November, 2015 | 6sqft

November 3, 2015

This Little East Village Co-op Is Big on Style and Custom Details

This charming Bowery bolthole at 32 East 2nd Street may not be huge, but it has everything you need for a great downtown life (unless you need a queen-sized bed in your actual bedroom). The one-bedroom co-op has benefitted from a tasteful, chic and well-considered custom renovation, resulting in finishes that are both creative and convenient, and the building is in a perfect location to enjoy both the friendly East Village vibe and the hip, downtown Manhattan location near just about everything you'd want to see, do, or buy.
Take a peek inside

Distinctive Homes

November 3, 2015

Buy Cameron Diaz’s Glam West Village Apartment for $4.25M

By Annie Doge

Considering Cameron Diaz is one of the highest paid actresses out there, we're not surprised that she decided to infuse her West Village apartment, now on the market for $4.25 million, with a healthy dose of Hollywood glamour. The Wall Street Journal, who broke the news that Diaz's West 12th Street residence will be hitting the market any day now, calls the pad "colorful." That seems to only hold true in the emerald green kitchen, but the rest of the home is full of gilding and luxe finishes. The actress bought the two-bedroom apartment in 2008 for $2.95 million, followed by a gut renovation courtesy of famed California-based designer Kelly Wearstler. Two years ago, she also bought a $9.5 million home in the Walker Tower. This, coupled with her recent marriage to musician Benji Madden, are likely the reason for the sale.
See the full apartment

November 3, 2015

Construction Update: Herzog & de Meuron’s 215 Chrystie Street Shimmies and Shakes Upward

By Ondel Hylton and Julian Friedman

The structure of Ian Schrager/Witkoff Group's 26-story hotel/condominium combo 215 Chrystie Street is now more than half way up, giving us a clearer view of the "tough-luxe" exterior composed of raw concrete and large clear glass panes. Designed by Pritzker Prize-winning firm Herzog & de Meuron, with Handel Architects as architects of record, the tower's lower levels feature a highly-textured facade of inwardly-tilting columns framing expansive clear panes of glass. The tilt creates slightly more interior space, and from ground level, increases the amount of reflection in the glass, thus providing more privacy for guests. According to the firm's webpage on the project, "The structure of the building is pushed to the exterior and follows the grid of the large floor-to-ceiling window bays. This introduces a depth to the façade on the exterior and liberates the interior from freestanding columns."
See more construction shots and renderings

November 2, 2015

Rafael Viñoly’s 432 Park Reportedly Showing Cracks in Its 1,400-Foot Facade

By Diane Pham

Is the Western Hemisphere's tallest residential tower already experiencing some construction defects? According to a recent blog post by real estate author Michael Gross (h/t Curbed), 432 Park Avenue is showing signs of wear. Gross writes that "Two unconnected sources confirm that the architectural concrete that covers the poured concrete tower has already developed cracks, and that scaffolds hanging from the pillar in recent weeks were there because Nicholson Galloway, a top masonry restoration company, was hired to coat the structure with some 'nasty stuff,' as one of those sources puts it, called Silane that will seal those fissures."
find out more

November 2, 2015

For $699K, a Private Backyard and Tons of Charm in the Heart of Hell’s Kitchen

By Michelle Cohen

Have you ever gazed out of your office window with envy at a sweet private back garden or cool roof deck right in the middle of Manhattan? This one-bedroom co-op at 315 West 55th Street is one of those. On a beloved residential block in Hell's Kitchen on the city's West Side, this updated apartment has enough room for comfort and the added bonus of a landscaped, full-sized back garden oasis. It's perfect in spring and summer, but magical year-round as it's visible through a pair of sliding glass doors whenever you enter the living room.
Get a closer look

Distinctive Homes

November 2, 2015

Apartment-Friendly Kama Sutra Art Replaces Bodies With Buildings

By Rebecca Paul

Most of us have heard of the Kama Sutra, and as interesting as it is, it might not be our first choice for our home's wall decor. But this non-traditional version, entitled Archisutra, from architectural illustrator Federico Babina, may be clever enough to change your mind. Traditionally pictorial interpretations of the Kama Sutra include human bodies demonstrating sexual positions from the ancient sanskrit text; however, in Babina's version, the bodies are replaced with buildings while the positions remain the same.
See the illustrations

