Skyline Builders

Today we take a look at Skyline Builders, a long-sought book by fans of Tudor City lore because it was one of the complex's earliest celebrations, written in 1948 by Bill Brede. Among the book's subjects were the machinations behind the building of the UN (in progress), as well as that of Rockefeller Center, Grand Central, Penn Station, and the Tudor City‒Knickerbocker Village combo.

Here is the Tudor City contribution.

     

--

Any questions?

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.

"A VIGOROUS LIFE," Part Three

We conclude our exploration into the life of Fred French with a final series of photographs. 

Cordelia, Fred, and Leonard Thomas in Central Park, 1919. Thomas was a roommate of Fred's during his brief stay at Princeton. 

French and his secretary, Dorothy Driscoll, in a rowboat at Pawling, New York. Miss Driscoll was an excellent secretary who had become close with the family through such visits. 

In front of the Pawling estate (which Fred had built as his family's second home) stand Fred Jr., Miss Driscoll, Cordelia and John.

This photograph was made the day Knickerbocker Village broke ground, October 11, 1933. Along with the banner, another sign identified its builder, the Fred F. French Company. This would prove to be French's last completed project before he died.

"A VIGOROUS LIFE," Part Two

Again, a return to A Vigorous Life, the joint effort of Fred and John French at an autobiographical biography. Today's focus is on pictures of Fred French at work.

Young Fred French

First, however, a picture of a very young Fred French, his taste in apparel quite similar to that of one of his heros, Theodore Roosevelt. This photo was a souvenir of a celebrated trip to Alaska, following the same trail that Roosevelt did. His rifle and hunting clothes were identical with Teddy's.

The Horace Mann football team in 1901. French standing, third from left.

The earliest picture of French in the book is this shot of his high school football team, which would prove to be exactly how French liked to be seen, in the company of a group. The only difference was, as the years went by, his seating shifted to the place of honor.  

A portrait of the company sales team. French is seated, center.

This is one of many such pictures that were made to commemorate the team.

 A celebratory dinner honoring the company's sales team, held in French's home. He's seated at the head of the table.

There is no respite from business, not even at home. Our earlier post on A Vigorous Life here.

KNICKERBOCKER VILLAGE

 

1934 pamphlet 

Tudor City was a tough act to follow: new construction in the city virtually stopped in 1930 after the stock market crash and the resultant Depression. Meanwhile, Fred French was slowly acquiring land in the Lower East Side in order to build apartments for people who worked in Wall Street.

The Depression put an end to that, but French had some good luck: the government announced it was underwriting lower-income housing. The fast-thinking French realized by substituting lower-income families for junior Wall Streeters, he could make it work. Thus the wheels for the first federally-funded apartment complex were set in motion.

Set between the Two Bridges in Chinatown, the two-city-block long property was bordered by Monroe Street, Market Street, Cherry Street and Catherine Street, and included the "lung block," infamous in New York because of its high tuberculosis mortality rate. 

French Company reference photo dated February 23, 1934.

Knickerbocker Village groundbreaking ceremony, October 11, 1933. Former Governor of New York Alfred E. Smith addresses a crowd that includes Fred French, holding a dark hat.

A year later, the complex is about to open, yet it's not by any means ready. French, in contrast to his instincts, opens it anyway ‒ his company is in desperate need of an influx of cash.

Postcard from the 1940s

From the first day, there were reports of walls unpainted, floors unfinished, refrigerators unconnected, elevators out-of-order, and on and on and on. French was abroad and the callers' complaints were recorded. It would be several years until all the complaints were addressed.

Due to French's poor actions as a landlord, the complex became known for its tenant organizing, which resulted in some early landlord-tenant laws and rent control regulations. The French Company finally sold the complex in the '70s, and several owners later, it was sold in May, 2024 to L+M Fund Management for $85 million.

We wish the new owners good luck, and look out, here come the tenants!

Knickerbocker Village from the air, 1936.

THE NEW YORKER Profiles FRED FRENCH

A look at the New Yorker profile of our founder, Fred French, which ran in the June 1, 1929 issue. It was written by Robert M. Coates, a longtime contributor to the magazine, who was kind to French, presenting his tangled up life in a rather straightforward way.

