Miscellany: HOTEL TUDOR Edition

Welcome back to another session of Miscellany, this time devoted entirely to Hotel Tudor. 

The first is a page taken out of someone's travel diary for the year 1931. Our home from Thursday Nov. 12 until Friday Dec. 4th, it reads. We occupied room #1533.

The attachments, more blown up. Above, a postcard of the main lobby of Hotel Tudor in 1931, and below, the rate card for room 1533.

⸻⸻⸻⸻

Jeanne's was a Continental restaurant set in the Hotel Tudor during the '70s and '80s. Through the use of a mirrored ceiling, it appeared to be quite grand. 

But the most memorable thing about it was Sally, who performed by singing or playing the piano in the restaurant's lounge. Sally was a robot. Enough said.

⸻⸻⸻⸻

Finally, a reader asks if Hotel Tudor on Oxford Street in London (above) was affiliated with our own Hotel Tudor on 42nd Street. No is the answer.

Artifact: FRENCH MANAGEMENT Letter

Welcome back to the ongoing saga of Elizabeth McLoud and Apartment 1430 in No. 5. Since she was only taking the flat for seven months, there were a few basic items she needed. 

First, there is a letter from the management stating that some furnishings have been added to her apartment, with an addendum attached. 

The three items attached ‒ a coffee table and two lamps ‒ are charged at $1.50 per month. This is for an additional rental; apparently a similar charge was made earlier.

And thus Miss McLoud's story ends, living the rest of her life offstage.

Artifact: APARTMENT LEASE, 1942

Herewith, a rare copy of a lease for a studio apartment in No. 5, issued to Elizabeth McLoud. It was a short rental, from March 1 to September 30, 1942.

The lease is a long document, but thanks to adept editing, double-sided printing and a teeny tiny font, it fits on a single page. A big page ‒ 28 inches long ‒ but still one page. Most of the copy deals with legal matters, and there was a section called Rules and Regulations. It was quite to the point.

No garbage cans, coal holder, wood box, supplies, ice, milk bottles, or any other articles shall be placed in the halls or on the staircase landings, nor shall anything be hung from from the windows, or balconies, or placed upon the window sills.

The laundry and drying apparatus, if any, shall be used in such manner and at such times as the superintendent may direct. If the Landlord provides clothes dryers in other parts of the premises, the Tenant shall not dry or air clothes on the roof.

No baby carriages, velocipedes, or bicycles shall be allowed in passenger elevators, if a service elevator is provided.

No sign, advertisement, notice or other lettering shall be exhibited, inscribed, painted or affixed by any tenant on any part of the outside or inside of the demised premises or building without the prior written consent of the Landlord.

No servants or employees of the Landlord shall be sent out of the building by any Tenant at any time for any purpose.

Here is the end result of the deal ‒ four signatures was all it took.

Along with the lease, there was a copy of a letter to Miss McLoud stating that because she had paid the first installment in advance, she was given access to the apartment on February 13th.

To be continued. . .

Artifact: WOODSTOCK TOWER Floor Plans

Artifact of the day is this book of floor plans for Unit No. 7, Woodstock Tower. Oddly enough, there are not any other words of explanation to be found on the pages that follow, just floor plans. 

 

First up is the second floor, which is comprised of eighteen living rooms [now known as studios]. Of these, four units were billed as the one-room apartments of the future ‒ the corner units ‒ with 31-foot long living rooms lined with five windows.     

There was certainly no doubt about it, the apartment of the future (left) was nearly twice as big as the regular studio apartment (right).

From there, we move to the top of the building for the apartments on the 31st and 32nd floors. There are only two apartments available on these floors, a two-bedroom and a one-bedroom.

The two-bedroom in close-up. They even throw in a dining nook.

Its next-door neighbor, the one-bedroom unit. It comes complete with a very long closet.

The back page is blank, save for the Fred F. French monogram. 

Artifact: HOTEL TUDOR Brochure

Today's artifact is a circa-1975 brochure for the Hotel Tudor where "a friendly welcome awaits."     

Folding back, there is a view of the hotel's marquee and a list of the hotel's services.

On the reverse side, pictures of the lobby and guest rooms. 

The 3 Lions Pub has an "Old-English atmosphere" that looks appropriately cozy.  

The back flap touts its ideal Midtown location, everything from Rockefeller Center to the New York Public Library.

ARTIFACTS Again

Two artifacts from the past today ‒ a pair of souvenir snapshots courtesy of a guest of Hotel Tudor, and a teaspoon.  

The first photo depicts the interior of a room in the Hotel Tudor, which we can see is decorated in Early American style.  The most notable of items is the telephone, the old-fashioned candlestick model. To the right is the bathroom, stocked with bathroom accessories.

