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Hudson View Gardens 1923-25 (15 buildings) 116 Pinehurst Avenue
– apartment co-op complex between Pinehurst Avenue and Cabrini Boulevard (was Northern Avenue) from 183rd to 185th Street [182nd to 186th per Renato Cantore)
– 354 apartments
Listed in the National Register of Historic Places • 16 February 2016
National Register of Historic Places Registration Form • Received 31 Dec 2015
15 apartment buildings; 354 apartments; occupying just 40% of the entire lot; 60% reserved for common areas, services (playground, nursery, gym, waster incinerator, telephone switchboard, laundry/ironing room, tailor, barber, hairdresser, restaurant, small supermarket, post office], and gardens [designed by landscape architect Robert Cridland from Philadelphia] – an apartment in the city with the atmosphere and space of a country home…facades in rough stone, sloped roofs, Gothic arches, large leadlight windows, exquisite stucco work, and the extensive use of wood and wrought iron….reddish, roughly finished stone bricks for the facade imported from the Netherlands….wooden doors with the characteristic Gothic arch, gables of the facades, wide casement windows, crenellated towers, sloped slate roofs, wrought-iron streetlights, broad flagstone pavement….for the landscape no less than 3,000 plants brought from William Rockefeller’s large nursery in Tarrytown, a farming village in Westchester….interior: parquet floors, soundproofed walls, modern furniture with large cabinets, big refrigerators, gas stoves, linoleum floors, dishwashers, central radio, maid services available (Renato Cantore)
Constructed 1924 and 1925, Hudson View Gardens is a Tudor revival style apartment complex consisting of four buildings with 356 apartments located on a large, irregularly shaped, steeply-sloping site stretching along the west side of Pinehurst Avenue and the east side of Cabrini Boulevard, from just south of West 183rd Street to just north of West 185th Street, in the Fort Washington section of the Washington Heights neighborhood of the New York City borough of Manhattan, New York County, New York. The lot measures 756.7 1/4 feet along Pinehurst Avenue on the east, 734.3½ feet along Cabrini Boulevard on the west, 240.8 ½ feet on the south, and 156.8 3/8 feet on the north. The four detached buildings that form the Hudson View Gardens complex comprise fifteen separate apartment buildings, each with its own entrance. All of the buildings are somewhat irregular in shape, with projecting and recessed bays. There are nine six-story elevator apartment buildings and six four-story walk-up buildings. Because the site is sloped, extending down to the west, many of the buildings have an above-ground basement level with apartments. At the south of the complex is the six story A Building (116 Pinehurst Avenue). A one-story boiler room is attached to the west side of this structure at basement level. To the north, separated by the entrance to the private drive, is a structure with six separate six-story buildings (B, C, D, E, F, and G; 128, 134, 140, 150, 156, and 168 Pinehurst Avenue) arranged around a series of U-shaped courtyards. To the north, across the exit to the private drive, is a U-shaped, six-story structure with two buildings (H and J; 174 and 174R Pinehurst Avenue). Individually, each of these six-story buildings is L-shaped with a shallow arm to the el. To the west of the private drive, is a rectilinear structure that contains a row of six four-story buildings (K, L, M, R, S, and T; 116R. 128R, 134R, 140R, 150R, and 156R Pinehurst Avenue). The buildings and site retain their integrity to a very high degree. National Register of Historic Places Hudson View Gardens (extensive building descriptions and photos at this link)
