From the Archives: The Queen of Staccato

Today our 34th Street archivist Anne Kumer shares some history of the 34th Street district. This post also appears on NYC Circa.

Luisa Tetrazzini, also known as the Queen of Staccato, was a coloratura soprano, famous for her vocal range and flexibility. She achieved the kind of international fame that only seems available to pop stars today, and performed regularly in Europe and the United States from the 1890s into the 1920s. The Library of Congress has several recordings of her here.

Luisa Tetrazzini, c. February 16, 1911. Image: LOC

In 1908 Tetrazzini signed a five-year contract with Oscar Hammerstein to sing at The Metropolitan Opera House in New York City. Just a few years into this contract, they had a dispute over money and venues. He wanted her to sing in New York; she loved, missed, and was eager to return to San Francisco. Her response was truly Bay Area: she took to the streets, and on Christmas Eve, 1910, gave a free concert at the corner of Market and Kearney, near Lotta's Fountain. The city and its citizens, still recovering from the damage caused by the 1906 earthquake, were grateful, and showed their support in numbers.

Tetrazzini's SF street show, Christmas Eve, 1910. Image via

Back in New York, Tetrazzini performed at the  Hippodrome on Sixth Avenue between 43rd and 44th Streets numerous times throughout her career and was one of the most popular performers in the city.

Ticket line for a Tetrazzini concert at the Hippodrome, 1919. Image: LOC

She also lived in the Hotel McAlpin (now Herald Towers).

Broadway, looking south with the Hotel McAlpin on the right, 1921. Image: MCNY

On December 3, 1920 Tetrazzini gave a recital via "radio telephone" from her room at the McAlpin. Arranged by Army Signal Corps, it was the first attempt to provide long distance entertainment to troops deployed overseas and aboard naval ships. Her voice was heard by hundreds on ships in port and at sea within 400 miles of New York City. As a thank you, Private Fred Bennett of Fort Wood, Staten Island, stationed aboard one of the ships, sang "A Tumble Down Shack in Athlone" back over the airwaves to Tetrazzini. 

On Christmas Day of that same year, she gave another meaningful performance at the McAlpin, this time as Mrs. Santa Claus to the hotel's visiting and permanent resident children.

In addition to being a famed musician, she was the namesake for the dish Chicken Tetrazzini. There are varying accounts as to the origin of the recipe, but all can agree that it was named after and inspired by Tetrazzini. James Beard attributes the recipe to chef Ernest Aborgast at The Plaza Hotel in San Francisco; I'm tempted to believe him just because of my undying love for this book.

Louis Paquet, chef de cuisine of the Hotel McAlpin won four prizes in the 1920 Hotel Men's Exposition at the Grand Central Palace. Around this time, Tetrazzini also gave him her recipe for  Spaghetti Tetrazzini, a dish that remained on the McAlpin menu for several years.

Enrique Caruso, Luisa Tetrazzini, two men, Nipper the dog, 1914. Image: LOC

Here is Luisa singing along with a recording of Caruso. It's the only surviving film footage of her, and twas taken upon her retirement in 1932. At 62, and following a prolific performing career, her voice is still as strong as ever, and her laugh at the end is delightful.

From the Archives: Choc Full o' Nuts

Today, to celebrate the opening of Broadway Bites, our 34th Street archivist Anne Kumer shares some dining history of the district. This post also appears on NYC Circa.

For many years a Choc Full o' Nuts lunch counter occupied retail space in the ground floor of the Hotel McAlpin, now, Herald Towers building, at 34th and Broadway. Like most restaurants in Midtown Manhattan, it was packed around lunchtime. 

December 1954, Alfred Eisenstaedt. Photo: LIFE via this blog post.

Choc Full o' Nuts opened its first store near Times Square at Broadway and 43rd Street, in 1926. The company continued to grow, opening its first cafe opened in 1932, and following with food trucks.

Possibly the first store, c. 1926 Photo: Pinterest

Food cart from the 1930s or 1940s. Photo: here

The company's founder was William Black, who, as his business grew, also became a well respected philanthropist. He donated a lot of money towards medical research, and in 1957 founded the Parkinson's Disease Foundation with an initial donation of $100,000.

