July, 2014 | 6sqft

If you loved 5Pointz, grab a box of tissues because you aren't going to be happy with what's planned for the soon to be demolished building. NY YIMBY has gotten his hands on new renderings of what will replace the former art mecca, and unsurprisingly, the towers are as ho hum residential as they come. The new design is the work of New York-based HTO Architect, and once complete, will hold 1,000 apartments within two towers of 41 and 47 stories each.
More images this way

New Developments

July 31, 2014

Real Estate Wire: Chelsea Market May Get an Extension; United Charities Building Could Fetch $128M

Chelsea Market may expand with a 330,000-square-foot addition. New renderings see the brick structure topped off with a block of glass and steel. [Curbed] The city’s Economic Development Corporation will begin installing greenery and seating in Downtown Brooklyn’s Fox Square. The project kicks off in August and will take 6 months to complete. [CO] Queens Borough President Melinda Katz […]

Real Estate Trends

July 31, 2014

Sharif El-Gamal Commissions Jean Nouvel to Design Islam Museum Next to WTC

Sharif El-Gamal, CEO of real estate developer Soho Properties, announced today that his company acquired 49-51 Park Place from Consolidated Edison for $10.7 million. He also confirmed that none other than Pritzker Prize-winning starchitect Jean Nouvel will be designing the site's three-story Islam museum and prayer space.
More on the breaking development

July 31, 2014

New St. Mark’s Bookshop is a “Twist” on an Old Favorite

When the neighborhood institution St. Mark's Bookshop was struggling to pay its sky-high rent back in 2011, it asked landlord Cooper Union for a break to prevent having to relocate from its iconic 3rd Avenue and East 9th Street location. The institution wouldn't budge, so the East Village and book-loving communities banded together in an attempt to save the store. Though after petitions, cash mobs, and celebrity visits, the owners announced in March that they'd be moving their shop to 136 East 3rd Street at Avenue A. Longtime patrons were nervous about the new outpost, which recently opened its doors in the historic First Houses complex, but the contemporary design by Clouds Architecture Office does not disappoint. The undulating bookshelves snake through the shop, encouraging customers to peruse the eclectic collection of literature and freeing up interior space for neighborhood events. Through the storefront windows, the colorful books pop against the stark-white shelves, a true feast for the eyes.
More on the clever design ahead

July 31, 2014

Daily Link Fix: A Flower Pot That Grows With Your Plant; The Best and Worst NYC Trains

By Alyssa Alimurung

How Does Your Train Stack Up?: Animal New York covers The Straphangers Campaign’s annual ranking “State of the Subway.” Find out which train was considered the best and the worst – hopefully you’re not taking the latter any time soon. Pepper Spray Doubles As A Camera: This innovative design, now asking for funding on Indiegogo, snaps […]

Uncategorized

July 31, 2014

Seasoned Real Estate Couple Grab Eclectic Central Park West Apartment for $5.3 Million

It must have been a nice change of pace for Stephen Yalof to look for residential properties instead of the retail spaces he scoped out for 12 years as Senior Vice President of Real Estate for the Ralph Lauren Corporation and now as CEO of Premium Outlets. Though for his wife Liora Yalof, a broker with Corcoran, it was likely just another day at work. The couple paid $5.3 million for their new three-bedroom home at the St. Urban on Central Park West. Apartment 11E is an eclectic mix of historic details and global-inspired décor, perfect for such a well-rounded real estate pair.
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July 31, 2014

A Suburban Enclave in Manhattan: Peeking Into Battery Park City

As New Yorkers, we learn to be resourceful. We can turn a tiny patch of grass into a full-on park, double the space of our 400-square-foot apartment with lofted rooms and suspended shelving, and get all of our reading in on the commute to work. But for some, this sacrificial lifestyle becomes too much, and daydreams of suburbia set in. Not ready to pack your bags for Jersey or Westchester just yet? Look to Battery Park City, a suburban-like enclave that's just a five-minute walk from Wall Street. The 92-acre planned residential community is the largest "green" neighborhood in the world, with more than one third of its total acreage covered in parks and gardens. Additionally, the area boasts spectacular waterfront views, large apartments, slightly more affordable prices than its Financial District neighbors, and an impressive collection of public art.
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Uncategorized

July 31, 2014

The Bariseur: A Hybrid Coffee Brewer-Alarm Clock That Wakes You Up with a Fresh Cup of Joe

By Ana Lisa Alperovich

If you dread waking up to the painful buzz of an alarm clock, this new design might be the way make your morning hustle a slower, more delightful experience. Envisioned by British designer Joshua Renouf, The Bariseur is a coffee brewer and an alarm clock all in one. This unique hybrid machine will wake you up with a freshly brewed cup, letting you enjoy a few more minutes in bed.
Learn more about The Bariseur

