It’s been about a month and a half since Mr. M, Charlie Mae the Wonderpup & I made the move from east to west coast, and I’m already the picture of laidback Californian, slacking off on my blog posting and rocking a shamefully dramatic flip flop tan.
But wait. Seeing as how it’s been a while since we last talked, I should probably back up. Way up. (Cue your own dream sequence music.)
Like most other ‘last times,’ closing the door on our New York City apartment was bittersweet.
Even after just two years, our little oasis in Manhattan’s concrete jungle was home to many a good time.
When Mr. M needed to move to Manhattan for work, I was Bummed-capital-B to leave San Francisco behind. As I’ve said before, San Francisco is the place that’s always felt the most like home. Taming the frontier before bringing his woman to a savage land, Mr. M went ahead to New York to forge through a roster of possible apartments before I arrived.
Mr. M loved our apartment at first sight. It feels at once cozy and spacious, and it reminded us a lot of where we lived in San Francisco. Most importantly, it had character!
One of my main demands upon moving was that I refused to live in a sterile skyscraper. I’m happy for those who are happy floating above the earth, but detached perfection is just not for me. I want someplace that feels like it has a story to tell.
Perhaps the biggest selling point of our home in NYC was its character. From 1909 to 1973, many years before it was our apartment, it was Manhattan’s Old Police Headquarters. The building is actually on the National Registry of Historic Places.
Just a few blocks south, and on Charlie’s & my afternoon walk circuit, was the location of the Five Points neighborhood, so-called because it marked the spot of a 5-street intersection.
In the 1800’s, the Five Points neighborhood was one of the most dangerous slums in the western world, ruled by warring gangs and overtaken by disease, prostitution, and crime. It was fictionalized in the book and movie “The Gangs of New York.”
When the building was constructed, the headquarters of New York’s Police was the tallest building around… and purposefully located adjacent to the Five Points as a means of “inspiring fear and penitence” in the crime-ridden slum.
The thugs weren’t impressed and kept on thugging. Which is why the police relocated to a bigger, more sterile building near City Hall, and why the city eventually salvaged the Old Police Building and turned it into apartments.
Bonus trivia #1: The Police Building was also conveniently located across the street from a restaurant/speakeasy called Headquarters (see the red brick facade peeking through the living room window in that first picture of our empty living room? That’s the old speakeasy!). During the prohibition years, a tunnel was {allegedly} constructed going from our building to Headquarters so that the police could {allegedly} indulge in an illicit spirit or two.
One of our doormen once told me that although the tunnel is no longer useable, it does still exist. I tried bribing him with freshly baked croissants to take me down there, but no dice. Perhaps moreso than the boys in blue, our doormen have scruples.
Bonus trivia #1a: Headquarters, The Speakeasy is now O’Nieals the restaurant & bar. If you’re not familiar with the name, you may know it as “Scout,” Aidan & Steve’s bar in the Sex and the City series. Every afternoon around 2pm, I could look out my window and see a long line of women taking the SATC Tour entering O’Nieals for- what else?- a cosmopolitan. Just what the owners of the original speakeasy had in mind, no doubt. ;)
Despite being repurposed, much of the basic architecture of the Old Police Building has been maintained and has made for some interesting apartment layouts- and lots of character. The basement cells have been converted into a senior center (can you imagine proposing the seemingly obscene idea of stuffing our treasured elderly into old jail cells??). Not to worry, though- from the laughter & bingo sounds wafting out, I’m guessing it’s less dungeon, more awesome.
And can you imagine living in the clock dome at the top?
I never was able to get Mr. M & I invited to a cocktail party there…. perhaps because the Mr. & I constituted the ‘slums’ of 240 Centre Street. With our boisterous visitors and general unfanciness, I’d say we kept a little bit of the Five Points alive in the Old Police Building.
I always felt like riff-raff better suited for the aforementioned cells than the apartments above. Our upstairs neighbor was one of the Real Housewives of New York and running into her in the building gym- me keeled over and gasping for breath in sweaty spandex and she, a fresh-faced vision with perky ponytail- did little for my self esteem.
My absolute favorite story about our old apartment is this… The building was actually the source of that phrase you always picture old-timey police saying: “Take ’em downtown, boys.” The downtown they’re referring to… is the Old Police Building in downtown Manhattan!
Finding myself at the close of one of life’s adventures is always troublesome. Finality concerns me. I have a bipolar, love-hate relationship with change.
But as I shut the door on our Manhattan apartment, I realized that I should be taking a cue from the Old Police Building (and the city of New York) itself. The end of a chapter is really just the world encouraging reinvention. The end of one thing can conjure the life of another- in architecture and in life.
So thank you, New York, for a most colorful chapter. And the opportunity to be reborn in a brand new city.
I’m so glad we were taken downtown.
Tips & Tricks: For the best history lesson in NYC- at least in my book- visit The Lower East Side Tenement Museum. Decidedly unstuffy, the museum consists of touring a preserved and restored tenement building (similar to what existed in 1800’s Five Points) while revisiting the U.S. history you were supposed to have learned in high school. Somehow, history sticks in your head a heckuvalot more when you can walk to visit the sites of Tammany Hall or the Old St. Patrick’s Cathedral on the way over.
And because learning should always be rewarded with food: visit The Doughnut Plant for a tres leches, creme brulee, or pb & blackberry jam treat. Doughnut Plant was my one food request on our very last day in Manhattan.
Yay, glad you are back! And this little bit of a history lesson concerning your former abode is so cool. I love a place with character!
Why thank you! :D By the way- my dashboard tells me you're my 1,000th comment! Please imagine a balloon drop and falling confetti celebrating you. Yay! :) It's so nice to return to the world of blogging... although my writing muscles need a bit of stretching after a month and a half of convalescence!
Woo, hoo! Imagined balloon drop and confetti all around, done. :-)
It was great to read your blog again! As always I love your writing! Thank you for the history lesson! I shared it with my husband as he was making supper. Very cool! Can't wait to read more!
Thank you, Jenn! It's great seeing your smiling picture in my comments section again! :) Honestly, I'm humbled that my school marm history lecture was found worthy of dinner-making conversation! Learning really does go better with food, no? ;)
Absolutely :)
Yay! So glad to read a post from you again! I was actually thinking about you (no creep!) the other day and if the move went well! Your NY apartment sounds amazing! What wonderful memories and stories you'll have to share about it! Hopefully you're back on a more regular basis now ;)
Yay, I didn't fall off the face of the earth! You're not creepy, just thoughtful- thank you for thinking of me! :) The move went really well- I've been having lots of fun painting my house bright, happy colors (my stairwell is sparkly gold!! I feel like you'd appreciate it!), and Charlie Mae is a big fan of having a yard. I will most definitely try to post more often than every month and a half. :} I've missed my blogosphere friends!
Oh, sparkly gold? That sounds amazing. I need to paint my stairwell next, and I think it's going to be a smoky grey. Boring, but it's visible from the royal purple and the brick red rooms. So, I wanted to keep it simple ;)
Miranda, It's so good to have you back! You and your wit were sorely missed. Looks like you lived in a fascinating place with an interesting history. Hope things are working out in Cali. We just arrived in Kiev, Ukraine and are having a blast exploring the city. All the best, Terri
Thank you so much, Terri! You are too sweet. Kiev?! I clearly have a lot of catching up to do on the blog-reading front! Can't wait to read all about your Ukrainian adventures!
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