During the Second World War the United States (and other European nations) experienced significant food shortages, as the majority of the country’s food supply was being sent overseas to aid in the war effort. In response, government organizations encouraged citizens to plant “victory gardens” to help ease the burden. U.S. President Woodrow Wilson said “Food will win the war,” and launched through the Bureau of Education a United States Garden Army. The program, funded by the War Department, began in 1943 and urbanites living in New York City collectively grabbed their shovels to adorn the bare concrete streets with a far more plentiful kind of landscaping.

In total, the city had roughly 400,000 victory gardens occupying 600 acres of private land. As hard as it may be to believe today, there was a victory garden planted along Park Avenue, while another one flourished uptown on Riverside Drive. A third sizable garden was located in Midtown, spreading is leaves in the shade of the Chrysler Building.

The effort spanned across all boroughs and urban gardens popped up wherever there was space, including in empty lots on Ludlow Street, Upper East Side apartment terraces, and open spaces throughout Queens and Brooklyn.

It was recorded by Amy Bentley and Daniel Bowman Simon in their book about victory gardens, Savoring Gotham: A Food Lovers Companion to New York City, that New York’s amateur farmers yielded 200 million pounds of vegetables—the largest being tomatoes, followed by beans, beets, carrots, lettuce, and Swiss chard.

In addition to growing food, victory gardens provided the added benefits of boosting morale and creating communities throughout the United States.

Images courtesy of the Library of Congress

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Before buying a penthouse at Tribeca’s 92 Laight Street in 2004 for $9 million, three-time Academy Award winner Meryl Streep called this lovely townhouse in Greenwich Village home. She purchased the five-story brick residence at 19 West 12th Street for $2.1 million in 1995, and then sold it 10 years later for $9.1 million to heiress Libet Johnson, according to LL NYC. Built in 1895, the home retained much of its historic detail when Streep resided there, but it’s since been given an uber-contemporary makeover, most notably the Calacatta marble master bathroom that the listing describes as “unequivocally one of the most sensational in the city.”

The late Greek Revival home has 12-foot ceilings on the parlor floor, mahogany pocket doors, original moldings, six fireplaces, and a caretaker’s apartment on the garden level. The living room has two street-facing, floor-to-ceiling windows and leads to the formal dining room. Both rooms have EcoSmart ventless fireplaces.

Off the dining room, French doors lead to a deck with stairs to garden.

In addition to the guest studio apartment, the ground floor features the massive chef’s kitchen, which boasts two refrigerators, two dishwashers, a four-burner stove with griddle and built-in wok burner, wine cooler, and room to seat 16. The stainless steel and bright orange room opens directly to the garden.

On the third floor is an office or small bedroom, large bath and dressing room, and a guest bedroom with an ensuite bath, and on the fourth floor are two more bedrooms and baths. The fifth floor houses the master suite, complete with a fireplace, 25-foot-wide skylight, large walk-in closets with skylights, and a dressing room. It’s also here that you’ll find the 450-square-foot master bath drenched in Italian Calacatta marble and spanning the width of the townhouse with a fireplace, cast iron bathtub, and freestanding shower.

There’s also a planted rooftop garden and a basement with extra storage and a laundry room.

Johnson sold the home in 2007 for $12.8 million; the current owner, countess and entrepreneur Elisabeth de Kergorlay, then picked it up for $13.5 million in 2008. She first listed it this past February for nearly $35 million, so perhaps the latest chop will get it off her hands.

[Listing: 19 West 12th Street by Pamela Johananoff, Leighton Candler and Jennifer Reardon of the Corcoran Group]

[Via LL NYC]

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Images via the Corcoran Group

If you can’t keep up with your dog’s demands for yet another game of fetch, this gizmo could save your throwing arm. The iFetch flings balls from between 10 to 39 feet (depending on the model) and it can even be operated by your pooch. All your dog has to do is drop the ball into the funnel and wait for it to shoot out the front. The device is powered by batteries or electricity and each model has three distance settings, which can be selected via the press of a button. Shira Klazmer, marketing manager of iFetch, explains why pets love iFetch.

