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Sugar Hill: A Sweet Harlem Story

Sugar Hill is a neighborhood in Harlem, New York City. It is known for its beautiful Victorian-era mansions, its rich history, and its Afro American culture.



digital art work of two women with one have sugar hill inside of head and the other one have Africa in her head.

Sugar Hill got its name in the early 1900s, when it became a popular place for wealthy African Americans to live. The neighborhood was known for its "sweet life," with its spacious homes, its stunning views of the Hudson River, and its close proximity to Central Park.


Some of the most famous African Americans who lived in Sugar Hill include W.E.B. Du Bois, Thurgood Marshall, Adam Clayton Powell Jr., Duke Ellington, Cab Calloway, and Walter Francis White. These men and women were leaders in the Harlem Renaissance, a period of great cultural and artistic innovation in African American communities.


Sugar Hill continued to be a center of African American culture and activism throughout the 20th century. In the 1960s, the neighborhood was home to the Black Panther Party, a radical political organization that fought for civil rights and social justice.







Today, Sugar Hill is still a diverse neighborhood. It is home to a mix of families, artists, and professionals. The neighborhood is also home to a number of cultural institutions, including The Sugar Hill Children's Museum Of Art & Storytelling, and The Dance Theatre Of Harlem.


If you are interested in learning more about Sugar Hill, there are a few things you can do. You can visit The Sugar Hill Children's Museum, where you can learn about the history of the neighborhood and its role in the Harlem Renaissance. You can also visit The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, which has a vast collection of materials on African American history and culture. And, of course, you can simply take a walk through the neighborhood and experience its beauty and charm for yourself.


Sugar Hill is a historic neighborhood in Harlem, New York City. It is bounded by West 155th Street to the north, West 145th Street to the south, Edgecombe Avenue to the east, and Amsterdam Avenue to the west. The equivalent New York City Historic Districts are:

  • Hamilton Heights/Sugar Hill Historic District and Extension: roughly West 145th to West 150th Street, Edgecombe Avenue to between Convent and Amsterdam Avenues.

  • Hamilton Heights/Sugar Hill Northeast Historic District: roughly West 151st to West 155th Street, west of St. Nicholas Avenue to between Convent and Amsterdam Avenues.






Here are some fun facts about Sugar Hill:

  • The neighborhood is named after a freight wagon that lost a wheel on a high hill, spilling its load of sugar.

  • Sugar Hill was once home to the largest concentration of African American millionaires in the United States.

  • The neighborhood was featured in the 1994 film "Sugar Hill," which tells the story of a group of drug dealers who live in the neighborhood.

  • Sugar Hill is home to the Sugar Hill Creamery, a popular ice cream shop that serves up flavors inspired by Caribbean and Midwestern cultures.







The Sugar Hill Children's Museum Of Art & Storytelling:

Address: 125 West 145th Street, New York, NY 10031

Phone number: (212) 690-1000


The museum is open from 10:00am to 5:00pm, Wednesday through Sunday. Admission is $12 for adults, $10 for seniors and students, and $8 for children under 12. There is also a free admission day on the first Saturday of every month.


Here are some links to the museum's social media pages:





The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture:

Address: 515 Malcolm X Boulevard (Lenox Avenue) between West 135th and 136th Streets, New York, NY 10030

Phone number: (212) 862-4050


The Schomburg Center is open from 10:00am to 6:00pm, Tuesday through Sunday. Admission is free.

Here are some links to the Schomburg Center's social media pages:



The Dance Theatre of Harlem:

Address: 139 Macombs Place, New York, NY 10027

Phone number: (212) 690-2800


The Dance Theatre of Harlem is a professional ballet company and school based in Harlem, New York City. It was founded in 1969 by Arthur Mitchell and Karel Shook, and is known for its diverse company of dancers and its commitment to performing classical ballet and contemporary works.


The company's home base is the Arthur Mitchell Dance Center, which is located at 139 Macombs Place in Harlem. The center offers a variety of classes and workshops for dancers of all ages and levels, and is also home to the Dance Theatre of Harlem School.










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