I returned to the NoMAD (North of Madison Square Park) neighborhood after the holidays were over on a rather cold and cloudy day. What a difference three weeks makes in the mood of New York City. What ever was left of that little Christmas cheer that was in Manhattan was over. The streets had gotten really quiet again. Not the same when I walked the neighborhood on Christmas Day but still the busiest place in the neighborhood was Madison Square Park. Those little kids really love that playground and the dog walkers are finding refuge in the Dog park. Madison Square Park has been a blessing in disguise for many people in this neighborhood.
I started my walk on West 30th Street and Broadway. I have walked this part of Broadway many times on my full length walk of Broadway from 242nd Street to the Bowling Green Park at the tip of the Island and recognized many of these buildings from previous walks. This part of Broadway is so impressive in architecture and played such an important park of the City’s development as a business district.
My ‘Walk down the Length of Broadway’ has been done four times:
https://wordpress.com/post/mywalkinmanhattan.com/14302
As the neighborhood as started to gentrify before my eyes (I have never seen so many buildings being gutted and sandblasted back to life), a new generation of upscale stores and restaurants are finding a home on Broadway between 30th to 26th Streets. Broadway right now is closed off for outdoor winter dining in the era of COVID. I could not believe the way people are bundling up to eat outside.
One of the most impressive buildings on the edge of the neighborhood that is currently under renovation is 1200 Broadway, former The Gilsey House Hotel.
1200 Broadway-The Gilsey House Hotel
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gilsey_House
This elegant Victorian confection was designed by architect Stephen Decatur Hatch with a cast iron facade in the Second Empire style. The hotel opened in 1872 as a luxury hotel catering to well-heeled guests when this was the main business district. I now is being renovated for residential use (Wiki).
One of the most beautiful buildings on Broadway is 1181 Broadway, The Baudouine Building, at the corner of Broadway and West 28th Street. The building was built for furniture maker Charles A. Baudouine with architect Alfred Zucker. The building was completed in 1896 (Daytonian).
1181 Broadway-The Baudouine Building
http://daytoninmanhattan.blogspot.com/2013/09/the-1896-baudouine-bldg-no-1181-broadway.html
The ornate building has a unique feature on the top in the form of a small Greek temple on the roof that was once used for the Baudouine Realty business. There was a succession of businesses using the building over the years but it has now given way to apartments (Daytonian). You really have to walk around this building to admire its details done in terra cotta and limestone.
The Greek Temple roof at 1181 Broadway
Walking down Broadway, I passed 1133 Broadway, The St. James Building. It is another building that makes you stop and take notice of the detail work on the outside of the building. The St. James was built in 1896 by architect Bruce Price in the Beaux Arts style with a limestone exterior and noted for its arched windows (New Yorkitecture).
1133 Broadway The St. James Building entrance.
The embellishments on the top of the building.
The buildings in this section of Broadway became more commercial towards the turn of the Ninetieth Century in a ‘race to sky’ with the rise of early skyscrapers (Flatiron Partnership).
1133 Broadway-The St. James Building
https://42floors.com/us/ny/new-york/1133-broadway
One building that stands out in the neighborhood that sits right near Madison Square Park like another overgrown confection amongst the other buildings is 1132 Broadway (also known as 210 Fifth Avenue), the Cross Chambers Building, once home to the Marc Cross & Company leather goods store. This detailed building was designed by architect John B. Snook & Sons in the Beaux Arts style (Daytonian).
1132 Broadway-The Cross-Chambers Building (210 Fifth Avenue)
https://www.cityrealty.com/nyc/flatiron-union-square/210-fifth-avenue/61843
This marble clad building stands guard impressively amongst the surrounding buildings and you really have to look closely of the details in design to see its beauty. Walking closer to the park, another stand out building is 1128 Broadway (212 Fifth Avenue).
This impressive building is next door to 210 Fifth Avenue and faces Madison Square Park between West 25th and West 26th Streets. This former commercial building was converted to residences in 2016. The building was built in 1912 by architects Schwartz & Gross in the Neo-Gothic and Romanesque style. The building is amazing when it is lit at night (Flatiron Partnership).
