Join us for an Architectural Walking Tour in West Harlem
AT HOME ON THE GRANGE
Sunday, May 31, 2026
11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
West 141st Street and Hamilton Terrace
$20 per person
plus modest processing fee
Tickets On Sale!
Join us for an exciting day on foot as we study the architectural history and culture of West Harlem with local preservation titan and Attingham Summer School alumnus Michael Henry Adams ’85, a 40-plus year resident with a sharp sense of style and keener knowledge of Black history and culture from the second half of the 20th century.
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Our program begins at 11:00 a.m. at the southeast corner of W. 141st Street and Hamilton Terrace, where we will meet our guide, Michael Henry Adams ’85, for a brief introduction and orientation to the neighborhood, beginning with Alexander Hamilton’s neo-Classical country estate, the Grange, designed by the Scottish architect John McCombs, Jr. (1733-1853).
Then, we will strike out for our in-depth tour as we study domestic architecture that defined West Harlem throughout the 20th century, with a focus on Hamilton Terrace, among the city’s most charming streets, and Convent Avenue, named for the demolished Manhattanville Convent and College of the Sacred Heart, established in 1841. Notable Harlemites whose onetime homes we’ll encounter include jazz greats Billy Strayhorne (1915-67) and Mary Lou Williams (1910-81), actress Butterfly McQueen (1911-95), journalist George Schuyler (1895-1977) and his daughter, composer and pianist Phillipa Schuyler (1931-67). For a brief respite indoors, we will venture inside a private townhouse that preserves much of its original woodwork and showcases a sympathetic collection of Aesthetic Movement decorative arts assembled interior designers Ron Wagner and Timothy Van Dam.
Our tour concludes at 1:00 p.m. at the the 1890s neo-Italian Renaissance town house designed by Clarence Fagan True (1860–1928) originally owned by the 1902 NYC Health Commissioner Ernst Joseph Ledere (1865-1921), who established Lederle Laboratories (now part of Pfeiffer Pharmaceuticals).
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ABOUT MICHAEL HENRY ADAMS ’85
Adams was born in 1956 in Akron, Ohio, and graduated from the University of Akron with a BA in painting, drawing, and art history. His career in the art world started at the Cleveland Museum of Art, where he worked as a security officer. In 1985, he joined the 41st Attingham Summer School. Two years later, he relocated to Manhattan, with plans to earn an advance degree in historic preservation from Columbia University, where he completed extensive coursework from 1987 to 1989. During those early years, he worked as a bookseller at the Scribner Book Store, a messenger for the New York Stock Exchange, and as a personal chef to interior designer Tom Britt. By the 1990s, Adams had established his reputation as a passionate advocate for the preservation of Harlem’s architectural and cultural history, championing the protection of significant landmarks including the Audubon Ballroom, where Malcolm X was assassinated in 1965. He also helped preserve artifacts from demolished buildings that include the Harlem Chamber of Commerce, the Audubon Ballroom lobby, and the Lafayette Theatre, once home to Duke Ellington and his orchestra.
Throughout his career, Adams has authored numerous books including Harlem, Lost and Found: An Architectural and Social History, 1765–1915 (2002) and Style and Grace: African Americans at Home (2003). Adams wrote an opinion piece, “The End of Black Harlem,” for the New York Times in 2016 and contributed to Lauren Wicks’ 2021 article, “Five Black Creatives Who Helped Shape American Art, Architecture, and Design,” and the forthcoming Homo-Harlem: Queer Life in the African American Cultural Capital, 1925-1995. Adams’ writings have also appeared in The Guardian, The New York Daily News, and Advocate magazine. In 2015, he established the non-profit “Save Harlem Now!” Adams is to be featured in You are Dandy (September 2026) and the documentary film MR. ADAMS (September 2027).
For insights into Adams’ home on historic Convent Avenue, which features salvaged architectural fragments from significant 20th-century Harlem buildings, check out this January 2024 article online by Mateo Sancho Cardiel from El Pais.
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CAPACITY Our group is limited to 25 people. We expect this program to sell out, so please register sooner rather than later to secure your place.
REGISTRATION Registration via Eventbrite is preferred and prioritized above registration by phone or email. Registration is now open. If you are unable to complete your payment via Eventbrite, please purchase your ticket using the AFA website (click link HERE). We fully expect this program to sell out, but will gladly add your name to a waitlist should a place become available.
ATTIRE & ACCESSIBILITY Please wear comfortable shoes, as the tour requires physical stamina and the ability to stand and walk for a prolonged period. The walking tour will require standing for two hours. Please bring your own water bottle, fan, etc. to ensure your comfort and safety while outdoors. Exterior photography is encouraged.
If you have an accessibility considerations or concern, please let us know when you register. Ultimately, AFA relies on your assessment of your own ability to participate as fully as possible.
TRANSPORTATION Transportation to our rendez vous point of the Grange, located at 414 West 141st Street, on the south side of W. 141st Street, at the intersection of Hamilton Terrace, is on your own. The closest subway station is West 145th Street Station, at Saint Nicholas Avenue, serviced by the A, C, and D Trains, which is approximately 0.4-mile from the Grange, or an eight to ten minute walk south along Saint Nicholas Avenue. Guests may also take the local 1 Train to either the West 137th Street or 145th Street stations, both on Broadway, and walk east for 0.5-mile, about a ten to twelve minute walk.
Once we depart from the Grange, our route and progress will vary, so please plan ahead to ensure your timely arrival. It will not be possible to join the walking tour once we depart. The tour concludes at 141st Street and Convent Avenue, a block west of our starting destination.
Want to bring your family? Alumni are welcome to bring their families to join the walking tour. Families with infants and young children who would prefer a slower pace are encouraged to linger at Hamilton Grange, the 18th-century home of Alexander and Eliza Hamilton, which offers a guided tour at 11:30 a.m. The Grange is located at 414 West 141st Street on the south side of the street at the intersection of Hamilton Terrace, and it sits between Convent Avenue and Saint Nicholas Avenue.
OPTIONAL EXTENSION: Guests looking to linger in the Sugar Hill area for lunch should check out these options: FUMO (1600 Amsterdam Ave.), The Edge Harlem (101 Edgecombe Ave.), and Charles Pan Fried Chicken (340 W 145th Street). Further south, AFA highly recommends Miss Mamie’s Spoonbread Too (366 W 110th Street).
Additionally, alumni participants of the walking tour are invited to continue the conversation as AFA welcomes our new members of the Class of 2026 at the annual Welcome Reception, beginning at 3:00 p.m. at the Upper East Side gallery of alumnus Ralph Harvard ’86. To join this private party, please make a contribution to the 2026 Scholarship Appeal via our website before Monday, May 25. For more information about the Welcome Reception, please click here. To make your donation to support a future Attingham scholar, please click here.
Images: Interior of private home Ron Wagner and Timothy van Dam, residents of West Harlem since 1985.Photo courtesy New York Social Diary (above). St. Luke’s Episcopal Church on Convent Avenue, built in 1889 (below).
We expect this program to sell out. Please register and purchase your ticket as soon as possible.
Thank you for your interest in the programs of the American Friends of Attingham.