All articles by Dana Schulz

April 15, 2015

POLL: Is Penthouse Living Worth a 75% Price Increase?

By

On Monday we took a look at an infographic from CityRealty that shows how much more penthouse buyers pay compared to their neighbors directly below. Analyzing the top penthouse sales recorded in 2014, they found that “high-rise top floor buyers on average shell out 11 percent more per square foot for their pads than their counterparts just below. Looking at the average […]

NYC Council Introduces Tech Program to Engage Residents and Increase Transparency

Melissa Mark-Viverito via Wiki Commons

April 15, 2015

NYC Council Introduces Tech Program to Engage Residents and Increase Transparency

By
Last week it was announced that the New York City Council was introducing new legislation to alter the landmarks law in favor of historic preservation. But just four days later, after facing scrutiny for proposing already-existing stipulations to the law, the council spoke out that they were in fact not proposing any legislation. Now, Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito has revealed with perfect timing Council 2.0, "a new tech program aimed at familiarizing and engaging residents with the city council," reports Next City. The goals of the program include making the council's website more accessible, using social media outlets like Facebook and Twitter to generate feedback on hearings, programs, and proposals and creating a new website called Council Labs to help New Yorkers visualize the budget process.
More details here
This Schematic of NYC Structures Shows the City’s Icons in Blueprint Style
April 14, 2015

This Schematic of NYC Structures Shows the City’s Icons in Blueprint Style

By
Want to bring a little bit of the city into your home, but tired of the standard black-and-white photos of landmarks or graphic maps that can be found at every craft fair these days? Why not frame this lovely print called Splendid Structures of New York City? Based on Brooklyn-based Pop Chart Lab's popular print The Schematic of Structures, this new design takes iconic NYC structures like the Statue of Liberty and One World Trade Center, along with local landmarks such as the Unisphere and Wyckoff House, and presents them in a hand-illustrated, blueprint-like style.
See the full print here
Never-Built Hudson River Bridge Would Have Been Twice the Length of the George Washington Bridge
April 14, 2015

Never-Built Hudson River Bridge Would Have Been Twice the Length of the George Washington Bridge

By
If you've ever driven into the city from New Jersey and sat in a couple hours of traffic waiting to traverse either the Lincoln or Holland Tunnel, this 19th century idea for a Hudson River Bridge probably sounds pretty amazing. It would have spanned 6,000 feet from Hoboken to 57th Street in Manhattan, almost double the length of the George Washington Bridge, to give you an idea of its massiveness. Furthermore, it would have been 200 feet wide and 200 feet high, providing space for 12 railroads, 24 traffic lanes, and 2 pedestrian walkways. Its two 825-foot support towers would have surpassed the 792-foot Woolworth Building, which was the tallest skyscraper in the world at that time.
Read the full history here
How Would a Minimum Wage Hike Change the Way New Yorkers Spend Money?

Produce Department via photopin (license)

April 14, 2015

How Would a Minimum Wage Hike Change the Way New Yorkers Spend Money?

By
Today, the Daily News reports that increasing the minimum wage to $15/hour would add $10 billion annually to city paychecks and increase earnings for almost 1.5 million people, according to an analysis by City Comptroller Scott Stringer. Says the paper, "The typical family getting the boost would spend $1,100 to $1,800 more a year on housing, and up to $600 on groceries, $400 on entertainment, and $300 eating out, Stringer predicted." How would this increase in spending compare to a given family's financial patterns before the minimum wage hike? The Washington Post has used newly released data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics to analyze where the poor and rich spend really spend their money. Looking at four categories (housing, transportation, food, and pensions/life insurance) and three classes (low, middle, and high), the results are mainly as to be expected. The rich spend more all around, but as a percentage of their total income, they spend less; the middle class spends the most on transportation; and basically all Americans have similar spending patterns when it comes to groceries. But the big difference between the upper and lower classes is saving. "For every dollar they spend at the grocery store, the poorest households save 12 cents, while the wealthy sock away $3.07 in pensions and life insurance."
What does this mean? See the infographics here
The Compact Gali Kitchen Is Perfect for Always-on-the-Move New Yorkers
April 13, 2015

