All articles by Dana Schulz

Our 1,400sqft: A vibrant couple in their 80s ditches the suburbs for the West 70s

March 30, 2018

Our 1,400sqft: A vibrant couple in their 80s ditches the suburbs for the West 70s

Marv and Fran Lifson have been married for 32 years. After combining their families (she had five children, he four), and spending three decades in Westchester, this self-described "active, older couple" decided to sell their home and relocate not to Florida or the Carolinas, but the Upper West Side. Luckily for them, Fran's son David Katz has his own architecture firm and he stepped right in to help them with their search and, ultimately, renovation. After finding their dream home two years ago, a fixer-upper on 72nd Street and Central Park West, David combined a studio and one-bedroom into a spacious two-bedroom that's just as fresh and modern as its residents. 6sqft recently visited Fran and Marv to learn about why they'd grown tired of the suburbs, what they love about their new urban lifestyle, and how the renovation process went.
See the whole place and hear from Fran and Marv

Downtown’s historic glass sidewalks may become a lost relic

Vault lights in Soho, via WooJin Chung for 6sqft

March 27, 2018

Downtown’s historic glass sidewalks may become a lost relic

Last week, 6sqft outlined the Landmarks Preservation Commission's series of new proposed rules, which "calls for more oversight by LPC staff but less time for public review" in proposals for alterations to historic buildings. But these rule changes extend further than buildings--right down to the sidewalks. As Treehugger first pointed out, one of the LPC's new rules pertains to the removal of vault lights--historic sidewalks made from small circular glass bulbs that are seen throughout Soho and Tribeca. As 6sqft previously explained, "the unique street coverings are remnants from the neighborhood's industrial past when they provided light to the basement factories below before electricity was introduced."
READ MORE

My 330sqft: A Greenpoint photographer does ‘grandpa cool’ in his earthy pad

6sqft’s series “My sqft” checks out the homes of New Yorkers across all the boroughs. Our latest interior adventure brings us to the Greenpoint apartment of photographer Brett Wood. Want to see your home featured here? Get in touch!

March 23, 2018

My 330sqft: A Greenpoint photographer does ‘grandpa cool’ in his earthy pad

After studying photography in Massachusetts, Brett Wood moved to New York in 2001. At the time, all he knew is that he wanted to be close to the artists he admired, but nearly two decades later, he's made a home for himself in Brooklyn and a career that sends him around the world. Though he's usually capturing other New Yorkers' home for 6sqft, Brett has now stepped out from the behind the lens to show off his own Greenpoint pad. A mix of earthy colors and textiles, eclectic finds from his travels, and an aesthetic that he endearingly describes as "cool grandad," Brett's home is certainly the making of someone with an eye for style.
Take the tour

One of only two condos with private terraces at One57 lists for $28.5M

March 21, 2018

One of only two condos with private terraces at One57 lists for $28.5M

Sure, Michael Dell has bragging rights to buying One57's $100 million penthouse, the most expensive home ever sold in New York City, but Bill Ackman's $91.5 million buy a few floors down came with a coveted terrace. Only two units in the Billionaires' Row building claim "private outdoor space on the park," and the second has just come on the market for the first time, asking $28.5 million. Dubbed the Spring Garden Residence (as opposed to Ackman's "Winter Garden Penthouse," as Curbed notes), the 41st- and 42nd-floor duplex boasts a 43-foot-long great room wrapped in floor-to-ceiling windows that lead to a 671-foot solarium and a terrace with views of the park and skyline.
Take a tour

Distinctive Homes

13 affordable units up for grabs at new Bushwick rental Lyceum Square, from $856/month

Marketing photo of Lyceum Square

March 20, 2018

13 affordable units up for grabs at new Bushwick rental Lyceum Square, from $856/month

Bushwick's latest rental Lyceum Square, at 961 Willoughby Avenue, just commenced move-ins at the beginning of the year for its market-rate units, which start at $2,295/month for one-bedrooms and go up to $2,970/month for three-bedrooms. But there are now 13 chances to live in the 63-unit building, complete with a large, furnished roof deck, for much less. New Yorkers earning 60 percent of the area median income can apply for the affordable apartments, which range from $856/month studios to $1,114/month two-bedrooms.
Find out if you qualify

