Next > < Previous HUDSON STREET BROWNSTONE | Hoboken, New Jersey Architect: Mowery Marsh General Contractor: The Mex Construction Photographer: Christian Harder When you work with great clients, it is a pleasure to keep coming back! The project was
Façade installation at 99 Hudson Street is almost done. Perkins Eastman is the designer, while COA 99 Hudson, LLC is developing the 900-foot-tall project.
How to see the physical elements of the Internet. Lower Manhattan has been a world-class telecommunications hub since the 1920s. The Internet lives in these historic and modern buildings.
The sons of Hess Sonn, a German Jewish immigrant from Bavaria who listed his occupation as "peddler," Henry and Hyman Sonn joined forces early on. In 1875 Sonn Brothers was listed in directories as fish sellers at No. 119 Warren Street. Within the decade they had enlarged their business to "wholesale grocers." While "grocers" sounds innocuous enough; a large slice of their business was in selling liquor by the turn of the century. Around the same time they diversified by entering the real estate business, buying and selling properties and erecting buildings as far north as the Upper West Side. Late in 1909 they looked closer to home--the wholesale grocery district around Hudson and Duane Streets. The brothers purchased the seven old buildings at the southwest corner of Duane and Hudson Streets. Sonn Bros. then negotiated with one of the largest shoe manufacturers in the country to erect a large, modern factory and office building for them. On January 22, 1910 the Real Estate Record & Guide ran the headline "BUILDING FOR THE SHOE TRADE." The article reported that "Messrs. Sonn Bros." would erect a 12-story structure which, "when completed will be occupied by Morse & Rogers, lessees, for their wholesale shoe business." The shoe firm had already sat with architects W. L. Rouse and L. A. Goldstone to lay out their specific needs. "The building is entirely fireproof and has been designed for the express purpose of meeting with the requirements of the lessees," said the article. Rouse & Goldstone was well known for its loft and apartment buildings. While the architectural style of the Morse & Rogers building was basically Renaissance Revival; the architects splashed it with Beaux Arts decorations at the top floor--garlands and scrolled keystones, for instance. The main entrance, on Duane Street, took the form of a Renaissance columned portico supporting an arched pediment. Confusingly, the building took the address of No. 25 Hudson Street. Rouse & Goldstone released this rendering in January 1910. Real Estate Record & Guide, January 22, 1910 (copyright expired) The Record & Guide pointed out "It will include three elevators and especially designed hoisting and lowering apparatus for conveying packages to and from the various floors." The red brick building on its two-story limestone base would cost the Sonn brothers the equivalent of $12 million today. Morse & Rogers signed their 21-year lease on January 14, 1910, effective on March 1 the following year. On March 3, 1912 the New-York Tribune noted that "Hudson street at this point is rapidly being improve with high class business buildings" and pointed out "the new twelve story building at Hudson and Duane streets, built by Sonn Brothers and leased to Morse & Rogers." As World War I spread over Europe, Morse & Rogers took on a partner, becoming McElwain, Morse & Rogers. With America's entry into the conflict, the Government set restrictions on a number of commodities, such as sugar, wheat, leather and certain fabrics. Shoe manufacturers were faced with a series of constraints, some of which McElwain, Morse & Rogers spoke out against. On December 21, 1917 The Sun reported "British war shoes for civilians are threatening to throw a wrench into the American retail shoe market machinery." The Government sent out specifications of English women's "war shoes" to manufacturers. Ben Jacobson, manager of McElwain, Morse & Rogers, was not afraid to speak out. He said in part: It is high time that somebody should intervene and get war styles out of the minds of the authorities. If the dealers, who are now overstocked and scarcely able to see their way clear to buy stylish shoes such as women demand were to put in an additional stock of war shoes which nobody wants it would certainly create some dissatisfaction. Nevertheless, the firm seemed to be weathering the war propitiously. Three months earlier it had expanded its operations by purchasing the adjoining six-story building to the south, Nos. 13-19 Hudson Street. Journalists and real estate dealers saw the move as forever changing the old grocery district into the new shoe