Save Harlem Now! visited the fashion incubator @soharleminc and introduced a piece of Harlem, through a guided tour, to international students at @paceuniversity. The students got to meet Olivia the Creative Director, one of the apprentice students, and their master craftsman in-house designer Javier. We sat down with @javiervalencia39 as he reminisced on his humble beginnings in East Harlem, how Harlem culture has impacted his career alongside his latest project, @blacksmoketribute – a brand he is building from the ground up honoring the late @popsmoke.
Alfred Warren Gene Norman, Feb1935-Sep 2020, was the first, and to date only, African American Chairman of the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC). Serving under Mayor Edward I. Koch in the 1980s, Norman helped defeat New York State legislation that would have exempted religious institutions from landmarks designation, and oversaw the preservation of St. Bartholomew's Church. During his tenure as chairman, LPC granted landmark designation to the Coty and Rizzoli Buildings on Fifth Avenue; the Ladies Mile shopping area from 15th to 24th Streets, between Park Avenue South and Avenue of the Americas; and the Coney Island Cyclone. Norman was widely praised for his superior skill in navigating New York City's landmarking bureaucracy.
70 years ago, Riverton, a "separate but equal" community, was created by Metropolitan Life Corporation in Harlem for "Negroes," who were then excluded from consideration for housing at its other three locations in lower Manhattan and the Bronx.
The resulting community became noteworthy for its strong educational and cultural values and an ongoing sense of unity that transcends the physical place.
The "children" of this storied and controversial community have sustained a tradition of convening for periodic reunions since 1973.
Roger Parris, a renowned poet who was an original tenant, delivered a stirring poem entitled "It was a Moment", to cap off the evening's events at this 7-23-2017 event.
The great actor Earl Hyman passed away this week following a prolonged illness. This clip was captured as part of a work in progress about Frederick O'Neal and the American Negro Theatre
On Adam Clayton Powell Boulevard, (also known as 7th Avenue), just down the block from "The Rooster" and "Jock's Place," and across the street from the Renaissance Ballroom was a family-friendly gathering place known as "Snookie's Sugar Bowl"
These slides guided a workshop meant to introduce participants to archiving and identify their own needs and next steps to care for their personal archives. The workshop was presented by Lester Liu and jah elyse sayers of the Place, Memory & Culture Incubator on November 15, 2025.
Segment begins at 0:13:15 and continues until 0:18:50.
Urban U is a CUNY-TV magazine show about CUNY students, faculty, alumni, and programs. The stories highlight the quality and rewards of a CUNY education, one that enables people to achieve great things. As the world’s largest urban university with 24 campuses spread across New York City’s five boroughs, CUNY is as rich and diverse as the City itself. With a history of over 100 years, the university scope of Urban U stories is immense.
Urban U will inform, inspire and engage viewers by reporting on the relevant happenings within the CUNY system, but also by exploring the achievements of its body of students, faculty and alumni.
In this episode, Urban U checks out the "Generative Histories" Exhibit at Spitzer School of Architecture, showcasing the work of the Place, Memory & Culture Incubator
The Place, Memory & Culture Incubator (PMCI) at the Spitzer School of Architecture proudly presents Reimagining the Archive: Black Memory as Design Praxis, a three-day symposium exploring how Afro-diasporic memory and cultural practices are reshaping architecture, preservation, and the built environment.
How can preservation practices move beyond protecting buildings to center the people, cultures, and community histories that give places meaning?
This panel brings together architects, urban planners, educators, and community design practitioners to explore new approaches to historic preservation, equitable planning, and community-led design. Through their work across architecture, research, policy, and public engagement, the panelists consider how preservation can support cultural continuity, address inequities, and create more inclusive built environments.
Featuring Germane Barnes, Director of Studio Barnes; Vanessa Morrison, Co-Founder and CEO of Open Design Collective; Eric Riley, Planning Principal at KDI's Los Angeles office; and Amber Wiley, Wick Cary Director of the Institute for Quality Communities and Associate Professor at the University of Oklahoma, the discussion examines how design research, community engagement, and collaborative planning can reshape preservation practice.
As part of Reimagining the Archive: Black Memory & Design Praxis, this conversation considers how communities can preserve their histories, strengthen their connections to place, and influence the future of the built environment.
Presented by the Place, Memory & Culture Incubator (PMCI) and the Bernard and Anne Spitzer School of Architecture at the City College of New York, in collaboration with the Harlem Place, Memory & Culture Archive (PMCA).
The Place, Memory & Culture Incubator (PMCI) at the Spitzer School of Architecture proudly presents Reimagining the Archive: Black Memory as Design Praxis, a three-day symposium exploring how Afro-diasporic memory and cultural practices are reshaping architecture, preservation, and the built environment.
How can archives remain living, community-centered spaces that preserve collective memory while shaping the future of place?
This panel brings together artists, archivists, cultural leaders, and creative practitioners to explore the evolving possibilities of place-based archives and community-led approaches to preserving Black histories and cultural heritage.
Featuring Idris Brewster, Executive Director of Kinfolk Foundation; Melody Capote, Executive Director of the Caribbean Cultural Center African Diaspora Institute (CCCADI); Mordecai Cargill, Co-Founder and Creative Director of ThirdSpace Action Lab; and Steven Fullwood, archivist, writer, and Co-Director of the Nomadic Archivists Project, the conversation examines how augmented reality, multimedia mapping, institutional archiving, and collaborative collecting can expand how communities document, experience, and share their histories.
Moderated by Marta Gutman, Dean, PI & Program Co-Director.
Part of Reimagining the Archive: Black Memory & Design Praxis, presented by the Place, Memory & Culture Incubator (PMCI) and the Bernard and Anne Spitzer School of Architecture at the City College of New York, in collaboration with the Harlem Place, Memory & Culture Archive (PMCA).
As part of Reimagining the Archive: Black Memory as Design Praxis, this panel brings together leaders in historic preservation, Black arts and culture, and African American history to explore the relationships between collective memory, cultural institutions, and the built environment.
Featuring Valerie Jo Bradley, co-founder and president of Save Harlem Now!; Sade Lythcott, CEO of the National Black Theatre; and Minkah Makalani, Associate Professor of History and Africana Studies at Johns Hopkins University, the conversation examines how community advocacy, cultural production, and historical scholarship contribute to preserving and reimagining Black spaces and histories.
Moderated by Najha Zigbi-Johnson, writer, educator, and cultural organizer, the discussion engages questions of Black space-making, historic preservation, cultural memory, and the ongoing role of community-led initiatives in shaping Harlem and beyond.
This recording offers an opportunity to revisit the conversations and perspectives shared during the symposium, exploring how archives, cultural institutions, and community activism can sustain Black histories and inform future possibilities for the built environment.
About the Symposium
Reimagining the Archive: Black Memory as Design Praxis was presented by the Place, Memory & Culture Incubator (PMCI) and the Bernard and Anne Spitzer School of Architecture at the City College of New York, in collaboration with the Harlem Place, Memory & Culture Archive (PMCA).
