Should the MTA Consider These Gymnastics Ring-Like Straps in Their New Subway Design?
July 27, 2016

Should the MTA Consider These Gymnastics Ring-Like Straps in Their New Subway Design?

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Every day, stoic straphangers face the crowds, dirt and other nasty stuff in the city's subway system (when it's running), and we don't often consider how the various moving parts of the commuting experience are designed. The old subway cars had straps to hang onto (hence the term) in addition to poles and horizontal rails; newer generations have nixed the strap altogether, including the new high-tech designs recently unveiled by Governor Cuomo. While it doesn't sound as cool as a self-driving bus, Keita Suzuki at the Japanese firm Product Design Studio has designed a transit strap that could add a little more comfort to the daily commute.
See more of a good idea
$2.5M Freestanding Italianate House Charms in Bay Ridge
July 27, 2016

$2.5M Freestanding Italianate House Charms in Bay Ridge

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The charm of a freestanding home in the middle of New York City will never get old. This Italiante home, at 237 77th Street in the Brooklyn neighborhood of Bay Ridge, pretty much exudes all the charm and is now asking a cool $2.5 million. The 11-room house has a landscaped front yard that leads to a wrap-around porch. Once inside, a grand entrance leads you to a formal living room with hand-restored crown molding, the original windows, stained glass doors and a side entry back out to the porch. The rest of the house, too, is decked out with historic extravagances like stained glass, pocket doors and a wood-burning fireplace.
Take a look inside
Nearly 200 Affordable Units Up For Grabs in East New York, Starting at $788/Month
July 27, 2016

Nearly 200 Affordable Units Up For Grabs in East New York, Starting at $788/Month

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The affordable housing go-to's at Dattner Architects are at it again, this time with a six-building complex in East New York known as Stanley Commons, which includes five four-story buildings and one seven-story building surrounded by a large courtyard. There will also be a 19,000-square-foot community facility operated by Good Shepherds Services, a social service and youth development organization, and Man Up Inc., a local agency focusing on neighborhood improvement. The City Planning Commission recently approved a controversial rezoning of the neighborhood, part of de Blasio's push to increase affordable housing here, so it makes sense that 191 units are now up for grabs through the city's housing lottery for individuals earning 60 percent of the area media income. This ranges from a $788/month studio to $1,182/month three-bedrooms.
Find out if you qualify here
This Is What the Lower East Side Skyline Could Look Like, More Tall Towers Planned

L to R: One Manhattan Square, 247 Cherry Street, 260 South Street, and 271-283 South Street. The above image, created by CityRealty.com, depicts the possible massing of the new towers; No official design has been released 

July 26, 2016

This Is What the Lower East Side Skyline Could Look Like, More Tall Towers Planned

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The hotly contested Two Bridges neighborhood--the area along the East River, near the footings of the Manhattan and Brooklyn Bridges where the Lower East Side meets Chinatown--has been making headlines nearly every week, whether it be for a new supertall tower or local residents' opposition to what they feel is out-of-scale development for the mostly low-rise and low-income neighborhood. Just yesterday, The Lo-Down obtained information through a Freedom of Information Law (FOIL) request that reveals preliminary plans for two more residential projects that together "would add more than 2,100 residential units and 1.7 million square feet" to the area. A building at 271-283 South Street may rise 60 stories, while another at 260 South Street could reach 66 stories. To put into perspective just how much this planned and under-construction new development will alter the LES skyline, CityRealty.com has put together this Google Earth rendering of all the proposed towers.
Get all the details right here
My sqft: A British Expat and Aspiring Food Vlogger Makes a Home in Hamilton Heights

Our ongoing series “My sqft” checks out the homes of 6sqft’s friends, family and fellow New Yorkers across all the boroughs. Our latest interior adventure brings us to Vanessa Lee’s lovely Hamilton Heights apartment. Want to see your home featured here? Get in touch!

