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Creator
Fred F. French Companies
Call number
MssCol 6206
Physical description
11.03 linear feet (28 boxes, 4 oversize folders)
Language
English
Preferred Citation
Fred F. French Companies Records, Manuscripts and Archives Division, The New York Public Library
Repository
Manuscripts and Archives Division
Access to materials
Request an in-person research appointment.
Portions of this collection have been digitized and are available online.

The Fred F. French Companies was established in New York City by Fred Fillmore French (1883-1936) in 1908. French was a real estate developer who financed the construction of the Tudor City and Knickerbocker Village housing developments, and the Midtown skyscraper that bears his name. The Fred F. French Companies records, dated 1902 to 1988, consist of financial, legal, and promotional materials in a range of formats including project development binders and scrapbooks; correspondence; legal agreements; stock ledgers and certificates; prospectuses; brochures; photographs; watercolors; and architectural blueprints and renderings that document French's distinctive approach to developing real estate in New York City during the early to mid-20th century.

Biographical/historical information

The Fred F. French Companies was established in New York City by Fred Fillmore French (1883-1936) in 1908. French was a real estate developer who financed the construction of the Tudor City and Knickerbocker Village housing developments, and the Midtown skyscraper that bears his name. In addition to these properties, French owned several large apartment buildings in the Park and Fifth Avenue neighborhoods, some commercial buildings, Interlaken Gardens, a community on Westchester Lake, and the Hotel Everglades in Miami, Florida.

French was born in the Bronx in 1883. His father, a cigar maker, died when French was a child, leaving French's mother, a University of Michigan graduate, with four children to bring up on her own on a limited income. As a child and young adult, French worked odd jobs to help support the family. Through scholarships, French was able to attend high school, at the Horace Mann School, and Princeton University for one year, before leaving to try ranching in the American West. French soon returned to New York where he held various lower-level positions in construction and real estate ventures, before he began developing properties for himself.

Through his innovative investment strategy, which became known as the "French Plan," projects were financed by selling stock to stockholders and small investors, forgoing traditional bank financing. French also created architecture departments to provide in-house design services, acted as general contractor in the construction of buildings, and created subsidiaries to manage properties. Under this plan, French was able to maximize control of his developments and increase his profits. Each building or development became its own organization that existed under the umbrella of the Fred F. French Companies.

After French's death in 1936, Aaron Rabinowitz became the Chief Executive Officer of the Fred F. French Companies at the request of French's widow. Prior to this position, Rabinowitz had been the founder of Spears and Co., Inc., which he ran until 1928, when he left the company to his brothers. Rabinowitz also served on both the New York State Board of Housing and the State Insurance Board. In In the following decades, the corporation sold the majority of its initial holdings and shifted its emphasis to real estate investment.

The Fred F. French Companies was established in New York City by Fred Fillmore French (1883-1936) in 1908. French was a real estate developer who financed the construction of the Tudor City and Knickerbocker Village housing developments, and the Midtown skyscraper that bears his name. The Fred F. French Companies records, dated 1902 to 1988, consist of financial, legal, and promotional materials in a range of formats including project development binders and scrapbooks; correspondence; legal agreements; stock ledgers and certificates; prospectuses; brochures; photographs; and architectural blueprints and renderings that document French's distinctive approach to developing real estate in New York City during the early to mid-20th century.

Scope and arrangement

The Fred F. French Companies records date from 1902 to 1988 and consist of financial, legal and promotional materials in a range of formats including, project development binders and scrapbooks; correspondence; legal agreements; stock ledgers and certificates; prospectuses; brochures; photographs; watercolors; and architectural blueprints and renderings that document French's distinctive approach to developing real estate in New York City during the early to the mid-20th century.

The scrapbooks and project binders represent a broad spectrum of French's projects with a heavy emphasis on the Tudor City and Knickerbocker Village housing projects. They reveal the process of raising money for, and construction of, new buildings, as well as documenting the promotional activities of the Companies. Photographs depict the prior conditions of the potential building sites, the construction processes, and the completed buildings. Although the financial papers and legal records are fragmentary, they provide insights into the investment strategies and legal particulars of the Companies.

The additions, dating from 1925 to 1980s (bulk dates 1960-1980s), supplement the collection mostly with financial records and legal documents that were folded into Series I and II. The following information regards the additional material.

The financial records are controller's reports, and consolidated financial statements of properties. There is an outside appraisal report prepared by the James Felt Realty Services for the French Companies' real estate holdings that is supplemented with photographs and diagrams.

The legal documents mainly represent two important legal issues: the sale of Tudor City along with the post-sale lawsuit Fred F. French Investing Company vs the City of New York disputing the rezoning of two private parks in Tudor City; and the merger of the FFF Subsidiary Corporation into the Fred F. French Company, Inc. going "private." Other legal files include annual reports to the Securities and Exchange Commission and some early records of the companies.

There are also several oversize watercolors of Tudor City.

The Fred F. French Companies Records are arranged in six series:

  • Financial Documents
    1918-1988
  • Legal Documents
    1913-1988
  • Photographs
    1926-1951

    The series is arranged alphabetically by subject.

    Construction photographs depict buildings in various stages of construction. Documentation photographs include images of a section of the Lower East Side known as the "lung block'" (so called owing to the high incidence of tuberculosis) that was razed to make way for Knickerbocker Village. Also included are photographs of completed buildings. Photographs of executives and staff include portraits of corporation officials, including French, and photographs of company events. Unidentified photographs are of a lake house and its environs.

  • Project Development Binders and Scrapbooks
    1902-1963

    This series is arranged chronologically. Created to document the progress of the French projects and companies, the project development binders and scrapbooks cover six decades and multiple building projects. Volumes contain photographs, clippings, advertisements, brochures, blueprints, architectural renderings, and proposals that chronicle the construction of new properties and the promotional activities of the French Companies.

  • Promotional Materials
    1918-1965

    Includes brochures of properties for customers, for prospective investors and for salesmen. Also includes publicity postcards promoting the quality of life at Tudor City.

  • Art

    Three of the watercolors were painted by the same artist (name is illegible).

Administrative information

Source of acquisition

Donated by the Fred F. French Companies, August 1994, and by Alan Rabinowitz, April 2004.

The additions were donated by Timon and Lori Malloy, in 2019.

Revision History

18 boxes and 4 oversize folders processed by Valerie Wingfield. (2019)

Processing information

The collection was processed by Susan Malsbury in 2009.

Using the collection

Location

Manuscripts and Archives Division
Stephen A. Schwarzman Building
Fifth Avenue at 42nd Street, New York, NY 10018-2788
Brooke Russell Astor Reading Room, Third Floor, Room 328