Harlem USA, located at the corner of Frederick Douglass Blvd., is a square-block, 4-story, 285,000 square foot retail and entertainment complex conceived and developed by Gotham Organization, Inc. and its partners, and constructed along Harlem’s historic West 125th Street in New York City. This landmark project set the stage for the overdue redevelopment of the main commercial corridor running east-west through Harlem, and served to redefine the area as both a shopping destination for visitors and residents alike.  Gotham also served as the construction manager for the core and shell of the project which features a super-clear Pilkington glass façade with transparent street level access to all of the retail spaces that reinforces the dynamic streetscape as the dominant urban design element of the project, and also executed the custom interior fit-outs for a number of the tenants.

The project played a pivotal role in sparking a Harlem renaissance by providing a comprehensive one-stop shopping and entertainment outlet, and was instrumental in setting the stage for economic development and the rezoning of the 125th Street corridor that allows for future opportunities in residential and commercial development. This was the first project to bring Class A national retailers above 96th Street, including a state-of-the-art 9 screen Magic Johnson Cineplex Theatres, a 2-story 35,000 square foot flagship Old Navy, New York Sports Club, Modell’s Sporting Goods, and notably, Hue-Man Bookstore and Cafe, the first major bookstore in Harlem since the National Memorial Bookstore closed in the 1960s; Chase Manhattan Bank, also a retail tenant, along with the Upper Manhattan Empowerment Zone Development Corporation provided development and construction financing for the project.  Harlem USA was responsible for the creation of 500 new jobs, ranging from construction and permanent retail employment, with 75% of the permanent workforce coming from the Empowerment Zones of Upper Manhattan. The project has been embraced by the 500,000+ residents of Upper Manhattan, and more than the 1 Million tourists who visit the area annually.