All articles by Dana Schulz

3 Hudson Boulevard gets new spire-less rendering as construction commences

Rendering via FXFOWLE/Moinian Group (L); Current construction shot via CityRealty (R)

August 29, 2017

3 Hudson Boulevard gets new spire-less rendering as construction commences

Earlier this month, a new view of 3 Hudson Boulevard added a 300-foot spire, bringing its total height to 1,350 and setting it up to become the tallest tower in Hudson Yards and the fifth tallest in the entire city. However, CityRealty has uncovered another new rendering of the FXFOWLE-designed supertall, which was posted at the work site now that construction has commenced, and noticeably absent is the spire. While the superlative height isn't confirmed, the new rendering does maintain the updated design of a five-story retail podium, tapered body, terraces and "sky gardens," and a rooftop terrace surrounded by glass windscreens.
More details ahead

The Urban Lens: ‘Fifth Avenuers’ is a visual registry of the iconic street’s vibrancy and diversity

Photos © Nei Valente

August 25, 2017

The Urban Lens: ‘Fifth Avenuers’ is a visual registry of the iconic street’s vibrancy and diversity

By Dana Schulz

6sqft’s series The Urban Lens invites photographers to share work exploring a theme or a place within New York City. In this installment Brazilian designer and street photographer Nei Valente presents his series "Fifth Avenuers." Are you a photographer who’d like to see your work featured on The Urban Lens? Get in touch with us at [email protected]. Fifth Avenue: the street that divides Manhattan east to west; home to many of the world's most prestigious museums and famous buildings; high-end shopping destination; the road to Central Park; office district. There's no one way to describe the thoroughfare, nor is there one type of person associated with it. It's this vibrancy that branding designer and street photographer Nei Valente set out to capture in his new series "Fifth Avenuers." Over several months, Nei used his lunch breaks to capture "the unusual mix of tourists, blue- and white-collar professionals, and shoppers," creating "a visual registry of people and moments from one of the most iconic avenues in the world." His editorial style and candid technique is not dissimilar from that in "Newsstands," in which he documented the changing face of newsstands around the city. Ahead, Nei shares all his photos from "Fifth Avenuers" and fills us in on what went on behind the scenes.
Get it all right here

Jewish rights group wants Peter Stuyvesant monuments removed over anti-semitism

Monument to Peter Stuyvesant in Stuyvesant Square via edenpictures via photopin

August 25, 2017

Jewish rights group wants Peter Stuyvesant monuments removed over anti-semitism

By Dana Schulz

Earlier this week, the de Blasio administration said it would give "immediate attention" to a proposal from City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito to remove Central Park's Christopher Columbus statue based on accounts that the explorer enslaved and killed many indigenous people. And it looks like Peter Stuyvesant might be next on the chopping block. The Post reports that Jewish rights group Shurat HaDin-Israel Law Center is "demanding Mayor de Blasio scrub all traces of the anti-Semitic Dutch governor from city property" as part of the city's 90-day review of symbols of hate. Not only do they want monuments of him removed, but his name erased on everything from the public Stuyvesant High School to Stuyvesant Square Park to the entire neighborhood of Bedford-Stuyvesant.
Find out the full history

August 24, 2017

Hamptons estate that was F. Scott Fitzgerald’s inspiration for ‘The Great Gatsby’ asks $17M

By Dana Schulz

F. Scott Fitzgerald's cult-classic novel "The Great Gatsby," about hard-partying Long Island millionaires in the '20s, was inspired by actual soirees the author attended at mansions along the North Shore, aka the Gold Coast. One such locale, a French Normandy-style residence on Sands Point known as the Rumsey-Harriman Estate, is said to have inspired the book's fictional East Egg, and as the Post first reported it's just hit the market for $16,880,000. Designed in 1928 by none other than McKim, Mead & White, the 5.3-acre waterfront property was owned by Junior League founder Mary Harriman Rumsey, whose father was railroad tycoon E.H. Harriman and brother New York governor W. Averell Harriman. Fitzgerald spent a good deal of time at the home with Rumsey and her family, widely believed to have inspired Gatsby.
Take a tour

