All articles by Devin Gannon

Lottery launches for five middle-income units in Parkchester, from $1,700/month

The Aileen B. Ryan Oval fountain sits in the center of Parkchester; photo via Wikipedia

April 20, 2018

Lottery launches for five middle-income units in Parkchester, from $1,700/month

A housing development located in the Bronx's Parkchester neighborhood has five middle-income apartments up for grabs. The two buildings at 1360-1364 Purdy Street are located just outside the planned neighborhood and sits around the corner from the 6 train at Castle Hill Avenue. Qualifying New Yorkers earning 130 percent of the area median income can apply for units ranging from a $1,700/month one-bedroom to a $1,875/month two-bedroom.
Find out if you qualify

Affordable Housing

Museum of Natural History’s lawns will open as public parks this summer

Photo of the Theodore Roosevelt Park via Wikimedia

April 20, 2018

Museum of Natural History’s lawns will open as public parks this summer

By Devin Gannon

Surrounding the American Museum of Natural History, the Theodore Roosevelt Park stretches from 77th to 81st Streets between Central Park West and Columbus Avenue. For years, the city has fenced off its green space, not allowing park visitors to touch the lawns. But this summer, as part of a pilot program, the city's parks department will open two lawns in the Upper West Side park, according to the West Side Rag. From Memorial Day Weekend until September 30, the Northwest and Southwest Lawns will open to the public, officials announced at a community board meeting.
Details this way

Uncategorized

In partnership with Spotify, MTA releases limited number of David Bowie MetroCards

Via Spotify

April 18, 2018

In partnership with Spotify, MTA releases limited number of David Bowie MetroCards

By Devin Gannon

Starting Wednesday, about 250,000 lucky commuters will be able to fly away with "Tickets to Mars," a keepsake MetroCard released by Spotify as part of its David Bowie subway takeover. The limited-edition cards feature five iconic images of the music legend from the new exhibit honoring Bowie's life at the Brooklyn Museum. The MTA stocked booths and vending machines only at Broadway-Lafayette and Bleecker Street with the special cards, and they will be randomly dispersed. Additionally, Spotify is giving New Yorkers an immersive, underground subway experience with lots of wall-sized Bowie-inspired art and special codes to listen to Bowie through the streaming service.
Get the details

Transit

150 years ago, Delmonico’s became the first restaurant to serve women unaccompanied by men

Photo of Delmonico’s in 1903; photo via Wikimedia

April 18, 2018

150 years ago, Delmonico’s became the first restaurant to serve women unaccompanied by men

By Devin Gannon

Photo of Delmonico's in 1903; photo via Wikimedia Nearly five decades before women were granted the right to vote in New York State, a group of fed-up ladies decided to protest a symbolic law that prohibited them from dining in restaurants without men present. After journalist Jane Cunningham Croly was barred from entering a dinner held at the New York Press Club, she and a group of women founded Sorosis, the first professional women's club in the United States. On April 20, 1868, Croly and her crew held a luncheon at the historic Delmonico's Restaurant in the Financial District, which became the first to serve women independently of men. Following the groundbreaking meal, clubs for only women formed all over the country.
The full history ahead

April 18, 2018

Live in the heart of hip Williamsburg, from $865/month

By Devin Gannon

Via Dattner Architects Although rental prices are dropping in Williamsburg due to the impending L-train shutdown, a recently launched lottery is offering up a can't-miss deal. A brand new building located at 105 South Fifth Street has 38 affordable units up for grabs. In addition to the housing units, the Datter Architects-designed mixed-use project features roughly 4,000 square feet of retail and a 1,000-square-foot medical facility. Qualifying New Yorkers earning 60 percent of the area median income can apply for apartments ranging from an $865/month studio to a $1,121/month two-bedroom.
Find out if you qualify

Affordable Housing

Office building in the Village’s ‘Silicon Alley’ gets a new design

Current side via Wikimedia; 799 Broadway Rendering via Perkins+Will

April 17, 2018

Office building in the Village’s ‘Silicon Alley’ gets a new design

By Devin Gannon

Plans for the office development proposed on the site of the former St. Denis Hotel in the East Village progressed last week, after Normandy Real Estate Partners filed new permit applications. Located at 799 Broadway, the 165-year-old hotel will be demolished and later replaced with a 12-story office building. New permits reveal a change in architects, from CetraRuddy to Perkins+Will as well as a slight shrinkage of space, from 190,000 to 183,000 square feet (h/t The Real Deal).
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First look at the glamorous, sixties-inspired guest rooms at the TWA Hotel

