All articles by Dana Schulz

Take a virtual tour of the Waldorf Astoria’s freshly landmarked interiors
March 9, 2017

Take a virtual tour of the Waldorf Astoria’s freshly landmarked interiors

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On Tuesday, the Landmarks Preservation Commission voted unanimously to designate most of the famed Waldorf Astoria's first three floors an official interior landmark. The decision came just a week after the iconic hotel closed for what's expected to be a three-year renovation and condo conversion. But for those who missed their chance to get inside before the doors shut, Google Maps has released a virtual 3D tour of the Art Deco interiors, including the Park Avenue lobby with its bronze-and-mahogany clock tower, Peacock Alley restaurant, the grand ballroom and balconies, and Louis Rigal's "Wheel of Life" mosaic made from 140,000 marble tiles (h/t Crain's). You can even go inside the Guerlain Spa and some hotel rooms.
Take the walk through here
New rendering for the Sheepshead Bay condo that’s the tallest residential building in South Brooklyn
March 8, 2017

New rendering for the Sheepshead Bay condo that’s the tallest residential building in South Brooklyn

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As 6sqft noted just over a year ago when the project was first revealed, a 331-foot tower isn't even news in Manhattan or much of western Brooklyn and Queens, but "in the once-sleepy waterfront community of Sheepshead Bay" it's quite the headline maker. The 30-story building from Perkins Eastman Architects will, in fact, be the tallest residential building in South Brooklyn. Just last week, developer AvalonBay Communities launched a new website with info on the project's rental component Avalon Brooklyn Bay, and now, Muss Development, who's behind the condo portion known as 1 Brooklyn Bay Condominiums, has revealed details on these 56 luxury, high-rise units, as well as a brand new rendering of the glassy behemoth and how it's set to dwarf its surroundings.
Find out more
Airbnb may get into the long-term rental business; Tour Park Slope with Patrick Stewart
March 8, 2017

Airbnb may get into the long-term rental business; Tour Park Slope with Patrick Stewart

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Airbnb is conducting a competitive analysis of Craigslist to assess getting into the sublet and temporary rental market. [Bloomberg] The neighbor of the late Joan Rivers, who had a five-year legal battle with the building and Rivers, is now trying her “shabby” apartment as a rental. [Douglas Elliman] A look inside Jacques Torres‘ new chocolate museum. [NBC] Here are […]

My 2,400sqft: Preservationist and arts champion Samuel Brooks shows off his Mott Haven rowhouse

Our ongoing series “My sqft” checks out the homes of 6sqft’s friends and fellow New Yorkers across all the boroughs. Our latest interior adventure brings us to the Mott Haven rowhouse of Samuel Brooks. Want to see your home featured here? Get in touch!

March 8, 2017

My 2,400sqft: Preservationist and arts champion Samuel Brooks shows off his Mott Haven rowhouse

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Samuel Brooks has been living in the Mott Haven section of the South Bronx for the better part of 43 years, never budging in his passion for this vibrant area that's recently been dubbed the next "it" neighborhood. After buying a historic rowhouse within the Mott Haven Historic District 12 years ago (and then spending about nine of those scraping paint off the beautiful moldings!), Samuel is now a major player in Mott Haven's local community efforts--he's the President of the Mott Haven Historic Districts Association, runs an art gallery in his basement to exhibit local artists, and spearheaded the effort to transform his home this summer into the first ever Mott Haven Decorator Show House as a way to promote Bronx-based and up-and-coming designers. 6sqft recently paid Samuel a visit and toured his historic-meets-artsy home and learned all about his work putting Mott Haven on the map for reasons other than real estate development and food halls.
Tour the home and learn more about Samuel's preservation and community efforts
Herzog & de Meuron will turn Gowanus’ graffiti-covered ‘Batcave’ into an art production factory

Rendering of Powerhouse Workshop via Herzog & de Meuron

March 7, 2017

Herzog & de Meuron will turn Gowanus’ graffiti-covered ‘Batcave’ into an art production factory

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Despite its Superfund status, the Gowanus Canal has ushered in a Whole Foods, an artisanal ice cream factory, and more than one high-end residential development, but one vestige of its gritty, industrial days has remained--the so-called Batcave. Build in 1904 as the Brooklyn Rapid Transit Company's Central Power Station, the warehouse was taken out of service in the '50s, becoming in the 2000s a home for squatters, venue for impromptu dance parties, and unofficial street art display. But it looks like the former warehouse will now join the ranks of its Brooklyn-esque neighbors, as the Times reports that Pritzker Prize-winning Swiss architecture firm Herzog & de Meuron will transform the space into an art production factory and exhibition space to be called the Powerhouse Workshop, though it will preserve the iconic graffiti
Get the whole scoop
Lottery opens for historic brownstone-replacing apartments in Harlem, from $659/month
March 7, 2017

