September, 2015 | 6sqft

This weekend, head to Photoville, a pop-up photography fair inside shipping containers on the Brooklyn Heights waterfront. [NYO] Find your closest Oktoberfest celebration on DNAinfo’s brewery map. [DNAinfo] How many adult ball pits does one city need? A second one is opening downtown. [Gothamist] Go inside the Tribeca loft of creative director and co-founder of online design marketplace Bezar. […]

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September 18, 2015

SHoP Architects Are Bringing a Wooden Condo Building to Chelsea

In March, an Austrian architecture firm announced plans to build the world's tallest wooden skyscraper in Vienna. They noted that by using wood as opposed to concrete they'd save 3,086 tons of CO2 emissions. Then, a study showed that timber buildings actually cost less to build. These benefits really must have stuck with SHoP Architects, who are developing plans for a ten-story residential building in Chelsea, overlooking the High Line at 475 West 18th Street, that will be made entirely of wood, according to the Wall Street Journal. SHoP's project came via a competition hosted by the United States Department of Agriculture, in partnership with the Softwood Lumber Board and the Binational Softwood Lumber Council, that asked architecture firms to design buildings at least 80 feet tall that employed wood construction technologies. SHoP's design, dubbed 475 West, won the competition along with a 12-story building in Portland. The firms will split a $3 million prize to "embark on the exploratory phase of their projects, including the research and development necessary to utilize engineered wood products in high-rise construction."
More on the project here

September 18, 2015

Five-Story Brooklyn Townhouse Makes the Best-Dressed List in Pretty Pastels and Contemporary Flair

By Michelle Cohen

If you've got a big family and you want to live within city limits, it's said that you'd better be able to afford it; this Brooklyn Heights house helps make the case. This whopping 5,000-square-feet of townhouse goodness at 281 Henry Street is missing very little as far as house-in-the-city perfection. There's a stylishly appointed room ready for everyone and their guests—and an opportunity for rental income with a freshly renovated garden apartment to help offset costs. It almost makes the $7.2 million price tag seem like a deal. The current owner has decorated the five-story, six-bedroom brownstone to the nines with a cake-frosting-pastel palette and contemporary design elements, while retaining the home's lovely historic details; the basic infrastructure is as modern as can be with central a/c, alarm and intercom systems and every appliance, fixture and finish freshly and stylishly updated. Besides the fact that the home is actually a bit narrow at 15.5 feet (though over 54 feet deep) there's only one thing we can think of that would improve this impressive townhome: An elevator.
Five floors of eye candy, this way...

Distinctive Homes

September 17, 2015

This Nomad Loft Was Created With Curbside Finds, Elbow Grease and an Eye for Beauty

By Michelle Cohen

There was a time in NYC when there wasn't an expectation that an apartment or loft come with a full set of shiny new appliances and amenities; you could carve out a space for yourself over time, and end up with a beautiful, unique and comfortable home. That's about the time–1977, to be exact–when the owners of this cool and crafty Nomad loft, then a recent co-op conversion, bought it for $50,000 and moved in. Now this large two-bedroom 12th floor loft with a private terrace is on the rental market for $8,000 a month. The owners–she was an art historian who passed away about a year ago, he's a retired biophysicist–and their daughter had always been fond of the excitement of scavenging what others left behind–like a six-burner restaurant stove and what is now a veritable jungle of plants. The building had been used for light manufacturing, and the couple had to design the entire 1,620-square-foot space to make it a home. Since the space was completely raw, they could configure it any way they pleased. The loft was featured in a 2006 article in the Times, in which the home's late owner and main design force is described as having "a gimlet eye for the gorgeous."
Take a look around, this way...

September 17, 2015

New Details of Tribeca’s Mysterious Skybridge House Emerge, Including Floorplan

Details were scarce when it was announced last week that one of Manhattan's last sky bridges was coming to the market. As it turns out, the property, which spans 9 Jay Street and 67 Hudson #3AB, is a pocket listing being marketed by brokers Ryan Serhant and Kaptan Unugur of Nestseekers. Tribeca Citizen, however, was able to score the floor plan of the massive home, and a pretty nifty rendering offering color-coded a street view of what you'd be buying—if you were to snap up the home, which is going for a reported $30 million.
See more here

Art Nerd New York’s Top Event Picks for the Week, 9/17-9/22

In a city where hundreds of interesting happenings occur each week, it can be hard to pick and choose your way to a fulfilling life. Art Nerd‘s philosophy is a combination of observation, participation, education and of course a party to create the ultimate well-rounded week. Jump ahead for Art Nerd founder Lori Zimmer’s top picks for 6sqft readers!

