Green’s Dictionary of Slang

(US Black) housing on both sides of West 138th and West 139th Streets betw. 7th and 8th Avenues in Harlem, NYC; also attrib.; post 1950s use mainly historical; also attrib.

1920		N.Y. Age 4 Sept. 6/1: The story is laid in Harlem in the Well-known district called ‘Striver’s Row’.
1930		Tampa Trib. (FL) 3 Apr. 6/4: Striver’s Row is harlem’s Mayfair, so named because ‘those who strive’ live there. It is a two block long stretch on West 139th Street and the fortunate dwellers, all successful colored people, live in a fashionable row of houses designed by the late Stanford White.
1935		O.O. McIntyre [synd. col.] 9 July The social leader of Strivers’ Row is Mrs W.H. Austin.
1936		A.E. Duckett ‘Truckin ’round Brooklyn’ in N.Y. Age 1 Aug. 7/1: A Strivers Row matron sent a bon voyage basket as large as the Statue of Liberty to Dave Albritton.
1939		Pittsburgh Courier (PA) 18 Nov. 7/1: Huttie Oliver, the strivers row doctor’s son, is sporting [...] a few new bruises .
1941		Pittsburgh Courier (PA) 29 Nov. 20/1: Dr Binga Diamond [...] might add ofay Mildred Holcaveg as the fourth Mrs to become a part of his Striver’s Row abode.
1951		N.Y. Age 26 May 11/1: Springs rests lightly on the shoulders of the professional on Strivers’ Row and the elevator operator on Sugar Hill.
1967		Eve. Herald (Shenandoah, PA) 13 June 4/6: One block [in Harlem] has 12 churches, you see beautiful town houses designed by Stanford White along Striver’s Row.
2005		W.D. Myers Autobiog. of My Dead Brother 170: A few blocks up was Striver’s Row, still pretending it was cool.