Dunbar Apartments | |
 courtyard (2014) | |
    | |
| Location | W. 149th and 150th St btwnFrederick Douglass &AC Powell Jr. Blvds. Manhattan,New York City |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 40°49′30″N73°56′18″W / 40.82500°N 73.93833°W /40.82500; -73.93833 |
| Area | 4.2 acres (1.7 ha) |
| Built | 1926–28[2] |
| Architect | Andrew J. Thomas |
| Website | https://dunbarapts.com/ |
| NRHP reference No. | 79001601[1] |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | March 29, 1979 |
| Designated NYCL | July 14, 1970 |
TheDunbar Apartments, also known as thePaul Laurence Dunbar Garden Apartments orDunbar Garden Apartments, is a complex of buildings located onWest 149th andWest 150th Streets betweenFrederick Douglass Boulevard/Macombs Place andAdam Clayton Powell Jr. Boulevard in theHarlem neighborhood ofManhattan,New York City. They were built byJohn D. Rockefeller Jr. from 1926 to 1928 to provide housing forAfrican Americans, and was the first large cooperative aimed at that demographic.[2] The buildings were designed by architectAndrew J. Thomas and were named in honor of the noted African American poetPaul Laurence Dunbar.
The complex consists of six separate buildings with a total of 511apartments (as constructed) and occupies an entire city block. The buildings center around an interior gardencourtyard, with each building U-shaped so that every apartment receives easy air flow and direct sunlight at some point during the day. The Dunbar is considered the "first largegarden-complex in Manhattan."[3]
The complex was designated aNew York City Landmark in 1970,[2] and was listed on theNational Register of Historic Places (NRHP) in 1979.[4] One of the buildings contains theMatthew Henson Residence, which is separately listed on the NRHP as aNational Historic Landmark.
The Dunbar Apartments were constructed as an experiment in housingreform, to alleviate the housing shortage in Harlem and to provide housing for African Americans. Rather than being set up as rental apartments, the complex was ahousing cooperative. Tenants were required to pay a down payment of $50 per room, and then $14.50 per room per month, much of which went towards amortgage on the space. In 22 years, if payments were all made on time, the tenant would own the apartment. The project was both the first large cooperative aimed at African Americans, and also New York City's first largegarden apartment complex.[3]
The original tenants were primarily middle class, and inexpensivechildcare was provided on-site to support working mothers. However, the building opened in 1928, and theGreat Depression began just a year later. The management of the complex was forced to loosen a number of cooperative rules in order to allow people to, for example, take inlodgers. Even so, too many tenants failed to make their payments and the buildings defaulted on their mortgage to Rockefeller. Heforeclosed in 1936, and a year later the buildings were converted to rental units.
In June 2013, the Dunbar Apartments were sold to theBrooklyn-based developer E&M Associates. Plans were set in motion to upgrade the facilities and establish the Dunbar as one of the premier upscale complexes in Upper Manhattan. These plans include renovating the vacant apartments, updating and refurbishing the interior courtyard and garden, and the addition of a variety of amenities including a fitness center, playground, additional security and a doorman. The contract was acquired by Samuel Berry and Andrew Melohn ofDouglas Elliman working in conjunction withFredrik Eklund.[5]
Matthew Henson Residence | |
 | |
| Location | 246 W. 150th St., Apt. 3F, Manhattan, New York |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 40°49′31.6″N73°56′19.5″W / 40.825444°N 73.938750°W /40.825444; -73.938750 |
| Area | less than one acre |
| Built | 1928 |
| NRHP reference No. | 75001207[1] |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | May 15, 1975[1] |
| Designated NHL | May 15, 1975[6] |
One of the Dunbar Apartments' residences, apartment 3F at 246 West 150th Street, was occupied by African-American polar explorerMatthew Henson (1866-1955) from 1929 until his death. Henson was arguably the first man to reach theGeographic North Pole, a feat that is disputed in part by his own diary. His residence was named aNational Historic Landmark in 1975.[6][7]
246 West 150th Street is located on the south side of the street east ofFrederick Douglass Boulevard.[7] Matthew Henson was born in 1866 tofree people of color inMaryland. He met CommanderRobert E. Peary in 1887, who hired him for exploratory expeditions after learning of seagoing experiences he had as a teenager. Henson became an indispensable figure in the expeditions Peary led into theArctic Ocean, assisting with the planning and logistics, as a translator with the localInuit, and frequently as a groundbreaker in the party's movements. In 1909, as he was assigned the task of breaking trail in Peary's bid to reach the Geographic North Pole. The expedition claimed success in this attempt, although later analysis (based in part on descriptions contained in Henson's diary) of the available evidence suggests they actually fell short of the objective. Although Henson was denied the accolades showered upon Peary after the expedition, he was eventually honored with membership inThe Explorers Club in 1937, and was lauded within the African-American community for his achievement, and has since been recognized at both national and state levels. A plaque marking his achievements is located outside one of the Dunbar building entrances.[7]
Noted personalities to live in the Dunbar Apartments include leaders of theCivil Rights Movement such asW. E. B. Du Bois,Paul Robeson,James Weldon Johnson,Walter White,A. Philip Randolph, andNoah D. Thompson, writersClaude McKay andWilliam Melvin Kelley, entertainerBill "Bojangles" Robinson, poetCountee Cullen, and the explorerMatthew Henson.[2][8]
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