READ MORE AT METRO NEW YORK…

• Does celebrity status help sell a high-end home? [Inman]
• Ample Hills Creamery released two candidate-inspired flavors: Madam President, chili pepper chocolate with Hillary’s own oatmeal chocolate chip cookies; and Make America Orange Again, orange marshmallow with brownie bricks. [TONY]
• The street corner of Nathan’s Famous on Coney Island was renamed for the hot dog stand’s founders. [NYDN]
• The top 10 secrets of Calvary Cemetery in Queens, the largest in the U.S. [Untapped]
• Photographing all 211 New York Public Library branches. [Fast Co. Design]

Via Ample Hills Creamery (L)

On a quiet block of Prospect-Lefferts Gardens–lined with similar round-fronted row houses and low-rise brick apartments–this thoughtfully-renovated, 20-foot-wide limestone townhouse is move-in ready, no contractor required. Asking $1.95 million, 176 Lefferts Avenue changed hands in 2014 for $1.6 million, and just before that in 2013 for $830,000 to a local developer–so you can see how much property values in this neighborhood have changed in recent years. Though the home has been renovated for use as a one-family, it’s legally a two-family if you wanted to take advantage of the income–or other expansion–potential.

Inside, you’ll find warmth and period details as well as state-of-the-art modern upgrades. While the home, at only two floors and a finished English basement, is hardly palatial, it’s still a townhouse in the city, with four bedrooms, a private backyard and plenty of room for living–within a couple of blocks of an express subway.

A big, bright, airy triple parlor floor is where the living happens; here you’ll find a powder room and a pretty cook’s kitchen with marble countertops, a Bertazzoni range, a Bosch dishwasher, a Fisher Paykel refrigerator and a built-in 70-bottle Bosch wine fridge.

Just off the kitchen a landscaped garden features a bluestone patio and custom cedar seating. An in-ground irrigation system makes yard maintenance effortless.

Upstairs, a skylight summons sunlight to the hallway between the home’s four bedrooms, all with big closets. The master bedroom features beautiful bay windows, exposed brick and a skylit master bath.

The master bath offers a double sink and a walk-in glass-walled shower. The other bedrooms also share a full bath; both are done in clean black-and-white subway tile.

The finished English basement is perfect for use as a guest room, media room or gym. You’ll also be happy to find a laundry room, a big pantry, more storage and a half bath on this floor (no need to bring the party upstairs). Additional updates include central air, a high-end security system, a garbage disposal, all-new insulation, windows, electric system, roof and boiler and updated plumbing, so there’s nothing to do but unpack.

Located within the Lefferts Historic District, you’re near the park and your choice of subways as well as plenty of restaurants and cafes old and new and cultural destinations like the Brooklyn Zoo and Brooklyn Botanic Gardens.

[Listing: 176 Lefferts Avenue by Debra Bondy, Sally Marmet and Lori Mendelis for Compass]

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Images courtesy of Compass

Now in its sixth year, Archtober is a month-long festival of architecture activities, programs, and exhibitions in New York City. From walking tours and rare opportunities to go inside some of the city’s most lauded buildings to panel discussions and film screenings, there’s something for everyone in this 100+ event roster. But 6sqft has hand-picked 10 events that are sure to be highlight’s of this year’s festival.

Architecture & Design Film Festival ↑
September 28-October 2; times vary, see schedule here
Cinépolis Chelsea, 260 West 23rd Street

Now in its eighth season, ADFF is the nation’s largest subject-focused film event, with over 30 features from around the world on the topics of architecture and design. Curated by festival founder and architect Kyle Bergman, highlights of this year’s lineup are: a piece on the life of modernist architect Eero Saarinen; “Where Architects Live,” a film that takes us into the privates homes and lives of major architects such as the late Zaha Hadid, Shigeru Ban, and Daniel Libeskind; and a documentary about Carmel Place, the city’s first micro-housing development.

