Rosa Parks Condominium

At the Rosa Park Condominium, two of the property’s standout features are invisible from street view. The private underground garage, which saves residents from the woes of street parking, has its entrance a block north. And the internal courtyard, adding sunlight, greenery and communal seating, is best enjoyed through residences’ windows or on the balconies overlooking it. For buyers new to this part of Central Harlem, the building’s location has a similar unassuming-yet-impressive quality. “This is more like, ‘I want to live in the heart of what’s going on in Harlem today. I want access to old-school Minton’s [jazz club], the new restaurants on Fredrick Douglass Boulevard and landmarked Morningside Park,’” says Julia Boland, a real estate agent at Corcoran who lives in the neighborhood. According to Boland, this area is quieter and less crowded than popular downtown neighborhoods, “without sacrificing great restaurants, grocery stores or beautiful parks.” The smallest units in this building are one bedrooms, which are around 700 square feet with four closets — two of them in the bedroom — and full-length windows in the living room that open to Juliet balconies. Two-bedroom, two-bathroom units are the most common option, and unlike the one-bedroom units with galley kitchens, these units have L-shaped kitchens with entryways at both ends. They range in size from just under 900 square feet to over 1,300 square feet in a duplex with a large private terrace, and some also have balconies overlooking the internal courtyard. Three bedrooms are sized from about 1,100 square feet to 1,600 square feet and come with two or three bathrooms. Layouts vary widely and can include multiple private terraces, second floors with internal balconies and panoramic windows on the building’s curved, Flatiron-style corner. Variety is the common theme for finishes, and it’s most visible in kitchens — which can have stone, metal or cement countertops — and flooring — which can be hardwood planks, bamboo or herringbone. Marble-tiled bathrooms, however, have largely been left unchanged from owner to owner. “They might have upgraded certain features,” like adding walk-in showers, “but the original tiling bed is good quality. Why change that?” Boland says. Appliance packages include dishwashers and, in select units, Bertazzoni stoves, but there are no in-unit washer-dryers. “Many people appreciate the fact that they’re not overpaying for a really nice place to live,” Boland says. Compared to nearby condos, prices here are lower, except for buildings that also don’t have in-unit washer-dryers. Most recently, one bedrooms have been priced from $600,000 to $750,000, two bedrooms have been priced from $850,000 to $1.1 million, and three bedrooms have been priced from $1.2 million to $1.4 million. Although the building has a 421A tax abatement until 2030 and monthly common charges around $1 per square foot, there’s a monthly assessment fee of several hundred dollars until June 2025, which brings up the total carrying costs. Shared outdoor space is central to the building’s amenity package. At ground level, the inner courtyard has planters and a long communal table, and on the roof, the patio has lounge chairs and a shaded dining table. “There’s also a [rooftop] gym that gets really great light, which is a nice feature you typically don’t find in buildings from that time period,” Boland says. A laundry room makes up somewhat for the lack of in-unit washer-dryers, and the underground parking garage has a limited number of spots available for purchase. One block west, Frederick Douglass Boulevard is Central Harlem’s main dining drag, with French, Spanish and Southern restaurants that are a real treat when their outdoor seating opens during the summer. Across the street is Minton’s Playhouse, a historic jazz club that opened in 1938, and when that’s too crowded, there’s a newer speakeasy jazz club one block north. A short walk west, Morningside Park has a dog run and manmade waterfall, and half a mile south is Central Park. Up here, the North Woods has secluded trails for birdwatching, and the Harlem Meer pond is being renovated with a public pool and ice-skating rink. There are two subway stations within a few blocks of the building, so residents can take any of the B, C or 2, 3 trains along the west side. The crosstown bus on 116th Street grants easy access to East Harlem, and the CitiBike station one block east is a convenient alternative to public transit. Residents who get a spot in the building’s private garage don’t have to worry about street parking, and the West Side Highway is nearby for taking daytrips upstate.