July 26, 2016

My sqft: A British Expat and Aspiring Food Vlogger Makes a Home in Hamilton Heights

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Hamilton Heights isn’t quite the neighborhood you’d expect to find a London girl who’s new to the city, but expat Vanessa Lee revels in the distance of her out of the way ‘hood. “I'm one of the outliers that don't mind traveling over an hour across town to discover a cute little bar or coffee shop," she says, "I try somewhere new every opportunity I can.” Like most New York newbies, Vanessa was looking for an affordable place to live when she arrived. This meant that living alone was out of the question, and living in a neighborhood like Soho or Tribeca would mean squeezing into an expensive sardine can with several others. So rather than settling into any downtown address she could find, she turned her budgetary constraints into an opportunity for observation and discovery. Ahead she talks to 6sqft about her transition from London to NYC; why she chose out of the way Hamilton Heights; and how she's now using food and video as a way to explore and share her adventures around the city with others.
More from Vanessa this way
Maya Angelou’s Historic Harlem Brownstone Finds a Buyer for $4M
July 26, 2016

Maya Angelou’s Historic Harlem Brownstone Finds a Buyer for $4M

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The historic Harlem brownstone of author, poet, and civil rights activist Maya Angelou listed for $5.1 million in February, and after a drop to $4.95 million in March, it's now found a buyer for a reduced price of $4 million, The Real Deal tells us. Dr. Angelou purchased the four-story home, built in 1909 in the Mount Morris Park Historic District, sight unseen in 2002 to serve as her northeast residence when she wasn't teaching at Wake Forest University in North Carolina. But she didn't move in until 2004 (vandals had turned it into a "dilapidated shell"), when East Harlem-based architect Marc Anderson had completed a gut renovation that added contemporary amenities such as an elevator, two skylights, and a basement entertainment area, while retaining historic details like the original oak-front door, wainscoting, carved banister, and decorative fireplaces.
See it all
$3M Art Deco Co-op Boasts Wrap-Around Terraces With Views of Central Park
July 26, 2016

$3M Art Deco Co-op Boasts Wrap-Around Terraces With Views of Central Park

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It's one thing to have views of Central Park from your apartment. It's quite another when those views come from two wrap-around terraces that surround your penthouse. That's what happening at 336 Central Park West, where this 17th floor, one-bedroom pad is now on the market for $2.995 million. There's more square footage outside than there is inside--with 1,100 interior square feet and 1,720 exterior square feet. And the interior boasts twelve large windows, with the original steel-cased frames, that look out onto both incredible terrace spaces.
See more of this outdoor shangri-la
July 26, 2016

De Blasio Ahead of Schedule on Ambitious Affordable Housing Plan

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It looks like it's been another successful year for Mayor de Blasio's affordable housing goals. When he took office in 2014, he pledged to build or preserve 200,000 such units over 10 years. In a January 2015 speech, he announced that during his first year, the city exceeded its goal by 1,300 apartments, building or preserving a total of 17,300 units. Now, an announcement on Monday from his administration says that the city is ahead of schedule with its goals thus far, financing the creation or preservation of nearly 53,000 affordable apartments. As reported in the Times, "just in the fiscal year ending June 30, more affordable housing units — 23,284 — had been built or preserved than at any time since 1989." In a statement the Mayor said, "This engine is in full gear, financing enough affordable homes for 130,000 people in just two and a half years."
More details this way

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$7K/Month Chelsea Rental Gets Points for Townhouse Charm and a Private Garden
July 26, 2016

$7K/Month Chelsea Rental Gets Points for Townhouse Charm and a Private Garden

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Chelsea living on a beautiful tree-lined street feels even better when the living is being done in an utterly charming pastel-tinted townhouse like the one at 353 West 22nd Street. Surrounded by equally lovely townhouse neighbors and near the High Line, the West Village and all of Chelsea, it's a great downtown location with tons of curb appeal. The apartment itself is also nothing like the average cookie-cutter rental space. With lots of warm wood and brick, impossibly high ceilings, floor-to-ceiling casement windows and a gem of a private garden, this $7,000/month two-bedroom bi-level rental may be on the small side but it gets points for charm and outdoor space.
Take a look around
Lottery Opens for 13 Affordable Units in Washington Heights, Starting at $868/Month
July 26, 2016

