Tours start at Pelham Fritz Recreation Center, Marcus Garvey Park W. 122nd Street & Mt. Morris Park West, (one block east of Lenox Avenue). Sunday, Jun 6th, 2008, 11:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. – Self-Guided House Tours
THE PARK
Long before any European settlement, the rocky hill of Manhattan mica-schist in Mount Morris Park was well known among Native Americans for the superb vantage over the island. Dutch colonists who established the town of Nieuw Haarlem in 1658, called it “Slang Burg” or “Snake Hill.” And during the War of Independence, the hill’s strategic position near the mouth of the Harlem River led to a series of skirmishes between the Patriots and the British.
In 1837, the Board of Aldermen of New York City decided to establish a residential square — Mount Morris Park. Petitioners, in opposition, attempted to delay the project unsuccessfully. On September 4, 1839, a report was presented and confirmed that the 20,173 acres of the old Benson family land grant farm, most recently used as a race track, from 120th and 124th Streets between Madison and Fifth Avenues, was transformed into a public park. The name, Mount Morris, remains a mystery. Was the park named for Robert H. Morris, mayor from 1841-1844? Or, had the old Benson farm, as some old timers insisted, once been owned by members of the famous Morris’ of the Bronx? They, too, operated a race track across the Harlem River. Their connection, if any, to Mount Morris is unconfirmed.
THE FIRE WATCH TOWER
The Fire Watchtower, located atop the Acropolis in Marcus Garvey Park, is the only structure of its kind that survives in the country. Towers like this one provided the inspiration for the development of the steel cages developed in the 1880s to support the skyscraper.
In 1865, New York City sought estimates for the erection of a fire watchtower in Mount Morris Park. John Bogardus, the iron-construction pioneer who had erected the city’s first tower rising 100 feet on 33rd Street, bid $5,750. But engineer Julius Kroehl, who realized that the natural elevation of the park’s Snake Hill and presented a less expensive solution, was awarded the contract in 1856 to build a 47-foot tall structure at a cost of $2,300.
Bell ringers would spend long shifts on the lookout, partially protected from the elements by the enclosures at the top. In case of fire, they would send out an alarm by the telegraph system established in 1851, then ring the bell locally to call out the firemen, a volunteer force until 1868.
One problem for the towers was the increasing height of buildings, which blocked their views. Another problem was the expansion of the street alarm boxes throughout the city in the 1870s. In 1880, all watchmen were discharged, and the towers were gradually demolished.
The tower in the park has remained, largely because it was not in the way of anything. In 1967, the Landmarks Preservation Commission designated the tower a landmark which reinforced its structural significance as a fine example of post-and-lintel cast-iron architecture. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1976, three years after Mount Morris Park was renamed in honor of the revered Black nationalist activist, Marcus Garvey (1887-1940).
THE EARLY NEIGHBORHOOD
Following the Civil War, the remainder of the Benson farm was developed with rows of speculative townhouses. For over 100 years, the community adjoining Mount Morris Park has been widely recognized as one of the city’s most charming and distinctive residential enclaves. Bosses of the notorious Tammany Hall political club found the opportunity to make money in Harlem properties particularly irresistible. Ironically, not only did infamous personalities, like the Hon. Richard Crocker, live adjoining Mount Morris Park, but one of their fiercest critics, the cartoonist Thomas Nast, lived and worked in the neighborhood as well.Richard Rodgers (1902-1979), one of the geniuses of the Broadway musical theater, lived during early childhood at No. 3 West 120th Street, where his father practiced medicine on the parlor floor. Although the Rodgers family moved from 120th Street in 1911, Richard’s connection to the neighborhood was rejuvenated in his late teens. He met songwriter Lorenz Hart, who lived at No. 59 West 119th Street. Notable achievements of the Rodgers-Hart partnership, lasting until 1942, include, On Your Toes and Pal Joey. As a gift to the “old” neighborhood, Rodgers donated the Amphitheater in Mount Morris Park in 1970.
To order tickets – Please send e-mail to info@mmpcia.org
Check out more at the website for more information: www.mmpcia.com/events.htm
THE FIRE WATCH TOWER
The Fire Watchtower, located atop the Acropolis in Marcus Garvey Park, is the only structure of its kind that survives in the country. Towers like this one provided the inspiration for the development of the steel cages developed in the 1880s to support the skyscraper.
In 1865, New York City sought estimates for the erection of a fire watchtower in Mount Morris Park. John Bogardus, the iron-construction pioneer who had erected the city’s first tower rising 100 feet on 33rd Street, bid $5,750. But engineer Julius Kroehl, who realized that the natural elevation of the park’s Snake Hill and presented a less expensive solution, was awarded the contract in 1856 to build a 47-foot tall structure at a cost of $2,300.
Bell ringers would spend long shifts on the lookout, partially protected from the elements by the enclosures at the top. In case of fire, they would send out an alarm by the telegraph system established in 1851, then ring the bell locally to call out the firemen, a volunteer force until 1868.
One problem for the towers was the increasing height of buildings, which blocked their views. Another problem was the expansion of the street alarm boxes throughout the city in the 1870s. In 1880, all watchmen were discharged, and the towers were gradually demolished.
The tower in the park has remained, largely because it was not in the way of anything. In 1967, the Landmarks Preservation Commission designated the tower a landmark which reinforced its structural significance as a fine example of post-and-lintel cast-iron architecture. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1976, three years after Mount Morris Park was renamed in honor of the revered Black nationalist activist, Marcus Garvey (1887-1940).
THE EARLY NEIGHBORHOOD
Following the Civil War, the remainder of the Benson farm was developed with rows of speculative townhouses. For over 100 years, the community adjoining Mount Morris Park has been widely recognized as one of the city’s most charming and distinctive residential enclaves. Bosses of the notorious Tammany Hall political club found the opportunity to make money in Harlem properties particularly irresistible. Ironically, not only did infamous personalities, like the Hon. Richard Crocker, live adjoining Mount Morris Park, but one of their fiercest critics, the cartoonist Thomas Nast, lived and worked in the neighborhood as well.Richard Rodgers (1902-1979), one of the geniuses of the Broadway musical theater, lived during early childhood at No. 3 West 120th Street, where his father practiced medicine on the parlor floor. Although the Rodgers family moved from 120th Street in 1911, Richard’s connection to the neighborhood was rejuvenated in his late teens. He met songwriter Lorenz Hart, who lived at No. 59 West 119th Street. Notable achievements of the Rodgers-Hart partnership, lasting until 1942, include, On Your Toes and Pal Joey. As a gift to the “old” neighborhood, Rodgers donated the Amphitheater in Mount Morris Park in 1970.
To order tickets – Please send e-mail to info@mmpcia.org
Check out more at the website for more information: www.mmpcia.com/events.htm
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St. Philips Church
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...the HW Cup
...Harlem tees
Harlem umbrella by Wardell Milan
"Bearden, 1944," 
Harlem World Magazine
How muh are the tickets? I want two tickets.