Neighborhood Characteristics

The neighborhood of San Juan Hill was home to working class and poor residents, and full of brownstones, tenements, warehouses, and industrial lofts.  It was notorious for two reasons: race conflicts and a thriving arts community.  The large African-American population often clashed with the Irish and Italians who lived in neighboring Hell's Kitchen as well as to the east and north. These race riots were so fierce that many believe that the neighborhood was named San Juan Hill as a way of comparing these conflicts to those fought during the Spanish-American War.  

On the other hand, San Juan Hill also had cafes, music halls and theaters, and became a place where one could find a wide selection of jazz, opera, rock' n 'roll, plays, musical theater, and the visual arts.  Theaters in the area attracted such artists as Fred and Adele Astaire, Charlie Chaplin, Dizzie Gillespie, Charlie Parker, and Thelonious Monk.  Monk was one of a community of artists who also came to call San Juan Hill home.