All articles by Dana Schulz

One Vanderbilt Will Cost a Whopping $3.14 Billion
June 7, 2016

One Vanderbilt Will Cost a Whopping $3.14 Billion

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Another supertall tower will join the $3 billion+ club. The Real Deal reports that SL Green Realty has pegged the cost of One Vanderbilt, Midtown's future tallest tower, at $3.14 billion. The city's largest office landlord also said it hopes to close on a $1.5 billion construction loan by the end of the summer, leaving $1.64 in equity needed to complete the 1,401-foot tower designed by Kohn Pedersen Fox. As TRD notes, One World Trade Center became the world's most expensive office tower in 2014 when it opened with a final cost of around $3.8 billion. Bjarke Ingels' planned High Line tower known as the Spiral is also expected to run over $3 billion.
More details this way
Long Island House Where ‘Amityville Horror’ Murders Occurred Asks $850,000
June 7, 2016

Long Island House Where ‘Amityville Horror’ Murders Occurred Asks $850,000

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When 6sqft looked at data regarding how murders affect home values, we learned that "prices fall about 4.4 percent when a home is located within 0.2 miles of a murder that occurred in the past year." The gruesome killings that inspired the "Amityville Horror" book and movies took place all the way back in 1974, but it looks like they're still a bit of a deterrent to prospective buyers. The Long Island house where then-23-year-old Ronald DeFeo Jr. shot his parents and four younger sisters while they slept has come back on the market for $850,000, less than the $950,000 the current owners paid in 2010, according to amNY.
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Rendering Revealed of Midtown’s $20,000/Month Assisted Living Facility
June 7, 2016

Rendering Revealed of Midtown’s $20,000/Month Assisted Living Facility

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It's being called the "One57 of Assisted Living," and though the location near Billionaires' Row and the exorbitant price points (rooms are expected to start at $20,000 a month, not covered by insurance) back up that claim, the team behind the project describes the building's design as being inspired "by classic Park Avenue apartment houses." The Wall Street Journal brings the first official rendering of the 15-story structure that will rise at the northeast corner of East 56th Street and Lexington Avenue, replacing a T.G.I. Friday’s restaurant to offer assisted-living and memory-care services to wealthy Manhattanites. Designed by SLCE Architects, it will feature private apartments, some of which will have terraces. "This is a place where these people can be reminded of things in their past, potentially by the design of the building and by the location of the building and have a significantly better quality of life," said Thomas DeRosa of co-developer Welltower Inc., clearly referring to nearby Park Avenue dwellers.
Find out more here
June 6, 2016

To Increase Affordable Housing, De Blasio Pushes Bill to Lift Development Caps

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In a continued quest to push ahead with his goal of adding/preserving 200,000 units of affordable housing over the next decade, Mayor de Blasio is backing a bill that will end state-imposed FAR (floor-area-ratio) caps to promote the construction of affordable housing. By lifting the size limits for residential buildings, and thereby increasing the number of units, neighborhoods currently affected by the cap, such as the Financial District, Midtown, and Hudson Yards, "could see both market-rate and affordable-housing stock soar," reports the Post. However, opponents of the bill feel that there's an underlying motive, catering to developers who have recently been called out for making hefty contributions to de Blasio.
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Condo/Cultural Building Designed by the Late Zaha Hadid Will Rise in West Chelsea
June 6, 2016

Condo/Cultural Building Designed by the Late Zaha Hadid Will Rise in West Chelsea

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When the architecture community learned of the passing of Zaha Hadid in late March, it came as a bit of consolation that her first and only building in New York, 520 West 28th Street, had already begun to take shape along the High Line, ensuring that her legacy would last in our skyline. In much welcome news, 6sqft learns today that yet another design of hers will rise just three blocks away in Chelsea. A press release from The Moinian Group reveals that more than a year ago they worked with Hadid and her team to explore possibilities for 220 Eleventh Avenue, one of her final creations. The developer announced that the new building will be "a collection of signature loft-like condominium residences, a collection of penthouses and a cultural institution to establish itself as the hub of the world renowned art district that is West Chelsea."
More details this way
Apply Now For 63 Affordable Units Next to Woodlawn Cemetery, Starting at $865/Month
June 6, 2016