September 17, 2015

Art Nerd New York’s Top Event Picks for the Week, 9/17-9/22

By Lori Zimmer

The time has come again for me to flex my curatorial muscle and shamelessly self-promote your next favorite exhibition. This Friday and Saturday, join me in celebrating the work of Tim Okamura and Chris Marshall at our two day pop-up show. But if you can't make that, there is of course other art to be had this week; revisit the beautiful sculpture in Madison Square Park with a live poetry accompaniment, brave the crowds for Shepard Fairey's new show in Chelsea, or check out a curated night of performance, art and socializing at The Happening. For something ENTIRELY different, help support testicular cancer (while taking a look at some extraordinary dick pics) at Soraya Doolbaz's Dicture Gallery. The incredible world of night life maven Susanne Bartsch will take over the Museum at FIT, and the Met Opera welcomes all to its opening night performance, which will be transmitted live to screens in Times Square.
All the best events to check out here

Events & Things To Do

September 17, 2015

Sleek Tribeca Loft Redesign Features Undulating Walls and Inspiring Idea Lab

This Tribeca loft is situated on the sixth floor of an eight-story building in Manhattan. The space measures 3,500 square feet and in 2014 it underwent a complete interior renovation led by the design team at Voorsanger Architects. The exterior of the existing building was also recently updated but its renovation was meant to replicate the historic character of the former industrial neighborhood. What we see on the inside of this loft is a far different approach.
READ MORE

Distinctive Homes

September 17, 2015

New York Public Library Hires Dutch Architecture Firm Mecanoo to Lead Renovation

On Tuesday, news surfaced that eight architecture firms were being considered for the redesign of the New York Public Library's main branch, the landmarked Stephen A. Schwarzman Building on 42nd Street, one of whom was starchitect Bjarke Ingels. The list also included Ennead Architects, Studio Gang Architects, and Robert A.M. Stern Architects. One name that wasn't mentioned, however, was the Dutch firm Mecanoo, but the New York Times is reporting that the architects from the Netherlands have been selected by the library to lead the $300 million renovation, which also includes a complete overhaul of the Mid-Manhattan branch at Fifth Avenue and 40th Street.
More details ahead

Architecture And Design

Distinctive Homes

Ricky Martin sells Upper East Side apartment for $6.15M

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

This $2.7M Chelsea duplex condo feels like a modern house with a private back garden

Carnegie Hill co-op owned by MoMA's original director lists for $2.3M

This $1.5M Woodstock compound was a recording studio for rock icons from Ozzy Osbourne to R.E.M.

For $3M, this charming Nomad loft has a rooftop deck with an outdoor shower

Amy Schumer sells Brooklyn Heights townhouse at $1.25M loss

This $7M Gilded-Age mansion on the Upper West Side has a private garage and a theatrical history

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

Live in a former Park Slope bank for $5.5M

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September 17, 2015

How Two Women Live Comfortably in 350 Square Feet; NYC’s Leaning Tower of Pisa?

Residents of Chinatown and Little Italy want Historical District signs. The area received designation from the National Register of Historic Places nearly six years ago, yet no street signs have been updated to reflect such. [BB] Help get the 42nd Street theaters landmarked. [DNA Info] SHoP Architects First Avenue project is also taking shape. The building’s subtle […]

Real Estate Trends

September 17, 2015

Luna Globe Lights Will Illuminate Your Living Space Just Like the Moon

At night, the New York City skyline is illuminated with the artificial glow of its towering skyscrapers and bridges. While this sight is breathtaking and often reminds us of why we love the city so, we can't help but long for an occasional glimpse of the stars and moon. This was Acorn Studio's sentiment and inspiration for the design of Luna, an artificial globe light that looks just like the moon!
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September 17, 2015

This $17.5 Million Co-Op at the Dakota Has Gone Totally Mod!

