Old Pictures Again

To celebrate our nation's 250th birthday, here are some long ago pictures of Tudor City and its environs.

First up is this moody portrait of the East River, which contrasts the scraggly, mostly industrial confines of Queens with Manhattan's more tony Crystal Office building and the Tudor City complex.

This picture was made of the corner of 40th St and 1st Ave before everything was demolished in preparation for the construction of No. 5, Windsor Tower. The sign on the right, regrettably cut off, says much the same.

Southwestern view from the 42nd St station platform of the 2nd Ave El; the Daily News building is at top, with vertical stripes along its window lines.

In this photo from 1929, ghostlike images of The Woodstock, No. 25 and No. 45 hover over the otherwise humdrum scene at 1st Ave and 39th St. The picture was taken by Percy Loomis Sperr, who recorded what was being torn down (and what replaced it) for the New York Public Library.

Lastly, there's this impressive aerial view of the complex ‒ and the nearby Daily News building ‒ in the 1930s.

BRAND AWARENESS

Today, a study of Fred F. French's monogram, as seen on tableware from his restaurants. And what better way to do it than from the collection of David Reiff, a longtime friend of this blog. Thank you, David!

We begin with an item rarely seen, a juglike vessel with a sturdy handle, perhaps for ice water service.  

French's monogram appears just above the fixture's lip.

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A tray used in one of the colony's restaurants. 

A clear impression of the monogram.

And on the reverse, the manufacturer takes credit. 

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Above, a coffee pot, and below, its version of the monogram.

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Finally, a version of the French monogram painted on china.    

A beautiful rendition of the monogram.

 

On the reverse, it's Lamberton Scammell china "made for Fred F. French Companies, Tudor City." 

AD CAMPAIGN, 1939

A look back at a series of ads that ran in 1939. In contrast to earlier campaigns, this one had but three ads. Such were the Depression years ‒ trying to act like things were normal, while they were anything but. In any event, these particular ads employed talking heads speaking aloud in bubbles.

November 9, 1939

November 12, 1939

November 19, 1939

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In other news, the Tudor City Association is hosting Tudor City Fest this Wednesday, June 24th, in the North Park. Delicious snacks, refreshments and live jazz, sounds good to us. For more details, see here.  

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.