Lottery opens for historic brownstone-replacing apartments in Harlem, from $659/month

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The block of East 126th Street between Madison and Park Avenues was once a rare, uninterrupted row of century-and-a-half-old brownstones. But many of them sat vacant in recent years, their windows boarded up and adorned with graffiti. One of these was number 58 in the middle of the block. In 2012, its roof was caving in and its floors collapsing. The city deemed it structurally unsound, as the Times reported at the time, and slated it for demolition. Despite arguments from local preservationists that this would destroy the historic block's uniformity, the site was replaced with a new modern, mixed-use rental building that extends through to 125th Street. The building, which goes by 69 East 125th Street, topped off this past summer and now its 15 affordable apartments--20 percent of the total 75 rentals--are available through the city's lottery process. They're available to those earning 60 percent of the area median income and range from $659/month studios to $797/month two-bedrooms.
Find out more
NYCHA’s federal funding cut by $35M
March 7, 2017

NYCHA’s federal funding cut by $35M

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Just a day after Ben Carson's confirmation as Secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) last week, the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) penned a letter not only inviting him to tour the city's public housing stock (the largest in the country) but urging him not to support budget cuts that would ultimately affect its 400,000 residents. Roughly $2 billion of NYCHA's total $3.2 billion operating budget comes from HUD funding, which is immediately needed for the thousands of apartments in dire need of repairs. But their worst fears have come true, as the Wall Street Journal confirms that Trump's first budget cuts geared towards the city reduce NYCHA's support by $35 million, the agency's largest decrease in federal aid in five years, and this figure could very well grow to an unprecedented $150 million.
READ MORE
Apply for 50 affordable units along Bronx Park, from $734/month
March 7, 2017

Apply for 50 affordable units along Bronx Park, from $734/month

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The Bedford is a $22 million, 10-story, 60-unit affordable housing building in the Norwood section of the Bronx. Located at 3160 Webster Avenue, right alongside Bronx Park and just a quick walk to both the New York Botanical Garden/Bronx Zoo and Woodlawn Cemetery/Van Cortlandt Park, the project offers a small number of units for formerly homeless New Yorkers and 50 apartments reserved for those earning 50, 60, and 80 percent of the area median income. Applications are now being accepted through the city's affordable housing lottery for this larger group, which range from $734/studios to $1,745/month three-bedrooms.
See if you qualify
Williamsburg wannabe Ridgewood gets a creative hub; Ikea’s new furniture is tool-free
March 6, 2017

Williamsburg wannabe Ridgewood gets a creative hub; Ikea’s new furniture is tool-free

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Ridgewoood’s the Box Factory, a new hub for retail, dining, and creative office space, hopes to lure tenants from Manhattan and Williamsburg. [Curbed] In 2016, one-bedroom rents in NYC rose the most in the South Bronx. [NYT] Attend a panel discussion on Tribeca’s windowless AT&T building, thought to be an NSA surveillance site. [Swiss Institute] Ikea’s new […]

Airbnb listing at Trump Tower raises questions about security
March 6, 2017

Airbnb listing at Trump Tower raises questions about security

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Not even a $500,000 a day security bill or threat of frequent evacuations could stop Airbnb from infiltrating Trump Tower. The Times found a listing on the rental site for an apartment in the Midtown fortress that had been available since at least September until they last week contacted Airbnb, at which time it was taken down. The $300-$450 a night rental didn't explicitly state the address but was described as "the most secure and unique building" and asked that potential renters be "politically neutral" and not engage in political displays within the building. Despite these strange stipulations and the added nuisance of protestors and having to go through a Secret Service screening, the apartment is booked for most of the next few months, reviews are surprisingly positive, and it has a five-star rating.
But how did this all get past the secret service?
Luxe Noho developments embattled in a $10M lawsuit over a 20-foot alley
March 6, 2017

Luxe Noho developments embattled in a $10M lawsuit over a 20-foot alley

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When the swanky new condo 1 Great Jones Alley began construction in 2015, part of the plan was to repave the 20-foot-wide, 137-foot-long Noho passageway with Belgian blocks and install a fancy new steel and mesh gate, turning this tiny street into a private walkway and driveway for residents. However, since the alley is not an official city street and is under the jurisdiction of the Department of Transportation, a 19th-century easement agreement said the other building that backs up to the alley, boutique co-op 684 Broadway, must also have access to it and retains part ownership. But the owners of the co-op are not happy with Madison Capital Realty's attempt to market the alley as a private amenity for 1 Great Jones Alley, and therefore have filed a $10 million lawsuit, according to the Post.
Get the full story
Waitlist opens for middle-income apartments at downtown’s historic Front Street
March 6, 2017