“In 1924 Hudson View Gardens were created by Dad as cooperative apartment buildings. These had one of the first central radio receiving provisions for all tenants to use. Each apartment had four electricity outlets for plug-ins to serve the loudspeaker and provide selectivity among four programs. A radio attendant was on duty around the clock. Consider that during the infancy of radio broadcasting, individual radio sets were not purchasable at a store. One could buy batteries and assemble his own radio set and yet not be able to buy one. This pleased the tenants and aided the selling of many apartments.” Carlo Paterno in My Family page 48
For several years, Charles had continued to buy land around his castle. In the early 1920s, his properties in Washington Heights covered nearly 20 acres. (Renato Cantore)
1923 – 6 main/connected 6-story buildings
179
$700,000.00
PINEHURST AV, 128 to 168 6-sty bk apt, 519˙108
OWNER / OWNER ADDRESS
(o) Paterno Constn. Co / (o) 117 W 54th COMMENTS
ARCHITECT / ARCHITECT ADDRESS
(a) G. F. Pelham / (a) 200 W 72d [72nd] (source)
1923 – 6 main/connected 4-story buildings
180
$240,000.00
NORTHERN AV, 125 to 153 4-sty bk apt, 366˙43
OWNER / OWNER ADDRESS
(o) Paterno Constn. Co / (o) 117 W 54th COMMENTS
ARCHITECT / ARCHITECT ADDRESS
(a) G. F. Pelham / (a) 200 W 72d [72nd] (source)
NB 180-1923 (duplicate of above)
Cabrini Boulevard, 125-153
4-story brick apartment, 366×43
Cost:
$240,000
Owner:
Paterno Constn. Co., 117 West 54th Street
Architect:
George F. Pelham, 200 West 72nd Street
Address in Real Estate Record:
NORTHERN AV, 125 to 153 (source)
NB 180-1923
Cabrini Boulevard, 125-153
4-story brick apartment, 366×43
Cost:
$240,000
Owner:
Paterno Constn. Co., 117 West 54th Street
Architect:
George F. Pelham, 200 West 72nd Street
Address in Real Estate Record:
NORTHERN AV, 125 to 153 (source)
1923 – south side stand-alone 6-story building (with boiler room)
181
$103,000.00
PINEHURST AV. 116 to 122 6-sty bk apt, 72˙94
OWNER / OWNER ADDRESS
(o) Paterno Constn. Co / (o) 117 W 54th COMMENTS
ARCHITECT / ARCHITECT ADDRESS
(a) G. F. Pelham / (a) 200 W 72d [72nd] (source)
1923 – north side double 6-story building
183
$195,000.00
PINEHURST AV, 174 6-sty apts, 70˙141
OWNER / OWNER ADDRESS
(o) Paterno Constn. Co / (o) 117 W 54th COMMENTS
ARCHITECT / ARCHITECT ADDRESS
(a) G. F. Pelham / (a) 200 W 72 (source)
1923 – it looks like this wasn’t built; Block 2179 Lot 112; in 1927 a 6-story building was constructed by another builder (111-127 Northern/Cabrini; NB 463-1927)
182
$103,000.00
NORTHERN AV, 121 6-sty bk apt, 72˙94 (121 Northern/Cabrini)
OWNER / OWNER ADDRESS
(o) Paterno Constn. Co / (o) 117 W 54th COMMENTS
ARCHITECT / ARCHITECT ADDRESS
(a) G. F. Pelham / (a) 200 W 72d [72nd] (source)
1923 – unsure of these buildings; 178.2 is south of the castle garages at 210.3
461
$20,000.00
NORTHERN AV, w s, 178.2 n 181st two 2-sty bk dwgs, 84˙28
OWNER / OWNER ADDRESS
(o) C. V. Paterno / (o) 117 W 54th COMMENTS
ARCHITECT / ARCHITECT ADDRESS
(a) Geo. Fred Pelham / (a) 200 W 72d [72nd] (source)
1923 – unsure which building this is; 178.2 is south of the castle garages at 210.3
462
$6,000.00
NORTHERN AV, w s, 178.2 n 181st 1-sty bk garage
OWNER / OWNER ADDRESS
(o) C. V. Paterno / (o) 117 W 54th COMMENTS
ARCHITECT / ARCHITECT ADDRESS
(a) G. F. Pelham / (a) 200 W 72d [72nd] (source)
1924 – unsure which building this is; temporary garage north of HVG?
296
$400.00
PINEHURST AV, 186-88 1-sty fireproof garage, 18˙18
OWNER / OWNER ADDRESS
(o) Paterno Const. Co (l) Jas. T. Padgett / (o) 117 W 54 (l) 140 Wadsworth av COMMENTS
ARCHITECT / ARCHITECT ADDRESS
(b) Belmont Metal Co / (b) 2502 Webster av (source)
NB 118-1928 – unsure which building this is; castle is 182 Northern; tnt?
Northern Avenue [Cabrini Boulevard], 172-180
4-sty bk tnt, 186×86, 5-ply slag roof
Cost:
$100,000
Owner:
Paterno Const. Co., Dr. Chas. V. Paterno, pres, 100 E 42d [42nd]
Architect:
Geo. Fred. Pelham, 570 7th [Seventh] av
Address in Real Estate Record:
NORTHERN AV, 172-80
NB 119-1928 – unsure which building this is; castle is 182 Northern; tnt?
