All articles by Dana Schulz

City will increase the number of hotel rooms housing homeless New Yorkers by more than 500
December 8, 2016

City will increase the number of hotel rooms housing homeless New Yorkers by more than 500

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As he readies himself for reelection this coming year, Mayor de Blasio is looking to address the city's surging homeless population. Just this week, the city reported a record 60,686 New Yorkers in shelters, nearly 40 percent of whom are children. This number was closer to 51,470 when de Blasio took office in 2014, and despite the $1.6 billion he's spent on homeless services since this time (a 60 percent increase), the shelter system still can't support the growing population. Therefore, as the Times explains, he's looking to ramp up a controversial initiative that uses hotel rooms to fill in the gaps, earmarking more than 500 additional rooms for this portfolio.
Find out more on this issue
Colonial Bronxville mansion built by General George Custer’s widow hits the market for $5M
December 8, 2016

Colonial Bronxville mansion built by General George Custer’s widow hits the market for $5M

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After General George Custer perished in Little Big Horn in 1876 (Custer's Last Stand), his widow Elizabeth Bacon Custer moved to New York amid her quest to salvage her late husband's legacy through her three books, "Tenting on the Plains," "Boots and Saddles," and "Following the Guidon." In 1902, after attainting recognition and financial success through her writing, Elizabeth commissioned a massive Colonial-style home in Bronxville. Located in the high-end Lawrence Park neighborhood, the landmarked mansion boasts six period fireplaces, seven bedrooms, turreted rooms, "whimsical nooks and crannies," a large wine cellar, and landscaped gardens surrounding stone terraces and pathways.
Tour the historic home
Condos at 432 Park selling at an average discount of 10 percent
December 7, 2016

Condos at 432 Park selling at an average discount of 10 percent

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432 Park Avenue may be the tallest residential building in the western hemisphere and home to the most expensive apartment closing this year, but throughout 2016, the tower's ultra-luxury condos were selling at an average discount of 10 percent, according to an analysis by appraiser Miller Samuel Inc. for Bloomberg. And a recent transaction saw an even greater price cut; Lewis Sanders, founder and CEO of Sanders Capital and former CEO of AllianceBernstein, bought an 88th floor penthouse for $60.9 million, 20 percent less than its $76.5 asking price.
What's the deal?
Congress will only cover $7M of NYC’s $35M Trump security bill
December 7, 2016

Congress will only cover $7M of NYC’s $35M Trump security bill

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Just two days after Mayor de Blasio formally requested $35 million in federal funding to cover security at Trump Tower for the 73 days from the November 8th election to inauguration day on January 20th, republicans in Congress decided to earmark a mere $7 million towards protecting the President Elect while he's in the Big Apple. Of the pending decision, the Mayor said, "NYC taxpayers shouldn’t be on the hook for 80 percent of the national bill to protect Trump Tower. DC must step up to pay us back what we’re owed," reports the Post.
The full scoop
21-inch replica of the Astor Place Cube selling for $30,000 on ebay
December 6, 2016

21-inch replica of the Astor Place Cube selling for $30,000 on ebay

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The Astor Place Cube returned to its longtime East Village home just a month ago, after a nearly two-year absence while the intersection was under construction and it underwent a restoration. Sculptor Tony Rosenthal erected the 15-foot public art piece known officially as "Alamo" in 1967, and over the years he created around 10 mini replicas of it. One of them, measuring 21 inches and weighing 30 pounds, is up for sale on eBay for a staggering $30,000, which, as Bedford & Bowery points out, is not that much more than the $180,000 it cost to restore the actual cube.
Get more details
Iconic JFK Terminal begins its life as the ‘TWA Hotel’ with new signage
December 6, 2016

