Ray is more than a building.
It’s a place.
Ray highlights the sense of community and belonging made possible by an intimate shared experience of art, architecture, and design.
We really obsessed over every detail.
Using honest, organic materials and a natural palette, Ray aims to blend elevated design with practicality. We want to reimagine what the modern home can be.
Blonde oak floors. Light flooded spaces. Laundry in unit. Because generic apartments don’t cut it anymore.
You can find us at the corner of 125th Street and 5th Avenue in Harlem. Here are some of our favorite places around town.
Apollo Theater
The Apollo Theater shaped the development and proliferation of Black—in other words, American—music & culture in the decades after it opened in 1914. Now, you can visit the iconic and recently expanded theater for a concert, performance, film screening, and so much more.
Harlem Shake
Down the block from us is a warm, old school burger joint serving up smash burgers, milkshakes, and more. They’re as much about celebrating Harlem Pride as they are about good food.
Plant Corner
A more recent addition to the neighborhood, Plant Corner has an expansive variety of plants, pots, and supplies. Whether you’ve got a green thumb or have a less successful track record with plant care, the team at Plant Corner always inspires confidence.
Marcus Garvey Park
Complete with playgrounds, an outdoor pool, dog park, baseball field, and an amphitheater, Marcus Garvey Park is the perfect place to spend those long summer days.
Sylvia's
Since 1962 locals, celebrities, and presidents have dined at Sylvia’s, an inviting soul food restaurant known for home-style dishes. Mark your calendars for live music on Wednesday’s, and Gospel Brunch Sunday’s.
Mushtari Hardware & Cafe
Conveniently located one block from Ray Harlem, Mushtari Hardware has all the random bits you may need while making your space feel like home. Don’t miss the hidden cafe located in the center of the store with the friendliest staff around.
Lee Lee's
Alvin Lee Smalls’ Lee Lee’s Baked Goods is a Harlem institution. The baker has been serving up authentic rugelach at 118th Street and Frederick Douglass Boulevard for almost 40 years.
Oma Shop II
The second location of Lizzy Okpo’s cafe and concept shop has it all—our favorite apothecary items, the best pastries from across the boroughs, and even a hair braiding shop in the back that hosts DJ sets at night.
Points of interest
Throughout Ray Harlem, you can find artwork by local and international, emerging and established artists.
We’re building a space for people from all walks of life to explore their creativity. Find us at 2035 5th Avenue, on the corner of 125th Street and 5th Avenue.
Frida Escobedo Studio
Frida established her eponymous studio in Mexico City in 2006. The studio’s reputation, initially built on the strength of a series of competition-winning projects in her native country—including the renovation of the Hotel Boca Chica (2008), the El Eco Pavilion (2010), and the expansion of La Tallera Siqueiros in Cuernavaca (2012)—has achieved global scope since 2018, when she received the prestigious appointment to design the annual Serpentine Pavilion in London’s Kensington Gardens, becoming the youngest architect to that date to undertake the project.
Most recently, she was appointed as the architect to design the new Modern & Contemporary Wing for The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, becoming the youngest and first woman to design a building for the institution. Following her appointment as the Design Architect for The Tang Wing at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Frida Escobedo opened a studio in New York City in 2022.
The Building
The relationship between Ray Harlem and community is materialized by incorporating art into the architecture. In this way, the building not only projects its history, but also creates opportunities for incorporating new symbols into the current manifestation. The facade has numerous moments of both projection and inscription, not only through the art panels but also through the base geometry of the building. We are incorporating important elements of the old building into a new experience to welcome people back into what Dr. Barbara Ann Teer, the founder of the National Black Theatre, referred to as “your home away from home.” There are subtle but powerful gestures such as the selection of the brick color, which is a direct reference to the Osun-Osogbo Sacred Grove in Nigeria. Through this approach, the building becomes a contemporary interpretation of a space with deep symbolic meaning.
Ray Harlem was designed by Frida Escobedo Studio, in partnership with Handel Architects, and the interiors were designed by Studio & Projects (Little Wing Lee) with Frida Escobedo and the Ray in-house design team.
The History
National Black Theatre (NBT) has been a celebrated destination in the epicenter of American Black culture — Harlem — for nearly six decades. Founded by visionary artist, activist, and community developer, Dr. Barbara Ann Teer, in 1968, the organization produces work rooted in the imagination of contemporary Black voices that challenge the mainstream.
The Future
The National Black Theatre spans the 3rd and 4th floors of the building. Their 27,000 square feet of space includes offices, classrooms, a 250-seat immersive technology performance space, a 99-seat flexible studio theater, and a set-building shop to support workforce development in theatrical trades. This project will deepen the ways in which NBT serves as a cultural anchor for East Harlem, a vital resource for artists and entrepreneurs, and a haven for the production of groundbreaking work that is rooted in the imagination of contemporary Black voices.
