The site where DJ Kool Herc made his initial contributions to Hip-Hop will take a major step toward being preserved today. A group of organizers will hold a press conference at 9:30 a.m. at 1520 Sedgwick Avenue, in The Bronx, to celebrate the New York State Office of Parks and Recreation approving an application to make the site a historic landmark.
The Sedgwick Building hosts the legendary community room where Herc deejayed parties spawning the B-Boying, Graffiti Artistry and Emceeing that form the foundations of today’s Hip-Hop culture. The parties, which were sometimes powered by local street lamps and often spilled into a nearby park, have been referenced by Grandmaster Caz and Nas, to name a few.
In a recent interview with The New York Times, Herc stressed the importance of preserving the Sedgwick Building. “This is where it came from,”Herc said. “This is it. The culture started here and went around the world. But this is where it came from. Not anyplace else.”
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Now that the Sedgwick Building has met the minimum requirements for preservation, the parks and recreation office must formally approve the decision. For more information on the approval process, or to contact an official with the preservation office dial (518) 237 – 8643 or visit the New York State Office of Parks and Recreation online by clicking here.
