Two views of the Harlem Court:House/Jail Complex from different vantage points on 121st Street. Depending on sunlight, clouds, and summer haze when the picture is taken, the structure's colored brick, stone and terri-cotta reflect different hues. In the image on the left, note white stonework borders double doors like the kind that opened to Correction and Police vehicles -- first horse drawn, later motorized -- bringing in or moving out prisoners. In the image on the right, note the U.S. Flag and the Harlem Community Justice Center banner between the 121st Street entrance and court personnel's fenced parking area. Click either image above for a still larger version. Both by Gerald Schultz.
The ex-jail and the former living quarters are not part of the restoration program. Those unrestored parts of the building are outside the mandate of those agencies. However, to their and their staffs' credit, they demonstrate commendable civic interest in providing what information and assistance they can to researchers studying the history of the ex-jail and former living quarters. |