Tudor City, Manhattan : NYC Tourist Guide

Tudor City

Tudor City is an apartment complex located on the East Side of Manhattan in New York City. It is bordered by E 40th Street to the South, First Avenue to the East, Second Avenue to the West and E 43rd Street to the North.

The natural topography of the area is such that east-west streets slope downward from Second Avenue to First Avenue. As a result, Tudor City is at a different elevation at First Avenue and is accessible to vehicular traffic only via Second Avenue. A viaduct connects the two halves of Tudor City bisected by 42nd Street, with staircases providing pedestrian access between 42nd Street and the complex. A separate staircase known as the Sharansky Steps connects Tudor City with Ralph Bunche Park and First Avenue.

The area was once home to tenements and slums and bordered a power plant and slaughterhouses along First Avenue on the East River.

In the 1920s, the complex was built to bring in middle-class residents who had begun leaving the city for the outer boroughs and suburbs. The complex, home to 12 buildings and over 5000 residents was completed in 1928. It currently includes a U.S. Post Office, hotel, grocery store, haircutting salon, laundry, and restaurant in addition to three garden parks and a children's playground.

The complex is located directly across First Avenue from the United Nations headquarters. In an ironic twist, only a few apartments face the United Nations because the area was home to slaughterhouses in the 1920s, and few apartments were built to face east because of the stench and filth that came from them. In the 1940s, the slaughterhouses were demolished and the United Nations was built in their place. Today, only some apartments have what could have been high priced views of the UN headquarters and East River. Instead, the majority of apartments face inland parks and the Midtown skyline. Many apartments have good views of the Chrysler Building and Empire State Building.

In 1988, the complex was named as a historic district and is perhaps most famous for its TUDOR CITY sign overlooking 42nd Street.

Tudor City is featured in a number of film and television productions. Movies filmed in Tudor City include The Godfather Part III, The Peacemaker, Spider-man, Spider-man 2, Splash, and U.S. Marshals. 5 Tudor City Place was the location where the bomb was planted under the Governor's car in Scarface.