Hotel Theresa

History and architecture

The Hotel Theresa, built in 1912-13, was one of the major social centers of Harlem, serving from 1940 until its conversion into an office building in the late 1960s as one of the most important institutions for Harlem's African-American community. In addition to its historical importance, the hotel is a major work of the noted architectural firm of George & Edward Blum, and it exemplifies this firm's singular approach to ornamentation and inventive use of terra cotta.

Although planned primarily as an apartment hotel, the Theresa also welcomed transient guests. In addition, the hotel contained a two-story dining room used for banquets, weddings, meetings, and other functions, and a bar and grill that became a major social center for Harlem's black celebrities during the 1940s and 1950s. During these decades, the Theresa was known as the "Waldorf of Harlem," playing host to many of America's most prominent black social, political, entertainment, and sports figures as well as to many foreign dignitaries.

The Theresa was also home to important Harlem institutions, including the March Community Bookstore and Malcom X's Organization for Afro-American Unity. The Theresa entered the national limelight in 1960 when Cuban premier Fidel Castro chose to stay at the hotel while visiting New York to speak at the United Nations General Assembly; while at the Theresa, Castro hosted a visit from Soviet premier Nikita Khrushchev. Encompassing the entire western block front of Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. Boulevard (originally Seventh Avenue), between West 124th and West 125th streets, the Theresa is one of the most visually striking structures in northern Manhattan with its projecting bays, arched surrounds and prominent gables.