San Juan Hill was an African American, African Caribbean, and Puerto Rican Community. It was predominately African American and one of the largest Black communities in New York before World War I. It preceded Harlem. It was known as San Juan Hill, but the formal name was Lincoln Square. The boundaries were around 59th street, 65 street, between Amsterdam Avenue and West End Avenue in New York City. African Americans moved into the area around the late 19th century from Greenwich Village in New York City. Greenwich Village was where an earlier black community existed.[1]
There are different opinions as to why the area was called San Juan Hill. Some critics say that it refers to the Spanish-American War of 1898. It is also said that it was because African-American veterans from the war lived in the area. Others say that the name was given to the area due to the constant racial gang fights between African-Americans and Irish-American gangs.
The neighborhood had a jazz club in the neighborhood called "Jungle Cafe." Milton Mezz Mezzrowa White jazz clarinetist was introduced to Jazz while living in Harlem, where he heard recordings of of James P. Johnson who was from San Juan Hill. James P. Johnson was a pianist. Historian March S. Sacks quotes in her book, Before Harlem: The Black Experience in New York City Before World War I (Politics and Culture in Modern America) that San Juan Hill had lots of tenement basement clubs that ranged from dives to higher-level clubs. And that there were also poolrooms, saloons, dance halls and bordellos.
San Juan Hill had many black churches that historian Marcy Sacks says moved into the area around the 1889s and 1890s. And that the area had numerous fraternal organizations, such as; the Grand United Order of Odd Fellows, Negro Elks, and the Colored Freemasons.
According to historian Marcy Sacks’ “Before Harlem,” many black churches moved into the area in the 1880s and 1890s, among them St. Mark’s Methodist Episcopal, Mt. Olivet Baptist and St. Benedict the Moor Church (New York City). Although St. Benedict the Moor Church was located in the area next to San Juan Hill called Hell's Kitchen, it was built in 1883. [2]
Thelonious Monk the jazz pianist grew up in San Juan Hill. He was raised in the Phipps houses on West 63rd street. A portion of a street in the old San Juan Hill neighborhood was named after Thelonious Monk.
Pianists James P. Johnson one of the pioneer's of the stride style of piano playing family moved to San Juan Hill in 1908. Johnson composed the Roaring Twentiespopular song "Charleston". Many of Johnson's compositions have been used as film scores and movies dating from 1929 to 2007.
In the early 20th century African-Americans started to move from San Juan Hill to Harlem.
In 1940 New York City Housing Authority slated the area as a slum to be demolished by Urban Renewal. Part of San Juan Hill was destroyed from 1947 to 1948, and the Amsterdam Houses were built.
In 1948 the City of New York made San Juan Hill an area for redevelopment. More than 1,100 families mostly Black were evicted to build the Amsterdam Houses. [3]
In 1950s the neighborhood was torn down and Lincoln Center was built where the San Juan Hill neighborhood use to be. The neighborhood was an arts center before Lincoln Center was built. [4][5][6] San Juan Hill was known as the home of the creation of the Charleston and Bebop. Lincoln Center was developed by developer Robert Moses. It replaced one culture with another. Lincoln Center is the home of the New York City Opera, New York Philharmonic, New York City Ballet, and the Metropolitan Opera. The land was obtained by Moses using eminent domain. It turned an ethnic community mostly African-Americans and Puerto Ricans into an elite cultural venue. The area how been the home of over 7000 residents. The project lead by developer Robert Moses said to be an early example of gentrification by New York City.
In 1959 President Dwight D. Eisenhower was part of a ground breaking project for the development project [7] [8] [9]
Robert Moses and the Committee on Slum Clearance used a federal program to claim the land in the area of San Juan Hill under eminent domain. This law was Title I of the 1949 Housing Act. It gave federal backing for “urban renewal” projects. The "urban renewal" projects created middle-class housing. This post WWII transformation of San Juan Hill neighborhood is said to have been an early example of urban gentrification. [10][11]
In the 1950s the black population decreased while the Puerto Rican population grew.
The film "West Side Story" was filmed in parts of San Juan Hill.
References
1. https://www.6sqft.com/lincoln-center-from-dutch-enclave-and-notorious-san-juan-hill-to-thriving-cultural-center/
2.http://www.nypress.com/local-news/20161108/a-west-side-story
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