Architecture And Design

July 31, 2014

Charming Italianate-Style Townhome in Fort Greene Sells for $3.3 Million

The one-to-two family dwelling at 20 South Oxford Street must have made quite an impression on a few buyers. An apparent bidding war drove the price up from its initial $2.65 million asking to a final sale price of $3.3 million, according to city records. Located on a quiet, tree-lined street in the Fort Greene Historic District, this three-story Italianate-style home has a garden-level apartment with a separate entrance that can serve as an income suite or a fourth level. In addition, the home boasts high ceilings; a large backyard accented by a 123-square-foot deck; and many original details from its 1854 inception, including original marble mantles on each of the home’s six decorative fireplaces.
Take a look inside, here

Distinctive Homes

Behind this $9.9M Chelsea townhouse, a secret path leads to a backyard carriage house

This $5.75M Clinton Hill two-family home is five floors of brownstone perfection

This $2.6M apartment offers classic Upper East Side elegance with condo simplicity

Ethan Hawke's former Chelsea townhouse lists for $5.98M

Modern architectural details make this $2.75M West Village co-op a turnkey urban refuge

Landmarked Boerum Hill townhouse owned by 90s designer Daryl K asks $6M

This new $14.75M Cobble Hill townhouse looks like it's been standing for a century

This $6M Tribeca loft has bedrooms surrounded by terrace and sky

A fashion designer's cozy converted 1920s barn in upstate NY asks $2.9M

For $55K, spend a post-modernist summer in a designer's Long Island home and studio

VIEW ALL

July 30, 2014

Starchitects Aren’t to Blame for “Ruining” the Skyline

So often it's the starchitects who get a bad name--for ruining city skylines with their larger-than-life towers, for obscuring park views, or for neglecting to take into account their surroundings. But a new opinion piece in the New York Times by Allison Arieff argues that the blame can't be solely placed on these so-called starchitects, but rather on the architecture community at large.
Read more about Arieff's case here

Architecture And Design

July 30, 2014

Real Estate Wire: Sales Launch at Chetrit’s Midtown Tower; Views from the Top of 432 Park

An Italian family has scooped up the NYC Church Missions House for $50M-plus. Luxury condos and retail are reportedly planned at landmarked 281 Park Avenue South structure. [TRD] LIVWRK has closed on a Red Hook building for $21.5M. The property recently housed a ship engine repair company. [CO] Vornado puts 1740 Broadway up for sale. The real […]

Real Estate Trends

July 30, 2014

PARA-Project’s Haffenden House is a Tranquil Writers Studio and Modern Day Ice House

By Rebecca Paul

The Haffenden House by PARA-Project, a tranquil writers studio in Syracuse, New York, was designed as a place for two poets to find respite and inspiration. Located on a typical suburban street, the modern, white rectangular structure stands out against the more traditional homes to its left and right. The architect has stated that "The project finds itself within the suburban realm, referencing Gianni Pettena’s Ice House from 1972, as a blank spot within the repetitive image of 'house.'"
Tour the rest of the contemporary abode

Architecture And Design

July 30, 2014

$4.6 Million Gallery-esque Upper East Side Apartment Is a Work of Art

Who wouldn’t want a loft-like Upper East Side apartment walking distance from Museum Mile and Central Park and complete with panda paintings? Yes, this 3 bedroom co-op at 65 East 76th Street has enough room on its wall space to showcase the best of your art collection, and it has enough lighting—both natural and tracking—to host a gallery showing. Well, who says the gallery can’t be a work of art in and of itself? We know this unit doesn’t.
Take a look inside this beautiful pad here

Distinctive Homes

July 30, 2014

Paolo Venturella’s Flex Tower Twists to Soak Up Sunlight

It's 2040 in New York City, and the metropolis' population has doubled over, thereby drastically increasing energy consumption. How do architects alter their designs to deal with this new landscape? Italian architect Paolo Venturella thinks he's come up with the answer to this (currently hypothetical) conundrum. The Flex Tower concept combines the need for housing with a sustainable energy system that uses a new typology for photovoltaic panels. At ground level the structure is in keeping with the traditional street grid, but as it rises it rotates toward the sun to position the panels correctly.
More about the curving creation this way

July 30, 2014

Your Daily Link Fix: GIFs Are Art Now?; A Fully Functioning 3D-Printed Loudspeaker

By Alyssa Alimurung

Enjoy the New Yorker’s Best Architecture Articles for Free: The editors at Places have been busy digging through the New Yorker’s now pay-wall free vault and have rounded up some of the best stories on architecture and urbanism, including profiles of David Adjaye and Bjarke Ingels and a slew of interesting critiques and interviews. A Recycling Bin […]

