4. Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture

During the Harlem Renaissance, the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture became a center of African-American culture. In addition to research, African-American writers, artists, and intellectuals were drawn to this library during the 1920’s and 30’s for cultural events, and weekly lectures by the likes of W.E.B. DuBois, Franz Boas, and Carl Van Doren. The library also housed a WPA Writers Project and the American Negro Theater. The building, located at 103 West 135th Street, was built by the architect Charles Follen McKim in 1905. It  became a designated New York City landmark in 1981 and nominated to the State National Register in 1978.