210 & 212 Fifth Avenue (1128 and 1132 Broadway) across from Madison Square Park
http://daytoninmanhattan.blogspot.com/2019/04/the-1905-cross-chambers-building-210.html
Making my way through the park, I relaxed by the playground again and could not believe how busy it was for a late afternoon. I was wondering if these kids were in school or had virtual classes and were taking a break. If the parents were cooped up in the apartments surrounding the park with their kids, maybe it was them that needed the break and the fresh air. Either way, the kids were having a ball and climbing all over the place while the parents talked amongst themselves happy to see other adults.
Madison Square Park in the summer months
https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/madison-square-park
From the park, I started my trip up Fifth Avenue from 25th to 30th Street. Fifth Avenue is the dividing line between the West Side and the East Side of Manhattan and has been almost the cultural divide between these two sections of Manhattan over the years.
Madison Square Park at night.
For years when I was working in Manhattan in the Rug industry, this had been the Handmade Rug District and the Textiles District for the Garment Industry. Slowly this is giving way to more residential and commercial use for other industries such as the growing Tech, Advertising and Multi-Media industries that have been growing since 1998. It has been because of the fiber optic cables that line Eighth and Ninth Avenues along with beauty of all these classic buildings. More and more people want the charm of these Beaux-Arts style buildings that just a decade ago were considered obsolete and were being knocked down.
I finished my afternoon by having dinner at AweSum Dim Sum at 160 East 23rd Street. Since dining inside was still closed in the City, I had to brave eating my dinner at one of the outdoor tables in the 40 degree evening with no pool heaters in site. I could not believe the other five tables were filled as well. It shows the popularity that this restaurant has gotten in the four months I have been visiting this neighborhood.
I explored the Dim Sum menu and settled on an order of Fried Rice Dumplings, an order of Spring Rolls and for dessert an order of Baked Cream Buns. Everything was nicely wrapped in small containers and boxes and I ate the furthest table by East 23rd Street. Talk about a view at twilight. All the lights were coming on and surprising the traffic around the restaurant was busy.
AweSum Dim Sum at 160 East 23rd Street
The food here is excellent and reasonable. The Cream Buns especially were crisp on the outside due to the rice dough and sweet on the inside. Everything on the menu here is terrific.
The Cream Buns here are amazing
The Spring Rolls are delicous
Fifth Avenue has so many charming buildings as well. Walking up Fifth Avenue from Madison Square Park I passed one of the most impressive buildings at 225 Fifth Avenue, the former Brunswick Hotel and called The Grand Madison. It presides over the northern part of Madison Square Park.
This impressive building also once the New York Gift Building was designed by architects Francis H. Kimball and Harry E. Donnell in the Renaissance Revival style in 1906. The outside of the impressive building is built with multi-color brick and limestone (StreetEasy).
225 Fifth Avenue-The Grand Madison/The former Brunswick Hotel
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Grand_Madison
As I headed up Fifth Avenue, one neighborhood museum you should not miss is the Museum of Sex at 233 Fifth Avenue. Talk about an interesting museum dedicated tastefully to the art and history of sex.
Museum of Sex at 233 Fifth Avenue
Homepage
I had visited the museum in the Pre-COVID days (that seems like a lifetime ago) and visited the exhibitions on the “History of Pornography” in film and “Punk Lust: Raw Provocation 1971-1985”, an exhibition on the ‘Punk Music Scene’ during the height of the ‘sexual revolution’. I also saw their “Artifacts” exhibition that opened their very unusual collection to the public.
Items from the movie “Deep Throat” in the “Artifacts” show at the museum
There is some very interesting art in this museum as well as they were building ‘Funland’ while I was visiting so I have to go back and see the exhibition. Don’t miss their interesting gift shop.