The Compact Gali Kitchen Is Perfect for Always-on-the-Move New Yorkers

By
Wouldn't it have been nice to have your own kitchen when you lived in that cramped apartment you shared with six people? Or to actually have a kitchen at all when you lived in that shoebox studio? For constantly on-the-move New Yorkers who like to cook (or maybe just wash a dish here and there), these are common conundrums. But a new compact system called the Gali Kitchen can easily solve these problems. The creation of recent design school grad Ana Arana, Gali is considered a revision of the kitchen, "letting each individual distribute their space as wanted, having everything necessary to cook when needed but allowing the living space to embrace new possibilities." Remarkably, the adaptable, compact module includes everything one needs -- a sink, fridge, induction cooktop, storage, and prep/dining table.
See more ahead
VIDEO: RuPaul Takes Us Around the 1980s Meatpacking District and the Jane Hotel
April 13, 2015

VIDEO: RuPaul Takes Us Around the 1980s Meatpacking District and the Jane Hotel

By
We know all about the Meatpacking District's beginnings as the Gansevoort Market and the epicenter of meat marketers, as well as its current status as a burgeoning office tower district, but in the 1980s, this neighborhood was one to which most people didn't pay much mind. It was fairly run down, with its industrial tenants having moved out, and became notorious for prostitution, sex clubs, and drug dealing. But there was much more to the area, including an accepting LGBT community and a downtown music and entertainment scene. In this video we found from 1986, a young RuPaul takes us into his penthouse suite at the Jane Hotel, then known as the Jane West Hotel and far seedier than it is today, as well as walks around the gritty streets of the Meatpacking District and into his friend's 9th Avenue rowhouse, which will undoubtedly look familiar to anyone who's walked these cobblestone streets.
Watch the video here
Piece of the Berlin Wall Returning to Midtown; Biggie Smalls Murals on the Rise
April 13, 2015

Piece of the Berlin Wall Returning to Midtown; Biggie Smalls Murals on the Rise

By

After a painstaking conservation job, a 33,000-pound, 20-foot section of the Berlin Wall belonging to Jerry I. Speyer, chairman of the Tishman Speyer real estate company, will return to Midtown. [NYT] Preservationists and local elected officials will try again to have Coney Island’s iconic boardwalk designated a scenic landmark. [Brooklyn Daily] Is Biggie Smalls becoming […]

Fire Escapes Going Extinct as Building Codes Shift

Via 2nd-avenue-and-5th-street via photopin (license)

April 13, 2015

Fire Escapes Going Extinct as Building Codes Shift

By
The outdoor fire escape has long been a fixture in the New York City streetscape, but more and more buildings are losing their iron appendages now that fireproof interior stairwells are seen as the emergency exit of choice, reports the Post. Moreover, the fire, buildings and city planning departments are amending fire safety rules in response to the influx of supertall towers to allow for "more occupant-evacuation elevators that can be used to move people down a tower in the event of an emergency." While the new regulations are progressive and safer, losing the fire escape architecture is like losing a piece of New York City history.
Find out more here
Weekly Highlights: Top Picks from the 6sqft Staff
April 11, 2015

Weekly Highlights: Top Picks from the 6sqft Staff

By

Interior Renderings for SHoP’s 111 West 57th Street Tower Revealed Los Angeles Has Designed the Perfect Parking Sign–Can NYC Take Note? Bill Ackman Closes on One57 Penthouse for $91.5M, Second Most Expensive Condo Sale Ever VIDEO: Meet the ‘Pimps and Hos’ of Seedy ’70s Times Square You Can Now Tour the Gowanus Canal Without Catching […]

This Architectural Coloring Book Is Made for Adults
April 10, 2015

This Architectural Coloring Book Is Made for Adults

By
Instead of mindlessly scrolling through Instagram after a long day at the office, why not unwind by doing a little coloring? Yes, that's right, every child's favorite pastime is now being marketed to adults. As Business Insider reported earlier this week, the two best-selling books on Amazon right now are adult coloring books–"Secret Garden" and "Enchanted Forest" by Scottish illustrator Johanna Basford. The books feature nature scenes and geometric patterns of flowers, trees, and woodland creatures. But for those of us who prefer analyzing floor plans to arranging flowers, there's another adult coloring book called "Fantastic Cities." Created by artist Steve McDonald, it "features immersive aerial views of real cities from around the world alongside gorgeously illustrated, Inception-like architectural mandalas."
More here
Preservation Award Winners Announced; NYC Libraries Open Less than Anywhere in the State
April 10, 2015

Preservation Award Winners Announced; NYC Libraries Open Less than Anywhere in the State

By

See Staten Island like you’ve never seen it before during tomorrow’s Tour de Staten Island bike ride. [Transportation Alternatives] Then and now: The Brooklyn Eagle Building. [Brownstoner] Winners announced for the 25th Lucy G. Moses Preservation Awards. El Barrio’s Artspace PS 109, Kings Theatre, and the Times’ Streetscapes columnist Christopher Gray are among the recipients. […]

