Hamilton Heights and Sugar Hill

Dizzy Gillespie, Tadd Dameron, Hank Jones, Mary Lou Williams, and Milt Orent (1947)

St. Nicholas Ave

James A. and Ruth M. Bailey House

Hamilton Grange National Memorial

Release date: April 2, 2024

Marjorie Eliot, Morris-Jumel Jazz Concert

William Kaupe Family, courtesy Amiaga Studios, 1904

Morris-Jumel Mansion

Why a Book?

There are so many rich stories of Hamilton Heights and Sugar Hill about the people and places that deserve to be told. This one neighborhood has two of the oldest residences in Manhattan: Hamilton Grange and the Morris-Jumel Mansion. It is where many Harlem Renaissance luminaries lived and/or socialized as well.

Place and Home

History is all around us. We will explore some of the neighborhood's notable and historic places. The building pictured here - 935 St. Nicholas Avenue - was Duke Ellington's former residence for decades.

Photos

We will share more photos here!

Hamilton Heights and Sugar Hill

History. Legends. Music.

This historical nonfiction book, published by Fordham University Press, traces four centuries of history highlighting our picturesque West Harlem neighborhood from the 1600s to its modern urban growth. It recounts the histories of the Morris-Jumel Mansion, the James A. Bailey House, and how Alexander Hamilton’s home, The Grange, was used in the two centuries since his death. The book traces the stunning architecture and creative geniuses nurtured and awakened here: George Gershwin, Norman Rockwell, Langston Hughes and Ralph Ellison. Yet there are numerous stories of the everyday people who made Hamilton Heights and Sugar Hill a special place to live. Ms. James takes readers through the neighborhood’s place in The Great Migration with Harlem Renaissance gatherings and the Civil Rights legends and luminaries who called it home, such as Thurgood Marshall, Duke Ellington, Joe Louis, Ethel Waters, and Mary Lou Williams. It is on pre-sale through major outlets.

The Collection

Davida Siwisa James

Our Testimonials

Feedback on my publications

5.0 out of 5 stars. The South Africa of His Heart. Reviewed in 2007: I enjoyed this book immensely. It was definitely a page turner. Many times I found myself not wanting to put the book down. The author brought to life the scenic locations of New York, London, Paris, the Caribbean and Los Angeles in a way I haven't read about in a long time. The storm scenes in the Caribbean made me feel like I was experiencing a hurricane for the first time. I was enchanted by the weekend in Paris. Being from Los Angeles I thoroughly enjoyed reading about familiar locations throughout the city. I especially loved the references to UCLA. Reading about Sipho's lasting impression on his homeland through Davida's email communications with his family and fellow countryman was educational indeed. It's nice to read that even when you come out of a life of difficulty (time in Philadelphia) you can turn your life around. It was just a marvelous uplifting story and I can't wait to buy her next book.

Fay Bevans

Amazon Reviewer

5 out of 5 stars. Not your ordinary information guide! March 22, 2018. This book gives valuable information on local and federal agencies, assisted living facility requirements and legal procedures people may not know about in regard to caring for elderly loved ones. The author also held my interest not only for knowledge sake. Davida Siwisa James writes with the ability to make you feel at ease with your own wide array of emotions that no doubt one must feel while going through such a challenging and heartbreaking, and at times overwhelming experience. At times I honestly felt as if I were reading a good novel. This book is filled with honest talk about some of the challenges the author has gone through while coping with the task of caring for her own elderly father. She also shares her father's colorful life and the unconventional relationship they shared. This book is well worth the read both for the knowledge she shares as well as the honest glimpse inside her and her father's personal struggle with dealing with Alzheimer's.

Just Me

Amazon reviewer

"Life In Brief" is a collection of short stories, essays, and poetry by Davida Siwisa James, author of the acclaimed 2007 memoir, "The South Africa of His Heart." This is a mature and poignant selection of her writing that encompasses both personal, emotional nonfiction works, as well as her creative fiction, and newspaper columns. The short stories are powerful and insightful - from surviving a level-three hurricane, a moving story about a woman who takes a reflective journey, a room at a time, through a home she must leave trying to put her spiritual imprint on each of the rooms. There are two passionate love stories, and a tribute to female friendship. Her essays run the gamut from exploring aging, our dependence on technology, and cutting the cord with our grown children. The poetry is mostly set in the backdrop of the Caribbean. It will take you to white sand beaches, crystal blue waters with flying fish, romantic sunsets, and Carnival. It is an eclectic writing collection, written with skill and charm, that offers a little something for everyone.