July, 2014 | 6sqft

It's not always as easy as one might think to successfully advocate for the landmark designation of an historic building in New York, especially when that building's owner is not on board with preservation efforts. According to the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation (GVSHP), more than 20 historically significant buildings (including those designed by renowned architects like Frank Lloyd Wright and Morris Lapidus) have been heavily altered or altogether demolished over the past 12 years after city officials gave word to owners that their buildings were under consideration for landmarking. This comes from a new report that GVSHP commissioned, which examines the Bloomberg administration's actions regarding the notification given to developers and owners that the Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) was looking at their properties, allowing alteration and demolition permits to slip through before any historic protections were granted.
We take a closer look at this preservation predicament

Policy

July 23, 2014

INTERVIEW: Renowned Architect Piet Boon on Bringing Dutch Design to NYC

By Tag Brum

Architect Piet Boon may hail from the Netherlands, but his status as a NYC starchitect is on the rise. Piet, who started his career as a builder, has over the years turned his practice to architecture and interiors, and today is a top choice amongst developers who want more than just a glass tower, but a building that promotes well-being through great design (oh-so-very Dutch). Piet recently sat down with us for an interview where he discussed everything from the differences he sees in Dutch and American design sensibilities, to his high profile Huys Penthouses project (which is almost sold out), to his new Oosten development for Williamsburg, to his definitively international style, which to our surprise he refers to as "barefoot chic."
Read our interview with Piet here

July 23, 2014

Real Estate Wire: Pier 57 to Go from Super Fud to Superpier; Developers Want Crown Heights Rezoned

Building, business owners and, of course, developers want to see a rezoning of Crown Heights so that more light industry and residential buildings can be brought to the already rapidly-gentrifying neighborhood. [TRD] Ridgewood Lodge No. 710, a mysterious Masonic temple in Ridgewood, has received Landmark status. [Curbed] A look at the former Verizon buildings that have been […]

Real Estate Trends

July 23, 2014

You Won’t Have to Compromise with This Spectacular $18M Prewar Pad

They say purchasing a home means you have to compromise. Surely you can’t have everything you want. Well, this $18 million opulent apartment in the York & Sawyer-designed 860 Park Avenue would beg to differ. Old world charm? Check. Modern conveniences? Check. Enough architectural details to make the biggest architecture nerd’s head spin? Check and check. This 4th floor unit is the supreme luxury abode, in one of the city’s premier white-glove co-ops, which is exactly what you would expect of a building designed by the same people responsible for the Federal Reserve Bank and the Bowery Savings Bank.
Take a look inside the remarkable co-op here

Distinctive Homes

July 23, 2014

Greenwich Goes Industrial: Apartments in the Karl Fischer-Designed Nathaniel Now Up for Rent

Twelfth Street residents are about to get a flurry of new neighbors, as The Nathaniel launches leasing for its rentals today. The nine-floor building offers up 85 light-filled residences ranging from studios to three-bedrooms—all boasting some pretty nice living space. Though 'Greenwich Village' and 'luxury homes' pretty much go hand in hand these days, The Nathaniel brings a new typology for living to the neighborhood with an industrial exterior conceived by Karl Fischer, and modern interiors by McCartan.
Take a tour inside

July 23, 2014

Shigeru Ban’s Metal Shutter Houses: A Humble Moniker for an Extraordinary Residence

By Stephanie Hoina

Simplicity bordering on grandeur: that should be 2014 Pritzker Prize Laureate Shigeru Ban’s motto. Like his designs, the names of his residential projects are simple and clean, yet evoke a striking image before you ever lay eyes on the work. Curtain Wall House, Naked House, Cast Iron House, Furniture House, Crescent House, Picture Window House, Boomerang House - step inside any one of these exquisite residences and you might almost miss the complexity of Ban’s artistry; but make no mistake there is a quiet ingenuity to his vision. Metal Shutter Houses at 524 West 19th Street is no exception. Named for the motorized perforated shutters that cover the two major facades of the building and the retractable walls of glass, each apartment within it offers an almost seamless continuity between the interior and exterior space. Intrigued? So were we. Which is why we just had to take a peek inside this 2,700-square-foot duplex currently renting for $22,000 per month.
Right this way to be wowed by Shigeru Ban's genius

July 23, 2014

You’ll Fall in Love with Ryall Porter Sheridan Architect’s Red House

And not just because red is the color of love; one look at this compact, but mighty Upstate cottage and your heart will start beating a little faster. The pop of color against the woodsy landscape, the modern yet rustic architecture, and the innovative, practical design--the Red House by Ryall Porter Sheridan is definitely swoon-worthy.
Find out why else we're crushing over this home

Distinctive Homes

For $665K, this little upstate home is the answer to your log cabin fantasies

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

This $3.2M waterfront house on the Hudson in Edgewater, NJ, would be right at home in Malibu

