A few doors down from the imposing stone facade of the Abyssinian Baptist Church on West 138th Street, one the most important activist churches in Harlem, a new condominium development is about to go on the market including market-rate penthouses, with open stainless-steel kitchens, granite counters, and terraces, priced up to $970,000.
But rather than railing about the perils of Harlem gentrification, the church is the guiding force behind the development, and its development arm, the Abyssinian Development Corp., is the proud sponsor, showing off a model apartment at an opening party on West 138th Street on Thursday night, beginning at 6.
The condominium development—32 condos in two buildings, including 10 subsidized units—is the first of a new wave of developments by the church that will bring about 200 condominiums to its home neighborhood over the years to come.
The future plans include a residential tower in a mixed-use development to rise above the shell of the Harlem Renaissance Ballroom, a historic cultural center around the corner from the church on Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Boulevard.