The New York Amsterdam News was started more than a century ago and has continued to be one of the most important Black newspapers in the country.
Serving a Black audience since 1909, the newspaper has been in residence in their Harlem building, around the corner from the historic Apollo Theatre, since 1936. Their original signage remains intact on the building’s façade.
It is one of the oldest newspapers geared toward African Americans in the United States and has published columns by such figures as W.E.B. Du Bois, Roy Wilkins, and Adam Clayton Powell Jr., and was the first to recognize and publish Malcolm X.
Though the newspaper is still actively being produced, the paper’s publisher AmNews Corp. no longer has the resources to pay the property taxes and keep up with building maintenance, putting the historic treasure at risk.
To save and celebrate this Harlem landmark, the Amsterdam News Educational Foundation, established in 1991, is focusing on taking over ownership of this Harlem institution and spearheading its restoration and preservation. To those ends it has recently launched the “Save This Harlem Treasure” campaign.
The campaign calls for the building to be home to a national museum celebrating the Black press’ crucial role in the ongoing work of U.S. civil rights, including a “step back in time” 1930s newsroom in addition to being a vibrant public gathering place and entertainment and dining nexus.
The newspaper and foundation would continue to operate out of the building on the second floor with the rest of the building for museum and public use.
Historic places important to Black heritage and culture are chronically under-represented. The Preservation League of New York State has added the building to its Seven to Save list, and is planning to work with the Foundation to increase public awareness of this historic landmark, drawing attention to its importance and potential to celebrate a unique piece of New York City history.
Photo: Looking up at the front facade of the New York Amsterdam News building in Harlem (Siobhan Bennett, provided by Preservation League of New York State).
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