Image via David Mitchell

April 17, 2018

First look at the glamorous, sixties-inspired guest rooms at the TWA Hotel

By Devin Gannon

Guests staying at the TWA Flight Center Hotel will be transported back to 1962 through rooms decorated with Eero Saarinen-designed Knoll furnishings, martini bars and terrazzo-tiled bathrooms with Hollywood-style vanities. MCR and MORSE Development unveiled on Tuesday a model of the guest rooms at the hotel, located at the John F. Kennedy Airport, part of the landmark flight center's restoration and repurposing. Scheduled to open in 2019, the 512-room hotel is found in two low-rise, wing-shaped buildings behind the flight center, an homage to Saarinen's iconic design. The center will serve as the hotel's lobby, measuring 200,000 square feet, the largest hotel lobby in the world. The buildings, which officially topped out last month, will have a seven-layer, soundproofed-glass facade to provide the ultimate quiet retreat.
Check it out

$700M proposal calls for NYC’s first soccer stadium and 550 affordable apartments in the South Bronx

Rendering via Rafael Viñoly Architects

April 17, 2018

$700M proposal calls for NYC’s first soccer stadium and 550 affordable apartments in the South Bronx

By Devin Gannon

New York City could be getting its first soccer stadium if a proposal for the project led by Related Companies gets chosen by officials. A partnership made up of developers Related and Somerset Partners, along with the Major League Soccer team, New York City Football Club, has submitted a plan to bring a 26,000-seat soccer stadium designed by Rafael Viñoly, over 550 units of affordable housing and a waterfront park to the South Bronx. According to YIMBY, the project, estimated to cost $700 million, would rise on the site of the Harlem River Yards, a 13-acre parcel in Mott Haven operated by the Empire State Development Corporation.
More this way

Despite a 30 percent drop in sales prices, Tribeca remains NYC’s most expensive neighborhood

Photo via CityRealty

April 16, 2018

Despite a 30 percent drop in sales prices, Tribeca remains NYC’s most expensive neighborhood

By Devin Gannon

Despite suffering from a 30 percent drop year-over-year in median sale prices, Tribeca still managed to rank first as New York City's most expensive neighborhood, followed closely by Soho. Property Shark released this week its list of the 50 priciest areas in the city in Q1 2018 and unsurprisingly, nine out of the top ten are located in Manhattan. Notably, the West Village witnessed an 88 percent year-over-year increase with a median sale price hovering $2.1 million. And the Flatiron District, which ranked as the most expensive neighborhood in the third quarter of 2017, fell to sixth place, with a median sale price of $1.85 million.
See the list

Real Estate Trends

Rendering via ODA Architects

April 16, 2018

100 chances to live at ODA’s Rheingold Brewery development in Bushwick, from $913/month

By Devin Gannon

A lottery launched this week for 100 affordable units at 10 Montieth Street, part of the massive ODA-designed Rheingold Brewery development in Bushwick. The seven-story, 392-unit building topped out last September, with its distinct modular form, sloping rooftop garden and colorful frames. Amenities at the building include a climbing wall, laundry room, interior courtyard, game room, bike storage, children's playroom, art studios and much more. Qualifying New Yorkers earning 60 percent of the area median income can apply for the units, ranging from $913/studios to $1,183/two-bedroom apartments.
Find out if you qualify

Lottery launches for nine middle-income apartments near Marine Park, from $1,700/month

By Devin Gannon

A lottery launched this week for nine middle-income apartments in the Midwood neighborhood of Brooklyn. Located at 2802 Kings Highway, the building sits at a nexus of Madison and Marine Park, which is home to Brooklyn's largest public park. Nearby transit options include the B and Q trains, as well as a slew of Brooklyn-bound buses. Qualifying New Yorkers earning 130 percent of the area median income can apply for the one-bedrooms for $1,700/month or two-bedrooms for $2,200/month.
Find out if you qualify

Affordable Housing

MTA will use ‘magnetic wands’ to clean pounds of steel dust from NYC subway tracks

Gov. Andrew Cuomo oversees an MTA worker testing a magnetic wand at the 9th Ave subway station in Sunset Park; photo via the governor’s Flickr

April 13, 2018

MTA will use ‘magnetic wands’ to clean pounds of steel dust from NYC subway tracks

By Devin Gannon

The Metropolitan Transporation Authority will deploy 700 additional "magnetic wands" to clean hundreds of pounds of steel dust from insulated joints on tracks, which accumulates when the brakes are applied. When dust builds up on joints, it can trip the circuit on the joint and cause red signals, sending a ripple of delays throughout the system. Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Thursday tested out the wands at a Sunset Park subway station and announced a plan to buy additional wands to clean all 11,000 insulated joints deemed a priority, using funds from the recently funded-in-full emergency subway action plan.
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For $3.2M, costume jewelry connoisseur Kenneth Jay Lane’s former Stanford White-designed duplex

Photo via Sotheby’s

April 12, 2018

For $3.2M, costume jewelry connoisseur Kenneth Jay Lane’s former Stanford White-designed duplex

