A Piece of Billie Holiday’s Harlem is Disappearing

One of the most important stops on the tour I lead of "Billie Holiday’s Harlem” is 108 West 139th Street. Billie Holiday lived in this apartment building during a crucial period of the early to mid-1930s when she transformed from Eleanora Fagan of Baltimore into Billie Holiday of New York City. It was here that her journey toward becoming one of the most important, influential, and recognizable musicians of the 20th century began in earnest. Now, that building is being demolished.

Billie Holiday's Harlem and the Birth of the Jazz Age

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A fire on February 5th severely damaged the city-owned structure. Though initial reports implied the building would be rehabilitated, the damage is too great. Demolition crews have removed two of the building's five floors as of March 21st. Soon, this physical tie to Billie’s formative years in Harlem will be gone.

I first learned of this address from the proclamation that co-named West 139th Street between Lenox and Adam Clayton Powell Junior Blvd./7th Avenue “Billie Holiday Place.” The sign stands at the corner of Lenox and 139th, a visible reminder of her connection to the neighborhood. For years, that was the only clue I had. 

When the fire happened, I decided to dig deeper—to trace the origins of this address as Billie’s home.

That search led me from the man who wrote the proclamation, to his source and then to additional references in books, and ultimately to a 1983 New York Magazine article by Ellen Hopkins—the earliest published source I have found connecting Billie Holiday to 108 West 139th Street. When I reached out to the author, she no longer had her original materials. However, she recalled being meticulous in her research, combing through microfiche at the New York Public Library and working with New York Magazine’s rigorous fact-checking department. She said, “There is no way they would have allowed me to get away with anything.”

The address also fits with what we know from other sources. In Lady Sings the Blues, Holiday’s 1956 autobiography, ghostwritten by newspaperman William Dufty, Holiday recounts moving into a third-floor apartment on 139th Street with her mother Sadie. She describes it as a railroad flat—a layout that matches 108 West 139th Street. 

The 139th Street apartment was full of life! Lester Young, who became fast friends with Holiday shortly after moving to New York in 1934, moved into a spare room. According to Holiday, “Our little flat…was a combination YMCA, boarding house for broke musicians, soup kitchen for anyone with a hard luck story, community center, and after-after-hours joint.”

Others closely associated with Holiday have mentioned 139th Street. Leonard Feather, who became friendly with her as a jazz writer and producer, recalled visiting her residence on 139th Street.

As for when Holiday lived on 139th, my best guess–educated speculation–is starting around 1932, but possibly earlier. In Lady Sings the Blues, she recalls this period when she was just starting out: “I walked down Seventh Avenue from 139th to 133rd, busting in every joint trying to find a job. In those days, 133rd Street was the real swing street. It was jumping with after-hours spots, regular hour joints, restaurants, cafes, a dozen to the block.”

I believe she lived on 139th through at least July 1936, which is when Feather says he first met her at a recording session helmed by producer John Hammond. Feather wrote in 1962 “She was living with her mother on 139th Street when I first visited her for dinner.” 

Now, just as its history has come into sharper focus, the building itself is vanishing. 

The demolition of 108 West 139th Street isn’t just the loss of an old structure; it’s the erasure of another piece of Harlem’s jazz legacy. As Valerie Jo Bradley, the co-founder and president of the nonprofit group Save Harlem Now, told the New York Times, “[it is] a shame to see another piece of Harlem’s incredible artistic history lost.” Billie Holiday’s voice endures, but the places that once echoed with it are disappearing.

Billie Holiday's Harlem and the Birth of the Jazz Age

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Next, check out 10 Iconic Jazz Clubs, Past and Present