UPTOWNflavor

I thought the “Big Apple” plaque on the side of the building was under landmark status. Back in the day that building and bar had a tawdry reputation. Another piece of Harlem History is now gone. -Nat-

Sparked by a reader’s comment in a post about the new Popeye’s opening on 135th Street, I decided to get to the core of the missing Big Apple sign that used to be on the side of the building. Here is what I was able to dig up:

Despite its turf-related origins, by the 1930s and ’40s, the phrase had become firmly linked to the city’s jazz scene. “Big Apple” was the name both of a popular night club at West 135th Street and Seventh Avenue in Harlem and a jitterbug-style group dance that originated in the South, became a huge phenomenon at Harlem’s great Savoy Ballroom and rapidly spread across the country. ” [Source: Society for New York City History]

It seems that Barry Popik contacted the Landmark Commission to inquire about preserving the site and sign. Popik was unsuccessful in his efforts and the sign was eventually put up for sale on ebay.

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Related: Big Onion