November 2, 2015

Visit Truman Capote’s Brooklyn Heights; Bronx to Get $10M to Improve River Access

By Diane Pham

A collection of photos depicts what Brooklyn Heights looked like when Truman Capote was a resident in 1958. [Atlas Obscura] The city received a $10M grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation to construct two bike and pedestrian bridges and to develop a short pathway along the Bronx river. [DNA Info] Hudson Companies’ plan for […]

Real Estate Trends

November 2, 2015

Upper East Side Townhouse by Modernist Pioneer William Lescaze Sells for $16M

By Dana Schulz

After five long years on the market, the William Lescaze-designed townhouse at 32 East 74th Street on the Upper East Side has found a buyer, according to Curbed. As 6sqft previously reported, Lescaze was a Swiss-born, American architect who is credited with pioneering modernism in America. His personal Midtown East townhouse (the William Lescaze House) is considered the first modernist residence in New York City, built just one year prior to this 1934 uptown commission. The Upper East Side house sold for $12 million in 2008. Starting two years later, it's been on and off the market, ranging from $14 million to $19.5 million, but finally went into contract last week for $15.9 million.
More details ahead

November 2, 2015

More Sky Window Extensions Create Mini Glass Alcoves in Your Apartment

By Rebecca Paul

As the world population continues to grow, cities are more densely populated and we're on the constant lookout for new ways to optimize the small spaces many of us occupy. In response to this growing need, Argentinean architect Aldana Ferrer Garcia created "More Sky," an extending window unit that provides apartment-dwellers with immediate access to the sky from their often cramped and sometimes dreary living space.
more on the design here

Distinctive Homes

From cozy to bold, this $10M Soho condo embodies post-loft luxury

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

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This $2.85M Crown Heights townhouse is an unspoiled historic beauty on an extra-long lot

For $8M, a proper Park Avenue penthouse with an artistic pedigree

For $2.45M, an artist's downtown Manhattan loft is a blank slate with a modern frame

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November 2, 2015

The Actual Daylight That Daylight Saving Time Saves; Furniture Made of Shopping Carts

By Dana Schulz

A controversial virtual reality experience simulates the 9/11 attacks from the perspective of someone on the top floors of the World Trade Center. [DNAinfo] How much daylight does daylight saving time save? Find out with this interactive chart. [Quartz] Celebrate Junior’s 65th anniversary tomorrow with 65-cent pieces of cheesecake. [NYDN] This Greenwich Village townhouse was inspired by […]

Uncategorized

November 2, 2015

One Bedroom Co-op at the Beekman Hill House Is the Ideal Starter Apartment

By Emily Nonko

Ah, the New York starter apartment. First-time buyers who don't have millions to spend are always on the lookout for the perfect one–something relatively affordable, charming, and not too small. This can especially be a challenge when buyers have prioritized a central Manhattan location. But among the sea of multi-million dollar condos, there's still a decent selection of more affordable one-bedroom co-ops throughout Manhattan, usually in larger prewar buildings. This particular apartment is located at the Beekman Hill House co-op, a 64-unit building built in 1930 at 425 East 51st Street. It's a decently-sized one bedroom with colorful charm, and it was just listed for $725,000.
Check it out

Distinctive Homes

25 Percent of Subway Station Entrances Are Closed, Worsening Congestion

Image via FEMA

November 2, 2015

25 Percent of Subway Station Entrances Are Closed, Worsening Congestion

By Dana Schulz

There's so much to kvetch about when it comes to the MTA and poor subway service: unprecedented debt, increased ridership that hasn't been matched with increased service and outdated technology to name a few. But here's another to add to the laundry list: closed station entrances. amNY reports today that one out of four subway entrances are closed at a total of 119 stations, which "create bottlenecks that make it difficult to get in and out of increasingly jam-packed stations, while stores miss out on the foot traffic." In total, a whopping 298 staircases are inaccessible, and some closures have been in effect for so many decades that the MTA doesn't even know why they're not in use.
Find out more

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