district. On August 5, for instance, The Sun opined "The purchase ties for all time the shoe district at this point and creates here a permanent shoe centre." Despite the wartime problems, the article noted "The firm works a day and night shift in the matter of receiving and delivering goods and also occupies space in various warehouses." The stable position of McElvaine, Morse & Rogers was further evidenced in its December 30 , 1917 advertisement in search of a "Young Man, Energetic, with executive ability, to take charge of claim and complaint department of large wholesale shoe house; fine opportunity for right man." Shoe designers grappled with the wartime regulations creatively. The following year, on September 19, The Sun reported on new styles by McElwain, Morse & Rogers. "Of the shoes which comply with Government specifications one that is already selling well is very similar in style to an army officer's boot. It is a woman's shoe, with a high, military heel, and whole quartered blucher pattern plan toe. A handsome dress boot of recent manufacturer is of black suede, and practically seamless." (One wonders if such styles were the source of a favorite insult thrown about by early 20th century boys, "Aw, your mutha wears army boots.") Following the war, McElwain, Morse & Rogers returned to making stylish shoes. In 1920 the "Mode" women's walking boot, below, sold for the equivalent of $98 today. The Evening World, November 16, 1920 (copyright expired) Somewhat surprisingly, at the expiration of the long-term lease in 1931, the shoe firm left the Hudson Street building. Space was now leased to various tenants, none of which had anything to do with the shoe industry. Among the first was Field Publications, owned by the Chicago-based Marshall Field family. It published the controversial P.M. periodical here, deemed by some as "radical." Its articles were often politically-charged. The newspaper received a maker-over in the late 1940's when it was renamed the Star. It was here that renowned cartoonist Walt Kelly and his comic strip "Pogo" got its start. The firm would go on to produce The Weekly Reader, as well. Another of the initial tenants following McElwain, Morse & Rogers's leaving was Joseph Sullivan. But his occupancy would be short-lived. On July 1, 1931 The New York Times reported on more than 80 raids in the last two nights by Prohibition Administrator Andrew McCampbell's army of agents. The article mentioned "In one of the raids yesterday Mr. McCampbell's men uncovered what they described as a wildcat brewery at 25 Hudson Street." John Sullivan was arrested and the agents seized two 2,000-gallon vats of beer and a "1,500-gallon vat of the same beverage." Throughout the next two decades the building saw a variety of firms come and go. In 1944 The Oakland Company, Inc., manufacturers of "marine lighting," moved in. It would remain for several years. At the same time H & L Manufacturing Company was here; and by the mid-1950's Tru-Vue Optical Corp., makers of eye glass frames, was operating in the building. After 1952 the Field Publications space was taken over by El Diario de Nueva York, arguably New York's most popular Spanish-language newspaper. The 1970's saw a a major change overtake the Tribeca neighborhood as factory buildings were recycled into galleries, restaurants and living spaces. The industrial tenants of No. 25 Hudson had to find new homes when a renovation of No. 25 Hudson Street, completed in 1981, resulted in offices on the upper floors and shops at ground level. The State of New York took three floors in the refurbished building as the new home for the Sanitation Department's medical facility. But when the State announced it would move its Parole Division offices here from West 40th Street, neighbors in the edgy neighborhood revolted. On February 7, 1982 The New York Times reported that the plan "faces opposition from the neighborhood's residents, who have voiced fear that the 2,700 former offenders who report to the board regularly will bring crime to this increasingly residential part of the city." The article added "They also contended that the state had agreed to excessive rent for the new site at 25 Hudson Street, at the corner of Duane Street" and complained that there was no impact statement filed. Spokespersons for the State fired back. State leasing officer Rosetta Wynne said "This horror of parolees ganging up and roaming around the streets is utterly ridiculous." Parole officials contended that the 90 armed officers would actually make the neighborhood safer. And Paul Young, a parole agency spokesperson explained that state agencies were not required to file impact statements for relocation of administrative