Lottery Opens for 13 Affordable Units in Washington Heights, Starting at $868/Month

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In April 2015, developer Sutton Management applied to utilize the city's 421-a program for a new project at 607 West 161st Street in Washington Heights, just off the New York Presbyterian campus. They received approvals that 13 of the Jeffrey Cole Architects-designed building's 62 units would be reserved for those earning 60 percent or less than the area median income, and today these units have come online through the city's affordable housing lottery. They range from $868/month studios to $1,085 two-bedrooms, and for an additional fee, lottery residents will have access to a fitness center and bicycle room.
Find out if you qualify
Underwater New York Offers Found Objects From NYC Waterways to Spark Imagination and Art
July 26, 2016

Underwater New York Offers Found Objects From NYC Waterways to Spark Imagination and Art

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The collectors of curious things at Atlas Obscura bring us the work of Underwater New York, a fascinating catalogue of all the weird stuff that’s been found bobbing, sinking or washed-up from the murky depths of the city’s waterways, from a giraffe skeleton to a grand piano, with a bag of lottery tickets thrown in for good measure. In a fascinating study in what-is-it-and-where-is-it-coming from, founder Nicki Pombier Berger and the site's editors and contributors (artists, filmmakers, musicians, photographers and other storytellers) create contexts for the curiosities that find their way to this aquatic lost and found. New York City waterways, like the swampy southern Brooklyn beach known as Dead Horse Bay, and their submerged treasures are the inspiration for works in this digital gallery of sorts. Berger and fellow editors Helen Georgas and Nicole Haroutunian compile a growing list (it currently contains 150 objects) of waterfront finds that they've discovered via everything from news articles to anecdotes. Contributors are encouraged to use the objects to weave their stories in whatever medium they choose.
Find out more of the bizarre items found beneath the waves
Gigi Hadid Now a Resident of Trendy 10 Bond Street in Noho
July 25, 2016

Gigi Hadid Now a Resident of Trendy 10 Bond Street in Noho

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Last summer, after a stalker tried to break into her apartment at 250 Bowery in Nolita, supermodel Gigi Hadid listed the home for $2.45 million. It closed in January for $2.3 million, around which time Hadid and then-new flame Zayn Malik were seen checking out a $6.5 million apartment nearby at Noho's 10 Bond Street. Seven months later, it look like Gigi's officially shacked up in the Annabelle Selldorf-designed building, as she and Malik have been exiting the building together to a swarm of paparazzi.
What's it look like inside?
MTA Announces Details on L Train Shutdown To Begin in 2019
July 25, 2016

MTA Announces Details on L Train Shutdown To Begin in 2019

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The MTA plans to announce today that the long-dreaded L train shutdown for repairs needed on the Canarsie tunnel that runs beneath the East River will commence in 2019 and take the line out of service from Manhattan to the Bedford Avenue station in Brooklyn for 18 months, as reported by the New York Times. The 18-month option was the expected choice, the alternative being a partial three-year shutdown that would give about one in five passengers service to Manhattan (20 percent of current service). The agency needs to do major repairs on damage done by the 2012 superstorm Sandy, and while the tunnel is “not in grave danger of collapse,” according to the MTA, it can’t go untreated. As 6sqft previously reported, night and weekend service is off the table because of the amount of work that needs to be done, and building a third tube would be time- and cost-prohibitive.
Find out more
Philip Seymour Hoffman’s Former West Village Apartment Up For Rent Asking $10,250/Month
July 25, 2016

Philip Seymour Hoffman’s Former West Village Apartment Up For Rent Asking $10,250/Month

