{"nrhp_refnum":"75001209","name":"St. Nicholas Historic District","other_names":[],"category":"district","location":{"address":"W. 138th and W. 139th Sts. (both sides) between 7th and 8th Aves.","address_restricted":false,"city":"New York","county":"Manhattan","state":"NY","lat":40.818291301000045,"lon":-73.94332037299995,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1975-10-29","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Community Planning and Development","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A residential historic district of four rows of townhouses and three apartment buildings on West 138th and 139th Streets between Seventh and Eighth Avenues in Harlem, Manhattan, built in 1891 for developer David H. King.","why_significant":"The nomination calls it an outstanding example of nineteenth-century urban design, with four rows by three prominent architectural firms planned as a unified whole. Its service alleys behind the rows are a distinctive feature. It also became a notable Black professional and cultural community, later known as \"Striver's Row\", home to doctors, musicians and entertainers.","narrative":"Four rows of townhouses and three apartment buildings line West 138th and 139th Streets between Seventh and Eighth Avenues in Harlem. Developer David H. King commissioned them in 1891 from three architectural firms: James Brown Lord on the south side of 138th Street, Bruce Price and Clarence S. Luce for the middle rows, and McKim, Mead and White on the north side of 139th Street. Materials vary from red brick with brownstone trim to buff brick with limestone and dark mottled brick, yet uniform heights and cornices unify the blocks. Wrought-iron gateways lead to service alleys behind the houses, a feature the nomination found unusual among King's work. After the 1904 panic, houses were opened to Black buyers, and by 1919 many were bought by professionals. Residents included surgeons, the musician W. C. Handy and members of the \"Shuffle Along\" company, and the area became known as \"Striver's Row\". The blocks remain well maintained residences.","period_of_significance":"19th Century (specific date 1891)","architect_builder":"James Brown Lord; Bruce Price and Clarence S. Luce; McKim, Mead and White; built by developer David H. King","architectural_style":"Georgian (Eclectic period) and Italian Renaissance row houses","criteria":[],"status_note":"Condition marked good and unaltered; houses described as well maintained and still largely private residences.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:50:38.944353-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NY/75001209.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/75001209/892b61c51b-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/75001209/892b61c51b-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"Beyond My Ken","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:2014_Striver%27s_Row_265-249_W_139_by_Stanford_White.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Beyond My Ken</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 4.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:2014_Striver%27s_Row_265-249_W_139_by_Stanford_White.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75319941","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Nicholas_Historic_District","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q2356475"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/new-york/manhattan/st-nicholas-historic-district-75001209/"}