The continuing destruction of our Harlem heritage

[dhermann1]

I posted this over in the Golden Era forum, but it has me extremely upset, so I thought I'd post it here as well. Two of the most important landmarks of the Harlem Renaissance have been destroyed, to make room for more apartments. Horrific.
http://www.thefedoralounge.com/showthread.php?70450-Another-Harlem-landmark-bites-the-dust

 

[dhermann1]

Doesn't anyone here even slightly care about this? This is American history, jazz history. It was a major venue. Not one word . . . anybody? I'm very disappointed.

 

[LizzieMaine]

Gentrification is the death of all culture.

The Lafayette Theatre is extremely important for the theatre company it housed -- The Lafayette Players, so far as anyone has been able to determine, were the first true African-American *acting* company on the American stage. Prior to its formation, African-Americans in show business were limited to minstrel shows, vaudeville, or song-and-dance revues. There were, for all intents and purposes, no serious black actors until the Lafayette Players were established in 1915. In these days where racial "firsts" are constantly being commemorated, it astounds me that so little has been written about them.

 

[Doc Smith]

I can't speak for everybody, but too often the latest outrage prompts a sigh, rather than any proper response. I'd love to see such venues preserved for posterity. For that matter, I'd love to see Harlem, or any part of Manhattan, preserved from creeping gentrification. Every time I visit the borough, it seems more like a theme park set aside for those with net worths in the $1e7 and above range.