AIANY Around Manhattan Architecture Boat Tour ↑
All month; times vary, see schedule here
Chelsea Piers, Pier 62, at 22nd Street
$78; $58 for students

At almost three hours, this tour along the Hudson, East, and Harlem rivers will certainly help hone your NYC architectural knowledge. Plus, it’s hosted aboard the Manhattan or Manhattan II, 1920s-inspired yachts, and includes complimentary hors d’oeuvres and a drink. You’ll circumnavigate Manhattan, passing under all 18 bridges, while taking in monuments, architecture, parks and infrastructure.

Hidden History of the South Street Seaport’s Architecture ↑
Saturday, October 1, Sunday, October 2, Saturday, October 29, Sunday, October 30; 3:00-4:00pm
South Street Seaport Museum, box office at 12 Fulton Street
$15

This walking tour offers insight into some of the oldest standing structures in Manhattan. From rat pits to a warehouse built by one of America’s most famous 19th century architects, the Seaport District walk will tell the story of the rise of New York.

Photo via The Architectural Review

Building of the Day: New York State Pavilion ↑
Thursday, October 6; 12:00-1:00pm
New York State Pavilion, Flushing Meadows Corona Park
$10

It’s not every day ordinary folk get the chance to go behind the gates of Philip Johnson’s iconic New York State Pavilion in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, one of the last remnants from the 1964-5 World’s Fair. After sitting in disrepair for decades, restoration efforts have gotten underway in recent years, including a $3 million paint job and a $5.8 million commitment from the city. Now’s your chance to get a look inside before the work begins.

Image © Turnstile Tours

Brooklyn Navy Yard: Sustainable Architecture & Industry Bike Tour ↑
Saturday, October 8; 11:00am-1:00pm
Brooklyn Navy Yard Center at BLDG 92
$25; $22.50 for seniors; $12.50 for children 5-11

Jump on a bike and find out how the Brooklyn Navy Yard went from one of the country’s largest naval shipbuilding facilities to a leading sustainable industrial park. You’ll explore most of the Yard’s 300 acres, learning about the adaptive reuse of historic buildings, environmentally friendly manufacturing practices, green infrastructure and storm water management, and alternative energy projects.

The Architecture of Remembrance ↑
Thursday, October 13; 7:00-8:00pm
National September 11 Memorial & Museum, 180 Greenwich Street
Free

Join the the principal architects of the 9/11 Memorial (Michael Arad of Handel Architects), the Flight 93 National Memorial near Shanksville, Pennsylvania (Paul Murdoch), and the Pentagon Memorial in Arlington, Virginia (Julie Beckman of KBAS) as they “reflect on the relationship between architecture and remembrance, and the significance of place and public memory.”

Construction Realities – Cornell Tech ↑
Wednesday, October 19; 6:00-8:00pm
AIA New York Center for Architecture, 536 LaGuardia Place
$10; free for AIA members

When it opens on Roosevelt Island in 2017, Cornell Tech will boast the world’s tallest Passive House project, a 270-foot, 350-unit residential building for students and faculty. Join the project team as they discuss their experiences with this project in both design and construction management.

Behind the Slice ↑
Thursday, October 20; 6:00-8:00pm
Parsons East Building, 25 East 13th Street, Room E206
Free

Pizza and architecture don’t seem to go together, but this panel of “pizza industry experts” will discuss how New York’s favorite food relates to materials and manufacturing, history, design, and environmental impact. They’ll also take a look at the future of pizza culture.

Building of the Day: 520 West 28th Street ↑
Monday, October 24; 12:00-1:00pm
520 West 28th Street
$10
* This event is sold out, but you can add your name to the waitlist

The only building currently in NYC by the late, great Zaha Hadid, 520 West 28th Street is a boutique condo along the High Line. The Pritzker Prize-winning starchitect employed her signature curves here, which on the exterior create futuristic-looking chevrons that give way to exterior terraces, and on the interior give way to 39 unique residences. This is an extremely special opportunity to tour the building before its completion.