One of Choc's most well known employees was famed baseball player Jackie Robinson. Shortly after retiring from baseball in 1956, he was hired as the company's Vice President and Director of Personnel. Mr. Robinson was an extremely vocal Civil Rights advocate as well. NARA has a great collection of his letters. 

William Black and Jackie Robinson at a store opening. Photo: NYT

The comments section of this post by Ephemeral New York includes many fond memories of the franchise in the city.

For a while, Choc Full o' Nuts at 34th Street and Woolworth's supplied Midtown workers with two solid lunch options flanking Herald Square. The 34th Street lunch counter closed in 1990.

Where do you go to get an Egg Cream now?

Forever 21 34th St: Black & White & New All Over

Well, it's new all over on the second floor. If you haven't shopped Forever 21 on 34th Street in a while, you're in for a big surprise: this store is now so much easier to shop. First, there's all the really pretty displays featuring the latest trends, like black and white.

Then there's the section where GapKids and babyGap used to be, on the second floor of Herald Towers overlooking Broadway (Gap and Forever 21 are in the same building). Now it's all Forever 21 with light coming through the windows. Lovely!

Remember what the old accessories department looked like in Forever 21 on 34th Street? This is a HUGE upgrade. Also, there's a beauty section.

Again, remember what the old checkout lines looked like? Now you can browse merchandise while waiting to check out, just like at Sephora ;)

A huge improvement on 34th Street. Of course, I was there at 9am this morning which accounts for the lack of line at the dressing rooms and checkout. I highly recommend an early morning trip; Forever 21 is open at 8am on 34th Street, so you can stop by on your way to work.

Forever 21

Herald Towers, 50 West 34th Street just east of Sixth Avenue

From the Archives: Happy 100th Birthday McAlpin Hotel

Today our 34th Street archivist, Anne Kumer, helps us wish Happy 100th Birthday to one of our favorite residential buildings, the Herald Towers. This post also appears on NYC Circa.

It's now a residential building called the Herald Towers that somewhat blends in with surrounding tall architecture, but when it was first built in 1912, the McAlpin hotel was a formidable presence. At 25 stories tall, it was the largest hotel in the world with 1,500 rooms, not including the Turkish bath, roof garden (a solid amenity if there ever was one), ballroom (throwback to the Gilded Age), and convention hall (meh).

The McAlpin going up, March 1912. Photo: MCNY

The building was designed by American architect Frank Mills Andrews and besides its fortuitous location next to the Sixth Avenue El train, it was smack in the center of rapidly changing part of the city. In 1912, the Macy's store on West 34th Street and Broadway (across the street) was celebrating its tenth year, and the area was quickly transforming from the den of sin it was in the late 1800s to a retail and hospitality center. A few blocks away on 34th Street at Park Avenue, the Vanderbilt Hotel was under construction; the Titanic sank in April 1912, taking with it Macy's founder Isidor Strauss; and the first monument dedicated to a woman was celebrated in Bryant Park. One year earlier, the New York Public Library opened its doors to the public, and in 1913, the Grand Central Oyster Bar opened its doors. In short, people were traveling, shopping, and eating out more.

The hotel McAlpin opened for business on December 29, 1912, a Monday.

Photo: LOC

A year after the hotel's opening, members of the Blackfoot Confederacy from Montana visited the hotel. The visit was arranged by Louis W. Hill, fonder of the Northern Railroad Company to promote train service from western states.

Photo: MCNY

All sorts of PR stunts were staged, some with phonographs.

Photo: MCNY

The McAlpin was also one of the first hotels to rent ground-level space to retailers. By 1917,  the hotel's owners had purchased additional frontage along the 34th Street entrance, and were slated to add 200 more rooms.

Photo: NYPL

The McAlpin was also known for its restaurant located in the Alpine Cellar, called the Marine Grill, not so much for the food, as for the decor. The walls and ceilings were covered in Terra Cotta murals based on paintings by Fred Dana Marsh, and showed the history of the New York harbor. 

Marine Grill, c. 1924. Photo: MCNY

The restaurant eventually closed, but thankfully the murals were rescued and are now installed at the Chambers Street / Park Place A train stop as part of the MTA's public art program.

And . . . . as a bonus, I give you cartoon spats!

Postcard: From the collection of Dan Pisark