A few (among many) notable passages from the article:

On his appearance: "His mouth is firm, stiff-cornered; he has a quick eye, blue and glinting, and above the eyes the brow rises to the high domed head, pinkly bald and gleaming in the soft glow of the indirect lighting."

On his success: "Work is the secret of success. At the age of thirty-five, he wrote in his diary, 'Still working like H___!' and in his talks he preaches the same gospel. 'It is to hard, persistent effort that I attribute whatever success I may have attained.'"

On his personal tastes: "He has a taste for elegance; he likes rich eating, yet many of his tastes are simple and his personal fortune is said to be small. He rarely goes to the theater, because he won't pay scalpers' rates, and he won't own a car, because the garagemen might cheat him."

                                        

On his gods: "Mr. French, since youth, has cherished an admiration for Roosevelt. His idea of a vacation is a hunting trip to the North Woods; when he set out for Alaska he went fully accoutered, his rifle and hunting clothes identical with Teddy's."

MISCELLANY Again

It's time for another roundup of items relating to Tudor City that are interesting, just not interesting enough for its own post. 

 

Walking down Fifth Avenue the other day, we happened upon a plaque bearing our founder's initials rendered in brass: Fred Fillmore French. Of course, it was the French Building on 45th Street, but we were impressed ‒ his initials had become something of a trademark.

An early picture of the colony as seen from The Manor's point of view. It is winter, and scarcely a leaf can be seen in the North Park; even its pergola, below, is bare.

Taken from a window in No. 45, this is most likely from the Tulip Festival of 1939, with the person at the microphone being baritone Glenn Darwin. They had 50,000 tulips that year, a record. From the collection of Fabrice Frere, thanks Fabrice.

Finally, here is an imaginary night view by Matthew Rigione, featuring the sign lit crimson red. We thought it was lit in yellow, were we wrong? Color views of the sign at night do not exist. . . or do they?

"A VIGOROUS LIFE," Part One

 

Today we present "A Vigorous Life: The Story of Fred F. French, Builder of Skyscrapers," by two authors: Fred French, who provides a firsthand account of his early life, from his birth in 1883 until he took his first business partner in 1910. In the second part, his son, John French, picks up the story and continues it through the early 1990s. (The book was published in 1993.)

This is a big subject, which will play out over several posts. In our initial effort, we take a look at French, the man.  Little is known about his personal life, but a few photographs survive.    

This picture of French was undoubtedly commissioned by the French Company to be used as an official portrait. Thus, everything is perfect from the necktie ‒ and necktie pin ‒ down to his thumbs, casually tucked in the vest pocket.     

In 1914 he is introduced to Cornelia Williams, a young lady of some means. After a spirited courtship, they are married seven months later. 

They take a summer house in Pawling, New York while Fred builds for them a city home, the penthouse at 1140 Fifth Avenue. 

They have four children: Theodore, Fred Jr., John, and Ellen. Photo made in 1927, the year that the French Building and Tudor City arrived.

Fred with his sons, Theodore and John. He does smile for the camera when around children.

Even More MISCELLANY

Another collection of items that aren't interesting enough to deserve their own post, but certainly are amusing.  

  

Tudor City Recreation Co. was its official name, but to the passerby on the street it was simply known as the Bowling Alley. As seen in the photo below, it was located in part of the future site of the Pfizer Building. The matchbook is from the collection of our good friend, David Reiff.

⸺⸺⸺⸺⸺

IN BADMINTON CHAMPIONSHIP

Harry Conlan, left, of New York,and George Harris, also of New York, are two of the competitors in the Eastern New York Badminton Championships at the Tudor City Courts, New York, Feb. 12th.

⸺⸺⸺⸺⸺

An ad for the Tudor City Coffee House that ran in 1939 in Tudor City View, the community monthly. Why it ran on the diagonal is anyone's guess.

⸺⸺⸺⸺⸺

Finally, a photograph made after a good day fishing by our founder and his son, Theodore. From the French biography, A Vigorous Life: The Story of Fred F. French, Builder of Skyscrapers.