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Acclaimed actor Philip Seymour Hoffman, who tragically died from a drug overdose in February 2014, was a regular fixture in his West Village community, sitting out on his stoop, frequenting local coffee shops, and helping to establish the neighborhood's LAByrinth Theater. He moved into his apartment at the Pickwick House, a former 19th century printing plant, in October 2013, after splitting from his wife. The unit first hit the market for $10,500 a month just a month after his passing, but even after dropping to $9,995, it couldn't find a tenant. It's now trying again reports the Post, asking $10,250 a month.
Take a look
Apply for 53 Affordable Units in Historic Harlem, Starting at $494/Month
July 25, 2016

Apply for 53 Affordable Units in Historic Harlem, Starting at $494/Month

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The lottery is open for 53 brand new affordable units at 275 West 140th Street in central Harlem. The building, dubbed Strivers Plaza in reference to its proximity to the nearby historic homes of Striver’s Row, is an eight-story structure designed by affordable housing gurus Aufgang Architects. As previously reported by Yimby, Radson Development was able to build bigger than zoning would normally allow due to the inclusion of the below-market rate units, as well as an 8,000-square foot supermarket in what's considered a "food desert." Available units go from $494/month studios to $2,405/month two-bedrooms for people with a wide range of annual earnings -- 40 to 165 percent of the area median income.
See if you qualify here
For $12M This West Village Townhouse/Condo Has It All, Plus a Rooftop Pool
July 25, 2016

For $12M This West Village Townhouse/Condo Has It All, Plus a Rooftop Pool

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For amenities that rival those shared by residents of the city's top luxury condo buildings–a gym, sun deck with hot tub and privacy cabana, laundry, media room–you won’t even need to get dressed, because all those things are under your roof. But if you should choose to venture from your 4,382-square-foot, four-bedroom triplex "townhouse" at 385 West 12th Street, a whole other level of amenities awaits; the boutique condo building offers a roof-deck with a 50-foot lap pool, an expansive spa, an outdoor shower, two gas grills and a dining area. Should you exit the premises completely rather than just letting the whole world just come to you, you’re on a pretty cobblestoned street in the West Village. So for the $11.995 million this supercondo is asking, it’s pretty much win/win/win.
Check it all out this way
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Lottery Launches for 76 Affordable Units at 300 Ashland Place, From $889/Month
July 25, 2016

Lottery Launches for 76 Affordable Units at 300 Ashland Place, From $889/Month

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It's been 14 years since Enrique Norten's ship-like design was chosen to sail upon a triangular site in an ambitious arts district planned for the area around the Brooklyn Academy of Music. Initially proposed as an eight-story glass building to house the Brooklyn Library for the Visual and Performing Arts, the project was altered to a mixed-use high-rise when Two Trees Management was brought onboard during the economic downturn in 2008. Now officially known as 300 Ashland Place, the slab-shaped tower is a silvery 32-story icon that architecture critic Carter Horsley praises as a "gleaming, but mysterious steed" in the emerging Downtown Brooklyn skyline. It will house a smattering of public uses in addition to 379 apartments above. Earlier this July, leasing began on the 300 market-rate apartments that go for roughly $2,850/month for studios, $3,600/month for one-bedrooms and $5,750/month for two-bedrooms. And now, a housing lottery has launched for the 76 affordable units that include $889/month studios, $949/month one-bedrooms, and $1,087/month two-bedrooms.
Find out here if you qualify
The Location is Good and the Price Is Right for This Cozy $440K Prospect Heights Co-op
July 24, 2016

The Location is Good and the Price Is Right for This Cozy $440K Prospect Heights Co-op

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This one-bedroom co-op at 786 Washington Avenue may have its limits–space and windows, for example–but the Prospect Heights neighborhood is a winner, a slice of old-meets-new-Brooklyn with a collection of grocery stores, cafes, restaurants and bars that grows daily, and just a few blocks from Prospect Park, Crown Heights and Park Slope for even more options. The street's a bit busy, but then again you're on the third floor where it's quieter, and if you like exposed brick, you're in luck–possibly for less per month than lots of folks are paying in rent for a one-bedroom–or even a studio.
See this little Brooklyn pad from all angles
Weekly Highlights: Top Picks From the 6sqft Staff
July 23, 2016

