Hotel Theresa

High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! The Hotel Theresa was a vibrant center of black life in Harlem, New York City, in the mid-20th century. The hotel sits at the intersection of Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Boulevard and Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard (formerly known as 7th Avenue and 125th Street). The hotel was built by German-born stockbroker Gustavus Sidenberg (1843-1915), and designed by the firm of Buchman and Fox in a neo-renaissance style. It opened in 1913 and was from then, until the construction of the Adam Clayton Powell Jr. State Office Building across the street in 1973, the tallest building in Harlem. It has a striking white brick facade and was known as the "Waldorf Astoria of Harlem." From the time it opened until 1940, the hotel accepted only white guests plus a few black celebrities. This changed when the hotel passed to new management.