Funland at the Museum of Sex
Funland at the Museum of Sex
At the corner of West 27th Street and Fifth Avenue, is 236 Fifth Avenue with a colorful painting of a Victorian woman by artist Triston Eaton. The painting has many meanings from the emancipation of women through the “Ladies Mile” shopping district where women could walk without being escorted by a man to the trail of the century of the Stanford White shooting.
“The Gilded Lady” on the side of 236 Fifth Avenue by artist Triston Eaton (no longer there as of 2023)
Artist Triston Eaton is an American born artist who graduated from the School of Visual Arts in New York City and started his career in the toy industry. He is now sought out today for his large-scale murals (Artist Bio).
Artist Triston Eaton in front of “The Gilded Lady” (Triston Eaton Bio)
As I continued the walk up Fifth Avenue, I passed another architectural gem at 242 Fifth Avenue, The Bow Building. This unique building was finished in 1885 and was converted to apartments in 2016 (CityRealty.com).
Fifth Avenue at East 23rd Street
The building was the former home of John C. Ely, a real estate owner and was originally built in 1883 as a private brownstone home. In 1885, architect George Harding converted it from residential to a commercial building with the addition of the large bay windows and a cast iron front (Daytonian).
242 Fifth Avenue-The Bow Building
http://daytoninmanhattan.blogspot.com/2014/06/the-1885-renovation-of-no-242-fifth.html
Just further up Fifth Avenue near East 28th Street is 256 Fifth Avenue which also has the most interesting facade. The building was built by furniture maker Charles A . Baudouine when he started to buy real estate. The building was designed by architects Alfred Zucker (who also designed 1188 Broadway for the same owner) and John H. Edelman and was completed in 1893. The building is designed in the Moorish Revival style and was designed for retail use that started to fill the area at the later half of the 1800’s (Daytonian).
256 Fifth Avenue
http://daytoninmanhattan.blogspot.com/2011/07/1893-moorish-fantasy-no-256-fifth.html
Tucked in the courtyard of The Cambia Hotel at 123 West 28th Street are some interesting flower paintings lining the walls of the courtyard. These colorful paintings enhance the look of a hotel that was built in the middle of the Flower District.
The Cambria Hotel courtyard painting at 123 West 28th Street
The other wall
Artist Alixandra Jade painted this in 2022. It was painted after I toured the neighborhood
Alixandra Jade is an artist and owner of Alixandra Jade Art & Design. She has a BS in Design in Visual Communications from the University of Alberta. She is known for her bold abstracts and murals.
At the tip of the neighborhood between East 29th and 30th Streets is the Marble Collegiate Church at 272 Fifth Avenue and 1 West 29th Street. The Marble Collegiate Church is one of the oldest churches in New York City being part of the Reformed Dutch Church. It was founded in 1628.
The Collegiate Marble Church at 272 Fifth Avenue at 1 West 29th Street
The church at night during the holidays in 2023.
The church building was built between 1851 and 1854. It was designed by architect Samuel A. Warner in the Romanesque Revival style with Gothic Trim and is made of Tuckahoe marble (Wiki).
The Dr. Norman Peale statue just outside the church.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norman_Vincent_Peale
Clergyman and Author Norman Peale who wrote “The Power of Positive Thinking”
The plaque outside the church dedicated to Dr. Norman Peale.
For dinner that evening, I made a detour back through Kips Bay to try Kips Bay Deli at 545 Second Avenue again for dinner. Indoor dining was still not available in Manhattan so I ordered a sandwich and took it with me to the little plaza across the street from Hassenfeld Children’s Hospital at NYU Langone on the corner of East 34th Street and First Avenue.
Kips Bay Deli is at 545 Second Avenue
https://kips-bay-deli.business.site/
The sandwiches at Kips Bay Deli are just excellent and can easily feed two people. I ordered a Chicken Parmesan on a hero roll and it was just excellent (see my review on TripAdvisor and DiningonaShoeStringinNYC@Wordpress.com). The sandwich was stuffed with two large fried chicken cutlets with tomato sauce and fresh mozzarella. I was starved from all that walking up and down both Broadway and Fifth Avenue. It tasted so good on a cool night. I just sat and watched the doctors leave from their shifts that evening.
