Victoria Hsiao

Professor Nancy Aries

IDC 3001H

5/21/15

Hamilton Heights: Battles with Change

“Progress is a nice word. But change is its motivator. And change has its enemies” –

Robert Kennedy

I fell in love with Hamilton Heights the first time I visited it. The neighborhood

had a different character and charm from the New York City I was accustomed to. I could

tell that despite the changes in the neighborhood, it was still nobly holding on to its rich

history and culture. After the Revolutionary War, although it was not named Hamilton

Heights at the time, the area began to transform itself from purely rural to more suburban,

and finally urban, due to its close proximity with the heart of New York City. Today this

valiant and culture-filled neighborhood is enduring its own battles with gentrification and

change as evidenced by transformations in real estate, local businesses, and

demographics.

Appropriately so, Hamilton Heights was named after one of its most famous

inhabitants: Alexander Hamilton. The founding father and first US Secretary of Treasure

spent the last few years of his life in this neighborhood. Up until the beginning of the 20th

Century, Hamilton Heights was mainly used for farming, but after an extension on the

subway line was built to connect downtown with upper New York City, many luxury

apartments and brownstones began to pop up in the area (Harlem Heights Historical

Society). This gave way to an ideal place for the upper to white middle class to reside.

During this time, City College was also erected at the top of the Convent Avenue Hill.

During the mid 20th century, the population shifted toward the African American

middle class due to the Harlem Renaissance. A period of about 40 years brought rich

black culture, such as jazz, to the neighborhood. Famous Black professionals such as

Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall, W.E.B Du Bois, Charlie Parker and Duke

Ellington all resided in Sugar Hill. In one New York Magazine article the author writes,

“Pleasantness has a historical dimension, here. The Sugar Hill neighborhood was the

center of the sweet life during the Harlem Renaissance, the mythic destination in the

Ellington/Strayhorn standard “Take the A Train.” Langston Hughes, in a 1944 essay

in The New Republic, described these heights as the peak of black bourgeois

aspiration: “It is, I should imagine, nice to be smart enough and lucky enough to be

among Dr. Dubois’ ‘talented tenth’ and be a race leader and go to the symphony

concerts and live on that attractive rise of bluff and parkway along upper Edgecombe

Avenue overlooking the Polo Grounds, where the plumbing really works and the

ceilings are high and airy.” (Davidson)

The historical significance of this time period still has a strong presence in the

neighborhood today and is predominately what the neighborhood is known for.

Beginning in the 1980s, the neighborhood shifted again. This time the majority of the

population became Latino—predominately of Dominican origin (Harlem Heights

Historical Society). This occurred because further downtown rent was becoming too high

for the new immigrants to afford. Currently, the neighborhood is headed back in the

direction of becoming an area that mainly caters to the upper, middle-class white

population. For a long time, Hamilton Heights has managed to resist the modernization

that we see further downtown. There are laws in place to prevent knocking down

buildings for construction, and most of the businesses are predominately independently

owned and operated. Within the past ten years there have been drastic changes and they

are happening quickly and swiftly. This shift has raised concerns that the area will lose,

and is losing, its rich diverse culture of immigrants and African American/Dominican

history.

As I stood at the intersection of 145th Street during my first visit to the neighborhood,

one of the first things I noticed was the absolutely beautiful architecture of the buildings.

They weren’t the normal gray cement buildings or the characterless glass modern condos

that were springing up everywhere further downtown. These buildings had character and

detail. They were not tall, but they were wide, often spanning several storefronts. They

were made of brick and painted various shades of warm beige and orange-brown.

Some of the brownstones looked exactly like the ones downtown that sold for

millions of dollars. Many of the brownstones and buildings have a medieval feel to them,

emphasized by City College’s stunning noe-Gothic architecture. All along the buildings I

caught glimpses of botanical carvings detailing floral vines and thistles. After spending

many hours getting to the neighborhood, I can still say now that the architecture of the

buildings in Hamilton Heights are one of my favorite parts about the neighborhood.

After interviewing a woman who worked at a church in the neighborhood, I

discovered that although the brownstones looked the same on the outside, there were

drastic changes happening to the inside. She told me that developers were not allowed to

knock down the brownstones because law protected them. Hamilton Heights is a historic

district, meaning many of its buildings must be preserved to reflect its original

architecture (Hamilton Heights Historic District). However, there are few laws protecting

the insides of the buildings.

