Even More Miscellany

Another edition of miscellaneous items, not enough to build a post around, but certainly worth a mention.

 

For our first example, an advertisement from 1931. Here's the poem that accompanies it:

When the Boss gets hard-boiled,

Fires the clock-watchers, and won't listen to

The most truthful story of a traffic jam;

When you turn up five minutes late ‒

Then, if you work in the Grand Central zone, see if

Your friend in Tudor City can put you up.

At least until the Old Man softens.

It may save your job. 

What it all means is, well, anyone's guess. Check out our earlier story of this ad campaign, here.

Another view of the Tudor Theatre; even at midday, it's hard to make out what is playing given how dark everything is because of the El. Named in honor of Tudor City, the theater was located one block over on Third Avenue and East 41st Street.

A photo shoot for Tory Burch yielded only this image on her website. Oh, well. 

Finally, acknowledging the approaching holidays, here's a 1950's version issued by the United Nations, with a hint of Tudor City along the bottom edge. Art by Ragkow.

MORE MISCELLANY

Once again, we turn to the dead ends of our blog research, the items that don't merit enough interest to deserve a full post, yet too good to pass by. Here are three ads for your inspection.

Hahne & Co., a department store in Newark, ran this advertisement on November 26, 1928. Copywriter unknown. 

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Advertisement by the National Terra Cotta Society that appeared in the Architectural Forum for September, 1930. The fine print reads Detail, Tudor City, New York, N.Y.  Fred F. French Co., Architects.  

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From the Fred F. French Company comes this ad that ran in the Herald Tribune on October 23, 1928. "Why not live where you aren't put through the meat chopper twice a day?"

Instagramable, Again

 Today, a new entry in our ongoing coverage of Instagram in Tudor City.  

Reverse view, by_nazlizeynepn             

Sunny Day Sign, by ericsamuels2             

Presiding Over His Kingdom, by timothyclary       

Down on Manhattanhenge, by johnny.cab      

   The Woodstock, by lucas_d_in_nyc                    

The Woodstock's Salvaged Lion

 First of all, sorry for the long pause. Going forward, we'll be posting weekly, on Sundays...

Today, a look at the new addition to The Woodstock's rear garden, one of the lion statues lining the top of the building. It no longer met safety requirements, and was removed and replaced with a copy of the original. The ever-resourceful Woodstock kept the original, moved it to the rear and made a little garden around it.

As one can see above, the Tudor Rose is striking as ever, and the statue still looks well; below, in all its glory.

1. 

Thanks to Anne Stoddard for the tip. 

INSTAGRAMS OF THE MONTH

The latest winners in the Best of Tudor City on Instagram competition.

When styles collide, by bahramforoughi.

A Woodstock lion under repair, by leslietimko.

The Sharansky Steps, by newyork_eyes.

Woodstock stained glass, by marinajzee.

42nd Street sunset, by trixieluvsjets.

Woodstock Wildlife

A close-up look at the terra cotta menagerie of real and mythological creatures guarding The Woodstock: four lions, four unicorns and six gargoyles, hard to see from the street since they're so high up.

Terra cotta (Latin for fired earth) is baked clay, a building material that's been around since ancient times and was having a vogue in the 1920s. The Woodstock statues were made by Atlantic Terra Cotta, then the largest producer of architectural terra cotta in the world. 

First up, the gargoyles:

The six gargoyles on the eastern and northern walls of the building portray fierce mythological creatures, some with canine and porcine features. Four of the six appear to be in the process of renovation, stabilized with wire and netting, only adding to their menace. 

The Unicorns:

Above, the four unicorns guarding the corners of the east and west walls. Below, an Atlantic Terra Cotta employee on a ledge inspects one of them in 1929, a time when safety standards were more lax than today. 

The Lions:

The four lions are placed on the north wall; two have been recently restored, as shown above. Below, a close-up of Gary the lion, unofficial mascot of this blog. More on him here and here.

DESIGN INTERLUDE

A pause to appreciate Tudor City's design details, otherwise overlooked in the blur of everyday living. All photos by our friend Garth Justice. Thanks, Garth!

Terra cotta ornament, North Roof of No. 45.

Door hinge, No. 25.

Haddon Hall window treatment.

Hotel Tudor facade (aka Westgate New York Grand Central facade).

Stained glass crown, heraldic symbol of empire, in a No. 25 window.

PICTURES OF THE DAY

Some striking photos of the colony culled from Instagram, the lazy blogger's friend.

The terra-cotta-and-Chrysler-Building view from a No. 5 penthouse,
Instagrammed by philippechoplin_douglaselliman.

Moonrise over No. 45 and the Queensboro Bridge, by supersample12. 

The Woodstock at dusk, by newsdork. 

Snowfall at No. 2 and The Woodstock, by lizzie_hwang.

Skateboarding behind the sign, by kevinzacher.

You Make Me Feel Like Dancing

Sometimes Tudor City just makes one want to break into dance, proof of which is abundant on Instagram.

Dancer Kurt Froman, profiled earlier, photographed with a mannequin modeling bridal gowns.

THEN AND NOW

A Woodstock unicorn, then and now.

1929

2018

This unicorn, watching over The Woodstock since 1929, was manufactured by Atlantic Terra Cotta, the largest producer of architectural terra cotta in the world at the time. The 'then' photo comes from a promotional brochure for the company, and was captioned

The figure of the unicorn modeled in the Atlantic Studios occurs on every corner at the thirty-third story level. Tudor City follows the modern trend in apartment house construction.  An exterior of architectural interest is a valuable asset and an important factor in attracting tenants. 

The NEW GARGOYLES

Two gargoyle segments before assembly. 
On the left, a falcon, and at right, the hand on which the falcon will rest.

Segments of a goat after kiln firing.

Like all four of the enclave's towers, No. 5 is undergoing repairs at present, among them the replication of several terra cotta gargoyles guarding its terraces.

The originals were installed in 1929 by Atlantic Terra Cotta, at the time the largest producer of architectural terra cotta in the world. 90 years later, several gargoyles had deteriorated beyond the point of restoration, and now are being replicated by Boston Valley Terra Cotta of Orchard Park, NY. [Among the company's current commissions is work for One Vanderbilt, the rising monolith across from Grand Central].

The new versions are being fabricated in three pieces ‒ the same way the originals were ‒ to be later assembled into one figure. Read more detail on Boston Valley's website, here.

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Speaking of gargoyles in need of repair, Gary the Lion (Woodstock resident and a favorite of this blog) could use some help with what appears to be a bad case of tennis elbow. . .