The Neo-Gothic design of Windsor Tower (Brown Harris Stevens)
As New York City housing advocates, city planners, and politicians look for ways to make housing more affordable, one experiment in middle-class housing continues to work. Since the mid-1920s, Tudor City — a 13-building complex located in the Turtle Bay neighborhood on Manhattan's East Side — has provided middle-class New Yorkers with an affordable way to rent and own and to do so in a unique city-within-a-city. This article explores Tudor City's history and explores what the complex offers present-day New Yorkers looking for a safe, quiet, and affordable place to buy.
In this article:
Woodstock Tower, 320 East 42nd Street
Turtle Bay/United Nations
The Manor, 333 East 43rd Street
Turtle Bay/United Nations
Hardwicke Hall, 314 East 41st Street
Turtle Bay/United Nations
Hatfield House, 304 East 41st Street
Turtle Bay/United Nations
Haddon Hall, 324 East 41st Street
Turtle Bay/United Nations
Tudor City’s grand plan
When plans for Tudor City were announced in 1925, the development promised to be the largest housing development ever undertaken in mid-Manhattan. Initially, the project promised to bring 20 apartments to Midtown, along with unique resident amenities, including "a fifteen-story garage of the ramp type for use by residents." Despite offering a garage to residents, one of Tudor City's plans was to help tackle Manhattan's growing traffic problem. As Fred French, the developer, told The New York Times in 1925, “The surest way to solve the traffic problem is to eliminate it. That is, establishing living quarters near one’s place of business.”
Aerial view of Tudor City (
When Tudor City launched, the complex, one of the world’s first high-rise living communities, was a rental project (the majority of Tudor City’s buildings converted to coops in the 1980s). Also, while Tudor City may be mostly known as a place to purchase a studio or small one-bedroom unit, when it launched, French boasted that the complex would include everything from studio units with just a kitchenette to twelve-room and four-bath flats. Originally, housekeeping services were also available to residents, though that came at an additional cost.
Just like contemporary New York, in the mid- to late 1920s, middle-class New Yorkers were desperate to find an affordable place to live within walking distance to work. As a result, it is no surprise that apartments in Tudor City were in high demand. Initially offered a bargain rate of just $500 a year (about half the going rate when the apartment complex opened its doors), units in the first tower to open rented immediately. Even after raising the annual rent on units in subsequent towers, applications and interest were extremely high, resulting in Tudor City's buildings each reaching near full or full occupancy shortly after launching.
What Tudor City has to offer
A century later, Tudor City still has much to offer New Yorkers. In fact, it remains a sought-after place to live south of 96th Street in Manhattan, and for several reasons.Affordability: Compared to most Manhattan neighborhoods, Tudor City still offers incredible value to renters and buyers. Renters can find studios and one-bedroom units under $3,500, and buyers can find studios priced under $300,000 and one-bedroom units under $500,000, which is virtually unheard of for a market-rate apartment without income restrictions in Manhattan.
Location: Located in the East 40s, Tudor City's location is difficult to beat. An early slogan, "Live in Tudor City and walk to business," nods to its close proximity to Midtown East office towers. Close to the 4/5/6 and 7 lines and within walking distance of Grand Central, it is a great place for commuters who work anywhere else. It is also a great location for anyone who prefers to cycle or walk around the city instead of getting on the MTA. If you happen to drive, there are still affordable garages nearby, and the FDR is adjacent to the complex.
Amenities and services: While you might not find a recording studio, IMAX screening room, or full-service hammam in your Tudor City apartment, the complex does boast great amenities, including bike rooms and fitness centers. They are also fully staffed, offering doorman and concierge service to provide day-to-day assistance for full-time residents and an extra sense of security for pied-a-terre owners.
Green spaces: Tudor City was inspired by the Garden City urban planning movement, which emerged in the late nineteenth century. However, unlike most manifestations of the Garden City movement, which sought to build satellite communities with greenbelts on the periphery of urban centers, Tudor City was designed as a city within a city. Today, it is still one of the greenest residential communities in Manhattan.
Landmark historic status: Tudor City was designated a Landmark Historic District in 1988 based on its status as an example of the Garden City movement and, of course, its unique Tudor architecture. The district’s designation report notes, "This project is more than a copy of medieval buildings or even their modern progeny, because in transposing the Tudor Revival style into a skyscraper format for four of the buildings, Tudor City was a highly successful attempt to urbanize the style."
Green spaces: Tudor City was inspired by the Garden City urban planning movement, which emerged in the late nineteenth century. However, unlike most manifestations of the Garden City movement, which sought to build satellite communities with greenbelts on the periphery of urban centers, Tudor City was designed as a city within a city. Today, it is still one of the greenest residential communities in Manhattan.
Landmark historic status: Tudor City was designated a Landmark Historic District in 1988 based on its status as an example of the Garden City movement and, of course, its unique Tudor architecture. The district’s designation report notes, "This project is more than a copy of medieval buildings or even their modern progeny, because in transposing the Tudor Revival style into a skyscraper format for four of the buildings, Tudor City was a highly successful attempt to urbanize the style."
Gardens surrounding the Tudor City complex (Corcoran Group)
The Tudor City complex comprises twelve residential buildings and one transient hotel. Hotel Tudor reopened as Westgate New York Grand Central in summer 2021 and, like the apartment buildings, pays respectful tribute to its neighborhood's history. A penthouse at Windsor Tower made memorable appearances in all three Spider-Man movies, and the Tudor City complex has been featured in a wide variety of movies, television shows, and advertisements. Below, we look at the buildings of Tudor City and availabilities inside.
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Tudor Tower, #1908 (Compass)
Woodstock Tower, #1707 (Douglas Elliman Real Estate)
Prospect Tower, #1020 (Douglas Elliman Real Estate)
Woodstock Tower, #1601 (Douglas Elliman Real Estate)
The Manor, #515 (Brown Harris Stevens Residential Sales LLC)
Windsor Tower, #219 (Compass)
Haddon Hall, #1103C (Douglas Elliman Real Estate)
The Cloister, #109 (CORE Group Marketing LLC)
Hardwicke Hall, #1004C (Corcoran Group)
The Essex House, #207 (Sothebys International Realty)
2 Tudor City Place, #14BN
$2,749,500
Turtle Bay/United Nations | Cooperative | 3 Bedrooms, 3 Baths | 2,125 ft2
2 Tudor City Place, #14BN (Douglas Elliman Real Estate)
Would you like to tour any of these properties?
Just complete the info below.
Or call us at (212) 755-5544
Would you like to tour any of these properties?
Contributing Writer
Cait Etherington
Cait Etherington has over twenty years of experience working as a journalist and communications consultant. Her articles and reviews have been published in newspapers and magazines across the United States and internationally. An experienced financial writer, Cait is committed to exposing the human side of stories about contemporary business, banking and workplace relations. She also enjoys writing about trends, lifestyles and real estate in New York City where she lives with her family in a cozy apartment on the twentieth floor of a Manhattan high rise.
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