- unitid
-
{"value"=>"20545", "type"=>"local_mss"}
{"value"=>"Sc MG 78", "type"=>"local_call"}
- unitdate
-
{"value"=>"1961-1977", "type"=>"inclusive", "normal"=>"1961/1977"}
- unittitle
-
{"value"=>"Joseph Black papers"}
- physdesc
-
{"format"=>"structured", "physdesc_components"=>[{"name"=>"extent", "value"=>"4 linear feet", "unit"=>"linear_feet"}]}
- repository
-
{"value"=>"<span class=\"corpname\">Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Books Division</span>"}
- abstract
-
{"value"=>"W. Joseph Black (1934-1977) was an architect and urban planner. The Joseph Black Papers document his research and architectural projects, particularly <span class=\"title\">Visions of Harlem</span> and the Harlem Music Center."}
- langmaterial
-
{"value"=>"English"}
- origination
-
{"value"=>"Black, W. Joseph (William Joseph), 1934-1977", "type"=>"persname"}
- bioghist
-
{"value"=>"<p>W. Joseph Black was born July 25, 1934 in Carthage, Texas, and was raised in Chicago. He attended the University of Illinois at Chicago and completed his undergraduate education at Columbia University. He later attended the Columbia University School of Architecture and earned his Master of Science degree in Urban Planning. Although Black's career was short-lived, he traveled extensively and held architectural and planning positions in Africa, Latin America, Europe and New York City during the 1960s and 1970s. It was in Harlem, however, that Black chose to make his major architectural and cultural statements.</p> <p>As a consultant to the New York City Planning Commission, the Model Cities Administration and the New York State Urban Development Corporation, Black undertook comprehensive studies of Harlem's planning needs and designed programs for a variety of community development projects such as the Park Avenue North Study, the St. Nicholas Historic District, and the Fifth Avenue Park Walk. This work, in combination with a long-range architectural research project on Harlem begun in the 1960s increased and deepened his knowledge of, and commitment to, that community.</p> <p>In 1968 Black received the A.W. Brunner Award from the Architectural League of New York to study the role of black architects and planners in solving critical urban problems. The Brunner award enabled Black to concentrate on the development of a project that included a mixed-income residential, cultural and commercial complex, which he called the \"Gateway to Harlem.\" He formed the Harlem Music Center (HMC) in 1969 as the first phase of the cultural complex.</p> <p>The purpose of the Center was to create music workshops, performance areas, archives, facilities for teaching, performing, recording, research and cultural exchange. To assist in the development of the Center, Black enlisted a number of musicians and concerned citizens, including Max Roach, Herbie Hancock, Donald Byrd and Archie Shepp, to serve in a variety of capacities ranging from teaching to service on the advisory board. Although the Harlem Music Center operated for approximately five years, Black was not successful in implementing the residential and commercial components of the Gateway to Harlem complex, and eventually the Harlem Music Center folded.</p> <p>While Black devoted much of his time to the Harlem Music Center, he continued his involvement in other career activities. Primary among them were the <span class=\"title\">Visions of Harlem: Past, Present and Future</span> and the <span class=\"title\">Black Builders of America</span> projects. <span class=\"title\">Visions of Harlem,</span> originally conceived in 1970 as an exhibition and book project, was sponsored and funded by the Museum of Modern Art. <span class=\"title\">Visions</span> was to be a celebration of Harlem's history and architecture from the seventeenth to the twentieth centuries. After a series of delays, the exhibition opened at the Studio Museum in Harlem in November 1974 and the American Institute of Architects Gallery in Washington, D.C. in 1975. The book project apparently was never completed, although a press release announcing its publication by Architectural Record Books was released in 1976. For the <span class=\"title\">Black Builders</span> project, Black received a National Endowment for the Arts grant in 1973. This project focused on the many known and unknown builders in this country, 1619 to 1974. The outcome of this project is not clear. In 1975 Black moved to Washington, D.C. He obtained a teaching post at the University of the District of Columbia in the Department of Community Planning and Development, which he held through 1976.</p> <p>Black was married to Romaine Hill; they had no children. He died of cancer at the age of forty-two in 1977.</p>"}
- scopecontent
-
{"value"=>"<p>The W. Joseph Black Papers document his research and architectural projects, particularly <span class=\"title\">Visions of Harlem</span> and the Harlem Music Center. There is little personal information in the collection, although his vita provides both personal and professional data. A good portion of the material is not original, but has been kept because of its integral relationship to Black's work.</p>"}
{"value"=>"<p class='list-head'>The Joseph Black papers are arranged in five series:</p>\n<ul class='arrangement series-descriptions'>\n<li><div class='series-title'><a href='/scm/20545#c644060'>Biographical Information</a></div>\n</li><li><div class='series-title'><a href='/scm/20545#c644061'>Correspondence</a></div>\n<div class='series-description'><p>CORRESPONDENCE, 1961-1977, has been arranged into outgoing and incoming letters. The letters for the most part deal with Black's efforts to find employment and support for his various professional plans and ideas, such as the Music Center, and the Park Avenue Walkway.</p></div></li><li><div class='series-title'><a href='/scm/20545#c644064'>Writings</a></div>\n<div class='series-description'><p>WRITINGS consist primarily of several undated drafts of <span class=\"title\">Visions of Harlem: Past, Present and Future.</span> It is not clear whether the manuscript was completed or if the manuscript in the collection is the final version. There are also manuscripts for at least two other books or articles on Harlem, from an architectural perspective.</p></div></li><li><div class='series-title'><a href='/scm/20545#c644083'>Research Material</a></div>\n<div class='series-description'><p>RESEARCH MATERIAL, n. d. This series is composed of photocopies of materials Black apparently collected for his various projects and general knowledge. The types of materials included are articles, reports, bibliographies, and photographs covering a variety of subjects focused on Harlem. Among them are Harlem street scenes, architecture, landmarks, and Harlem pre- and post-1960. Some of the photographs can be found in the Schomburg Center's Joseph Black Photograph Collection, while many others appear to be photocopies he received from repositories and individuals while doing research.</p></div></li><li><div class='series-title'><a href='/scm/20545#c644105'>Projects</a></div>\n<div class='series-description'><p>PROJECTS include the Harlem Music Center records, 1968-1974, and Harlem Urban Development Corporation projects, as well as materials from other projects.</p></div></li></ul>\n", "type"=>"arrangement"}
- acqinfo
-
{"value"=>"<p>Gift of anonymous donor, 1978.</p> <p>SCM78-44</p>"}
- separatedmaterial
-
{"value"=>"<p>The following items were removed from the <em>W. Joseph Black Papers, accession number SCM 78-44/MG 78</em>and have been sent to the division or section indicated, either to be retained or disposed of there. Any items that should receive special disposition are clearly marked.</p> <p> <em>Schomburg Photograph Collection:</em></p> <p>Photographs of Harlem architecture (1 archives box, 1 flat box, and several large panels).</p>"}
- processinfo
-
{"value"=>"<p>Processed by Debra Carter; Machine-readable finding aid created by Apex Data Services; revised by Terry Catapano.</p>"}
- sponsor
-
{"value"=>"Home to Harlem Project, funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation"}
- revisiondesc
-
{"value"=>"This finding aid was updated by Allison Hughes.", "date"=>"2020 November 10"}
- date_start
-
1961
- keydate
-
1961
- date_end
-
1977
- date_inclusive_start
-
1961
- date_inclusive_end
-
1977
- extent_statement
-
4 linear feet
- prefercite
-
{"value"=>"[Item], Joseph Black papers, Sc MG 78, Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Books Division, The New York Public Library"}