Theater director David Saint lists his East Village penthouse with huge terrace for $5M

This $19M sky palace high above Park Avenue has a manor house-worthy terrace garden

Tiffany-blue walls and de Gournay designs surround a $1M UES co-op with Deco-era glamour

An international artist couple asks $37.75M for their art-filled UES townhouse–Rolls Royce included

This compact $2M Red Hook home embodies the neighborhood's unique, inventive spirit

For $1.6M, this co-op offers two floors of Upper East Side living without the townhouse price

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

VIEW ALL

July 23, 2014

Your Daily Link Fix: Why Are Fairy Doors Magically Appearing in the City?; A Traveling Circus of… Architects?

Fairy Doors Are Magically Appearing in the City: If you’re hesitant to purchase one of NYC’s multi-million dollar offerings, perhaps you’d like one of these smaller dwellings. Kidding. Untapped Cities gets to the bottom of the fairy doors that have been popping up all over city. A Box That Can Hold All Your Netflix: Binge viewers […]

Uncategorized

July 23, 2014

Design of SCDA Architects’ Arty New Building for the High Line Unveiled

Renderings for 515 High Line have been revealed, and it appears the Soo Chan-designed building will be quite the standout. The images, unearthed by NY YIMBY, reveal an 11-story structure with a few distinctive qualities to set it apart, even as the competition from surrounding developments, including Zaha Hadid’s West 28th street condo, grows steeper. The building has a simple base while the upper levels are defined by protruding slabs of glass that create a rippling effect. But the simple base, two sides of which will be facing the park, plans to be more than just a blank canvas. Taking the artistic nature of the High Line’s new buildings to the next step, 515 West 29th Street’s base will serve as an actual canvas, showcasing the work of up-and-coming artists.
Check out more renderings here

July 22, 2014

Landmarks Deems S.L. Green’s One Vanderbilt Tower ‘Appropriate’ for Its Grand Central Site, Others Not Happy

By Carter B. Horsley

The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission held a hearing today on a proposal by S.L. Green to build a huge tower on the northwest corner of Vanderbilt Avenue and 42nd Street directly across from Grand Central Terminal. The proposal before the commission was an application for a “certificate of appropriateness” for a transfer of air rights from the former Bowery Savings Bank Building at 110 East 42nd Street between Park and Lexington Avenues. The developers of S.L. Green made their moves by wooing Landmarks with renderings of Kohn Pedersen Fox-designed tower which would be 1,350 feet tall not counting a 100-foot-high spire—this is significantly higher than the Chrysler Building on the northeast corner of Lexington Avenue and 42nd Street and higher than all the supertalls in construction or planned for 57th Street.
Reactions from the hearing this way

July 22, 2014

Real Estate Wire: Frightening UWS Apartment Filled with Dolls for Sale; A Flushing Parking Lot on the Market for $1

A municipal parking lot on prime real estate in downtown Flushing is up for grabs for just $1 [NYDN] There’s a 34-room hotel coming to Boerum Hill [TRD] A controversial plan to have the lower-income residents of a New York City luxury condo enter through a “poor door” has been approved [NY Post] Median sale […]

Real Estate Trends

July 22, 2014

You Can Own This Energy-Efficient Beach House Designed by Bates Masi + Architects

By Ana Lisa Alperovich

If you've been following our site from the start, you know that we love the rustic-meets-modern works of Bates Masi + Architects. So you can imagine our excitement when we were told that this small but stunning retreat, just steps away from the ocean, is now up for sale. Simply named the 'Beach Hampton House', this structure situated on the shores of Amagansett is a study in geometry and space at just 600 square feet, and offers luxurious seaside living with a minimal footprint.
Learn more about the Beach Hampton house here

July 22, 2014

Your Daily Link Fix: Native Trails’s Stylish Concrete Sinks; Is Brooklyn Bridge Surrendering?

Is Brooklyn Surrendering?: Somebody has put white flags atop the Brooklyn Bridge and while the rest of us scratch our heads, NY Observer reveals how not amused borough president Eric Adams is. A New Look for the New Yorker: Fastco discusses the New Yorker’s new design, which is an easier read for smartphones, tablets and […]

Uncategorized

July 22, 2014

Stop the Presses: You Can Reside at the St. Regis for Only $389K. Well, Sort of…

By Stephanie Hoina

Here’s a great little twist on the New York City real estate market, courtesy of the recent trend to convert rooms in some of Manhattan’s most exclusive hotels into condominium apartments: fractional ownership—the timeshare to end all timeshares. That’s right, now you can savor the pleasure of residing at one of the most glamorous addresses in the world with all the amenities the St. Regis has to offer, including the Remede Spa and Fitness center, salon, twice daily maid service, and 24-hour butler service—all without having to shell out the multimillion dollar sums typically associated with this kind of elegant living.
See what fractional ownership puts within reach