offices. "I could see it if we were dumping nuclear wastes," he said. Nevertheless, the hoopla reached Albany and on March 13 Anne Marie Santangelo, speaking for the agency, announced "We were informed by the Governor's office that we would not move.' The Renaissance-inspired entrance could as easily served a bank building as a shoe factory. A nightmare occurred in the State's Sanitation Department medical facilities in January 1985 when a pipe froze and broke, spraying raw sewage throughout the clinic. On January 24 the Health Department declared the space "unfit for human habitation." Health Commissioner Dr. David J. Sencer explained the clinic was unfit because there was no drinkable water, "several floors are flooded with raw sewage due to broken waste lines" and "severe, noxious and objectionable odors are present." It was a serious problem for days, preventing the medical treatment and examination of hundreds of sanitation workers. In the meantime, Rachel's caberet opened at street level around 1983 and was a nighttime destination for years. Shows like "I Can't Give You Anything but Lyrics by Dorothy Fields" in May 1984 drew crowds. Fields's lyrics for composers like Jerome Kern, Sigmund Romberg and Cy Colemon included the songs "A Fine Romance," "On the Sunny Side of the Street," and "The Way You Look Tonight." The former shoe factory was converted to "loft dwellings" in 2001, two and three per floor. In its neighborhood of low-rise 19th century brick structures, the Morse & Rogers building--which changed the personality of the district from eggs and butter to shoes--stands out. photographs by the author many thanks to resident Robin Clements for the suggestion and input
Next > < Previous HUDSON STREET BROWNSTONE | Hoboken, New Jersey Architect: Mowery Marsh General Contractor: The Mex Construction Photographer: Christian Harder When you work with great clients, it is a pleasure to keep coming back! The project was
Franz opened up the space, while maintaining its original brick facade and windows.
LIMESTONE TOWNHOME MANSION. Meticulously restored, renovated and designed for the most discerning buyer and ideally positioned on the most historic and significant street in Hoboken. Full 25x100 lot with 5 floors and approximately 8000 SF with 6 bedrooms, 6.5 baths, 3 living rooms, 2 dens, an office, a gym, a 1200+ bottle wine cellar and a carriage house with a studio apartment and a private 2-car garage.
Hudson Street Townhouse
632 Hudson Street, as spotted on Douglas Elliman, is an exquisite building with fascinating history, situated in the West Village, Meat Packing District, New York. In a class of its own stands this brilliant example
Portfolio by Diane Arbus
The shop sells everything from books and magazines to coffee, homeware, and merch.
Image 4 of 12 from gallery of 8 Influential Art Deco Skyscrapers by Ralph Thomas Walker. Photograph by Wikipedia User Beyond My Ken
Looking for an easy escape from New York City? Check out the artsy center of Upstate New York: Hudson.
Carmelo and LaLa Anthony recently toured a $48 million duplex penthouse in Tribeca's Sky Lofts at 145 Hudson Street designed by James Carpenter.
sometimes called second oldest bar in NYC • originally popular with longshoremen because of proximity to Hudson River • Scottish poet Ruthven Todd introduced Dylan Thomas to White Horse, became his headquarters when in US • in Nov. 1953 Thomas beat his personal record, drank 18 shots of whiskey, stumbled outside and collapsed • died in St. Vincent's Hospital two days later, age 39 Thomas association with bar attracted other literary figures as patrons, including Norman Mailer, James Baldwin, Anais Nin, Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg, John Ashbery, Frank O'Hara • others who frequented WHT: Seymour Krim, Delmore Schwartz, Richard Farina, Jane Jacobs, Hunter S. Thompson, Jim Morrison, Bob Dylan, The Clancy Brothers and Mary Travers (the latter two also performed here) Wikipedia
Looking for an easy escape from New York City? Check out the artsy center of Upstate New York: Hudson.
See photos of things to do on a visit to Warren Street in Hudson, NY, and find one of the best places to watch the sunset in the Hudson Valley in Upstate New York.
An 1881 red-brick building by Stephen D. Hatch holds Babylicious, formerly Happy Baby Toys; Wm. B. May Co. Real Estate, established 1866; and H&H Building Consultants.
No architect played a greater role in shaping the twentieth century Manhattan skyline than Ralph Thomas Walker, winner of the 1957 AIA Centennial...
Many of the current lofts and condominiums in NYC's Tribeca and Soho neighborhoods had different functions before Lower Manhattan became an artistic hub.
