Built in 1931-32, the red-brown brick building with neo-Georgian details was designed by the Architectural Bureau of the National Council of the YMCA, with James C. Mackenzie Jr. as the architect in charge.

[9][7] The West 135th Street Branch established itself as a major institution in the community and in the Harlem Renaissance, serving everyone from writers to Pullman porters and black youth seeking work in New York City.

[7] These include renowned writers such as Richard Wright, Claude McKay, Ralph Ellison, Langston Hughes; artists Jacob Lawrence and Aaron Douglas; actors Ossie Davis, Ruby Dee, Cicely Tyson and Paul Robeson.

[11] The building owners owed over $620,000 in property taxes and were cited "nearly 200 times for roach and mouse infestation, broken window guards, water leaks and busted carbon monoxide detectors.

[14] The building was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1976 for its association with the African-American writer Claude McKay (1889-1948), a leading figure of the Harlem Renaissance who was resident here from 1941 until 1946.