London Terrace

London Terrace

From the High Line
Location in Manhattan, New York City
General information
Town or city Chelsea, Manhattan, New York City
Country United States
Coordinates 40°44′50″N 74°0′7″W / 40.74722°N 74.00194°W / 40.74722; -74.00194Coordinates: 40°44′50″N 74°0′7″W / 40.74722°N 74.00194°W / 40.74722; -74.00194
Opened 1930
Design and construction
Architecture firm Farrar & Watmough

London Terrace is an apartment building complex located in New York City, in the Chelsea section of western Manhattan. It encompasses an entire city block bounded by Ninth and Tenth Avenues, as well as by West 23rd and 24th Streets. Construction began in late 1929, at a cost of more than $25,000,000 (equivalent to $345,107,000 in 2015)[1] on what was then to be the largest apartment building in the world.[2]

The London Terrace building contains approximately 1,700 apartments in 14 contiguous buildings between 17 and 19 stories high as well as an Olympic sized swimming pool.[3] London Terrace was constructed by Henry Mandel Companies [1] and the architectural firm, Farrar & Watmough.[2] The building is currently operated by two separate entities. London Terrace Towers is currently a co-op and managed by Douglas Elliman Property Management,[4] while London Terrace Gardens is now a rental building and managed by Rose Associates.[5]

History

The name of the building stems from the former development also known as London Terrace, which consisted of roughly 80 houses built in 1845 that resembled London flats.[3] The location was selected by Mandel due to the short walk to midtown Manhattan offices, as a way to provide modern low-priced housing for "white collar" workers.[3][6] Victor C. Farrar, architect of London Terrace, compared the project to Rockefeller Center, and stated that large scale projects conserve valuable space and rehabilitate the city with modern apartment buildings and stores [2]

Descendants of Clement Clarke Moore leased the property to Mr. Mandel in 1929, which permitted the demolition of the six story "London Terrace" buildings and the smaller "Chelsea Cottage" in the rear, which were mostly constructed in 1845 by William Torrey after their 85-year leases expired.[7] Mr. Mandel stated that "The section which we will develop is one of the most logical areas in downtown section for the purpose... here may be found about the only unbroken rows of old-style buildings which lend themselves readily to destruction without the interference of newer structures. The convenience of the section to the midtown and shopping centers offers another logical reason for such development".[7] The cornerstone was laid by the Clement Clarke Moore, great-great-grandson of his namesake in December 1929,[8] To finance construction of the complex, two separate $5.5 million bonds were issued, one for the "End Units" (now London Terrace Towers) and one for the "Garden Units" (now London Terrace Gardens),[9] which leads to the buildings' bifurcated structure. The first buildings were opened for occupancy May 1930.[1]

When the complex was complete in November 1930, the population of the block increased from approximately 400 to roughly 5,000, making better use of the valuable real estate.[10] The complex included restaurants, swimming pool, gymnasium, and a "modernistic garage with club rooms for both patrons and chauffeurs".[10] The pool was regularly used for swim meets. An internal dial telephone system connected the apartments and businesses in the complex.[11]

At the 1932 London Terrace Christmas party, Yankees baseball legend Babe Ruth dressed as Santa Claus and distributed gifts to hundreds of children. Some guests were residents of London Terrace, while others were invited by The Salvation Army. After handing out the gifts, Babe revealed his identity to wild shouts and cheers from the crowd. Babe and his wife thrilled the crowd by signing autographs and visiting apartments.[12]

The building fell into default May 1933,[9] shortly after the complex was complete, due in part to the Great Depression. Henry Mandell entered into personal bankruptcy in 1932 with debts of more than $14 million (equivalent to $243,224,000 in 2015).[6]

Three years after completion, on January 1, 1934, it was 94% rented (1,560 out of 1,665).[13] The property agent, William A. White & Sons credited this to four factors: the opening of the Independent Subway System's Eighth Avenue Line (the current A C E trains of the New York City Subway); lowered rental prices; advertising campaigns; and addition of facilities available to residents without charge.[13]

Description

The London Terrace building contains approximately 1,700 apartments in 14 contiguous buildings of between 17 and 19 stories,[3] and was constructed by Henry Mandel Companies[1] and architectural firm Farrar & Watmough.[2] On the outside, the building still appears to be one large complex, but it is operated on the inside as two separate organizations, London Terrace Towers and London Terrace Gardens; many of the internal connections have been closed off. All London Terrace residents are still able to enjoy amenities such as the swimming pool, health club, roof deck,[14] and internal garden. However, whether the swimming pool at London Terrace is included in the rent has been disputed since 1992.[15] In c. 2011, both the Gardens and the Towers have invested significant sums to modernize and repair the building.[16]

Due to Mandel's planning, London Terrace is situated in a prime Manhattan location very close to the High Line and within less than 1 mile (1.6 km) Penn Station, Chelsea Market, Chelsea Piers, and the Hudson River Park.

