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Real estate developer William J. Merritt often acted as his own architect and in 1884 he completed a row of four 20-foot-wide homes at 164-170 West 130th Street, just east of Seventh Avenue (later Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. Blvd.) Patently Merritt, they were designed in variations of the Queen Anne style.
Among them was 168 West 130th Street. Faced in red brick and trimmed in brownstone, it was accessed by a dog-legged brownstone stoop. Brick voussoirs above the elliptically arched openings of the parlor floor were capped with terra cotta lintels. Merritt placed a charming terra cotta plaque next to the parlor window.
The third floor was dominated by a Flemish Renaissance Revival gable, possibly inspired by the Belgian Pavilion at the 1878 World Exposition. Behind it rose a slate shingled mansard roof.
An advertisement described 168 West 130th Street as a "handsome, three-story dwelling; box stoop; cabinet finish; two baths." The original owners sold the house at auction in 1898. It was purchased by Frank and Carolina B. Thompson. Following Frank Thompson's death, the residence was again auctioned, purchased by real estate agent Moses Misch in 1910.
Misch and his wife lived here only until November 1913. The house had a series of occupants until July 12, 1919, when Dr. Edward E. Best purchased it from Russell A. Cowles. Best was born in Barbados, British West Indies, on April 13, 1887. The son of William E. and Evangeline St. Clair Best, he received his elementary and high school education at Ellicottville, New York.
The 32-year-old physician was a widower. His late wife, Rhoda Russell, was the daughter of Dr. York Russell, who was also born in Barbados. Dr. Best no doubt purchased the house in anticipation of his upcoming marriage to Jane Elizabeth Brown on September 30, 1919.
The Best house was often a subject of Harlem social columnists. On August 7, 1926, for instance, The New York Age announced, "Mrs. Kate G. Watkins of Cambridge, Mass., is spending a part of her vacation at the home of Dr. and Mrs. E. E. Best, 168 West 130th street." Two months later, on October 30, the newspaper reported, "Dr. and Mrs. Edward E. Best...were host and hostess to members of the Hyacinth Social Club at its annual meeting on Thursday evening, October 2." The article said, "After the routine business, the hosts entertained their guests in a manner which left nothing to memory but an evening which was replete with fun, augmented by a repast of delicious daintiness."
On January 28, 1928, the newspaper reported,
Dr. and Mrs. E. E. Best honored Mrs. Best's birthday (it wasn't mentioned which one) on Sunday, January 22, by entertaining a few friends at their home, 168 West 130th street. The event was commemorated by a dinner, which was served with an epicurean touch and a pre-war flavor.
Edward Best was not only a prominent Harlem physician, but an active member of the Catholic community and of the Equal Rights Movement. He spoke regularly at various assemblies. The Crisis reported in its April 1935 issue that he addressed, a meeting of the New Rochelle N.A.A.C.P on February 10, during which, "pertinent facts in Negro History were outlined."
image via the NYC Dept of Records & Information Services
In its February 1941 issue, Our Province reported:
In early December we heard an interesting talk by Dr. Edward E. Best of St. Mark's Parish, N. Y. Dr. Best is a member of the Interracial Council. He appealed for a better understanding of the problems of the Negro. It was an enlightening discourse, well received and enjoyed.
In 1949, Best organized the Friends of the Handmaids of Mary. The New York Age explained on June 24, 1950 that it was formed "for the purpose of assisting the Sisters in raising funds for the upkeep of the Convent [of the Handmaids of Mary], 15 West 124th Street, the Resident Club for Working Girls, and St. Benedict's Day Nursery, all conducted by this order."
By the time of that article, Dr. Best had been gone from the West 130th Street house for several years. He and Jane had separated and Jane's brother, Dr. Thomas Watkins, moved into the 130th Street house with her.
Jane married Luther Francis Yancey in her hometown of Cambridge, Massachusetts on June 25, 1947, but the marriage was short-lived. By 1952 when she died in her sleep, she had taken back the name of Jane Elizabeth Brown Best. In reporting her death, The New York Age ignored her recent marriage, saying, "She and the well known Harlem physician had been separated for years, although they maintained cordial relations."
Dr. Edward E. Best died in 1967. In 2003 a renovation to 168 West 130th Street resulted in one apartment per floor.
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