Catissa Cat Tree Doubles As Stylish Wall Art
February 25, 2016

Catissa Cat Tree Doubles As Stylish Wall Art

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New Yorkers definitely love their cats, and now feline owners can give their beloved fur balls their very own urban oasis in the form of the Catissa cat tree. The stylish and modern cat furniture features four stories of lush cushioned sheepskin and can easily be mounted on the wall. The unit was designed to allow your cat to roam, play, climb and sleep at their leisure.
More on Catissa
City Planning Commission Approves Controversial East New York Rezoning Plan in 12-1 Vote

Map of proposed rezoning via Department of City Planning

February 25, 2016

City Planning Commission Approves Controversial East New York Rezoning Plan in 12-1 Vote

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The New York City Planning Commission voted 12-1 in approval of Mayor de Blasio's controversial rezoning plan for East New York, Gothamist reports. It's the first of 15 low-income neighborhoods scheduled for rezoning as part of the Mayor's affordable housing plan, which promises to create or preserve 200,000 units of affordable housing. The City Council is scheduled to vote on the rezoning this spring. As part of what is known as Mandatory Inclusionary Housing (MIH), rezoning plans for East New York's Cypress Hills neighborhood and adjacent Ocean Hill in Bed-Stuy would have 7,000 new apartments built by 2030, 3,447 of which will be designated affordable, in addition to one million square feet of commercial space. Of those affordable units, 80 percent would be reserved for families (defined as a household of three, with any number of earners) making no more than 60 percent of the Area Median Income (AMI), or $46,000; 27 percent would go to families making 40 percent of the AMI or $31,000.
Find out more
First Look at Crown Heights Residential Building Rising at 1740 Pacific Street
February 25, 2016

First Look at Crown Heights Residential Building Rising at 1740 Pacific Street

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Here's our first look at a five-story, 55-foot-tall residential building under construction in Crown Heights. The approximately 10,400-square-foot site at 1740 Pacific Street was purchased for $1.3 million in May of 2015 by Pacific Project Realty LLC and is now giving way to a 24-unit, 6,088-square-foot building. It's being designed by Input Creative Studio, and Diego Aguilera Architects P.C. is the architect of record. The exterior, clad in red-brick with metal balconies and railings, is organized into four parts, each of which will house six units.
Get a look inside
City Filth, Decoded: The Gunk on Subway Platforms Actually Has a Name

Image: Xymox/Flickr

February 24, 2016

City Filth, Decoded: The Gunk on Subway Platforms Actually Has a Name

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Do you ever wonder what that black schmutz that collects on the subway platform is? Has all the discarded chewing gum in the world begun to mobilize? What if I put my bag on it? Slate's What's That Thing column appropriately examines the phenomenon: After repeated unreturned phone calls to the MTA, the intrepid journalists got "Gridlock Sam" Schwartz and his transit gurus on the case. Finally the fine folks from the MTA rallied and gave name to the mysterious muck. According to NYC Transit assistant chief of the Division of Stations Branko Kleva, the stuff is mastic, a tar-like substance used to seal and waterproof the subway tunnels. When it heats up, (in the summer, for example, ironically from the heat generated by subway car air conditioning) it starts to "flow and drip down from the roof of the tunnel onto the platforms below."
More on the mysterious gunk...
VIDEO: Fly Over the Forgotten Vessels of Staten Island’s Arthur Kill Ship Graveyard
February 24, 2016

VIDEO: Fly Over the Forgotten Vessels of Staten Island’s Arthur Kill Ship Graveyard

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In the Arthur Kill waterway, wedged between Staten Island and New Jersey, the Arthur Kill Ship Graveyard is the final home of over two dozen harbor vessels that had their best years in the city's golden age of shipping. There were once as many as 400 of the ghostly crafts left to the wiles of entropy in the waterway, but according to Atlas Obscura, only 25 or so remain, picked over for their useful parts. Seven minutes of eerie and fascinating drone video footage offers a close-up view of the "urban marine cemetery" and the rusted metal hulls of once-useful tugboats and other harbor ships as they slowly sink into the silent, murky waters.
More about this eerie assembly and the full video
How Far From NYC You Could Travel in One Day Between 1800 and 1934
February 24, 2016

