing Company, which created its first batches of beer in a small studio apartment across the street from Marcus Garvey Park during the 1990s.”

10. The Royal Tenenbaums house is located in the Sugar Hill section of Harlem

"In film and television, the Harlem area has served as a central setting. For fans of Wes Anderson movies, The Royal Tenenbaums house can be found in the Sugar Hill section of Harlem. Located on 144th Street and Covenant Avenue, the house was used for more than just exterior shots, with almost all of the interior scenes within the home filmed on the premises."

Read the full top-10 list, including the full blurbs for each secret spot, at Untappedcities.com.