28TH STREET WEST TO EAST, PART TWO

Continued from Part One

IT’S time for another entry in FNY’s Cross Streets of NYC series! I have been walking Manhattan’s numbered streets from east to west or vice versa so compulsively the past few years, I’ve decided to create a new FNY category to hold them. Over the years, I’ve done this quite a few times and I was amazed at how much detail I missed and how much material I knew about and posted here and there, but never really formalized or categorized. There’s a separate universe in each NYC numbered cross street.

Though I have a plentiful backlog of photos since I got the ability to walk back late last year, Sunday, June 2, 2024’s traipse on 28th Street I found so interesting that I moved it up in the queue; it’s interesting throughout and extends through two landmarked districts, West Chelsea and Madison Square North. This also completes the Crosstown series in the 20s; all my Crosstown pages can be seen by scrolling in the category. Since I acquired about 115 shots, it will perforce be necessary to split 28th Street into two parts.

After ending Part One at the still-flourishing Flower District on West 28th at 6th Avenue, it’s time to continue eastward. Though “out-talled” many times over in recent years, the Empire State remains the King of All Buildings.

I have found myself at work in this neighborhood on many occasions. There was a 3-year stint at a hole-in-the-wall type shop on West 29th, whose three Russian owners’ names spelled ANY Phototype. Work there was mainly in Cyrillic but they handled many languages including English; I had to proofread and typeset (in the era when you entered code as long as your arm into terminals) all the non-Cyrillic stuff. During this time I attended trade school, the now-closed Center for the Media Arts on West 26th, where I learned programs like Photoshop and QuarkXPress that set me up for for the new era of typesetting. I then worked as a mechanical artist/copy editor at Publishers Clearing House where I spent 7 mostly calm and productive years. (I returned 6 years later and spent five unsatisfying years there as a proofreader). Probably the most notable place where I worked in the Herald Square area was four years as a copywriter at Macy’s, 2000-2004, where I was happy to work at a prestige outlet, but the pay was bad and the boss was worse.

Foer years this McDonald’s, at 6th Avenue and West 28th, was decorated by pairs of terra cotta seahorses, until a recent renovation took them out. I had been under the impression that the presence of terra cotta seahorses marked former locales of Child’s, NYC’s first chain restaurant, dating from the early 20th Century. However, that notion has been disputed and I no longer maintain that is automatically the case. This 1940 photo shows the seahorses, but no Child’s.

I usually depend on the Indispensable Walter Grutchfield to decipher faded ads such as this batch on West 28th near 6th, but his website, 14to42, has been out of commission for awhile. Walter is now 88!

Tin Pan Alley was the epicenter of songwriting in NYC in the early 20th Century; George Gershwin sold Fred Astaire songs here when Fred and sister Adele were a fledgling song and dance act, and the William Morris Agency was located here in its early days. Music and showbiz history was made at 45 West 28th, now the home of a nondescript wholesaler. Here George Gershwin worked from 1914-1917, with Fred and Adele among his music customers. Adjoining No. 43 was the home of the William Morris Agency beginning in 1903.

Tin Pan Alley is marked by a DOT street sign on Broadway, as well as a brass plaque on the sidewalk at the SE corner of Broadway, now, er, forgotten by all. The Tin Pan alley link above will give you a glimpse of what 6th Avenue looked like in 2008, and there have been some changes made since.

A sampler from the south side of west 28th between 6th Avenue and Broadway. The Hadson Realty ad appears to be 30-40 years old and is at the top of the Badouine Building, #1181 Broadway. #24 West 28th has the slanted roof typical of buildings from the 1870s to 1880s and so could be the oldest building on the block. And, I was intrigued by all the liquor bottles in the window–private collection perhaps?

This is the southbound BMT 28th Street station entrance, the second of three (and what once were five, counting the 3rd and 9th Avenue els) 28th Street subway stations.

From 1875 to 1895 Broadway in this stretch was NYC’s vice capital: gambling dens, music halls, prostitution, ‘wild revelry and uproarious scenes.’ It was known as the Tenderloin district because cops on the take there were heard to say they could now eat tenderloin instead of chuck steak. There were respectable places here amid all the hugger-mugger, such as the original Delmonico’s at Broadway and West 26th. Banvard’s Museum, showing sculptures, paintings, caged animals and birds, and a tableau vivant featuring live models and actors depicting scenes from Dante’s Inferno. (The fun parts, I hope.)

The 13-story Johnston Building at the SE corner of West 28th dates to 1903 and is known for the corner domed turret, just a little higher than the temple across the street, and its carved lion heads. I’d love a chance to get into both of them.

Broadway has become the Narrow Way for much of its length from Times Square south to Madison Square, as the Department of Transportation has closed off a lane and built a bicycle-dedicated lane, complete with barrier, and sitting areas. On this particular Sunday, I counted about three cyclists using it.

More: The De-Broading of Broadway

At Broadway and heading east, 28th Street runs through its second Landmarked district, Madison Square North.

