All articles by Dana Schulz

NYC Breaks Tourism Record in 2014, Sees Increase in Chinese Visitors
February 2, 2015

NYC Breaks Tourism Record in 2014, Sees Increase in Chinese Visitors

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After our commute this morning we couldn't help dreaming of getting out of this city for a couple of weeks (or months, who's counting), but 56.4 million people had the exact opposite idea in 2014. That's how many tourists visited the big apple this past year, smashing the previous record of 54.3 million visitors in 2013. One country that helped with the increase was China, not surprising considering the growing trend of wealthy Chinese investing in the NYC real estate market. According to the Times, "City officials estimate that more than 740,000 visitors came from China in 2014, almost five times as many as in 2009."
More on the record-breaking tourism trend
Great Piggery War Was an Early Gentrification Battle; Meet the Man with the Most Pizza Boxes in the World
February 2, 2015

Great Piggery War Was an Early Gentrification Battle; Meet the Man with the Most Pizza Boxes in the World

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Gentrification battles can be traced back to the 1850s when Midtown West’s many piggeries were set to be replaced with apartments. [NYP] Vote for building of the year in 14 categories featuring thousands of projects from all corners of the globe. [ArchDaily] Tour a cozy Carroll Gardens apartment that was six years in the making. [Apartment […]

January’s 10 Most-Read Stories & This Week’s Features
January 31, 2015

January’s 10 Most-Read Stories & This Week’s Features

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January’s 10 Most-Read Stories Photo Series Captures Three Years of NYC Subway Cars Being Dumped in the Atlantic Ocean Get Free Access to 33 Museums with the New NYC Municipal ID The Lena Dunham Real Estate Effect: Looking at the Homes of the Stars of ‘Girls’ New Study Reveals It’s More Important to Have a […]

‘Workplace of the Future’ Winner Attaches Health-Conscious Sky Gardens to Existing Buildings
January 30, 2015

‘Workplace of the Future’ Winner Attaches Health-Conscious Sky Gardens to Existing Buildings

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Wouldn't it be great if you could stock up on kale during the workday without having to wait on the lunchtime line at Whole Foods? If Organic Grid+, the winner of Metropolis magazine's "Workplace of the Future" design competition, comes to fruition you'll be able to grow your own greens at the office while taking in the various other health benefits that the proposed sky gardens afford. Conceived by London-based interior designers Sean Cassidy and Joe Wilson, Organic Grid+ proposes a flexible office layout, health-conscious technology, and glass sky gardens that latch onto existing buildings–all with the goal of improving the physical and mental well-being of employees as well as changing "the negative associations of working in open-plan offices."
More details here
MTA’s ‘Courtesy Counts’ Etiquette Campaign Is Brought to Life in a New Video Parody
January 30, 2015

MTA’s ‘Courtesy Counts’ Etiquette Campaign Is Brought to Life in a New Video Parody

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Regardless of which side of the man-spread debate you're on, you've definitely heard plenty about the MTA's new Courtesy Counts etiquette campaign. To get their point across, the MTA has deployed a new set of posters featuring the ubiquitous faceless green and red stick figures doing uncourteous things on the subway, including pole dancing, grooming, and, of course, manspreading. Two New Yorkers, Christian “CJ” Koegel and his partner Chris Zelig, have now created a one-minute, tongue-in-cheek video where they don full-body red and green spandex suits to bring Courtesy Counts to life as part of the #ridewithclass hashtag campaign.
Watch the amusing video
Modern Smart Home in Cobble Hill Sells for $6M
January 29, 2015

Modern Smart Home in Cobble Hill Sells for $6M

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The blogosphere was not impressed last year when they saw the contemporary brownstone conversion at 325 Degraw Street in Cobble Hill, calling the grey structure a "sad transformation." And while the nondescript façade may pale in comparison to its neighboring historic homes, what lies beyond is an impressive 5,800-square-foot smart home, complete with over 800 square feet of outdoor space, a landscaped roof deck, and a basement media room. Known as the Light House, the modern mansion designed by architect James Anzalone has now found an owner, a couple who paid a hefty $6 million, according to city records released today.
Check out the rest of the smart home
Wishbone: The World’s Smallest Smart Thermometer Checks Body, Object, and Environment Temperature
January 29, 2015

