Tudor City

Seclusion in the middle of it all

By Patrick Verel | Special to amNewYork

September 14, 2006

With its clattering traffic, six- and seven-deep crush of pedestrians and more asphalt per square inch than anywhere on the continent, midtown Manhattan would seem to be just the kind of neighborhood you wouldn't want to call home.

Unless, of course, you're talking about Tudor City. Perched on a pedestal above 42nd Street across from the United Nations, it's one of the smallest and most self-contained neighborhoods in Manhattan.

"It's really a small town in the middle of a big town," said Steve Corcoran, principal broker of Steven Corcoran Real Estate, who has lived in the 5,000-resident enclave since 1987.

The complex, which is accessible from 41st Street and 43rd Street, is linked by bridge above 42nd Street. When it was built between 1925 and 1928 as a middle-class neighborhood, its neighbor to the east was a stockyard, so very few windows face the East River. And although each of the 11 residential buildings is distinct, they are unified by a general resemblance to Tudor revival castles.

Bill Baltz, a resident of Tudor City since 1958 and the president of Tudor City Greens Inc., noted that 1988 marked a turning point for the neighborhood, when it was designated a historic district. That same year, residents successfully prevented developer Harry Helmsley from building two residential towers on the parks and playgrounds in the middle of the complex. The parks now host Easter egg hunts, summer concerts, Christmas tree and menorah lightings.

"It's the center of the community, really," he said.

Find it

Tudor City sits atop an elevated platform between 41st and 43rd streets and First and Second avenues.

Real estate

Rena Glickis, associate broker of Tudor Realty, said studios generally sell for $320,000; one-bedrooms go for $450,000 to $520,000, and two-bedrooms: $600,000 to $700,000. The average price for a rental is $1,500 a month for a studio; $2,300 a month for a one bedroom and $3,000 for two bedrooms. There are a scant few three-bedrooms and penthouses that fetch millions, but in general she said the area has retained its affordable roots.

"There are a lot of little things that people love about it," she said.

What's selling
-A 300-square-foot studio with a lower view of the park, 25 Tudor: $262,500
-A one-bedroom apartment, 25 Tudor: $505,000

What's renting
-A 300-square-foot studio: $1,600 a month
-A 600-square-foot one bedroom: $2,250 a month

To see

Tudor City Greens
When denizens of corporate headquarters in midtown want to depressurize from the stress of cubicle life, these English-style gardens on either side of East 42nd Street beckon. They're privately owned and tended to by the nonprofit group Tudor City Greens, Inc., but these well-tended paths, fountains and benches are open to all.