Madame Architect Presents: Ray Harlem and the National Black Theatre

We hosted our first construction tour of Ray Harlem and the National Black Theatre at 2035 5th Avenue, the future home of the Ray flagship 222-unit apartment building and state-of-the-art NBT complex, designed by Frida Escobedo Studio in collaboration with Handel Architects and MARVEL. We saw Ray Harlem's diverse amenities and apartments with impressive views, along with the shell of NBT's home, which will include a 250-seat immersive technology performance space, a 99-seat flexible studio theater, and grand loggia overlooking the corner of 125th St. and 5th Ave. The building also includes substantial commercial space on the ground and 2nd floors. 

We were joined by Laura Rog, Senior Director at LMXD; Deborah Moelis, Principal of Handel Architects; Dasha Faires, Design Director at Ray; Anaïs Cooper-Hackman, Programming & Partnerships Director at Ray; and Sade Lythcott, CEO of NBT who provided compelling details on the development and construction processes and painted a picture of how the building is expected to come to life. Photography by Sebastian Mejias.