Tudor City: NYC's first residential skyscraper complex

A built-in escape from the slaughterhouses

When developer Fred F. French planned Tudor City in 1925, the blocks below were full of slaughterhouses, gas tanks, and tenements — exactly what the United Nations would later replace. French's pitch was simple: build *up*, look *away* from the river, and give middle-class families an in-city retreat.

The design

Twelve neo-Tudor brick towers went up between 1927 and 1932, with leaded windows, gargoyles, and a private playground. The complex deliberately turned its back on the East River — that's why the avenue-facing windows are tiny.

What it's like today

Tudor City Greens, the two pocket parks above 42nd Street, are open to the public and one of the best quiet spots in Midtown to read with a coffee. The stairs down to 42nd Street are also one of the prettiest shortcuts in the neighborhood.