Affordable Housing

New water filtration system claims it can bring NYC pizza and bagels worldwide

Pizza from Patsy’s in East Harlem, via Wiki Commons

March 20, 2018

New water filtration system claims it can bring NYC pizza and bagels worldwide

By now you've surely heard that New York City's pizza and bagels stand out because of our tap water. And now a New Jersey company is trying to capitalize on that widely-accepted theory by marketing a water-filtration system that can match the molecular makeup of NYC water, thereby allowing anyone anywhere to replicate our tasty dough (h/t NYP). This past Monday, the $2,890/year New York WaterMaker was unveiled at the International Pizza Expo in Las Vegas, and apparently, it already has the approval of some old-school New York pizza makers.
Find out more

City Living

Queens’ huge ‘ World’s Fare’ food festival announces half of its 100 vendors

Photo courtesy of Bill Cotter/worldsfairphotos

March 19, 2018

Queens’ huge ‘ World’s Fare’ food festival announces half of its 100 vendors

On April 28th and 29th CitiField will be transformed into a modern, food-centric take on the 1964 New York World’s Fair. The World’s Fare wants guests to experience "diversity through cuisine," which they'll accomplish with 100+ food vendors from more than 100 cultures (there will also be an international beer garden, live music, and art), and now Eater has the scoop on the first 50 of these participants, which includes old-time Jewish bakery Orwashers, social venture and Bengali pop-up Jhal NYC, Japanese vegetable pancake purveyor Oconomi, Australian restaurant the Thirsty Koala, and Brazilian chocolate shop Brigadeiros.
The full list and all the event details

Events & Things To Do

‘Store Front’ artists to host free photography and oral history workshops about mom-and-pops

Photos © James and Karla Murray

March 16, 2018

‘Store Front’ artists to host free photography and oral history workshops about mom-and-pops

Since publishing “Store Front: The Disappearing Face of New York,” a photo documentation of iconic mom-and-pops, 10 years ago, photographers James and Karla Murray have become household names around NYC. And they now are letting New Yorkers in on their tricks of the trade in an upcoming two-part workshop in partnership with the Neighborhood Preservation Center. "Capturing the Faces and Voices of Manhattan's Neighborhood Storefronts" is a "photography and oral history workshop of the cultural significance of mom-and-pop stores and the impact they have on the pulse, life, and texture of their communities." Participants will not only learn photography skills but how to record oral histories and use these tools for "public awareness and advocacy."
All the details

Events & Things To Do

Paul Ryan warns NY and NJ that Trump won’t fund Gateway Tunnel project

Tunnel photo via The Gateway Program Development Corporation; Paul Ryan photo via Gage Skidmore/Flickr

March 15, 2018

Paul Ryan warns NY and NJ that Trump won’t fund Gateway Tunnel project

Amtrak and New Jersey Transit's Northeast Corridor--that which connects the state to Manhattan via the Hudson River tunnels--creates more than $50 billion in economic activity annually. And the region as a whole is home to 30 percent of all U.S. jobs, amounting to $3 trillion a year for the economy. But despite Donald Trump's eagerness to both stimulate the economy and bring jobs back from overseas, he seems unphased by the dire need to construct a new rail tunnel to replace those built in 1910 that suffered major damage during Hurricane Sandy. According to Politico, in a meeting yesterday with New York and New Jersey Republicans, Speaker Paul Ryan made it clear that he will not include the $30 billion Gateway Tunnel project in the upcoming $1 trillion+ omnibus spending package if it means Trump will veto the bill, claiming that the President can't stop talking about his opposition to what's largely considered the most important infrastructure project in the nation.
All the details

NYC’s homeless shelter population would make it the 10th largest city in the state

March 14, 2018

NYC’s homeless shelter population would make it the 10th largest city in the state

Earlier this year, Mayor de Blasio was criticized for failing to open 10 of the 20 homeless shelters his administration pledged for 2017, with "delays in the permit process, time-consuming negotiations with nonprofits that run the shelters, and backlash from the community and public officials" to blame. The push came from the fact that NYC has the largest homeless population in the U.S., climbing near 78,000. All of this coupled together, the situation is now looking even more dire, as the Coalition for the Homeless' annual State of the Homeless Report finds that a record high number of New Yorkers make up the city's nightly homeless shelter population. This number, 63,495 (which includes 23,600 children), would make that group the 10th largest city in the state, notes the Daily News.
READ MORE

Policy

Popular Articles

Our 900sqft: Native New Yorkers Aria and John open up their retro, colorful Harlem home

6sqft’s series “My sqft” checks out the homes of New Yorkers across all the boroughs. Our latest interior adventure brings us to the Harlem apartment of Aria and John Chiaraviglio. Want to see your home featured here? Get in touch!