Wishbone: The World’s Smallest Smart Thermometer Checks Body, Object, and Environment Temperature

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There's only so much our iPhones can do when it comes to thermometer functions. They can tell us the temperature in a specific geographic location, but not in the exact spot where we're standing, and they can't read our personal body heat or that of a pot of water. Enter Wishbone, the world's smallest smart thermometer that can accurately check body, object, or environment temperature in two seconds (compared with 30 seconds for a traditional thermometer) just by hooking up to your smart phone. And it requires no contact at all.
More info ahead
A 12-Acre Mixed-Use Project Is Set to Wake Up Sleepy Red Hook
January 28, 2015

A 12-Acre Mixed-Use Project Is Set to Wake Up Sleepy Red Hook

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If you've been to Red Hook lately chances are you were visiting the Fairway for lunch or taking the ferry to Ikea for a new $10 end table and some Swedish meatballs. But we soon may have many more reasons to visit the sleepy, industrial, square-mile Brooklyn neighborhood. The Red Hook Innovation District is a plan for a 12-acre, 1.2 million-square-foot, mixed-use project that would include offices, retail space, performance venues and a promenade. Last month, Los Angeles-based development firm Estate Four purchased the final property on the site. They now plan to roll out the $400 million project in phases over five years.
More details ahead
The Storefront for Art and Architecture Gets Shrink Wrapped by SO-IL
January 28, 2015

The Storefront for Art and Architecture Gets Shrink Wrapped by SO-IL

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We get frustrated every time we try to use Saran Wrap on the leftover half of a lemon, so we can't imagine shrink-wrapping the entire ground floor of a building. But that's exactly what design firm SO-IL did at the Storefront for Art and Architecture. The installation is part of Storefront's latest exhibit BLUEPRINT, which showcases 50 blueprints from various disciplines dating from 1961 to 2013. The show was also curated by SO-IL. By wrapping the exterior of the space, the gallery is "totally open, yet perpetually closed and fixed... wrapped in time and in space."
More on the exhibit and installation
BergDesign Architecture Transforms a Williamsburg Mechanics Garage into a Multi-Use Space with a Hidden Bar
January 28, 2015

BergDesign Architecture Transforms a Williamsburg Mechanics Garage into a Multi-Use Space with a Hidden Bar

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A multi-disciplinary event/performance space, retail store, and hidden bar all in one–we must be in Williamsburg. Located at 94 Wythe Avenue, in a slower-to-gentrify, industrial section of the neighborhood, this outpost of Kinfolk Studios was transformed by BergDesign Architecture from a mechanics garage into a space that feels like "it was designed for an off-the-grid Pacific Northwest hippy mathematician" by adding wood-clad geodesic dome shell structures to divide the space into separate functions.
Find out more about this impressive design
January 28, 2015

POLL: Should Frank Gehry Design the New South Street Seaport?

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Before 9/11, the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum planned a new outpost on the East River in Lower Manhattan, sculpted by none other than starchitect Frank Gehry. But after the tragedy, the project was scratched. Now, the planned South Street Seaport project would replace the area’s main pier with a lower, glass structure that looks like a surburban mall […]

As Younger Renters Move to the UES, Trendy Commercial Tenants Follow

Say goodbye to afternoon tea and hello to happy hour, via roboppy via photopin cc

January 27, 2015

As Younger Renters Move to the UES, Trendy Commercial Tenants Follow

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You don't have to tell us twice that the Upper East Side is trading its reputation as a stodgy, ladies-who-lunch spot for a younger, more hip vibe. Not only do we think it's a hidden hot spot for artists, but we recently profiled the unofficial "new" Upper East Side, the high 80s and 90s, clustered between Park and 1st Avenues. And let's not forget how the Second Avenue subway is already shaking things up. But with a new generation of Upper East Siders gobbling up the surprisingly affordable real estate offerings, it's no surprise that trendy commercial spots are also getting in on the action. Small, local shops and restaurants create little communities that you might expect to find in brownstone Brooklyn, and larger, big-name businesses like Warby Parker and Whole Foods promise to make it a neighborhood to rival Union Square or Chelsea.
More on the real estate trend ahead
Enchanting Upstate Stone House Is a Year-Round Weekend Getaway
January 27, 2015