Notable residents

References

Notes

  1. 1 2 3 4 "First Units Ready in London Terrace: Work on Nineteen-Story Apartment Hotels Is Expected to Start in July". New York Times. May 11, 1930.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Block Development Will Benefit City: Architect Sees Solution of Many Civic Problems in Large Scale Construction". New York Times. February 22, 1931.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Leonard, Neil (May 7, 1967). "London Terrace Enters Middle Age Gracefully: 37-Year-Old Chelsea Project Retains Its Charm". New York Times.
  4. ↑ "London Terrace Towers Management". Retrieved September 14, 2012.
  5. ↑ "London Terrace Gardens". Retrieved September 14, 2012.
  6. 1 2 "Receiver is Named for Henry Mandel". New York Times. March 13, 1932.
  7. 1 2 "Apartments Doom Old Chelsea Homes: $25,000,000 Project Planned by Mandel in Block From 23rd to 24th St., 9th to 10th Av.". New York Times.
  8. ↑ "Clement Moore Relic Used as Cornerstone, Is laid by Great Grandson of Author of "Night Before Christmas."". New York Times. December 18, 1929.
  9. 1 2 "Investors' Guide: London Terrace Apartments". Chicago Daily Tribune. September 3, 1937.
  10. 1 2 "London Terrace in Modern Garb, Huge Apartments in Famous Chelsea Block Will Accommodate 5,000 Persons". New York Times. November 16, 1930.
  11. ↑ "Swim Crown Won by Miss Thorenz, German-American A. A. Star Takes Metropolitan Senior 100-Yard Breast-Stroke Title". New York Times. April 13, 1932.
  12. ↑ "Babe Ruth is Santa at London Terrace, Distributes Gifts to Chelsea Children at Special Fete Before Revealing Identity". New York Times. December 25, 1932.
  13. 1 2 "London Terrace Now 94% Rented, 4,300 Persons Under One Roof in New York". The Washington Post. February 18, 1934.
  14. ↑ "London Terrace Towers - About the Building". Retrieved September 28, 2012.
  15. ↑ Jones, David (August 5, 2014). "Tenants gain in heated battle over pool at London Terrace". The Real Deal. Retrieved September 28, 2014.
  16. ↑ Gregor, Alison (July 10, 2011). "A Restoration Revealed Piece by Piece". The New York Times.
  17. ↑ Larocca, Amy. "Enter, Chelsea". New York. Retrieved September 21, 2012.
  18. ↑ Barker, Olivia (August 31, 2007). "This Apartment is a Guide to Tim Gunn's Style; Bravo Show Keep Him Busy; New Digs Keep Him Happy". USA Today.
  19. ↑ "DEBBIE HARRY FAILS TO MAKE CUT". Page Six. New York Post. Retrieved September 28, 2012.
  20. ↑ "Calm Housing Expert: Neal Johnson Hardy". The New York Times. November 11, 1969.
  21. ↑ Odell, Michael. "Debbie Harry- Still bold, still blonde". The National. Retrieved September 21, 2012.
  22. ↑ Salkin, Allen. "Photographer Annie Leibovitz owes $24 million, may lose rights to her pictures". The Seattle Times. Retrieved September 21, 2012.
  23. ↑ "THE JOHN O'HARA SOCIETY". oharasociety.blogspot.com. Retrieved August 3, 2015.
  24. ↑ Stiffler, Scott. "Q&A with Quinn reveals positions on affordable housing, Chelsea citizenship". Chelsea Now. Retrieved September 21, 2012.
  25. ↑ Abelson, Max. "Park Slope Celebrity Tour!". The New York Observer. Retrieved September 21, 2012.
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