P.J. Thomas: The amazing Harlem, from the ground up

IN A magnificently restored, four-story brownstone in Harlem, N.Y., the Mount Morris Park Community Improvement Association was hosting a wine-tasting social to help fund one of the organization's numerous projects.

Homeowner Russell Nance explained to his guests how new wood had been matched with hundred-year-old molding, and the kitchen redesigned and moved to the center of the home during a two-year renovation.

"It just seemed natural to relocate it here from the rear of the house, since the kitchen is where people always seem to congregate," Nance said. A practical family room replaced the formal dining room and servants' quarters that were typical for the wealthy owners who built these mansions at the turn of the 20th century, when Harlem was a New York City suburb.

Russell and his wife, Chrissy, added modern conveniences while maintaining the home's integrity. A tin ceiling was restored, hardwood floors buffed to a high shine, paint stripped away to reveal the craftsmanship in banisters rising three levels up the front and back staircases. Even the space for the original dumbwaiter was preserved.

With its balance of history and modern outlook, the mansion was a perfect setting for the community group's fund-raiser.

The Mount Morris Park Community Improvement Association is an inspirational example of what committed citizens can do when motivated. The nonprofit has helped revitalize Marcus Garvey Park (aka Mount Morris Park) into a well-used open space where people enjoy a host of recreational activities. It has documented and halted the demolition of historic buildings and sought to expand the boundaries of the Mount Morris Park Historic District to further protect Harlem's architecture.

The group also gives an annual scholarship to a graduating high-school student, buys flowers for surrounding public areas and sponsors lectures, workshops and other activities designed to provide a sense of community in a city where it's easy to live for years without knowing your neighbors.

Visitors can get a voyeuristic peek inside Harlem's elegant brownstones when the association hosts its annual Mount Morris Park Historic Neighborhood House Tour. This year's event, the 21st, will be held June 13.

During the Great Migration of 1919 to 1926, hundreds of thousands of black people left the South seeking better opportunities in the major urban cities of the North. Harlem became home to one of the largest concentrations of African-Americans in the world, sparking a cultural and literary movement dubbed the Harlem Renaissance.

Among the artists in this movement were such literary icons as James Baldwin, Zora Neale Hurston and Langston Hughes. Jazz music also found an inspiring home in Harlem, with such artists as Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong and Josephine Baker regularly entertaining there. The 1958 photo "A Great Day in Harlem," by Art Kane, features 57 jazz artists posed on a Harlem street.

In the 1960s and '70s, however, drug use became rampant and Harlem became better known for its crime, poverty and deteriorating housing stock than as a mecca of style, jazz and culture.

"Harlem has always had beautiful houses, but during the bad days homeowners couldn't get loans to fix them up," said Doreen Bond, a Harlem resident for 22 years. At one point, New York City owned more than half of the real estate in Harlem, as building after building fell into abandoned neglect.

Marcus Garvey Park was an area people avoided, as it was slowly taken over by drug users and criminals, Bond recalled. There was not even a major supermarket in the entire Harlem area.

Then as the city began making major economic investments, black and white professionals started taking advantage of the opportunities to invest in Harlem, sparking a sort of second renaissance - though it remains a long way from the glory days when it was the epicenter of black culture.

Parts of Harlem are still rough and gritty, with blocks of low-income residents squeezed into high-rise housing, and stores selling cheap merchandise. It still remains a draw for a population largely of Caribbean and Latin immigrants.

At the same time, some of those restored Harlem mansions are selling in the $1 million neighborhood. And that's the Harlem that the tour highlights.

Last year's tour was led by architect and Harlem resident John Reddick, whose knowledge of architecture and passion for Harlem enthralled visitors with details on brickmaking, cornices and pediments. As he pointed to a building's facade, Reddick - who will also lead tours this year - also explained the history of the various immigrant craftsmen who built them.

Reddick stopped mid-delivery, though, when a double-decker bus filled with tourists rolled by. "I despise those tours that come through and never let the people get off," he said. "How can you get the feel for Harlem if you never interact with its people?"

Jacqueline Orange, owner of Taste Harlem Tours, couldn't agree more.

"Harlem is culture, heritage, art, restaurants, and music," she said. Each week, Orange leads groups as small as four or as large as 30 for an up-close experience of what she has dubbed the "Harlem mystique."

Tour participants eagerly climb the stairs to an artist's studio to view paintings that command thousands of dollars. They stop for samples at a Caribbean restaurant, and ooh and aah at an elegant bed-and-breakfast that rivals the best downtown hotel.

People especially love the music tours, when Orange takes them to hidden-away clubs for live music and dancing that they would never find on their own. Orange offers step-on guide services for those who visit Harlem in a motor coach. "However," she said, "Harlem is best experienced from the ground."

21st Annual Mount Morris Park Historic Neighborhood House Tour, 11 a.m.-4 p.m. June 13, $20 in advance, $25 at the door, www.mmpcia.org.

Taste Harlem Food and Cultural Tours, tickets at 212-209-3370, information at 212-866-7427 or www.TasteHarlem.com.