De Blasio considering removal of Christopher Columbus statue near Central Park

Photo via

August 23, 2017

De Blasio considering removal of Christopher Columbus statue near Central Park

By Dana Schulz

"Christopher Columbus is a controversial figure for many of us, particularly those that come from the Caribbean," said Puerto Rican-born City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito. According to DNAinfo, Viverito is calling on the city to consider removing the Columbus Circle statue of the Italian explorer as part of their larger 90-day review of "symbols of hate." She first introduced the proposal on Monday at a rally in East Harlem to remove another controversial statue, that of Dr. James Marion Sims, who achieved his title as the father of modern gynecology by performing experiments on slaves without consent and without anesthesia. Columbus, honored for discovering the Americas, is also believed to have enslaved and killed many of the indigenous people he encountered. In response, the Mayor's office said the proposal will receive "immediate attention." But of course, not everyone is happy about it.
Both sides of the debate

Policy

If you don’t mind sharing a bathroom, live in happening Hell’s Kitchen for $714/month

View of 330-332 West 51st Street via Google Stret View

August 23, 2017

If you don’t mind sharing a bathroom, live in happening Hell’s Kitchen for $714/month

By Dana Schulz

Just about a year ago, nine $774/month SROs at Stardom Hall at 330 West 51st Street became available through the city's affordable housing lottery. While it was quite the deal--more so for its location on what is arguably Hell's Kitchen's most foodie-friendly block--the units had shared-floor bathrooms and just kitchenettes. But if those aren't deterrents for you, 13 more units at the building next door, 332, are now up for grabs, asking $714/month. They're available to single persons currently residing in Manhattan Community Board 4 and earning 60 percent of the area median income.
See the qualifications

Affordable Housing

August 22, 2017

For $3M, a sprawling 1930s Tudor on Staten Island with pool and greenhouse

By Dana Schulz

The Staten Island enclave of Emerson Hill is one of the borough's most sought after thanks to tree-lined, winding roads, its secluded hill-top location offering panoramic views of New York Harbor, and, an impressive collection of just about 100 grand, historic estates. One such residence, a Tudor manor house located at 2 Emerson Drive, is currently on the market for $2,995,000 (h/t CIRCA). At an impressive, 5,000 square feet, the home is full of period details such as spider web stained glass, moldings and paneling galore, hand-carved fireplace mantles, and beamed ceilings. Plus, outside there's a large in-ground pool and a Gothic greenhouse, all surrounded by beautiful gardens.
Take the full tour

The top 12 websites and resources for no-fee NYC rentals

Lead image © Daxiao Productions – Fotolio

August 21, 2017

The top 12 websites and resources for no-fee NYC rentals

By Dana Schulz

6sqft's ongoing series Apartment Living 101 is aimed at helping New Yorkers navigate the challenges of creating a happy home in the big city. This week, now that the city is in high renting season, we’ve researched the best resources for finding a no-fee apartment. More than half of New Yorkers spend 30 percent or more of their income on rent. Tack on a broker's fee that could be as high as 15 percent of an apartment's annual rent, and that burden becomes even worse. Thankfully, there are more and more resources popping up to find no-fee rentals. Aside from the go-to listing aggregators, there's now roommate-share options, lease break sites, artist-centric search engines, and good old fashioned networking. 6sqft has put together our 12 favorite options, along with the basics of each so you can figure out what will work best for you and how to prioritize your search.
Check out the full list here

MTA will ‘modify’ Times Square subway mosaics that resemble the Confederate flag

Image via Wiki Commons

August 18, 2017

MTA will ‘modify’ Times Square subway mosaics that resemble the Confederate flag

By Dana Schulz

The day after Mayor de Blasio and Governor Cuomo announced plans to review and remove controversial public Confederate structures and markers throughout the city, the MTA says it will do the same. Well, sort of. Over 90 years ago, station architect Squire J. Vickers installed mosaics resembling the Confederate flag at the 40th Street entrance for the 1, 2, 3 trains to honor early New York Times owner and publisher Adolph S. Ochs, who had "strong ties to the Confederacy" and was buried with a Confederate flag when he died in 1935. But yesterday, MTA spokesperson Kevin Ortiz told Gothamist, "These are not confederate flags, it is a design based on geometric forms that represent the 'Crossroads of the World' and to avoid absolutely any confusion we will modify them to make that absolutely crystal clear."
READ MORE

Cuomo releases new renderings of Moynihan Station as major construction gets underway

By Dana Schulz

At a press conference this morning in the under-construction space, Governor Cuomo announced that major work has begun on transforming the James A. Farley Building into the state-of-the-art, 225,000-square-foot Moynihan Train Hall. Along with the news that the $1.6 billion project will create 12,000+ construction jobs and 2,500 permanent jobs, come new renderings of the station, showing more exterior views and looks at the 700,000-square-foot shopping and dining concourse.
All the renderings and more details this way

Stuyvesant Town goes green: How the 70-year-old complex is reinventing itself in a modern age

