The Roof

Harlem

Manhattan

The following was written about an apartment building in southwest Harlem where I lived for 22 years. Since then I have moved to a different apartment in Harlem.

My apartment is on the top (fourth) floor of the building in which I have lived for more than two decades. This means that the roof is directly above me.

In winter, the roof holds all the snow that falls from storms and accumulates before it melts. In spring, it is the only barrier between heavy rains and my living space. Summer heat is supposed to be partially reflected away by the silver color on the roof but it still has to shield the apartments below from temperatures that soar into the upper 90s and occasionally over 100 degrees. Fall might be the only season when the roof gets a break, but not really. It must constantly protect the building from the sky regardless.

Tenants are not supposed to go up on the roof. It is a safety hazard and the landlord doesn't want to be held responsible if an accident occurs. As a result, for many years a loud alarm would pierce the air if the door to the roof was opened. Only the super (superintendent) of the building could turn the alarm off with his key. Nevertheless, the roof alarm would go off anyway because of unauthorized people trying to use it as a passageway to nearby buildings. It became a major annoyance for me and the other tenants.

But sometimes the roof must be accessed, especially by the cable guy. In the past, such visits were coordinated with the super. Eventually, everyone got tired of hearing the alarm and it was removed. For a while afterward, the roof could be freely accessed.

I went up on the roof multiple times, usually to accompany the cable guy but sometimes just to take in the unusual view of the neighborhood. New York's roofs are not pretty at all, filled with wires and miscellaneous items, but they get the job done. Although I can see the front, side and rear façades of nearby buildings from the windows in my apartment, the roof allows a special unobstructed view with only the open sky above your head.

I have been on the roof several times during the day. I have photographed the backs of buildings that face the rear of my apartment building. I have taken pictures of the roof with its view of the neighborhood at dusk. The roof has its own quiet role to play, invisibly but steadily, when we aren't looking at it or from it at all.

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