In the show the Jeffersons “moved on up” from what was a brownstone home in Queens to a Park Avenue apartment in Manhattan.
I’d like to ask you people who know New York: Was it really such a big “Move up”? I mean to me they are trading the security of a brownstone home they own which always increases in value (and assumed is located near some of Georges cleaning stores) to a very high rent apartment area.
It seems to me that in the show part of the reason was that George wanted to mix with a wealthier clientele. Also living next to other top business owners would increase his chances are landing more business accounts.
I don’t know if he owned that apartment or just rented, but it really doesn’t matter. His old brownstone in Queens wasn’t worth much in comparison to is dry cleaning business. George hit it big and wanted to live with the rich folks in a deluxe apartment in the sky. It’s definitely moving up. I doubt he cares about finding dry cleaning customers in that building, or even business contacts, he just wanted to hobnob with other successful rich people.
Also note that the idea that property in New York always increases in value certainly wasn’t true back in the 70s. Urban decay was a big thing back then.
And if the property was increasing in value, George could have kept owning it and rented it out. Except that’s a side business, and if he was smart he would have focused on his core dry cleaning businesses.
Generally speaking in the 70s and 80s moving from the outer boroughs to Manhattan was looked at as a sign of success and “making it”. In some ways it still is but the outer boroughs (especially Brooklyn) can be just as expensive these days so the line isn’t quite as clear.
Well yes actually. Several episodes are about George cosying up to someone whom he hopes to land a new contract with and often they lived in the same building or nearby.
Thing is that his new address gave him some credit as a big time player to meet such people especially when you look at all the people he had come visit.
Most definitions I’ve seen of duplex define it as a single house on single lot with two living units and separate front doors. That’s not what the pictured houses are. They are two separate semi-detached houses that share a common wall on two separate lots. They (and the shared driveways) are very common in the outer boroughs of NYC , although perhaps not in most other places.
And if he owned that apartment, it was worth a lot more than that semi-detached house in Queens.
What’s actually on Staten Island? The house shown in the link is in Queens. I think there’s a Cooper Avenue in Staten Island, but the Bunker’s house is in Queens- I live 5 minutes from it.
While we’re speaking of NYC houses on TV, I always assumed brownstones were more like the Huxtable’s house. Not only is the exterior much nicer than the Bunker’s house, but the difference in the interior was staggering–which you’d assume is the difference between a doctor/lawyer couple and a one-income laborer.
Yeah I was confused also. Now I realize they and the Jeffersons owned a duplex.
Also I dont remember in the show but I think the Jeffersons new place on Park Avenue would have been a rental not like say a condo which you actually own. But I may be wrong but they do sometimes mention a tenants group.