Photos courtesy of Stuyvesant Town

August 16, 2017

Stuyvesant Town goes green: How the 70-year-old complex is reinventing itself in a modern age

By Dana Schulz

"Think of us as a 1947 Cadillac retrofitted with a Tesla engine," says Marynia Kruk, Stuyvesant Town and Peter Cooper Village's Community Affairs Manager. Though the 80-acre residential complex's 110 red brick, cruciform-shaped buildings were constructed 70 years ago this month, their imposing facades are hiding an intense network of systems that, since 2011, have allowed the development to reduce its on-site carbon emissions by 6.8 percent, equal to over 17 million pounds of coal saved. To put this in perspective, that's roughly the same savings as 3,000 drivers deciding to bike or take the train for an entire year or planting a forest of 400,000 trees. This massive sustainability push, along with new ownership (Blackstone Group and Canadian investment firm Ivanhoe Cambridge bought the complex for $5.3 billion in October 2015), updated amenities, and an affordable housing commitment, is driving Manhattan's largest apartment complex into the future, and 6sqft recently got the inside scoop from CEO and General Manager Rick Hayduk and Tom Feeney, Vice President of Maintenance Operations, who is spearheading the green initiative.
READ MORE

August 14, 2017

Historic brick rowhouse asks $2.5M on a cobblestone street in Red Hook

By Dana Schulz

What Red Hook lacks in accessibility it certainly makes up for in charm, and this lovely two-family rowhouse at 168 Coffey Street is definitely worth some extra travel time. Built in 1867 as one of seven similar houses on the cobblestone block, it boasts a brick facade, quaint front garden, and a large backyard. Plus, if you don't mind commuting on the open seas, the $2.5 million home is just five blocks from the NYC Ferry stop.
Get a look

The Urban Lens: Fantastical photo manipulations reimagine Central Park and its surroundings

Image © Dionisio González

August 11, 2017

The Urban Lens: Fantastical photo manipulations reimagine Central Park and its surroundings

By Dana Schulz

6sqft’s series The Urban Lens invites photographers to share work exploring a theme or a place within New York City. In this installment, Spanish artist Dionisio González presents two series of digital photos showcasing Central Park. Are you a photographer who’d like to see your work featured on The Urban Lens? Get in touch with us at [email protected]. Architect and photographer Dionisio González has made a name for himself with his surrealist photo manipulations, which typically combine existing buildings and urban spaces with digitally drawn structures and landscapes. His latest two series take on Central Park and how the city's giant "void" relates to its surrounding skyscrapers. In his "Thinking Central Park" series, González fills the space with futuristic shelters. Conversely, in the black-and-white series "Dialectical Landscape" he adds empty spaces as aerial extensions of the park for recreation and transportation.
See them all right here

Places

Cuomo gives Con Ed one year to repair the subway’s power system

Photo © Governor Andrew Cuomo/Flickr

August 10, 2017

Cuomo gives Con Ed one year to repair the subway’s power system

By Dana Schulz

Just in the past month, power problems caused 32,000 subway delays, prompting Governor Cuomo to direct "Con Edison to take significant and immediate actions to improve the subway's power reliability and prevent future service failure," according to a press release. Less than two months after declaring a "state of emergency" for the subway system, Cuomo's given Con Ed and the MTA one year to identify and repair the problems, the most comprehensive power review ever done, leaving them on the hook to inspect 470 manholes, 1,100 boxes, and 221 power substations at street level and 1,100 energy distribution rooms, 300 signal relay rooms, 15,000 track circuits, 11,000 signals, 13,750 insulated joints, 11,000 trip stops, 220 interlockings, and 1,800 switch machines below ground. The cost? It's not yet been officially calculated, but Con Ed chairman John McAvoy says it's likely to be tens of millions of dollars.
Get all the info

New renderings of East Harlem’s Sendero Verde, the country’s will-be largest passive house project

Renderings via Handel Architects

August 9, 2017

New renderings of East Harlem’s Sendero Verde, the country’s will-be largest passive house project

By Dana Schulz

Despite Mayor de Blasio's success meeting his affordable housing goals, East Harlem has fallen behind. As 6sqft recently reported, out of the 21,963 new units added in 2016, just 249 were built in East Harlem, prompting the city to expedite the construction of 2,400 affordable units there over the next few years. A large chunk of this will come from Sendero Verde, a massive, mixed-use development that will bring 655 affordable rentals to the block bound by East 111th and 112th Streets and Park and Madison Avenues. Back in February, Jonathan Rose Companies and L+M Development Partners released a rendering from Handel Architects of the 751,000-square-foot project, but now CityRealty has uncovered an entire batch of drawings from the firm that detail how it will be the country's largest passive house project and weave together the residences, a school, supermarket, and four community gardens, all surrounding a multi-layered courtyard.
More looks and details ahead

