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The Paul Robeson Residence, also known by its street address of 555 Edgecombe Avenue, is a
National Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the United States government for its outstanding historical significance. Only some 2,500 (~3%) of over 90,000 places listed ...
ed apartment building, located at 555 Edgecombe Avenue at the corner of West 160th Street in the Washington Heights neighborhood of
Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...
,
New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...
. It was originally known as the "Roger Morris" when it was built in 1914-16 – after the retired British Army officer who built the nearby Morris-Jumel Mansion – and was designed by
Schwartz & Gross Schwartz & Gross was a New York City architectural firm active from at least 1901 to 1963, Around 1940, as the racial characteristics of the neighborhood changed, this policy was dropped. Subsequently, the building became known for the noted
African-American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ensl ...
residents, including musician and composer
Count Basie William James "Count" Basie (; August 21, 1904 – April 26, 1984) was an American jazz pianist, organist, bandleader, and composer. In 1935, he formed the Count Basie Orchestra, and in 1936 took them to Chicago for a long engagement and the ...
, boxer Joe Louis, musician Bruce Langhorne, musician and bandleader Andy Kirk, actor and producer Canada Lee, the psychologist
Kenneth Clark Kenneth Mackenzie Clark, Baron Clark (13 July 1903 – 21 May 1983) was a British art historian, museum director, and broadcaster. After running two important art galleries in the 1930s and 1940s, he came to wider public notice on television ...
, and the actor and singer
Paul Robeson Paul Leroy Robeson ( ; April 9, 1898 – January 23, 1976) was an American bass-baritone concert artist, stage and film actor, professional American football, football player, and activist who became famous both for his cultural accomplish ...
, a major figure of stage and screen who lived in the building from 1939 to 1941. After Robeson's death in 1976, the building was declared a
National Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the United States government for its outstanding historical significance. Only some 2,500 (~3%) of over 90,000 places listed ...
in his honor.NPS Civil Rights
/ref>Paul Robeson Residence Accompanying 3 photos, exterior, from 1976.
/ref> In 1993, it was designated a New York City landmark. Edgecombe Avenue has also been co-named "Paul Robeson Boulevard".


See also

*
List of New York City Landmarks These are lists of New York City landmarks designated by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission: * New York City Designated Landmarks in Manhattan: ** List of New York City Designated Landmarks in Manhattan below 14th Street ** List ...
*
National Register of Historic Places listings in Manhattan above 110th Street List of the National Register of Historic Places listings in Manhattan above 110th Street This is intended to be a complete list of properties and districts listed on the National Register of Historic Places above 110th Street in the New York Cit ...
* List of National Historic Landmarks in New York City


References

Notes


External links

* * * {{National Register of Historic Places in New York Residential buildings completed in 1916 National Historic Landmarks in Manhattan Residential buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Manhattan Paul Robeson Washington Heights, Manhattan New York City Designated Landmarks in Manhattan