Lincoln Square, Manhattan

Before this area became the polished cultural destination you see today, it was known as San Juan Hill. In the early twentieth century, this was one of the most densely populated African American and Afro-Caribbean neighborhoods in all of Manhattan. Jazz legends like Thelonious Monk lived in these crowded tenement blocks, where they drew inspiration from the vibrant, rhythmic street life of the community. Musicians here fostered an early jazz and blues scene that laid the groundwork for the cultural shifts of the Harlem Renaissance.