The woman Dafna and I interviewed also recounted how she knew of friends who

had lived in these brownstones that had paid an affordable rent. They were forced to

move out after their lease was up because the landlord had raised the prices. After forcing

many of the tenants out, the floor space in the brownstones was divided up into smaller

apartments so that more people and families could fit inside the buildings. Then, the

landlord sold the smaller units at a high price. According to our interviewee, there were

college students from Columbia and City College occupying the once family-inhabited

apartments. This is mainly due to the Columbia Expansion, a $7 billion plan to expand

Columbia University that has not only impacted the communities within its borders, but

has also impacted the surrounding communities as well.

Although our interviewee did not seem outright angry that this was happening, there

was an evident sadness and bitterness in her voice. It was obvious she was not an enemy

of the changes occurring but she did represent many of those who did not want to see

their friends and families being forced out of their homes. My impression was that if I

had interviewed one of the families that was forced to leave from their homes, I would

have gotten to see the side of Hamilton Heights that was against the changes happening

in the neighborhood. The problem seemed to be that the people in the neighborhood had

little power to fight back against what was happening to their homes. They did not have

resources like money or political alliances that could fight back against the changes that

were occurring. Many residents realize that they will soon be pushed out of their homes

by either eminent domain or their tenants will raise the prices in order to cater to the

students and professors who can afford to pay more.

Although it was uplifting to learn that the government was protecting the historic

authenticity of the outsides of the buildings, there seemed to be little concern for the

inhabitants that occupied the buildings. Architecture is only one aspect of a neighborhood

that needs to be protected in order to preserve culture and history.

Dafna and I also interviewed a real estate agent, who seemed to be a proponent of the

gentrification happening in the area. The middle aged white man had lived in Hamilton

Heights up until his 20s and then moved further downtown once he was able to afford the

rents of the Upper West Side. When we asked him about increasing rent prices, he

shrugged it off as a natural increase that all neighborhoods face due to inflation and rising

prices all around Manhattan. Curbed NY claims that Hamilton Heights has the fifth

largest jump in housing prices—from $503,200 in Hamilton Heights to $639,000 in 2015,

a 27% increase (Curbed). The owner of a new coffee shop stated that she had moved to

Hamilton Heights in search of affordable rents but had to move further uptown to

Washington Heights because the rents had increased so much in the past two years.

We also asked the real estate agent if he noticed any changes in the demographics of

the area and he noted that he noted there were more “hipsters” moving in who were able

to afford the increasing rent prices. He seemed to encourage this transition but failed to

comment on how many of the immigrant families had to move out to accommodate the

new influx of middle class citizens. He denied that landlords were “forcing” out blacks

and argued that they were simply trying to remain competitive in a tough market. His

point of view represented the other side of the struggle with gentrification. Although he

showed little concern for how many blacks and Dominicans were being forced to move

out of the area, his point of view made me look at how gentrification is sometimes

inevitable no matter how hard you try to resist it, and can be beneficial towards as many

people as it harms. This real estate agent was an excellent example of those who were

fighting on the side of new change in Hamilton Heights.

Residential rent in the area has traditionally ranged from about $800 to $1,500 per

month. Today, prices are about 2,300 per month, which is only $200 away from the

median Manhattan rent price of $2,500 (Longman). The median value of owning an

apartment in Hamilton Heights is $630,000—a 10% increase within the past year. This

rate is supposed to increase by 4.1% within the next year (Zillow). Even more concerning

is the number of foreclosures in the area; the foreclosure rate is about 5.5 homes per

10,000 compared to 0.5 homes per 10,000 in the rest of New York. There is no doubt that

many people are choosing to leave their homes because they can no longer afford to stay

in the area.

According to one woman in an article I read, “The community needs to be educated

to what their tenant’s rights are, and the community needs to be empowered,” she says,

“because if they are not empowered, we are going to disappear.” Many locals believe that

it is important their neighborhood emphasize passing down history, rather than trying to

become more gentrified. The local residents in the area are very aware of just how

drastically the neighborhood is changing and many of them do not want it to.

The Columbia Expansion into Manhattanville has greatly impacted the Hamilton

Heights Community; there is little argument about this point. The disagreements lie in

whether these changes are beneficial or harmful. In addition the Columbia Expansion,

there are other factors for its increasing popularity and gentrification. The Upper West

Side of Manhattan is an undeniably desirable place to live for upper income families, but

these days—even they can’t afford to keep their families of three, four and sometimes

five—afloat with such high rent (Longman). Prices in the suburbs are decreasing, while

prices in Manhattan are increasing at an alarming rate. All in all, the transformation of

Hamilton Heights and its property prices is projected to be a big economic improvement

for the area. Who wouldn’t want to live in one of these beautiful newly renovated, yet

still-rustic on-the-outside brownstones? The real question will be whom will it benefit in

the long run.