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July 30, 2014

Late “60 Minutes” Anchor Mike Wallace’s Estate Sells for $13 Million

After nearly two years on the market, Mike Wallace’s estate has finally sold, for a significant discount, according to city records. The home was initially placed on the market after the anchor’s death in 2012, asking $20 million dollars, a far cry from its closing $13 million sale price. Occupying the 15th and 16th floors of the distinguished 730 Park Avenue—a white-gloved Jacobean/Tudor style co-op designed by F. Burrall Hoffman, Jr. and Lafayette A. Goldstone--this 4BR/4.5BA duplex, offers plenty of light, gorgeous city views, and original prewar details.
Take a look inside the anchor's former home here

July 30, 2014

A 19th Century Candy Store and WWI Fighter Plane Liven Up a Financial District Office Building

Take a step back in time at 77 Water Street, a 26-story office tower designed by Emery Roth & Sons and built by the William Kaufman Organization. The Financial District building features a WWI fighter plane on its roof and a turn-of-the-century penny candy store in its lobby. Thinking that this tower looks too modern for these curiosities? You're right; it was erected in 1970. The William Kaufman Organization wanted to humanize the building and make workers forget they were in an office tower, and to accomplish this they had historic replicas of the plane and candy shop installed. They also added a variety of public art projects throughout the plaza and lobby.
More fun facts about 77 Water Street right this way

July 30, 2014

Tour Tommy Hilfiger’s Lavish Plaza Penthouse

When we think of Tommy Hilfiger we might imagine him in an all-American, red-white-and-blue outfit, standing in a nautical seashore cottage, but his penthouse at the Plaza couldn't be any more the opposite than this vision. Instead of paintings of beach scenes there are Basquiats and Warhols (20 of the latter, to be exact); rather than white-washed walls there are entire rooms clad in marble; and instead of simple, shabby chic bedrooms there are opulent personal retreats that could fit entire NYC apartments within their footprint. In short, Mr. Hilfiger's city residence is nothing short of regal. He and his wife Dee Ocleppo purchased and combined three separate units in 2008, and they then embarked on a massive renovation of the duplex to emulate the old-world style of the landmarked building.
Take a tour through this magnificent home and see if the couple lived up to goal

Blue Chip Buys: 15 Central Park West Is New York City’s Most Expensive Building, Other Contenders

Even with the thousands of new residential units that have hit the market in the last year, there are still a handful of tried-and-true properties in Manhattan that will always be coveted by the rich, the famous, and those who just wish they were rich or famous. So which properties sit at the top of this list? We turn the CityRealty 100 for the low-down on what buildings have outdone all of the rest. Their latest report tracks the performance of Manhattan's top 100 condo buildings through the second quarter of 2014.
The top performers this way

Real Estate Trends

July 29, 2014

You Can Design Next Year’s City of Dreams Pavilion on Governors Island

By Annie Doge

Calling all designers and architects! The AIANY Emerging New York Architects Committee (ENYA) is now accepting entries for The City of Dreams 2015 Pavilion Design Competition. This year, FIGMENT has teamed up with ENYA and SEAofNY to host a contest that invites creatives to design and construct an architectural pavilion for next year's City of Dreams. The winning designer will be the 5th to create a project for annual event, following in the footsteps of other notables such as StudioKCA with their 2013 work, 'Head in the Clouds', which also won a Best of Year award from Interior Design Magazine in the installation category. Don't miss out on a chance to create an unforgettable space for this incredible playground of art and culture.
Submission details here

Architecture And Design

July 29, 2014

First Look Inside Zaha Hadid’s Futuristic Condos Planned for the High Line

Whether or not you're a fan of Zaha Hadid, or Neo-Futurism for that matter, if you're believer that a building's interior should be a seamless extension of its exterior (read: not New York by Gehry), you'll appreciate Zaha's efforts to turn her High Line project into a work worthy of architecture history books. One of the most (if not the most) talked about starchitect projects planned for the elevated park, plenty of full view renderings have surfaced since it was announced just over a year ago. But it looks like we're finally getting a taste of what the inside could look like, courtesy of Curbed. Like its ultra-futuristic exteriors, Zaha's luxurious condos will be just as sleek and spaceship-like as the outside, with undulating surfaces all throughout, and featuring many of the mind-boggling forms we've come to appreciate Ms. Hadid for.
More views inside

July 29, 2014

Your Daily Link Fix: A Rock Band from the Sahara Desert; The Mets Want to Save the ‘Tent of Tomorrow’

By Alyssa Alimurung

A Nomadic Rock Band From The Sahara Desert: MessyNessyChic reminds us that the awesome bohemian band Tinariwen, formed back in the late 70s, is still rocking out with their unique sounds. Be sure to watch the video; you’ll want to have it on replay for the rest of the day. The Mets Want To Save the Vandalized […]

Uncategorized

July 29, 2014

The Views from This Pied-a-Terre Will Have You Humming with Approval