Iconic JFK Terminal begins its life as the ‘TWA Hotel’ with new signage

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After sitting vacant at JFK Airport for 14 years as a vestige of jet-age architecture, Eero Saarinen's iconic 1962 TWA Flight Terminal received a new life in the summer of 2015 when it was announced that the neo-futurist structure would be reborn as a high-end hotel. MCR Development teamed up with JetBlue and the Port Authority to develop a "505-room LEED-certified hotel with restaurants, 40,000 square feet of meeting space and a 10,000-square-foot observation deck," as 6sqft previously described. Initial reports referred to the project as the "TWA Flight Center Hotel," but the Times now confirms that it'll simply be the "TWA Hotel." And with construction four months in, Curbed noticed that signage for the hotel has gone up, preserving the airline's logo and font.
See the sign ahead
‘Tonight Show’ announcer and ‘SNL’ writer Steve Higgins buys $1.8M classic UWS co-op
December 6, 2016

‘Tonight Show’ announcer and ‘SNL’ writer Steve Higgins buys $1.8M classic UWS co-op

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Steve Higgins, announcer of "The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon" and SNL writer and producer, and his wife Ellen have dropped $1,797,000 on a traditional Upper West Side co-op according to recent city records. Though the listing says it'll need a renovation, the two-bedroom, pre-war apartment at 131 Riverside Drive has the coveted bones of a classic six--a large entry foyer, handsome fireplace mantle, 9' 10" ceilings, and attractive crown and picture moldings.
READ MORE
De Blasio asks feds for $35M to cover 73 days of Trump Tower security
December 5, 2016

De Blasio asks feds for $35M to cover 73 days of Trump Tower security

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White House North, Dump Tower--call it what you will, but Trump Tower has been causing a major headache for the city ever since the President Elect announced that he hopes to spend weekends in his penthouse at the Midtown tower and that wife Melania and son Barron will continue to reside there during his presidency. Initial estimates put the cost of protecting the building at $1 million a day, but after City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito and Council Member Dan Garodnick launched a petition last week demanding that the federal government cover these costs, Mayor de Blasio has officially asked for a total of "$35 million to cover the 73 days stretching from the election on Nov. 8 to Jan. 20, inauguration day," reports the Post, a lesser amount of roughly $480,000 a day.
More details ahead
One Vanderbilt confirms 1,020-foot observation deck
December 5, 2016

One Vanderbilt confirms 1,020-foot observation deck

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It's been almost a year since 6sqft first heard inklings that One Vanderbilt--the city's second tallest tower--would offer a sky-high observation deck, and now that developer SL Green has secured $1.5 billion in construction financing and broken ground on the 1,401-foot supertall, they'e confirmed that the tower will, in fact, have an sky deck. Bloomberg reports that the viewing platform will be located at the 1,020-foot mark, which will make it the third-highest indoor-outdoor observatory in the city after the forthcoming 1,100-foot deck at 30 Hudson Yards and the Empire State Building's at 1,050 feet (One World Observatory is at 1,250 feet, but it's not outdoors).
Find out more
There’s an ‘exotic’ Christmas tree selling for $1,000 in the Village
December 5, 2016

There’s an ‘exotic’ Christmas tree selling for $1,000 in the Village

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$1,000, as the Post notes, could pay for more than 600 meals for the homeless at the Bowery Mission, or 25 holiday gifts for in-need New Yorkers through the Winter Wishes program. It could also get you an "exotic" white fir Christmas tree off the street in Greenwich Village. Sixteen-year tree saleswoman Heather Neville, who runs a stand at Seventh Avenue and 11th Street, is charging $77 per foot for a 13-foot tree, which equals $750. Add to that a $200 stand, $25 delivery and setup fee, and $20 for the three men doing the job, and you've got yourself a four-figure Christmas tree.
If you think this is bad, just wait
Airbnb settles with NYC over $7,500 fines, how other cities are cracking down
December 5, 2016

Airbnb settles with NYC over $7,500 fines, how other cities are cracking down

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After settling with New York state two weeks ago, Airbnb has now also dropped its case against the city, reports the Times. The company filed the lawsuits after Governor Cuomo passed a bill in October that would impose fines of up to $7,500 for illegal short-term rental listings--those rented out for fewer than 30 days without the lease holder present--on the site. The company agreed to settle on the grounds that the city only hold hosts responsible for the fines, not Airbnb. And they're facing similar situations in cities like Berlin, Amsterdam, and London, who will likely look to the New York case as they move forward with their own regulations.
Find out more this way
November’s 10 most-read stories and this week’s features
December 3, 2016