March 14, 2018

Our 900sqft: Native New Yorkers Aria and John open up their retro, colorful Harlem home

When asked to sum up the aesthetic of their Harlem apartment in a few words, Aria and John Chiaraviglio chose "inviting, unique, open, retro and fun," and after a recent visit to the full-floor brownstone home, we couldn't agree more. Aria, a Doctoral student in Child Psychology, and John, Vice President of the Financial Intelligence Unit of a major bank, both grew up in NYC--she in Tribeca and he on the Upper East Side. The old-school, quirky vibes reminiscent of artist-loft Tribeca are seen everywhere, from Aria's Elvis collection to the couple's countless vintage finds, yet the traditional style one would associate with uptown are brought out through mid-century modern furnishings and an attention to entertaining. Ahead, take a tour of this spunky couple's colorful, comfy, and classy home and learn about their best thrifted pieces, the theme parties they host, their Derby collection, and why they love living in Harlem.
Get an inside look!

Design contest winner would turn Park Avenue into a concert venue and basketball court

Rendering of “Park Park” courtesy of Maison

March 14, 2018

Design contest winner would turn Park Avenue into a concert venue and basketball court

Last month, Fisher Brothers unveiled the 17 finalists for its “Beyond the Centerline” design competition, a call for creative and ambitious ideas for how to transform Park Avenue's traffic medians between 46th and 57th Streets. Proposals called for everything from an Alpine mountain to a High Line-esque walkway to a massive aquarium, but in the end, it was the "Park Park" entry that the jury selected as the winner. This proposal, courtesy of Ben Meade, Anthony Stahl, and Alexia Beghi of design firm Maison, transforms the iconic thoroughfare via a series of raised platforms that hold a concert space, art galleries, gardens, a restaurant, and a basketball court, "intended to inject new energy into the currently staid Park Avenue landscape."
More details and the runner up

Architecture And Design

Hotel Chelsea doors from the rooms of Andy Warhol, Jimi Hendrix, and more coming to auction

Screenshot of Iconic Chelsea Doors via Guernsey’s

March 13, 2018

Hotel Chelsea doors from the rooms of Andy Warhol, Jimi Hendrix, and more coming to auction

Up until its first controversial sale to developers in 2011, drama at the Chelsea Hotel was reserved to its longtime list of celebrity occupants. From being the site where Sid Vicious reportedly stabbed his girlfriend to death to where Dylan Thomas went into a coma just before dying to the home of Madonna in the '80s, the landmark is more associated with NYC characters and culture than perhaps anywhere else. And now average New Yorkers will have the rare opportunity to own a piece of this history. amNY reports that Guernsey's auction house will be selling 55 original doors from the hotel, which, after "exhaustive research," can be traced "to the iconic individuals who lived behind them," including Andy Warhol and Edie Sedgwick, Jimi Hendrix, Bob Marley, Janis Joplin, Jack Kerouac, Humphrey Bogart, Thomas Wolfe, Jim Morrison, and Jackson Pollack.
Get all the details

Six chances to live in the heart of Bushwick, from $1,039/month

246 Johnson Avenue as of late July 2017, via CityRealty

March 12, 2018

Six chances to live in the heart of Bushwick, from $1,039/month

If there's one establishment that gets the credit for hipster-fying Bushwick, it's Roberta's. And here are six chances to live just a few blocks away from the pizza paradise for less than market rate. As of today, the affordable housing lottery is open at the new rental building 246 Johnson Avenue for three $1,039/month one-bedrooms and three $1,175/month two-bedrooms, available to households earning 60 percent of the area median income. Considering that the market-rate units start at $3,100 a month, this is quite the deal.
Find out if you qualify

Affordable Housing

New York women tell their real immigration stories in a new photo exhibit

Daniela, from Colombia © Dru Blumensheid

March 9, 2018

New York women tell their real immigration stories in a new photo exhibit

6sqft’s series The Urban Lens invites photographers to share work exploring a theme or a place within New York City. In this installment, Dru Blumensheid shares some images from the Queens Museum's new exhibit Real People. Real Lives. Women Immigrants of New York. Are you a photographer who’d like to see your work featured on The Urban Lens? Get in touch with us at [email protected]. "Statistics do not tell the story of immigration. People do. Women do." This was the impetus behind the new photo and video exhibit at the Queens Museum, "Real People. Real Lives. Women Immigrants of New York." A partnership between New Women New Yorkers, NYC's only non-profit dedicated to empowering young immigrant women, and artist Dru Blumensheid aka BUMESI, the exhibit features photos and videos of 16 young immigrant women taken in iconic locations such as the Brooklyn Bridge and Chinatown, all as a way to show "a nuanced and multi-layered picture... of the barriers and isolation they experience, and of the hopes, dreams, and talents they bring with them." In celebration of Women's History Month, 6sqft chatted with Dru Blumensheid about her personal inspiration behind the project, what she learned from the experience, and how she hopes all New Yorkers can benefit from hearing these stories.
Hear from Dru and see her beautiful photos and videos

