All articles by Dana Schulz

March 22, 2017

National Academy’s trio of palatial UES buildings drops price to $79M, gets new pics

Nearly a year ago, the National Academy Museum & School listed their three stunning Carnegie Hill properties for $120 million--two interconnected townhouses at 1083 Fifth Avenue and 3 East 89th Street and a 65-foot-wide school building on East 89th Street. Though the original listing touted the possibility to create an epic, single-family mega-mansion, there have been no takers, and the buildings are now asking a reduced $78.5 million (h/t WSJ). Along with the price chop comes fresh interior images of the townhouses and their palatial layouts, intricate moldings, dripping chandeliers, and regal spiral staircase.
See more of these gorgeous properties
March 22, 2017

French bulldog keeps title of NYC’s favorite breed; first Citywide Ferry boat enroute to New York

Why Robert Moses just won’t go away. [NYT] For the third year in a row, NYC’s most popular dog breed is the French bulldog, followed by Labrador retrievers and standard bulldogs. [amNY] The Guardian scrapped plans to move its U.S. headquarters into a Kushner-owned Dumbo building after its reporters revolted. [Buzzfeed] This week’s New Yorker cover, “Shelf […]

March 22, 2017

Rent in the Greenwich Village building where Alexander Hamilton purportedly spent his final day

Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr may have dueled in Weehawken, New Jersey, but they also both left their mark on Greenwich Village. At the end of the 18th century, Burr began buying up land around Bedford and Downing Streets for his Richmond Hill country estate (a Federal rowhouse here recently hit the market for $5.75 million). Hamilton's connection is much less glamorous: On July 12, 1804, the day after the duel, he died in the home of his friend William Bayard. According to a plaque on the building, this took place at 82 Jane Street, where a listing for a $3,495/month one-bedroom also backs up the claim. But historians say Bayard actually lived a block north on Horatio Street.
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March 21, 2017

South Street Seaport’s Pier 17 to open in summer 2018; Jane Jacobs/Robert Moses star in new documentary

Pier 17, the centerpiece of the Howard Hughes Corporation’s $1.5 billion South Street Seaport redevelopment, is on track to open in summer 2018. [NYP] “Citizen Jane: Battle for the City” is a new documentary about the historic feud between Jane Jacobs and Robert Moses, produced by Robert Hammond, co-founder of the High Line. [Archinect] This month, […]

March 21, 2017

My 150sqft: Architect-turned-actor Anthony Triolo shows us his custom-designed tiny apartment

When Anthony Triolo moved into a 150-square-foot studio on the Upper West Side in 2010, he thought it would be a temporary money-saving move. Seven years later, he's changed careers from the architecture field to acting (you've seen him in "How I Met Your Mother" and "How to be Single" and he's currently filming the upcoming show "Bull") and transformed his tiny home into a custom-designed, multi-functional retreat. Anthony describes his style as "casual elegance" and believes smart shopping and mixing affordable finds with some more high-end buys is the key to creating a comfortable home no matter what the size.
Take the tiny tour and get some tips from Anthony
March 20, 2017

This charity delivers breakfast sandwiches to the homeless; design NYC’s next ‘I Voted’ sticker

Governor Cuomo unveiled a $1.8 billion plan to redesign the South Bronx’s Sheridan Expressway with pedestrian walkways providing access to Starlight Park and the Bronx River. [WSJ] Countdown clocks at the new Second Avenue Subway stations provide estimates, not real-time data. [NBC NY] Charity Hearty Start teams up with local bodegas to deliver breakfast sandwiches […]

March 20, 2017

‘Paris-on-the-Gowanus’ rental launches affordable housing lottery, units from $833/month

When the Lightstone Group revealed their two-building, 700-unit, $350 million rental project at 363-365 Bond Street, right on the banks of the notoriously toxic Gowanus Canal, president Mitchell Hochberg said it was inspired by a residential project in the Canal Saint-Martin neighborhood in Paris that helped create a “newly hip atmosphere” near a similarly polluted waterway. Despite the area's Superfund status, the promise of living in a trendy, up-and-coming area surely appealed to many; when the lottery opened for the 86 affordable units at #365, nearly 60,000 people applied. Now, the lottery is opening for the 54 below-market rate apartments at the under-construction #363, ranging from $833/month studios to $1,082/two-bedrooms, available to those earning 60 percent of the area median income.
Find out if you qualify
March 17, 2017

MetroCard fare hike starts Sunday; Museum of the Dog relocating to NYC

Live blogging St. Patrick’s Day at McSorley’s. [Eater] Don’t forget, starting Sunday the MTA fare hike takes effect–raising monthly and weekly MetroCard prices from $116.50 and $31 to $121 and $32. [Gothamist] New Yorkers chose “Americanah” by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie as the winner of the “One Book, One New York” program. [Business Insider] The American […]

