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Battle Over Langston Hughes' East Harlem House

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August 27, 2008 | 2:05 p.m
<br /> (flickr.)
flickr.

From this week's Village Voice, regarding poet Langston Hughes' old brownstone on East 127th Street:

But finding any other evidence there of the acclaimed poet's contributions to American literature and the Harlem Renaissance is more difficult. Although the brownstone where Hughes spent the last 20 years of his life has been landmarked since 1981, it's privately owned and not open to the public. At least, that is, since April, when the current owner, a physician named Beverly Prince, evicted tenants who had started a nonprofit dedicated to Hughes's memory. Now, not only does the public no longer have access to the house, but the two sides are suing each other. In the meantime, the house stands empty, except for Prince's son, Michael, who is living in the basement.

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