Enchanting Upstate Stone House Is a Year-Round Weekend Getaway

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Just a stone's throw away from NYC in Brewster, NY, this charming Tudor-style home sits atop a rock bluff on four private acres of lush grass, Japanese maple trees, enchanting woods and seasonal streams. Built in 1940 by architect Manus Imber, and featuring three bedrooms and 1,273 square feet of space, this is the perfect place to get away from the hustle and bustle of city life. The Stone House is chock full of original details like the stone fireplace and hearth, wide pine floors, Dutch doors, built-ins, and decorative wood trims.
The magic continues here
Ienami Bonkei Planters Are Tiny Houses with Green Roofs
January 27, 2015

Ienami Bonkei Planters Are Tiny Houses with Green Roofs

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We're big fans of green roofs here at 6sqft, so we were pretty excited when we found these planters that let us have our own miniature green roof right on our desks. A design of Metaphys, the Ienami Bonkei planters are simplistic models of homes with actual planted green roofs or gardens. The Japanese art of Bonkei refers to 3D, miniature landscapes created using dry materials like rock, cement, or sand. They often feature tiny figurines of people, buildings, and other outdoor elements.
More details on the Bonkei planters
Street Fight Round Two: What’s with All the Broadways in the Outer Boroughs?

Broadway in Brooklyn via wallyg via photopin cc

January 26, 2015

Street Fight Round Two: What’s with All the Broadways in the Outer Boroughs?

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Last week we took a look at why there are three Broadways in Manhattan–the thoroughfare proper, East Broadway and West Broadway– and learned that Broadway actually extends through the Bronx and into Westchester. There's even a one-block street in Harlem called Old Broadway. As if that weren't enough confusion, though, there are four other Broadways in the outer boroughs–one in Brooklyn, one in Staten Island, and two in Queens.
Learn about these outer-borough Broadways
How Long Are the Elevator Commutes in the Tallest Towers?

432 Park

January 26, 2015

How Long Are the Elevator Commutes in the Tallest Towers?

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The race to build the tallest residential building seems to never end. In NYC, One57 briefly held the title at 1,005 feet before it was outdone by 432 Park at 1,396 feet. But both of these supertall towers are expected to be beat by the Nordstrom Tower, which will come in at 1,775 feet. Across the world, though, towers rise even higher; World One in Mumbai, India is 1,450 feet, the 106 Tower in Dubai is 1,421 feet, and the mixed-use Kingdom Tower in Saudi Arabia will hit 167 stories and 3,281 feet. In fact, according to The Real Deal, "of the 445 residential towers in the world over 650 feet that are built or under construction, only 12 are located in Manhattan." With these dizzying heights becoming the new normal, the elevator becomes perhaps the most important construction element, and a feature in the Wall Street Journal calculates the annual "elevator miles" logged by residents of supertall condo towers around the world.
Check out the mileage here
Talking to NY’s Last Seltzer Man; Supermarket Chaos Before the Blizzard
January 26, 2015

Talking to NY’s Last Seltzer Man; Supermarket Chaos Before the Blizzard

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With perfect timing, the new Snow Monsters art installation arrives at Flatiron Plaza. [Untapped] Seltzer deliverymen used to be commonplace in the city, but now there’s just one left. [The Awl] The popular photo-documentary series Humans of New York has raised close to $700,000 to help underprivileged students in Brownsville, Brooklyn visit Harvard. [Gothamist] A […]

New Residential Building in East Williamsburg by James Cleary Architecture Will Have a Double-Height Solar Shade
January 26, 2015

New Residential Building in East Williamsburg by James Cleary Architecture Will Have a Double-Height Solar Shade

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A new residential building is going up on an East Williamsburg street that's already an eclectic mix of modern buildings, single-family homes with vinyl siding, and classic tenement apartment buildings. Designed by James Cleary Architecture, 237 Devoe Street will add some creative environmental design to the mix, thanks to its signature element--a double-height solar shade, clad with reclaimed barn wood, that opens onto the street.
More details on the project
Weekly Highlights: Top Picks from the 6sqft Staff
January 24, 2015