March 16, 2017

Kushner-Anbang deal gets murky; all the Irish pubs in Manhattan

$400M deal between Kushner Companies and Anbang for 666 Fifth Avenue raises eyebrows, insiders say the numbers don’t add up. [TRD] Pritzker Prize–winning architect Richard Meier launches a 12-piece lighting collection. [Architizer] Is Sixth Avenue the new Fifth Avenue? [NYP] Mapping the roughly 120 Irish pub in Manhattan. [Vine Pair] The Times Square police substation […]

March 16, 2017

Huge Whole Foods coming to Brookfield’s Manhattan West

Along with its glassy towers on the rise and big-name corporations leasing office space, the Hudson Yards district is now displaying another show of how the mega-development is pushing the once-desolate Midtown West area forward--the announcement of a 60,000-square-foot Whole Foods. The green grocer will move into Brookfield Property's eight-acre Manhattan West complex, located at 5 Manhattan West on the corner of 10th Avenue and West 31st Street, directly across from Related's Hudson Yards. Echoing the sentiment of the "Whole Foods effect"--the pattern of real estate values increasing when high-end grocery stores open nearby, both due to convenience and prestige--a press release from the developer says the news "is a significant first step in creating a first-of-its-kind global retail hub at Manhattan West."
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March 15, 2017

After 10 years on the market, Donald Trump’s trust looks to make $35M on lavish penthouse

The penthouse at Trump Park Avenue has been on and off the market for an entire decade, first listing for $45 million in 2007, and now returning for $35 million. As LL NYC reports, the President transferred ownership of the 6,278-square-foot apartment in January to the Donald J. Trump Revocable Trust, of which he's the exclusive beneficiary. The massive duplex is as ornate as you'd expect from Trump, complete with 22 arched windows, custom tray ceilings with intricate moldings and dripping crystal chandeliers, bathrooms bathed in marble, and two large terraces with panoramic views.
Take the tour and get the full scoop
March 15, 2017

St. Patrick’s Cathedral’s new geothermal plant is up and running

Nearly two years ago, St. Patrick's Cathedral removed the scaffolding that had been shrouding its neo-Gothic facade to reveal a restored landmark. The work was part of a larger four-year $177 million restoration and conservation that's also included an interior overhaul, renovation of the garden, and a new heating and cooling system. This last component is also now complete, as The Architect's Newspaper reports that the Cathedral has activated their new, state-of-the-art geothermal plant, just in time to warm things up for St. Patrick's Day. The system will cut the building’s energy consumption by more than 30 percent and reduce CO2 emissions by roughly 94,000 kilograms.
How did they accomplish this?
March 14, 2017

Norman Foster shares his personal life on Instagram; Where are Einstein’s eyeballs hiding?

 The 100 most influential people in Brooklyn culture 2017. [BK Mag] 81-year-old starchitect Norman Foster created an Instagram account to debunk imposters. [dezeen] Related founder Stephen Ross gives a behind-the-scenes look at Hudson Yards. [Fox5 NY] Why are Albert Einstein’s eyeballs in a safety deposit box in the city? [Untapped] Checking in on Robert A.M. Stern’s […]

March 14, 2017

Eight chances to live in East Williamsburg from $1,020/month

Starting tomorrow, New Yorkers earning between 50 and 60 percent of the area media income can apply for eight units in the heart of East Williamsburg. The apartments--six one-bedrooms for $1,020/month and two two-bedrooms for $1,224/month--are located at 845 Grand Street, a new contemporary rental building with high-end interiors and a bevy of trendy amenities, including a 4,000-square-foot roof deck with hammocks and a turf lawn, communal backyard, gym with yoga room, bike room, laundry room, and indoor lounge with pool tables.
See the interiors
March 13, 2017

Sale of 666 Fifth Avenue to Anbang, would net $400M for Kushner Companies

Anbang Insurance Group, the Chinese company who bought the Waldorf Astoria in late 2014 for nearly $2 billion, is now making headlines for another high-profile real estate transaction, this time against a controversial political backdrop. Bloomberg reports that Anbang is considering a stake in Vornado and Kushner Companies' office tower 666 Fifth Avenue, a deal that Jared Kushner reportedly set into motion before resigning as CEO of his family's company to serve as a presidential advisor to his father-in-law. If the deal goes through, not only will the Kushners profit some $400 million, but they'll receive an equity stake in the new partnership, which will refinance $1.5 billion in existing mortgage debt. The deal values the tower at $2.85 billion, and if Anbang's receives its proposed $4 billion construction loan to turn the top floors into condos, it will be the largest such loan for a single property in NYC history.
Find out more
March 13, 2017

First Trump Tower condo sells since Inauguration; Harlem may get a floating military-themed restaurant

