1520 Sedgwick Avenue Honored as a Hip-Hop Landmark Today

The State of New York has officially announced its recognition of 1520 Sedgwick Avenue in the South Bronx as the birthplace of hip-hop and a landmark. 1520 Sedgwick Avenue is home to a community room where the father of hip-hop, DJ Kool Herc, played in during the 1970s. The site, however, has been closed for renovations since last year, prompting hip-hop and community organizers to make a bid to have the location honored as a landmark. Today, organizers will hold a press conference at the historic location to announce the New York State Office of Parks Recreation and Historic Preservation have approved the July 2 application to make the site an eligible historic landmark. According to the New York State Office, 1520 Sedgwick Avenue “meets the eligibility criteria being that it is associated with events that have made a significant contribution to the broad pattern of our history.”