Final Posting

Please note that this blog will cease operation immediately. Subsequent postings will be found at :

http://HarlemCulturalArchives.ning.com

Feel free to join!

Best,

Ken

We're Fired Up!!

Congressman Rangel On Riverton

We Shall Not Be Moved

Riverton Press Conference

ELECTED OFFICIALS AND COMMUNITY LEADERS TO HOLD PRESS CONFERENCE CALLING ON RIVERTON DEVELOPER TO PRESERVE AFFORDABLE HOUSING, DESPITE WARNINGS OF LOAN DEFAULT

(NEW YORK, NEW YORK)- On Saturday, August 23, 2008, a group of concerned
elected officials and community leaders will be holding a press conference calling on the developer of the 1,230 unit Riverton Apartments to preserve affordable housing, in the wake of the disclosure that the loan used to purchase the Riverton in 2006 may be going into default. This PRESS CONFERENCE will be taking place at the corner of 135th Street and 5th Avenue in Manhattan, New York City at 10:00 AM.

Invited speakers include: Congressman Charles B. Rangel, Assemblyman Keith L.T. Wright, Councilwoman Inez E. Dickens as well as representatives from the Riverton Tenants Association and many members of the Riverton Community. "It is imperative that the developers who purchased this property act in a socially responsible manner and disclose how they will renegotiate their loan in a way that does not threaten the homesteads of Riverton residents. This property must not remain in flux and the owner must take steps in the future to ensure that it does not," said State Assemblyman Keith L.T. Wright.

This PRESS CONFERENCE will be held on SATURDAY, AUGUST 23, 2008 at 10:00 AM at the corner of 135th Street and 5th Avenue in Manhattan, New York City.

clipped from www.save-ml.org

Stellar and its partner Rockpoint are on the verge of defaulting on their $225 million mortgage for Riverton Apartments in Harlem. See articles in the Wall Street Journal, Reuters,Crain's New York and WNYC.

The likely default was predicted by the Partnership to Preserve Affordable Housing in its April 28, 2008 memo (click on "read more" below to see it), written by Thomas Waters, housing analyst for the Community Service Society. When equity funds invest substantially more than the rents will supply, the investment can only be repaid by evicting the rent-regulated tenants. Failure to do that means defaults, lack of maintenance, and disaster.

2008 Bubbling Brown Sugar Highlights

Swing is alive and well in the hands of Richard Bell and his touring cast of "Bubbling Brown Sugar", which is now fresh off of a recent European engagement.
Richard,a baller in his own right, is the son of the beloved "Puggy" and Mildred Bell of Riverton. A "renaissance" man himself, he also co-produced the "feel good" seventies classic "Claudine".

Conversations with Mr Dinkins

Da Bigg Doggs Of Harlem

Nearly 20 years ago, across from "22 west" on a"hun thirty-fifth street" Al Gee started a Hoops tournament, later to be called the BIGG DOGGS of Harlem. In the tradition of educator/ mentors like the late greats Pelham Fritz and Holcomb Rucker and the living legends Cal Ramsey and Jon Isaacs , Al has provided a summertime recreational outlet to scores of Harlem youth. He needs four more solid teams to fill out the card this year........Are there any undercover basketball coaches out there??
Anyway Als' gettin' his props lately in the form of a prominent spot on a beautiful mural on the side of the Rozier Hansborough (The Bathhouse) Center on 135th street. Check it out for yourself.

Set It Off!!

Hey folks,the 2008 Riverton Park reunion plans are well underway. Glenn"Deisel"Hunter has been in negotiation with Riverton management and they have graciously consented to allow us the use of the premises on Saturday July 12th for our annual get together. Food & refreshments will be provided for all of our guests.
Because of the considerable expenses associated with the staging of such an event,(let alone the difficulties of purchasing for an unknown number of participants) it is necessary that we recieve some seed money to cover the expected outlay. Accordingly ,we need to raise $1500 as soon as possible to assure the success of the event. The cost per family is $25, and arrangements have been made to facilitate this by the use of the paypal button to the right of this blog entry. Alternatively, checks can be mailed to:
Glenn Hunter
2300 fifth ave suite 2e
New York, New York
HELP US OUT Y'ALL! WITHOUT SIGNIFICANT UPFRONT CASH COMMITMENT,WE CANNOT ASSURE THAT THE PARTY WILL BE HELD. SPREAD THE WORD!