High Rents Lead Newlyweds to Seek Roommates

Image via Ramsey Beyer on flickr

April 10, 2015

High Rents Lead Newlyweds to Seek Roommates

By
For most New Yorkers, moving to the big apple means finding a roommate. And while switching from the dorms to another no-privacy situation isn't ideal, we usually slog through it because we tell ourselves it's only temporary. For many people, the light at the end of the tunnel is marriage–finally settling down and shacking up–but a story today in the New York Times takes a look at the increasing trend of newly married people living with roommates thanks to the city's ever-rising rents.
More on the trend here
Bill Ackman Closes on One57 Penthouse for $91.5M, Second Most Expensive Condo Sale Ever
April 9, 2015

Bill Ackman Closes on One57 Penthouse for $91.5M, Second Most Expensive Condo Sale Ever

By

After reportedly sitting in contract for almost two years, hedge fund manager Bill Ackman’s planned $90 million flip at One57 has finally closed, according to city records released this afternoon, and for slightly more than expected at $91,541,053. This makes it the second most expensive condo sale ever, coming in only behind the $100 million penthouse also at One57, […]

East Harlem: From Manhattan’s First Little Italy to El Barrio to a Neighborhood on the Cusp of Gentrification
April 9, 2015

East Harlem: From Manhattan’s First Little Italy to El Barrio to a Neighborhood on the Cusp of Gentrification

By
A lot of attention is paid to West Harlem, or what many people traditionally consider THE Harlem, thanks to its rich history rooted in places like the Apollo and up-and-coming hot spots like the Studio Museum in Harlem and Marcus Samuelson's renowned restaurant, the Red Rooster. But east of Fifth Avenue, there's a history just as deep, and the neighborhood is at that fragile stage where it could easily be thrust into a wave of gentrification at any time. Defined as the area bound by Fifth Avenue and First Avenue from 96th to 125th Streets, East Harlem is commonly known as Spanish Harlem, or El Barrio by locals. What many people unfamiliar with the neighborhood don't know, though, is that this area got its start as Manhattan's first Little Italy. And if you're the type of New Yorker who doesn't venture above 86th Street, you're likely unaware of the slew of new developments sprouting up in East Harlem thanks to a 2003 57-block rezoning.
Learn about the neighborhood's transformation here
New Landmarking Proposal Would Automatically Consider Any 50-Year-Old Building for Designation

Historic brownstones in Brooklyn Heights via City Realty

April 9, 2015

New Landmarking Proposal Would Automatically Consider Any 50-Year-Old Building for Designation

By
Though landmarking has come under fire over the past year, with the Real Estate Board of New York claiming that historic designation limits affordable housing, the City Council is drafting legislation to alter the landmarks law in favor of historic preservation. As Crain's reports today, "Backers of the legislation say it will bring more clarity to a process that has been criticized for hindering development, but critics say the 'devil is in the details.'" Headed up by Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer and drafted by Councilmen Brad Lander, Stephen Levin, and Daniel Garodnick, the new legislation, among other stipulations, would automatically consider any building older than 50 years for historic designation and make it harder for developers to demolish a property in "landmarking limbo." This comes just four months after the Landmarks Preservation Commission released a proposal to de-calendar 94 historic sites and two historic districts. The plan was eventually receded, but signaled to many a turn in the city's policy.
See the full terms of the legislation here
‘Amazing Race’-esque Challenge Coming to Harlem; The Logic Behind Manhattan’s Major Cross Streets
April 8, 2015

‘Amazing Race’-esque Challenge Coming to Harlem; The Logic Behind Manhattan’s Major Cross Streets

By

An “Amazing Race” inspired scavenger hunt coming to Harlem includes hot yoga, blind taste tests, and painting. [DNAinfo] The history of the Leslie Apartments in Forest Hills Gardens. [Brownstoner Queens] NYC once again is ranked the most walkable city in the country. [CityLab] The block on which Norman Rockwell was born, West 103rd Street between […]

Developer Vornado Plans to Spend Hundreds of Millions on Revitalizing Penn Station Area
April 8, 2015

Developer Vornado Plans to Spend Hundreds of Millions on Revitalizing Penn Station Area

By
Most New Yorkers only venture to the area around Penn Station when it's absolutely necessary–traveling to New Jersey or Long Island, going to a business meeting at Penn Plaza, or seeing a Rangers game. Otherwise, we avoid it like the plague. But Vornado Realty Trust, one of the country's largest office landlords–they own roughly nine million square feet around Penn Station worth $5.5 billion–is hoping to do a complete 180 on the area by "investing hundreds of millions of dollars in new retail space, public plazas and other infrastructure, according to real-estate executives briefed on the plans," according to the Wall Street Journal.
More details ahead
One World Observatory Opens on Friday, May 29th!
April 7, 2015

One World Observatory Opens on Friday, May 29th!