The other photograph is taken on 42nd Street outside the hotel. The signs advertise the HOTEL TUDOR, the TAILORING LAUNDRY / SAME DAY SERVICE, and a HOSIERY concern. While the back of the photo is dated 1950, the view suggests it's from the mid-to-late '40s ‒ the street has yet to undergo widening and flattening for the arrival of the UN.

‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒

 

The second artifact is a teaspoon, above. Despite its delicate design, it is very strongly made.

But we are more interested in the markings on the top, which prove to be Fred F. French's monogram, FFF. Read more about it here.

On the reverse side, TUDOR CITY.

Artifact: CLUB BREAKFAST Menu

Herewith, an early menu from the restaurant in No. 45. Across the top it features a picturesque drawing of the Lich Gate followed by the words TUDOR CITY.

 

This is its CLUB BREAKFASTS menu. Let's take a closer look at the various choices.  

Known today as a continental breakfast, for 25 cents. The only question it poses is what exactly comprises a Bacon Roll. 

A full American breakfast for 35 cents.

For 50 cents, a variation on the theme featuring Wheat Cakes with Bacon and Syrup. 

For a dime more, the 60 cent entry offers Scrambled Eggs with Kippered Herring or Filet of Sole. 

Lastly, the 75 cent club breakfast offers all of the above, plus such delicacies as Breakfast Steak or Calf's Liver Saute.  

At the bottom of the menu is a list of all the items at a la carte prices. Only a few items have gone out of vogue, even though the menu is almost 100 years old: Rippled Wheat cereal, Kippered Herring, and Postum (a coffee substitute that is still manufactured). Again we note the presence of the mysterious TOASTED BACON ROLL, the only menu item to be listed in all caps. We are intrigued.

ARTIFACT: 1926 Prospectus, Part 3

Where the New York business man can live near his job ‒ this is the basic reason why Tudor City received such unanimous endorsement. This architect's perspective shows the earlier construction planned for the development. Future units will preserve the same architectural design. Note the broad, paved streets and spacious parks.

In this, our last installment on the 1926 prospectus, an imagined rendering of Tudor City appears. Although the size and design of these buildings would be altered, the basic shape of the colony is here, save for The Woodstock and Hotel Tudor which were soon added. One other omission was the power station ‒ and its gigantic smokestacks ‒ at 40th Street and First Avenue. 

We also must note the space provided to the positive press reaction ‒ six pages total, nearly a third of the booklet.

Here are a few of the newspaper clippings describing Tudor City. Newspapers throughout the country, in news and editorial columns, carried details of the proposed Fred F. French development. The soundness and practicality of the development struck a responsive chord in the press. "A Cure for Strap Hanging," the New York Sun called Tudor City. In the following pages are reprinted some of the editorial comments on the development.

 What followed was the reprinting the articles praising the planned development. Then, on the last page, Fred F. French's thoughts on the matter.

On the back cover are the founder's initials.

RESIDENTS: James T. Farrell letter

Another post concerning James T. Farrell, author of the Studs Lonigan trilogy in the 1930s, and a resident of No. 5 in the 1960s.

Today's artifact is a letter written by Farrell to Marylew Kogan. What their relationship was exactly is unclear, but Farrell dutifully reports where he stands at the moment on various projects, then asks Kogan to forward some stories to him for inclusion in his archive.  

A familiar return address first caught our eye. Where exactly he lived in No. 5 remains a mystery, but insiders insist it was one of the penthouses. 

Dear Marylew,

    I'll write soon. This is in haste. I finished Invisible Swords yesterday. I regard it as the most powerful book I have ever written.

    Judith is out.

    Childhood Is Not Forever will be out in Sept, 1969. I have a shorter novel than Invisible Swords ‒ Tom Carroll is almost ready. [Tom Carroll never published]

Jim Farrell       

P. S. And please do get the stories back to me so that I can send them away to my archive. 

Farrell was a busy writer, and he produced 52 books in all. But in the end, the most revered were the Studs Lonigan trilogy, written at the start of his career. See more about him here.

⸺⸺⸺⸺⸺⸺

Please note that I'm taking a couple weeks vacation and will be back in October. See you then!

ARTIFACT: Hotel Tudor brochure, 1933

Today's artifact is a 1933 brochure from the Hotel Tudor (today known as the Westgate New York Grand Central). For once, we're willing to withhold comment and let the item do the talking.

 

*   *   *   *   *

Don't miss the 35th anniversary of Tudor City Greens, the non-profit that does such a splendid job with our parks. September 9th is the date, details here.