MISCELLANY Deluxe

 Some odds and ends. . .

First is this latest addition to No. 5, an example of heraldry that replaced the original terra cotta figure which lasted nearly 100 years. 

The East River is home to a rainbow, in a photo taken from No. 25 by Sally Hill. Thanks, Sally!

This colony artwork was published in 1939, the first year of the New York World's Fair, and reflected city optimism. Other images were used to illustrate a brochure and menu covers.  

An early example of fake Tudor City, The Tudor Shoppe had a name that somehow convinced people it was affiliated with the community. It wasn't, and it didn't last, but at least it got mentioned in a New Yorker story.

A rarely seen photograph of cartoonist Will Eisner in his Tudor City office, a one bedroom apartment in No. 5. Eisner created his masterpiece, The Spirit, here. However, his fame came years later, for The Spirit never ran in New York. It was not until 1965, with the publication of The Great Comic Book Heros, that this forgotten strip became legendary. More on Eisner here.

FRED FRENCH Gets the AI Treatment

We knew it wouldn't be long until AI landed in Tudor City. And believe it or not, Fred F. French ‒ no stranger to innovation himself ‒ has been chosen to lead the charge, in a new series of portraits from a company called Hebstreit. Based in Berlin, the company specializes in custom maps, but also sells images of famous people based on "stock images drawn by hand or AI." Prices start at $25 for an eight by twelve inch print.

We begin with an AI-induced image of Fred F. French, and an artist's take on it ‒ or something's take on it.

The pictures are arranged starting with young Fred, when he had a comb-over according to the 'artist.' There is no evidence of this.

These portraits suggest completely different parentage.  

Another AI-induced 'photograph,' an additional portrait.

Two additional pictures, one sort of kindly and one not so kindly. More details on their website, here.

And just for the record, the real Fred F. French is at left, while AI Fred is at right.

More TUDOR CITY Suppliers

This entry is really a continuation of a recent post on Bigelow-Hartford Rugs and Carpets. There were other companies who supplied their merchandise exclusively to Tudor City ‒ only their product was not as glamorous as the stained glass or the Frigidaires that captured the public imagination. Here are some examples:  

First, a salute to Patterson Hot Water Heaters, which supplied heaters to Tudor City, "America's greatest hotel and apartment development." And, of course, it was "another great endorsement" for the Patterson-Kelley Company. 

The product named was named Anti-Hydro, and it was added to cement mortar to "protect brick against dampness and efflorescent stains." As a bonus, the "brick joints are made absolutely waterproof." 

 

Then there was the case of Wilson Diffuselite Blinds versus Columbia Venetian Blinds, which both ran ads claiming to supply Tudor City with their product. Which company it was is anyone's guess; the top ad is from May, 1929 and below, from November, 1929.

Finally, we conclude with a 1928 ad from Fenestra casement windows. "Sophisticated New York displays pardonable conceit in the possession of Tudor City, gigantic apartment development, overlooking the East River," the ad stated. It went on to say that over 9,000 casement windows went into Tudor City. That's a big order.

TUDOR CITY from the REAR

For the holiday weekend, we've selected a group of photographs featuring the many flags of the United Nations. And, not incidentally, all of the pictures feature the backsides of Tudor City buildings. Happy Memorial Day.   

Instagrammable

 And once again, it's time to spotlight our talented Instagrammers who are responsible for this week's content. Take it away. . .  

by 917vis                  

by francescosimonesavi       

by munoz_ricardo_x      

   

by caranemcek     

by online_newyork                

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A reminder that Manhattanhenge is coming soon, plan accordingly.

Manhattanhenge 2026

Thursday, May 28, 8:14 pm, half sun

Friday, May 29, 8:13 pm, full sun  

Saturday, July 11, 8:20 pm, full sun

Sunday, July 12, 8:21 pm, half sun

PRADA in Tudor City

We'd like to welcome back the fashion shoot video, this one courtesy of the house of Prada. Although the short film ‒ a mere 1:49 long ‒ is pretty baffling in a typically Prada way, it's just plain pretty in its Tudor City imagery.

We begin on a rooftop terrace of No. 5, where a girl stands holding something up. (Directly above her is the new tower of Chase Bank, enthusiastically lit each night.)

Close up on the girl, played by actress Scarlett Johansson, who is airing out her Galleria bag.

In the North Park, she attempts to shake some moisture from the tree into her handbag. The Manor provides the background.

The story continues in the 41st street cul-de-sac where she records the sound of a medium-size dog barking. 

A final yap and the saga moves on. 

After several more oddball twists, the camera alights on a sphere nearly big as the room. Paging Stanley Kubrick! 

Scarlett Johansson is a global ambassador for Prada, and the face of its Galleria Bag. This short film entitled "Ritual Identities" was directed in 2025 by Yorgos Lanthimos, better known as the director of the movie "The Favorite."

See the complete short film here.

Introducing BIGELOW-HARTFORD RUGS

We thought we had covered all the original manufacturers of note in Tudor City until we came upon the following ad from Bigelow-Hartford rugs and carpets.

Bigelow-Hartford rugs and carpets was once the single largest manufacturer of carpeting in the United States. From its founding in 1914, it was flying high in September, 1929 when this ad ran.  

For "A CITY WITHIN A CITY"

Tudor City, the astonishing real estate development of the Fred F. French Companies is one of the wonders of modern New York. Within a comparatively few years, a large area at the east end of 42nd Street has been converted from a section of dilapidated tenement houses into one of the city's finest residential districts.

In this project, Bigelow-Hartford rugs and carpets have played a part of no little importance, for they are used exclusively in every one of the Tudor City buildings. Foyers, corridors and furnished apartments. . . all decorated in the best of taste. . . are provided with floor fabrics from the Bigelow-Hartford looms.

More convincing than the strongest written testimonial, this indication of confidence in Bigelow-Hartford rugs and carpets is shared by hotel men the country over. They know that in the floor coverings of this century-old institution they receive full value in quality. . . in style. . . in durability.            

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A year goes by and thanks to a merger with a competitor, the company is now known as Bigelow-Sanford Rugs and Carpets. The ad copy remains pretty much the same. 

Hotel Tudor / Twelfth Unit / Tudor City

. . . and it's just as beautiful on the inside.

The opening of unit number twelve makes it possible for more discerning New Yorkers to "live in Tudor City and walk to work". . . to live comfortably and well in surroundings of tasteful luxury.

Bigelow-Sanford rugs and carpets play no small part in creating, and maintaining, the Tudor City atmosphere of charm. Theirs is a style that wears well. Their authentic patterns and colors will be good style for a long, long time . . . and well-preserved style, for superb construction insures a fresh "new" appearance for years.

Follow the example set by leading hotels and apartments throughout the nation. Choose from Bigelow-Sanford's unequalled variety.  

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Bigelow-Sanford unfortunately never recovered from the Depression, and finally sputtered out in 1971. It lives on in that enchanted Tudor City frame of mind ‒ along with Gorham silver, Fenestra windows, Frigidaires, Murphy beds, Standard Sanitary fixtures, Lamberton Scammell china, and Atlantic Terra Cotta.