By Devin Gannon

The two-bedroom duplex owned by late designer Kenneth Jay Lane, best remembered for creating sought-after costume jewelry, hit the market for $3.2 million. The apartment, located at 23 Park Avenue in the James H. and Cornelia V. Robb House, was designed by legendary architect Stanford White. Constructed in 1891, the mansion boasts a beautiful Italian Renaissance Palazzo style. The co-op, where Lane passed away in 2007 at age 85, sits on the second and third floors of the landmarked building, as the New York Post reported.
See inside

April 12, 2018

Interactive map tracks New York City’s 270 miles of sidewalk sheds in real time

By Devin Gannon

As of this week, New York City is home to 7,342 sidewalk sheds, totaling nearly 270 miles of sprawling eye-sores. Although this may sound like a lot, the number of sidewalk sheds has actually decreased from last year, when the Department of Buildings found over 7,700 sidewalk sheds throughout the city. The DOB on Wednesday released a new map highlighting the exact location of permitted sidewalk sheds. The map, which will update automatically in real-time, has a new feature that allows users to search sidewalk sheds by age, borough, community board and permit applicant.
Explore the map

Grand Central Terminal; image via Wikimedia

April 11, 2018

Amtrak will reroute some trains from Penn Station to Grand Central this summer

By Devin Gannon

Last year, when Amtrak first announced eight weeks of infrastructure repairs at Penn Station, all hell broke loose. Gov. Andrew Cuomo predicted the planned work would cause a "summer of hell" for commuters and even asked President Donald Trump for emergency federal funds. But, to the surprise of many, the disruption proved to be mild and the repairs even finished ahead of schedule. Promising another painless process, Amtrak announced on Tuesday plans for track work at Penn Station again this summer. From May 26 to Sept. 4, trains that run along the Hudson River will be routed from Penn Station to Grand Central. Schedules for Long Island Rail Road and Metro-North trains will remain unaffected.
More details here

Transit

April 10, 2018

First look at 3 World Trade Center’s huge outdoor terrace

By Devin Gannon

Rendering via Silverstein Properties New renderings have been unveiled for an 11,000-square-foot outdoor terrace at 3 World Trade Center, expected to open when the skyscraper does so in June. Designed by Ken Smith Workshop, the space will be fully landscaped and feature a lush garden. As the first outdoor terrace on the World Trade Center campus, 3 WTC tenants will enjoy unbeatable views of 1 WTC and the WTC Transportation Hub. Another perk? A special operator will serve coffee to tenants in a furnished, canopied area on the terrace.
Find out more

Architecture And Design

6sqft won an award! Help us celebrate at the Historic District Council’s grassroots preservation awards

Photo via Wally Gobetz on Flickr

April 10, 2018

6sqft won an award! Help us celebrate at the Historic District Council’s grassroots preservation awards

By Devin Gannon

The Historic Districts Council this month will present six organizations and individuals with "Grassroots Preservation Awards" during its annual event. And 6sqft is one of the lucky winners! Help celebrate us, as well as the rest of the awardees, who will be honored for their work preserving New York City's historic neighborhoods. The event takes place on Tuesday, April 24 at the Saint Mark's Church-In-The-Bowery, located at 131 East 10th Street.
Details here

Events & Things To Do

April 10, 2018

With Pfizer as an anchor tenant, construction on Bjarke Ingels’ Spiral tower will begin in June

By Devin Gannon

Rendering via Tishman Speyer With an anchor tenant and necessary financing secured, Tishman Speyer announced on Tuesday plans to officially begin construction this June on Bjarke Ingels' 65-story office tower planned for Hudson Yards, the Spiral. The developer has reached a deal with Pfizer, a biopharmaceutical company, for an 800,000 square-foot lease at the Spiral, and has secured funding for the $3.7 billion project. The Spiral will reach 1,031 feet high and boast a facade of cascading landscaped terraces and hanging gardens. The tower will spread an entire block, stretching from West 34th to West 35th Streets and 10th Avenue to the Hudson Park and Boulevard.
More this way

Construction kicks off for Handel Architects’ mixed-use tower at Essex Crossing

Rendering via Moso Studio

April 10, 2018

Construction kicks off for Handel Architects’ mixed-use tower at Essex Crossing

By Devin Gannon

Construction of Handel Architects' mixed-use tower planned for the Lower East Side's Essex Crossing development has officially begun. Located at 180 Broome Street, the tower sits at the Manhattan entrance to the Williamsburg Bridge, the structure which influenced the oversized concrete frames in the building's design. The tower includes 263 apartments, retail at street level, office space on levels two through five and a section of the massive marketplace below ground, the Market Line. According to CityRealty, the start of construction at 180 Broome makes it the sixth site to begin building in the nine-site complex.
Take a peek