The Chicken Parmesan sandwich here is really good
My last afternoon in NoMAD, I explored all the side streets from West to East 30th to West to East 25th Streets again between Sixth and Madison Avenue. I saw a lot of the same buildings that lined both Broadway, Fifth and Madison Avenue before and it was nice to admire them from all angles. Even on the side streets, I can tell even in the era of COVID this is an extremely desirable neighborhood and buildings are being gutted and renovated.
I started back in Madison Square Park to figure out my game plan. On this cool day, the park was extremely busy. The dog walkers were all talking amongst themselves while the kids were all yelling and screaming in the playground.
I started my walk on the corner of Madison Avenue and East 26th Street and made my way down the street. I passed the now closed Museum of Mathematics at 11 East 26th Street (now at 225 Fifth Avenue) and looked through the window. The museum finally reopened after its COVID closing in December of 2022. This interesting interactive museum is perfect for young children and their parents.
The museum is all about teaching children math from a hands-on approach. There are two floors of displays where children and adults alike can participate in the activity.
Museum of Mathematics at 225 Fifth Avenue
https://www.facebook.com/MoMath1/
I found the Tessellation Display and the Human Tree to be fun for me to play at and create my own art while learning something about math and its distinctions. Still, it is geared for children under the age of twelve.
The Tessellation Display at the National Museum of Mathematics
The Human Tree at the National Museum of Mathematics
Walking down from East 26th to West 26th Streets to Sixth Avenue, I passed many of the historic buildings on Fifth Avenue and Broadway again with their beautiful details and their impressive stonework. This is true until you get to Sixth Avenue with its modern apartment buildings that were built in the late 1990’s until today.
Slowly the borders and businesses of the Garment and Flower Districts around Sixth Avenue are slowly disappearing. There is still some small manufacturing and whole businesses left but little by little these buildings are being torn down for another building or gutted for an upscale merchant or restaurant. The character of the old neighborhood will be gone within the next five years.
As I made my back down West 26th Street and rounded the corner on Madison Avenue to East 27th Street, so many interesting small buildings stood out when you left the confines of the Avenues. There is one standout that has an interesting history at 13-15 East 27th Street, The Prince Edward Hotel.
13-15 East 27th Street-The Prince Edward Hotel
https://www.realtyhop.com/building/13-west-27th-street-new-york-ny-10001
The was designed by architect Howard Greenley in the Beaux-Arts style and opened in 1904 with a ‘British Flair’ with a “Ladies Tea Room’ and a “British Tap Room’ as noted by the signs outside. When it opened, it had its own celebrity clientele that spanned that era. The history changed 65 years later when in the 1970’s it was considered one of the most dangerous welfare residencies in the City. Today the hotel is going through another renovation to bring it back to its glory (Forgotten New York).
Another set of beautiful buildings you have to look up at to admire their beauty is 28-32 West 27th Street which was built in 1909 in the Beaux-Arts design and 34 West 27th Street next door which has a unique design itself and both are heavily decorated.
28-32 West 27th Street and 34 West 27th Street next door
https://www.realtyhop.com/building/28%20West%2027th%20Street
The beautiful details of the outside of 28-32 West 27th Street.
There are two small places to eat on the way back down West 27th Street that you should not miss. Pastry Chef Dominique Ansel opened his new bakery, Workshop at 17 East 27th Street recently and the pastries are amazing and innovative (as unusual). The small bakery is very creative in its design to match the delicious treats being sold.
Dominique Ansel’s Workshop Bakery at 17 East 27th Street
https://www.facebook.com/DominiqueAnselWorkshop/
I tried the Brown Sugar DKA (Dominique’s Kouign Amann), a type of caramelized brioche/croissant that is loaded with cinnamon and butter and baked in a muffin dish. You have to pull it apart to enjoy each sweet piece of pastry. I also tried a savory pastry, the Crispy Molten Comte Gougere which is a type of cream puff filled with Comte and mozzarella cheese and then topped with bread crumbs and then warmed up. It was heaven.
