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Neighborhood 1 of 4Central Harlem
Central Harlem is the neighborhood most visitors mean when they say Harlem. It holds 125th Street, the Apollo Theater and most of the brownstone blocks that appear on tours.
The shape of the neighborhood
Central Harlem is a grid, and the avenues carry two names. Lenox Avenue is Malcolm X Boulevard, Seventh Avenue is Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Boulevard and Eighth Avenue is Frederick Douglass Boulevard. The Hotel Theresa stands at 125th Street along Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Boulevard, and the former Savoy Ballroom was on Lenox Avenue.
The neighborhood's southern edge is Central Park North at 110th Street. Marcus Garvey Park, which is also called Mount Morris Park, separates Central Harlem from East Harlem, and Hamilton Heights lies to the northwest.
Landmarks and historic districts
The Apollo Theater on 125th Street is a New York City landmark and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture and Abyssinian Baptist Church are landmarks too, and Astor Row is a set of city landmark houses.
The Mount Morris Park Historic District was designated in 1971 and extended in 2015 to cover blocks between 118th and 123rd Streets. The Mount Morris Park Fire Watchtower inside Marcus Garvey Park was designated an individual landmark in 1967. Strivers' Row appears on the Harlem Renaissance bus tour from Inside Out Tours.
Getting here
The 2 and 3 trains stop at 125th Street and Lenox Avenue at all times. The A and D stop at 125th Street and Saint Nicholas Avenue at all times, the C stops except at night and the B stops on weekdays during the day. The 4, 5 and 6 stop at 125th Street on Lexington Avenue: the 4 and 6 at all times and the 5 except late nights.
Metro-North's Harlem-125th Street station is at 101 East 125th Street, one block west of the Lexington Avenue station, with Hudson, Harlem and New Haven Line service.
What tours do here
Most Harlem tours start in Central Harlem. A history walk links the landmark districts, a food tour moves between restaurants and a gospel or jazz tour centers on churches and stages. The bus tours use the avenues to link everything.
Central Harlem, street by street
Malcolm X Boulevard
Harlem Heritage Tourism and Cultural Center is at 104 Malcolm X Blvd, and Taste Harlem Food and Cultural Tours is at 275 Malcolm X Blvd. Both lead walking tours of the neighborhood.
West 122nd and West 129th Streets
Welcome To Harlem is at 145 W 122nd St, and NYC GoGreen Tours is at 132 W 129th St.
Questions about Central Harlem
What is Central Harlem known for?
125th Street and the Apollo Theater, historic brownstone districts, Abyssinian Baptist Church and the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture.
What are the boundaries of Central Harlem?
Central Park North and 110th Street on the south, 155th Street on the north, Fifth Avenue on the east, and Morningside Park, Saint Nicholas Avenue and Edgecombe Avenue on the west.
Which subway lines reach Central Harlem?
The 2 and 3 at Lenox Avenue, the 4, 5 and 6 at Lexington Avenue and the A, B, C and D at Saint Nicholas Avenue. The C does not stop at night, and the B runs only on weekdays during the day.
What is Malcolm X Boulevard?
It is the honorary name for Lenox Avenue. Many tour operators use it in their addresses.
Which historic districts are here?
The Mount Morris Park Historic District, designated in 1971 and extended in 2015, and the individual landmark Mount Morris Park Fire Watchtower, designated in 1967.
Other neighborhoods
To plan a visit, read how to choose a Harlem tour or browse the tour operators.