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. 

RESIDENTS: Paul duPont

 Today, we welcome back the residents of note column with Paul duPont, famed costume designer of the '50s and resident of No. 5.      

Paul duPont, 1955

Born in 1906, he was a budding ballet dancer when a fall through an open trap door resulted in a broken back and two years recuperation. He tried his luck in fashion, opening a shop in Paris, but this failed.

Then, back in the States, he fell in with Helen Hayes who convinced him to move to New York City and join the Group Theater. Around the same time, he also accepted a job offer from Eaves Costume, where he would work for the rest of his life.

Ultimately, he produced costumes for 64 Broadway shows, three ballets, one opera, and one Ice Capades. And that was just a warm-up to his television work, starting when he signed as costume designer for "Your Show of Shows," then signing with producer Max Liebman to design the costumes for his lavish spectaculars.

Life magazine ran pictures taken by duPont of an Eaves Costume party; Time pronounced him television's top costume designer. Everything was fine ‒ except for the small medicine cabinet he always carried around with him containing "aspirin, empirin, dysoxin, phenobarbital (to calm myself down) and dexedrine (to pep myself up)."

TV Guide article, 1955

The Sunday Star (Washington, DC) photo, 1955

The picture above is that of his Tudor City home. One glance at its windows confirmed it was one of No.5's penthouses.

In 1957, his life took an ominous turn. First, a broken leg, then an extended, unexplained hospital stay. His last appearance in print was a one-line item in Dorothy Kilgallen's column, The Voice of Broadway, running on April 17, 1957: 

It is rather astonishing, first for being "thrown out" of a dressing room, followed by being "assaulted for the first time in my career." But that's the end of this part of the story; his assaulter was never revealed.

Three days later, Paul duPont was dead, aged 51. This was confirmed by his hometown paper, the Pensacola News-Journal. He died of a heart attack at Lenox Hill hospital, the obituary read. There was no mention of Kilgallen's item. . . nor of the small medicine cabinet that duPont always kept nearby. 

Penthouse 7

Behold Penthouse 7 in No. 5, once again on the market. It is a two bedroom, two bath affair, spread out over three levels, the top being a roof terrace ‒ with another terrace on the first floor. This is also the penthouse that movie star Charlton Heston rented in the 1950s as his New York City base, and where he gave his celebrated interview with Edward R. Murrow on Person to Person.

The price is listed by its real estate agent, Douglas Elliman, at $4,795,000.

The living room has views toward the east and south, 18-foot ceilings, and a wood-burning fireplace. 

The first terrace, a long strip which winds down the building. 

The roof terrace.

Check out its page on the Douglas Elliman site, here. And for more on Charlton Heston, click here.

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. 

REAL ESTATE REPORT: What's Your Apartment Worth?

  Recent Tudor City sale prices via Streeteasy.

Sign in No. 5 Lobby

The Cloister 

$795,000, Apt 812, two bedroom

$710,000, Apt 310, two bedroom

Essex House

$962,500, Apt 701, two bedroom

$962,000, Apt 601, two bedroom

Haddon Hall
$785,000, Apt 1101C, one bedroom
$781,000, Apt 703C, two bedroom

Hardwicke Hall
$740,000, Apt 702B, two bedroom
$325,000, Apt 303B, studio 

Hatfield House   
$335,000, Apt 408A, studio
$338,120, Apt 1103A, studio

The Hermitage 
The Hermitage is a rental-only building. Recent monthly rentals:
$6,395, Apt 805, three bedroom

$4,998, Apt 1004, two bedroom

The Manor  

$475,000, Apt 206, one bedroom

$450,000, Apt 315, one bedroom

Prospect Tower, No. 45
$550,000, Apt 707, one bedroom
$487,500, Apt 1807, one bedroom

Tudor Gardens, No. 2
$1,225,000, Apt 9HS, two bedroom

$950,o00, Apt 15ES, one bedroom

Tudor Tower, No. 25
$435,000, Apt 1205, one bedroom
$425,000, Apt 1519, one bedroom

Windsor Tower, No. 5
$475,000, Apt 1125, one bedroom
$450,000, Apt 1920, one bedroom

Woodstock Tower

$745,000, Apt PH-3206, one bedroom

$465,000, Apt 2310, one bedroom

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The entrants for best million-dollar listing include a two bedroom unit at $1,199,000 or a three bedroom spread with a terrace at $1,900,000, both of which are in No. 2. There is also a three bedroom in the Essex House for a cool $1,580,000.