REVEALED: Jeanne Gang’s 51-story condo next to Downtown Brooklyn Macy’s

Rendering via Tishman Speyer

April 9, 2018

REVEALED: Jeanne Gang’s 51-story condo next to Downtown Brooklyn Macy’s

By Devin Gannon

Tishman Speyer released on Monday the first renderings for its new luxury residential tower in Downtown Brooklyn, 11 Hoyt. Designed collaboratively between Hill West Architects and Jeanne Gang's architecture firm, Studio Gang, the 51-story, 480-unit condominium project will offer a variety of apartment layouts, with more than 190 different floor plans. The tower's rippling exterior seems to borrow elements used in two of Gang's Chicago projects, the Aqua Tower and the Vista Tower, which is currently under construction. The project will rise next to the Macy's on Fulton Street, which is currently undergoing renovations by Tishman Speyer, who are also planning a 10-story office tower on top of the store. Sales will launch at the tower this summer, but interested buyers can now check out the building's newly launched teaser site.
See them here

Trump once lobbied against legislation that required sprinklers in NYC high-rises

Via Krystal T’s Flickr

April 9, 2018

Trump once lobbied against legislation that required sprinklers in NYC high-rises

By Devin Gannon

Following back-to-back fatal fires in 1998 at two New York City buildings that lacked working sprinklers, public officials advocated for new regulations requiring sprinklers in all buildings. Mayor Rudy Giuliani's administration that year pushed for legislation to address the lack of sprinklers in high-rise towers. But real estate developers, including President Donald Trump, fought against the proposals, citing the high expense of retrofitting existing buildings with them, as the Washington Post reported. After fierce lobbying from developers, including Trump who personally called a dozen council members, the city enacted a law in 1999 that would require sprinklers in new construction but not existing buildings, exempting the president's Trump Tower. On Saturday, a fire ripped through a 50th-floor apartment at Trump Tower, killing a 67-year-old art dealer. Sprinklers were never installed at the Fifth Avenue property.
Find out more

Uncategorized

Vornado says it reached a deal with Kushner Cos. to sell 666 Fifth Avenue stake

Google Street View of 666 Fifth Avenue

April 9, 2018

Vornado says it reached a deal with Kushner Cos. to sell 666 Fifth Avenue stake

By Devin Gannon

Update 4/9/18: Vornado announced on Friday that it reached a "handshake" deal to sell its stake at 666 Fifth Avenue back to the Kushner Cos, according to the New York Times. It remains unclear if the Kushners have found a new partner. Steven Roth, chairman of Vornado, in the filing, said the payment would cover the company's investment: "The existing loan will be repaid including payment to us of the portion of the debt we hold." Kushner Cos. said this week it is in talks to buy the remaining 49.5 percent stake in 666 Fifth Avenue from Vornado Realty Trust, furthering the drama at the 41-story Midtown Manhattan office building, according to the Wall Street Journal. The tower has remained one of Kushner Cos. most financially troubled projects. In addition to its debt and high rates of vacancy, the building has been mired in controversy, mostly due to Jared Kushner's role as a senior adviser and son-in-law to President Donald Trump. While Jared divested in the property to avoid conflicts of interest, investors have been reluctant from entering a deal with Kushner Cos.
Find out more

Policy

Travel uptown on a WWI-era subway to mark the 100th anniversary of Woodlawn station

Via NY Transit Museum

April 6, 2018

Travel uptown on a WWI-era subway to mark the 100th anniversary of Woodlawn station

By Devin Gannon

Before the Woodlawn station opened a century ago, the surrounding area of Norwood in the Bronx was mostly rural with lots of farmland. While residential development began with the opening of the Woodlawn Cemetery, the neighborhood's transformation really took off when the subway was extended to reach this part of the city. To celebrate the 100th anniversary of the first train pulling into the northern terminal of the IRT Jerome Avenue Line, the New York Transit Museum is giving guests the chance to travel on World War I-era cars to relive this important part of subway history.
Find out more

An eco-conscious pavilion made of scaffolding and moss could bloom in Times Square

Rendering via Sam Biroscak/ Design Pavilion 2018

April 6, 2018

An eco-conscious pavilion made of scaffolding and moss could bloom in Times Square

By Devin Gannon

New York City has 280 miles of scaffolding, totaling more than 7,700 sidewalk sheds in front of 7,752 buildings. Described as pervasive eyesores and sunlight-blockers, scaffolding has an unflattering reputation in the city. Artist Sam Biroscak is looking to change the public perception of these sidewalk sheds, by highlighting it as an "under-appreciated" urban element in his conceptual design. Dubbed Mossgrove, Biroscak's project would create an architectural pavilion in Times Square made of two materials seen as nuisances: moss and scaffolding. The proposal calls for the installation be built during NYCxDESIGN, a nine-day event featuring interactive installations and talks. The theme of this year's Design Pavilion will be "From This Day Forward" (h/t Untapped Cities).
See the design

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