November’s 10 most-read stories and this week’s features

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November’s 10 Most-Read Stories Live in SHoP’s Domino Sugar Refinery tower for $596/month, lottery open for 104 units My 4000sqft: Tour the 113-year-old Ditmas Park home of an architectural preservationist Apply for 195 affordable units in Long Island City’s glitzy new rental tower The Hayden, from $913/month Lottery opens for two affordable units in prime […]

Controversial Lower East Side site getting two more 700+ foot towers
December 2, 2016

Controversial Lower East Side site getting two more 700+ foot towers

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L to R: One Manhattan Square, 247 Cherry Street, 260 South Street, and 271-283 South Street. The image above, created by CityRealty, depicts the possible massing of the new towers; No official design has been released When L+M Partners and CIM Group announced plans last May for two 50-story towers at 260 South Street, their project joined a growing list of controversial towers sprouting up along the Two Bridges waterfront, including Extell's 823-foot condo One Manhattan Square, JDS and SHoP Architects' possible 1,000+ foot rental at 247 Cherry Street, and Starret Group's shorter rental at 275 South Street. Now, in what's becoming a trend for the Lower East Side-meets-Chinatown 'hood, L+M and CIM have revealed plans for their project that actually show increased heights of 69 and 62 stories, or 798 and 728 feet. As first reported by The Lo-Down, the developers plan to include up to 1,350 apartments, 338 of which will be reserved as affordable, senior housing, ground-floor retail, landscaped outdoor spaces by Mathews Nielsen, and an upgraded flood-protection system.
Renderings and more details ahead
Watch a live feed of the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree; new Union Square Cafe opens next week
December 2, 2016

Watch a live feed of the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree; new Union Square Cafe opens next week

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Need a dose of holiday spirit throughout the day? Watch this live feed of the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree. [NBC] Danny Meyer’s new Union Square Cafe will open next week. Here’s a look inside. [Eater] President-elect Donald Trump says he’ll invest $550 billion in new infrastructure projects. These six maps show the current scope of the […]

Richard Meier’s first NYC skyscraper starts its climb above street level in Turtle Bay
December 2, 2016

Richard Meier’s first NYC skyscraper starts its climb above street level in Turtle Bay

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Richard Meier's 685 First Avenue--the starchitect's largest and tallest building in the city to date--has begun its above-ground ascent, reports CityRealty. The 42-story, 460-foot-tall slab tower is located along the East River at 40th Street, just south of the United Nations, and has gained attention for its dark glass facade, a noticeable shift from Meier's signature beige aesthetic. Its 408 rentals and 148 condominiums are expected to be completed by early 2019, and now that construction is "craned and above street level," the project is well on its way.
More this way
Live along Clinton Hill’s bustling Myrtle Avenue for $735/month, lottery open for 29 units
December 2, 2016

Live along Clinton Hill’s bustling Myrtle Avenue for $735/month, lottery open for 29 units

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The stretch of Myrtle Avenue in Clinton Hill between Hall Street and Classon Avenue, just across from Pratt Institute, is bustling with construction activity. As CityRealty recently reported, three mixed-used projects are in development along the street-- condo 525 Myrtle Avenue, the recently opened rental 490 Myrtle Avenue, and the soon-to-open rental 531 Myrtle Avenue--and between these projects will be a pedestrian plaza with streetscape improvements, seating areas, and trees. The latest to join the list is 504 Myrtle Avenue, a 143-unit rental with ground-floor retail that's rising on the former Pratt Station Post Office. Twenty-nine of its units are now available through the city's affordable housing lottery, and they include 10 $735/month studios, 12 $741/month one-bedrooms, and seven $888/month two-bedrooms reserved for individuals earning no more than 60 percent of the area media income.
More on the lottery
On World AIDS Day, NYC AIDS Memorial is dedicated in Greenwich Village
December 1, 2016

