The Changing Face of 65 East 125th St., Harlem, 1977 – 2025

We’ve crossed the river from 178th St at Vyse Ave, South Bronx and are now outside 65 East 125th St., Harlem. Camilo José Vergara has been photographing the change at this part of New York City since 1977, creating a visual time map of a city in constant motion .

 

Camilo has visited the same spot year after year, chronicling dereliction in Los Angeles, Chicago, Newark, Camden (New Jersey), New York and Detroit, becoming “an archivist of decline”. For consistency, he uses equivalent cameras and lenses so the images can be compared.

At the start of this story, the building is home to the Purple Manor Jazz Club. It was place known to many. The Purple Manor was where on 28 January 1962 the African Jazz-Art Society & Studios staged a fashion show called Naturally ’62 to promote African culture and fashion. The Grandassa Models – Black women who embraced their ancestry through natural hairstyles and African-inspired clothing and jewellery – wore natural, unprocessed, curly hair. The show’s slogan, Black Is Beautiful, became a rallying cry and movement celebrating natural hair, darker skin and African heritage.

 

 

 

More from the series here.