The bakery case at the Workshop.
The Crispy Molten Comte Gougere.
The pastry when it is heated and melting.
The DKA Brown Sugar
The DKA Brown Sugar pulled apart and so buttery
The other is a little hole in the wall pizzeria called French Pizza at 1158 Broadway on the corner of Broadway and West 27th Street. The pizza slice was a $1.00 and the pizza was quite good. The sauce was amazing and the guy working the counter was really nice. They have a selection of breakfast and lunch dishes that are all under $5.00.
French Pizzeria at 1158 Broadway is a reasonable ‘hole in the wall’ restaurant
Heading back down 27th Street to Fifth Avenue, I passed the Museum of Sex again and I could see through the window that the gift shop was busy. It was interesting that everyone was wearing masks because of COVID but it seemed rather suited for the museum.
My walk down East 28th Street offered similar architectural treasurers. As the neighborhood started to change from wealthy residential to commercial, the rich started to build their new mansions on the upper parts of Fifth Avenue around Central Park. This area became the new Midtown from the end of the Civil War to the beginning of WWI. It became home to many of the top hotels and the Hotel Latham from 4-8 East 28th Street became one of the top hotels.
4-8 East 28th Street-The Latham Hotel
http://daytoninmanhattan.blogspot.com/2014/08/the-1904-hotel-latham-no-4-east-28th.html
The Latham Hotel was built 1904 and designed by architect Augustus N. Allen in the Beaux Arts style. The hotel opened as both an upscale residential and transient hotel. Like the Prince Edward Hotel, the modern era was not the best to the hotel and it was used for the homeless during the 1970’s and 80’s. Currently it is being renovated again (Daytonian).
One building I admired was at 34 East 28th Street. This small building has a unique facade that looks like it belongs in New Orleans. This brownstone with marble trim was built in 1910.
34 East 28th Street
https://streeteasy.com/building/34-west-28-street-new_york
I rounded the corner again to East 29th Street and stopped right in front of 2 West 29th Street. This elegant marble commercial building was built in 1928 and has since been renovated into condos. Don’t ask what the going price is to live here!
2 West 29th Street
https://www.cityrealty.com/nyc/flatiron-union-square/2-west-29th-street/109254
The detail work on 2 West 29th Street.
On the way back to the East Side of Fifth Avenue, I walked past 1186 and 1200 Broadway again with their scaffolding and sandblasting that will be going on for months. I also passed many small groups of Caribbean men who work at the wholesale stores huddling under the scaffolding to keep warm and dry on the gloomy afternoon.
As the buildings in this neighborhood go through the transition back to hotels and upscale retail awaiting the post-COVID days in the future I wondered how much longer they will all be working here. Almost all the buildings I have highlighted in the neighborhood are going through some form of renovation turning the neighborhood back to its glory days as the Midtown hub.
My last stop in the neighborhood was the Church of the Transfiguration at 1 East 29th Street. The church was built in the English Neo-Gothic style in 1849. The church had continued to be added onto during the late 1800’s with the tower and guildhall built in 1852 and the lych-gate designed by architect Fredrick Clarke Withers in 1869. The chapels were added in 1906 and 1908. The early claim to fame of the church was it had actor Edwin Booth (the father of John Wilkes Booth) Memorial stained glass window designed by John LeFarge in 1898 located in the church (Wiki).
The Church of the Transfiguration at 1 East 29th Street
The grounds of the Church of Transfiguration
The Church of Transfiguration.
The Church of Transfiguration.
What is nice about the church is the gardens in the front where you can sit down and rest and contemplate about yourself. The original architect of the church is unknown but designed these English gardens as a place of refuge. What I thought was interesting was that the church had been used in films since Silent films and the most famous current film was the Woody Allen film “Hanna and her Sisters” (Wiki).
Still even on a gloomy day, it was a nice place to just rest, relax and think about how this neighborhood is going through its own transformation as the rest of the City is during this time of COVID. What will be the end results and what will the City look and be like?
