“LOOK BACK THURSDAY, THE METROPOLITAN OPERA HOUSE, 1883-1967”
………………..Many people do not remember or even know that the original Metropolitan Opera House was right in the heart of the Garment District…….It was located at 7th Avenue between 39th and 40th streets. It covered the entire city block. When you google it, it says it was on the west side of the street, but it was NOT….It was on the EAST side of 7th Ave, and 550 7th Ave was on the West side of the street. I know because I worked in that building. In 1967 it was torn down, because it wasn’t able to get an “Historic Building” listing….It really should have! The Met was moved to Lincoln Center, in a brand new must larger and more modern building at the new cultural mecca of NYC….The “OLD MET” as it was sometimes called had out lived its’ space, and sometimes the sets had to be stored on the side street, because there was no room inside……I have told the story before that when I graduated from Elmont Memorial High School on Long Island I got a summer job as an intern at the House of NORMAN NORELL. I didn’t even know who Norman Norell was!!! You have to understand, I was a very naive kid from the sticks, and knew very very little about the fashion industry. I just knew I wanted to be in it, and I was thrilled to be accepted into Parson School Of Design. I did realize it was a difficult school to get into, and it was considered the BEST and it still is. I had no idea just how difficult it was to get acceptance, and how many applicants there were. Only 250 students were accepted in the fashion design department from around the world! Only 21 of us graduated…I was very lucky!……..Back to the Met…………..My Uncle Paul was a big deal in the Ladies Garment Union, and knew every important designer on 7th Ave. Again, I had zero idea how important, and powerful he was…..he was just my Uncle Paul. My mother told him about my fashion sketches, and he wanted to see them. He thought I was very talented….He arranged for me to get this summer job at the House of Norman Norell before I was to start Parsons in the fall….Mr. Norell was considered the KING of NY fashion. His fashion shows took place in the evening at his showroom. Gold guilt ballroom chairs were brought in and they were “Black Tie” events!…..I was basically a “go for” and delivery boy. I did what anyone needed, from bringing a client like Lauren Bacall a cup of coffee while still in her underwear waiting for a fitting by Mr. Norell himself [this 17 year old boy turned beet red], to delivering a sequin gown to Mrs. Lyn Revlon, [yes that Mrs Revson of Revlon], who answered the door of her 28 room apt. anxiously waiting for this gown to arrive. I don’t remember her tipping me either!…….Now to the point of my story. Mr. Norell’s offices were in 550 7th Ave, between 39th and 40th……directly across the street from the Old Met. Again, I had no idea what the Metropolitan Opera House was or how prestigious it was. All I knew was I passed it every day of that summer, and you could see it clear as day from Mr. Norell’s offices. The building impressed me with its’ old gas lamps like something from old movies, which I did know something about. I had to stay late just in case someone needed something at the last minute. I remember one late evening I was sitting in the beautiful showroom, that smelled of Norell Perfume…looking out of the show room windows. It is still my absolute favorite perfume, and I brought a bottle home to my mother which I STILL HAVE!!!!. There were just a few of us left in the office, and I was waiting to be told it was alright to go. However, down in the street there was a big commotion. Little did I know a huge benefit show was going on to make money for the new Met…….Limos and beautifully dress people were flooding into the building. Again, I had no idea history was being made that evening. There were to be a few more benefits to make money that season….that last season of the “old Met”. At the end of my stay at Norman Norell’s, Mr. Norell was kind enough to speak with me, and give me some sage advise. He was a big supporter of Parsons, and I eventually won The Norman Norell Scholarship for my 3rd year…..This was 1966 when I worked there….in 1967 the Old Met was torn down and an office building was put in its’ place….I was very sad to hear this news……I had hardly come to know this TREASURE. If I had known what was to happen I would have paid more attention, instead of taking this beautiful building for granted. Now it was gone forever replaced by a steel, concrete and glass common indistinguishable building…………..So many of New York’s treasures are gone, and 7th Ave, once the thriving center of New York’s fashion, is a shell of what it was. So much has changed I really don’t recognize it at all. Gone are the models running from booking to booking. Gone are all of the Italian and Jewish tailors congregating in the streets at lunch time….gone are all the racks of clothes going from one place to another. Gone are all the restaurants and bars and coffee houses where we all used to meet for lunch, after work drinks or dinner…..Now 7th Ave, “Fashion Ave” as it’s been named, is just a thoroughfare for all “types” of people going from Pen Station to Times Square……..All of the glamour and all of the mystery of what took place is gone. Things never seem to change for the better. Somehow all of the beauty, and wonderful things from the past get destroyed and what takes its’ place is filth and dirt……Very sad.