Looking for an easy escape from New York City? Check out the artsy center of Upstate New York: Hudson.
The White Horse Tavern, located at 567 Hudson Street and West 11th Street, in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of New York City, does not look too eerie, does it? It is, in fact, a pleasant place to stop and have a quick burger and a brew, but it is also well known as being haunted! Let's go inside, shall we? Inside the first room of the tavern there is a large, well stocked bar. There was lots of convivial conversation going on in this crowded room, although it was a little loud, as large screen TVs were blaring a football game. How could it be that such a raucous place could harbor a ghost? Even the little white horse memorabilia decorating all the nooks and crannies of the tavern looked so innocuous, almost cheerful. Now let's walk into the middle room. Ah! This is the spot the ghost haunts! Here is the favorite little corner table where the poet Dylan Thomas frequently sat during his visits to the tavern when he came to New York City. It was in this spot where, in 1953, he unfortunately drank himself into a stupor. He collapsed outside the tavern and was brought to the Chelsea Hotel, and later died on November 9, at St. Vincent's Hospital, at the young age of 39. There is a legend that his last words were: "I've just had eighteen straight whiskies, I think that's a record." His spirit is said to rotate this favorite corner table, as Thomas liked to do when he was alive. Do not go gentle into that good night ~ Dylan Thomas Do not go gentle into that good night, Old age should burn and rave at close of day; Rage, rage against the dying of the light. Though wise men at their end know dark is right, Because their words had forked no lightning they Do not go gentle into that good night. Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay, Rage, rage against the dying of the light. Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight, And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way, Do not go gentle into that good night. Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay, Rage, rage against the dying of the light. And you, my father, there on the sad height, Curse, bless, me now with your fierce tears, I pray. Do not go gentle into that good night. Rage, rage against the dying of the light. My husband and I sat at the corner table and offered a toast to Dylan, not with whiskey but with Guinness. Were those glowing orbs reflected on the table Dylan's ghost eyes smiling in approval? I'd like to think so! My post is part of Elizabeth of the The World Examining Works blog's first annual Halloween Party, and for more halloween themed blog posts join us at Theme Thursday.
Warren Street, Hudson is lined with historic buildings that have been transformed into a vibrant array of shops, antique stores,galleries, and eateries.
Work is nearing completion on 100 Vandam Street, a 25-story, 72-unit project from COOKFOX and Jeff Greene in Hudson Square, Manhattan.
Looking for an easy escape from New York City? Check out the artsy center of Upstate New York: Hudson.
Looking for an easy escape from New York City? Check out the artsy center of Upstate New York: Hudson.
Looking for an easy escape from New York City? Check out the artsy center of Upstate New York: Hudson.
What are the best things to do in Hudson Yards, NYC's newest development? The Getaway Mavens tell you how to get the most out of a visit.
A triplex penthouse with four bedrooms, six bathrooms and 2,500 square feet of outdoor space at 169 Hudson Street is asking $21 million.
The White Horse Tavern has stood on Hudson and West 11th since 1878, replacing the James Dean Oyster House. Founded as a longshoremen bar, it morphed into one of Village's great literary hangouts and still sports an authentic vintage neon sign. The White Horse was a preferred watering hole of Wels poet and writer Dylan Thomas, who legend has it, once put away eighteen whiskeys. While on a promotional speaking tour, he collapsed here on November 9, 1953 and later died at St. Vincent's Hospital. His last words, according to Jack Heliker, were: "After 39 years, this is all I've done." Jack Kerouac was also a regular and was thrown out repeatedly. It was a good thing he lived across the street. It was here that novelist Norman Mailer, supposedly conceived the Village Voice. Bob Dylan was a regular in 1961, often to watch the Clancy Brothers play.
Everything you need to know for visiting the Hudson Valley, including restaurants ideas, places to shop, hotels, and antiques.
Looking for an easy escape from New York City? Check out the artsy center of Upstate New York: Hudson.
