Welcome to the HOTEL TUDOR

Today we look at a piece of Hotel Tudor advertising that's a bit offbeat. It promises Tudor hospitality without going into great detail about what that exactly entails. Dating from the early 1960s, it was a time when anything British was suddenly hip.           

It does get credit for calling Tudor City "beautiful" though.

MISCELLANY Again

 Here are the latest odds and ends to digest in our ongoing Miscellany series.

First up is this mini-ad, part of a series that ran in 1936. We have seen the other five ads before, but never this one.

The tall building is the Prospect Hill Apartments, the building that is partly credited with convincing Fred French to take a chance with Tudor City. To its left, rowhouses on 41st Street about to undergo demolition.

The parks are now home to several antique cast iron urns, once owned by Billy Rose, the theatrical impresario who lived in a No. 25 penthouse; the urns decorated his outdoor terrace. When Rose left Tudor City in the 1940s, he sold them to the Walliser family. Mr. Walliser grew fond of the urns and said they belonged in the parks, and they were given to the Greens as a gift by his widow, Mrs. Ursula Walliser, after his death. Above left, in the South Park and right, the North Park.

This item was gleaned from the newsletter of Tudor City Greens. Read the latest issue here.

  

Finally, one of the rare advertisements for No. 2, Tudor Gardens, upon its opening in the fall of 1955.   

DEPRESSION Ads

 A look at some Tudor City advertising that ran early in the Depression. 

Its cutting edge art deco look coupled with its last phrase ‒Unusual Services ‒ set this ad apart from the others.

If you live in Tudor City and walk to your office you save 2 hours of railroad time each day ‒ 60 hours of daylight a month ‒ really five days.

You won't use all of them at once, of course. 

And there are a lot of other things this young lady doesn't know. For example, that Tudor City is the one place in New York today where you can really live.

Tudor City's rents are modest. No need to hurry at any time. Plenty of time for your morning shower, plenty of time for a leisurely breakfast and then for an unhurried stroll to your office. But convenience of location is only one of the dozens of advantages Tudor City holds. Come and see for yourself.

 

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A reminder that Manhattanhenge is just around the corner. Plan accordingly. 

Manhattanhenge 2025

Wednesday, May 28, 8:13 pm, half sun

Thursday, May 29, 8:12 pm, full sun

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

Saturday, July 12, 8:22 pm, half sun

More NEW YORKER Ads

Once again, we turn to the pages of the New Yorker for our content. These ads all ran in 1928, and apparently were written with the New Yorker's audience in mind. 

Gambling on the Green

Even money that there won't be another for ten minutes. Two to one that it will be full when it gets here. . . He falls up the steps, is lurched to his seat, and is still gambling on the green as they grind to a stop for traffic lights. Even if this were fun I wouldn't like it, he muses. . . because it's so unnecessary.

So now he walks to work. . . and gambols on the green in spare hours. Yes, Tudor City even has a small 18-hole golf course and two parks.

Tudor City offers more with less trouble. High on the East River Front, just four minutes' walk to the Grand Central and convenient to everything. Its own shops, garage, restaurants, children's playground and every conceivable service. Renting office in Tudor Tower at east end of 42nd Street. (Vanderbilt 8860.) 

Latitude ‒ Not Much

This way, ladies and gents, pick your own ice floe. Settle down to a nice cozy winter in Hartsdale, White Plains, Armonk, Albany, Buffalo, Canada and points north. Trains leaving on track 40 at 5:17.

But then again ‒ wouldn't you rather not? Is commuting worth it after October? Perhaps you care for igloos in the best Spanish Renaissance manner. Or find it fun to tend to a furnace.

Don't do it! Why not live where winter is a Season with a capital S ‒ musical, theatrical, artistic, social  ‒  each with its bright particular star. Your home at Tudor City will start you from the meridian. Just four minutes' walk from Grand Central. Close to theaters, clubs, shops, concerts ‒ not to mention the Public Library. And pleasant all year long. 

Mush On!

Huskies ‒ the crack of a whip like a pistol shot in the frosty air ‒ crunch of snow beneath fast flat runners ‒  Mr. Stilson is on his way to business!

Two hundred and tenth. . . ninth. . . eighth ‒ ah, the loyal dogs. . . straining at the thongs till their sturdy hearts are bursting. At this pace, he muses, I'll be there before the market closes tomorrow. Meantime, of course, Marston Oil will slough off six points. . . but Mr. Stilson doesn't know that ‒ won't know till too late. All because nobody would tell him.

What? About Tudor City, of course. There . . . well, he might have to put on his overshoes, but four minutes' jog down the hill on 42nd street, and there he is, ready for action, before his favorite ticker.

