The Aileen B. Ryan Oval fountain sits in the center of Parkchester; photo via Wikipedia

A housing development located in the Bronx’s Parkchester neighborhood has five middle-income apartments up for grabs. The two buildings at 1360-1364 Purdy Street are located just outside the planned neighborhood and sits around the corner from the 6 train at Castle Hill Avenue. Qualifying New Yorkers earning 130 percent of the area median income can apply for units ranging from a $1,700/month one-bedroom to a $1,875/month two-bedroom.

Find out if you qualify

Renderings via Dbox for HFZ Capital Group

Ahead of the just-announced May 7th sales launch, Bjarke Ingels and developer HFZ Capital have released to the Times several new renderings of the Eleventh, or the XI as it’s been branded. The West Chelsea hotel/condo project is notable not only for being Ingels’ first NYC condo project but for its asymmetrical, twisting silhouette. And in the new renderings, we’re able to get a better look at the pair of towers and their skybridge, along with, for the first time, the central courtyard and an apartment interior.

All the renderings and details right this way

Billionaires Row via 6sqft (L): Mural by Tomokazu Matsuyama, courtesy of the Peanuts Global Artist Collective (R)

• The city approved a plan to bring a 140-bed homeless shelter to Billionaires’ Row, right next to One57. [NYP]
• Some of the 250,000 limited-edition David Bowie MetroCards released this week are selling for $200 on eBay. [amNY]
• Jackie Robinson’s old Bed-Stuy block was renamed in his honor. [Bklkyner]
• Neighbors of Green-Wood Cemetery are fighting against the relocation there of the statue of J. Marion Sims, the 19th-century doctor who experimented on slaves. [amNY]
• “Peanuts” murals done by some of contemporary art’s greatest names are on view in the West Village. [TONY]
• Check out the latest High Line-hugging condo, 550 West 29th Street, where “turn-of-the-century utilitarian and industrial architecture” meet. [CityRealty]

Photo of the Theodore Roosevelt Park via Wikimedia

Surrounding the American Museum of Natural History, the Theodore Roosevelt Park stretches from 77th to 81st Streets between Central Park West and Columbus Avenue. For years, the city has fenced off its green space, not allowing park visitors to touch the lawns. But this summer, as part of a pilot program, the city’s parks department will open two lawns in the Upper West Side park, according to the West Side Rag. From Memorial Day Weekend until September 30, the Northwest and Southwest Lawns will open to the public, officials announced at a community board meeting.

Details this way

Situated just two blocks from Prospect Park at 125 Maple Street in Prospect-Lefferts Gardens, this 25-foot-wide limestone beauty was built by noted Brooklyn architect Axel Hedman in the Renaissance Revival style. Built on a corner lot, the house gets enough sun to feature a stained-glass-wrapped solarium, and moody,  dramatic interior details appear luminous rather than dark.

Take the tour

Photo via Jeffrey Zeldman/Flickr

Last night Mayor de Blasio teased us by tweeting, “We’re making a BIG announcement tomorrow on the future of Central Park. Stay tuned.” This morning he announced, “Central Park goes car-free in June. 24/7, 365 days a year — because parks are for people, not cars.” That is BIG news. After banning cars north of 72nd Street three years ago, the city will now prohibit them south of 72nd.

All the details right this way

Fearless Girl and Charging Bull statues on Wall Street; via Anthony Quintano’s Flickr

Mayor Bill De Blasio announced today that the “Fearless Girl” statue currently staring down the iconic Wall Street “Charging Bull” will be getting a permanent home in front of the New York Stock Exchange in the Financial District. Since the diminutive statue’s temporary installation more than a year ago a day before International Women’s Day, sending a message to Wall Street for the need of gender equality in the financial world, the statue has become a major attraction, drawing millions of tourists and locals.

What about the bull?

Built in 1887 by local builder William Noble, this remarkable Queen Anne mansion at 248 Central Park West has been painstakingly restored by its owners in a $10 million gut renovation, with its stunning details preserved and every modern luxury–including an elevator, a 50-foot lap pool in the cellar, a top floor penthouse, a home theater and a gym. As the New York Times tells us, it’s one of only three houses built in the surrounding Upper West Side historic district at the time. On the market for the first time since 2004, it’s asking $29 million.

Take the grand tour

Photo via bestpicko.com/Flickr

It’s sad to say that the service changes planned for this weekend, despite being extensively disruptive, seem somewhat better than normal. The D train’s affinity for running on the F line continues, the N has a number of platform closures, and it’s apparently the R train’s turn to go on a bit of a vacation from running, but otherwise there are not a ton of notable new developments. Gauge the damage for yourself below.

The whole list of changes