September, 2014 | 6sqft

September 24, 2014

$130 Million Penthouse at 520 Park Avenue Will Be the City’s Most Expensive

The Ritz Carlton penthouse combo has just been shoved from its top spot as the city's priciest listing and replaced by the triplex penthouse at Zeckendorf Development Co.’s 520 Park Avenue. At $130 million, it will become the most expensive to ever hit the market, beating out the Ritz pad by about $11 million. According to Bloomberg, the building's sales plan was approved by the New York State attorney general's office last week, and Zeckendorf is already calling the penthouse "the greatest apartment on the Upper East Side.”
More here

September 23, 2014

City Kids: Why Parents Pick City Living Over the Suburbs

By Michelle Cohen

The 'American Dream' may have dominated the last few decades, causing a mass exodus to the suburbs, but today's families are reversing the trend and turning their attention back to the city. The reasons are many: An appreciation for cultural offerings, the camaraderie and creative cross-pollination of networks of colleagues, friends and family, the convenience of being able to walk or bike to school, work or child care without a long commute—just to name a few. New York City has always been a haven for the forward-thinking, albeit a challenging one. And its newly-”discovered” outer boroughs as well as an unprecedentedly low crime rate have made the city a prime choice for family living. But what is it about those city kids—the ones with parents who planned from the start to raise their kids in a non-stop urban environment? We interrupted the busy schedules of five families currently raising school-age (or soon-to-be) children in New York City's many diverse and multifaceted neighborhoods to get some insight about why they wouldn’t have it any other way.
Hear what five parents of city kids have to say

September 23, 2014

Build Your Dream Home in This $4.5M Village Penthouse with a Solarium

By Aisha Carter

Prospective buyers looking to own a penthouse on one of the best blocks in the Village may be excited to see this potential dream home at 54 East 11th Street. The floor-through unit has tons of windows, views of the city and a two-story living room with a solarium. Apartment hunters are encouraged to bring their architects to explore the limitless redesign possibilities of this flexible space, so let’s take a look at what they’ll have to work with.
Take a peek inside, here

Distinctive Homes

September 23, 2014

Hudson Design’s Rustic Writer’s Studio Barn is a Converted Two-Story Garage

By Dana Schulz

There's something intriguing about living in a former garage...maybe it's the lofty openness or the unexpected conversion. But whatever the case, the Writer's Studio Barn by Hudson Design lives up to our enchantment. Located in Garrison, New York, the iconic American barn was originally used as a garage with two horse stalls. The conversion was conceived as a tranquil retreat for a couple to find inspiration among the lush landscape and natural views. And the existing stick-frame structure offered a loft with the perfect space and orientation for a secluded studio. It's now a rustic one-bedroom apartment with room for cars and storage.
Take a tour and get the creative juices flowing

September 23, 2014

Real Estate Wire: Atlantic Yards Modular Tower Contract Terminated; New Colors for HAP 5?

By Diane Pham

Skanska has terminated its contract with Forest City Ratner to construct a prefab modular tower at the Atlantic Yards. The news brings a close to the seemingly never-ending dispute between builder and the developer. [NYDN] Red Apple Group is building a 32-story residential tower on Myrtle Avenue at Fleet Place. [MyrtleAvenue.Org] A new Pierhouse addition has preservationists up in […]

Real Estate Trends

September 23, 2014

Plyfelt Playfully Combines Warm and Cold Materials Into a Sculptural Seat

By Ana Lisa Alperovich

Playful and made from felt, Plyfelt is an exploration in materials in the form of a unique, undulating seat. The work of Dutch designer Floris Wubben, this two-person sofa fashions the eco-friendly fiber into a wave-form for a naturally comfortable rest you'll want to plant your—erm—bottom on.
Learn more about this contrasting piece

September 23, 2014

Prominent Architecture Couple Buys Pretty-in-Pink Victorian in Ditmas Park

By Dana Schulz

We have a feeling well-known architects David H. Sherman, of Abelow Sherman Architects, and his wife Benita Welch, a Principal at Gerner Kronick + Valcarcel Architects, will give the interior of their new home a fresh coat of paint before settling in...that is, unless they like the current bubble-gum-pink color scheme. It makes perfect sense that the couple picked up this Victorian house in Ditmas Park for themselves and their two children, as Benita specializes in restoring historic homes, and David is known for his expertise working with NYC townhouses. According to city records filed today, they purchased 28 Waldorf Court for $1.41 million. Located just off Rugby Road (often considered the heart of Victorian Flatbush) on a highly desirable cul-de-sac, the five-bedroom home has been in the same family for 30 years.
Tour the home before it gets what's sure to be a beautiful makeover