Northern Avenue [Cabrini Boulevard], 182-210
6-sty bk tnt, 280×150, 5-ply slag roof
Cost:
$400,000
Owner:
Paterno Const. Co., Dr. Chas. V. Paterno, pres, 100 E 42d [42nd]
Architect:
Geo. Fred. Pelham, 570 7th [Seventh] av
Address in Real Estate Record:
NORTHERN AV, 182-210
Hudson View Gardens is a 1924 enclave of 15 Tudor-Style buildings on a winding private street with gardens, a playground and other amenities, meant to resemble a medieval English village. In 2016, it was placed on the National Register of Historic Places. Hudson Heights: A Hidden Gem, Gaining Popularity By Aileen Jacobson March 28, 2018
1924: The Hudson View Gardens apartment complex is completed in upper Manhattan between Pinehurst Avenue and Cabrini Boulevard from 183rd Street to 185th. Designed by George F. Pelham, Jr. for Dr. Charles V. Paterno, 50, the enclave contains six-story elevator buildings and four-story walk-ups with a total of 354 co-op apartments, the most expensive one having two bedrooms and selling for $10,000, with monthly maintenance of $94. Kitchens have automatic dishwashers, living rooms are equipped with built-in Murphy beds, a rooftop technician monitors incoming signals for the central radio service, and tenants have their own post office, community rooms, barbershop, children’s nursery, grocery store, and restaurants, but restrictive covenants bar sales to black and Jews. The New York Chronology: The Ultimate Compendium of Events, People, and Anecdotes from the Dutch to the Present by James Trager [Note: HVG was designed by George F. Pelham, Sr. not George F. Pelham, Jr.]
External Links:
• Streetscapes/Castle Village and Hudson View Gardens in Upper Manhattan; Shadows of an Uptown Castle, and Its Builder By Christopher Gray Sept. 10, 2000
• Streetscapes/Hudson View Gardens; In Upper Manhattan, a 1924 Touch of Tudor Suburbia By Christopher Gray Nov. 16, 1997
• National Register of Historic Places Hudson View Gardens
• Hudson View Gardens on Wikipedia
• Hudson View Gardens photos on Wikipedia
• Abel v. Paterno October 20, 1934
• Abel v. Paterno June 20, 1935
• Supreme Court Appellate Division Karlopat Realty Corp vs Cantamessner 1933 (pg 119)
“Their [Ruth & Lyndon Brown] first home was 1 Haven Avenue NYC (site of George Washington Bridge) but after their first daughter Ruth Middaugh Brown was born July 30, 1924 they moved to Hudson View Gardens, a large and unique complex of apartments with a restaurant, A&P, playground and garden within. The apartments were way ahead of their time with dishwashers, refrigerators, etc. Dad [Charles Vincent Paterno] opened the wall between two apartments giving Lyndon and Ruth a very large apartment consisting of a front and back door. Living room, very large dining room, kitchen, laundry, master bedroom, second bedroom and nursery, plus two baths and a porch all overlooking the castle and the Hudson River! (Notes on Carlo Paterno’s book My Family made by Ruth Marie Welsh Brown)
“My mom and dad and I moved when I was one year old to a brand new stretched out apartment in a very modern apartment complex overlooking “The Castle” and the Hudson River and the New Jersey Palisades. The apartment complex was called “Hudson View Gardens” and was built by my grandfather Dr. Charles V. Paterno [1878-1946]. There were a dozen apartments attached with cellar ways connecting so one could walk from one to another in bad weather. An A&P drug store, restaurant and radio station were in the complex. Also a large rose garden and a separate children’s park with a sand box large enough for all the children to play in.
Our apartment was designed for us – two apartments connected. It was stretched out with the large dining room in the center, a kitchen (with dishwasher and other appliances) and a large laundry room, the same size as the kitchen were to the side. A foyer ran along the back of the apartment where the front door was (we were a flight below street level) with a telephone in the outer foyer of the building for security. At one end of the dining room was the living room and beyond that a large bedroom and bath and just the opposite on the other side of the dining room was a “nursery” (like a family room) with a murphy bed. A large master bedroom and bath were at this end and screened porch and path, garden and stairs going down to the street below. It was a wonderful apartment with beautiful views from all the window (large foot deep window sills). There was a second murphy bed under the large tapestry in the living room. We had a grand player piano in the living room where our parents entertained frequently.