‘Delayed’ is Blue Point’s exclusive new Penn Station beer

Photo courtesy of Blue Point Brewing Company

August 9, 2017

‘Delayed’ is Blue Point’s exclusive new Penn Station beer

By Dana Schulz

What to do when sitting in Penn Station for hours waiting for yet another late train? A cold beer sounds like a good idea. And that's exactly the mindset that Blue Point Brewing Company is capitalizing on with their clever albeit gimmicky new "Delayed" pilsner. The cans resemble the station's departure board with the Long Island destinations showing as, you guessed it, "delayed." Newsday tells us that the cans will be available at Penn Station's Shake Shack starting Monday, followed by elsewhere in the home of the "summer of hell."
Find out about the beer's launch party

Construction officially underway at Delta’s new $4B LaGuardia facilities, new renderings and details

Interior rendering of Delta’s eastern half, via Governor Andrew Cuomo

August 8, 2017

Construction officially underway at Delta’s new $4B LaGuardia facilities, new renderings and details

By Dana Schulz

Governor Cuomo first unveiled his plans for a revamped LaGuardia Airport two years ago. Since then, the cost has ballooned from $4 to $8 billion, with $4 billion alone going towards Delta's rebuilt 37-gate facilities. As of today, construction has officially begun on this part of the project, with the Port Authority signing a new, long-term lease with Delta Air Lines, which "marks the beginning of construction on the final component of the entirely new, unified airport at LaGuardia, which will provide all LaGuardia travelers with state-of-the-art amenities and expanded public transportation, including the planned AirTrain," according to a press release from the Governor. And along with the terminal's physical groundbreaking, he shared new details and renderings.
Get it all here

My 900sqft: Artist Ehren Shorday adorns his Bushwick loft with ‘trash’ and treasures

6sqft’s ongoing series “My sqft” checks out the homes of New Yorkers across all the boroughs. Want to see your home featured here? Get in touch!

August 8, 2017

My 900sqft: Artist Ehren Shorday adorns his Bushwick loft with ‘trash’ and treasures

By Dana Schulz

When Ehren Shorday moved into this giant Bushwick loft a little more than six years ago, his main focus was making the industrial space feel like a home. Originally from antique-haven New Hope, he chose to go with a "southeastern Pennsylvania river town vibe," but as an artist who didn't have a ton of money, he achieved this aesthetic by furnishing the 900-square-foot space with "trash," or perhaps more eloquently put, "found treasures." Aside from the rug and his parents' two club chairs, which he brought with him when he moved to New York 13 years ago, everything in the apartment was found, from the church pew and diner banquet table to the porcelain bathtub that's been repurposed as a chaise lounge. Ahead, Ehren gives us the grand tour and fills us in on the story behind his prized possessions.
Take a video and photo tour and hear more from Ehren

August 8, 2017

NYPL’s historic Rose Main Reading Room is officially an interior landmark!

By Dana Schulz

In May, State Senators Brad Hoylman and Liz Krueger drafted a letter to the Landmarks Preservation Commission asking them to designate the Rose Main Reading Room (one of the largest uncolumned interior spaces in the world) and the Bill Blass Public Catalog Room at the iconic Stephen A. Schwarzman Building on 5th Avenue as interior landmarks. Though the LPC has been criticized in the past for their backlog of potential landmarks, they quickly put the request on their schedule and just this morning voted unanimously in favor of the designations, which protect the spaces' murals, decorative plasterwork, metal and woodwork, light fixtures, windows, doors, balconies, built-in bookcases, and decorative elements.
Get the full scoop

Policy

August 7, 2017

For less than $300K, own a huge Italianate home in what may be New Jersey’s next hot spot

By Dana Schulz

There's no denying that the gentrifying-at-lightning-speed town of Asbury Park, NJ is one of the state's hippest cities (it even got the Times treatment this weekend). One of the key players in the resurgence has been the Smith Group, who've opened some of Asbury's most popular bars and restaurants, as well as a condo project. The developer is now hoping to replicate this success in Burlington, NJ, a historic city on the Delaware River just 90 minutes outside NYC. And though the transformation is already underway (Smith bought four old homes and is turning a decommissioned firehouse into a trendy restaurant/bar), the time to buy in Burlington is now, as gorgeous 18th- and 19th-century homes can still be gotten for a bargain. Take this 1793 Italianate stunner; it's situated on a half-acre corner lot, occupies 3,300 square feet, and is asking just $278,950 (h/t CIRCA).
Tour the home here

