All articles by Dana Schulz

Visit This Quirky Museum Hidden in a Chinatown Elevator Shaft
October 31, 2014

Visit This Quirky Museum Hidden in a Chinatown Elevator Shaft

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Looking for something off-the-beaten-path to do this Halloweekend? Mmuseumm might be right up your alley. And speaking of alleys, it's located on Cortland Alley in Chinatown within a single, abandoned elevator shaft. The 60-square-foot Mmuseumm is a modern natural history museum that exhibits contemporary artifacts, illustrating "the complexities of the modern world." Its eclectic collection of everyday items includes toothpaste tubes from around the world and papers left behind in copy machines.  It even manages to fit a gift shop and café in its tiny footprint.
More info on the museum here
Relax in This Giant Birdsnest by OGE Creative Group
October 30, 2014

Relax in This Giant Birdsnest by OGE Creative Group

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Since there's snow predicted for tomorrow, we're starting to get in the mood to curl up in a warm, comfy chair with a good book. But while we've been dreaming about La-Z-Boys and plush sofas, the imaginative designers at OGE Creative Group were busy coming up with the ultimate cozy lounger--the Giant Birdsnest. Known officially as the "Giant Birdsnest for creating new ideas," this bed/couch hybrid was conceived as a new and inspiring social space that fuses furniture and playground.
More on the fun-loving Giant Birdsnest here
October 30, 2014

POLL: Would You Live Next to a Cemetery?

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In the spirit of Halloween, yesterday we took a look at whether or not living near a cemetery affects real estate prices in New York. Apparently, on average, homes close to cemeteries were slightly smaller, but sold for more due to a higher cost per square foot. And though this is what the research suggests, […]

Tour the Lent-Riker-Smith Homestead and Cemetery, Queens’ Oldest Private Residence
October 30, 2014

Tour the Lent-Riker-Smith Homestead and Cemetery, Queens’ Oldest Private Residence

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In a world where you can virtually tour real estate listings, it's nice to know that the good, old-fashioned house tour hasn't gone out of style. And this Saturday, one of the oldest homes in Queens is opening its doors for a tour of its refurbished interior, exceptional gardens, and historic cemetery. The Lent-Riker-Smith Homestead in East Elmhurst was built circa 1656 by Abraham Riker, an early settler of New Amsterdam. Its current owner Marion Duckworth Smith still lives in the home, which makes the property the oldest private residence in the borough. She and her late husband Michael Smith began restoring the home in 1980, and since then Smith has offered the occasional tour, giving guests a glimpse into the Riker burial ground, which holds the remains of 132 descendants, the interior living areas, and the picturesque gardens, which include a gazebo and workshop designed to look like a gingerbread house.
More on the house's history and the upcoming tour
Crowdfunded MAID Microwave Suggests Meals Based on Your Eating and Fitness Habits
October 29, 2014

Crowdfunded MAID Microwave Suggests Meals Based on Your Eating and Fitness Habits

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That line about New Yorkers using their ovens as shoe storage is getting pretty old (thanks Sex and the City), but a new smart microwave may just make it viable to ditch the stove for good. Called MAID (Make All Incredible Dishes), the product is being crowdfunded on Kickstarter by creator SectorQube, and not only can it perfectly nuke your meals, but it can suggest what dishes you'll like based on your cooking habits and fitness. MAID is 1.3 cubic feet and provides access to a crowdsourced recipe store, gesture and voice commands, and a smartphone app that will alert you when dinner's up. The recommendation feature, definitely the highlight of the product, will offer meal options to complement your diet as well as suggest a run if you just indulged in a 2,000-calorie, carb-loaded pizza.
More details on the smart microwave
Daily Link Fix: Memorial Events for the Second Anniversary of Hurricane Sandy; A Modest Proposal for NYC Ambassador Taylor Swift
October 29, 2014

Daily Link Fix: Memorial Events for the Second Anniversary of Hurricane Sandy; A Modest Proposal for NYC Ambassador Taylor Swift

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Pix11 has rounded up memorial events in New York and New Jersey to mark the second anniversary of Hurricane Sandy. It’s National Cat Day! And in honor of the occasion Uber’s UberKITTENS will deliver an ASPCA cat to your office for 15 minutes. More on Business Insider. In today’s Daily News, Jeremiah Moss, of Jeremiah’s […]

It Will Cost $32 to Visit One World Trade Center’s Observatory
October 29, 2014

It Will Cost $32 to Visit One World Trade Center’s Observatory

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On Monday we learned that tourism is predicted to bring in one quarter, roughly $53 million, of the One World Trade Center's annual revenue by 2019. And now the much-talked-about ticket price to visit the three-floor observation deck of the tower, known as One World Observatory, has been revealed. It will cost $32 for an adult to visit the observatory when it opens in the spring of 2015.
More details and renderings of the observatory ahead
Will Bill Ackman Be Able to Pull off a $90M Condo Flip at One57?

