the building on the north-west corner of 126th and 5th Avenue was opened in 1938:

and was the first new building in Harlem that welcomed African Americans.  The beautiful interior and fixtures made this building a classic of the pre-War period.  Until this building's construction, African-American residents in Harlem had only lived in buildings that were formerly occupied by white residents or in buildings that had been intended for white residents.

Ms. Hill, one of the original tenants noted that the neighborhood was mostly Finnish at the time.  She also noted that the solid, if quiet opulence attracted a number of celebrities to this building:  the singers Billy Eckstine and Juanita Hall, for example, soon moved in.

Recently, I was able to find what preceded this building:

This beautiful mansion had been used as the Mary E. Johnson Boarding School for Colored Children.

However, before that, it was the Mrs. Helen M. Scofille's School for Girls (presumably, white only), and before that an ivy-covered mansion, now long gone:

Head Down to the Herb Garden For Spoken Word

The beautiful Harlem Herb Garden - 111th Street between Lex/3rd - is holding a spoken word event on the 19th and you’re welcome to attend: