All articles by Alexandra Alexa

BAM commissions a series of public artworks for its Fort Greene campus

Rendering of Teresita Fernández’s Paradise Parados courtesy of Brooklyn Academy of Music

August 8, 2019

BAM commissions a series of public artworks for its Fort Greene campus

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BAM will soon be adding a series of site-specific public artworks to its Fort Greene campus. Brooklyn-based artists Teresita Fernández and Hank Willis Thomas have been commissioned to create new works for BAM, and Leo Villareal—whose LED light installation “Stars” can already be seen illuminating the arched façade windows of BAM’s Peter Jay Sharp Building—will create two new works. One additional artist will be commissioned in the near future.
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Search begins for artist to design Hurricane Maria memorial in Battery Park City

Image via Wiki Commons

August 7, 2019

Search begins for artist to design Hurricane Maria memorial in Battery Park City

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The search is on for the architect or artist who will design the Hurricane Maria Memorial in Battery Park City. Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced plans for the project last September, on the one-year anniversary of Hurricane Maria’s landfall. The tragic event claimed more than 3,000 lives and brought more than 11,000 displaced victims to New York. The memorial will be a way for the city to honor the victims and survivors, as well as the city’s strong connection to Puerto Rico.
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14th Street busway pilot program will begin next week after judge gives project green light

Image via Flickr

August 7, 2019

14th Street busway pilot program will begin next week after judge gives project green light

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The city is set to begin a 14th Street busway pilot on August 12 after a judge lifted a temporary injunction on the project, Streetsblog reported. The busway had most recently been delayed after several block associations along the street filed a lawsuit against the project, claiming that the city failed to conduct an environmental review for the work. State Supreme Court Judge Eileen Rakower reviewed a traffic analysis submitted by Deputy Commissioner for Traffic Eric Beaton and found that the traffic, health, and safety impacts of the project fall within the city’s routine traffic management work, thereby allowing the project to move forward.
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Parts of the old Kosciuszko Bridge and Staten Island Expressway become an artificial reef

Images via Governor Andrew Cuomo’s Flickr

August 6, 2019

Parts of the old Kosciuszko Bridge and Staten Island Expressway become an artificial reef

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Pieces from the old Kosciuszko Bridge are now underwater off the coast of Fire Island, as part of New York State’s ongoing artificial reef expansion efforts. Governor Cuomo launched the second year of the largest artificial reef expansion in state history this past weekend. Recycled materials from the Staten Island Expressway, the Kew Gardens, and Kosciuszko bridges, as well as retired U.S. Army Corps of Engineers steel vessels, were cast into the water at Fire Island Reef, where they will create new marine habitats and boost Long Island's fishing and diving industries.
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James Turrell installation reopens at MoMA PS1 after nearby construction impedes views

Image via Flickr cc

August 6, 2019

James Turrell installation reopens at MoMA PS1 after nearby construction impedes views

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James Turrell's celebrated Skyspace installation at MoMA PS1 is open to the public again after views from a high-rise construction encroached on the piece and forced a temporary closure back in January. Meeting is a site-specific, permanent installation that was installed in the museum in the 1980s and offers a simple pleasure: gazing upwards toward an unobstructed view of the sky. The aperture is framed by LED lights that change over the course of the day, creating interesting optical effects between the color of the sky and that of the room.
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‘Friends’ pop-up in Soho will let fans experience the iconic (if unrealistic) interiors of the hit series

© & ™ Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.

August 5, 2019

‘Friends’ pop-up in Soho will let fans experience the iconic (if unrealistic) interiors of the hit series

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It’s been 25 years since the world met Ross, Rachel, Joey, Monica, Chandler, and Phoebe in the hit 90s sitcom Friends. But it wasn’t just the characters who became iconic—the interiors portrayed throughout the show, Monica and Joey’s (completely unrealistic) apartments, and of course, Central Perk, became influential “characters” in their own right. To celebrate this year’s big anniversary, New Yorkers will have a chance to experience those interiors first-hand in a new, immersive pop-up featuring set recreations that will bring you right into the center of the Friends universe.
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MTA plans major upgrades for 100-year-old 42nd Street Shuttle

Image via Flickr

August 5, 2019

MTA plans major upgrades for 100-year-old 42nd Street Shuttle

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The 42nd Street Shuttle is set to undergo a “historic transformation” as the MTA has announced plans to modernize the 100-year-old train that connects riders between Grand Central Terminal and Times Square, two of the busiest stations in the city. Work will include replacing the Times Square Shuttle terminal with a larger, fully accessible station, reconfiguring platforms at Grand Central, and modernizing the signaling system.
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Pottery Barn’s new ‘Friends’ collection will be there for you…and your apartment
August 2, 2019