On World AIDS Day, NYC AIDS Memorial is dedicated in Greenwich Village

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When the AIDS epidemic struck in the 1980s, New York City was the first place in the country to report a case, and in the years following, the area around Greenwich Village had more cases and deaths than anywhere in the city. The now-shuttered St. Vincent's Hospital at 11th Street and Seventh Avenue South became known as the "ground zero" of the epidemic; it was the nation's second institution to treat HIV, and its staff of Catholic nuns refused to turn away any patient. To commemorate this effort and honor those who were lost, the city has today, on World AIDS Day, dedicated the new $6 million NYC AIDS Memorial, located in St. Vincent's Triangle, across from the old hospital site (h/t Curbed). Designed by architecture firm Studio a + i, the 18-foot geometric steel canopy hovers above granite pavers by visual artist Jenny Holzer that feature selections from Walt Whitman’s "Song of Myself."
See images of the new memorial and today's dedication
My 2,200sqft: Rug designer Amy Helfand shows us around her organic live/work home in Red Hook

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 Red Hook rowhouse where rug designer Amy Helfand both works and lives with her family. Want to see your home featured here? Get in touch!

December 1, 2016

My 2,200sqft: Rug designer Amy Helfand shows us around her organic live/work home in Red Hook

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Artist Amy Helfand has been creating her own line of rugs for over a decade. The gorgeous pieces are hand-woven in Nepal as part of the GoodWeave program, but the design process takes place in Amy's charming Red Hook rowhouse, where she and her family also reside. As she explains, "At heart, I remain a collector: of images, forms and colors, as well as rocks, sticks, and other ephemera from the natural world," and it's this combination of geometry and organic inspiration that's seen throughout her home and studio. From a dining table centerpiece made of rocks to the chicken coop in the backyard, everything reflects Amy's unique vision. 6sqft recently toured the home and found out about Amy's favorite decor, artistic process, thoughts on the neighborhood, and how they rebuilt after Hurricane Sandy.
Take the tour this way
Upper East Side townhouse in contract for $81M will be most expensive ever sold
November 30, 2016

Upper East Side townhouse in contract for $81M will be most expensive ever sold

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When Carlos Slim, Mexican business magnate and former world’s richest person, listed his Upper East Side Beaux Arts mansion for $80 million in May 2015 he was looking to break the record for most expensive townhouse ever sold in NYC. An attempt was then made by this $84.5 million home on East 62nd Street, but now another neighborhood home is set to take the title. As the Post shares, 19 East 64th Street was listed for $100 million in August, and it's now in contract by a Chinese conglomerate for a reported $81 million. If it closes, the price will far surpass the current record, the $53 million sale of the Harkness Mansion at 4 East 75th Street in 2006.
But there's some drama behind the sale
Help the Washington Square Arch open to the public; Rent Deron Williams’ Tribeca Penthouse
November 30, 2016

Help the Washington Square Arch open to the public; Rent Deron Williams’ Tribeca Penthouse

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Check out the Obamas’ final White House holiday decorations. [Curbed] Tomorrow you can testify at City Hall to have currently inaccessible parks–like North Brother Island, Hart Island, the New York State Pavilion, and the Washington Square Arch–opened to the public. [Untapped] After first listing his sprawling Tribeca penthouse for $33.5 million in July 2015, former Nets star […]

Renderings revealed for adaptive reuse Maker Park along the Williamsburg waterfront
November 30, 2016

Renderings revealed for adaptive reuse Maker Park along the Williamsburg waterfront

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Plans for Bushwick Inlet Park, a 28-acre open space along an unused industrial stretch of the Williamsburg waterfront, first came about in 2005, when the Bloomberg administration rezoned the area to allow for new residential development in exchange for the open space. Fast forward to last week, and the city finally acquired the last piece of land for the project, the controversial Citistorage site. Now that the park is on its way to becoming a reality, a trio of grassroots creatives hopes to bring their alternative vision for the former Bayside Oil Depot site to the forefront. Maker Park is the proposal to adaptively reuse this seven-acre parcel's architectural infrastructure--namely the ten 50-foot decommissioned fuel containers--and create a "park as creative as the neighborhood around it." The Architect's Newspaper recently revealed the first set of renderings, which showcase performance venues, art galleries, hanging gardens, reflecting pools, and an adventure playground.
More views and design details
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