One57 and the view from the $90 million penthouse

October 28, 2014

Will Bill Ackman Be Able to Pull off a $90M Condo Flip at One57?

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It's true that One57′s first flip saw a $3.5 million profit in just five months, but that unit sold for $34 million the second time around. A selling price of more than $90 million is a different story--and that's exactly what hedge fund manager William (Bill) Ackman is hoping to achieve. In a profile in the Times on Sunday, Ackman was revealed as the buyer of the $90 million penthouse at the luxury building, which is sure to see its share of flips. But he also shared that he has no intention of ever living in the apartment. He'll stay with his wife and daughters at their current home in the Beresford and use the penthouse as a "fun" investment opportunity for himself and some good friends, perhaps hosting a few parties there in the meantime.
More on the planned flip here
The Iconic Black Moleskine Notebook Is Turning Red to Raise Awareness for AIDS
October 28, 2014

The Iconic Black Moleskine Notebook Is Turning Red to Raise Awareness for AIDS

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The black Moleskine notebook is one of the most recognizable products in the stationary world, but the iconic pad is getting a brightly colored update for a good cause. The special edition #oneREDday collection is a partnership between Moleskine and (RED) to raise awareness and funds for the fight against AIDS. The collection includes a hard cover notebook, 2015 planner, red click pen, and luggage tag, all of which feature the iconic elastic Moleskine band in red. Five percent of every purchase goes to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS. Additionally, the #oneREDday campaign asks people to use their notebooks to answer the question: If you had just one day to raise awareness around the fight against AIDS, what would you do and how would you do it? Selected illustrations and photos tagged with the #oneREDday hashtag are featured on the official campaign site.
More details on #oneREDday
Daily Link Fix: How to Put Midtown’s Empty Pied-a-Terres to Good Use; 3D-Printed Photos for People without Vision
October 28, 2014

Daily Link Fix: How to Put Midtown’s Empty Pied-a-Terres to Good Use; 3D-Printed Photos for People without Vision

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Brick Underground suggests nine ways to put Midtown’s empty pied-a-terres to good use. An 85-year-old artist has painted more than 85 NYC streetscapes, documenting history by chronicling buildings and blocks that are facing the wrecking ball. More on the Times. Taylor Swift is the “Ambassador” of New York City. Business Insider has info on the, shall we […]

Philippe Is a Skeletal Lamp by Zia Priven Sure to Be the Backbone of Any Room
October 27, 2014

Philippe Is a Skeletal Lamp by Zia Priven Sure to Be the Backbone of Any Room

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No, it's not a Halloween decoration. Philippe is a year-round floor lamp that's sure to spice up any room with its eerily glamorous appeal. Created by the lighting designers at Zia Priven, this lamp resembles a skeleton you might find at the doctor's office. The only difference is it's topped with lamp shade and comes finished in silver, bronze, or a natural-looking bone white.
More details on Philippe here
Daily Link Fix: Photos from the Tompkins Square Halloween Dog Parade; Ride a Vintage Train on the 110th Birthday of the Subway
October 27, 2014

Daily Link Fix: Photos from the Tompkins Square Halloween Dog Parade; Ride a Vintage Train on the 110th Birthday of the Subway

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AM New York has plenty of cute pup pics from Saturday’s Halloween dog parade at Tompkins Square Park. The Post unearths five hidden cemeteries across the city. Happy 110th birthday to the NYC subway system! To mark the event, the MTA has commissioned a vintage low-voltage train to ride on the 2/3 line today from 11am […]

It’s Expected That Tourism Will Bring in 25% of One World Trade Center’s Revenue
October 27, 2014

It’s Expected That Tourism Will Bring in 25% of One World Trade Center’s Revenue

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On Friday, news broke that anchor tenant Condé Nast will begin its big move in to One World Trade Center on November 3rd. And now we've learned that the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, along with the Durst Organization, is predicting that one quarter, roughly $53 million, of the tower's annual revenue will be generated from tourism by 2019. The three-floor observation deck of the tower, known as One World Observatory, is expected to be visited by about 3.5 million people per year. Legends Hospitality LLC, the developer of the observatory, has not yet revealed what it will cost to visit the site, but it's expected to be on par with the Empire State Building, which received $101 million in 2013 from visits to its observatory (it costs $29 per person), 40% of its annual revenue.
Learn more about this prediction and the state-of-the-art observation deck here
Weekly Highlights: Top Picks from the 6sqft Staff
October 25, 2014

Weekly Highlights: Top Picks from the 6sqft Staff

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If we’re ever going to get a new Penn Station Madison Square Garden will have to move, so a group of urban planners has proposed relocating the arena to a nearby post office. Ghislaine Viñas’ colorful and eclectic loft design seamlessly blends together in Tribeca. Ever wonder about those strange faces on the Woolworth Building? We’ve […]

