{"nrhp_refnum":"75001207","name":"Henson, Matthew, Residence","other_names":["See Also:Dunbar Apartments"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"246 W. 150th St., Apt. 3F","address_restricted":false,"city":"New York","county":"Manhattan","state":"NY","lat":40.82542910800004,"lon":-73.93880027453864,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1975-05-15","is_nhl":true,"nhl_designated_date":"1975-05-15","areas_of_significance":["Black","Science","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["national"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"Apartment 3F at 246 W. 150th Street in the Dunbar Apartments, a 1926-1928 cooperative garden apartment complex in Harlem, Manhattan, where polar explorer Matthew Henson lived.","why_significant":"The nomination argues that Matthew Henson, a Black American explorer, was among the first known people to reach the North Pole with Robert Peary in 1909. He lived at the Dunbar Apartments from 1928 or 1929 until his death in 1955. The complex was also the first large cooperative built for Black residents and housed many prominent Black figures. The consulting committee decided that Apartment 3F alone should be the landmark.","narrative":"Apartment 3F in the Dunbar Apartments, at 246 W. 150th Street in Harlem, was the home of explorer Matthew Henson for the last decades of his life, from the late 1920s until his death in 1955. The Dunbar complex, built between 1926 and 1928 and designed by Andrew J. Thomas, was the first large cooperative built for Black residents and Manhattan's earliest large garden apartment complex. Its six U-shaped buildings, holding 511 apartments, surround a landscaped court. Henson, born in Maryland in 1866, accompanied Robert Peary on seven Arctic expeditions and was the last man selected to go the final stretch to the North Pole in 1909. He was valued for his sledge building, dog driving and command of the Inuit language. Recognition came late, including honors from presidents Truman and Eisenhower. A plaque at the Seventh Avenue entrance marks his residence. A review committee singled out Apartment 3F as the landmark.","period_of_significance":"1866-1955 (Henson)","architect_builder":"Andrew J. Thomas (designer of the Dunbar Apartments)","architectural_style":null,"criteria":[],"status_note":"Listed in good condition, unaltered and on its original site; the present use is given as a private residence. The Dunbar complex is an official New York City Landmark (1970).","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:50:39.180364-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NY/75001207_NHL.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/75001207/1d2ee8cce6-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/75001207/1d2ee8cce6-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Dmadeo","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:246-west-150.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Dmadeo</a>, <a href=\"http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:246-west-150.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75315890","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matthew_Henson_Residence","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q6790666"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/new-york/manhattan/henson-matthew-residence-75001207/"}