Dominating
the Harlem skyline since it was first completed during the height of
the Great Depression in 1933, the Claude McKay Residence of the Young
Men Christian Association serves as one of the area’s most important
recreational and cultural centers.
Named
for the African-American author Claude McKay who lived in the building
from 1941 through 1946, this eleven-story, Neo-Georgian style, C-shaped
facility was built from plans prepared by the architectural bureau of
the National Council of the YMCA.
Its design and construction was
supervised by Architect James C. Mackenzie, Jr and it replaced an earlier
YMCA building from 1919, which still stand on the north side of West 135
Street.
Inside the McKay Residence’s lobby, is a mural by Aaron Douglas titled "Evolution of Negro Dance."
Over
the decades, the McKay Residence has hosted or housed some the
country’s most notable African-Americans, from author Langston Hughes to
civil right leader Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Renamed
the Harlem YMCA in the 1990s (although it is still known as the McKay
Residence or the 135 Street YMCA Branch), the building was declared a
National Historic Landmark in 1976 and a New York City Landmark in 1999.
180 West 135 Street between Lenox Avenue and Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. Blvd (Seventh Avenue)
Subway: 2, 3 to 135 Street
Bus: M2, M7 and M102 to 135 Street , Bx15 to Lenox Avenue