September 23, 2014

Artists Who Converted Ink & Brush Factory into Their Own Masterpiece List it for $4.4M

By Stephanie Hoina

By their very nature artists are visionaries blessed with an innate ability to create something out of nothing. Time and time again some of New York City’s most industrialized areas have seen rebirth as residential enclaves courtesy of these imaginative souls. Examples of such artist-led gentrification abound - think SoHo, Chelsea, and Williamsburg, to name a few. So it should come as no surprise that it was two artists who came to the rescue of this former ink and brush factory located at 459 Carroll Street in Carroll Gardens and gave it new life as a practical-yet-cutting-edge home. Stripped to its core in 2006, the four-story manufacturing building built in 1888 was completely renovated into two distinct condominium residences, one of which is now on the market for $4.4 million.
From manufacturing-to-masterpiece right this way

Distinctive Homes

Distinctive Homes

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

This $3.25M Gramercy two-bedroom comes with expansion potential–and a key to the park

Take the elevator from the gym and English garden to the roof terrace in this $13.5M UES townhouse

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

For $4.6M, this classic Park Slope limestone updates history without erasing the details

$1.8M restored Marcel Breuer house on the Hudson has kept its mid-century modern spirit intact

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

19th-century townhouse in Hudson, NY has three units, retail space, and a three-bay garage for $2M

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

VIEW ALL

September 23, 2014

The Whitechapel Projects Plan to Reuse Jersey Warehouse as a Sustainable, Artsy Space

By Alyssa Alimurung

We don’t usually cover Jersey here at 6sqft, but this inspiring adaptive reuse project was too good to pass up. Inhabitat NYC reports that a newly approved development, The Whitechapel Projects, will be converting an old industrial warehouse in Long Beach into a paradise for all things sustainable, artistic and foodie (read: super hip). The new […]

September 23, 2014

Built by Women NYC Is Accepting Nominations for Outstanding Female-Led Design

By Dana Schulz

Since we all have feminism on the mind thanks to Emma Watson's empowering speech at the UN yesterday, we thought it was perfect timing to highlight the Beverly Willis Architecture Foundation's competition, Built by Women New York City (BxW NYC). Nominations are currently being accepted through October 31st for "outstanding structures and built environments in New York City, either contemporary or historic, designed and/or constructed by women."
More on BxW NYC here

Architecture And Design

September 22, 2014

Goldilocks Blocks: (Far) East 7th Street in Alphabet City

By Michelle Cohen

Between hyper-developed hotspots, main drags in up-and-comers, big-ticket townhouse enclaves, and those genuinely avoidable areas, there can often be found a city's "just-right" zones. Free from corner menace, sticker shock and boom-time developer schlock, these special spots often span only a few blocks in each direction and are close enough to the center of their 'cool destination' nabes to legitimately bear their names. They aren't commonly known, and are best found by pounding the pavement, but these micro-neighborhoods often hide within them real estate gems coupled with perfectly offbeat vibes—you just have to be willing to do a little legwork. But when you do find them, don’t sleep on them... Winners like the Columbia Street Waterfront District were once Goldilocks blocks. Today we'll look at a unique 7th Street stretch hidden in Alphabet City.
Find out what makes this Alphabet City block so special.