After marveling at how beautiful the architecture of Hamilton Heights I was able to

focus in on many of the obvious changes that were also happening on the outside of the

buildings. The storefronts that occupied the brownstone buildings were comprised of a

variety of businesses ranging from corporate chains to small businesses. For example, on

just one block alone I saw a Dunkin Donuts and Popeyes as well as small businesses such

as “Chelsea Hair Salon” and “African American Caribbean Market and Halal Meat”.

There was also a shoe repair store, a dry cleaner, a foot care center, a dental office, a

beauty salon and a deli. Many of the store owners seemed to be first generation

immigrants—they spoke in Spanish or in English with accents. It was evident that

although there were quite a few corporate restaurants and stores in the area, there was still

a strong presence of small businesses owned by members of the community. Although on

the outside the neighborhood seemed to be quiet and friendly, beneath the surface there

were rising tensions all along the street stemming from tensions between the old

businesses and new franchises.

During one of the interviews Dafna and I conducted I asked a young black man if

he had a job and his reply was that he was looking for one but he hadn’t heard back from

anywhere yet. He had applied to places such as Foot Locker, Modell’s and Pathmark but

hadn’t heard back from them yet. He noted that the process of applying for jobs was

changing in the area. “It used to be that you could just walk into a store and apply right

there, but with more well-known franchises entering the area, it’s a lot harder”. Now, in

order to get jobs people must first apply online, and then go in for an interview. With this

hiring process in place, it is harder for young people obtain jobs, when people from

virtually anywhere can apply for jobs online. Chain stores and franchises are heavy users

of this online application method.

The result of gentrification for this young man was that he was unable to access even

low-wage jobs. This observable contrast between the types of business in the area served

to shed light on the fact that there seemed to be an ongoing struggle between immigrant

run local businesses and franchises. The people that were able to get jobs in these two

businesses were either young white people or people that spoke fluent Spanish, leaving

little room for the African Americans that were born and raised in the area, which may be

one of the reasons that African Americans that are moving out of the area.

When I asked him if the situation was improving, he seemed optimistic, indicating

that even though the changes in his neighborhood had forced him to move, he was not

totally against gentrification. He expressed that the Projects were experiencing

gentrification in addition to the rest of the Heights. “There is less violence in my

neighborhood and thinks are a lot quieter… And a lot more peaceful… I like it better that

way”. In fact crime rates have dropped in the area by 60% within the past few years

(Jackson). According to our interviewee, the people that seemed to be moving into the

projects were families and young people who had lived in better areas but that were

trying to escape rising rents, instead of the druggies and gangs that had previously

dominated this particular area of Hamilton Heights.

This young man seemed to have conflicted views about the old and new in his

neighborhood. He was finding it more difficult to get a job but was also glad that there

was less violence in the area. According to an article in the Real Estate Section of the NY

Times, the Columbia Expansion has brought more positive aspects to the neighborhood

rather than negative effects. The article states that Hamilton Heights residents are looking

forward to the new stores and entrepreneurship that the expansion will encourage. They

claim that residents were inconvenienced by having to go downtown to grocery shop or

even grab a Starbucks. They also said that the grocery stores in the area lacked a good

selection of fresh produce (Hughes).

Evidence has suggested that this view does not resonate with all the members of

the neighborhood. Early efforts to install new business in the area seemed to have failed.

For example, Tres Pasos Mexican Kitchen, Vinegar Hill Bread Market and Café Largo,

opening in 2007 but are now closed down (Hughes). Despite the failures of these three

businesses, there has been some success recently. Trufa, on West 139th St. and Tonalli

Café Bar have been prospering in the past year or so. This reflects what the black woman

we interviewed had said about the streets in the neighborhood. “They are always

changing. To me it seems new businesses are closing down or opening up every few

months!” (Hughes).

One woman from the New York Times article suggested that the reason the

Italian restaurants were doing well was because “The neighborhood is changing, so we

wanted to, too”. Another woman said that she would like to see a new stationary store or

clothing boutique in the area (Hughes). This illustrates that the community is still

struggling to find its particular direction. Some residents want to see change and are

willing to abandon the neighborhood’s cultural past. They are in favor of businesses that

promote a more culturally diverse mix, rather than sticking with the Mexican restaurants

that one can assume would be popular in the area given its demographics. To one person

a new “hipster” restaurant is a sign that prosperity for the neighborhood is soon to come,

but to another, this may mean the loss of a community due to gentrification.

