St. Benedict the Moore Church

Having been on 57th since 1886, the small congregation has been struggling to stay afloat for many years. Its congregants are proud of their church and are deeply committed to the people in their Hell's Kitchen neighborhood.

St. George moved to West 54th Street during the Great Depression, after splitting from the main line of the Greek Orthodox Church. The building St. George inhabits has an even longer history. When the congregation moved in, it had already been in use for the better part of a half-century, first as an offshoot of the Narragansett Club, a Democratic organization connected with Machine-controlled Tammany Hall. Later, in the early twentieth century, it housed the Irish-dominated New Amsterdam Council of the Knights of Columbus, as well as a cycling club. When the church moved in, it found itself cohabiting with the Epirus Hellenic Center, an organization dedicated to the promotion of Greek art and culture. Today, No. 307 comfortably houses St. George alone. Its outwardly modest exterior is slender, dwarfed on either side by much taller buildings, with the only decoration being a stained glass window depicting the church's patron saint. This belies the ornate decor of the chapel inside. Iconography is prominent, both on the walls and at the altar. We were warmly greeted by the head pastor, Father Jim Kordaris who arrived at St. George in 2004, at a time when its aging congregants were struggling to put Hell's Kitchen's bad years behind them and come up with funds for repairs for the increasingly decrepit interior. At this point in time, they were able to do little more than "hold on" and keep the place from closing. Father Jim was pleased to tell us that although it took almost five years to make any headway, the church is now moving in a positive direction, with new members and exciting plans for the future. It quickly became apparent to us that this shift was in large part due to his leadership and presence. Father Jim, however, stressed the collective nature of the church's recent revival and growth, insisting that it was "beyond any one person. " His faith in St. George's vibrant community foretells great things for the church in the years to come.

Set amongst apartment buildings on a mostly residential block, the Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus is a stunning addition to 51st Street. Founded in 1876, it has remained inextricably linked to its Catholic community: it runs an elementary school on 52nd street and operates a food pantry and soup kitchen in conjunction with the City of New York. Regardless of one's faith, the church is worth a trip for its beautiful architecture. The red brick exterior is imposing and elegantly designed, and the interior is capacious, with soaring turquoise ceiling and ornate decoration. Though the church holds hundreds of people during its twice-daily masses, it was deserted when I wandered through it around 4 pm allowing me to fully appreciate the interior as the late-afternoon light streamed through the stained glass windows, illuminating the colored panes of glass.

As I reached the end of my walk across 57th Street, I was pleased to encounter the striking red brick Church of the City New York. Built in the late Victorian Gothic Style in 1897, all I could think of was that due to its landmark status, hopefully real estate developers will not be able to touch this structure any time soon.

The delectable assortment of French pastries was only the beginning of the excitement for me when I first visited Eclair Bakery. Getting to observe and speak with owner Stephane Pourrez, as he was preparing pastries, macarons, croissants and, of course, a variety of eclairs made the experience very special. An alumnus of Ferrandi, the French School of Culinary Arts in Paris, Pourrez worked in New York for a year as a pastry chef before he fulfilled his "childhood dream" of opening his own bakery. No matter what time I chose to pop in, I always found others sipping on their cafe au lait, and mingling with fellow French natives.

At Coffee Project NY, coffee-themed cocktails and high-quality java brewed with a mixologist’s eye are the stars of the menu. The concept was created by co-owners and founders Chi Sum Ngai and Kaleena Teoh in 2015, and has since expanded to having several other locations across the five boroughs. “We are very excited to be part of Hell’s Kitchen! ” Ngai said, adding, “In the opening of this new location we hope to create a community gathering space while sharing our passion for coffee with the neighborhood. ” “I’m a bit of a coffee snob and [Coffee Project] delivers on very good quality coffee, ” shared Paul David, a Hell’s Kitchen local. “I also really like the environment — the seating isn’t too crowded and it’s really peaceful. ”One of the shop’s innovative specialty beverages is its deconstructed late, which manager Jed Baxter said evokes a multi-sensory experience. In addition to deconstructed lates, Coffee Project offers classic lattes (complete with intricate latte art), classic pour-over brews, and teas. The cocktail menu includes drinks such as spiked Irish Coffee made with Teeling Whiskey and the brand’s own Teeling-blend beans. This story was adapted from the W42ST article, "Brew-tiful Transformation: Coffee Project Opens at Ikebana Zen with Day-to-Night Caffeinated Creations! ”

