December, 2014 | 6sqft

Units in a brand new five-story residential building in Ridgewood are going for $339,000 all the way up to $769,000. The listings have only been live a day and two units are already in contract. [Curbed] Here are some renderings of the condo replacing Clinton Hill’s White Castle on Myrtle Avenue. [Brownstoner] The Naftali Group has sold The Bergen for […]

Real Estate Trends

December 17, 2014

Incorporated Architecture & Design’s Texas Hill House Was Inspired by Traditional Cow Barns

Like their Sixteen Doors House, Incorporated Architecture & Design’s Texas Hill House was inspired by traditional loft-like cow barns. Located on 25 acres in rural upstate New York in Craryville, a town at the base of the Berkshires, the three-bedroom home is strikingly modern while still blending in with its wooded farmland surroundings. It was developed for a young New York City-based couple–one born and bred in NYC and the other from Costa Rica and of Asian descent–who sought a retreat from the hustle and bustle of everyday urban life. The home blends both of their decorative traditions as well as reminders of their travels through Europe, China, Japan, and South America.
Tour the rest of the home

December 17, 2014

1100 Architect Transforms a Boring Midtown Loft into Their Client’s Pop Art Dream Home

This home, which was previously your average-fair Midtown penthouse, was transformed by 1100 Architect to represent the playful and vibrant Pop art sensibility of the artists their clients admire most. With an art collection boasting names like Warhol, Riley, Lichtenstein and others, this penthouse renovation could be a mini-MoMA. The interior furnishings reflect the Pop style's infamous geometric forms and hard-polished surfaces like marble agglomerate floors, lacquer, stainless steel, glass, and plastic.
Tour this bright pad here

December 17, 2014

6sqft Gift Guide: A Minimal, Politically Correct Nativity Set by Émilie Voirin

If Jesus is your homeboy, you can share a bit of religious flair this holiday season without offending any Christian on your list. The Minimal Nativity Set is a contemporary take on the bible-based scene, employing beech wood or brass blocks inscribed with each scene member's name (Donkey, Joseph, Baby Jesus, etc.) to stand in for the traditional figurines. Created by French artist and designer Émilie Voirin, the blocks still represent the story and take place around the crib, but the characters have no skin color or features, leaving it up to people's imagination and personal beliefs.
More on the Minimal Nativity Set

December 17, 2014

NYU Professor Builds Himself a Tiny Cabin Using Recycled and Salvaged Materials

By Alyssa Alimurung

Everyone can use a break from the city, even those college professors we can’t imagine having lives outside the classroom. Equipped with a dream and a newly-bought plot of land in New Jersey, one NYU educator hired Derek “Deek” Diedricksen of RelaxShacks.com to build a tiny cabin perfect for grading papers and relaxation. The micro-pod was constructed on […]

December 17, 2014

Vote for 2014’s Building of the Year!

There is no shortage of towers on the rise in Manhattan, but amongst these glass and stone beauties are a handful that stand head and shoulders (and several hundred feet) above the rest. A red hot real estate market and cutting edge building technology have paved the way for towers of both unprecedented heights and prices. But worthy of equal credit are the visionary developers and architects who dare to change the NYC skyline. Here we've handpicked 12 of the most newsworthy buildings of 2014; these towers boast groundbreaking designs and record-breaking (or soon to be record-breaking) prices. But we ask you: Out of the dozen, which deserves the title "Building of the Year?" Cast a vote above to help us decide which is 2014's most important tower! Extended by popular demand… Voting ends TODAY, December 12th at 11:59 PM WEDNESDAY, December 17th at 11:59 PM and we’ll reveal the winner on Friday, December 19th. And if you’re still torn between two (or all), jump ahead for the low-down on each, from height to 2014 news highlights.
More on each of the buildings here

December 16, 2014

Ways You Can Give Gifts and Volunteer in NYC This Holiday Season

The holiday season is synonymous with gift-giving and sharing with others who may be less fortunate than you. This act of kindness can take on many forms; one might volunteer to serve hot food in a soup kitchen, another might donate warm clothing or kids' toys. Whatever your preferred mode of giving, there are ample opportunities in and around the city to share your holiday spirit with others. We've searched around and put together this list of the standard holiday do-gooding plus some other opportunities that could be considered a little more out-of-the-box.
Ways to give back here

December 16, 2014

Lubrano Ciavarra Architects’ West Village Townhouse Boasts a Plush Green Roof

This elegant West Village townhouse was recently renovated by Lubrano Ciavarra Architects, a Brooklyn-based firm founded by Anne Marie Lubrano and Lea Ciavarra in 1999. Nestled on a beautiful tree-lined street, it boasts a rich brick exterior and plenty of original details. The 2,900-square-foot home's design is a cool combination of modern, clean textiles and a very unique approach to incorporating nature in and outside of the house.
Take a look around here

