132-140 West 125th Street houses a moribund SNAP food center on 125th street is an invaluable key to decoding Harlem’s dynamic cultural and developmental history. An impressive building of the Romanesque Revival style, it stands six stories tall above Harlem’s major commercial thoroughfare between Malcolm X and Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Boulevards. Though much of its light colored brick and terra-cotta facade is hidden behind scaffolding today, it’s impossible to miss the iconic nameplate above the cornice, pronouncing “Koch & Co.” in pressed metal. Yet when walking down the busy street into the Jimmy Jazz discount clothing store on the ground level, or perusing street vendor wares like incense, disposable masks, and colorfully printed clothes, it may be easy to forget to look up. Yet the story behind this building’s name takes us through Harlem’s history as a thriving center of development, a haven for immigrant communities, and its integration as a major New York City neighborhood. Through my exploration of 132-140 West 125th Street’s history, it is clear that this is a building that deserves to be preserved and recognized for its historic significance today.
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