National Register of Historic Places

Dunbar Apartments

New York, New York County, New York
Listed
March 28, 1979
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
79001601

About this property

The Dunbar Apartments, also known as the Paul Laurence Dunbar Garden Apartments or Dunbar Garden Apartments, is a complex of buildings located on West 149th and West 150th Streets between Frederick Douglass Boulevard/Macombs Place and Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Boulevard in the Harlem neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City. They were built by John D. Rockefeller Jr. from 1926 to 1928 to provide housing for African Americans, and was the first large cooperative aimed at that demographic. The buildings were designed by architect Andrew J. Thomas and were named in honor of the noted African American poet Paul Laurence Dunbar. The complex consists of six separate buildings with a total of 511 apartments (as constructed) and occupies an entire city block. The buildings center around an interior garden courtyard, with each building U-shaped so that every apartment receives easy air flow and direct sunlight at some point during the day. The Dunbar is considered the "first large garden-complex in Manhattan." The complex was designated a New York City Landmark in 1970, and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) in 1979. One of the buildings contains the Matthew Henson Residence, which is separately listed on the NRHP as a National Historic Landmark.

Location

New York, New York County, New York
40.82531, -73.93870

Categories

COMMUNITY PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENTARCHITECTURESOCIAL HISTORY
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Unlimited access

Everything a full report reveals about Dunbar Apartments

This page lists Dunbar Apartments. A full Aubrey report for an address near it pulls together this listing alongside battlefield records, land patents, and every other historical record within a chosen radius:

Overview
An interactive map of the location with historic sites, battles and Native heritage plotted, and its full story era by era.
The Land
The historic sites and place names around the location, and how this land was settled and used.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back millions of years.
LiDAR Terrain
Laser-scanned terrain that reveals earthworks and old features hidden in the landscape.
Conflict & War
The battles, raids and skirmishes fought near here, across every era of American conflict.
The Civil War
The Civil War on this ground, 1861 to 1865: who held it, and the battles, camps and regiments nearby.
The Soldiers
The men who marched from here in the Civil War, named and traced where the record allows.
Native Heritage
The Native nations who held this land, mapped across time from before European contact to today.
Settlement
Who claimed and held this ground, from Indigenous homelands through the colonial powers to the United States.
The Community
How the town grew, who came, and what kind of place it became, traced through the census record.
Rivers & Rail
The rivers, canals and railroads that connected this place between 1830 and 1911.
Notable People
The people born, buried or genuinely tied to this exact place, with their stories.
Historical Maps
Historic maps of the location layered over how it looks today.
Finds & Access
Museum objects tied to the area, and the laws on searching, collecting and access here.
Literature
The old books, county histories and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Spotlight
A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.
Points of Interest
The most significant historic sites and landmarks near the location, and why they matter.
Timeline
The whole story of the location told era by era, from first peoples to the present day.
First month just $5.99, then $11.99 a month. Unlimited locations, cancel anytime.

Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.

Start your Dunbar Apartments report
Or see a real report first

Nearby Historic Sites

Henson, Matthew, Residence
Industrial
0 mi
West 147th-149th Streets Historic District
Industrial
0.1 mi
Harlem River Houses
Industrial
0.1 mi
Bailey House
Industrial
0.2 mi
Sugar Hill Historic District
Listed
0.3 mi

Nearby Battles

Battle of Harlem Heights
1776Revolutionary War
0.7 mi
Fall of Fort Washington (1776)
1776Revolutionary War
1.8 mi
Battle of Fort Washington
1776Revolutionary War
1.8 mi
Fall of Fort Washington
1776Revolutionary War
1.9 mi
Fort Lee Evacuation
1776Revolutionary War
1.9 mi

Questions about this property

When was Dunbar Apartments listed on the National Register?

Dunbar Apartments was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on March 28, 1979.

What type of historic resource is Dunbar Apartments?

Dunbar Apartments is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Dunbar Apartments?

The period of significance for Dunbar Apartments is recorded as the industrial era.

Can I research the history near Dunbar Apartments?

Yes. Aubrey Research reports search National Register listings, battlefield records, land patents, and other primary historical sources within any radius of a US address. A report for an address near Dunbar Apartments will include this listing and all other historical records in the area.

More in New York County

Historic places, battles, and census history across New York County.

Explore New YorkCounty ›

More historic places in New York

Browse all historic places in New York.

View New Yorkhistoric sites ›

Conflict records

Explore 19,000+ military engagements across American history.

Browse US conflicts ›

New York history

Colonial settlement, territorial period, and statehood narrative.

New Yorkhistory ›

Research the history near this site

An Aubrey US report for an address near Dunbar Apartments will include this listing alongside battlefield records and other historical sources within your chosen radius.

Research your locationView a free sample report