One block of West 28th Street is where multicultural creative collaboration converged with commerce to change the course of American music. The five remaining buildings there are the remnants of one of America's greatest cultural legacies. Now preserved as historic landmarks, they stand as a testament to what rich abundance can originate from one small pocket of place.

The composer W.C. Handy, known as “The Father of The Blues” worked on Tin Pan Alley, and the first African American publisher set up shop there. Irving Berlin and George Gershwin, both sons of Russian immigrants, started on Tin Pan Alley, as well as the greats Eubie Blake and Jerome Kern.
 

As The Songwriter's Hall of Fame documents, "Between 1900 and 1910, more than 1800
'rags' had been published on Tin Pan Alley, beginning with 'Maple Leaf Rag' by Scott
Joplin… Theatre, which had remained the entertainment of choice, fused all preceding
stage shows--minstrel, vaudeville, musical comedy, revues, burlesque, and variety--to
create spectacular musical productions. 

When we look at contemporary music retrospectively, it is likely descended from Tin Pan Alley roots: The Beatles were influenced by Elvis Presley, who, in turn, was influenced by The Blues, and so on. And still today, musical artists such as Paul McCartney and Lady Gaga are singing the songs originally infused into the American psyche via Tin Pan Alley.