MISCELLANEA

 Here's another installment of Miscellanea for your viewing pleasure:

At a table in the Tudor City Steakhouse sit Cindy Adams, the New York Post's gossip columnist extraordinaire, along with Mirso Lekic, owner of the restaurant. Only in New York, kids.

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A photograph of 1st Avenue and 40th Street, looking downtown. On the right is No. 5, while across the street is the home of the WM INTNER MATTRESS CO. They seem to be reputable enough; the wall along 40th Street reads

MANUFACTURERS

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MATTRESSES

BOX SPRINGS

BOX COUCHES

PILLOWS

ROLL BOLSTERS

COT BEDS

METAL SPRINGS

Whether they supplied any bedding to Tudor City is unknown.

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The Sharansky Steps and the Isaiah quotation set the backdrop for this picture made on September 19, 1960. The protestors' poster says it all:

Down With Castro

CUBA  Yes

COMMUNISM  No!

Cuban Front  F.R.D.

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Part of the Tulip Celebration of 1939, this picture was made from a window in The Manor, showing the stage set for baritone Glenn Darwin. From the collection of Fabrice Frere, thanks Fabrice.

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Finally, proof there's life after fifty in Tudor City.  

Tudor City on Film: FBI

This edition of Tudor City on film concerns an episode from the longtime television staple, FBI. 

Entitled "Ratlined," it starred Missy Peregrym and Zeeko Zaki as the chief on-the-ground team for the New York City branch of the FBI. They manage, one way or another, to get everything thrown at them done.          

Our story begins with two professionals ‒ a reporter and a cameraman ‒ headed out of the 41st Street cul-de-sac.

They arrive at No. 5, which has been transformed into the Luxury Suites Hotel. A line of cars pull up, and the Prime Minister of Jordan gets out. The press begins shouting questions, but for some reason, he answers the girl. Then, suddenly, shots ring out.

The gunman apparently misses the Prime Minister and instead kills the reporter, the FBI initially believes. Later it turns out that the reporter was in fact the target.  

The plot percolates along elsewhere for a while, then returns to the North Park. 

There are diplomatic meetings held, in this case the delegate from China meeting an FBI higher-up to discuss the case. Who cares what they're saying, the park looks great.

And finally, in the last sequence, the male lead's girlfriend breaks up with him in a restaurant. As she exits, the painting behind her indicates it is the Tudor City Steakhouse. In 1928, artist Georgia O'Keeffe painted East River from the Shelton Hotel from her 30th floor suite in the hotel. A much larger copy was made and now hangs in the restaurant.

More Miscellany

Another grab bag of miscellanea, do with it what you may.

 

An addition to the North Park is this new library, a celebration of technology both old (stained-glass door) and new (integrated solar lighting.) It was made and donated by Charlie Jackson; thanks to Tudor City Greens for the picture.    

The Second Avenue El is being disassembled in this 1942 photograph by Percy Loomis Sperr. Rising above it all, The Woodstock.     

The Terrace had a gimmick ‒ it was the closest bar/restaurant to the United Nations ‒ and for a time in the 50s and 60s, it hosted a happening after work scene. Its matchbook depicted both buildings.   

A photograph from 1929 rendered as a postcard. The community was not yet complete; Hotel Tudor was soon to follow in 1930, and in 1956, Tudor Gardens opened. Thanks to David Reiff for the tip.

This last photo depicts the rowhouses on 43rd Street, and there are parts of The Woodstock and The Hermitage rising above them. But the real surprise is the lamp post in the park, below, famed as the oldest piece of park furniture still standing. More about it here.

RESTAURANTS: La Bibliotheque

Now it is finally time to investigate a somewhat forgotten Tudor City restaurant, La Bibliotheque, located at 341 E. 43rd Street. For reasons unknown, the building that housed it was never considered a part of Tudor City. Perhaps it was the fact that its main entrance was on First Avenue. 

The restaurant opened in late 1969, and very quickly announced itself as an upscale establishment. They had hired a high-powered press agent to spread the word, and early visitors included Ginger Rogers, Rosalind Russell, Mel Brooks, and Anne Bancroft.

There were three Times reviews over the years ‒ three two-star reviews ‒ noting successful dishes (the "excellent" broiled red snapper) and some not so successful (the "overcooked" roast duck). There was nothing wrong with its wall of books, UN views, and makeshift outdoor space, however.

   

The menu was printed on a facsimile of the French newspaper, Le Monde.

On the inside pages, the menu was laid out. The autograph is unknown, perhaps that of the chef.

This was its story for the next decade. Then, in 1983, came the startling news that the owners had skimmed $790,000 in profits, and soon thereafter they were convicted, and the restaurant closed. The Permanent Mission of the Kingdom of Bhutan to the United Nations took over the space in 1985.

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A special thanks to Fabrice Frere who supplied the matchbook that inspired this post.

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 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.

More MISCELLANY

Welcome back to our never-ending supply of miscellaneous items that might not qualify as full-fledged posts, but still are too choice to let pass by. 

We begin with some snowy photos. The occasion was the blizzard of 1947, which dropped 25.8 inches of snow on the city on December 26th.

The Tudor City photos taken at the time were pre-UN renovation, thus they showed the 42nd Street tunnel, the ramps, and Whelan Drugs on the corner. None of them would make the cut in the coming years. 

Sledding on 41st Street.

 

The Manor and No. 45 as seen from No. 25.

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Governor of New York Kathy Hochul has a glass of wine in the Tudor City Steakhouse, joined by her spouse, William Hochul, and Mirso Lekic, the restaurant's owner.  

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This evocative portrait taken on the Tudor City Bridge features Ruby Lynn Reyner, a figure of Downtown New York in the '70s and '80s, who was famed as a performer with the Playhouse of the Ridiculous. She was on a photo shoot in Tudor City, date unknown.  

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It has come to our attention that the Manhattan Ventilation Building does have signage after all: on a fence outside it reads QUEENS-MIDTOWN TUNNEL, above. Which although true, it doesn't come close to explaining what the building does. For the answer, see our earlier post.

The Woodstock Dining Room

The Woodstock Dining Room, May 30, 1929

We've always avoided the subject of The Woodstock Dining Room because of a lack of material ‒ no promotion, no menus, and, especially, no photos. This was rather awkward as it was billed as one of the three restaurants the complex offered.

Then a pair of pictures came our way. They were identified as the "Prospect House dining room," but didn't fit the restaurant in Prospect Tower. They didn't have the same type of ceiling, or light sconces, or stained-glass windows, or wainscotting lining the walls.

A close-up of a table for two brings these features out more distinctively. When compared with the minuscule ads that exist, below, there's no doubt that these photos depict The Woodstock's Dining Room.
 

These ads, despite their gritty quality, show sconces on wall, stained-glass windows, and wainscotting and cane-backed chairs galore.

Finally, we offer this portrait of a melon plate with two more clues; first, the FFF initials embroidered on the tablecloth, indicating this was a Fred F. French restaurant. . .

. . . and then, there's the newspaper headline, LINDBERGHS UNREPORTED; STATIC BLAMED [detailing how the newlywed couple travelled incognito due to electronic interference.] The real news was the date it was published ‒ May 30, 1929 ‒ one month after The Woodstock's opening. The perfect time to get a photographer in for a few pictures.

After that, the trail runs cold. We don't think the restaurant lasted very long. We know that it reopened as the Club Room ‒ devoted to various hobbies and open to all Woodstock residents ‒ in 1945. In 1951, changes to the street outside meant the former dining room was now somewhere on the second floor. But where exactly, no one knows. 

Can anyone add anything to the saga? 

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.

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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.

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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.

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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.