Harlem holds a special place in American political and cultural history. The bustling New York City neighborhood was a cornerstone for both the civil-rights movement and the Harlem Renaissance, the explosion of artistic expression that propelled groundbreaking forms of music, literature, art, and theater. Spend just one day wandering the streets where Malcolm X, Billie Holiday, and Zora Neale Hurston once called home and you will experience the awe-inspiring architecture of an old-world Dutch colony, the smell of Southern-style cooking, and the sounds of jazz and gospel that sometimes fill the streets. Tracking from the founding days and weaving through history to the present, Assouline books captures the essence of a truly remarkable place in its new publication, In the Spirit of Harlem by Naomi Fertitta, out Feb. 25.
Here, a photo (circa 1970) of the renowned Cotton Club, where Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong, and Nat King Cole once performed.
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Manhattan, New York City, New York State, USA --- Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. Street Sign in Harlem --- Image by © Alan Schein Photography/Corbis
Alan Schein Photography/Corbis
The marquee advertises Billy Eckstine, Redd Foxx, and Coles & Atkins on Aug. 19, 1964.
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Also named Malcolm X Boulevard, this major thoroughfare is lined with nightlife hotspots and a plethora of shopping.
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Pedestrians stroll down a sidewalk on a summer day.
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Traffic in front of the Apollo Theater.
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American blues singer Gladys Bentley (1907-1960) poses with bandleader Willie Bryant (1908-1964) outside the Apollo Theater, where posters advertise a performance by Bryant and his band.
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Baseball player Satchel Paige, looking dapper, lighting his cigarette while sitting on front bumper of large car.
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Located in the heart of Harlem, the Red Rooster is a local and tourist favorite serving Southern-inspired comfort foods celebrating the heritage of American cuisine.
Paul Aresu
Rows of historic and charming brownstones line the streets of Harlem.