<b>Terra Cotta in New York City: Beautiful Buildings Adorned in Ceramic</b>

Image © NewYorkitecture

October 24, 2014

Terra Cotta in New York City: Beautiful Buildings Adorned in Ceramic

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Glazed terra cotta (a clay-based ceramic) became a popular architectural material in the United States between the late 1800's and 1930's thanks to being sturdy, relatively inexpensive, fireproof, and easily molded into ornamented detail. Plus, it was easy to make it look like granite or limestone, much more expensive materials. Terra cotta really took off when some of Chicago and New York's great architects, Cass Gilbert, Louis Sullivan, and Daniel H. Burnham, incorporated the material in to their most famous works such as the Woolworth Building, Bayard-Condict Building, and Flatiron Building, respectively. Additionally, Rafael Guastavino adorned many of the great Beaux-Arts masterpieces with his famous terra cotta tiled vaults. There are countless buildings in New York City that owe their elegance to glazed terra cotta, and we've put together a list of some of our favorites.
Explore terra cotta in NYC
Real Estate Wire: Brooklyn Lyceum Sells at Auction; Kiefer Sutherland’s Former Village Townhouse Lists Again for $20M
October 24, 2014

Real Estate Wire: Brooklyn Lyceum Sells at Auction; Kiefer Sutherland’s Former Village Townhouse Lists Again for $20M

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A new type of post-recession real estate fraud is wreaking havoc on Brooklyn neighborhoods like Canarsie, East New York, and Cypress Hills. [Brooklyn Brief] Landmarked Brooklyn Lyceum sells at auction for $7.6 million. [Brownstoner] Appraiser Jonathan Miller looks at what would happen if we eliminated rent regulation. [Bloomberg] Kiefer Sutherland’s former Steven Gambrel-designed Greenwich Village […]

Billionaire Real Estate Developer Leonard Stern Sells Soho Penthouse for $15M
October 24, 2014

Billionaire Real Estate Developer Leonard Stern Sells Soho Penthouse for $15M

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Leonard Stern, billionaire businessman and real estate developer and namesake of NYU's Stern School of Business, has sold his "ultimate Soho penthouse" for $14,650,000 according to city records released today. In April 2014, a year after Stern originally listed the apartment, New York Magazine released a video tour of the 4,315-square-foot, four-bedroom duplex, revealing everything from a zen solarium to a restaurant-caliber kitchen. Stern bought the penthouse of 459 West Broadway in 2010 for $14,250,000, but the small profit likely won't affect him too much since his net worth is estimated at $3.8 billion.
Check out the billionaire digs and watch the video tour
Urban Planners Propose Moving Madison Square Garden to Nearby Post Office
October 23, 2014

Urban Planners Propose Moving Madison Square Garden to Nearby Post Office

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If there's one thing that all New Yorkers can agree on it's that Penn Station is pretty awful. And if we're ever going to get a new home for NJ Transit, Amtrak, and the LIRR, Madison Square Garden will have to move (just don't tell any die-hard Rangers fans that). The Alliance for a New Penn Station, a coalition of the Municipal Art Society and the Regional Plan Association, is proposing in a new report (revealed at this morning's MAS Summit) that the world-famous venue take up residency in the Morgan Post Office and Annex, occupying the block bound by 9th and 10th avenues and 28th and 30th streets. The mail sorting facility site is large enough to accommodate a new state-of-the-art arena and is just a quick walk to Penn Station. The coalition told Capital New York: “Relocating the Garden to this site will provide the city with a new arena and allow for the reconstruction and expansion of Penn Station, each of which can be designed to vastly improve the conditions of the district.”
More on the proposal and renderings of what the new site could look like
Daily Link Fix: The “Glory Days” of Port Authority; Block of 121st Street Named George Carlin Way
October 23, 2014

Daily Link Fix: The “Glory Days” of Port Authority; Block of 121st Street Named George Carlin Way

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Gothamist looks back at the glory days of Port Authority Bus Terminal One of today’s ugliest buildings, it was once considered “revolutionary” and “magnificent.” Huh?… After years of hurdles, a block of West 121st Street is renamed George Carlin Way, honoring the street where the famous comedian grew up. More on the Village Voice. The iconic […]

New Mapping Tool Urban Layers Tracks the Age of Every Building in Manhattan
October 22, 2014

New Mapping Tool Urban Layers Tracks the Age of Every Building in Manhattan

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A new mapping tool called Urban Layers lets users see almost every building still standing in Manhattan today and reveals exactly when it was built. The data goes back as far as 1765. The interactive map by Morphocode provides insight not only into the history of a specific building, but into the evolution of entire neighborhoods, too. And for New York City history fanatics like us, this user-friendly tool is definitely going to come in handy.
More on the mapping tool here
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