East Harlem’s First Historic District

Designated by the NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission in June 2016, this church was designed by the firm of Neville & Bagge in the late Romanesque Revival style and completed in 1908.
Saint Paul’s is one of the earliest Roman Catholic parishes in Manhattan and has served the East Harlem neighborhood since 1834. The original congregation was Irish. After World War II, Spanish speaking Catholics, many from Puerto Rico, began to worship there. Today, the church has a special relationship with the area’s Mexican immigrant population.

The East Harlem Historic District extends roughly from 111th to 120th streets, Park Avenue to the East River. The district comprises 820 buildings, 677 of which are contributing—meeting the criteria of age (1865-1965), architectural integrity, and significance to the history of the neighborhood. Landmark East Harlem worked for more than three years to secure the district’s listing on the State and National Registers of Historic Places in 2018.