September 22, 2014

Oscar-Winning Director Errol Morris Buys a Poetic Brooklyn Heights Home for $1.9M

By Diane Pham

Academy Award-winning documentary filmmaker Errol Morris, and his poet wife Julia Sheehan have just closed on a charming three-bedroom at 22 Pierrepont Street in Brooklyn Heights for $1.9 million. According to city records, the couple will be following in the footsteps of another celebrated creative, having purchased the home from the estate of late Russian poet, 1987 Nobel Prize in Literature laureate Joseph Brodsky.
Inside the book-filled home here

September 22, 2014

REVEALED: Penthouse Floorplans for Jean Nouvel’s MoMA Tower

By Dana Schulz

Just last week, we announced that the Jean Nouvel-designed MoMA residential tower was finally moving forward, after the purchase of $85 million in air rights and with a new construction loan of $860 million. Now, The Real Deal has obtained penthouse floorplans for the 82-story tower, and they are nothing to sneeze at.
Check out the floorplans and dream about living in a Nouvel-approved penthouse

September 22, 2014

Real Estate Wire: 15 CPW Pad Sells for 3x’s Its Purchase Price; Atlantic Yards Modular Tower Could Leak

By Diane Pham

A tower unit at 15 Central Park West has sold for nearly $10M, about three times what the owner paid for it. [NYO] The Astoria Cove housing development is required to set aside 20% of its 1,700 units for lower-income residents, but the city may push for as many as 30%. [Crain’s] The Fiscal Policy Institute […]

Real Estate Trends

September 22, 2014

Bold Color and Playful Touches: Incorporated Architecture & Design’s Bohemian Apartment

By Stephanie Hoina

In terms of ordinary living spaces this apartment by Incorporated Architecture & Design ticks off all the customary boxes. Kitchen? Check. Dining room? Family Room? Check? Plenty of bedrooms and bathrooms? Check and check. But one look at these stunning photos and it’s clear that the realization of Incorporated’s vision is anything but ordinary. Every room has a very distinct personality ranging from bold and modern to fun and playful, from muted and earthy to funky and retro.
Peek inside this Colorful and playful home

September 22, 2014

Daily Link Fix: Tour the Valencia Movie Palace; Micro Is the First Consumer 3D Printer

By Dana Schulz

Spend your Saturday touring the historic Spanish and Mexican baroque design of the former Valencia Movie Palace in Queens. Scouting NY has the details. Forget the new iPhone, you can now pick a color for the first truly consumer 3D printer. Yanko Design reveals the Micro 3D Printer by Team M3D. DNAinfo chats with Nadva Zeimer, principal […]

Uncategorized

September 22, 2014

Bright and Sunny Carroll Gardens Townhouse Sells for $2M

By Annie Doge

Bright, beautiful, and boasting plenty of space, one lucky buyer just scooped up this stunning townhouse at 297 Hoyt Street in Carroll Gardens for $2,175,500, according to city records released today. The brownstone home is currently configured in a two-family setup, but can easily be converted to one, adding an additional 1,300 square feet to the already spacious footprint. And with a private garden, full basement, and lots of original details, it will likely be hard for this home's new owner not to keep the entire townhouse to themselves.
Take a look inside

Real Housewife of New York Sonja Morgan Drops Price of Lenox Hill Townhouse

By Aisha Carter

star Sonja Morgan has dropped the price of her Lenox Hill townhouse yet again, this time asking $7.2 million. It’s been a rocky few years for the former wife of J.P Morgan heir John Morgan. She’s been trying desperately to hang onto the pad since her devastating 2008 divorce followed by a pricey lawsuit, which forced her to file for bankruptcy in 2010. The five-story home at 162 East 63rd Street, which the couple purchased in 1998 for $9.1 million, has seen its price fluctuate a few times, falling from $12 million to $7.25 million, then returning for nearly $10 million in 2013 before beginning its steady decent to its current asking price. And last we heard, the loopy reality star was renting the home out for $25,000 per month to cover taxes while she tried to sell. The show doesn’t exactly portray the five-bedroom home in the best light, so let’s take a look inside to see what it really has to offer.
See what's inside, here

Distinctive Homes

September 21, 2014

Section 3 of the High Line Park Opens Today – See New Photos!