Waitlist opens for middle-income apartments at downtown’s historic Front Street

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In 2005, the Durst Organization and COOKFOX Architects completed a restoration of 11 landmarked rowhouses along the historic, cobblestoned Front Street in the South Street Seaport, preserving the nearly 200-year-old structures. In addition, they constructed three new buildings on the block between Beekman Street and Peck Slip to offer a total of 13 street-level retail spaces and 95 residential units above. The New York State Housing Finance Agency provided more than $46 million in funding for the project, and as such stipulated that five percent of the apartments be reserved as below-market rate. Back in 2012, a waitlist opened for these units, and as of today, the next waitlist is accepting applications. The middle-income homes are available to those earning no more than 150 percent of the area median income and range from $2,268/month studios to $2,913/month two-bedrooms.
Find out if you qualify
March 3, 2017

Mapping the drinking habits of New Yorkers; the South Bronx’s affordable housing boom

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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released maps that detail the health trends of New Yorkers, from diabetes and obesity to binge drinking to health insurance and checkups. [Gothamist] Looking at the slew of sophisticated, well-designed affordable housing developments coming to the South Bronx. [NYT] The Historic Districts Council has a fun new app […]

$10.6M Pierhouse is Brooklyn’s most expensive condo sold to date
March 3, 2017

$10.6M Pierhouse is Brooklyn’s most expensive condo sold to date

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It may pale in comparison to Manhattan's $100 million record-setter at One57, but a unit at Brooklyn Bridge Park's Pierhouse just closed for $10,669,579, setting the record for most expensive condo ever sold in the borough. Curbed first spotted the sale, which took the top spot from the $8.8 million penthouse sale in Dumbo's 1 Jay Street in September 2015.
Find out who the buyers are
With Ben Carson’s confirmation as HUD Secretary, NYCHA plans next steps
March 3, 2017

With Ben Carson’s confirmation as HUD Secretary, NYCHA plans next steps

By
Retired neurosurgeon and failed Republican presidential nominee Dr. Ben Carson is officially the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), which will put him in charge of 8,000 federal employees and an agency with a $47 billion budget, tasked with overseeing most of the nation's affordable and public housing, enforcing fair housing laws, and providing low-income persons with mortgage insurance. The senate voted yesterday 58-41 to confirm his appointment; the relative lack of Democratic pushback was surprising considering Carson not only has no political experience, but no apparent knowledge of housing, development, or urban issues. Likely with this in mind, the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) has already extended an invitation for Carson to come tour the city's housing developments.
What's next for HUD?
Gracie Mansion’s new exhibit tells the story of NYC during World War II
March 2, 2017

Gracie Mansion’s new exhibit tells the story of NYC during World War II

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In honor of the residence's 75th anniversary, the Gracie Mansion Conservancy has announced a new art installation titled "New York 1942," a collection of World War II-era objects that tell the story of New York City during this time, as well as of the period when Gracie Mansion became the official mayoral residence under Fiorello La Guardia. The exhibit will display more than 50 artifacts, documents, and pieces of art, including a signed World Series Yankees baseball, the Jacob Lawrence painting "The Migrants Arrived in Great Numbers," a photo from Weegee, ration tokens, and a first-edition print of "The Little Prince."
READ MORE
Live in a hip DUMBO warehouse conversion for $895/month, lottery opening at 181 Front Street
March 2, 2017

Live in a hip DUMBO warehouse conversion for $895/month, lottery opening at 181 Front Street

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Back in 2012, Megalith Capital Management and Urban Realty Partners bought two neighboring DUMBO sites from the Jehovah’s Witnesses for more than $30 million. They then tapped Aufgang Architects to design both warehouse conversions: a landmarked former Brillo factory at 200 Water Street was transformed into 15 boutique condos; 181 Front Street into a 105-unit rental. Twenty percent of apartments in the latter development are reserved as affordable, and as of tomorrow, New Yorkers earning 60 percent of the area median income can apply for these 21 units, which range from $895/month one-bedrooms to $1,247/month three-bedrooms.
Get all the info here
Lottery opens for first affordable units at Essex Crossing, from $519/month
March 2, 2017

