An Effort to Honor the Birth Place of Hip Hop

State officials have determined that a West Bronx apartment building is eligible to be recognized on the state and national registers of historic places as the birthplace of hip-hop

Senator Charles E. Schumer and Representative José E. Serrano joined tenants today at the building, at 1520 Sedgwick Avenue, to celebrate the determination, which came in the form of a July 5 letter from the State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. Normally, buildings less than 50 years old are not eligible for designation, but there is an exception for structures of “exceptional importance.”

In February, tenants at the building, which has 100 units, were told that the owners planned to leave the Mitchell-Lama program, in private landlords receive tax breaks and subsidized mortgages and agree, in turn, to limit their return on equity and rent to people who meet modest income limits. Tenant groups — including the Urban Homesteading Assistance Board and Tenants and Neighbors — hope the designation will help to preserve the building’s Mitchell-Lama status.

“History is made not just by the rich and powerful, but by poor and working-class and marginalized people,” said Andrew Berman, a historic preservationist who helped prepare the landmark application for the building.