Apply Now For 63 Affordable Units Next to Woodlawn Cemetery, Starting at $865/Month

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If the thought of residing next to the interred doesn't bother you, here's a chance to live just steps away from one of the city's most beautiful and historic cemeteries. A housing lottery has opened today for 63 brand-new units at Webster Commons, a large affordable development along Webster Avenue in the Bronx, just next to Woodlawn Cemetery and not far from the New York Botanical Garden and Fordham. The apartments, which are reserved for those earning 60 percent of the AMI, include $865/month studios, $929/month one-bedrooms, and $1,121/month two-bedrooms.
More on the project
Explore Over 10,000 Acres of NYC Parkland With This Interactive Map
June 6, 2016

Explore Over 10,000 Acres of NYC Parkland With This Interactive Map

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Did you know that New York City has more ecological diversity than Yellowstone National Park? Take Central Park, for example, which is home to "more than 30 species of warbler, vireo, sparrow, thrush, and other songbirds" alone. Or Pelham Bay Park's eight species of owls. Then there's the 12 species of ferns at Queens' Cunningham Park. These tidbits come from a new interactive map by the Natural Areas Conservancy (h/t Untapped), who studied over 10,000 acres in 51 parklands across all five boroughs (an additional 10,800 acres are managed by the state and federal government and weren't included in the project). The organization created the map as a way to encourage people to explore the city's natural areas by showing them what they'll find -- "the types of plant and animal species, including those that are rare or threatened – and what activities are most commonly found."
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Weekly Highlights: Top Picks From the 6sqft Staff
June 4, 2016

Weekly Highlights: Top Picks From the 6sqft Staff

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Lottery Opens for 36 Middle-Income Apartments Across Harlem, Starting at $1,156/Month Bruce Springsteen’s Former NJ Farmhouse and Rehearsal Space Asks $3.2M Norman Foster’s First Brooklyn Project Revealed, A 7.7-Acre Red Hook Office Development The NYC Subway Accounts for 100-Percent of the Nation’s Transit Growth, Says New Study Spend July in Beyoncé and Jay-Z’s Decked-Out Former […]

Live Off Columbus Circle for $1,146/Month, Lottery Launching for 17 Affordable Units
June 3, 2016

Live Off Columbus Circle for $1,146/Month, Lottery Launching for 17 Affordable Units

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Two years ago, work began on a seven-story, 17-unit building at 424 West 55th Street, on the fringes of Hell's Kitchen and just south of Columbus Circle. The red brick structure known as West of Ninth was designed by Aufgang Architects and replaced a white brick church with a 3,000-square-foot theater that Arker Companies purchased in 2012 for $8.16 million. Initial reports thought the development would be only partly affordable, but a new posting on the city's affordable housing list shows that all 17 of the units will be reserved for low- to middle-income tenants. The apartments will range from $1,146/month studios to $1,709/month three-bedrooms.
Find out if you qualify
City Council Will Vote on Controversial Changes to the Landmarks Law
June 3, 2016

City Council Will Vote on Controversial Changes to the Landmarks Law

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Over the past couple years, preservationists have waged two big battles pertaining to the 51-year-old landmarks law. First, there was Landmarks Preservation Commission's decision to de-calendar 95 historic sites--in other words, remove them from the "waiting list" to be considered for landmarking, leaving them in jeopardy. The LPC eventually withdrew this plan after massive public outcry, but then proposed a bill, Intro. 775, to implement timelines for reviewing possible landmarks, which was met with criticism again for a perceived catering to developers who want to demolish or alter a property. The proposal stalled, but the Council is back at it, now "proposing a half-dozen recommendations to simultaneously streamline and expand the landmarks process" that they will vote on this month, reports the Times.
Learn about all the points
Red Hook-Governors Island Pedestrian Bridge Gets Funded; Climb 1 WTC’s Spire in This Video
June 3, 2016

