Lenox Avenue
Malcolm X Boulevard | |
147th Street in Harlem | |
East | Fifth Avenue |
---|---|
West | Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Boulevard |
Construction | |
Commissioned | March 1811 |
Lenox Avenue – also named Malcolm X Boulevard; both names are officially recognized – is the primary north–south route through Harlem in the upper portion of the New York City borough of Manhattan. This two-way street runs from Farmers' Gate at Central Park North (110th Street) to 147th Street. Its traffic is figuratively described as "Harlem's heartbeat" by Langston Hughes in his poem Juke Box Love Song.[2] The IRT Lenox Avenue Line runs under the entire length of the street, serving the New York City Subway's 2 and 3 trains.
From
History
Originally a part of Sixth Avenue, the segment north of Central Park was renamed in late 1887[4] for philanthropist James Lenox. In 1987, it was co-named Malcolm X Boulevard, in honor of the slain civil rights leader.[5][6]
The avenue was the heart of
The
In popular culture
This section needs additional citations for verification. (August 2016) |
- Lenox Avenue – 1937 composition and 1938 ballet by William Grant Still[10]
- The corner of Lenox Avenue and 125th Street is mentioned in the song "When the Revolution Comes" by The Last Poets on their self-titled album (1970).[11]
- Small Talk at 125th and Lenox (1970) is an album by Gil Scott-Heron.
- Lenox Avenue Breakdown is an album by jazz alto saxophonist Arthur Blythe. Columbia Records released the album in 1979.
- In The Fire Next Time, James Baldwin refers to Lenox Avenue simply as "The Avenue".
- The main characters of the 1992 novel Jazz by Toni Morrison live on Lenox Avenue.
- The video for
- "Lenox Avenue: Midnight", a well-known poem by Langston Hughes, is set on Lenox Avenue, as is his "The Weary Blues". The avenue is mentioned in his "Juke Box Love Song" and "Consider Me".
- The avenue is featured in the first verse of the original Irving Berlin lyrics of "Puttin' On the Ritz". The song refers to the then-popular fad of poor but flashily dressed black Harlemites parading up and down Lenox Avenue, "Spending ev'ry dime / For a wonderful time".
- In the title track of his debut record Lifestylez ov da Poor & Dangerous, Big L raps about 139th Street and Lenox Avenue.
- The street signs are heavily featured in the opening titles of the 2016 Netflix series Luke Cage, which takes place and was filmed in Harlem.
- Part of Teyana Taylor's 2018 music video for the remix of "Gonna Love Me" was shot on Lenox Avenue, near a mural of Big L.
- The last line of the "Strut Miss Lizzie" patter has "...get set for Lenox Avenue."
- In the 1995 movie Die Hard with a Vengeance, Simon Peter Gruber requires Lieutenant John McClane to get to the crossing of Lenox Anenue and the 128th Street, where he is quickly meeting with buddy Zeus (played by Samuel L. Jackson), although the scene was actually shot in Audubon Avenue, close to West 175th Street (Washington Heights, Manhattan)
Gallery
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Mosque No. 7 at 116th Street
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The Ebenezer Gospel Tabernacle at121st Street, formerly the Lenox Avenue Unitarian Church (1889)[13]: 59
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Ephesus Seventh-Day Adventist Church at123rd Street, formerly the Second Collegiate Church of Harlem (1887)[13]: 64
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Harlem Hospital at135th Street
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The Savoy West at138th Street
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Rainbow over Malcolm X Boulevard, in a view looking northward from Central Park North
References
- ^ Google (September 13, 2015). "Lenox Avenue / Malcolm X Boulevard" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved September 13, 2015.
- ^ "Governor Announces $11 Million to Enhance NYC Communities (Bronx, Brooklyn, Kings, New York & Queens Counties)" (Press release). New York State Department of Transportation. April 6, 2000. Retrieved May 25, 2007.
- ISBN 978-0-470-28963-1., p.205
- ^ "Honoring the Lenox Family". The New York Times. October 5, 1887. p. 4.
- ^ Gray, Christopher (June 15, 2003). "Streetscapes/200-218 Malcolm X Boulevard, From 120th to 121st Street; A Once-Noble Row of Houses Hopes for Renewal". The New York Times. Retrieved May 25, 2007.
- ^ "Malcolm X Boulevard". New York City Department of City Planning. Archived from the original on 2007-06-09. Retrieved May 25, 2007.
- ^ Friedwald, Will (May 9, 2011). "Follow the Sound Uptown". The Wall Street Journal. New York. Retrieved November 16, 2022.
- ISBN 9781438130170.
- ^ Ward, Geoffrey C.; Burns, Ken (2000). Jazz: A History of America's Music. Alfred A. Knopf. p. 174.
- ISBN 978-0-313-29826-4.
- ^ "Travelagu | Download Lagu MP3 | Lagu Populer | Lagu Terbaru 2022".
- ISBN 978-0-552-15361-4.
- ^ ISBN 0-231-12543-7., p.59
Further reading
- Black, Blind, & In Charge: A Story of Visionary Leadership and Overcoming Adversity."Skyhorse Publishing. New York, New York, 2020
External links
- Media related to Lenox Avenue at Wikimedia Commons