Artists Raise More Than $25k to Lease, Renovate Langston Hughes' Harlem Home

HARLEM, NY — The Harlem home of Langston Hughes has gone largely untouched since his death in 1967. And a collective of Harlem artists want to make sure it remains preserved amid rapid development in the neighborhood.

The I, Too Arts Collective — named after one of Hughes' poems — has raised more than $25,000 on Indiegogo in an effort to lease the property and restore it as a space for up and coming artists in Harlem.

"Change is happening in Harlem and I believe it is important that in a place like Harlem, the historical and cultural spaces where African American pioneers lived and created be preserved," Renée Watson, executive director of the I, Too Arts Collective, said on the project's website.

Hughes lived in the home located at 20 E. 127th St. for the last 20 years of his life. The home was place on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982. But despite the home's cultural significance, it's future is in doubt. The home is listed for more than $3 million, with the listing encouraging prospective buyers to "Bring your architect and contractors!"

As uptown neighborhoods like Harlem become increasingly targeted areas for private development, the I, Too Arts Collective is in a race against time to raise money to save the home.

"The more Harlem changes, the more I'm motivated to do something," Watson told CNN Money, "We — the community — must hold on to the space, I feel a sense of urgency."

The group's Indiegogo campaign says that $40,000 minimum must be raised to lease the home for just six months, but that $150,000 is the ultimate goal. The final goal is to renovate the home, keeping it's character intact and creating a place where young people from the neighborhood can gain a better understanding of the history of the neighborhood and its culture, according to the campaign.

"I see a need for young people to know about and understand the legacy they are a part of; the artists and activists who paved the way for them. I also believe artists need affordable spaces to create and share their work," Watson said on the campaign's website.

[Photo: Americasroof / Wikimedia Commons]