Red Hook-Governors Island Pedestrian Bridge Gets Funded; Climb 1 WTC’s Spire in This Video

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The tragic fire at Flatiron’s historic Serbian Orthodox Cathedral was caused by Easter candles. [NYP] Citizen Bridge, a proposed pop-up pedestrian bridge connecting Red Hook to Governor’s Island, will likely take shape thanks to a successful crowdfunding campaign. [Pop Up City] The Citicorp Center may become the youngest landmark in the city. [WSJ] A new exhibit at the Met will […]

$4B Overhaul of LaGuardia Airport to Begin This Summer, New Renderings
June 2, 2016

$4B Overhaul of LaGuardia Airport to Begin This Summer, New Renderings

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When Governor Cuomo revealed details and flashy renderings for his planned $4 billion overhaul of LaGuardia Airport, he assured New Yorkers "It’s not a plan; it’s not a sketch; it’s not a dream; it’s not a vision—it’s actually happening." And he wasn't kidding; LaGuardia Gateway Partners, a public-private partnership formed by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, announced yesterday that they closed on the deal to develop a "replacement to the maligned LaGuardia Airport's Central Terminal Building and operate the new facility through 2050," according to Crain's. With work expected to kick off this summer, Curbed has also uncovered a few new renderings of the plan.
More details ahead
Bruce Springsteen’s Former NJ Farmhouse and Rehearsal Space Asks $3.2M
June 2, 2016

Bruce Springsteen’s Former NJ Farmhouse and Rehearsal Space Asks $3.2M

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As any good New Jerseyan knows, The Boss loves living low-key at the Shore. From his days rocking the Stone Pony (where he'll still make the occasional surprise appearance) to his time living in this little beach bungalow, Bruce Springsteen has never been one to adopt a high-profile lifestyle. This is further evidenced by the suburban house in which he lived during the 1970s and '80s. Yes, it's a bit of a mansion, but it's located in the unassuming community of Holmdel, and when he took up residency there in 1976, he was only paying $700 a month. It was here that he wrote and rehearsed with the E Street Band much of the "Darkness on the Edge of Town" and "The River." After listing previously as a $5,000/month rental, the farmhouse at 7 The Summit is now asking $3.2 million, according to the Asbury Park Press.
Get to know more about Bruce's former residence
Norman Foster’s First Brooklyn Project Revealed, A 7.7-Acre Red Hook Office Development
June 1, 2016

Norman Foster’s First Brooklyn Project Revealed, A 7.7-Acre Red Hook Office Development

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Back in 2005, the Joesph Sitt-led Thor Equities spent $40 million on a vacant, 7.7-acre parcel of land in Red Hook that juts 700 feet into the Erie Basin, between the Ikea parking lot and the Fairway. Preliminary visions for the former Revere Sugar Factory site included retail, office space, and residential buildings, but according to a press release sent out today by Thor, there will be no housing. Today's major announcement, however, is the architect selection: Norman Foster will helm the design of the new waterfront office complex, which will "include two heavy timber frame buildings totaling more than 600,000 square feet of creative office space, and 23,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space." Foster is a surprising choice for the project, as his commissions are typically flashy and in high-profile areas like Midtown or the Financial District. In fact, this will be his first building in Brooklyn. But the sole rendering shows his signature mix of contemporary panache (glassy construction with a cantilevering portion) and contextual thoughtfulness (low-scale, boxy structures in keeping with the industrial area).
More details ahead
VIDEO: JDS Takes Us Behind the Construction of the American Copper Buildings’ Skybridge
June 1, 2016

VIDEO: JDS Takes Us Behind the Construction of the American Copper Buildings’ Skybridge