Distinctive Homes

This $3.7M Greenwich Village co-op puts the 'classic' in classic seven

Live in a former Park Slope bank for $5.5M

Amy Schumer sells Brooklyn Heights townhouse at $1.25M loss

$2M mid-century modern home in Westchester has 21st-century energy efficiency and zero carbon footprint

For $949K, this Village co-op has a Gold Coast address, prewar charm and a splash of color

For $6.75M, everything you'd want in a Park Slope brownstone

$4M Prospect Heights penthouse has three bedrooms, a wraparound terrace, and views in every direction

Asking $1.3M, this historic Newburgh home has designer interiors and dramatic Hudson River views

Rare historic Greenwich Village 'Renwick Row' brownstone with intact details asks $12.5M

Asking $2.8M, this two-family Bed-Stuy townhouse looks like a good place to spend a sunny afternoon

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December 16, 2014

Real Estate Wire: ‘Poor Door’ Building Has Private Pools; WeWork Now Worth $5 Billion

Check out the private pools at Extell’s “Poor Door” building, One Riverside Park. [Curbed] Co-working is cool! Shared workspace startup WeWork is now worth a staggering $5B. [WSJ] Not all of the city’s rising residential buildings are in a race to the finish line. This Brooklyn project has been stalled for nearly a decade. [NYT] Retail, […]

Real Estate Trends

December 16, 2014

$2.85M Soho Loft Mixes Historic Cast Iron Charm with Modern Industrial Design

This full-floor two-bedroom loft is located in the heart of SoHo's landmarked Cast Iron Historic District at 543 Broadway and is currently priced at $2.85 million. The expansive unit is situated on a high floor of a Neo-Classical loft building and is accessed through a private, key-locked elevator. From stainless steel appliances and glass-framed rooms to vaulted ceilings and original exposed brick, this home has the perfect combination of architectural details and luxury amenities.
Check out the rest of the loft here

Distinctive Homes

December 16, 2014

6sqft Gift Guide: Arbor Jewelry Stand Displays an Avian Inspiration

There's nothing worse than grabbing your favorite necklace just to realize that its chain is in a knot that would take you all day to detangle. Or when you reach for your favorite earrings to find one has gone missing. Know an absent-minded jewelry lover like this? Get them the Arbor Jewelry Stand this holiday season. Not only is it functional, but we love the avian inspiration that designer Zoë Mowat infused into the piece.
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December 16, 2014

Daily Link Fix: 25 Percent of Subways Are Late; Celebrate Veniero’s 120th Birthday with Free Cookies

25 percent of all subway trains are late, up 6 percent from last year. How ya feeling about that MTA price hike now? [Daily News] Legendary East Village Italian bakery Veniero’s is giving out free butter cookies to celebrate its 120th birthday on Thursday. [DNAinfo] The Living Christmas Tree Co. lets you rent live trees…we need to bring this to […]

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December 16, 2014

Brand New NYC Water Taxi Stop Makes It Easier to Explore Red Hook

Those who've been dying to check out up-and-coming Red Hook will now have a much easier, much more comfortable way of getting to the cozy, cute nabe. The New York Water Taxi Commission has just added a brand new stop that will ferry passengers to Van Brunt Street from Lower Manhattan, DUMBO and Midtown on the West Side. Locals residents have been championing for a stop for the last few years, citing that it would be a boon to business development in the area, particularly for those still hurting from the effects of Superstorm Sandy.
Find out more here

Transit

December 16, 2014

Times Square Is Getting a Heart-Beating Urban Drum for Valentine’s Day

As New Yorkers, we don't really think of Times Square as a romantic location, but for Valentine's Day 2015 we might just stand corrected. Brooklyn-based architecture firm Stereotank was announced as the winner of the annual Times Square Valentine Heart Design contest, a public art competition held for the past seven years by the Times Square Alliance and the Architectural League of New York. Stereotank's HEARTBEAT installation is an interactive, heart-beating, glowing urban drum.
More on HEARTBEAT ahead

December 16, 2014

Rent a Piece of History for $40K/Month with This Greenwich Village Townhouse

By Aisha Carter

A fully furnished townhouse in Greenwich Village's landmarked MacDougal-Sullivan Gardens Historic District is available for a short-term lease for $40,000 per month. The 5,000-square-foot home has four levels along with a windowed cellar and a spectacular rooftop penthouse.
Take a look inside here

Distinctive Homes

Is 125th Street the Next 14th Street? Big-Name Developers Think So.