August 4, 2017

The Urban Lens: Documenting the change in Tribeca from the early 1900s to present day

By Dana Schulz

6sqft’s ongoing series The Urban Lens invites photographers to share work exploring a theme or a place within New York City. In this installment, Ivan Kosnyrev shares before-and-after photos of Tribeca. Are you a photographer who’d like to see your work featured on The Urban Lens? Get in touch with us at [email protected]. When Ivan Kosnyrev and his partner moved to Tribeca from Russia three years ago, they knew no one. To get themselves acclimated with their new home, they decided their first "friend" should be the city itself. Ivan, a philosopher by education and IT manager by profession, immersed himself in New York City guide books and blogs, getting so well versed that he eventually began giving his friends informal walking tours of the area. And when he discovered the New York Public Library's OldNYC collection, an interactive map with photos from the 1870s through the 1970s, he decided to embark on a project that he could share with even more people. After selecting a group of archival Tribeca images, he went out and took present-day snapshots of the same locations, providing a neighborhood-specific view of just how much NYC has changed (and in some cases, hasn't!) over the past 100 years.
READ MORE

Apply for 64 affordable units in new Brownsville supportive housing building, from $670/month

Rendering of Stone House via Urban Architecture Initiatives

August 3, 2017

Apply for 64 affordable units in new Brownsville supportive housing building, from $670/month

By Dana Schulz

Construction began in 2015 for the Stone House at 91 Junius Street, a six-story, 161-unit building on the border of Brownsville and East New York. The supportive housing initiative comes via nonprofit Win, the largest provider of shelter for homeless families in New York City, who run two shelters just to the north of this site, according to CityRealty. The Stone House will reserve 96 units for homeless families and 64 for low-income households earning 50 or 60 percent of the area media income. The latter group has now become available through the city's affordable housing lottery, with apartments ranging from $670/month studios to $1,224 three-bedrooms, all of which have access to the building's offerings such as ground-floor retail, on-site laundry, a community room, outdoor playground, and on-site social services.
See the qualifications

Affordable Housing

More commuters bike to work in NYC than any other U.S. city

Image via WikiCommons

July 31, 2017

More commuters bike to work in NYC than any other U.S. city

By Dana Schulz

Earlier this year, 6sqft shared data from the Department of Transportation that found daily Citi Bike ridership had grown 80 percent from 2010 to 2015, and now, according to new information published in the Times, those figures have ballooned even more. Last Wednesday was "the highest single-day ridership of any system in the Western world outside of Paris," reports the bike share program, with a staggering 70,286 trips. These figures are part of an overall bike-centric trend in the city that "has outpaced population and employment growth" with New Yorkers taking an average of 450,000 daily bike trips, exponentially higher than the 2005 average of 170,000. And about one-fifth of these trips is by commuters, making New York home to more bike commuters than any other city in the country.
More details ahead

July 28, 2017

The Urban Lens: Niv Rozenberg’s graphic images highlight Bushwick’s diverse housing

By Dana Schulz

6sqft’s ongoing series The Urban Lens invites photographers to share work exploring a theme or a place within New York City. In this installment, photographer Niv Rozenberg shares his series "Boswijck," an artistic depiction of Bushwick's houses. Are you a photographer who’d like to see your work featured on The Urban Lens? Get in touch with us at [email protected]. Originally from Israel, Niv Rozenberg has been living in Bushwick for the past couple years. During this time, he became fascinated by the neighborhood's colorful homes. Taking a literal and figurative approach to "colorful," he set out to showcase Bushwick's architectural and cultural diversity. While doing some research for the project, he learned that the original 17th-century Dutch name for the area was Boswijck, meaning "little town in the woods." Choosing this as his series title, he then juxtaposed the historic moniker by visually isolating each building and employing Pantone colors to turn them and their backgrounds into graphic images.
Hear from Niv and see all his images

Places

All articles by Dana Schulz

Pitch a Story

Interested in seeing the property in person?

Interested in seeing the property in person?

Distinctive Post Form

Get in Touch

Send us a Tip

Interesting in learning more about purchasing a new home?

Thinking about selling your home?

Sell a Home (Footer)

Before You Move On from this Page.

Your Passport to NYC:Subscribe for Local Insights and Stories!

Before You Move On
from this Page.

Your Passport to NYC:
Subscribe for Local Insights and Stories!