Pottery Barn’s new ‘Friends’ collection will be there for you…and your apartment

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"Friends" is set to leave Netflix by the end of the year, but devoted fans now have a new way to keep their favorite moments close by. As the show prepares to celebrate its 25th anniversary, Pottery Barn has just launched the much-anticipated FRIENDS x Pottery Barn collection, comprised of furniture, tableware, and other household accessories inspired by the classic '90s sitcom. Ranging from a $1,099 apothecary coffee table to a $29.50 throw pillow featuring the iconic shade of purple in Monica’s apartment—there’s a little something for everyone, whether you’re a Rachel, a Joey, or a Phoebe.
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MTA plans more elevators for 14th Street subway complex, making it fully accessible

Image via Flickr

August 1, 2019

MTA plans more elevators for 14th Street subway complex, making it fully accessible

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After committing to install four elevators at the 14th Street and Sixth Avenue F, M, and L stop as part of a lawsuit settlement, the MTA has now announced it will also be adding elevators to access the 1, 2, and 3 platforms at Seventh Avenue. As The City reported, the 14th Street subway complex between Sixth and Seventh Avenues is one of the busiest stops in the city, servicing more than 48,000 riders a day. The expanded project will make the entire complex fully accessible, though it won't happen overnight.
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After local condo board sues, judge rules that Central Park West bike lane can go forward

Via Public Domain

August 1, 2019

After local condo board sues, judge rules that Central Park West bike lane can go forward

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Earlier this week, a group of Upper West Side residents from the Century Condominium filed a suit against the city for its plans to install a protected bike lane on Central Park West, attempting to cease its construction immediately. As 6sqft previously reported, the bike lane plan consists of installing a northbound protected lane from 59th Street to 110th Street–eliminating 400 parking spots in the process (another point of contention for the plaintiffs). But yesterday, Supreme Court Justice Lynn Kotler ruled against their request for a “temporary restraining order” and expressed skepticism over their claims that the bike lane would bring “immediate and irreparable harm to the neighborhood,” as Streetsblog reported. Work crews will continue putting in the bike lane—which doesn’t actually involve any construction, just painting street markings—until city lawyers and plaintiffs reconvene in court on August 20.
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Chelsea Hotel owners have sent nearly $60,000 to de Blasio in attempt to gain favor for construction

Image via Wiki Commons 

July 31, 2019

Chelsea Hotel owners have sent nearly $60,000 to de Blasio in attempt to gain favor for construction

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It’s been several years since Ira Drukier and Richard Born took over as owners of the historic Chelsea Hotel with plans to turn it into a luxury hotel. The rent-stabilized tenants who remain in the hotel even as it’s been turned into a construction zone have filed multiple complaints with the city, hitting the new owners with violations and a lawsuit. But The City has uncovered a link between those complaints and Drukier and Born’s donations to Mayor de Blasio’s political funds. Over the course of less than a year—from August 2018 to June—18 checks totaling $57,400 were sent to de Blasio’s presidential campaign from either the owners or people associated with them. The checks started coming soon after city building inspectors began responding to tenant complaints about hazardous living conditions.
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Out of 7,000 potential NYC school sites, special task force says only 2 are viable

Photo via Flickr cc

July 30, 2019

Out of 7,000 potential NYC school sites, special task force says only 2 are viable

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New York City has assembled a task force to find sites for new public schools, but the search is proving to be exceedingly difficult, as the Wall Street Journal reports. The School Siting Task Force said at a meeting on Monday that out of 7,000 city-owned properties they looked at, they found only two to be viable possibilities. Citing an urgent need, city officials said they would be putting out a Request for Proposals for private properties in the next few weeks as the School Construction Authority anticipates a need for 45,000 seats within the next five years and is looking to find 70 sites for new schools.
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Amazon might end up in Queens after all, considers Maspeth site for new distribution facility

Google Street View of the Maspeth site

July 30, 2019

Amazon might end up in Queens after all, considers Maspeth site for new distribution facility

