WEST 30TH STREET PART 2

by Kevin Walsh

Continuing on West 30th after FNY’s survey between 7th and 8th Avenues, I had previously also chronicled the four corners of West 30th and 8th Avenue, where there’s an ancient wall dog ad for the Hotel Irvin, with rooms starting at $2.50 a night. There’s also the home of NYC Human Resources Administration and Department of Social Services, which is a place your webmaster hopes that I never have the opportunity to visit. Like many other of NYC’s side streets I hope to chronicle, there’s a mix of the feted and ignored, where boldfaced names alit however fleetingly, and buildings left unchanged for decades, and probably will remain unchanged until the next development nabob gets his hands on the site.

French Hospital

At 330 West 30th is a large building with the phrase “Société Française de Bienfaisance (French Benelovent Society)” carved over the front entrance, and two doors marked “clinic entrance” with the vessel-with-the-pestle motif marking medical facilities. From 1929 to 1978 this was French Hospital, where Babe Ruth was treated for nasopharyngeal cancer in 1946-47; Ruth passed away the following year. Don Corleone was taken to French Hospital after he was shot in Mario Puzo’s The Godfather. These days, 330 West 30th is the French Apartments.

So much of West 30th on this block looks frozen in time, especially as you get toward 9th Avenue. The exteriors of these buildings have likely not changed in decades. They still have their original corbel molds, and the building upper left still boasts window shutters and front door. Modern times have, however, begun to intrude.

Above: Sefton Apartments at 342 West 30

You know what, I had both pairs of legs lined up perfectly, but the guy moved a split second before I clicked the camera

The Morgan

The giant Morgan Postal Facility, constructed in 1933, serving Manhattan’s main post office, the James Farley Building, at 8th Avenue between 31st and 33rd Street, dominates the SW corner of West 30th and 9th Avenue. Most postal operations have shifted out of the Farley here as preparations are underway to transform the Farley into the new Moynihan Station, serving Amtrak, New Jersey Transit, and Long Island Rail Road.

Looked at in any number of ways, the Morgan plant — named for Edward M. Morgan, the postmaster of New York from 1907 to 1917 — is a staggering example of federal logistics and enough to make one finally let go of one’s conception of the Postal Service as a third-tier operation mainly concerned with the avoidance of barking dogs. The plant itself is preposterously large: At 2.2 million square feet, it takes up an entire city block. It handles up to 12 million pieces of New York City’s mail every day. NYTimes

Long before the Morgan Processing and Distribution Center was built, this was the site of a depot for the Hudson River Railroad, a precursor of our Metro-North. President-Elect Abraham Lincoln arrived in NYC for a visit in the runup to the inaguration on March 4th, 1861, traveling from Springfield, IL by train beginning February 11th with stops in Indianapolis, Cincinnati, Columbus, Pittsburgh, Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse, Albany, Poughkeepsie, Peekskill and then New York on February 19th.

Tragically, Lincoln’s next visit came after his assassination as his funeral train also left for Springfield from the depot.

Page completed November 18, 2010

 

 

20 comments

Gary Farkash February 9, 2016 - 2:21 pm

The French Hospital’s natal/birthing are was on the 29th street side at 329 29th street.
I was born there on June 23, 1962 as my mom worked there for a Dr. Soloman.
She told me stories of warm days where she and a few of the other “girls” would leave the phone on the windowsill so they would hear it while they played tennis across the street.

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Hank Gutman April 8, 2016 - 10:18 am

OK, now I know why my Birth Certificate from French Hospital (April 12, 1941) has the 329 West 29th Street address on it. Every reference to French Hospital showed a West 30th Street address. Thanks for info.

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Anonymous July 10, 2017 - 3:31 pm

I have my French Hospital Birth Certificate NOV 17 1944 — the 329 WEST 29th Street Address–signed by President: Theodore Seltzer and Attending Doctor: Myron Goldblatt. Thanks for explanation of address.

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nana April 29, 2016 - 6:30 pm

These picture bring back memories, I worked at French hospital in 1965, when my boyfriend returned from serving in the army he came to French Hospital to surprise me with his return, gee I would like a picture of the hospital before it became apartments,it’s been fifty years, I was only nineteen, try looking for a picture but have been unable to find one that I don’t have to down load through face book which I’m not on. can you please help. thank you

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Frank padilla November 9, 2017 - 4:25 pm

I still have my French hospital birth certificate dated in 1949 signed by a doctor Doherty

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julio zayas plaza January 16, 2018 - 8:18 am

born there 1961

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THOM February 13, 2018 - 7:24 pm

MY GRANDFATHER,FRANK:GEORGE: HANLEY, DIED THERE ,OF COLON CANCER,
IN MARCH OF 1945. HE WAS HOPING TO SURVIVE TO SEE HIS THREE SONS RE-
TURN FROM THE WAR.

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Stephanie August 21, 2020 - 10:54 pm

This is heartbreaking.

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Josephine Frangione October 29, 2018 - 8:24 pm

Born there in 1947

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Terry Weaver December 5, 2018 - 11:03 am

I was born there in 1959 and have an original birth certificate with parts of it filled out in pencil and my foot prints on the back.

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David Jackino March 16, 2019 - 3:46 pm

Born there in 1961.

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Elizabeth pineiro May 1, 2019 - 10:00 pm

I need to find out what time I was born there any suggestions how to get this information

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Mike Slevens March 23, 2020 - 1:50 pm

I was born there on 12/31/1944
@11:45am, my Moms’ birth date as well. Dr. Goldblatt delive

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Lourdes June 20, 2020 - 4:35 pm

Born there 1962

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Stephanie August 21, 2020 - 10:51 pm

I was born there in 1964. Lost my original bits certificate.
Does anyone know where the records are now?

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Stephanie August 21, 2020 - 10:53 pm

birth certificate

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josephine frangione November 15, 2020 - 7:04 pm

Born there 1947

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Luis Rivera April 23, 2022 - 2:57 am

Born there in 1959. My original birth certificate I lost. We lived on West 85th Street.

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Luis Rivera September 26, 2023 - 1:11 am

Sometimes I feel your spirit feels you’ve been there before. I worked in Morgan Station USPS on 30th and 9th. I use to work towards the train station by GPO and had to walk pass this building. Every time I went by this building, I felt like I’ve been there or something like that. Like it called me. I really like the front entrance. Then years later, I’ve looked for where was the French Hospital and to my amazement, it was that same building. Talk bout goosebumps. Still till this day when I drive by I feel like I’m home. My dad always says in Spanish, that the blood calls. (La sangre llama).

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robert dowling July 8, 2022 - 7:06 pm

it seems that bldg had another entrance to it on 229 west 29th street not maybe a rear entrance but 2 entrances to the same lobby and this one had entrances for alley way/grage type drive either side of corners of this side of bldgs also called franch apts one both streets.

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