The Switch

Title: The Switch
Creator: Vogel, Jenna
Date: 2024-12-09
Description: Final Assignment for ARCH 73100 (Fall 2024)
Language: English
Subject: Maysles Documentary Center; Lenox Avenue; Lenox Lounge; Wells Fargo; Queer Culture; Black Joy; Gentrification; Capitalism; Music; Leisure
Abstract: 288 Lenox Ave, which is the former site of the iconic Lenox Lounge, once acted as a center of Black leisure, joy, and culture. Today, however, Harlem’s real estate development has intensified, transforming it into a daytime capitalist experiment, reflecting the gentrification that has taken hold of this Black and Brown neighborhood. The Lenox Lounge was a famed jazz venue that drew well-known figures like Billie Holiday, Malcolm X, and even Madonna. While the Lenox Lounge was once a notable site of Black leisure, it must be acknowledged that it also held a perverse history. The Lenox Lounge was known for being a predominately Black establishment, but due to systemic racism, it was highly exclusive during the Jim Crow Era and then eventually became a largely white crowd, due to the touristification of Harlem. In addition, the owners operated with an underlying homophobia that aided in the ruination of the establishment.