Hudson View Gardens | |
 Building D elevations, 2009 | |
  Location within New York City | |
| Location | Hudson Heights, New York, NY |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 40°51′14.88″N73°56′20.56″W / 40.8541333°N 73.9390444°W /40.8541333; -73.9390444 |
| Built | 1923–24 |
| Architect | George F. Pelham |
| Architectural style | Tudor Revival |
| Website | hudsonviewgardens |
| NRHP reference No. | 16000020 |
| Added to NRHP | February 16, 2016 |
Hudson View Gardens is a cooperative apartment complex located on Pinehurst Avenue andCabrini Boulevard in the near vicinity of West 183rd and 185th Streets, located in theHudson Heights subsection of theWashington Heights neighborhood inManhattan,New York City. It overlooks theHudson River to the west andBennett Park – which includes Manhattan's highest natural point – to the east. The complex was constructed as ahousing cooperative from 1923 to 1925.[1] In 2016 it was listed on theNational Register of Historic Places.[2]
At a time when some believed that only the wealthy or poor could afford to live in Manhattan,affordable urban housing was viewed a solution to the problem of the middle-class flight to the suburbs.Charles V. Paterno, a real estate developer best known for his extensive work inMorningside Heights, purchased land on Pinehurst Avenue and Cabrini Boulevard, betweenWest 182nd and186th Streets, across the street fromhis estate, atop a ridge above the Hudson River. His plan was to create a "garden community" of cooperative apartments to attract those who desired the comforts of the era'sgarden city movement-inspiredupper middle class suburbs (exemplified by the eponymousGarden City, New York andMountain Lakes, New Jersey) but also wished to remain in New York City.[citation needed]
The project was designed by architectGeorge F. Pelham with landscaping by landscape architectRobert B. Cridland from Philadelphia.[3] Pelham's fifteen buildings in the complex occupy 40% of the 3.869-acre (15,660 m2) site.[4] The nine six-story elevator buildings and six four-story walk-ups were situated to make use of the open space and the expansive views of the Hudson River to the west and Bennett Park to the east.[5] Its use ofTudor-style architectural elements in the facade came two years before the construction ofTudor City, the other major Tudor complex in Manhattan. TheAIA Guide to New York City describes the complex as "Scarsdale Tudor."[6]
Pelham also designed another apartment building in the neighborhood, The Pinehurst, which was built in 1907 at the corner of Fort Washington Avenue and West 180th Street.[7] Pelham's son,George F. Pelham Jr., was the architect ofCastle Village, a Hudson Heights neighbor of Hudson View Gardens across Cabrini Avenue, which was built in 1938.[6]
At the time of its construction, Hudson View Gardens was the largest housing cooperative in New York and one of the earliest aimed at the middle class. Today it is known throughout Hudson Heights as the home of beautifully manicured gardens, its own playground, andU.S. mail delivered directly to each apartment.[8] Community events are hosted in the Hudson View Lounge, many of which are free and open to the public.
Notes