How Far From NYC You Could Travel in One Day Between 1800 and 1934

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Back in 1800, a New York stagecoach couldn't get outside the northeast, and a trip to Charleston, South Carolina took ten whole days of sailing—these are just two examples of just how arduous traveling in the 19th and early 20th centuries was. To visualize this difficulty, as well as to show the major advances made over a relatively short time, Quartz created this simple map that shows how far from NYC one could travel in a day between 1800 and 1934.
More on the map
$4.8M Brooklyn Heights Duplex Has Amazing Historic Details and the Great Outdoors
February 24, 2016

$4.8M Brooklyn Heights Duplex Has Amazing Historic Details and the Great Outdoors

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Built by the Pierreponts in 1858, the immaculately preserved 25-foot-wide Italianate townhouse at 104 Pierrepont Street in Brooklyn Heights holds four co-op apartments developed by architect and historian Norval White. On the market for $4.825 million, the grandly proportioned parlor and garden floor make up a nearly 3,000-square-foot duplex with 700 square feet of private outdoor space–one of the loveliest gems in New York City's first landmarked district.
Explore both floors
This Puppet-Shaped Device Keeps Your Fingers Safe When Hanging Art
February 24, 2016

This Puppet-Shaped Device Keeps Your Fingers Safe When Hanging Art

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DIY and design enthusiasts know very well that you can transform any room with the right supplies, and more often than not you'll only need a good hammer and some nails. But hammering nails into a wall can be tricky, which is where Nail It comes in. This adorable puppet-shaped device holds the nail in place, freeing your hand from the danger zone.
More on the product this way

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For $5.5M, Combine Two Top-Floor Apartments Into One Soho Mega Loft
February 24, 2016

For $5.5M, Combine Two Top-Floor Apartments Into One Soho Mega Loft

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Here's a proposal only for true loft lovers: two fifth-floor apartments are on the market at 81 Grand Street, a former warehouse in Soho, and they come in a package in which you can combine them for a massive, single loft. If combined, it'll leave you with 45 feet of frontage facing Grand Street, a total of 14 windows and four skylights, 3,300 interior square feet and 600 exterior square feet. And you'd be working with great bones; while most downtown lofts have some cool historic details left from when the building was a warehouse, this one boasts detailed brickwork, as well as remnants of the building's old wheels and shoots system, typically used for transporting things. We're jealous of the architect who will get the job of creating a full-floor penthouse here.
Check out both spaces
One Mechanical Failure Can Delay 625 Subways; How Immigration Law Fueled Chinese Restaurants
February 24, 2016

One Mechanical Failure Can Delay 625 Subways; How Immigration Law Fueled Chinese Restaurants

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How one mechanical failure at Union Square redirected 625 different trains in one day, affecting hundreds of thousands of passengers. [NY Mag] After reviewing the backlog of 95 sites yesterday, the Landmarks Preservation Commission decided that 30 sites are worthy of protections. [Curbed] The “lo mein loophole:” how U.S. Immigration law fueled a chinese restaurant boom. [NPR] Beijing […]

Poll: Do You Agree With the Decision to Forego a Ribbon Cutting for WTC Transportation Hub?
February 24, 2016

Poll: Do You Agree With the Decision to Forego a Ribbon Cutting for WTC Transportation Hub?