150 more affordable apartments up for grabs in the Bronx’s Compass Residences

1903 West Farms Road via JM Zoning

March 8, 2018

150 more affordable apartments up for grabs in the Bronx’s Compass Residences

Seven years ago, what was then the largest Bronx rezoning ever was passed for a 17-acre, 11-block area in Crotona Park East. Known as the West Farms Redevelopment Plan, a development for the former industrial area by Dattner Architects, the complex will boast 1,325 units of affordable housing when complete, along with retail and community facilities. A year after the second affordable housing lottery at the site's Compass Residences went live, the third is now up and running at 1903 West Farms Road. Designed in a similar basic-brick style by Dattner, this building has 152 units up for grabs for households earning 60 percent of the area median income, ranging from $865/month studios to $1,289/month three-bedrooms.
All the details

Affordable Housing

Halletts Point’s first rental tower gets new renderings, launches affordable housing lottery

March 7, 2018

Halletts Point’s first rental tower gets new renderings, launches affordable housing lottery

Less than a month after we got a first look at 10 Halletts Point, the first of seven buildings that will open at the Durst Organization's $1.5 billion Astoria mega-development, the Dattner Architects-designed tower is making headlines on multiple fronts today. Not only did a teaser site go live for the 405-unit rental tower, with even more new renderings, but the affordable housing lottery launched for the project's 81 below-market-rate apartments. These range from $947/month studios to $1,414/month three-bedrooms, all of which are reserved for households earning 60 percent of the area median income.
See the renderings and find out if you qualify for the affordable units

Six middle-income apartments up for grabs in prime Bushwick

Google Street View of 690 Bushwick Avenue

March 6, 2018

Six middle-income apartments up for grabs in prime Bushwick

Just a few short blocks from the J, M, Z trains at Myrtle Avenue, as well as countless cool bars and restaurants, 690 Bushwick Avenue is a recently completed rental building that has just opened up six middle-income units through the city's affordable housing lottery. Households earning 115 percent of the area median income, or between $68,023 and $134,030 annually, can apply for $1,984/month one-bedrooms and $2,394/month two-bedrooms. The small, six-story building offers on-site parking, a laundry room, and a roof deck.
Find out if you qualify

Affordable Housing

Apply for 117 affordable units at a new mixed-use rental in the Bronx, starting at $865/month

March 5, 2018

Apply for 117 affordable units at a new mixed-use rental in the Bronx, starting at $865/month

Local Bronx developers Stagg Group filed plans for their second large-scale affordable housing development in the Norwood/Bedford Park neighborhood back in late 2015, and the project is finally complete as its 117 units have just come online via the city's housing lottery. The 11-story building known as Norwood Garden sits at the intersection of Webster Avenue and the dead-end East 203rd Street and was designed by Marin Architects with a large, rear second-story terrace, as well as several rooftop terraces. The units are available to households earning 60, 90, 100, and 130 percent of the area median income and range from $865/month studios to $2,302/month three-bedrooms.
Find out if you qualify

Affordable Housing

116-year-old Yorkville bakery Glaser’s announces summer closing

© James and Karla Murray for 6sqft

March 5, 2018

116-year-old Yorkville bakery Glaser’s announces summer closing

When 6sqft met with Herb Glaser, the third-generation co-owner of Yorkville's 116-year-old German bakery Glaser's, he attributed the business' longevity to the fact that his grandfather "had the foresight and the ability to buy the building that we are in." So it came as a bit of a surprise when we learned over the weekend that the beloved bake shop will be closing its doors this summer. A bittersweet Facebook post stated that "After many years of daunting hours and hard work, the third generation of bakers have come to the difficult decision to hang up their bakers' hat and move towards retirement."
READ MORE

Uncategorized

How COOKFOX Architects outfitted their Midtown office with wellness technology and outdoor space

March 2, 2018

How COOKFOX Architects outfitted their Midtown office with wellness technology and outdoor space

