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This April Grand Central Library had put together some New York history programs that honor our shared city, culture, and community. Lawrence R. Samuel was scheduled to speak about his book Tudor City: Manhattan’s Historic Residential Enclave. We plan to invite Larry back but, in the meantime, he graciously answered some questions about his book and upcoming talk. Be sure to check out his reading recommendations toward the end!

What will you discuss at your upcoming NYPL Talk?

Tudor City explores the history of the titular and massive apartment complex located on the southern edge of Turtle Bay on the East Side of Manhattan in New York City.  By examining how the residents of a local, tight-knit community addressed vast social, economic, and political change through the decades, Tudor City ably captures the spirit and energy of New York City and that of the people who have called it home.  The history of Tudor City can in many ways be viewed as a microcosm of the history of New York City itself.

What makes this subject worthy of research?

Tudor City, often referred to as a city-within-a-city, is not just the architectural masterpiece created by real estate developer Fred F. French but the first residential skyscraper complex in the world.  Beyond its sheer size—immense for its time—Tudor City set a pattern for urban residential development by creating from scratch what was designed to be an essentially self-sustaining community.  As well, the ways in which money was raised to build Tudor City were unprecedented in the 1920s, this too making the complex an important milestone in the history of real estate development. 

How did Tudor City change the culture of New York?

Tudor City helped set the precedent for planned middle-class residential communities in New York City and across the country.  From a purely physical sense, Tudor City was an early example of urban renewal, Garden City Planning and new urbanism, a big reason why it was named a historic district by the city’s Landmarks Preservation Commission in 1988.  As well, Tudor City served as a major influence in architecture and design across the country (the commission even deemed it "prophetic"), and foreshadowed the recent movement towards more walkable and greener communities.

How has that housing model changed over the years? 

A fair argument could be made that other neighborhoods in New York City and in many other metropolitan areas across the country went to school on Tudor City, as Fred French’s innovative concept was quite ahead of its time.  French perceived his latest development as not just a group of fine buildings but the first of what would be a new kind of residential community that would transform the metropolis into a more livable place. What French termed "a new manner of living"— quiet, green spaces, walkability, and a single architectural motif—represented the future of the modern city, he believed, packaging all these elements into what most observers of the scene considered the most important building project of its day in New York City.  French would take every opportunity to add a "sense of place" to Tudor City, anticipating many of the concepts of the new urbanism movement by a full half-century. Via its repurposing and walkability, the High Line neighborhood, for example, can be seen as a direct descendant of Fred French’s vision. 

Moreover, what changed about urban policy and urban designs in the 1960s and 1970s that affected residences like Tudor City?

Changes in urban policy in the 1960s and 1970s were a necessary response to the city’s fiscal crisis. New York City was, in short, broke, and the federal government had made it clear that it would not provide a bail out. In her 2017 book Fear City, Kim Phillips-Fein documented how New York’s fiscal crisis of the 1970s led to a politics of austerity, in which the so-called profligate ways of urban liberalism were blamed for the city’s looming bankruptcy. The slower economic growth of the early seventies made the kind of social services that had been provided for lower income Americans impossible, the Ford administration maintained, an idea that budget-conscious city officials were effectively forced to embrace.  Many New Yorkers, including residents of Tudor City, fought hard to preserve rent control during the severe recession of the early 1970s, a prime example of how urban policy affected everyday life in the city.

Could you discuss some of your research methods and the various special collections, especially at the NYPL, you used to incorporate into your final work?

Various archival materials located at the NYPL were essential to writing Tudor City. The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission designation report located within the NYPL’s Milstein Division was of great value, as were issues of Tudor City View (the house magazine from 1934 to1969), also located there.  Clippings and miscellaneous material about Tudor City compiled by the Milstein Division of U.S. History offered a rare peek at little-known events related to the community.  Finally, the Fred F. French Companies records from 1902-1966 located at the NYPL’s Manuscripts and Archives Division shed important light on the innovative investment strategies of the real estate developer and his financing and construction of Tudor City. Those records consist of financial, legal and promotional materials including project development binders and scrapbooks, correspondence, legal agreements, stock ledgers and certificates, prospectuses, brochures, photographs, and architectural blueprints and renderings that document French's distinctive approach to developing real estate in New York City during the early to mid 20th-century.

How do you think this book helps readers understand New York, for both natives and non-natives?

Much of the story of Tudor City revolves around the value of land in New York City, which is an essential piece of its history.  The area served as a much-contested site in the 1970s and 1980s, with developers and preservationists fiercely battling it out on the streets and in the courts.  A notable cast of political characters including Governor Nelson Rockefeller, Mayor John Lindsay, and Representative Ed Koch entered the fray, with developer extraordinaire Harry Helmsley ably playing the role of villain.  (His rival in real estate, one Donald J. Trump, makes a cameo appearance.)  The almost century-long rollercoaster ride of Tudor City thus tells us much about the economic ups and downs of New York City as well its political landscape.

What books on New York and New York culture do you consider essential, and why?

• Edwin G. Burrows and Mike Wallace, Gotham:  A History of New York City to 1898 (Oxford University Press, 1998). The “Bible” of New York City, and the one book students of its history should have if ever stranded on a desert island.
• Robert A. Caro, The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York (New York: Knopf, 1974). The full story of the man who, as it is sometimes said, did as much to reshape the geography of New York City as the Ice Age. 
• David Levering Lewis, When Harlem was in Vogue (New York: Knopf, 1981). An insightful dive into a seminal chapter of the history of the city.
• Jonathan Mahler, Ladies and Gentlemen, the Bronx is Burning: 1977, Baseball, Politics, and the Battle for the Soul of a City (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2005). Howard Cosell inspired the title, and that’s enough for me.

In general, what overlooked or underappreciated books, pieces of music, or films would you encourage NYPL users to explore?

• Milton Mackaye, The Tin Box Parade: A Handbook for Larceny (New York: Robert M. McBride & Company, 1934). A mind-blowing read on how corrupt NYC politics and business was in the early decades of the 20^th century.
• Eugene Rachlis and John E. Marqusee, The Land Lords (New York:  Random House, 1963). Of immense value for appreciating the role that real estate plays in the city.