While working on a novella inspired by the author of Moby-Dick, the Hungarian writer László Krasznahorkai found himself enmeshed in a web of connections stretching from Manhattan to Nantucket and from London to Berlin. Following in his footsteps, the photographer Ornan Rotem charts a creative journey encompassing Melville, Malcolm Lowry and Lebbeus Woods
An electric street lamp sits across the street from the newly-completed mansion. The J. J. Wysong mansion would rise on the vacant Fifth Avenue lot next door. In the background another Fifth Avenue mansion is under construction. photo by Wurts Bros from the collection of the Museum of the City of New York http://collections.mcny.org/C.aspx?VP3=SearchResult_VPage&VBID=24UAYWP9OVC1&SMLS=1&RW=1280&RH=915 As the 19th century drew to an end, Charles I. Hudson was doing well for himself. He had formed the brokerage firm of C. I. Hudson & Co. with partner Albert H. De Forest in 1885, had garnered a substantial fortune, and lived with his family in a handsome home at No. 36 West 52nd Street. In 1894 he was one of the millionaire founders of the Thousand Islands Club, a private summer community “which embraces in its membership a number of well-known New-Yorkers,” as described by The New York Times. Now, in 1898 like many other wealthy New Yorkers, Hudson looked to move uptown near Fifth Avenue and Central Park, away from the encroaching commerce. He purchased the lot at No. 1 East 76th Street and laid plans for a fine new mansion. His choice of architects is a matter of contention. The Real Estate Record & Builders’ Guide mentioned on April 13, 1918, “Hiss & Weekes were the architects.” Generations later the Landmarks Preservation Commission would credit Brite & Bacon with the design. Whoever was responsible, the result was striking. In 1899 the five-story neo-Jacobean residence was completed. The regal composition was distinguished by a two-story bay of leaded casements that supported a carved-stone balcony. The brick and stone façade culminated in a decorative parapet that hid the fifth floor from the street. Although the mansion was a commodious 30-feet wide, an areaway between it and the property at the Fifth Avenue corner allowed the luxury of windows in the western wall. Hudson and his wife, the former Sara Kierstede, had four sons: Percy Kierstede, Hans Kierstede, Charles Alan, and Hendrick. With no daughters in the house, Sara Hudson was relieved (or deprived) of debutante entertainments. She was highly visible, however, in the charitable events and causes expected of Manhattan socialites. The family spent the summer seasons at its country estate at East Norwich, Long Island. The family was doubtlessly embarrassed when Charles Hudson’s name appeared in newspapers for a physical confrontation on the floor of the Stock Exchange on March 5, 1900. When a “telephone boy,” Florence E. Finnegan, upbraided Hudson for selling sugar below the price he was given, trouble ensued. “Mr. Hudson is a man of middle age, and Finnegan has just attained his majority,” said The New York Times the following day. The millionaire was unaccustomed to back-talk from a boy and became enraged when Finnegan answered “That won’t do, Mr. Hudson. The order was 98-1/2 and I don’t turn in not’in’ different, see?” After what The Times described as a “lively discussion” Hudson reached his breaking point. “Mr. Hudson swung and landed with his right on Finnegan’s right eye. The telephone boy fell, and when he got up he was without his glasses, but he had blood in his eye, figuratively and literally. A crowd had to keep them apart.” Hudson was suspended from the Exchange for 30 days—the maximum penalty possible. The wealthy family of Mr. and Mrs. Charles M. Lea lived in Philadelphia; but as their daughter Majorie Vaughan Lea approached marrying age, they spent more and more time in New York City. Marjorie’s debut into society took place in New York the same year that Charles Hudson had his skirmish with the young Finnegan boy. Marjorie and her parents spent the following winter season in New York; and by October 1902 she and Percy Kierstede Hudson were engaged. That same month Charles Hudson purchased a new private carriage house at No. 178 East 73rd Street. Less than eight years later the remaining Hudson boys would begin leaving home. In May 1910 Hendrick was married to Helen Morgan Frith. Five months later on October 14, the engagement of Hans to Ethel Le Roy De Koven was announced and Charles’ wedding to Eleanor Granville Brown would soon be in the planning stages. Perhaps it was their sons’ impending marriages that prompted Charles and Sara to sell their impressive mansion in May 1910--or it could have been the construction of the newly-completed J. J. Wysong