Source: Magdalene Perez, Newsday.com
Where did hip-hop come from? If you ask Cindy Campbell, it was born in the community room of 1520 Sedgwick Ave. in the west Bronx.
Campbell is the sister of DJ Kool Herc, who first mixed records from James Brown to Gary Glitter, cutting up tracks at parties there in a way break dancers loved. Cindy Campbell hosted the first party on Aug. 11, 1973.
"This was something new," Campbell said. "It was a lot of percussion and drums. The party was such a success; people didn't leave until 4 or 5 o'clock in the morning."
Now, tenants at 1520 Sedgwick want the building recognized as a national landmark in hopes of preventing its owners from converting the subsidized apartments to market-rate rentals. To support the effort and draw attention from lawmakers, DJ Kool Herc, whose given name is Clive Campbell, is rallying with tenants at the property at 9:30 a.m. today.
DJ Kool Herc moved with his family into the building when it opened in 1970. Designed for middle-income families, rents were regulated under the Mitchell-Lama program. But after a 20-year limit expired, the building's owners were allowed to buy the property out. Tenants said they got a letter in February saying the owner, BRS management, planned to do just that.
Advocates argue the affordable housing should be protected at the site because it was instrumental in helping build a cultural movement. Building management did not return calls.
Advocates hope to use the building's history as a legal argument to protect its affordable housing status.Officials decided the building is eligible for a place on the National Historic Register earlier this month.
Where did hip-hop come from? If you ask Cindy Campbell, it was born in the community room of 1520 Sedgwick Ave. in the west Bronx.
Campbell is the sister of DJ Kool Herc, who first mixed records from James Brown to Gary Glitter, cutting up tracks at parties there in a way break dancers loved. Cindy Campbell hosted the first party on Aug. 11, 1973.
"This was something new," Campbell said. "It was a lot of percussion and drums. The party was such a success; people didn't leave until 4 or 5 o'clock in the morning."
Now, tenants at 1520 Sedgwick want the building recognized as a national landmark in hopes of preventing its owners from converting the subsidized apartments to market-rate rentals. To support the effort and draw attention from lawmakers, DJ Kool Herc, whose given name is Clive Campbell, is rallying with tenants at the property at 9:30 a.m. today.
DJ Kool Herc moved with his family into the building when it opened in 1970. Designed for middle-income families, rents were regulated under the Mitchell-Lama program. But after a 20-year limit expired, the building's owners were allowed to buy the property out. Tenants said they got a letter in February saying the owner, BRS management, planned to do just that.
Advocates argue the affordable housing should be protected at the site because it was instrumental in helping build a cultural movement. Building management did not return calls.
Advocates hope to use the building's history as a legal argument to protect its affordable housing status.Officials decided the building is eligible for a place on the National Historic Register earlier this month.
