From The Peopling of New York City
An Interview at the Actor's Temple
by Jacky
On a bleak looking, overcast Saturday morning, Hell's Kitchen has a foggy feel. Everything is slightly grayed out, and one feels calm and at ease. After snapping the pictures on the front page of Hell's Kitchen and looking for more interesting places to photograph, I came across the Actor's Temple.
While taking pictures of the bulletin board outside and the facade, the front door suddenly opened and a surprised man looked towards me. He looked at the camera, smiled and said: "Ya know, you can take pictures inside too. It definitely looks better than what you'll find out here" With that, I happily obliged, and of course, took the liberty of requesting an interview.
The Interview
The man's name is Fred Foster, and he is usually in charge of making the preparations for the Actor's Temple's weekly Friday and Saturday masses. At 8:30 AM, he was busy making sure that the synagogue was fit for presenting to its congregation. After he settled down with his work and we exchanged pleasantries, he was kind enough to provide his insights on the Actor's Temple and the general area.
JN: So how long have you been working here at the Actor's temple?
FF: I've been here for about four or five years - it doesn't seem like long, but it was enough to get the feel of this place. I get to see the people that come by, and I'm around the neighborhood enough to see what generally goes on.
JN: Do you live around here or do you commute?
FF: Are you kidding? I can't afford it! It's nearing $5100 for an apartment in this neighborhood. The prices are only going up.
JN: That's crazy. I'd never dream of being able to afford that - tell me, is the congregation here made up of people from the neighborhood?
FF: Not really. You got one or two families that live nearby, but most of the families that attend the services live outside of this neighborhood.
JN: Ah. Would you be able to tell me a bit about this place?
FF: Well, it used to be only a synagogue, but a couple of years back, they decided to renovate it for theatrical stuff again - you saw some of the pictures out front - there used to be pews in here before they got them out and put in all the chairs. Also, if you look on the walls, there are all kinds of performers that used to come here - Jack Benny, the Three Stooges, you know these guys right?
JN: Of course - who wouldn't? Do they do shows here all the time now?
FF: Yeah - they do regular shows here right now - here, I got a couple of flyers from the ones they used to have here a while back. I'll get them for you.
JN: Thanks.
FF: They also put in some mirrors and floor padding in the basement - you know, they rent it out as a dance studio for the actors and them. On 45th, there's the Broadway Dance theater - people from there would come here to use it.
JN: That's pretty cool. Changing topics, you said earlier you're around here a lot - can you tell me about the people that are around in this neighborhood?
FF: It's mostly a bunch of college kids - you know, the ones that just graduated and are in for the internships and residencies. But I'll tell you something, they're getting ripped off for the rent.
JN: Yeah, $5100 for an apartment?
FF: You see those nine buildings outside on 47th? I know a couple of guys who live there. The owners there tried to raise the price for the previous tenants by $300. In the end, they left because they couldn't afford it, and then they charged an extra $600 for the new guys moving in. That's how they get ya - once the one year lease is up, the old guys leave and then the new guys pay more.
JN: So that's why the rent's always going up here. So no one really stays?
FF: No, everyone just comes and goes. There's no sense of neighborhood or camaraderie here. No one really knows each other.
JN: That's kinda sad. So even though they live next to each other, nothing?
FF: It's not only that people are constantly moving in and out - it's also that these guys all work different hours, different shifts and stuff. It's not like the quiet places outside the city where everyone knows each other.
JN: So are there a lot of new immigrants living here?
FF: They probably can't afford the rent - it's going through the roof. Like I said before, it's a bunch of college kids, and other than them, this place is mostly white. Most folks can't afford this place anymore.
JN: So what about some of the businesses around here? What changes have you seen in the past few years?
FF: You know this neighborhood used to be home to a lotta Irish - gangs, drugs, all that stuff. They had a lotta pubs here too, but now, they're just opening up a lotta bars. People have a lot more places to get drunk and the like. Diners too, if you've been going around, you'll definitely have seen it.
JN: Yeah, I've seen it - it's definitely got a lively mood though.
FF: What's funny is that this place used to be a bunch of warehouses in the 1800's - now it's all food. Everyone here eats out, lots of different places to go. I think its that the college kids can't really cook.
JN: I know I can't.
FF: *laughs* You know, it's already 9:30 - the people should be coming in here soon. I gotta get busy.
JN: Alrighty - thanks for everything.
FF: If you wanna know something cool about this neighborhood, there's a park right down the street, about a block, on 10th avenue. It'll tell you the story of how this neighborhood got its name. It's a nice story - you should check it out.
JN: Definitely. Thanks for taking the time.
FF: It was nice talking to you. Good luck!
Thoughts
Foster's comments about the rent prices going up due to newcomers willing to pay more for the apartments give a bit of insight on the gentrification that's going on in the neighborhood. While gentrification has undoubtedly been an ongoing process, it's apparent that it's been more pronounced in recent times, especially given that Foster had witnessed this change despite having only been around Hell's Kitchen for four or five years.
Furthermore, though this interview, one can see that the businesses in Hell's Kitchen have been and have remained as privately owned food ventures. Despite the rapid change in the clientèle and demographics in this neighborhood, one can infer that the reason for businesses remaining the same is that everybody needs a place to eat and hang out. Restaurants in Hell's Kitchen, even though they're crowded into a tight place and forced to compete, they provide the food and hangout that many people enjoy.
Hell's Kitchen is a varied place - give it a visit. You'll never know what you may find in Hell.
