A new documentary titled “The Lost Arcade” serves as a scorned love letter to the Chinatown Fair and all it once represented. (The New Yorker)
Category: Havens
In Harlem, Renaissance Theater Is at the Crossroads of Demolition and Preservation
The Renaissance Theater and Casino in Harlem has been vacant for more than 30 years. One Sunday morning, as churchgoers and tourists walked by, the preservation campaign was on full display, a man wearing a bowler hat bellowed a chant of three woeful words: “Save Harlem now.” (The New York Times) Update: A Piece of…
As Tourists Come and Go, Harlem Churches Lose a 10% Lifeblood
Despite the draw of tourists, churches in Harlem are struggling. At the heart of the struggle is a contradiction: As the iconic neighborhood’s fortunes rise, tithing — the traditional source of the churches’ money — is fading away. (The New York Times)
All-Season Play for a Chess Crew in Harlem
Inside the storefront one cold evening, hands slammed on time clocks in a vigorous percussion, taunts lobbed between opponents – sounds reminiscent of combat. The games had been honed by years of chess matches at St. Nicholas Park, where regulars, hustlers and visitors played for hours on end, drawing crowds and creating street chess legends. (The New York Times)
Harlem Says Goodbye to the Lenox Lounge
The Lenox Lounge, where Billie Holiday had a table, Dizzy Gillespie played his trumpet, and James Baldwin soaked up the scene, Art Deco light fixtures and zebra-print wallpaper stir up memories of other eras, and where, even now, everybody knows everybody, is set to close. (The New York Times)
In Changing Harlem, a Mosque Struggles to Pay Rent
The mosque has been crammed into its run-down, rented space for about 16 years, serving the mostly West African congregation of more than 1,000. But after a persistent rent dispute with its landlord, the mosque finds itself in housing court facing eviction. (The New York Times)
They’re Still Swinging for the Rooftops
For old-time stickball players, much of their neighborhood has disappeared. But on Sunday mornings, the pride in their “poor man’s game” is on full display. (The New York Times)
Mick’s Inn, where heroes hang out
In the back room of Mick’s Inn are framed, autographed portraits of Medal of Honor recipients. And whenever the heroes are in town, they take to the stools of the dimly lit Port Richmond bar and sometimes buy a round. (The Philadelphia Inquirer)
Stepping Up: The Men of Tustin fight for their community
Like a one-stop social services agency, a band of men try to uplift their troubled neighborhood. (The Philadelphia Inquirer)