Virtual Harlem

Here's a well executed bit of "geographically stylized" eye candy, compete with scholarly insights by Central Miissouri State Professor Bryan W. Carter . Hold onto your hat!

Our Friend, Our Governor

"Black Magic" A Pearl of a Picture

To those of us who were in the mix during the late sixties an early seventies Earl"The Pearl"Monroe was more than the iconic athlete whose statistical accomplishments were only exceeded by the grand style with which they were executed, Earl is and was one of us. With fellow Knicks Dick "Fall back Baby' Barnett, and Cal Ramsey in residence at the time, Earl was one of a litany of legends to have graced the Riverton Playground.
His story and that of the many incredible athletes who played for historically black colleges and universities in the pre-seventies era was the subject of the film "Black Magic" The film was produced by the hall of famer himself, and screened before a wildly enthusiastic audience last month at the Apollo.It will air in two parts on ESPN this coming Sunday and Monday. What follows is a well crafted narrative about the Pearl that I found on Youtube, it will have to hold ya' till Sunday!

REUNION PLANS

With all due respect to the Easter Bunny, summer's just about here. The days are getting longer and warmer and pretty soon we'll all be chillin' in our shorts again wondering why there ain't no beer and chips. ... so don't sleep this opportunity to have input into the process. Speak your piece , and reserve early ..... who knows maybe they'll even have your brand.

We are "Black History"

Take pause for a minute to reflect upon the countless ways in which members of the Riverton family have made or altered history.....It takes more than a minute doesn't it!!

NOBODY KNEW WHERE THEY WAS

PLEASE ATTEND THIS EXCITING PRODUCTION AND TELL YOUR FRIENDS!!!!
Roger Parris Presents
NOBODY KNEW WHERE THEY WAS
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE ...........The HAD.L.E.Y. Players
(Harlem Artists Development Leaque Especially for you)
At The:
Theater at North Presbyterian Church
529 West 155th street
NYC, NY 10032
(212) 368-9314 / (212)926-0281
February 15th -March 9th 2008
WRI'ITEN BY: ROGER PARRIS
DIRECTED BY: ARTHUR FRRNCH
Gertrude Jeannette Founder/CEO
Janice Jenkins Artistic Director

"Hot Fun In The Summertime"

With the winter grinding on relentlessly and spring not due for at least another six weeks, it is comforting to reflect upon the summer months and the warmth that comes both literally and figuratively with the season. So,my friends, courtesy of Dr. Keith Hunter, who had the foresight to gather these video clips, we are pleased to bring you a blast of warmth from last summer. We hope you that you enjoy it.

Long Live The "Renny"

The grand opening of the of the Renaissance Theater on one hundred and thirty seventh street occurred 86 years ago this week. In a bittersweet decision, the hallowed hall was denied historic protection by the landmarks Commission last year.The Abyssinian Development Corp, with the help of some influential supporters, successfully argued against a landmark designation for a historic ballroom in central Harlem.The 6-1 vote by the Landmarks Commission clears the way for the redevelopment of the Renaissance Ballroom and Renaissance Casino on Adam Clayton Boulevard and 138th Street. Plans call for the majority of the historic structure to be razed and replaced with a 19-story condo tower as well as cultural, retail and community spaces.
The Municipal Arts Society The New York Landmarks Conservancy, and the Historic Districts Council joined prominent Harlem residents including former Mayor Dinkins to oppose landmark designation, arguing that such a designation would have created insurmountable obstacles to bringing ballroom and the cultural space back to life. Abyssinian hopes the development will be completed by 2009. Still, some residents remain concerned with the loss of the historic structures and argue that a whole-scale renovation of the structure would be more beneficial to the community.
A beautifully illustrated and exhaustive history of the site along with a host of invaluable knowledge about the neighborhood in general can be found at
http://blackfivesblog.com/?p=285 thanks to the tireless efforts of BlackFives founder Claude Johnson.