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Yesterday the Port Authority announced that they won’t be holding a ribbon cutting ceremony (or any type of celebratory event, for that matter) to mark the opening of Santiago Calatrava’s World Trade Center Transportation Hub next month. They called the Hub “a symbol of excess” and cited the exorbitant $4 billion price tag as the […]

What You Can Do If You’re Injured On Rental Property
February 24, 2016

What You Can Do If You’re Injured On Rental Property

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Our ongoing series Apartment Living 101 is aimed at helping New Yorkers navigate the challenges of creating a happy home in the big city. This week Tom J. Moverman, partner at the Lipsig Law Firm, a practice specializing in personal injury, joins 6sqft to offer up tips on how to avoid injuries on a rental property, and what to do if they do occur. In New York City, Manhattan remains the dominating force when it comes to new apartment construction. However, in recent years, boroughs such as Brooklyn have closed that gap considerably. According to BuildingCongress.com, Manhattan accounted for 37 percent of all of the apartment construction in New York City, and in Brooklyn, construction accounted for 36 percent of the rental property construction activity in the city. By the middle of 2015, there had been $10.5 billion in residential construction throughout the entire city of New York (to give an idea as to how much the volume has increased, there was just $11.9 billion in residential construction in all of 2014). With an increase in construction comes an increase in tenant injuries. When volume increases, the demand to get new buildings up and generating revenue quickly also increases, and this means that corners will often be cut to make sure that rents from tenants can be collected in time to start showing a profit. Unfortunately, people can get injured when corners are cut, and tenants need to know how to protect themselves and fight back.
find out more here
Groundwork Begins on Bjarke Ingels’ Curvaceous East Harlem Development
February 23, 2016

Groundwork Begins on Bjarke Ingels’ Curvaceous East Harlem Development

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With approved permits in place, Blumenfield Development Group is ready to move forward on their Bjarke Ingels Group-designed mixed-use project at 146 East 125th Street between Lexington and Third Avenues. Initial ground testing has taken place, and a construction fence has been erected along the lot's northern 126th Street frontage. According to permits filed in December 2014, the upcoming 230,000-square-foot building will contain 40,000 square feet of commercial space and 233 apartments, 20 percent of which will be designated as affordable.
More details ahead
There Will Be No Ribbon Cutting for the WTC Transportation Hub Opening

Santiago Calatrava: WTC Transportation Hub , New York (Photo: Mega Projects and Skyscrapers, via YouTube)

February 23, 2016

There Will Be No Ribbon Cutting for the WTC Transportation Hub Opening

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When the subject of Santiago Calatrava's World Trade Center Transportation Hub comes up, what's most likely to come to mind is not the flying-bird-looking architecture, but the fact that it was so incredibly delayed (it’s six years off schedule) and over-budget (final construction costs ring in around $4 billion in taxpayer dollars, twice what was projected, making it the world’s most expensive train station). The latter is not sitting well with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, who oversee the hub, as they've announced that they will not host an event to mark the opening during the first week of March, calling it "a symbol of excess," according to Politico. Similarly, Governors Christie and Cuomo, who control the agency, have declined to commemorate the opening.
Get the scoop
Designer Fawn Galli’s Carroll Gardens Townhouse Is Inspired by Fantasy and Nature
February 23, 2016

Designer Fawn Galli’s Carroll Gardens Townhouse Is Inspired by Fantasy and Nature

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The home of designer Fawn Galli is an eclectic and vibrant combination of colors, patterns and style, reflecting her not-so- typical childhood (she spent her early years living in a California home without electricity or plumbing) and and rich design background (she spent time abroad in Paris and Madrid). Located in Carroll Gardens, the Brooklyn brownstone is inspired by fantasy, nature and the world at large, bringing together unexpected combinations of style and influence.
READ MORE
Minimalist Subway Map Posters Are More About Beautiful Design Than Finding Your Way
February 23, 2016

Minimalist Subway Map Posters Are More About Beautiful Design Than Finding Your Way