By
Yesterday, an insider over at Curbed noticed entrance signage for One World Trade Center's observatory. And now, just a day later, it's been officially announced that One World Observatory will open on Friday, May 29. The press release also shares that tickets, which will cost $32 for an adult, will go on sale tomorrow at 10am. The three-floor observation deck will sit 1,250 feet above ground on floors 100, 101, and 102 and cover 125,000 square feet.
More details here
Where Bill Nye the Science Guy Lives; Edward Snowden Hologram Pops Up in Fort Greene Park
April 7, 2015

Where Bill Nye the Science Guy Lives; Edward Snowden Hologram Pops Up in Fort Greene Park

By

New website consolidates information about donations and resources following the Second Avenue explosion. [East Village Relief] Calling all ’90s kids–check out the most special items in Bill Nye the Science Guy’s Chelsea apartment. [NYT] A Buffalo restaurant offers a 10 percent discount to patrons who stay off their smartphones. [NYDN] 35 years ago this week, the MTA went […]

Brooklyn’s Most Expensive Condo Relists for $32M, Is So Large Owners Can’t Find Each Other
April 7, 2015

Brooklyn’s Most Expensive Condo Relists for $32M, Is So Large Owners Can’t Find Each Other

By
Imagine this: You and your spouse have both been home for three hours, but neither one of you knows the other is there because your home is that big. It's a "problem" most New Yorkers can't fathom, but for one Brooklyn couple it's encouraged them to relist their 11,000-square-foot triplex for $32 million, making it the borough's most expensive condo listing ever. Stuart and Claire Leaf originally listed their home in May, but then took it off the market in February after getting cold feet about moving. As the Wall Street Journal reports, "The apartment is a combination of no less than nine units spanning the 10th, 11th and 12th floors of the waterfront condo One Brooklyn Bridge Park." It includes six bedrooms, two deeded parking spaces, a 3,500-bottle wine room, a gym with a rock-climbing wall, a screening room, and a 75-foot-long terrace.
Take a look around the mega-home here
Mercer Street Loft by DHD Interiors Brings a Bit of Whimsy to a Classic Soho Space
April 6, 2015

Mercer Street Loft by DHD Interiors Brings a Bit of Whimsy to a Classic Soho Space

By
After looking at a few projects from the talent over at DHD Interiors, we're realizing that what draws us to the firm's work is their ability to infuse an unexpected sense of whimsy into otherwise classic spaces, and their Mercer Street Loft is no exception. From the curious wall mural to the fanciful oversized chair in the living room, this Soho space surprises you when you least expect it. DHD was commissioned by the client to create a home that "celebrates both classic, historical elements and modern twists." They were also asked to incorporate art and the client's "adventurous, eclectic tastes," while maintaining original features like the hardwood floors, stripped cast iron columns, and tin ceilings.
See the end result here
Pitch a story icon

Pitch a Story

We love to hear from you!

"*" indicates required fields

Interested in seeing the property in person?

It’s free, with no obligation.

CityRealty Logo

"*" indicates required fields

or Call (212) 755-5544

Interested in seeing the property in person?

It’s free, with no obligation.

CityRealty Logo

Distinctive Post Form

"*" indicates required fields

or Call (212) 755-5544
Contact us image

Get in Touch

We love to hear from you!

"*" indicates required fields

Send us a tip image
Delivering New York stories focused on design, lifestyle & real estate.

Send us a Tip

We love to hear from you!

"*" indicates required fields

Interesting in learning more about purchasing a new home?

Let us know what you are looking for and we’ll help you find the home of your dreams. It’s free, with no obligation.

CityRealty Logo
or Call (212) 755-5544

Thinking about selling your home?

We’ll provide current market comps and connect you with a trusted expert.

CityRealty Logo

Sell a Home (Footer)

"*" indicates required fields

or Call (212) 755-5544

Before You Move On
from this Page.

Subscribe for NYC's Lastest Design, Lifestyle,
and Real Estate Trends!

No Worries. We Don’t Spam.

By providing your email address, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
You can unsubscribe at any time.

Your Daily Dose
of NYC Life!

No Worries. We Don’t Spam.

By providing your email address, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
You can unsubscribe at any time.