The National Black Theater building continues to progress. The project (named "Ray Harlem") at Fifth Avenue and 125th Street, will be a 21-story, 240-foot-tall mixed-use project will yield 222 rental units.

The rentals will be located in in the main tower and include studios to two-bedrooms, a portion of which are designated towards affordable housing. Below the housing, the National Black Theatre (NBT) is expected to occupy 25,000 square feet of space on the ground floor, cellar level and floors three through five. In addition to theater space, there will be a 250-seat flexible temple space and a 99-seat studio theater, classrooms, and offices.

East Harlem’s New Salsa Museum

Spectrum News has a great piece on the new Salsa Museum that has opened in a former hardware store to celebrate the greats of Salsa.

The hardware store belonged to Cruz’s father, who had emigrated to New York from Puerto Rico, but when he passed away, Cruz decided to close the business and open the museum with the legendary singer, Adalberto Santiago.

All the items here have been donated by musicians or family members of artists who have passed away.

Cruz’s ambitions extend beyond East Harlem. He is planning to open a similar museum in Puerto Rico next year and has met with representatives of the Smithsonian who are interested in exhibiting some of these pieces at the National Museum of the American Latino in our nation’s capital.