The Affinia Hotel now occupies the building at the southeast corner of 31st Street and Seventh Avenue, which was first erected as the Governor Clinton Hotel. The hotel across the street from Penn Station was designed by architects Murgatroyd & Ogden—the latter a Cooper Union graduate—and opened in 1929. The hotel was originally named after New York state’s first governor, George Clinton, who held the position from 1777-1795 and 1801-1804. · Hotel Governor Clinton, 371 7th Ave. at 31st St. 14to42 · Hint: This Tower Was Named After a Prominent NY Figure Curbed · Cornerspotter archives Curbed
Sold Stuff: Buyers Pick Up 177-Year-Old Chelsea Townhouse for Gut Reno
One man, Clement Clarke Moore, has two claims to fame: writing “The Night Before Christmas” and, also, totally creating the neighborhood of Chelsea. In the 1800s, Moore split up and sold off his grandfather’s estate, which dominated the area (and gave it its name), and began developing the surrounding blocks. Fast forward 200 years, and a scrap of Moore’s grandfather’s land—holding an 1836-built house at 354 West 20th Street, between Eighth and Ninth avenues—hit the market in January, asking $6.25 million. According to public records, a pair of buyers, Keith Cackowsky and Rachel Schnipper, just picked it up for $6.2 million. The rather rundown, five-…