And then there is this one bedroom at $1,950,000 in No. 5. Yes, it's a penthouse. And one of the least expensive ones because of its smaller size ‒ around 1,000 square feet. But it's arranged over three floors, one of which is a swell little terrace. 

PH5: Entry level main room with 18-foot-high ceiling.

PH5: Top level garden terrace.

We wrote about this same penthouse back in 2017, when it was off the market; more about it here. And its up-to-the-minute listing here from Compass.

Penthouse 4

A recent visit to Streeteasy turned up the newly-listed Penthouse 4 in No. 5. This is a first-time item on the site, and we're particularly taken by the cartouche on its rooftop terrace, part of its jaw-dropping view. The price is $3.2 million.

The living room with its 17-foot ceiling.

Reverse view showing the staircases and, below the painting, the fireplace.

Dining room on second floor.

One of the two bedrooms.

The other bedroom. Note that all photos are "virtually staged." What this exactly means is never explained, but in the photo above, we can see the flooring turn from white to brown. 

The terrace, eastern view. Towering above it all is the only weathervane remaining in Tudor City. 

The western view from this one-of-a-kind terrace.

Floor plan.

The Other Penthouses

A look at Tudor City's other penthouses, those resting atop the more modest sized buildings. They never got much attention, but the reasons they remain in demand is outside access, always at a premium in New York. Even if the access is long and narrow, and the apartments on the small side.

A corner of The Cloister.

A roof garden on The Manor.        .

Looking west, a variety of greenery on No. 2, the 3H's and Essex House.

From No. 2, looking north toward The Woodstock.

This Essex House penthouse has an eastern view of No. 25.

Atop Haddon Hall, facing northwest. The view includes the water towers of the 3H's, the Hotel Tudor and The Woodstock.

Summer in Tudor City

 A look at an article published in the September, 1929 edition of The Voice, published by the French Company for its employees. 

"Tudor City has brought summer comfort in town within the reach of the average man. A community of modern apartment houses on a hill swept by river breezes, and grouped around two large, beautifully landscaped parks ‒ here at last is the answer to the busy business man's hot-weather problems."

"In these parks reigns genuine peace. Here, as nowhere else in New York, one's ears are unassailed by the constant roar of swiftly-passing motors; one's nostrils unoffended by their poisonous exhaust fumes. For there is no through traffic in this oasis of quiet."

"Mrs. Tenant finds it good on a warm day to sit in the shade on a comfortable bench and gaze upon the smooth lawns, with the murmur of the fountain mingling pleasantly with the voices of her children playing in the sand-boxes nearby. And what could be more delightful to her husband, as a soothing aftermath to a tiring day in a hot office?"

"Of course, if one happens to have a penthouse apartment, he need only step out on his own private roof space to enjoy them. Especially delightful is the view at night, with the million-jeweled city on one side, on the other the dark water with the lights of the river craft gliding slowly to and fro ‒ and always the cool, invigorating breeze."

Castle in the Air

This slick art deco ad publicizing a posh Tudor City penthouse ran in the New Yorker in 1932. Its illustration ‒ complete with a grand staircase, swooping balcony, and mammoth, Citizen Kane‒esque fireplace ‒ reeks of swank.

The ad copy calls it a "studio apartment." The term had a different meaning then, referencing a lofty artist's studio. (In 1932, one-room apartments were known as just that ‒ one-room apartments. It wasn't until the 1960s that they became popularly known as studios.)

The ad, enlarged for your closer inspection, below.