mansion on the Fifth Avenue corner that prompted the sale. As the Wysong house went up, the Hudsons lost their view “overlooking Fifth avenue” that the Record & Guide had noted. Whatever the reason, on May 15, 1910 The New York Times reported that Hudson had sold the house for $300,000—a satisfying $7 million by today’s standards. The purchaser was Robert Franklin Adams. With the construction of the Wysong mansion, the house numbers along the 76th Street block changed. Rather than take the prestigious Fifth Avenue address, the new mansion took No. 1 East 76th Street. That meant that the Hudson house became No. 3 and so forth down the block. Adams was Vice President of the Adams Manufacturing Company. A member of the exclusive University, Lotos and New York Yacht Clubs; the motorcar enthusiast was also a member of the Automobile Club of America. A year after purchasing the house, Adams’ shiny limousine would be the victim of a runaway horse and cart. On April 8, 1911 a horse attached to an ash cart was spooked in front of No. 36 West 52nd Street. The driver was thrown from the cart and the panicked horse galloped onto Fifth Avenue, “narrowly missing several carriages,” reported The New York Times the following day. “As the runaway tore down the avenue there was a wild scampering of autos and other traffic,” said the newspaper. As the horse tore down Fifth Avenue with the ash cart careening behind, it approached Robert Adams automobile parked at the curb at 46th Street. “The horse tore the running board from its side and threw out the chauffeur, Charles Bender.” The collision slowed the animal enough that mounted Patrolman Plagge was able to get the horse under control. Adams and his wife, the former Lona O’Brien, had two children, Edith and Robert. While Sara Hudson had no opportunity to throw debutante entertainments, Lona Adams would. Edith’s coming out was celebrated in 1913 and the entertainments ended with a reception in the house on December 30. Three years later on February 2, 1916 Edith was married to Jules Glaenzer in St. Thomas’s Church on Fifth Avenue. The wedding would be followed by “a large reception,” according to The New York Press two weeks earlier. The following March Edith was back in the 76th Street house for the birth of her baby. In 1917 the wealthy were most often still seen by doctors in their private homes; rather than hospitals and clinics. In May Robert Adams Glaenzer was born in his grandparents’ mansion. Only a few days later the engagement of Robert to Jennie Frances Marston was announced. As with the Hudson family, perhaps the childrens’ leaving the house was cause enough to sell. Adams sold the house for $225,000. In 1929 No. 3 East 76th Street was owned by Mrs. Dorothy G. Pagenstecher. I. N. Phelps Stokes had recently purchased the ten-story apartment building at No. 952 Fifth Avenue, around the corner. On April 28, 1929 the New York Times reported that he had bought the Pagenstecher mansion “to protect the light of the apartment house.” He paid Dorothy Pagenstecher $200,000 for the property. Isaac Newton Phelps Stokes was not merely the son of fabulously wealthy Anson Phelps Stokes; he was an architect and partner in the firm Howells & Stokes. At the time of the purchase he had just completed the authoritative 6-volume work entitled The Iconography of Manhattan Island. He had married Edith Minturn in 1895 and the couple was immortalized by one of their wedding gifts--a double portrait by John Singer Sargent. The newly-weds were immortalized in their wedding gift portrait. Unlike so many of Sargent's society portraits, the Stokes are wearing casual clothing -- http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/works-of-art/38.104 On December 27, 1931 Stokes transferred the title to No. 3 East 76th Street to Edith. The mansion was converted to apartments—two each on the first four floors and a penthouse on the fifth. The upscale apartments were home to equally-upscale tenants for decades. Somewhat unexpectedly in residential design, the date of construction was carved within the ornately-carved Jacobean-style cartouch. Then in 2004 the Hudson mansion was purchased by the Hewitt School and converted to classrooms. The private girls’ school uses the house as its “lower school” for grades kindergarten through 4. Despite its current use and expected alterations—the wonderful bronze entrance doors are gone, the first floor window has been converted to a doorway, and the servants’ entrance now contains a rather commercial-looking door—the wonderful and unusual neo-Elizabethan house is greatly intact. non-credited photographs taken by the author
Warren Street is just one side to Hudson. You’ll find an even more interesting array of...