Renaissance Ballroom, in Harlem, 1953

Map courtesy of Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library

7th Ave and Lenox, Harlem based showcased the dancing centers, Harlem’s city life etc. It was seen as the night life of Harlem and most of the Harlem Renaissance. In the novel that is the location where black culture is currently thriving opposed to places like the Drayton Hotel that exclude Black people. Seventh Ave is seen as Irene’s neighborhood but more importantly the fact that she lives in that area, she is apart of Harlem and what African American culture represents at the time. Irene is the one who throws the events and parties. Irene contributes the black culture in this way, embracing her society.

Map Screenshot of 7th Ave now

Harlem Renaissance, was also known as a rebirth for African American culture. They were able to showcase music, talent, art and not always for a White audience but now for people of their own race. It became a development of the Harlem neighborhood in New York City and boosted morale for African Americans because of the explosion in art, music, and Black culture. Langston Hughes, Zora Neal Hurston, Louis Armstrong came out of this period. African Americans were proud to be African Americans, they showcased pain and love with the the Blues, food, and paintings.

For more images look in 6 square feet gallery

Source :

Gannon, Devin. “1932 Map Illustrates a Vibrant Nightlife during the Harlem Renaissance.” 6sqft, 5 May 2017, www.6sqft.com/1932-map-illustrates-a-vibrant-nightlife-during-the-harlem-renaissance/.

History.com, A&E Television Networks, www.history.com/topics/roaring-twenties/harlem-renaissance.

This entry is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International license.