By Emily Nonko

While many of the apartments at The Dakota, the historic co-op building at 1 West 72nd Street on the Upper West Side, are dripping with historic detail, this one is an anomaly. The four-bedroom unit does retain many of the classic details of these famed apartments—12-foot ceilings, wood-burning fireplaces, floor-to-ceiling windows and grand, well-sized rooms. But it's been significantly renovated with bold, modern design in the kitchen and bedrooms. To have a touch of modernism in one of the most iconic and historic apartment buildings of New York is going to cost you $17.5 million. The unit last sold in 2010, for $11.5 million.
See it all

Distinctive Homes

September 17, 2015

First Renderings of Moshe Safdie’s 800-Foot Bancroft Building Replacement Revealed

Plans for the Bancroft Building have been ultra-hush with much speculation swirling around the design that would ultimately replace the recently demolished, and much beloved, landmark building. But now, the NY Post has the first official rendering of the luxury condo tower that could rise in place of the historic structure located on a block-through site between West 29th and West 30th streets. Though 6sqft was previously told by reps of the development that the rendering seen here was in no way an affiliated project, the two designs do remain visually similar.
more details here

September 17, 2015

Mats Zuccarello Is Second NY Rangers Player This Week to Scoop Up a Downtown Condo

By Annie Doge

We're not sure how "the Rags" are going to do on the ice this year, but they sure will have some nice digs to come home to. Just yesterday, we learned that New York Rangers center Derick Brassard scored a $4.1 million condo at One York Street in Tribeca. And today, the Observer reports that the team's right wing, and perhaps THE fan favorite, Mats Zuccarello has picked up a $3.15 million pad at 345 West 14th Street in the Meatpacking District. Zucc's new condo is spread out over 1,228 square feet and offers two bedrooms, views of Gansevoort Square, and high-end finishes.
Have a look around

September 17, 2015

Inside Mast Brothers’ Williamsburg Chocolate Shop Revamp; Brooklyn Jumps on the Cat Cafe Train

Of course Brooklyn is getting a cat cafe. The Cat’s Meow will be in Fort Greene starting this Saturday and until October 24th. [Gothamist] The top ten hidden restaurants in NYC. [Untapped] With their upcoming move to the Barclays Center, the Islanders have gotten new Brooklyn-esque Jerseys. [BK Paper] On September 24th, the National Academy Museum […]

Uncategorized

September 17, 2015

Long Island Equestrian Estate Featured in ‘The Wolf of Wall Street’ Hits the Market for $4M

If you secretly envied the life of Jordan Belfort in "The Wolf of Wall Street," you can now own a slice of his luxurious lifestyle. The sprawling Long Island estate that served as the backdrop for a scene where Belfort (played by Leonardo DiCaprio) is advised by Manny Riskin (Jon Favreau) and Max Belfort (Rob Reiner) to make a deal with the SEC and quit Wall Street. The Post reports that the seven-acre compound is on the market for $3.98 million. The Olympic-sized equine estate is called Mill Hill Farm and features a 5,000-square-foot, five-bedroom mansion, a 16-stall mahogany horse barn, four-stall quarantine shed, a giant fenced-in jumping space, and plenty of outdoor areas for spectating.
Take a tour around the stunning property

September 16, 2015

Where I Work: Inside Made in Americana’s Bed-Stuy workshop and collaborative

6sqft’s series “Where I Work” takes us into the studios, offices, and off-beat workspaces of New Yorkers across the city. In this installment, we meet the founders of Brooklyn's Made in Americana. Want to see your business featured here? Get in touch! Many of us come to New York with certain goals in mind, but more often than not we're at the whim of the city which has plans of its own. But this is not always a bad thing. Case in point: When college friends Jordan Johnson and Joey Grimm moved to NYC a few years ago, they wanted to be performance artists; now they're running a burgeoning furniture business called Made in Americana. Today, the pair work out of a massive industrial studio at the border of Hasidic Bed-Stuy and Bed-Stuy Bedford, designing custom interiors and building modern pieces meant to last for generations. But that's not all, they've opened their very large and very well-equipped space to other newbie BK designers to create a collaborative environment that gives others the opportunity to not just get their works made, but refine them with top-of-the-line sustainable materials to get them showroom-ready—with their help, of course. Jump ahead to learn more about what Jordan and Joey are doing, exactly how they got to where they're at, and of course to tour of their quirky, and quite cool, DIY studio space.
Go inside their awesome studio here