Ezrath Israel was originally established as a Jewish Community Center in 1917 by the West Side Hebrew Relief Association, a group of Orthodox Jewish shop owners. The area was known for its busy steamship ports, however, the entertainment business eventually became one of the biggest industries in this part of town. As show business grew, so did the number of congregants, and it became the place of worship for many prominent actors and performers, including Sophie Tucker and Shelley Winters. The Actors' Temple continued to thrive until shortly after WWII when people in the industry began journeying across the country to Hollywood. The synagogue then found its membership slowly decreasing. By 2005, there were only twelve members left in the congregation. A year later, when Jill Hausman became the rabbi, she found herself resuscitating what had once been a proud shul. Rabbi Hausman was pleased to report to us that in the eight years that she has been there, membership has increased to about 150, a marked improvement. Still, she has hope that the Actors' Temple will continue to grow. "We are a well-kept secret, " she says, "but we don't need to be. " To help maintain the synagogue, the sanctuary is shared with an Off Broadway theater company that performs on their "stage, " just a few feet in front of their sacred arc and collection of eleven torahs. Today, Rabbi Hausman welcomes all denominations of Judaism, even those who are "on the fringes of society. " She is a warm, sweet, bright woman who not only has her door open to everyone, but her heart as well. She emphasizes the importance of love and acceptance in her sermons and is adamant that the Actors' Temple is a "no-guilt synagogue. " People should come if they feel compelled to pray – Rabbi Hausman's only goal is to have them leave with a desire to return.

Now residential condominiums, the building once housed the Hit Factory, a renowned recording studio. Learn more about the apartments up for sale in the W42ST article, "This May Hurt… Could The Hit Factory’s Remaining Studios Become a Dentist’s Office? "

The recently reopened Gallagher's Steakhouse is a New York classic. Founded by Helen Gallagher in 1927 as a speakeasy, Gallagher's was a favorite watering hole of writers, showgirls, and businessmen. In 2013, after Gallagher's announced its imminent closing, the restaurateur Dean Poll (owner of the Loeb Boathouse in Central Park) bought the legendary steakhouse and shut it down temporarily to undertake sweeping renovations. In February 2014, Gallagher's reopened with a new menu and an updated interior. The newly glass-fronted kitchen allows patrons to watch the chefs work their magic, offering tantalizing views of the charcoal burning ovens where huge slabs of steak sizzle. The old-fashioned bar is another highlight, inviting guests to linger over drinks while sitting atop burgundy barstools. The bartenders – many of whom have been working at Gallagher's for more than twenty years – serve classic cocktails along with stories of how in its speakeasy days, visitors would order "the other soup" and receive a soup cup filled with alcohol.

St. George moved to West 54th Street during the Great Depression, after splitting from the main line of the Greek Orthodox Church. The building St. George inhabits has an even longer history. When the congregation moved in, it had already been in use for the better part of a half-century, first as an offshoot of the Narragansett Club, a Democratic organization connected with Machine-controlled Tammany Hall. Later, in the early twentieth century, it housed the Irish-dominated New Amsterdam Council of the Knights of Columbus, as well as a cycling club. When the church moved in, it found itself cohabiting with the Epirus Hellenic Center, an organization dedicated to the promotion of Greek art and culture. Today, No. 307 comfortably houses St. George alone. Its outwardly modest exterior is slender, dwarfed on either side by much taller buildings, with the only decoration being a stained glass window depicting the church's patron saint. This belies the ornate decor of the chapel inside. Iconography is prominent, both on the walls and at the altar. We were warmly greeted by the head pastor, Father Jim Kordaris who arrived at St. George in 2004, at a time when its aging congregants were struggling to put Hell's Kitchen's bad years behind them and come up with funds for repairs for the increasingly decrepit interior. At this point in time, they were able to do little more than "hold on" and keep the place from closing. Father Jim was pleased to tell us that although it took almost five years to make any headway, the church is now moving in a positive direction, with new members and exciting plans for the future. It quickly became apparent to us that this shift was in large part due to his leadership and presence. Father Jim, however, stressed the collective nature of the church's recent revival and growth, insisting that it was "beyond any one person. " His faith in St. George's vibrant community foretells great things for the church in the years to come.

Known primarily as the site of the infamous nightclub Studio 54, this building has far more history. Its tale starts in the early twentieth century, when it was erected as the Gallo Opera House. After a brief stint as the New York Theatre, and a longer one as the home of the Johnny Carson Show (as well as other television shows), the space was turned into the legendary disco club in 1977. Studio 54 was in business for less than three years, but its cultural legacy continues on. It is remembered as the wildest club in New York, where A-list celebrities and rock stars gathered to mingle and dance. Would-be clubbers were often turned away for lack of looks or glamour, and the nightclub met its demise in appropriately dramatic fashion when the IRS raided the building and arrested the owners for tax evasion. For a time after that, the building was used as a concert venue, and then stood vacant for several years. In 1998, Roundabout Theatre Company moved its landmark production of Cabaret into the neglected theatre-turned-studio-turned-nightclub. Today, Studio 54 is a permanent home for Roundabout Theatre Company, and the Tony Award-winning production of Cabaret is back again, having another successful run in 2014.