Rendering of the QueensWay courtesy of Friend of the QueensWay, WXY Studio Architecture + Urban Design and dlandstudio

Walk the QueensWay ↑
Meeting location provided after ticket purchase
Saturday, October 29; 11:00am
$30; $20 for Municipal Art Society members

Guides from the Trust for Public Land and Friends of the QueensWay will lead you on a 2.5-mile walk along the northern section of the High Line-esque linear park and cultural greenway proposed for a 3.5-mile stretch of abandoned railway in central Queens. The tour will start at the historic Forest Hills Gardens and include time on the streets adjoining the QueensWay, as well as a walk on the rail bed and through a ravine in Forest Park.

+++

Learn more about Archtober here, and view the full calendar of events.

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It’s full steam ahead for SL Green‘s new Midtown supertall, One Vanderbilt. Early this morning the developer announced it had closed on $1.5 billion in financing for its 1,401-foot, full-block office tower slated to rise directly adjacent to Grand Central Terminal. As SL Green Managing Director, Robert Schiffer expressed in a statement: “Closing on the construction financing means that nothing stands in the way of One Vanderbilt becoming an iconic addition to the Manhattan skyline.”

As 6sqft previously reported, the Kohn Pedersen Fox-designed tower is expected to cost $3.1 billion to construct. SL Green announced in June that it was in the process of securing a construction loan for roughly half of the amount and that it hoped to fund at least half of the remaining $1.64 billion through joint venture alternatives, yielding a 50 percent stake.

As it stands, the construction financing is being led by Wells Fargo Bank, as Administrative Agent, The Bank of New York Mellon, JP Morgan Chase Bank, TD Bank and Bank of China, as Syndication Agents, and Landesbank Baden-Württemberg as Documentation Agent. The loan has a term of up to seven years and bears interest at a floating interest rate of 3.50 percent over LIBOR, with the ability to reduce the spread to 3.00 percent upon achieving certain pre-leasing and completion milestones. SL Green has long expressed confidence that it will have no issue leasing the tower’s 1.6 million square feet of space; TD Bank has already signed on for 200,000 square feet and will also provide a flagship retail branch at the base.

The progress at the #OneVanderbilt site has been astounding. Every day reveals new perspectives of our everyday city.

A video posted by One Vanderbilt (@one_vanderbilt) on Aug 17, 2016 at 9:31am PDT

 

Demo of the existing buildings on the site started earlier this year and construction on the new edifice is expected to begin in 2017. In addition to bringing 58-floors of Class A office space and retail to East Midtown, One Vanderbilt will also provide new and direct underground access to Grand Central Terminal and a number of other local infrastructure improvements totaling $210 million. The building is slated to open in 2020 and when complete it will be the tallest tower in Midtown and the second tallest tower in the city.

“One Vanderbilt will set a new standard for trophy buildings in Midtown Manhattan,” said SL Green’s Robert Schiffer. “It will respond to the needs of the modern workforce, offering tenants technologically advanced, Class A office space with best-in-class amenities and unparalleled proximity to public transportation.”

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Renderings by DBOX

For NYC renters who don’t have a parent or well-to-do friend who can guarantor their apartment, getting on a lease can be a challenge. In addition to wanting a credit score of at least 700 and looking at bank statements, landlords usually want to see that a prospective tenant’s annual income is 40 times greater than one month’s rent. If that’s not the case, their guarantor must earn a whopping 80 times the monthly rent. Aware of this hardship in a country where rents have risen 20 percent over the last five years, a new financial startup hopes to help clear these hurdles. As noted by the Wall Street Journal, TheGuarantors sells payment insurance to tenants, which gives landlords a guarantee that they’ll still be paid if the tenant fails to meet rent.

TheGuarantors was founded in 2014 by Julien Bonneville, who struggled to find an apartment when he moved to the city in 2010 to attend Columbia. Partnering with $5 billion insurance company the Hanover Insurance Group, they’ll work with tenants who earn as little as 27 times the monthly rent and have a credit score as low as 630, taking into account savings, other liquid assets, and income from outside the country. “Depending on how risky the applicant is,” the premium can be two week to roughly a month’s rent a year.

In New York, where “rent growth has far outstripped income gains in recent years,” the startup is catching on. According to Cliff Finn, executive vice president of new development at Douglas Elliman, 10 to 30 percent of tenants in buildings he’s currently leasing have insurance through TheGuarantors. And some of the biggest complexes in the city, such as Stuyvesant Town and Gotham West, have already said they’ll accept the insurance. Bonneville says he has about 300 buildings signed up.

