1520 Sedgwick Ave., “Birthplace of Hip-Hop” Honored by NY Art Committee

Several locations throughout the Bronx have been honored as cultural landmarks by City Lore, a nonprofit that researches and documents the grass-roots culture of New York City life. Among them, 1520 Sedgwick Ave., the oft-described “Birthplace of Hip-Hop”.

These places “hold memories and anchor traditions for communities and help tell the history of the city,” said Steve Zeitlin, executive director of City Lore, a nonprofit that researches and documents the grass-roots culture of New York City life.

Considered by fans the world over as the “birthplace of hip hop”, the General Sedgwick Houses, at 1520 Sedgwick Ave., is where DJ Kool Herc (Clive Campbell) first played his “breakbeats” at a house party in the recreation room.

The building at 1520 Sedgwick has been the center of some controversy over the years, and in 2007 was declared eligible for state and federal landmark status.