Ray Harlem Builds a Vision for Cultural Housing in New York
With interiors by Little Wing Lee and architecture by Frida Escobedo, the development atop the National Black Theatre builds on the arts-forward foundation laid by Ray Philadelphia
When Ray Philly opened last year, it introduced stylish residences centered on creative infrastructure and a more considered approach to design than the standard art programs now ubiquitous in luxury buildings. Tucked within South Kensington’s creative corridor near Crane Arts and rows of converted warehouses, the 110-unit property envisioned by Russian-American entrepreneur Dasha Zhukova Niarchos landed with an arts-driven spirit that positioned Ray as a de facto cultural hub. It offers six rentable studios, a communal art room stocked with supplies, and installations by Rashid Johnson and Michelle Lopez. Interiors, handled by Leong Leong, reinforced that ethos with expressive materials—terracotta tile, glass blocks, oak detailing—and distinct gestures like a conversation pit anchoring the lobby.
That precedent laid the foundation for Ray Harlem, the development group’s second and most ambitious project to date. Rising above the new headquarters of the National Black Theatre, just across the street from where Art Kane photographed jazz legends for Esquire’s seminal “A Great Day in Harlem,” the 21-story red brick structure builds upon Ray’s mission to embed culture into the experience of home. It also unites a powerhouse all-woman team: Frida Escobedo Studio, Handel Architects, Studio & Projects, and Ray’s own in-house design group, led by Suzanne Demisch. “Ray Harlem is an assemblage of our greatest ambitions,” says Demisch, co-founder of West Village gallery Demisch Danant, which specializes in 20th-century French design. “Our all-female team brought a unique design sensibility, with attention to how spaces not only look but also feel, balancing aesthetics with the emotional and practical needs of daily life.”
Looking for an architect attuned to cultural and civic work, Ray tapped Escobedo, the award-winning Mexican talent whose portfolio includes the 2018 Serpentine Pavilion and ongoing interventions at the Centre Pompidou and Metropolitan Museum of Art. She partnered with local firm Handel Architects on a structure whose form respects the neighborhood’s scale while introducing elements that maximize light, views, and community connection. “The architectural vision for Ray Harlem was to create a dialogue between National Black Theatre’s rich Harlem-based past and its vibrant and important future,” says Handel principal Deborah Moelis, who describes the structure as both a “functional living space and a cultural statement.”
The building contains over 200 studio, one-bedroom, and two-bedroom apartments, with 25 percent reserved for affordable housing through NYC Housing Connect. Amenities include a co-working lounge, a fitness center, a communal kitchen, outdoor grilling stations, a Phaidon-curated library, and rooftop terraces with panoramic skyline views. Interiors were led by Studio & Projects, the fast-rising practice founded by celebrated designer Little Wing Lee, with input from Escobedo and Demisch. A trailblazer who founded Black Folks in Design and received the 2025 Cooper Hewitt National Design Award for Interior Design, Lee drew from Harlem’s architecture, church windows, and the Black Arts Movement.
“Harlem was a large influence,” Lee tells Galerie. “We looked at the National Black Theatre’s incredible art collection for inspiration on materials and interior architectural moments. The bronze dome above the front desk references the theater’s skylights and sculptures.” That sensibility extends to the amenity spaces, where terrazzo, bronze, and saturated colors coalesce handsomely. The entry’s vivid stained-glass window references the nearby Greater Refuge Temple Church, where Lee’s grandmother was a member. “We studied the neighborhood’s architecture and took inspiration from the signage, public art, and Harlem residents,” she says. “Of course, we took a more secular approach—but the language is there.”
The building’s identity is shaped not only by architecture, but also by the art and programming layered throughout. Works by artists with ties to New York—Jeffrey Henson Scales, Nikko Washington, Larissa Lockshin, Ellon Gibbs, Amanda Jasnowski Pascual, Michael Abel Deng, Jurell Cayetano, Freddy Carrasco, and Dylan Rose Rhinegold—lend personality and charm to public and amenity spaces. “Each artwork was selected to carry a narrative that resonates visually, conceptually, culturally, or at times all three at once,” Demisch says. “We want our buildings to be cultural hubs not only for our residents, but for our communities.”
Nowhere is that more apparent than in Ray’s partnership with the National Black Theatre, whose 27,000-square-foot headquarters will anchor the building’s lower floors. A Tony Award–winning institution that has occupied the site since 1968, the theater is a formal partner in the project along with co-developer LMXD. The venue, designed by Marvel Architects and scheduled to open in 2027, will house a 250-seat theater, rehearsal studios, classrooms, offices, and a set-building shop to support workforce development in theatrical trades. The project also marks the city’s first use of the Visual and Performing Arts bonus, created in collaboration with the Department of Cultural Affairs to incentivize cultural investment along the historic 125th Street corridor.
“Whether we’re conscious of it or not, design profoundly shapes our lives,” Demisch says, emphasizing the lived experience—how residents feel while navigating Ray—as the most important factor. “We want anyone who walks into the building to feel like they belong.”