September 16, 2015

Back in ’68 an East Village Hippy Ran for President Against Nixon

Before there was the wild presidential run of Donald Trump, there was another absurd (albeit much more endearing) campaign by an East Village hippy looking for political greatness. A fun and fascinating recollection by Ephemeral NY tells the tale of Louis Albolafia, a 27-year-old abstract expressionist artist, nudist, and the first person to establish a runaway shelter and hotline in New York, who ran on the "Love" party ticket. Though Albolafia was obviously not the term winner (that title goes to Richard Nixon), he did get a considerable number of write-ins during the race.
Find out more about his campaign here

History

Lang Architecture Updates a Carroll Gardens Brownstone With a Two-Story Wall of Windows

Prior to renovation, this Carroll Gardens brownstone came complete with tattered wall-to-wall carpeting and three separate apartment units. Plus, it was just 14 feet wide. The arduous task of transforming the four-story Italianate home into an attractive one-family residence was awarded to Drew Lang of Lang Architecture (the same firm responsible for Hudson Woods, the Catskills eco-community). When first approached, Lang's clients said they wanted to restore the historic elements of the house, but also make it feel airy, light, and modern.
See how Drew Lang rose to the challenge

September 16, 2015

POLL: Is Brooklyn Heading Into a Housing Glut?

Over the last year, building permits have risen by 156 percent, hitting levels not seen since 1963. And this percentage rises to 749 when compared with the 2010 post-slump low. This building boom is particularly rampant in Brooklyn, where, according to a report put out last month by CityRealty, northern Brooklyn alone will get 22,000 new […]

Real Estate Trends

September 16, 2015

NY Rangers Star Derick Brassard Scores a $4M Tribeca Condo

By Annie Doge

The Real Deal reports that New York Rangers center Derick Brassard has scored a $4.1 million condo at One York Street in Tribeca. The French-Canadian hockey star signed a $25 million, five-year contract extension with the Blueshirts last year, so it looks like this sprawling downtown pad is a celebratory gift to himself. The 1,670-square-foot, two-bedroom apartment boasts 14-foot ceilings, wide oak wood floors, motorized shades, and 200 square feet of outdoor space. The seller is interior designer Sterling McDavid, who bought the sixth-floor unit for $3.4 million in 2011.
Take a look around

September 16, 2015

Trader Joe’s to Open in Downtown Brooklyn’s City Point; REBNY Landmarking Report Flawed Says Data Source

Trader Joe’s has officially inked a 13,700-square-foot lease at the 1.9-million-square-foot site at City Point. It’s scheduled to open in 2016. [City Point; 6sqft inbox] Here are the before and afters of the numerous towers going up in Queens. [Rent Cafe] Red Hook’s upcoming massive waterfront tech campus has gotten an updated design. [Curbed] Airbnb […]

Real Estate Trends

September 16, 2015

Actress Kathleen Turner Sells Trump Place Condo for $3.8M

By Annie Doge

You know you're a star when you have a neon sign of your name hanging above your desk. The great actress, activist, and stage director Kathleen Turner has parted ways with her 200 Riverside Boulevard condo, selling it for $3.8 million according to city records released today. Turner bought the Trump Place pad in 2003 for $2.3 million. The three-bedroom, 2,086-square-foot Upper West Side home offers incredible views of Central Park, the Hudson River, and Manhattan skyline. A special feature is the custom solid cherry wood doors and cherry wood built-ins throughout. And while we love Ms. Turner on the stage and in film, we must admit we're not quite as impressed with her design aesthetic.
Look around here

September 16, 2015

Bright, Modern Clinton Hill Three-Bedroom on Biggie’s Old Block Offers Lots of Options for $950K

By Michelle Cohen

It's not often that a three-bedroom apartment in prime Brooklyn rings in at under a million; if it does, it's likely to be a co-op with a steep monthly fee, and/or badly in need of an update. This pre-war condo in the heart of Clinton Hill is the rare exception: tastefully renovated, it offers pretty pre-war details, three bedrooms, and a location that's hard to beat. 207 Saint James Place is on one of this historic neighborhood's most beautiful streets, lined with 150-year-old brownstones and wood-frames, carriage houses and churches. There's plenty of colorful local history as well: The childhood home of Biggie Smalls is in a similar building just across the street at number 226–the late rapper's former apartment sold for $725k in 2013. Having survived the ravages of the late 20th century, these ornate 1930s limestone apartment buildings can be a great place to find lovely and livable–and somewhat rare–apartments like this one.
Take a look, this way...

Distinctive Homes

September 16, 2015

Liven Up Your Walls With Bike Art Inspired by the New York City Streets