To my chagrin I found the classic Twin at the SW corner of 5th Avenue and West 28th had been eliminated and replaced by a temporary modern Twin. Will it return? That’s up to the DOT. Recent years have seen the demise of classic twins at 23rd and 32nd Streets as well, and the batch of special bronze Deskey Twins installed in 1965 has seemingly evaporated. Classic photo: Robert Mulero

It may be time to design a special 5th Avenue pole for the 21st Century.

5th Avenue continues to be a grab bag of lampposts designs. Here is a 1960s Deskey, showing off its versatility as masts can be installed perpendicularly.

249 5th Avenue at East 28th Street, according to the LPC Report:

This twenty-four story office building was designed by architect George F. Pelham, and constructed in 1926-27 for the Fifth Avenue & 28th Street Co., during the last period of high-rise commercial development in the Madison Square Park Historic District. The building, which replaced an early apartment house called the Knickerbocker, remains largely intact on the exterior.

#4 East 28th Street, now the Latham Hotel:

Originally a brownstone row house built in 1861-62 for the Estate of J.J. Coddington, its first two floors were converted to stores and a completely new facade, designed by Henry E. Kilburn, was installed in 1885 for owner John R. Robinson, at a time when this area was becoming more commercial in character. The upper floors were divided into apartments in 1922…

Milagros Santiago:

Location of arrest of Soviet spy Rudolf Abel, real name William August Fisher (11 July 1903 – 15 November 1971). At 7:00 am on 21 June 1957, Fisher answered a knock on the door to his room, Room 839. Upon opening the door, he was confronted by FBI agents who addressed him as “colonel” and stated that they had “information concerning [his] involvement in espionage.” Fisher knew that the FBI’s use of his rank could have only come from Häyhänen. Fisher said nothing to the FBI and, after spending twenty-three minutes staring at Fisher, the FBI agents called in the waiting Immigration and Naturalization Service officers who arrested Fisher and detained him under section 242 of the Immigration and Nationality Act.

Abel was exchanged for fighter pilot Gary Powers.

Online reviews of the Latham aren’t good.

And just like that we’re out of the NoMad Landmarked District, but we’re not yet out of interesting buildings from architecture’s golden age. At the NE corner of Madison Avenue and East 28th is #79, designed by Buchman & Kahn and finished in 1925.

Directly across Madison Avenue on the northwest corner is #80 Madison, built two years earlier in 1923.

Continuing east on East 28th, I conjectured that #29 East 28th, wedged between two tall office towers, was a throwback to earlier days, and I was right. It was built in 1879 and designed by famed architect James Renwick as the clubhouse for the Columbia University fraternity Delta Psi, as Tom Miller, the indefatigable Daytonian in Manhattan, describes it:

The completed clubhouse, clad in red and cream-colored brick with terra cotta trim, stood full three stories high over an English basement.  A mansard roofed fourth floor, tiled in slate, was punctuated by two cast metal dormers.  Bandcourses of terra cotta or brick separated the floors, and brick quoins ran up the sides and around the openings.  A dramatic cluster of three windows surmounted by a grand terra cotta arch created a focal point.  Between the third floor windows a shield was carved with the Greek letters of Delta Psi.

Churchill Tavern was named for British Prime Minister Winston Churchill (his mother Jennie was born in Brooklyn, and his grandfather Leonard Jerome was a successful stock speculator, railroad builder and sportsman who built the Jerome Park Racetrack, later Jerome Park Reservoir, and was the namesake of The Bronx’ Jerome Avenue).

A quintessential, dark-paneled British Pub that opened at the end of 2011, there is a large bar, an extensive beer list and homey English classics, including fish and chips and Shepherd’s Pie. The interior space, marked by checkerboard flooring, exposed brick walls, and a fireplace has bar-style seating, leather banquettes, and various sized tables, and benches allows for different crowds and dining experiences. What made it stand out for me, however, was all of the British memorabilia that line the walls on two floors, including the back area upstairs in the “garden room” where there is a display of English teapots. Winston Churchill’s terribly English voice resounds in the bathrooms and the absolutely charming people who work here made for an unforgettable visit… [Manhattan Sideways]

“400 Park Avenue South is a fashionable new condominium designed by Pritzker-Prize winning architect Christian de Portzamparc.” Another glass-front skyscraper that looks like all the other ones around town but with different angles? Comin’ right up!

The 28th Street station on the #6 Lexington Avenue Line at Park Avenue South (it runs under Lexington north of Grand Central) is the easternmost of what were at most five 28th Street rapid transit stations, and has the most varied types of entrances. One, marked with the V of Importance in a tiled SVBWAY sign, is in a side entrance at #404 PAS; one is in a doorway of the new #400 PAS; and there are a couple of “conventional” entrances on the east side of the street.

East 28th between PAS and Lexington is another street with widely varying architectural styles and #120, with a Japanese restaurant on the ground floor, is likely the oldest of the batch. My bet is that in the 1890s, most of the buildings on the block were a close match.

Curry in a Hurry, NE corner of East 28th and Lexington, is probably the most famed of the smattering of Indian restaurants along Lex in NoMad; its reviews are mixed.