Weekly Highlights: Top Picks from the 6sqft Staff

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Photo Series Captures Three Years of NYC Subway Cars Being Dumped in the Atlantic Ocean Most Millennials Would Rather Live in the Suburbs Than in a City Condo This Turn-Key Cobble Hill Townhome Comes with a Backyard Playhouse Russian Billionaire Roman Abramovich Buys Up Three UES Townhouses to Build a Makeshift Mansion Take a Peek […]

Churchill’s Granddaughter, Sculptor Edwina Sandys, Relists One-of-a-Kind Soho Loft for $10M
January 23, 2015

Churchill’s Granddaughter, Sculptor Edwina Sandys, Relists One-of-a-Kind Soho Loft for $10M

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You know an apartment is exceptional when Philip Johnson once referred to it as "the most beautiful loft in Soho." Home to sculptor Edwina Sandys, the granddaughter of Sir Winston Churchill, and her husband, architect Richard Kaplan, this one-of-a-kind space at 565 Broadway was also the location for the original season of "The Real World" in 1992 and has since seen the likes of architects Richard Meier and Rafael Vinoly, Barbara Taylor Bradford, Massimo Vignelli and Christine Ebersole pass through its doors for high-society parties hosted by Sandys and Kaplan. But the real draw here is the simply stunning historic architecture. Originally home to Ball Black & Co., the top 19th century jeweler before Tiffany's, the five-bedroom duplex boasts a double-height, 17-foot, exposed-brick vault ceiling, stately Corinthian columns, and a Carrara marble floor, which certainly justifies the $10 million price tag.
READ MORE
Take a Private Tour of the Long Island City Elevator Historical Society Museum This Weekend
January 23, 2015

Take a Private Tour of the Long Island City Elevator Historical Society Museum This Weekend

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Even true New York City culture buffs may have never heard of the Elevator Historical Society Museum (or known that such a society exists), so if you really want to impress a crowd with your knowledge of little-known urban trivia, be sure to sign up for tomorrow's tour of the Long Island City museum. The private tour, hosted by the New York Adventure Club, is being led by the museum's founder and curator Patrick Carrajat, who has collected more than 2,000 pieces of elevator ephemera like manuals, metal identification plates, pop culture paraphernalia, and obscure mechanical parts from the early days of vertical travel.
More on the museum and tour here
The History of NYC’s Drinking Fountains; Pig Out on Donuts While Getting Your Car Washed
January 23, 2015

The History of NYC’s Drinking Fountains; Pig Out on Donuts While Getting Your Car Washed

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The design history of New York City’s public drinking fountains. [re:form] Inside Underwest Donuts, a boutique donut shop in a West Side car wash. [Untapped] What you can see from the tallest observation decks on Earth. [Gizmodo] China constructs the world’s first 3D-printed apartment building. [CNET] Images: Drinking fountain (L); West Side Highway Car Wash […]

East Village’s Historic Meseritz Synagogue Gets Ready for Restoration and Condo Conversion

Mezritch Synagogue © LuciaM via Panoramio

January 22, 2015

East Village’s Historic Meseritz Synagogue Gets Ready for Restoration and Condo Conversion

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At the turn of the century, the Lower East Side/East Village was home to 75 percent of the 2.5 million Ashkenazi Jews that immigrated to the U.S. They quickly established synagogues, many of which were "tenement synagogues," aptly named because they were built on the narrow lots between tenements and served the mostly-impoverished people who lived in the surrounding, overcrowded buildings. Only one of these tenement synagogues is still in operation–the Congregation Meseritz Synagogue (or Anshei Meseritz) at 515 East 6th Street. Narrowly saved from the wrecking ball in 2012, Meseritz is now undergoing a total overhaul. Real estate developer East River Partners is adding three luxury apartments, including an 11-foot-tall penthouse, to the top of the structure. Though the plan was initially contested by some neighbors and local community and preservation groups, the developer is undertaking a multimillion-dollar gut renovation of the ground floor, creating a new home out of which the congregation can worship.
More details ahead
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