Lottery opens for first affordable units at Essex Crossing, from $519/month

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It's been almost exactly a year since Beyer Blinder Belle released renderings of Essex Crossing's site 5, a $110 million, 15-story mixed-use building that will give way to 73,000 square feet of retail space, where Trader Joes and Planet Fitness will move in, and a 15,000-square-foot adjacent park. Located just a block southwest of the Manhattan entrance of the Williamsburg Bridge at 145 Clinton Street, it will have 211 rental units, half of which will be reserved for low- and middle-income individuals. These 104 affordable apartments are now available through the city's online housing lottery, the first of the mega-development's 561 affordable residences to come online. They're set aside for those earning 40, 60, 120, and 165 percent of the area media income and range from $519/month studios to $3,424/month three-bedrooms.
Find out if you qualify
In black neighborhoods, 74 percent of Airbnb hosts are white
March 1, 2017

In black neighborhoods, 74 percent of Airbnb hosts are white

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Watchdog group Inside Airbnb released a new report, which shows that across 72 predominantly African-American neighborhoods in New York City, 74 percent of Airbnb hosts are white--a startling figure considering only 14 percent of the total population in these areas is white. As outlined in the Daily News, these white hosts earned $160 million from Airbnb rentals, compared to just $48 million for black hosts.
Which neighborhoods are most affected
Lavish $65M penthouse unveiled at Robert A.M. Stern’s 70 Vestry
March 1, 2017

Lavish $65M penthouse unveiled at Robert A.M. Stern’s 70 Vestry

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After selling the $50 million penthouse at the beginning of the year and celebrating the building's topping out last month, the Related Companies has unveiled the $65 million penthouse atop their Tribeca condo 70 Vestry, the largest apartment listed in New York this year. The massive, incredibly luxurious home is the crowning jewel of the Robert A.M. Stern-designed project, boasting close to 8,000 square feet of interior space designed by Daniel Romualdez and 3,687 square feet of private outdoor space across three levels and including a rooftop terrace. Benjamin Joseph, Executive Vice President at Related Companies, said in a press release, "A penthouse of this caliber has never before been offered in Tribeca, and may never be again."
See what all the fuss is about
Jacques Torres opening a chocolate museum; Danny Meyer’s FiDi restaurant will have city’s highest ballroom
March 1, 2017

Jacques Torres opening a chocolate museum; Danny Meyer’s FiDi restaurant will have city’s highest ballroom

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Jacques Torres will soon open “Choco-Story New York, The Chocolate Museum and Experience with Jacques Torres” at his Hudson Square location. [Eater] The city is seeking proposals for the first publicly-funded virtual reality and augmented reality lab. [DNAinfo] Danny Meyer’s Union Square Hospitality Group is opening a $30 million restaurant at 28 Liberty Street; its 60th-floor […]

How Aaron Burr gave the city a faulty system of wooden water mains

In 2006, construction crews discovered a 13-foot section of the wooden water mains under Beekman Street near the South Street Seaport, photo courtesy of Chrysalis Archaeology

March 1, 2017

How Aaron Burr gave the city a faulty system of wooden water mains

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At the turn of the 18th Century, New York City had a population of 60,515, most of whom lived and worked below Canal Street. Until this time, residents got their water from streams, ponds, and wells, but with more and more people moving in, this system became extremely polluted and inefficient. In fact, in the summer of 1798, 2,000 people died from a yellow fever epidemic, which doctors believed came from filthy swamp water and led the city to decide it needed a piping system to bring in fresh water. Looking to make a personal profit, Aaron Burr stepped in and established a private company to create the city's first waterworks system, constructing a cheap and ill-conceived network of wooden water mains. Though these logs were eventually replaced by the cast iron pipes we use today, they still live on both under and above ground in the city.
The whole history here
Report says having a roommate can save a New York millennial $728/month
March 1, 2017

Report says having a roommate can save a New York millennial $728/month

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We tend to think of New York as a hub for millennials living paycheck to paycheck, hindered by a higher-than-average cost of living coupled with their average yearly salary of $64,000. But young professionals are struggling throughout the nation. A new report detailed in the Washington Post looked at 25 major cities across the U.S. and found that in nearly half of these locales, "a millennial living alone in a one-bedroom apartment would need to spend more than 30 percent of his or her income on rent — surpassing the threshold for what financial experts say is affordable." The solution, though, could be to get a roommate. Take New York, where millennials spend about 34 percent of their income on rent. By shacking up with a buddy, they can save $728 a month, or 14 percent of their income.
READ MORE
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