I remembered I had been in the Roman Catholic Our Lady of the Scapular before and indeed had been, as part of Open House NY weekend in 2007. Here’s what I said:

The Romanesque Our Lady of the Scapular and St. Stephen’s Church, 151 East 28th Street near 3rd Avenue, is an old masterpiece whose existence I had never suspected until OHNY included it on their list.

It has held court here on this block since 1854, making it older than McSorley’s, St. Patrick’s Cathedral, and the 7th Regiment Armory. The designer and architect was James Renwick (see above), who later masterminded St. Patrick’s. While the church contains over 100 beautiful stained-glass windows by the German Meyer Studio…

…this church is most renowned for the 43 trompe l’oeil (3-D in appearance) murals by Roman artist Constantino Brumidi (1805-1880), whose Crucifixion, seen behind the church’s altar, is the largest Crucifixion mural in the USA at 44-foot height. Other murals in the church depict St. Peter, St. Paul, the Assumption of the Virgin, St. Gabriel, the martyrdom of St. Stephen, St. Michael, the Sacred Heart, the Stations of the Cross, King David, St. Cecilia, and the Madonna and Child.

Brumidi painted the murals beginning in 1866, 12 years after the Church’s opening at a time when it was the largest Catholic parish in the USA. After acclaimed work at the Vatican in the 1840s, he spent 25 years at work in the US Capitol — his only other American commission. He became a US citizen but…

On February 18, 1880, Constantino Brumidi died at his home in Washington, D.C. Brumidi died in relative penury, but Congressional records indicate that he was well-paid. Originally, his salary was pegged to the annual salaries awarded to United States Congressmen, but this was eventually changed to a per diem ranging from eight to ten dollars. The largest work commissioned, “The Apotheosis of George Washington,” was contracted for a lump sum of $40,000. Brumidi received all but the $500 reserved for completion of the project.

Brumidi’s reputation waxed and waned, both during and after his lifetime. For almost one hundred years after his death, his grave in Washington was unmarked and unadorned. Little notice was made of the artist of the Capitol frescoes. The public’s limited awareness of the existence of Brumidi was expanded by a conscious resurrection of his reputation in the 1950’s by [historian] Myrtle Cheney Murdock. University of Virginia

I have no longer any desire for fame and fortune. My one ambition and my daily prayer is that I may live long enough to make beautiful the Capitol of the one country on earth in which there is liberty. –C. Brumidi

What is a scapular?

A scapular (from Latin scapulae, “shoulders”) is a Western Christian garment suspended from the shoulders. There are two types of scapulars, the monastic and devotional scapular; both forms may simply be referred to as “scapular”.^[1][2] As an object of popular piety, a scapular serves to remind wearers of their commitment to live a Christian life. [wikipedia]

I had only heard the word once before, in Zappa’s “Muffin Man.”

The beautiful stone building next door,  Epiphany School Upper Campus,  was constructed in 1898 as a parochial school for the parish.

Some mid-century bland at the NE corner of East 28th and 3rd Avenue.

That’s more like it opposite 3rd Avenue on the NW corner. By now, FNY readers know my affection for large, square windows admitting plenty of light.

Former firehouses have many guises. This one, #217 East 28th between 2nd and 3rd Avenues, was built in 1893 by Napoleon LeBrun and Sons, which helpfully included plaques with the architect and date of construction still in place above the second floor. The firehouse was decommissioned in 1968 and is currently the headquarters of the Self-Realization Fellowship, a yoga-oriented spiritual foundation. (If I tried yoga I’d be in the ER in short order.)

A grouping of attached walkup apartments round out this walk on 28th Street.

East 28th goes a block further to 1st Avenue through the Phipps Plaza West Apartments to Bellevue Hospital, but I demurred going through the thicket of construction sheds. The Phipps of Phipps Plaza and the Phipps of Phipps Gardens in Sunnyside, Queens are the same guy…

Steel tycoon Henry Phipps (1839-1930), a friend and partner of Andrew Carnegie, sold his interest in the Carnegie Company (later US Steel) to J.P. Morgan in 1901 for $50 million and set about creating a series of public houses in NYC, model tenements that would remedy the rampant problems of disease that held sway in the cramped, airless buildings in NYC in the era.

The first Phipps Houses were built in Manhattan in 1906 at 321-337 East 31st Street between 2nd and 3rd Avenues rented for $14 a month for a one-bedroom. Four six-story buildings at 233-247 West 63rd Street followed later that year; these apartments were chiefly rented to African-Americans. A third development followed in 1912 at 234-248 West 64th Street, and the fourth, Phipps Garden, arrived in 1931 at Middleburg (39th) Avenue and Fitting (50th) Streets in Sunnyside. The 63rd and 64th Street and Sunnyside Phipps buildings still stand.

1931 Phipps Garden brochures: location, amenities, floor plans, and interior views. Affordable housing built for working class and 9 to 5-ers, with spacious apartments, modern kitchens, sunny courtyards…could this be done today?

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6/16/24