Our grandparents living across the street in the Castle. It was wonderful having them so near and being invited for Sunday dinner almost every Sunday.” Ruth Middaugh Brown’s Memories
The Hudson View Gardens on Wikipedia
Hudson View Gardens, Manhattan, New York (source)
“Built in 1924, Hudson View Gardens was a Tudor Revival style garden apartment complex located in Washington Heights, New York. The apartment building complex was designed by architect George Pelham and created by Dr. Charles Paterno, a wealthy doctor turned real estate developer. Paterno created the complex for a rising middle class that had the ability to move to the suburbs but wished to stay in the city.39 Pelham designed the Hudson View Gardens buildings in a style “suggestive of the Tudor Period in England…well adapted to the rugged nature of the site.”40 Each set of buildings did not look like one another, due to their employment of the varied textured clinker brick. The use of the brick created a rustic community, resembling a bucolic English village.
Clinker brick was intermingled with common brick creating unique patterns and textures reminiscent of “an old English style of architecture within the fourteen buildings located in the complex, producing an ensemble of attractive [buildings].”41Approximately ten million brick were supplied by the Anglo-Dutch Tradition Corporation located in the Netherlands for this project (image 4-10). In texts referencing the buildings, these brick were referred to as “Holland Brick.”42 Although it was never confirmed that they were clinker brick, upon closer examination of the material, the rough exploded surfaces and multi-faceted colors of the brick resemble clinker brick. Therefore, the name “Holland Brick” may have been given to the material to emphasize its quality as a foreign import, reflecting the high standards used in the construction of the buildings.
39 Andrew Scott Dolkart. “Hudson View Gardens.” Sites. 37.
40 Ibid.
41 William P. Comstock. “Hudson View Gardens, New York City.” Architecture and Building. 57. No. 10 (1925).
42 “Ten Million Brick From Holland Used In Paterno Colony.” Herald Tribune, May 4, 1924.; “Holland Brick Being Used In New Construction Work.” Herald Tribune, June 21, 1925.
The New York Herald, New York Tribune (1924-1926); New York, N.Y. [New York, N.Y]. 30 Aug 1925: G4.
The New York Herald, New York Tribune (1924-1926); New York, N.Y. [New York, N.Y]. 19 Apr 1925: B3.
Note regarding the radio room from Bill J. on Facebook January 2023: “My grandparents lived in HVG 1950s-1960s. One of the cool things I remember was noticing the apartments were wired for a closed circuit “radio” station. Before they moved out they temporarily occupied what was originally the radio studio. It was knows as “the Penthouse” in the H building I believe. It was rented for temporary purposes. If memory serves me right, a kitchenette was installed near where those antennas are set up.” Jeffrey T. adds ” They used the AC lines to transmit, didn’t they? The old Carrier Current system that some college radio stations were still using until not too long ago.” [Confirmed by Carlo Paterno in his book My Family page 48: Each apartment had four electricity outlets for plug-ins to serve the loudspeaker and provide selectivity among four programs.]
Living It Up (published 1984) page 184: HUDSON VIEW GARDENS, 116 Pinehurst Avenue: The 14 buildings on a 6-acre plot of land between West 183rd Street and West 185th Street were built by George F. Pelham, Jr. architect, in 1924-1925. [Correction: built by Dr. Charles V. Paterno; George Pelham was the architect] They were cooperative from the beginning with 356 apartments consisting of 3-6 rooms. Many modern labor-saving devices were advertised by the buildings’ brochure, including “motor-driven dish washers” (which sat in the kitchen sink), refrigerators, and a central telephone switchboard. Heavily stressed to prospective tenants were the radio equipment, then very rare in apartments. “Four super-heterodyne Western Electric receiving sets will be installed in a room devoted to radio equipment,” the brochure stated. “each of the apartments will have four outlets, one connected with each receiving set, enabling residents to listen to a choice of all four programs at one time.” The kitchens were the object of much real estate hyperbole. Each had an incinerator. “Facilis Descensus Averno!” proclaimed the brochure. “Virgil’s quotation, ‘Easy is the road to hell,’ did not apply to garbage until incinerators were invented.” Each apartment also had a refrigerator that made ice cubes, a process described in some detail, as it was a very new attraction.
The New York Herald, New York Tribune (1924-1926); New York, N.Y. [New York, N.Y]. 01 Oct 1925: 37.
