INSTAGRAMMABLE

Once again, it's time to say thank you to all of the talented Instagrammers for all their hard work.

Chrysler Building gargoyles set against a backdrop of The Manor ‒ with The Cloister in the shadows ‒ by gettinviggy

"Rolling the dice in Tudor City" by hecticful      

"RIP Tudor City Greens" by thewigmusic        

"Lost in nothingness" by perceptionshot                   

        

  Manhattanhenge madness by chief770                       

More MISCELLANY

Another serving of items from times past and present.

First, there is this picture of the Tudor City neighborhood. The smokestacks of the ConEd plant were painted red, white and blue, how festive! 

     

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Made in in 1920s, this photo depicts the intersection of 42nd Street and 1st Avenue. Going north are three titans of meatpacking industry: New York Veal & Mutton, United Dressed Beef Company, and Wilson & Company. As for the building with the billboards, the main one advertises a Brake Specialist, while the others are indecipherable.   

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From the New York Times, March 24, 1927 [six months before opening].

The Tudor City businessman may commute for two months and still not travel as far as the average commuter does in a single day. For his commuting to the great midtown business district consists of a five-minute walk.

Tudor City has the dignity and repose of Park Avenue, but a more convenient ‒ quieter ‒ and with materially lower rentals.

Tudor City will be under the single management of the FRED F. FRENCH Companies, the guarantee of a most efficient service. . .

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Another item has turned up for the elusive Woodstock Tower Restaurant, this postcard of its interior.

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Finally, we have Missy Peregrym, one of the leads in the TV series FBI, photographed with the owner of the Tudor City Steakhouse, Mirso Lekic. 

Prospect Tower's MILLION DOLLAR listing

It has taken Prospect Tower nearly a century, but again there is a glimmer of hope: a sale price of over $1,000,000. This three-bedroom, three-bathroom unit ‒ on and off the market since 2021 ‒ is now available for $1,695,ooo.

  

 The northern-facing living room is so large. . .

. . . that it requires two photographs to capture its length.

It has a kitchen that's semi-concealed behind glass doors.

The master bedroom.

The smallest bedroom comes complete with two modern Murphy beds, as shown above. 

The floor plan.

Here is its Streeteasy listing.

MISCELLANEA

Once again, a grab bag of material.

The entrance to No. 45's rooftop has recently re-opened after years of closure due to Local Law 11. Tempting though it may be, it's only for the use of residents of Prospect Tower, No. 45.

Here is a photo of the North Park's fountain, depicting a young boy bearing a jug which pours water on a hapless turtle, while beneath them, lion heads spew water. 

This photograph shows the model of Tudor City in No. 5's lobby, which is undergoing a renovation. No word on whether it will include No. 2. Stay tuned. Past history here.

The Tudor Arms cigar ‒ the Modern Cigar ‒ suggested that anything with the word Tudor attached to it could be sold. 

The two falcon heads pictured are new additions to the South Park, though they are not technically new. Originally part of No. 25's roofline ‒ where they warded off evil doers ‒ these heads were replaced after nearly 100 years of service. Now they live across the street in the South Park.

Thank you Tudor City Greens for the info.

Even More Instagrams

Once again, a tip of the hat to our always inventive Instagrammers, who are responsible for this week's content.

by jimnyc26  

by my_life_in_fijifilm   

          

by lolopariiis11   

          

by samhorine   

 by kikitata_pix 

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.

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.

MISCELLANEA

 Here's another installment of Miscellanea for your viewing pleasure:

At a table in the Tudor City Steakhouse sit Cindy Adams, the New York Post's gossip columnist extraordinaire, along with Mirso Lekic, owner of the restaurant. Only in New York, kids.

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A photograph of 1st Avenue and 40th Street, looking downtown. On the right is No. 5, while across the street is the home of the WM INTNER MATTRESS CO. They seem to be reputable enough; the wall along 40th Street reads

MANUFACTURERS

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MATTRESSES

BOX SPRINGS

BOX COUCHES

PILLOWS

ROLL BOLSTERS

COT BEDS

METAL SPRINGS

Whether they supplied any bedding to Tudor City is unknown.

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The Sharansky Steps and the Isaiah quotation set the backdrop for this picture made on September 19, 1960. The protestors' poster says it all:

Down With Castro

CUBA  Yes

COMMUNISM  No!

Cuban Front  F.R.D.

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Part of the Tulip Celebration of 1939, this picture was made from a window in The Manor, showing the stage set for baritone Glenn Darwin. From the collection of Fabrice Frere, thanks Fabrice.

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Finally, proof there's life after fifty in Tudor City.  

Penthouse 1 + 2

We came upon the above listing while cruising Streeteasy recently. Apparently Penthouse 1 and 2 had been purchased by one owner and were now one unit, on the market for $10 million dollars. And then, just as suddenly, the banner, "TEMPORARILY OFF MARKET 3/12/2026."

Whatever it is, whether it is ready or not, they did publish numerous pictures of the renovation in progress. Here are a few of them.

The once-elegant living room of 601 (and rest of the 9-room apartment) has been stripped down to its studs.

The opposite view with the working fireplace hidden behind boxes.

Facing north in one of the bedrooms.

Penthouse 2's living room; through the doorway is the living room of Penthouse 1.

Stairs leading up to the roof.

There is nothing to be done on the roof except try to figure out where the hammock should go. Below, a floor plan of the triplex:    

See our earlier post when it was just plain Penthouse 1, here.