Schwarzler operation In May 1908, contractor Albert J. Schwarzler bought ten land lots on the western side of Edgecombe Avenue from 159th to 160th Street, in exchange for two houses in
the Bronx. Schwarzler hired the firm of
Schwartz & Gross in 1910 to design a six-story apartment building on the southern half of the site, at 545 Edgecombe Avenue. Following the completion of 545 Edgecombe Avenue, he again hired the partners to design an apartment building immediately to the north. In May 1914, the firm filed plans for a 12-story apartment building at 555 Edgecombe Avenue, The
New York City Department of Buildings (DOB) refused to grant a construction permit for two weeks because of a dispute over the building's height. While the DOB had determined that the structure was tall with 15 stories, Schwartz & Gross cited the building as tall and that the basement was above ground because of the site's steep slope.—was occupied by 1915. New York state census records from that year show that all residents were white; most residents were American-born, though there were also foreign-born residents from multiple European countries and Canada. Initially, infants were required to use a service entrance on 160th Street and a freight elevator, which prompted a lawsuit in 1916. The dispute was resolved when the
New York Supreme Court ruled that infants should be allowed to use the main entrance on Edgecombe Avenue. In 1925, Schwarzler took out a five-year, $450,000 first
mortgage on the property from Quinlan & Leland, and in 1931, he took a
second mortgage of $150,000 from the
Bank of Manhattan Trust Company. Schwarzler defaulted on his first mortgage in August 1933, and the
Union Square Savings Bank took over rent collection at the building. Schwarzler retained his ownership of the building and, in 1939, let many of the existing tenants' leases lapse.
Telephone directories have entries for 83 families in 1938, of which only 17 remained in 1939 and none in 1940. By then, the surrounding area was becoming predominantly black, and 67 tenants, all of whom were likely black, were added to the telephone directories between 1939 and 1940. Schwarzler died in 1941.
Later ownership In the mid-20th century, 555 Edgecombe Avenue and the nearby
409 Edgecombe Avenue were characterized as among Sugar Hill's "class houses", occupied by well-off residents. The Schwarzler estate sold 545 and 555 Edgecombe Avenue to a client of the brokers Darling & McDonald in 1943. The two structures had a combined value of $690,000, and number 555 had 128 apartments, with annual income of $100,000 from rent. Following the sale, 32 residents organized a
rent strike, claiming that landlord Louis Demburg had interrupted their doorman service, heat, and hot water. In particular, residents claimed that resident manager Cecil Carter had reduced service and dismissed several staff members (including a doorman and elevator operators), even though the building charged some of the highest rents in the neighborhood. The owners eventually fired Carter and rehired the original manager, who restored the services that had been cut. Residents protested again in early 1947 when Demburg threatened to fire the manager; by then, the building was deteriorating, and residents alleged that Demburg refused to make the necessary repairs. Roger Morris Inc. and the Louden Realty Corporation sold the building in August 1947 to the 555 Edgecombe Avenue Corporation, which took over a $414,000 mortgage on the property. At the time, the building was valued at $680,000.
Daddy Grace, founder of the
United House of Prayer For All People, was reported as having purchased both 545 and 555 Edgecombe Avenue. After workers went on strike in 1949, the striking staff claimed that Grace had his followers run the building's elevators. Grace still owned the building when he died in January 1960, and Alexander Gross of Eldorado Estates Ltd. announced in March 1960 that he had bought both 545 and 555 Edgecombe Avenue. He could not take ownership immediately because a federal court had to approve the sale. Gross finally took over the buildings at the beginning of May 1960, even as Grace's followers attempted to prevent the trustees of Grace's estate from cashing a $1.055 million check from the buyer. Gross took over an $183,000 loan on 555 Edgecombe Avenue. Gross resold 545 and 555 Edgecombe Avenue in December 1960 to Matthew Golson, who paid cash and took over mortgage loans that had been placed on both buildings. A group of Grace's followers filed a lawsuit in 1961, stating that Grace's properties, including 545 and 555 Edgecombe Avenue and
the El Dorado, should not have been sold. In 1976, the building was declared a
National Historic Landmark under the name
Paul Robeson Residence. The building still had some notable tenants such as musician and bandleader
Andy Kirk. The
New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) proposed designating 555 Edgecombe Avenue as a city landmark in 1991, One resident began performing regular jazz concerts in her apartment in the 1990s, which became popular among local musicians. The corner of 160th Street and Edgecombe Avenue, outside the building, was co-named for jazz musician
Count Basie and actor/singer
Paul Robeson in October 2009 following advocacy from the Harlem Historical Society and the Morris–Jumel Mansion's director. Matthew Golson attempted to sell the building for $65 million in 2017. A short documentary about 409 and 555 Edgecombe Avenue,
In the Face of What We Remember, was released in 2018. After Golson died, the Harkham family bought the building in April 2022 for $26.7 million, just over two-fifths of the original asking price. The new owners planned to renovate the building. == Notable residents ==