Any new Williamsburg rooftop hotel bar has some tough acts to follow given the reputation and views at veteran hotspots like The Ides at the Wythe hotel and the doesn’t-even-need-a-name rooftop bar at the McCarren Hotel and Pool. The Williamsburg Hotel at 96 Wythe Avenue, however, has decided they’re not taking any chances and created an attention-grabbing rooftop party spot that resembles a classic New York City water tank, wrapped in glass. Dubbed The Water Tower bar, of course, the chic new nightclub and lounge officially opened on November 16.

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As 6sqft reported earlier this month, Bjarke Ingels’ restoration of the landmarked Lord & Taylor building won’t alter the design of the original structure all that much. But one major update the Bjarke Ingels Group will bring to the 104-year Fifth Avenue department store includes a new roof terrace with multi-use areas and a glassy courtyard. The firm’s proposal, set to be presented to the Landmarks Preservation Commission on Tuesday, reveals a new rendering of the rooftop as well as plans to change the iconic store’s signage.

Design updates here

Image courtesy of Michael Vadon’s Flickr

According to the building’s landlord, the Durst Organization, the 104-story, 3-million-square-foot One World Trade Center tower contains more tech and creative tenants than any other in the city. That’s 26 TAMI (Tech, Advertising, Media and Information) tenants, to be exact, 20 of which are in tech, Crain’s reports.

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Via Pexels

A federal program designed to root out dirty money in real estate was drastically expanded Thursday, and will now apply to even more cash-deals in more cities. As of last week, all real estate purchases made through a limited liability company at or above $300,000 in 12 metropolitan area will be subject to the disclosure rules, known as the Geographic Targeting Orders, including New York City. The threshold previously varied across cities, starting at $3 million in Manhattan and $1.5 million in the city’s other four boroughs, as first reported by the Real Deal. Virtual currency deals are now subject to the disclosure rules as well.

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As 6sqft previously reported, the building that’s home to this four-bedroom East Village duplex condo at 12 Avenue A was at one time a speakeasy and dancehall. In the much less distant past (in 2016), the sprawling apartment was asking $24,500/month rent. While it still boasts a private roof deck, a huge movie screen, surround-sound, and luxury fixtures and finishes, it’s now asking a still-pricey $19,500 per month.

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Images (L to R): 136 West Houston Street, 223 Fourth Avenue, 10 Rutgers Street, and Halo LIC

• High-End Greenwich Village Rentals Available at Newly Constructed 136 West Houston Street=[LINK]
• 223 Fourth Avenue Offers Luxury Park Slope Rentals from $2,452/Month [LINK]
• Newly-Renovated Lower East Side Rentals at 10 Rutgers Street; No Fee + 1 Month Free[LINK]
• Halo LIC: Industrial-Inspired No-Fee Rentals with 1 Month Free in the Heart of Long Island City [LINK]
• Context? Fuggedaboutit! Luxury Rentals Debut in Flatbush at 8 Fairview Place [LINK]

SEE MORE RENTAL NEWS AND OFFERS HERE

Library or apartment? The lines are blurred at this amazing duplex co-op at 40 Fifth Avenue that just hit the market for $4,995,000. The entire maisonette spread is full of pre-war details mixed with modern amenities, but it’s the dramatic double-height living room that steals the show. The first level has creative built-ins that extend to the furniture, and the second floor is a wrap-around atrium balcony lined completely with bookshelves and window seats overlooking Fifth Avenue and 11th Street.

It doesn’t stop there for bibliophiles

John, a third generation Mohawk ironworker who helped raise One World Trade, photographed by Melissa Cacciola, via Melisssa Cacciola

“Skywalkers: a Portrait of Mohawk Ironworkers at the World Trade Center,” opens today at the National September 11 Memorial & Museum. The exhibit features photographer Melissa Cacciola’s tintype portraits of Kahnawake Mohawk ironworkers who volunteered in rescue efforts after 9/11 and helped raise One World Trade Center, Towers 2, 3, and 4, and the Calatrava Transportation Hub.

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Photo via Flickr cc

Today, flea markets, pop-up shops, and food halls are an everyday part of city life, but 25 years ago, this wasn’t the case. In 1993, after working for several years at Urban Space Management in the UK, Eldon Scott arrived in NYC with the goal of opening a holiday market similar to those he’d worked on developing in London. He quickly set up the Grand Central Holiday Fair and shortly thereafter the Union Square Holiday Market. Modeled loosely on Christkindlmarkts, traditional holiday street markets held during advent that began in Germany, the Union Square market is now a holiday tradition for New Yorkers and out-of-towners alike, with 150+ vendors.

More history and info about this year’s market