Trump Tower sold its first condo since the President’s Inauguration, interestingly the buyer of the $2.2 million home is a Ukrainian shipping magnate heavily involved with Russian military equipment. [Mansion Global] A former Navy freight ship may become a military-themed restaurant floating in the Hudson in Harlem. [West Side Rag] Industry City-based designer Danielle Trofe talks […]

March 13, 2017

Related adding 15 art galleries around Zaha Hadid’s 520 West 28th Street

Related Companies is looking to expand on Chelsea's cultural character as a world-famous art district, as well as expand this "gallery corridor" north towards Hudson Yards, as part of an initiative called The New West Chelsea. According to a press release from the developer, they're adding 15 new gallery spaces around their luxury condo at 520 West 28th Street, the late Zaha Hadid's undulating High Line stunner. A new space called High Line Nine, which will be located next to the condo and under the elevated park, will be modeled on a European galleria, complete with nine "boutique exhibition spaces," a cafe/wine bar with outdoor seating, catering kitchen, and amenity packages. They'll also add four galleries within the base of the condo, as well as two stand-alone spaces on the block.
More renderings and details ahead
March 10, 2017

Renderings revealed for former Citicorp Center’s proposed new ‘Market Building’

The Midtown East skyscraper formerly known as the Citicorp Center, now called simply 601 Lexington Avenue, was made an official city landmark this past December, thanks to distinctive features including its 45-degree angular roof and base of four columns that resemble stilts. When designed by Hugh A. Stubbins & Associates in 1978, the site also included a privately owned public space with a connection to the Lexington Avenue-53rd Street subway station, which co-owner Boston Properties is now looking to update. They've tapped the designers at Gensler to envision a 200,000-square-foot "Market Building," which will consist of a new outdoor plaza and terraces, as well as an interior atrium space that will host trendy dining and retail options.
More renderings and details
March 10, 2017

Petition wants to keep the ‘Fearless Girl’ statue; Why does Trump want to buried in the middle of NJ?

Donald Trump proposed a mysterious pair of graveyards at the site of his tony golf course in Bedminster, NJ, one of which is for himself and his family. [Washington Post] Staten Island’s 139-year-old Holtermann’s Bakery offers staples from bygone eras like Pullman loaves, santarts, and their signature meltaway cake. [NYT] You can sign a petition urging Mayor […]

March 10, 2017

First look at the undulating outdoor decks and pools at CetraRuddy’s Midtown West rental tower

Algin Management's 700-foot-tall Midtown West rental tower recently reached 35 stories of its total 62-story height and now its lower floors are receiving their "sexy facade of curved glass and aluminum panels," according to CityRealty. Located at 242 West 53rd Street (the former site of Roseland Ballroom), the building was designed by CetraRuddy, who said their curvaceous silhouette was imagined as "a contextual sculpture surrounded by space, creating apartments that captured the views on all sides." These curving forms are mimicked on the multi-level deck from Terrain Work, who have just shared renderings of these undulating outdoor spaces, including the open-air swimming pool, rock garden that doubles as a rainwater collection source, and multiple gardens and patio areas.
More details and all the renderings
March 9, 2017

More renderings, details released for massive South Bronx waterfront development

Just two days ago, 6sqft brought you a brand new rendering of the second parcel at Somerset Partners and Chetrit Group's massive South Bronx waterfront development, and now, YIMBY has uncovered even more views of the full seven-tower, 1,300-unit residential project, along with some more specific details. The renderings come courtesy of Hill West Architects and also show the publicly accessible 25,500-square-foot public waterfront esplanade.
More details and another rendering
March 9, 2017

The hidden ferry history of NYC; Bjarke Ingels launches in-house engineering department

Ten fun ferry-related historical facts about the New York City waterfront. [Untapped] Tomorrow is the last day to apply for Stuyvesant Town’s affordable housing lottery. [6sqft inbox] Mets right fielder Jay Bruce is renting a luxury pad in Midtown’s Aalto 57. [NYP] Bjarke Ingels‘ firm BIG launched an in-house engineering department, catering to their technically ambitious projects. [Dezeen] […]

March 9, 2017

As the Mayor weighs options for loss of public housing funding, Trump considers $6B in HUD cuts

Just two days after newly appointed Secretary of HUD (the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development) Ben Carson went along with plans to cut federal funding to NYCHA by at least $35 million, the Trump administration is reportedly considering decreasing HUD's total budget by a staggering $6 billion, or 14 percent, according to a leaked budget draft obtained by the Washington Post. Though it's not clear how the cuts will affect NYC specifically, previous estimates said cuts to NYCHA's federal aid could easily balloon to $150 million this year, and Mayor de Blasio was already weighing his options for how to deal with the blow. The Wall Street Journal reports that he said yesterday he plans to put aside city money to help fill the gap, but if the city is "cut on many, many fronts simultaneously," there won't be enough to cover the loss in federal funding.
What happens next?