By Diane Pham

The third and final section of the High Line will officially open to the public today at 11 A.M., marking the final chapter of a 15-year journey to transform a once abandoned rail road track into an elevated park for the city. The new section has been christened 'High Line at the Railyards' and follows the original train tracks from 30th to 34th Streets to the north and south, and from 10th to 12th Avenues east and west, exposing High Line-goers to expansive and unobstructed views of the Hudson River and New Jersey. Unlike the two sections that preceded it, the path that makes up The Railyards is far less manicured. With its organized but "wild" greenery, the design of this final leg instead asks visitors to contemplate the railway's past and the surrounding landscape as it stands and as it will change with the introduction of Hudson Yards.
More of the new section and the ribbon cutting here

Architecture And Design

September 21, 2014

Bernie Madoff’s Infamous Upper East Side Penthouse Sells for $14.5M

By Dana Schulz

The duplex penthouse at 133 East 64th Street on the Upper East Side, where Bernie Madoff notoriously was arrested by the feds and lived under house arrest, has just sold to Lawrence Benenson of Benenson Capital Partners for $14.5 million. Madoff had lived in the home since 1984, but after the government seized it in 2008, it was picked up by toy mogul Alfred Kahn and his wife Patsy in 2010 for $8 million. Apparently, Mr. Kahn was superstitious of the "Madoff curse," but Patsy fell in love with the unit's terrace. They reportedly put the penthouse back on the market in August 2013 for $17.25 million, but reduced the price several times as well as filed for divorce.
Tour the infamous pad here

September 20, 2014

Weekly Highlights: Top Picks from the 6sqft Staff

By Dana Schulz

The East River Skyway is revealed, and it could bring commuters from Brooklyn to Manhattan in under four minutes. Could it be the solution for increasing public transportation congestion? We talk to architect Adam Kushner about building the world’s first 3D-printed estate. See how a former Tribeca automotive garage was transformed into a space for living, art, and commerce. Sunset […]

Uncategorized

September 19, 2014

INTERVIEW: Architect Adam Kushner on Building the World’s First 3D-Printed Estate

By Dana Schulz

3D printing has been making the design and tech rounds lately, from ceramics and construction bricks to cars and mini castles. But there's one project in the works that's looking to blow the rest out of the water. New York City-based architect and contractor Adam Kushner of KUSHNER Studios plans to build the world's first 3D-printed estate in Gardiner, New York, which will include a pool, pool house, and 2,400-square-foot main house--all of which will be constructed using this new technology. Kushner has teamed up with Italian inventor and engineer Enrico Dini, who will ship a modified version of his D-Shape printer to New York in January. Dini's printer uses his patented magnesium-based binding process combined with a material like sand to render stone-like objects. Kushner also teamed up with Enrico's local contact James Wolff, co-founder of Deep Space Industries, which works with NASA on asteroid prospecting, mining, and processing. The three men, along with Nigel Woods, founded D-Shape Enterprises New York. Adam's construction company In House Group, Inc. will hire D-Shape Enterprises to build the estate.
Read our interview with Adam Kushner and get an inside take on the project

September 19, 2014

Kelly Ripa’s Soho Penthouse Sells at a $4.5 Million Discount

By Annie Doge

Kelly Ripa has officially unloaded her Soho penthouse, according to city records filed today. The five-bedroom beauty at 76 Crosby Street sold for $20 million, $4.5 million less than what she was asking when she first listed it in January last year. Though Ripa came up a little short, it's worth noting that her and hubby Mark Consuelos paid just $9.5 million for it in 2005. Today's sale is also the 6th highest ever recorded in Soho, according to CityRealty.
Photos here

<b>Mapping the Evolution of the Lower East Side Through a Jewish Lens, 1880-2014</b>

Image courtesy of MNCY

September 19, 2014

Mapping the Evolution of the Lower East Side Through a Jewish Lens, 1880-2014

By Lauren Price

Long considered the capital of Jewish America, this overpoweringly cramped neighborhood was considered by many to be the greatest concentration of Jewish life in nearly 2,000 years. Between 1880 and 1924, 2.5 million mostly-impoverished Ashkenazi Jews came to the US and nearly 75 percent took up residence on the Lower East Side. According to the Library of Congress, by 1900, more than 700 people per acre were settling in a neighborhood lined with tenements and factories. And as quickly as they descended on the streets, all sharing a common language (mostly Yiddish) and most certainly, similar backgrounds, they quickly established synagogues as early as 1865 (the landmarked Bialystoker Synagogue, whose congregants were mostly Polish immigrants from Bailystok), small shops, pushcarts teeming with goods, social clubs and even financial-aid societies. By 1910, the Lower East Side’s population was well over the five million mark, but sadly, such congestion habitually caused havoc.
Learn more about the history of the LES here

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