The Washington bee., 1911-04-15
TENANTS
ARE TOLD TO MOVE
Harlem Taxpayers Association Loses
Fight to Prevent Wave of
Black Migration.
SALE CONFIRMED BY COURT
New Owners Turn Out Occupants of
Houses from Nos. Io7 to I4s
West I35th Street.

NEW YORK, April 5.-By the sale
to the trustees of St. Philips Protes-
tant Episcopal Church, a Negro con-
gregatlOn, twenty six-story fiat build
lngs, from No. IO7 to No. I45 West
I35th street, now occupied by 22o
white families, were thrown open to
Negro occupancy yesterday, when dis
possess notices were served upon the
tenants by the new owners.
AS a result of this threatened inya-
sion of the district by Negroes, after
the bitter fight waged for many
months by the Harlem Taxpayers AS
sOciation, of which John G. Taylor is
president, considerable bitterness is
manifested by residents in the vicinity.
1t was announced last night that legal
steps will be taken in an effort to pre-
vent the migration of Negroes to the
neighborhood
Meanwhile several of the white fam
lilies have vacated their homes, and
others are preparing to follow. Sew
eral Negro families moved into the
apartments vacated and scores of Ne
gro families are ready to move into
the district as soon as vacancies Oc-
cur The property is being managed
by Nail & Parker, a Negro real estate
firm, at No. 25 West I33d street, who
have scores of applications from Ne
grOes for apartments in the property
just acquired by the church, at a cost
of 100000.
Dispossess White Tenants.
The deal was completed on Dec 10,
1900, but the details of the transaction
did not become public until just before
the order of sale was confirmed by the
court on Monday last Ten minutes
later preparations to disposseSs the
white tenants were entered upon, and
the last of the dispOssess notices were
served upon the white tenants yester-
day.
The property in question now be-
longs to St. Philips Protestant Epis-
cOpal Church, at No. 2I3 West I34th
street. The church trustees acquired
that property about a year ago, NOV
ing from West Thirtieth street, where
they owned a lot of land, with a
church building and other improve
ments, numbered from us to I3I. This
property was traded in for S45O,OOO to
Messrs. Shaft & Silverman, operating
under the firm name of the Chase Re
atty Company. Whether the remain
der of $I7O,o paid for the West I35th
street property was paid IN cash or in
notes secured by mortgage does not
appear.
When the sale was confirmed, How
ard G. Taylor, secretary of the Har-
lem Taxpayers Association, wrote to
Bishop Greer, requesting him if pos
sible to take such steps as would in
sure the district named from a whole
sale invasion. The Bishop IS reported
to have sent a reply to the effect that
he was powerless to act in the prem
ises, inasmuch as the property had
been legally acquired by the Negro
congregation and the transaction had
been confirmed in court He said if
the association desired to enjoin the
negroes from entering the district it
must act independently of the church
authorities, who could have no inter-
est in the issue thus raised
The officers of the association, while
they admitted that they were handi-
capped in their efforts to prevent the
invasion, are hopeful that some plan
will be evolved before the end of next
week by which the Negro invasion of
the district will be effectually stayed
The lawyers of the association, backed
up by the moral support of the mem
bership, are seeking some way out of
the difficulty.
Considerable indignation was ex-
pressed last night among the resi-
dents of the south side of I35th street,
between IenOx and Seventh avenues,
over the turn of affairs, which gave to
many of them a distinct shock when
they heard the news. The tenants who
are now compelled to seek other quar-
ters are protesting bitterly. While
many families already have moved,
some two hundred others are hoping
that the Taxpayers Association may
find a way to stop proceedings indefi- |
York Herald.