Distinctive Homes

July 22, 2014

Explore Some of NYC’s Most Beautiful Buildings That Used to be Banks

By Jason Carpenter

Banking made this town, and the bank buildings of the 19th and early 20th centuries continue to house some of New York's most classic architecture and design. Greek, Roman, and even Byzantine Revival architectures were the style of choice for bank buildings, and those great stone pillars are still worth visiting today. Ahead are some of the most beautiful former bank buildings in New York City.
See these beautiful bank buildings here

July 22, 2014

Renovated Grand Duplex Maisonette Provides Prewar Character with 21st Century Touch

When you think of the Upper East Side, you can’t help but imagine the old Edith Wharton novels and early 20th century “polite society”. This $7,250,000 parlor apartment at 830 Park Avenue manages to embody that very spirit, while throwing in a bit of 21st century flair.
Take a look inside this prewar stunner here

Distinctive Homes

Map Enthusiast Creates a More Geographically Correct Version of Vignelli’s Old Subway Map

For anyone in the world who's ridden the New York City subway, they've undoubtedly taken a curious gander at the system map, full of its rainbow-colored, crisscrossing lines. But what many riders may not know is that in 1972, a man named Massimo Vignelli was commissioned by the city to create a very different version of this map, immediately sparking controversy for its geometric simplicity and geographical inaccuracy. In 1979, Vignelli's map was replaced with a more organic, curving version like we see underground today. In 2008, the MTA commissioned Vignelli's firm to update their map, and a new version was put online to serve as the Weekender, highlighting weekend service changes. But now, underground map enthusiast Max Roberts has gone one step further, and claims he's come up with a perfect compromise between the Vignelli work and the MTA's signature map.
See what Mr. Roberts has come up with

July 21, 2014

Back to Blueprints: House Hunters Are Buying Sight Unseen, Much Like the Pre-Crash Days

By Lauren Price

In the mid-2000s, when the real estate market was red hot with new developments, home seekers gave nary a thought to making what can be described as the biggest decision of their lives: Buying something sight unseen. For them, traipsing through model apartments, checking out pretty renderings, gawking at miniature models, stroking teensy squares of countertop finishes, thumbing through shiny marketing materials filled with information on everything but the kitchen sink to make an actual purchase was par for the course. (Oh, wait! They did include the kitchen sink.) But then all that changed by late 2007 when the stock market took a nosedive. Not a single potential buyer would even consider a new place to hang their hats without actually standing inside a frameless glass shower stall, checking out the size of a Sub-Zero refrigerator or getting high from real-time views seen through floor-to-ceiling window—and developers took note. But that was then and this is now, and with an improving economy and increasing demand, the tides seem to have turned once again.
Is buying off blueprint back in full force?

July 21, 2014

Real Estate Wire: Juul-Hansen’s Condos Hugging the High Line; Own a Villa on Staten Island

Juul-Hansen’s condos are on the rise and now flanking both sides of the High Line Park. [Curbed] Manhattan’s office buildings are being valued at pre-crash levels. [WSJ] Who owns New York? Chinese developers apparently. Here are four high-profile Chinese developers pouring their cash into Manhattan. [TRD] Own your own “Italian/French” villa… on Staten Island. [Curbed] New kid on the […]

Real Estate Trends

July 21, 2014

Superdave’s Precious Slag Candlesticks Upcycle Pieces of Iron Found Scattered in the Forest

By Ana Lisa Alperovich

David Taylor, aka Superdave, is a Scottish-born, Stockholm-based designer who creates precious objects out of ordinary and found materials. His latest work, called Slag, consists of candlesticks made from assorted materials combined with pieces of iron found at the site of an abandoned 1600s iron foundry deep in the forests of Sweden.
Learn more about these precious candlesticks

July 21, 2014

East Hampton’s Kettle Hole House by Robert Young is an Organic Retreat Nestled in Pine Trees

When we say organic here, we don't just mean the natural materials used throughout the house; we're referring to the fact that the project developed organically in response to the homeowners' seven-acre, East Hamptons lot and existing house. Built around 1982, the original structure was in dire need of a renovation. Robert Young Architecture and Interiors was committed to reusing as much of this house as possible, but wasn't sure if a restoration would be more economical than constructing a new house. Property surveys showed that the house was closer to the lot's picturesque kettle pond than current zoning would allow, so building a new structure would compromise privacy and the water views. From there, the Kettle Hole House was born amidst the lot's abundance of white pine trees.
See how the architects transformed the existing home into a cozy, contemporary retreat

July 21, 2014

Your Daily Link Fix: A Bridge to Randall’s Island; A Tracker for Teddy