[Via WSJ]

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Lead image via Pexels

With its giant windows and 808-square-foot landscaped backyard, this Williamsburg condo marries indoor and outdoor space quite well. Located at 550 Grand Street, the two-bedroom duplex spans over 1,500 square feet and has just hit the market for nearly $2 million. Big windows that front the backyard bring a tremendous amount of light into the pad, including the lower-level bedroom area. And although 550 Grand is an older brick building, the interior has been completely redone with a modern, sleek aesthetic.

The first floor of the duplex holds a living/dining area (which fronts the backyard), a master bedroom and an open kitchen. The kitchen, which has its own island, breakfast bar, and half bathroom, also features a custom-designed, iron rod light fixture that “gives the entire room an ambient glow,” according to the listing.

Right off the living room is the master bedroom and en-suite marble bathroom. From this bedroom you’re able to step out the glass door onto a recessed terrace that leads out to the garden.

Take the wooden staircase down to the lower living area. A huge opening at the top of the staircase ensures that tons of light is streaming down to the below-ground space.

Down here, there’s enough room for a queen-sized bed as well as dressing and lounging areas. And right off the lower level great room is a smaller room ideal for a home office, laundry room or additional half bathroom.

From the backyard, you can see how striking the floor-to-ceiling glass windows are at this apartment.

It’s hard to argue with this backyard. It’s been laid with white stone gravel and holds a garden, brick wall backsplash and fire pit. It offers tons of privacy for large gathering or just a cozy night out roasting s’mores… an amenity that very few New Yorkers can boast they’ve got.

[Listing: 550 Grand Street, #1 by Kristin Thomas-Senior for Compass]

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Photos courtesy of Compass

In a presentation (pdf) Tuesday at the Association for a Better New York, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced that plans for transforming a revamped Penn Station-Moynihan Train Hall complex into a “world-class 21st century transportation hub” were back on track and ready to roll, complete with a slew of new renderings and the selection of a developer-builder team including the Related Companies, Vornado, and Skanska AB, to redevelop the Farley Building.

With more than twice the passenger traffic of JFK, LaGuardia, and Newark airports combined, the governor called the current Penn Station, “overcrowded, decrepit, and claustrophobic” and promised the new Moynihan Train Hall “will have more space than Grand Central’s main concourse, housing both Amtrak and LIRR ticketing and waiting areas, along with state-of-the-art security features, a modern, digital passenger experience, and a host of dining and retail options.”

In the first of the project’s two major parts, McKim, Mead & White’s 1913 Beaux-Arts James A. Farley Post Office will be the site of a newly-constructed 255,000-square-foot train hall that will serve both Amtrak and Long Island Rail Road passengers. Moynihan Train Hall, as it will be known, will hold more than 112,000 square feet of retail and 588,000 square feet of office space in addition to ticketing and waiting areas for the two train lines.

The new hall will employ state-of-the-art security measures and high-tech additions like free wifi and charging stations. Renderings have been based on designs by the architecture firm of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) who have been attached to the project since its earliest stages. The Governor’s presentation states that, “A number of design concepts, including those received through the RFEI process, are under review that would add retail and improve passenger experience and station function.” It is possible that the selected team could proceed with a different firm.

In addition to the new hub, the MTA will thoroughly revamp the existing Penn Station’s 33rd Street LIRR concourse. This redesign will nearly triple the width of the existing corridor and result in higher ceilings, brighter lighting and new way-finding, ticketing and informational systems.

Also included in the plan is a complete renovation of both Penn Station subway stations—the A/C/E at Eighth Avenue and the 1/2/3 at Seventh Avenue–as per MTA plans, announced earlier this year, to update dozens of subway stations throughout the system.

Similar to the renderings released in January, the plans show a new glass skylight above the concourse, meant to reference the original Penn Station design, integrated into the building’s historic and architecturally dramatic steel trusses. From the architect’s description: “SOM’s design establishes a grand civic space that celebrates the unique history of the Farley Building while evoking the vaulted concourse of the original Penn Station.”

