College building The college, since 1992, and as of 2017, occupies on the third and fourth floors of a wing owned by Bethel Gospel Assembly Church, an
evangelical church. The college is not affiliated with the church. The classroom facilities, reportedly, are well equipped. But the building – particularly the entrance – has a , ,
utilitarian appearance. As was the case with
North General Hospital, the decision to remain in the neighborhood represents a civic commitment to
Harlem.
Neighborhood The immediate neighborhood, until about 1992, had been
blighted. This was the case with many neighborhoods and districts throughout the
five boroughs. In 1992, when
North General Hospital moved into its new quarters two blocks south, Maple Plaza, an eight-story, 155-unit residential co-op, designated for affordable housing, was built in its place at 1919
Madison Avenue. Maple Plaza was developed in the 1990s under a plan by the city and
North General Hospital to revive the area around the hospital. Eugene Louis McCabe (1937–1998), President and CEO of
North General Hospital from its inception in 1979 until his death in 1998, was a strong advocate of developing Maple Plaza. Maple Court, another similar project in the area with 135 units, was completed before Maple Plaza. Since then, the area around
Marcus Garvey Park has developed. The neighborhood is no longer blighted. While
gentrification is typically criticized by civic leaders for making neighborhoods unaffordable – particularly to those who, for generations have thrived and lived there – the neighborhood surrounding
Marcus Garvey Park, by design, offers a mix of
affordable housing. At the same time, adjusting to
gentrification throughout Harlem is an ongoing concern of policy makers, citizens, civic leaders, and religious leaders. Two blocks west of the college, in the
Mount Morris Park Historic District, there has been considerable recent (since 2000) residential development and restoration. The stretch of 122nd Street between Mount Morris Park West and
Malcolm X Boulevard (aka Sixth Avenue and
Lenox Avenue) is known as "Doctors' Row". As has been the case in many neighborhoods throughout the
five boroughs, old, historic residential buildings, including
brownstones, fell into disrepair. Until around 1999, on Mount Morris Park West, between 120 and 121st Streets, there was a row of brownstones, built around 1885, which, according to the
New York Times, were so deteriorated that they came known as "The "Ruins". That row has been completely rebuilt into luxury
condominiums that were initially priced for
mixed income buyers. Revitalization since the 1990s has occurred in many neighborhoods, including the
Mount Morris Park Historic District, notably brownstones, and in particular the
brownstones at 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, and 16 West 122nd Street, on the south side of the street, which date back to 1888 and 1889. Those particular
brownstones were designed by
William Tuthill. St. Martin's Episcopal Church, featuring a tower that houses the city's second largest
carillon (40 bells), is at 18 West 122nd Street – at the corner of
Malcolm X Boulevard. It is a
New York City Designated Landmark. "Fifth on the Park," Harlem's first
Upper East Side-style high-rise
condominium tower is one block east from the college, at the southeast corner of 120th Street and
Fifth Avenue – at 1485
Fifth Avenue. Its architects are
FxFowle. The tower, 28 stories, 26 of which are residential, includes a 38,000 square foot (3,500 m2) church with a four-story, 1,800-seat
sanctuary for the Bethel Gospel Assembly, who sold the development rights for a full block. There are 194 residences, of which 47 are church-owned
affordable rental apartments, and 147 are
market-rate condominiums. The spa includes a 55-foot (16.76 m)
lap pool. == Other schools by the same name ==