I ended my evening once again with a quick slice of pizza at Fresh Pizza and Deli at 876 Sixth Avenue. I don’t know why I love this little dump of a restaurant but the food is so good. The pizza is a $1.00 and on a cold gloomy night tasted so good. The cooks here keep giving strange looks like I am going to arrest them or something. The people that eat here are real characters that work in the neighborhood and like to defy City orders and eat their pizza and sandwiches at the small counter inside the restaurant. I found myself doing the same until they nudged me to the sidewalk.
Fresh Pizza and Deli at 876 Sixth Avenue
https://www.seamless.com/menu/fresh-pizza–deli-876-6th-ave-new-york/2406485
The Cheese Pizza here is delicious
I keep wondering how long this little neighborhood gem with last in the latest transformation of this neighborhood. I will stay-tuned as I continue my walk around the old Midtown.
My blog on “Walking the Borders of NoMAD/Rose Hill/Flatiron District”:
https://wordpress.com/post/mywalkinmanhattan.com/16580
My blog on “A Victorian Christmas: Touring the Ladies Shopping Mile” with the Cornell Club:
https://wordpress.com/post/mywalkinmanhattan.com/8117
Places to Eat:
AweSum Dim Sum
160 East 23rd Street
New York City, NY 10010
(646) 998-3313/3314
Open: Sunday 9:30am-8:00pm/Monday-Thursday 11:00am-8:00pm/Friday 11:00am-9:00pm/Saturday 9:30am-9:00pm
My review on TripAdvisor:
My review on DiningonaShoeStringinNYC@Wordpress.com:
https://wordpress.com/post/diningonashoestringinnyc.wordpress.com/1898
Kips Bay Deli
545 Second Avenue
New York, NY 10016
(917) 261-2927
https://kips-bay-deli.business.site/
Open: Sunday-Saturday 24 Hours
My review on TripAdvisor:
My review on DiningonaShoeStringinNYC@Wordpress.com:
https://wordpress.com/post/diningonashoestringinnyc.wordpress.com/1961
Fresh Pizza & Deli
876 Sixth Avenue
New York, NY 10001
(212) 779-7498
https://99centsfreshpizzaanddelinewyork.mybistro.online/
Open: Sunday-Friday 6:00am-12:00am/Saturday 24 hours
My review on TripAdvisor:
My review on DiningonaShoeStringinNYC@Wordpress.com:
https://wordpress.com/post/diningonashoestringinnyc.wordpress.com/2000
French Pizza
1158 Broadway at West 27th Street
New York, NY 10001
(917) 472-7732
My review on TripAdvisor:
My review on DiningonaShoeStringinNYC@Wordpress.com:
Dominique Ansel Workshop
17 East 27th Street
New York, NY 10016
(212) 901-1015
My review on TripAdvisor:
Places to Visit:
The Museum of Sex
233 Fifth Avenue (@27th Street)
New York, NY 10016
(212) 689-6337
Open: Sunday-Thursday 10:30am-11:00pm/Friday & Saturday 10:30am-12:00am
Fee: General Admission $20.50/$3.00 off for Students, Seniors and Military
Homepage
https://www.museumofsex.com/museum/about/
My review on TripAdvisor:
My review on VisitingaMuseum.com:
https://wordpress.com/post/visitingamuseum.com/3081
Madison Square Park
11 Madison Avenue
New York, NY 10001
(212) 520-7600
https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/madison-square-park
https://www.facebook.com/madisonsquarepark/
Open: Sunday-Saturday 6:00am-11:00pm
https://www.madisonsquarepark.org/
My review on TripAdvisor:
National Museum of Mathematics
11 East 26th Street
New York, NY 10010
(212) 542-0566
https://www.facebook.com/MoMath1/
Open: Sunday-Saturday 10:00am-5:00pm
Fee: Adults $25.00/Seniors-Children-Students $20.00
My review on TripAdvisor:
My review on VistingaMuseum.com:
mywalkinmanhattan 