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Cartographer Andrew Lynch has spent a lot of time looking at the NYC subway system. The CUNY Hunter alum recently perfected the entire system in a series of hypothetical but geographically accurate "Future NYC Subway" maps. But while studying the paths of the city's most important people mover, Lynch noticed they looked rather lovely, but just too, well, cluttered. From this thought came a series of colorful minimalist subway line posters (h/t CityLab) that Lynch calls "totally accurate, totally useless," but nice to look at nonetheless.
Get your own, this way
Architect/Owner of This $800K Park Slope Co-op Gut Renovated it Herself
February 23, 2016

Architect/Owner of This $800K Park Slope Co-op Gut Renovated it Herself

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It's hard to go wrong with an apartment that's been carefully renovated by its owner, who also happens to be an architect. That's the case at 404 3rd Street, where a two-bedroom Park Slope co-op has just hit the market for $799,000. The owner, Joana Pacheco, is not only an architect but the founder of Paperhouse, an open source architecture platform. She gut renovated the interior, opening up and brightening the space. She had good bones to work with, as the apartment retains big bay windows and its historic moldings, as well as a good location, just a few blocks from Prospect Park.
See more of her renovation
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A New Look for the Museum of Sex; The Curious Reason Barber Shops Don’t Take Credit Cards
February 23, 2016

A New Look for the Museum of Sex; The Curious Reason Barber Shops Don’t Take Credit Cards

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Ever wonder why barber shops don’t take credit cards? Here’s your answer. [Atlas Obscura] The state is conducting a study to understand where and how noise affects New York City residents. [DNAinfo] Mapping just how bar-saturated the Lower East Side is. [Bowery Boogie] The luxurious wedding and remarkable home of great Brooklyn architect Montrose Morris. [Brownstoner] […]

Rosario Candela-Designed Building at 915 West End Avenue Going Condo
February 23, 2016

Rosario Candela-Designed Building at 915 West End Avenue Going Condo

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West End Avenue is one of Manhattan's longest stretches of harmonious architecture. The nearly 50-block-long, better-looking half of Eleventh Avenue is the Upper West Side's answer to Park Avenue, without the median and with the community. The Avenue's rows of stately prewar buildings are raised to a mostly uniform height of 12 to 15 stories and appear as if some Haussmann-like visionary conceived their elegance and scale. Behind dignified masonry facades are wood-paneled lobbies and sprawling apartments that are stacked in classic sixes and sevens with staff quarters. Near the Avenue's starting point at Straus Park, at the northwest corner of 105th Street, 915 West End Avenue rises humbly without much fuss. The red-brick building, built in 1922, was designed by beloved architect Rosario Candela and is undergoing a conversion that would transform 43 of its 91 rental apartments into condominium residences, according to an offering plan submitted to the attorney general.
Find out more
Renderings Revealed for Upper East Side’s First Supertall at Former Subway Inn Site
February 23, 2016

Renderings Revealed for Upper East Side’s First Supertall at Former Subway Inn Site

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In October, 6sqft reported that a 1,000+ foot condo tower could rise on the former site of beloved dive bar the Subway Inn (which, after 77 years, had to relocate to a site around the corner in August 2014). The news came nearly two years after the World Wide Group bought a six-parcel assemblage on 60th Street between Third and Lexington Avenues. Then, this past summer, World Wide enlisted Cushman & Wakefield to sell the property, "using renderings of a glassy supertall tower and talk of nearby Billionaires Row to sweeten the deal." Kuafu Properties bought the 19,685-square-foot plot for $300 million in the fall, and now Yimby has uncovered renderings of a glassy, slender tower proposed for the site.
Who designed the supertall tower?
Restaurateur Keith McNally’s Greenwich Village Townhouse Is on the Menu for $13.95M
February 23, 2016

Restaurateur Keith McNally’s Greenwich Village Townhouse Is on the Menu for $13.95M

