The St. Nicholas historic district known as "Strivers Row" is a historic district located on both sides of West 138th Street and West 139th Street between Adam Clayton Powell jr. Boulevard also known as 7th Avenue and Frederick Douglass Boulevard 8th Avenue and Harlem neighborhood New York City it is both a national and New York City District and consists of row houses and Associated buildings designed by noted architect and built in 1891 through 93 by developer David H King jr. These are collectively recognized as gems of New York City architecture and an outstanding example of late 19th century Urban Design.
These townhouses were originally called King model houses which were intended for upper middle-class whites and featured modern amenities. Great dark woodwork and the views of City College blacks we're not allowed to live in the housing by this time Harlem was abandon buy white New Yorkers yet the company Equitable Life Assurance Society would not sell the King houses to blacks and so they sat empty until 1919 through 1920 when they were finally made available to African Americans for $8,000 each some of the units were turned into rooming houses but generally they attracted both leaders of the black community and up with upwardly - mobile professionals or Strivers who gave the district is colloquial name. " It was said that when one lives on Striver's Row one has arrived" in other words you was the s***!!!