Cuomo has said the cost of the Train Hall project will be about $1.6 billion; $600 million will come from the developer of the hall’s retail space, $570 million will come from the Empire State Development Corporation and $425 million will come from Amtrak, LIRR, the Port Authority, and the federal government. The Penn Station LIRR corridor revamp will ring in at $170 million; the subway station facelifts will cost $50 million and could happen “as early as 2018.”

6sqft reported in December of last year that “… after a promise to close this year on the deal [with Related and Vornado] was left empty, Governor Cuomo seems to have had enough” of the long-stalled project, and in January posted renderings and an outline of the governor’s plans for a reboot with possible new partners on board.

650,000 people travel through Penn Station every day, more than the traffic at Newark, JFK, and LaGuardia airports combined. And if all goes according to plan, Governor Cuomo projects that number will double over the next 15 years. The project is scheduled to be completed in 2020.

RELATED:

• Renderings revealed for Governor Cuomo’s $3B Penn Station overhaul
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• All Penn Station coverage

All renderings via office of the Governor

Talk about a rare property: this full-floor, sprawling loft at 68 Jane Street, in the West Village, hasn’t hit the market in 40 years. With all that space–and time–the owner has smartly designed the interior to take advantage of the 28 windows, several of which boast a dramatic arch, and 11.5-foot beamed ceilings. Built with virtually no structural walls, a new owner willing to pay $11.5 million will have the freedom to create their own dream loft here.

A key locked elevator opens directly into the great room, which spans a little less than half the main floor of this duplex loft. The arched windows and a wood-burning fireplace ensure a striking space, no matter how you decorate.

Besides the massive windows–which keep the entire apartment bright–you have exposed brick and maple wood flooring throughout. The kitchen has been renovated with upscale appliances and two ovens.

There’s also plenty of space for an office (which looks dramatic in exposed brick) and a greenhouse (which has views of One World Trade Center).

Large arched windows also decorate the master bedroom, which has a very funky bathroom.

In its current configuration, the loft holds four bedrooms, two-and-a-half bathrooms, the enormous great room, a large play room, chef’s kitchen with dining area, two bonus rooms and a laundry room. But the listing says a new owner will have a lot of freedom to rearrange.

You’re getting unobstructed views in every direction from the apartment, including those of One World Trade Center, the Lower Manhattan skyline, Hudson Yards, the Hudson River and the treetops and townhouses of the West Village. Talk about stunning, inside and out–be sure to go through the gallery to see more impressive interior details.

[Listing: 68 Jane Street, #6th floor by Chris Toland for Corcoran]

[Via CityRealty]

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Photos courtesy of Corcoran

The scene on the day of the explosion, via Uptown Radio

When the Second Avenue gas explosion tore through three East Village buildings in March 2015, George Pasternak lost his property at 123 Second Avenue, which housed the famed Pommes Frites and a deli, by no fault of his own. And when the city demolished what remained, he was charged $350,000. But this past March, he listed the vacant lot for $9.7 million, and now 6sqft has uncovered property records that show he’s made the sale for $6 million, significantly less than the asking price.

View of the vacant lot from the Compass listing

The explosion occurred after Pasternak’s neighbor Maria Hrynenko (who owned the other two destroyed buildings) rigged the gas lines. Two people were killed in the blast, and Hrynenko and four contractors were ultimately charged with manslaughter and negligent homicide. When the listing went up in March, the Post reported that the site could accommodate 10,000 buildable square feet for condos and retail.

The actual listing said:

Vacant lot (25’ x 100’) for rental or condo development with commercial overlay offered for sale. 1031 exchange opportunity, in prime East Village location (2nd Ave and 7th Street), and currently zoned C1-5/R7A. FAR ranges from 3.45-4.6 subject to the DOB approval of proposed/planned build out, to be filed by potential purchaser post closing. Building sketch for illustration purposes only.

The new owner purchased the site under the LLC “123 Second Ave, Corp.,” but based on the deed he is Ezra Jason Wibowo.

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