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After spending some time on the rental market, first at $25,000/month then $19,000/month, restaurateur Keith McNally's 4,600 square-foot Greek Revival townhouse at 105 West 11th Street is for sale for $13.95 million (h/t Curbed). The New York Times once called McNally, whose success stories include buzzy establishments like Balthazar, Cherche Midi, Odeon, Café Luxembourg, Schiller’s and Minetta Tavern, "the man who invented Downtown." McNally purchased the house in 2002 for $2.496 million. Built in 1910, this 21-foot-wide, five-bedroom, four-story home should appeal to historic townhouse lovers as well as anyone with kitchen ambitions. From the walk-in wine cellar to the rustic French-country interiors, the house has been restored with a floor plan that considers both entertaining and daily life. Impressive details include five wood burning fireplaces, imported timber beams, reclaimed wide plank oak floor boards, casement windows, Venetian plaster walls and landscaped outdoor spaces, all on a historic townhouse-lined Greenwich Village street.
Take a look inside
First Look at MY Architect’s 19-Story Hotel Set for Jamaica’s Transit Hub
February 23, 2016

First Look at MY Architect’s 19-Story Hotel Set for Jamaica’s Transit Hub

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With all corners of the city bursting at their seams, once overlooked business nodes are experiencing a resurgence of construction activity. Perhaps most foreign and far-flung to Manhattanites is Jamaica, Queens, where a cluster of high-rises is rising around its transit hub, which serves LIRR commuters and is a terminus to JFK's AirTrain network. The neighborhood's latest large project to come forward is from Flushing-based Ampiera Group, who have proposed a 100,000-square-foot hotel and office tower at 90-75 Sutphin Boulevard, just one block from the transit center. The building's exterior, comprised of a mix of glass and stone, is designed by MY Architect, who are working with the development team on at least two Long Island City projects. Approved permits and documents filed last summer co-align with images published on the architect's website that call for a double-winged building with a low-rise leg fronting Sutphin Boulevard. The low-slung retail buildings along Archer Avenue will be demolished to create a plaza at the foot of the tower.
More views and details ahead
Harper Lee Had a Crazy-Cheap Hideout on the Upper East Side for 50 Years
February 22, 2016

Harper Lee Had a Crazy-Cheap Hideout on the Upper East Side for 50 Years

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Famed author Harper Lee, who passed away at age 89 on Friday in her hometown of Monroeville, Alabama, was known for being extremely private and somewhat reclusive. So it's not entirely surprising that for the past 49 years, the "To Kill a Mockingbird" novelist has maintained a secret Upper East Side apartment. What is surprising is that after all that time, her rent was less than $1,000 a month. Lee moved to New York City in 1949 when working as an airline reservation agent and writing in her spare time. When the building that housed her cold-water flat was demolished in 1967, she moved to apartment 1E across the street at 433 East 82nd Street (between 1st and York Avenues), reports the Post, using it as a kind of hideout when not in Alabama (even the tenant directly below her had no idea she was a resident). Though she hadn't spent time there since having a stroke in 2007, she renewed her lease for two more years just a couple months ago. Property manager Steven Austern said she was up to date on her rent, and even though he could've terminated the lease since she was living elsewhere, he chose not to, stating "She was a personal friend of mine."
What was the average day like for Harper Lee?
A Three-Year Renovation and a Glass Rooftop Studio Perfect This $26M West Village Townhouse
February 22, 2016

A Three-Year Renovation and a Glass Rooftop Studio Perfect This $26M West Village Townhouse

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The listing calls this $26 million historic West Village townhouse a "singular and exceptional offering," and it’s hard to disagree (h/t Curbed). Brit expat and tech entrepreneur Jos White and his wife Annabel, former director of The Rug Company, bought the house from interior designer James Huniford in 2009 for $7.25 million and embarked on a three-year renovation helmed by notable architect Basil Walter of BWArchitects with interiors by Poonam Khanna. The end result, according to the architects, "fuses past and present into a new, sophisticated 4,000-square-foot home," which includes a wild rooftop glass atelier (inspired by the Maison de Verre in Paris), 17th-century wood paneling, and a never-ending roster of impressive decor.
Check out the interiors

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