☞ REMEMBER: James Reese Europe in Europe

James Reese Europe lead the 369th Infantry Regiment, also known as the Harlem Hellfighters, in World War I and was notably credited for being the ambassador of Jazz from the United States.  The bandleader was already a famous African-American musician and when it was time to serve his country in 1918, he naturally had the Harlem men in his service bring along their musical instruments which would introduce ragtime music to Britain and France.  The Jazz Age would officially start the following year after the war was over and Mr. Europe's style of ragtime would be the predecessor to the music that would take over the city in the next decade.  Harlem is now very popular with French tourists and one can trace this romanticism all the way back to when the Hellfighters played for the first time overseas.

☞ INTRODUCING: Harlem Yo! Arriving Soon

The second frozen yogurt shop for Chill Berry who first started up on Lenox will be on FDB/8th Avenue. Walking by the former space that used to house a boutique pet shop, we noticed that the signage has been put up for Harlem Yo! in the past week or so. This location located between 114th and 115th street is in prime South Harlem so should see heavy foot traffic once the summer roles around.  Chill Berry opened in Central Harlem a couple of years ago but this new spot is different since the yogurt shop will also be selling burritos instead of soup on the side.

☞ REVIVE: Restored Cornices on 125th Street

We noticed that the owners of the row of tenements lining 125th Street just east of Amsterdam have been restoring all of the facades as of late. Some of the buildings further uptown tend to remove this architectural detail in order to save costs but there now appears to be somewhat of a preservation trend happening as of late. As property values go up in the neighborhood, this sort of maintenance will be of more importance and will add more value so owner are taking note.

☞ DWELL: 58 West 129th Street Condos

A Bespoke reader mentioned this week that the developer responsible for 5 West 127th was working on a new construction at West 129th Street so we went straight to the source.  It turns out that the condos have not been built yet since the new development is just breaking ground at 58 West 129th Street.  This was originally the site of a small building that the Mormon congregation used before the huge church was built down the block and now will be a 7-story condo with 19 units, some very bespoke paneled windows, and a community facility.  We received the sketch today for the building that will be next door to the wildly popular Lenox Coffee and expect this one to do just as well as the 5 West 127th Street which sold out in only a few months without a single open house: LINK

☞ SHOP: 241 Lenox Avenue Storefront

Number 241 Lenox Avenue might be one of our favorite buildings in Harlem especially since it was renovated over the past couple of years and has a distinct corner storefront. Boulevard Bistro just opened across the street at the opposite corner of 121st and they both share a gated area out front for al fresco dining. This part of Lenox in the Mount Morris Park Historic District already has 2 cafes, a cupcake shop, a busy burger joint, an Italian eatery, a forthcoming yogurt shop and a soon to open wine bar.  What should arrive now at 241 Lenox since a lot of stuff has already been covered?