That's what Tudor City is for. . . a direct answer to prayer for anyone who wants to live pleasantly and yet can't waste time junketing around trying to get places.   

Artifact: HOTEL TUDOR HOTELETTER

A bit of fun today via a printed artifact, circa 2007, picturing Hotel Tudor. It had been just been bought by the Procaccianti Group, a real estate investment and management concern, and this 'HOTELetter' celebrated the occasion. 

       

Above, the unfolded item. The reverse is blank, awaiting your inscription.  

The folded envelope.

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And now, we come upon the website of Freedom Plaza, here. Talk about a story that won't die. . .

More THEATER PROBLEMS

Once again, a return to an offshoot of Tudor City promotion, that which was aimed at the theatergoer. 

"They come late and leave early ‒ leaving annoyance and irritation in their wake. It's absolutely inexcusable ‒ with Tudor City within easy walking distance of all the theaters."     

   

"Did you stand for thirty minutes hanging to a strap to get here this evening? . . . How much more you would enjoy the play if you had arrived untired and knew that it would take you only ten minutes to get home. And you could do just that if you lived at Tudor City."

"When you deposit your nickel, you don't know whether yours will be standing room for your own feet or whether your feet will be furnishing standing room for someone else's. . . Tudor City offers a definite solution to subway crowding."

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The attached caught our eye recently. "Tudor City Takeover" was part of the sizzle reel of The Millennial Broker on YouTube. Made in 2023, it said there were over 60 micro-apartments in Tudor City for sale, all priced at under $350,000 ‒ and micro because they all measured less than 400 square feet. The video concludes with speedy montage of designers and floor plans with groovy add-ons. See for yourself.

EXITING the THEATER

A return to an offshoot of Tudor City promotion, that which is aimed at the theatergoer ‒ particularly the theatergoer forced to leave early to catch the 10:52 to Westchester. These are from 1929.

There's another one leaving for Forest Hills whispers one chorine, surveying the audience. . . Do they talk like that about you, or do you live in Tudor City?  

There is no excuse for being late to the theater ‒ not even commuting ‒ when you can live at Tudor City and walk to any play in time to see the curtain rise. . .  

Suppose the first violin got up in the middle of the last act and with considerable commotion marched out of the theatre. You'd be annoyed. And it wouldn't help if it was explained to you that he was a commuter and had to catch a train. . .

Look 'round! He's sitting next to you. . . Mentally, he's a wreck. . . But he's reading this programme, too. Perhaps he is wise in his generation and this autumn you may meet him again ‒ in Tudor City. From there he will walk to the theatre and there he will enjoy all the conveniences of life. . .

More of the same here.

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Another matter altogether is the listing of Penthouse 4 in No. 5. It is among the most desirable of the penthouses since its terrace has views of the Chrysler building. In 2023, it was on the market and sold for $3,200,000. Now it's back again, for $3,750,000. We took a look at the virtually staged premises, both in 2023 and 2024.

2023

2024

We think 2024's virtual styling is far superior to 2023's, but is it worth $550,000 more? See the current listing via Douglas Elliman, and compare it to our original post. Then decide. Comments are encouraged. 

Even More NEW YORKER Ads

 

Four New Yorker covers, 1928

Hello there, fans of The New Yorker and Tudor City. Time for another installment of the magazine's ads for the colony; these all ran in 1928, Tudor City's first year of operation. The artwork for this ad campaign had absolutely nothing to do with Tudor City, and as for the copy, it exists for New Yorker readers to enjoy it.  

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Beware Traffic Cops

This speed was simply dizzying. It was bad enough, thought Mr. Bloomfield, when you didn't have to go downhill. Why, in any of these towns, he might get a summons. He feared that the traffic cops were learning to watch for him lately. Mike had been quite cold to him going through Flushing the other morning.

And then. . . disgrace. He could hear Patch, the general manager. . . "We regret, Mr. Bloomfield, that the circumstances. . . an old conservative firm such as ours. . . I am sure you will understand."

Bertha had been against this bicycling from the beginning. How right she was. He could still hear her plaintive words, "Oh Ned, if we only lived where you could walk."

And why not? From Tudor City you can walk wherever you want to go. High, quiet and airy on the East River Front, Tudor City is just four minutes from Grand Central. An independent community with its own shops, restaurant, garage, parks, even a miniature golf course. A variety of apartments at reasonable rentals.

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Clattering Caravans

Rocking along on stilts ‒ clinging desperately to his mount as the hard, slippery seat careens beneath him. . . swaying to the rough, uneasy motion. . . Mr. Buntling rides the "L."

Perhaps the novelty, the adventure that drew him to the outlandish means of travel has worn off. Perhaps the "L" wasn't so bad when he was younger. But whatever the cause, Mr. Buntling is not a happy man. Traffic below crawls, snail-like; mournfully he views the years ahead.

