money was raised to restore their facades, and improve their plumbing, heating systems, and electrical lines where needed. The group overseeing and financing the work included the New York Landmarks Conservancy, New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC), the Vincent Astor Foundation, Manhattan Community Board 10, the Abyssinian Development Corporation, the Commonwealth Fund, the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development, and several local banks. In 1992, Ella Fitzgerald performed at a benefit at Radio City Music Hall to raise money for the restoration. By the end of the 1990s, the porches and other decorative elements had been restored to almost all the buildings on the block. In August 2009, The New York Times would write "the block is at the center of an intense but, as yet, unfinished revival of the surrounding streets in Central Harlem." The restoration of the row was overseen by Roberta Washington and Li/Saltzman. In late 2021, the house at 28 West 130th Street was demolished following several years of degradation, years after the LPC had sued the house's owner to force her to repair the house. In popular culture In his novel Home to Harlem (1928), Claude McKay described Astor Row as "the block beautiful." See also List of New York City Landmarks References Bibliography External links New York City Designated Landmarks in Manhattan Streets in Manhattan Harlem Astor family residences Houses in Manhattan Houses completed in 1883