Besides changes in the real estate of the neighborhood, as well as in businesses in

the neighborhood, demographics are also a key indicator that gentrification and the old

culture of the neighborhood are at odds. In 2000 there was a total population in the

neighborhood of 111,724 people, in 2010 there was a slight decrease in population to

110,193 people (United States Census Bureau). Of the 111, 724 people in 2000 31.3% of

the population was black. This number has had an almost 10% decrease in 2010. This

clearly indicates that blacks are leaving the area, which is concerning because historically

Hamilton Heights has been a neighborhood infused by black culture. The largest

population in 2000 was actually the Hispanics, which is not surprising, since the

Domincans began to dominate the area in the 1980s. They made up about 43.2% of the

population in 2000 and had a slight decrease to 42.7% in 2010.

The biggest indicator of gentrification is the increase in the white population over 18

from about 18,000 to 23,000—a 28% increase (United States Census Bureau). They went

from representing a fifth of the population to a quarter of the population. Meanwhile, the

Black population in that age group decreased by 16.9% from 18,140 people to 23,224

people. The white population under 18 years old alone there was a dramatic 27% increase

from 2000-2010. Although the cause is unclear as to this increase in the population under

18 years old, it is easy to speculate that more white families with young children are

moving in to the neighborhood. In the population of African Americans under 18, there

was a 47% decrease, indicating that black families with young children may be moving

out of the area due to increasing rents for smaller spaces and lack of jobs for them in the

area. The white families and college students or graduates are occupying these spaces.

Data and numbers are useful in proving the point that this area is going through major

confrontations with the forces of gentrification, but to me the real evidence lies in the

personal experiences of those who have lived in the area or are moving out of the area.

After conducting interviews all around Hamilton Heights, I was motivated to find the

data and concrete evidence that proved this neighborhood was going through battles with

change. Overall, I found that gentrification is winning and probably will continue to win.

Gentrification is definitely not all bad—there is much evidence to support its benefits—

but hopefully the rich culture and diversity of the neighborhood will not all be lost.

Indeed, “progress is a nice word, but change is its motivator. And change has its

enemies.” But change doesn’t always represent a loss for one side and a win for the other.

Hamilton Heights is a neighborhood that truly deserves to be valued for its rich cultural

and historical aspects despite the changes it is going through.

Works Cited

"Harlem & the Heights Historical Society." Harlem & the Heights Historical Society.

N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Mar. 2015.

"Hamilton Heights Real Estate" Curbed NY : The New York City Neighborhoods and

Real Estate Blog. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 May 2015.

Bortolot, Lana. "Harlem's Sugar Hill Stretches Its Borders." WSJ. The Wall Street

Journal, 20 June 2013. Web. 01 Mar. 2015.

<http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB100014241278873238935045785559835792

01860>.

Davidson, Justin. "In Harlem, the Sugar Hill Complex Reimagines Affordable Housing

As an Arty Fortress." New York Magazine. New York Magazine, 09 June

2014. Web. 01 Mar. 2015.

<http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2014/06/sugar-hill-affordable-housing-

as-arty-fortress.html>.

"Hamilton Heights Historic District." Trust for Architectural Easements. N.p., n.d. Web.

01 Mar. 2015.

"Hamilton Heights Neighborhood in New York, New York (NY), 10031, 10032, 10039

Detailed Profile." Http://www.city-data.com/neighborhood/Hamilton-Heights-

New-York-NY.html. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 Mar. 2015.

"Harlem & the Heights Historical Society." Harlem & the Heights Historical Society.

N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Mar. 2015.

Jackson, Nancy Beth. "LIVING IN/Sugar Hill; Reclaiming a Place Where the Music

Once Played." The New York Times. The New York Times, 05 June 2004.

Web. 01 Mar. 2015. <http://www.nytimes.com/2004/06/06/realestate/living-in-

sugar-hill-reclaiming-a-place-where-the-music-once-played.html>.

CJ, Hughes. “Hamilton Heights: Awaiting A Bounce.” The New York Times, 10 June

2011. Web. 01 Mar. 2015

<http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/12/realestate/hamilton-heights-

awaiting-a-bounce.html?_r=0>

United States Cenus Bureau. "Census.gov." Census.gov. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 May 2015.

Longman, Mike. "Is the Market or Manhattanville Driving Hamilton Heights

Development?" City Limits. N.p., 09 Feb. 2015. Web. 19 May 2015.

"Zillow: Real Estate, Apartments, Mortgage & Home Values in the US." Zillow. N.p.,

n.d. Web. 19 May 2015.