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.

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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 Soul. 

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.

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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.

 

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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.

ARTIFACT: 1926 Prospectus, Part Two

A return to the 1926 prospectus published by the Fred F. French Investing Company. There would be many more to follow. Below, the cover and half dozen pages of this booklet documenting the beginnings of Tudor City.

PROSPECT HILL APARTMENTS   [No. 45]

A 21-story apartment hotel, the first unit of Tudor City, to be built at Prospect Place and East 42nd Street.

Although not exactly "the city that will give New Yorkers a new manner of living," Tudor City was definitely "a cure for strap hanging." 

LIVE NEAR YOUR JOB

Two views from Prospect Hill, site of the proposed Tudor City, looking westward, showing its proximity to Grand Central business area. (The Commodore in right background of lower photograph).

THE SECOND UNIT OF TUDOR CITY   [The Manor]

This 10-story apartment house will be built on the north side of 43rd Street, Nos. 325 to 329. It will be across the street from Prospect Hill Apartments.

The final page is more of the same, but one sentence caught our eye:

Part of the land not required for the earlier buildings will be cleared and planted in lawn pending its use for later buildings. . .

So it seems like the parks were originally place holders for further development. Luckily, Fred French saw their publicity value and decided on keeping them.

ARTIFACTS: A Mug and a Coffee Pot

 

A mug and a coffee pot are the artifacts of the day, the first a souvenir of the Three Lions Pub, set in the Hotel Tudor. It opened in 1964 as the hotel's answer to the British invasion popular at the time, rendered in a pleasantly faux-authentic manner.  

On the reverse was written Honour, Fame, Love and Wealth may desert us, but Thirst is Eternal. The Three Lions Pub had a long enough life ‒ it closed in 1979 ‒ and left behind some imagery:

Its main entrance at 305 E. 41st St. had its own awning (at left), while its print ads made it seem a bit fancier than it really was.

The second artifact has not as much provenance, a coffee pot simply stamped TUDOR CITY.  

On the underside is the manufacturer's name, Stanley Insulating Co. of Great Barrington, Mass. The firm was well known for its insulated bottles. Other Tudor City coffee pots were made by Gorham, a renowned silversmith. More about it here.

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You certainly didn't think I'd forget Manhattanhenge!

MANHATTANHENGE 2023

Monday, May 29, 8:13 pm, half sun

Tuesday, May 30, 8:12 pm, full sun

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

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

THE VOICE

 The Voice was the internal news organ of the ever expanding empire of Fred F. French. When it began in 1925, it was originally conceived as a sales technique manual, but as employees grew, The Voice's pieces grew more broad.

Today's installment is from November, 1930, and its cover photo depicts a new branch office for French Plan investors in Newark, New Jersey. But the real news is that the country has been in a Depression since October, 1929.

Here are the stories on page 1: "Expansion of Fred F. French Investing Company, Inc.," which relates the opening of the first branch outside of Manhattan in Newark; the Xs on the windows show the offices rented. 

"Hotel Tudor Rents Well" claims that in the first month in business it is approximately 75% full.

"They Could Because They Thought They Could" is plainly Fred French's view of the Depression. "During the past disagreeable fourteen months following the financial panic of 1929, fear and hopelessness have become general throughout the world. . . Let us get out of this slough of despondency. We'll be out of it in a few months anyway, so why not now? We will be forced out of it soon."

Similarly, "Buy During Slump!" urges readers to reinvest. The cartoon is entitled "The Owner of the Brownstone Front Who Refused to Sell," depicting a mighty colossus built around the lone brownstone.

"The Moderate Priced Apartment Hotel" was written by H. Douglas Ives, the main architect of Tudor City (and reprinted from The Architectural Forum). Although many others contributed to Tudor City's look, it was Ives who signed off on the final design. Illustrations include a typical floor map for The Woodstock and a photo of No. 25 and No. 5.

A continuation of Ives' article carries over to the back page. He's very cavalier about the size of the apartments' kitchens. Photos of The Woodstock and the Tudor City Development, and more floor plans from The Woodstock.  

ARTIFACT: 1899 Sanborn Map

 

Above, the future site of Tudor City as shown on a 1899 map. This map was made for fire insurance purposes; pink represent brick structures, yellow signifies wooden ones. We have included the blocks from First Avenue to the river on the map, which we will focus on today.

At 43rd St. and First Ave., on the same side of the street as The Cloister and The Manor, was the first of the Abattoir Center's giants, the United Dressed Beef Company. It consisted of Slaughter Houses, Hide Houses, Refrigerator Houses, Oil Houses and Fat Houses. Outdoors were the Cattle Pens, along with a freight shed for the Lehigh Valley Railroad, oddly enough.

 

At 42nd St. and First Ave., opposite No. 45, over half of the space was given over to a Wagon Yard and the Storage of Gas Pipes. The remainder included a Stone Yard, Barrel Storage, a Carriage House, a Stable, a Refrigeration House, and Slaughter Houses.

At 41st St. and First Ave., opposite No. 25, lay the New Amsterdam Gas Company. It was made up of Purifying Houses, a Lime House, an Engine House, a Meter House, a Condenser House, a Generating House, a Retort House, and a Coal House. An ominous-looking circle was identified as a Gas-holder.

At 40th St. and First Ave., opposite No. 5 and also part of the New Amsterdam Gas Company, were five more Gas-holders, two Coat Houses, and in the smaller circles, Naphtha Tanks, buried underground.  

In 1901, the New York Edison Company took over the land and opened a power plant with a slightly different footprint. It was decommissioned in 2005, and the three-block-long tract has lain vacant ever since.