Still, it is not too late. There is a haven for the Mr. Buntlings, where they can march afoot to storm the citadels of finance. No overland journey, no storms at sea. Tudor City ‒ an independent community on the East River Front, just four minutes' walk from Grand Central. High, quiet and airy, with shops, restaurant, park, miniature golf course, everything ingenuity could devise to make life pleasanter. And assorted apartments at reasonable rentals.     

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Heavy Going. . .

The trail was in horrible condition. Stumbling, panting, his rickshaw boys ran on. Tooting to warn the local fauna, they swung at dizzying speed around the tangled roots of subway excavation. The hair stood up on the back of his neck. Down a long, clear stretch, rocking and creaking. And then. . . snagged on a traffic light, while the sahib blistered the already tropical air.

No way to treat nerves. . . specially those of a high powered executive. Taxi-ing to work might be quick, but it certainly was the equivalent of a full day's work in nervous strain. He would make the office in time to phone his broker, but Zounds! What good would it do him. . . in this condition. Poor Mr. Spitkin.

He's cured now. The doctor prescribed air and exercise. And quiet. He lives in Tudor City and walks to the office, sedately, with contemplative eyes. He sits in the park, or putts about the miniature golf course. A quiet, independent community on the East River Front, with its own parks, restaurants, shops and reasonable rentals.    

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Paul and Virginia Took the 5:17

It was the last time. Not the first, but the last. For it seems that Virginia liked her new clothes. While Paul had never liked the 5:17. They always seemed to reach Moorland-by-the-Fells just in time to meet Jupiter Phoenix. There were five taxis in Moorland-by-the-Fells. And 500 inhabitants who commuted.

The rest of the story is brief and simple. Virginia said no tree was worth it. Paul knew where there was a tree in New York. Several, in fact, with lawns, fountains, rustic seats, even a miniature golf course. So they live in Tudor City, forever free of the 5:17. Just four minutes from Grand Central, within walking distance of almost everything. An independent community with restaurants and coffee house, laundry, valet and maid service, garage, medical nursing bureau and a supervised playground for the children. A variety of apartments at reasonable rentals.

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For those interested, some earlier posts about The New Yorker, here and here and here.

H. DOUGLAS IVES in the ARCHITECTURAL FORUM

 

Today, we examine a 1930 copy of The Architectural Forum, containing an article written about Tudor City by H. Douglas Ives. Ives was the company's architect, and the highlight of his career was the Fred F. French Building of 1927 (in conjunction with architects John Sloan and T. Markoe Robertson).

What follows are four pages with illustrations from No. 5 and The Woodstock.

A sampling of Ives:

The general arrangement of one-room apartments has become more or less standardized, in that door beds, kitchenettes and interior bathrooms are common to all. . .

Exterior bathrooms are of course a little more desirable, but it is not always possible to provide them without utilizing space which might better be used for increasing the sizes of the rooms. . .

The setbacks on the upper floors [of The Woodstock], which are required under zoning laws, can be utilized as terraces and are a renting feature which appeals to many. . .

As the apartment hotel is essentially a residential building occupied by permanent tenants, some effort should be made to introduce a domestic note into the furnishings. . . where this has been done, it has been appreciated by the tenants, who are tempted to linger.

TUDOR CITY in WARTIME

Today, a look at how Tudor City responded to the Second World War in the world of advertising. From the woman's place in wartime, to gasless Sundays, to relief from 'pressure' days, it's all covered here, making a move to Tudor City a solid value during the war.

Careful readers might also note that the enclave's slogan has slightly changed, now reading Live in Tudor City and Walk to Work. This change happened in 1941, but it wouldn't last long; it was last seen in 1943, when the entire community fell under rent control, and since that meant dirt cheap rent increases, no one moved. Ever. Advertising, sadly, was no longer needed.

 

 

For further reading on the subject, see our earlier post here.

AD CAMPAIGN, 1933

For this Memorial Day edition of Tudor City Confidential, we turn to an ad campaign that ran in 1933, at the height of the Depression. Headlined What's Smart in New York Today, the message was simple: one could flirt with the world of high fashion and maintain a modest home in Tudor City. One offset the other. 

As for the retailers named, some remain ‒ Saks Fifth Avenue, Brooks Brothers ‒ while others have closed ‒ Lord & Taylor, Peck & Peck, and De Pinna.

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A reminder that Manhattanhenge is just around the corner. Plan accordingly. 

Manhattanhenge 2024

Tuesday, May 28, 8:13 pm, half sun

Wednesday, May 29, 8:12 pm, full sun

Friday, July 12, 8:20 pm, full sun

Saturday, July 13, 8:21 pm, half sun