This Is the Spot Where "A Great Day in Harlem" Was Photographed

The exact spot where "A Great Day in Harlem" was photographed still stands today.

Only one of the 58 jazz greats who posed for the photo that became known as "A Great Day in Harlem"—saxophonist Sonny Rollins, 94—is still alive today, according to a recent interactive tribute in The New York Times.

The famous black-and-white image by Art Kane for Esquire magazine captured Rollins and other jazz legends, including Count Basie and Thelonious Monk, in front of a Harlem brownstone on August 12, 1958—hence the original title, "Harlem 1958."

So where exactly was the picture taken and does the spot still exist?

Indeed, the location still stands today: townhouse number 17 on E 126th Street between Fifth and Madison Avenues in East Harlem.

What's more, the block was officially co-named “Art Kane Harlem 1958 Place” in 2021 to commemorate the famous spot.

The street sign can be found just steps from the brownstone on the northwest corner of E 126th Street and Madison Avenue.

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