125th Street via jmd41280 via photopin cc

December 15, 2014

Is 125th Street the Next 14th Street? Big-Name Developers Think So.

14th Street, 23rd Street, 86th Street–there's no question that these east-west thoroughfares are some of the city's most bustling corridors of commercial, cultural, and residential activity. And 125th Street in Harlem could now be joining their ranks, a real estate trend dissected in a WSJ article today. Big-name NYC developers are cashing in on the street's transformation. Greystone & Co. bought a $11.5 million site through a bankruptcy auction earlier this month, where they'll put 75 market-rate and affordable apartments, along with ground-floor retail space. Across the street, Continuum Co. will add 700 residential units and 85,000 square feet of retail. Nearby, Wharton Properties has obtained funding for their 33,000-square-foot retail complex that will be anchored by Whole Foods.
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Real Estate Trends

December 15, 2014

Arne Glimcher, One of World’s Most Powerful Art Dealers, Buys $5.6M Madison Square Loft

By Annie Doge

If you're familiar with the NYC gallery scene you definitely know the Pace Gallery and its founder Arnold "Arne" Glimcher, one of the world's most powerful art dealers, as well as a film producer and director. According to city records, Arne and his son Marc have bought a $5.6 million Madison Square loft at 117 East 24th Street. The contemporary space boasts four bedrooms and 4,000 square feet as well as 11.5-foot ceilings and plenty of wall space to display one's art collection, though we're not sure which of the father-son art dealing pair will be residing in the loft.
Take a look around

Real Estate Wire: Jean Nouvel’s MoMA Tower Gets a Teaser Site; New Extell Mega Tower Coming to Times Square

Jean Nouvel’s MoMA tower at 53 West 53rd Street is back on track and it’s got a teaser site. [Curbed] Extell may bring a mega tall hotel tower to Times Square. [NYDN] Gowanus is also hot with hotel developments. There’s a seven-story project joining the already sizable list of accommodations on the rise. [DNA Info] You’re not […]

Real Estate Trends

December 15, 2014

Google-Backed Pedal-Powered Pod Cars Coming to a City Near You?

JPods, East River Skyway, an expanding Citi Bike—if one thing is clear, New York City's rapidly growing population has gotten a lot of people worried about how our already taxed infrastructure is going to account for all of these new bodies. The latest transportation idea to come out of the woodwork is not necessarily a new one, but it's one that's recently found a new boost thanks to interest and funding provided by everyone's favorite search giant: Google. Called "SkySMART," this new idea for mobility utilizes a series of sun- and pedal-powered pods that run along an elevated rail high above city traffic.
More on Skysmart here

December 15, 2014

QueensWay Elevated Park Moves Closer to Reality, State Allocates $444K for First Phase

It looks like the city is one big step closer to getting its second elevated park. DNA Info reports that the state has just allocated nearly $444,000 to the design of the first phase of the QueensWay, an urban renewal project that would transform 3.5 miles of abandoned elevated railway into a park akin to the High Line. The money was awarded to the Trust for Public Land via Governor Cuomo’s $709.2 million Regional Economic Development Council initiative. The first phase will consist of the design of the "Northern Gateway," which comprises a 1.5-mile-long stretch starting at Rego Park. The park is set to extend from Rego Park to Ozone Park.
Find out more here

December 15, 2014

6sqft Gift Guide: Metropolis Chalk Set Is Decorative and Functional

Here's a gift that both parents and children will get a kick out of. The Chalk Ware Metropolis chalk set contains eight custom-carved chalk pieces shaped like houses, skyscrapers, and everything in between. They don't resemble the buildings of a particular city, so they're perfect for your cousin in NYC or your aunt in Chattanooga. The fun pieces can be used as decorative objects on a mantle, and if mom or dad is feeling generous, the youngsters can take them and create their own works of art on the sidewalk or the chalkboard wall.
More on Chalk Ware

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December 15, 2014

Daily Link Fix: A History of the Rockettes; Journalists and Researchers Have Different Ideas of Gentrification

Did you know the Rockettes were originally the Missouri Rockets? Read this full history of the leggy holiday dancers. [Bowery Boys] A neighborhood guide to the Latino and Chinese cultures of Sunset Park. [Brooklyn Based] There seems to be a disparity between what journalists report as gentrification and what research actually finds. [City Lab] This […]

Uncategorized

December 15, 2014

EVENT: Here’s Your Chance to Check Out Billionaire Peter Brant’s Converted Con Ed Station