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Published at 4:27pm
Published at 4:25pm
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An initial glance at First Avenue and East 102nd Street reveals a six-story luxury housing complex, a Duane Reade and some people walking dogs. But look a little longer and you’ll see beyond these signs of change: Across the street is a Dominican-owned bodega, the MetroNorth Public Housing Projects and an open window out of which floats a steady stream of salsa music. This is El Barrio. For now, at least.
The vibrant community is becoming—surprise!—a hot spot for new housing developments. At the same time, the area, which was once predominantly black and Puerto Rican, is diversifying, with new populations of Mexicans, Dominicans and Central Americans. A stroll down Lex from 125th turns up taquerias, cuchifritos and soul-food joints—and colorful locals dotting the sidewalks along the way.
But about those changes: Several new luxury housing developments are on their way (like the ten-story J-Tek condos on Second and 116th). Meanwhile, the old-guard buildings—housing projects included—are suffering steady deterioration. Daniel Day, owner of Danny’s Club and Fashion on East 114th, is struggling to keep his 30-year-old business going. He runs the store by sitting outside under a tree, trusting his neighbors implicitly. “Where do you see that kind of thing? Only here in Harlem,” he says, lamenting the decline in the area’s small-time businesses. “When I opened my store, rent was $168. Now I pay $875.”
On a happier note, the changes are bringing back some who left the area years ago, like Puerto Rican Abraham Del Castillo, owner of Cafeteria Del Castillo on 106th. He returned in order to bring “positive changes” to his community. “We’re becoming extinct in this neighborhood,” he says. “That’s why I opened a Puerto Rican restaurant—to keep my culture present here, where I grew up.”
OVERALL SCORE: 17
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7 | 4 | 8 | -5 | -4 | 7 |
The streets aren’t short—making people-meeting difficult—and the buildings are either old and deteriorating or new and expensive. Yet this neighborhood still manages a decent score thanks to its community. Forget what the architecture looks like: Folks hang outside to chat, play music and be merry.
Next: #10: Greenwich Village