6sqft’s series “Where I Work” takes us into the studios, offices, and off-beat workspaces of New Yorkers across the city. In this installment, we’re touring the Midtown offices of architecture firm COOKFOX. Want to see your business featured here? Get in touch! When COOKFOX Architects started looking for a new office space three years ago, it was a no-brainer that they'd incorporate their signature biophilic tools, but their one non-negotiable requirement was outdoor space to connect employees directly with nature. And though the firm has come to be associated with so many contemporary projects, they found their ideal space on the 17th floor of the 1921, Carèrre and Hastings-designed Fisk Tire Building on 57th Street. Not only did it offer three terraces (that the team has since landscaped with everything from beehives to kale), but the large, open floorplan allowed the firm to create their dream wellness office. 6sqft recently took a tour of the space to see how employees utilize the space day-to-day and learn more about how COOKFOX achieved LEED Platinum and WELL Gold status by incorporating natural materials for finishings and furniture, temperature control systems, lighting that supports healthy circadian rhythms, and, of course, plenty of connections to nature despite being in the middle of Midtown Manhattan.
READ MORE

As of today, the Met will start charging non-New Yorkers $25 for admission

Photo via Wiki Commons

March 1, 2018

As of today, the Met will start charging non-New Yorkers $25 for admission

At the beginning of the year, the Met announced that it would begin charging non-New Yorkers (i.e. those without a state ID) $25 for admission, waiving its pay-what-you-wish policy that had been in effect since 1970. And as of today, that policy is officially being implemented through signs at all entrances, 14 new kiosks in the Great Hall, roaming museum staff with iPads, and a brochure that explains the new fee system, reports the Times.
READ MORE

Events & Things To Do

The end of the MetroCard could mean fare capping, better bus boarding, and real-time data

Image via Cubic Transportation Systems

February 28, 2018

The end of the MetroCard could mean fare capping, better bus boarding, and real-time data

The MTA’s new cardless fare system will completely phase out the MetroCard by 2023, and transit advocates from the TransitCenter and the Tri-State Transportation Campaign believe there's more to gain here than strictly streamlining the swiping process. In a report released this week titled "A New Way to Ride," the groups outline three main policy opportunities available through the new fare system--seamless bus boarding, fare capping, and enhanced service information--all of which have been implemented in other cities with similar payment technology.
All the details ahead

‘Store Front’ photographers plan a life-size memorial to lost Lower East Side mom-and-pops

February 27, 2018

‘Store Front’ photographers plan a life-size memorial to lost Lower East Side mom-and-pops

Photographers James and Karla Murray published their first account of small businesses in NYC a decade ago with their seminal book “Store Front: The Disappearing Face of New York,” which captured hundreds of mom-and-pops and their iconic facades, many of them since shuttered, along with interviews with the business owners. They've since published two follow-ups, "New York Nights" and "Store Front II-A History Preserved," winning countless awards and gaining local and national fame for their documentation of a vanishing retail culture. And this summer, they're bringing their work to a larger scale than ever. The Lo-Down reports that the husband-and-wife team has designed an art installation for Seward Park, a wood-frame structure that will feature four nearly life-size images of Lower East Side business that have disappeared--a bodega, a coffee shop/luncheonette (the recently lost Cup & Saucer), a vintage store, and a newsstand.
More details

Events & Things To Do

My 700sqft: Mommy blogger Brianne Manz balances work and parenting in Battery Park City

6sqft’s series “My sqft” checks out the homes of New Yorkers across all the boroughs. Our latest interior adventure brings us to the Battery Park City apartment of “Stroller in the City” founder Brianne Manz. Want to see your home featured here? Get in touch!

February 27, 2018

My 700sqft: Mommy blogger Brianne Manz balances work and parenting in Battery Park City

The term "mommy blogger" is fairly well known today, but when Brianne Manz started Stroller in the City nearly a decade ago, she was charting new waters. A fashion industry veteran, Brianne has grown the site into a full-scale lifestyle resource, offering tips on raising a family in New York City, the latest in kids' fashion, and "all things that are mommy." 6sqft recently visited Brianne at the Battery Park City apartment she and her husband found 15 years ago but now share with their three children (their oldest son in nine and two daughters are six and four). Not only did we get to see first-hand how this entrepreneur balances work and parenting, but we chatted with her about why she loves her neighborhood, why having kids in NYC is a great idea, and how anyone can create a family-friendly home.
All this and more ahead

57
58
59
60
61