March 17, 2024

PUDDLEGRAMS

These puddlegrams ‒ simple pictures of puddles ‒ come to us via faithful reader Garth Justice. Thanks, Garth.

No. 45



The Woodstock


 
No. 25



The Manor



No. 45, and the sign. Instagrammed by shanghaisacha.

March 10, 2024

MISCELLANY Forever

Once again, it's time for some fun as some items of miscellany are discussed.

A view of No. 45 and its sign, circa 1965. Also notable for the sign of Crimmins Construction, the firm that was building the Ford Foundation.

 

No, the landscaping in the parks hasn't been enhanced. This is the Hotel Everglades in Miami, Florida, a recent acquisition of the French Company.


A rare view of sunbathing on No. 45's rooftop. A closer look at the chairs (below) reveals them to be French Company property. 



A photo of the building at 8 Prospect Place. As you recall, this was the holdout that prevented developing the site, finally bought by the French Company and opened as No. 2 in 1956. This rare view of the building suggests it was set on a country lane, but in fact it was directly opposite No. 5.

There's more about 8 Prospect Place here.


March 3, 2024

The Mayors of Tudor City

Today's subject is an interesting one, an animal and a person who claim to be the Mayor of Tudor City. What the job exactly entails was never spelled out, neither the salary, nor the length of service, but all the same, the recipient valiantly accepted the position. 

Daily News, April 28, 1930

First to be named Mayor ‒ at least by the press ‒ is Snoopy the cat, who assumes the title after successfully taking on every dog in the neighborhood. But Snoopy does not regard the Mayor business very seriously and it's over before he knows it.

Great Falls Leader, April 12, 1932


Then some years went by until 1956, when columnist Walter Winchell broke the following story:

Daily News, 1956
It was a somewhat fishy story, and it quickly faded away. Not a word about how it felt to be Mayor. Nothing.

Stradella had an interesting backstory, however. After the war, he established a bar/restaurant named Danny's Hide-A-Way on East 45th St. His mother did the cooking, and he acted as bartender and waiter. Somewhere along the way, the place attracted the television crowd and became well-known among show biz types. Danny decorated the walls with photos of himself and the famous.
 
With Marilyn Monroe

 
Roy Rogers

Judy Garland and husband Sid Luft

Dean Martin and Dick Martin

Stradella closed his business in 1975 over a labor dispute. The mystery of the Mayor of Tudor City endures. . .

February 25, 2024

Anatomy of a Photo: THE END OF 42ND STREET

 
In this episode of Anatomy of a Photo, we examine the above photograph that is of some interest because it shows the back of No. 45, as opposed to the endless views of its front. As a bonus, it's helpfully dated: January 28, 1932.


The 42nd Street tunnel dominates this view of the street, and would remain in place until the 1950s. Also of note is the sole street light, left of center, a Bishops Crook model that gave the area its shadowy allure after dark. 


The northern side of 42nd Street is made up of various businesses relating to the nearby meatpacking district, selling equipment like scales and knives and power-choppers. 


Rising up majestically, The Manor makes a sly cameo appearance.  


The Chrysler Building framed by a sliver of No. 25 and No. 45. The absence of signage on No. 25 suggests that the second sign came down in 1931. 

More details on this subject here.

February 18, 2024

INSTAGRAM Again

 Once again, a tip of the hat to the inspired Instagrammers whose work makes up this week's post.
 
BY GETTINVIGGY                        




BY SNOVAMASHA                       





BY AASHISH.KAUL                      
                     



BY WALKINGWITHLUCY                     
      




BY JOHN2001ABC                        



February 11, 2024

Tudor City Turns 21




Tudor City Marks 21st Birthday was the headline that ran in the New York Times on December 8, 1946. It recounts the early days when Leonard Gans assembled the land package by buying out the assorted tenement owners. This is the key information: 

"In only thirty-five days I and half a dozen associates had purchased for the builder an area of nearly 200,000 square feet," Mr. Gans commented. "Only the refusal of the meat packers to sell their slaughter-house properties prevented Tudor City from spreading out even further along the river. . .

"Purchases for Tudor City began in November, 1925, with the acquisition of a few tenements at the easterly end of Prospect Place ‒ a mere 35,000 square feet ‒ but Mr. French's imagination and the scope of his project grew day by day. . .

"Many of the properties had been in the same ownership for years, and while many sellers received prices beyond anything they had previously hoped for, Mr. French commented at the time that the average cost was less than half what he had paid for some sites on lower Park Avenue a little earlier. . .

"About one-third of the original land is still is available for improvement, and the present management advises me that they expect to carry out additional building operations when conditions permit. Some day no doubt the project will house close to the 10,000 persons which was the population forecast by Mr. French in his announcement twenty-one years ago."
The project only saw one more building, however, No. 2 Tudor City Place, which opened in 1956 and added 334 units. 

February 4, 2024

REAL ESTATE REPORT: What's Your Apartment Worth?

  Recent Tudor City sale prices via Streeteasy.

Sign in No. 5 Lobby
The Cloister 
$636,406, Apt 304, one bedroom
$298,000, Apt 515, studio

Essex House
$920,000, Apt 1002, two bedroom
$695,000, Apt 105, two bedroom

Haddon Hall
$999,000, Apt 202C, two bedroom
$900,000, Apt 501C, two bedroom

Hardwicke Hall
$999,000, Apt 202C, two bedroom
$875,000, Apt 205B, two bedroom 

Hatfield House   
$359,000, Apt 1403A, studio
$339,000, Apt 1103A, studio

The Hermitage 
The Hermitage is a rental-only building. Recent monthly rentals:
$5,395, Apt 501, two bedroom
$2,495, Apt 406, studio

The Manor  
$1,100,000, Apt 814, tw0 bedroom
$675,000, Apt 1022, two bedroom

Prospect Tower, No. 45
$575,000, Apt 901, one bedroom
$519,000, Apt 1511, one bedroom

Tudor Gardens, No. 2
$690,000, Apt 6JN, one bedroom
$522,500, Apt 6FN, one bedroom

Tudor Tower, No. 25
$459,000, Apt 1512, one bedroom
$436,500, Apt 1519, one bedroom

Windsor Tower, No. 5
$665,000, Apt 1838, one bedroom
$450,000, Apt 805, one bedroom

Woodstock Tower
$399,000, Apt 1616, studio
$395,000, Apt 1508, studio


⸺⸺⸺⸺


The most expensive apartment for sale in Tudor City at the moment is this one bedroom unit in No. 2. It features two terraces if that is your thing, and the asking price is $995,000. See the full Douglas Elliman listing here