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.

Tudor City Goes to the Theatre

Again, we turn to "Tudor City Goes to the Theatre," a pitch about the problems of theatergoing made by the ad agency, Huber Hoge Inc.

Huber Hoge got straight to the point. "In a theatre-goer's mind the chasm between the play and a vacant apartment is colossal. He buys an apartment only once in two or three years. To bludgeon his wandering attention, we have tried to show him himself; his difficulties in reaching and leaving the theatre, the bother he causes others by arriving late and leaving early. Unless, of course, he lives in the center of town, preferably Tudor City. This series is part of our avowed purpose to remind a forgetful public that Tudor City not only has apartments at $65 a month but that, as a community, it is an interesting, clever place to live."

Following, some sample ads were included in the pitch. We've included some highlights from the text as well.   

"They should have been at the theatre. But here they are somewhere on Long Island, struggling with a flat tire. They are sorry now that they didn't take the train. And sorrier still they don't live in Tudor City so that they could walk to the theatre without trouble or fatigue. . ."

"The missing buttons on a coat. Torn off in the struggle. The haggard appearance. The bedraggled air. The limp ‒ that hack on the shin was obviously painful. All mark the man who lives in some distant inaccessible place and travels by subway. How different the man who lives in Tudor City. His spruce appearance proclaims that he has enjoyed the brisk walk to his office this morning. He will get home as easily in the evening. . . "

"The commuter executive let his wife pack his bag. One cuff link. One shoe. An unmistakable footprint on his shirt front! And a dinner date waiting! Spend the winter season in Tudor City and dress comfortably, with more time to make a good job of it. . . "  

"An office dresser is always spotted. Those creases in a coat  once nicely pressed ‒ before it was jammed into a suit case. The crumpled collar ‒ he had murdered the only one at hand. The wrong cuff links ‒ a penalty of hurried packing. All mark him out from the man who has dressed comfortably at home. . ."

"He parked it in a forbidden area while he had dinner. Along came Commissioner Whalen's collection crew and now it will cost him $10.00 to get it from the station. And all because he lives in Brooklyn and has to drive in whenever he wants to go to a theatre. .  ."

 

No Dice

After a year of avid campaigning, the local community board voted 4-2 against the construction of a casino on the six-acre site in Manhattan that its sponsor, the Soloviev Group, had proposed. This was the last proposal ‒ other candidates in Times Square and Hudson Yards were also turned down. Manhattan doesn't want a casino. 

As a going-away present, here are some views of the proposed-but-doomed casino that have been rarely seen.

A bird's-eye view.

Looking downtown.

Looking down 1st Avenue at the planned hotel.

Atop the hotel, life is luxe, with an infinity pool behind the trees.

Goodbye.

AD CAMPAIGN, 1933

This ad campaign ran in May and June of 1933, and was straightforward in approach. Presented in three cartoon panels, the first set up the problem, the second one provided a solution, and the third showed what occured afterward.  

Anatomy of a Photo: 1ST AVENUE

Today, another attempt at examining a photograph in detail. Exhibit A is the above, a view up 1st Avenue from 42nd Street, made in 1927.

Zooming in on the Little Renting Cottage as seen from 1st Avenue. 

Looking at 1st Avenue bordered by 42nd and 43rd Streets. Pedestrian traffic is light, and the deep shadows here suggest the photo was made early in the morning.

Across the way, the large sign at 42nd Street is temporarily blank.

In the middle of the photo are two more signs: MOTOR NEW YORK TRUCKS and CHARLES & CO. GROCERS.

Across the street, a view of the Queensboro Bridge, albeit obscured by various water tanks and smokestacks. At far left, the rising Panhellenic Tower hotel, later renamed the Beekman Tower hotel.

Our last close-up is of a hole in the street, this one at the northeast corner of 42nd and 1st. Watch your step.     

 

Instagram Sign Tribute

Time to say thank you to the talented Instagramers who contributed to this week's post, a celebration of the ever-engaging Tudor City sign.

by bretwills   

by allanfredrick         

      

by jeffrcasey        

by sinhadesign_llc  

by citymousenyc    

RENOVATIONS

A number of rare photos taken during the 1952 transformation of Tudor City into something more appropriate for a neighborhood that would mesh with the UN. Roads were widened, a parkside sidewalk was added, and the tunnel replaced by a modern overpass. The redesign also included a much disliked split-rail fence around the parks that remains in place for 41 years.

Looking south from a Manor window, Tudor City Place (at left) appears driveable, but the parks are in a state of wild disarray. Above, one can see the North Park's fountain basin (center bottom) and to its right, the pergola. They wouldn't last in the start-from-scratch plan. 

The opposite view, facing north, showing a new feature being installed: a parkside sidewalk.  

 

        Across the street, workmen in front of No. 25.

Finally, a pile of pipes lay near one of the gazebos. Like all of the decorative details of the park ‒ the lich gates, the fountain, the pergola ‒ the gazebos did not make the cut.