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As Amazon's search for new warehouse space continues, the retail giant is looking to Queens again, as Crain's reports. Several sources have said the company is considering leasing the site at 55-15 Grand Avenue in Maspeth, which can accommodate over 700,000 square feet of space. If the deal goes forward, Amazon would scrap the existing, former warehouse and build a custom distribution facility from the ground up.
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Ranking the city’s most dangerous intersections for NYC cyclists

Image via Flickr

July 29, 2019

Ranking the city’s most dangerous intersections for NYC cyclists

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Just days after Mayor de Blasio unveiled a new plan to make the city’s streets safer for cyclists, another fatal accident occurred when a 30-year-old cyclist was struck near the intersection of Third Avenue and 36th Street in Sunset Park around 9 a.m. this morning. As Streetsblog reported, the incident brings the year’s death toll up to 18—nearly double what it was all of last year. Redesigning intersections is a component of De Blasio’s new $58 million initiative, which says it will ramp up NYPD enforcement at the 100 most crash-prone intersections and renovate 50 intersections. While the Department of Transportation hasn’t yet disclosed what those intersections will be, home-search platform Localize.city has created a list of the top ten most dangerous intersections for cyclists.
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Ahead of city demo plans, petition launches to save Williamsburg’s Bayside Oil Depot

Photo by James and Karla Murray exclusively for 6sqft. 

July 29, 2019

Ahead of city demo plans, petition launches to save Williamsburg’s Bayside Oil Depot

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For the past four years, a team of designers and environmentalists led by co-founders Karen Zabarsky and Stacey Anderson has been rallying to save a series of ten 50-foot, decommissioned silos on the Williamsburg waterfront and transform them into a unique, 21st-century park. The project, known as THE TANKS at Bushwick Inlet Park, would be a small part of the larger 28-acre park planned for the waterfront, an area known for it’s “toxin-soaked soil,” as described in a recent New York Magazine article. Zabarsky and Anderson believe in adaptive reuse over demolition, so as the city’s bulldozers draw near, The Tanks team has started a petition on Change.org to save these pieces of Brooklyn’s industrial history.
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For $2.5M, this Victorian Prospect Park South house has seven bedrooms and a wraparound porch

Listing images by Rayon Richards; courtesy of The Corcoran Group

July 26, 2019

For $2.5M, this Victorian Prospect Park South house has seven bedrooms and a wraparound porch

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This stately, detached house sits at the corner of Stratford Road and Hinckley Place, right in the heart of the Prospect Park South Historic District, an area known for its concentration of Victorian-era homes. Built in 1905 by prolific Brooklyn architect Benjamin Driesler, 170 Stratford Road is a seven-bedroom, three-and-a-half bathroom residence that sprawls over nearly 4,000 square feet. Filled with classic architectural details inside and out, the property is now on the market seeking $2.495 million.
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A Bronx street will be renamed in honor of comic book legend Stan Lee

Google Street View of Stan Lee’s childhood home at 1720 University Avenue in the Bronx

July 26, 2019

A Bronx street will be renamed in honor of comic book legend Stan Lee

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Stan Lee—the comic book writer and Marvel publisher who brought us Spider-Man, The Incredible Hulk, and the Fantastic Four among other classics—will soon be commemorated with a street naming in the Bronx. According to the New York Post, City Council voted this week to co-name University Avenue between Brandt Place and West 176th Street as “Stan Lee Way." The proposal was brought by City Council member Fernando Cabrera, who represents the area, and will become official as soon as the mayor signs it.
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Amazon considers leasing historic former Lord & Taylor flagship from WeWork

Photo courtesy of Lord & Taylor

July 26, 2019

Amazon considers leasing historic former Lord & Taylor flagship from WeWork

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Earlier this week reports circulated that Amazon might be eyeing Industry City for new office space in Brooklyn, but the company’s search isn’t limited to one borough. As the Wall Street Journal reported, Amazon is searching throughout New York City for a space large enough to accommodate its growing workforce and is in talks with WeWork to lease space in the historic Lord & Taylor flagship store, which WeWork bought earlier this year. Spokespeople for both companies declined to comment, but sources say Amazon is considering leasing a part of the building or the entire 12 stories. The Journal also noted that Amazon is looking into other locations, including the Farley Post Office across from Penn Station.
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Maya Angelou’s former Harlem brownstone sells after spending a year and a half on the market

Image of Maya Angelou via Wiki Commons; listing images courtesy of Warburg Realty

July 25, 2019

Maya Angelou’s former Harlem brownstone sells after spending a year and a half on the market