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Aside from their "dancing" silhouette, what makes the SHoP-designed American Copper Buildings (named for the 5,000 metal panels that make up the facade) so unique is the three-story diagonal skybridge that connects the 470- and 540-foot towers. Floating 300 feet over the street at 626 First Avenue, it's the city's first major new skybridge in over 80 years and will be the highest such structure in New York when completed. Though the bridge is no small feat—its steel trusses weigh over 421,000 pounds, it has 24 connection points, and it will be close to one million square feet—it all started with a single piece of string. In a new video from their "Building Know-How" series, JDS Development takes us behind the construction of this architectural wonder, sharing their approach
Watch the full video here
Donald Trump’s Stake in Two Major Towers Came From a Lost Battle With China

1290 Avenue of the Americas in NYC (L); 555 California Street, formerly Bank of America Center, in San Francisco (R); Images courtesy of Vornado

June 1, 2016

Donald Trump’s Stake in Two Major Towers Came From a Lost Battle With China

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When Donald Trump made an attempt to own the Empire State Building, he partnered with a foreign real estate investor, in this case from Japan. But it ended in a lawsuit and a public smear campaign before he ultimately sold back his stake. A similar turn of events surrounded his dealings with another high-profile Midtown building and related San Francisco tower; you may recall this quote from the day he announced his candidacy: "I beat China all the time. I own a big chunk of the Bank of America building and 1290 Avenue of the Americas that I got from China in a war. Very valuable." As the Times explains, the battle may not have gone down quite like the Donald says, with him schmoozing his way to the top and eventually waging a losing legal battle.
The full story ahead
Lottery Opens for 36 Middle-Income Apartments Across Harlem, Starting at $1,156/Month

View across West 133rd Street, where three of the buildings are located

May 31, 2016

Lottery Opens for 36 Middle-Income Apartments Across Harlem, Starting at $1,156/Month

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Now that de Blasio's made a pretty significant dent in his goal of building or preserving 200,000 units of affordable housing over the next decade, there seem to be more middle-income housing lotteries opening, in addition to the influx of low-income lotteries that began popping up with a vengeance at the end of last year. The latest offers 36 newly rehabilitated units across five Harlem buildings, running from the border of Morningside Heights at 116th Street up to 138th Street. They're priced between $1,156 for studios, $1,562 for one-bedrooms, $1,591-$2,611 for two-bedrooms, and $1,831-$3,009 for three-bedrooms.
Find out if you qualify
Ice Cream Truck Turf Wars; No One Wants to Stay at Trump Hotels
May 31, 2016

Ice Cream Truck Turf Wars; No One Wants to Stay at Trump Hotels

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Long time ice cream truck favorite Mister Softee is being threatened by “occasionally bloody feuds” with competitor New York Ice Cream. [NYT] There have been more turf wars going on among feuding musicians at Central Park’s Strawberry Fields, but they’ve recently found a way to get along. [NYT] Bookings at Trump Hotels this year are down 59 percent compared […]

May’s 10 Most-Read Stories and This Week’s Features
May 28, 2016

May’s 10 Most-Read Stories and This Week’s Features

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May’s 10 Most-Read Stories Lottery Launches for 29 Affordable Units at Extell’s 70 Charlton in West Soho, From $833/Month 50 Years Ago, Donald Trump’s Father Demolished Coney Island’s Beloved Steeplechase Park 7,500-Name Waitlist Opens for 975 Affordable Units at Harlem’s Riverton Complex Live in Extell’s Hudson Yards Skyscraper 555Ten for $910/Month 15 Air-Purifying Plants to […]

Uroboro Is a Simple Yet Stylish Home Composter That Feeds Your Plants Using Worms
May 27, 2016

Uroboro Is a Simple Yet Stylish Home Composter That Feeds Your Plants Using Worms

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New Yorkers tend to be pretty environmentally conscious, but when it comes to composting, we just don't have the means to make it work without backyards or bulky, high-tech appliances. With these limitations in mind, Portuguese designer Marco Balsinha has come up with a solution. His  home vermicomposter called Uroboro is a simple design of stacked pots that hold dirt and food waste, which is broken down by earthworms. Explained by Core 77, it's corked on the bottom and topped by a planter that indicates the level of decomposition.
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