The house was known as an important social hub for civil rights activists and Black literary figures, including the author Toni Morrison, who briefly lived here. He lived in the rear, ground-floor apartment, and his family, including his mother, sister, and her children, had apartments on the upper floors.

In 1965, at the height of his fame, he moved into a remodeled rowhouse at 137 West 71st Street on the Upper West Side, which he used as his New York City residence until his death. From 1958 to 1961, for example, he lived at 81 Horatio Street in Greenwich Village. Martin Luther King, Jr., the sit-ins, and other civil rights events taking place in the South.īaldwin’s experiences with racism in this country led him to live most of his adult life as a self-described “transatlantic commuter.” While he lived primarily in France, he often featured New York, including his native Harlem, in his work and resided in a number of apartments here. He took part in the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom and the 1965 Selma-to-Montgomery voting rights march, for example, and wrote about the work of Dr.

Through his writing, televised appearances, and public speaking here and abroad, author and civil rights activist James Baldwin (1924-1987) became a critical voice for the Black civil rights movement and brought attention to racial issues in the United States.

James baldwin room