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In 2001, one year before Maya Angelou purchased her personal residence—an elegant brownstone in the Mount Morris Park Historic District—the late author and activist bought an investment property about 10 blocks away at 29 East 129th Street for only $275,000. During the years in which she resided in New York, she served as landlord of the three-family East Harlem property, comprised of a garden level duplex and two full-floor one-bedroom apartments. Angelou’s estate maintained the property following her death in 2014 and sold the residence to the current owner in 2016 for $1.98 million. The townhouse was most recently listed for $2.65 million in February 2018. A few price chops later, it finally found a new owner and closed for $2.3 million, as the New York Post reported.
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Stuyvesant Heights Historic District’s oldest home asks $1.6M after modern renovation

Listing images by Anton Brookes, H5 Photography; courtesy of The Corcoran Group

July 25, 2019

Stuyvesant Heights Historic District’s oldest home asks $1.6M after modern renovation

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This charming 20-foot wide Victorian home at 47 Chauncey Street in Bed-Stuy is not only part of the Stuyvesant Heights Historic District—it’s one of the four oldest remaining rowhouses in the district, dating back to circa 1870. Last year, the two-bedroom home was sold in a pretty run-down state and has since undergone a gut renovation that brought modern finishes and conveniences to the historic property. It's now on the market for $1.599 million.
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Sources say Amazon is eyeing Industry City for new logistics facility

Photo via Industry City

July 24, 2019

Sources say Amazon is eyeing Industry City for new logistics facility

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Months after breaking up with Long Island City, Amazon is scoping out locations in neighboring Brooklyn, as Crain’s reported today. Sources say the company is searching for “a massive space” to house a new logistics facility and is considering renting out roughly one million square-feet at Industry City in Sunset Park, though that wasn’t confirmed by anyone involved directly in the potential deal.
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Classic East Village brownstone apartment with private outdoor space seeks $6.8K/month

Listing images by Rise Media; courtesy of Compass

July 24, 2019

Classic East Village brownstone apartment with private outdoor space seeks $6.8K/month

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This classic brownstone apartment at 218 East 12th Street is an East Village delight. Located on a quiet, tree-lined block—right around the corner from St. Marks Church between Second and Third Avenues—the floor-through unit offers a temporary but quintessential slice of life in the buzzy neighborhood. Available to rent for $6,800 a month, the sunny one-bedroom apartment boasts prewar details, a flexible layout, and a private outdoor space.
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MTA moves to create homelessness task force as outreach efforts come under scrutiny

Image via Flickr

July 24, 2019

MTA moves to create homelessness task force as outreach efforts come under scrutiny

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The Metropolitan Transportation Authority will launch a task force focused on addressing the New York City subway system's rising homeless population, which has risen by 23 percent so far this year. The task force is expected to assemble soon and will have 30 days to design a plan that will “measurably reduce homelessness and panhandlers on the subway” by the end of the year. The announcement comes on the heels of a newly published audit by State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli which found that a contractor hired by the MTA to handle homeless outreach was inflating its work and actually turning away the needy, as AM New York reported.
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Settlement promises curb cuts will be installed or upgraded at every corner in NYC

Image via Disability Rights Advocates

July 24, 2019

Settlement promises curb cuts will be installed or upgraded at every corner in NYC

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A settlement in Manhattan Federal Court yesterday has established a plan to improve sidewalk accessibility throughout New York by making all 162,000 street corners in the city fully accessible within 15 years. Judge George B. Daniels mandated a comprehensive citywide survey to identify which corners need curb cuts installed or upgraded, which must be completed by October. This marks an important step toward making the city's streets easier to access and safer for the disabled community—and all New Yorkers.
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Waterfront dining options arrive at the ONE°15 marina in Brooklyn Bridge Park

All images courtesy of ONE°15 Brooklyn Marina

July 23, 2019

Waterfront dining options arrive at the ONE°15 marina in Brooklyn Bridge Park

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All images courtesy of ONE°15 Brooklyn Marina Just as the summer months are hitting their stride, two food options have arrived at Brooklyn Heights’ ONE°15 Marina in Brooklyn Bridge Park: a waterfront bistro called Estuary and a more casual cafe called Ebb & Flow. With James Beard Award-winning chef Francois Payard as Culinary Director at both locations, the emphasis is on simple dishes highlighting seasonal, local produce, seafood, and meat. Payard is joined by Executive Chef Danny Brown, who earned a Michelin star for his own Danny Brown Wine Bar & Kitchen in Queens.
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