Weekly Highlights: Top Picks From the 6sqft Staff

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New High-Tech Subway Station and Car Designs Unveiled by Governor Cuomo $4.5M Industrial Tribeca Loft Is Both Cavernous and Airy See Day and Night Views From 1,400 Feet in the Air at 432 Park! 432 Park Reveals Renderings of Rafael Viñoly-Designed Amenity Spaces New Photos of NYC’s First Residential Urban Farm at Urby Staten Island […]

Grand Mansion on Michelle Williams’ Street With a Huge Ballroom Asks $3M
July 22, 2016

Grand Mansion on Michelle Williams’ Street With a Huge Ballroom Asks $3M

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Actress Michelle Williams' exquisite taste in real estate has had us swooning over each of the extraordinary properties she's bought and/or transformed–and renovation plans for the pixie-haired star's historic 18-room Colonial Revival-style mansion on Albemarle Road were recently approved. In quiet Prospect Park South, her fame has paved the way for a new level of exposure for historic homes like this one at 1305 Albemarle, which hit the market yesterday for a neighborhood record-setting $2.98 million. The unusual and somewhat haunting (though hopefully not haunted) 10,000-plus-square-foot, 23-room mansion would turn a few heads on its own, but a celebrity neighbor certainly doesn't hurt. The impressive home has 10 bedrooms, six full baths and floors of pine, cherry, mahogany and oak. There’s a two-car garage and decks galore, including one with a six-person hot tub. But the Oscar for cool house features definitely goes to the unbelievably massive and dramatic third floor ballroom, complete with wet bar.
Is this antebellum manse cool, or creepy? You decide.
What You Need to Know When Buying a Townhouse in New York City
July 22, 2016

What You Need to Know When Buying a Townhouse in New York City

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Historic details, gardens, privacy, numerous bedrooms and bathrooms… In a crowded city like New York where quarters often come cramped, townhouse living is truly what real estate dreams are made of. However, while townhouses can offer far more space and flexibility than say an apartment in a glass tower, unlike buying into a condo or a co-op, they also come with a whole other […]

Dreamy Hamptons Vacation Home Designed by Mid-Century Architect Andrew Geller Asks $2M
July 22, 2016

Dreamy Hamptons Vacation Home Designed by Mid-Century Architect Andrew Geller Asks $2M

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Vacation homes don't get much better than this. The abode at 375 Brick Kiln Road in the Hamptons was designed by the Mid-century architect Andrew Geller. He was known for designing creative homes across Long Island that utilize low-cost materials in unconventional ways, according to Curbed Hamptons, and he created this one--known as the Elizabeth Reese house--in 1963. The striking $2.2 million beach cottage, featuring triangular windows with projecting flaps, sits on a beautiful five acres of land. It comes with a tennis court, swimming pool and an impressive stone fireplace, making this one of the coolest vacation pads we've come across.
Take a look
Units at Trump’s 11 Manhattan Condo Buildings Are Still Selling at a Premium
July 22, 2016

Units at Trump’s 11 Manhattan Condo Buildings Are Still Selling at a Premium

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Historically, the Trump brand has boosted sales prices at Manhattan condos. Since 2005, units in the Donald's buildings have sold for an average of 31 percent more than other NYC condos. But with his beyond-contentious presidential run, it's been unclear if his real estate empire would take a hit in a city where 70 percent of registered voters are Democrats. New data brought to us by MarketWatch, however, shows that he's "still king of New York." According to an analysis by CityRealty.com of 2016 sales data at Trump's 11 Manhattan condos, these units sold for an average of $1,974 a square foot, compared with $1,873 for all other condos, a five percent advantage that was also echoed in 2015.
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