All articles by Devin Gannon

Casino next to the United Nations will not move forward

Freedom Plaza river view looking east. Courtesy of Negativ

September 22, 2025

Casino next to the United Nations will not move forward

By Devin Gannon

Freedom Plaza, the Soloviev Group's plan to bring a mixed-use development with a gaming facility on a vacant lot next to the United Nations, was rejected by the community advisory committee (CAC) on Monday. Since casinos pitched for Hell's Kitchen and Times Square also failed to advance last week, Manhattan won't be getting a casino after all, with the five bids remaining for the three downstate licenses are in the outer boroughs and Westchester.
details here

Policy

The Met unveils large-scale animal sculptures honoring Indigenous culture and the natural world

Portrait of Jeffrey Gibson by Eileen Travell; Jeffrey Gibson (American, born 1972). Installation view of “they plan and prepare for the future fvni / sa lo li/squirrel” for The Genesis Facade Commission: Jeffrey Gibson, “The Animal Therefore I Am,” 2025. Courtesy the artist, Silicon bronze with patina finish. Image credit: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Photo by Eugenia Burnett Tinsley

September 18, 2025

The Met unveils large-scale animal sculptures honoring Indigenous culture and the natural world

By Devin Gannon

Four large-scale bronze sculptures depicting animals have been installed outside the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Created by artist Jeffrey Gibson, the installation, titled "The Animal That Therefore I Am," has become a part of the museum's iconic Fifth Avenue neoclassical exterior as the 2025 Genesis Facade Commission. The 10-foot sculptures reference animals(a hawk, a squirrel, a coyote, and a deer) that are significant to Indigenous culture and also live in Central Park and the Hudson Valley.
take a look

Events & Things To Do

LIRR strike avoided for now after unions ask Trump to intervene

Photo by Marc A. Hermann / MTA on Flickr

September 15, 2025

LIRR strike avoided for now after unions ask Trump to intervene

By Devin Gannon

A strike on the Long Island Rail Road has been avoided, at least temporarily. Unions representing thousands of railroad workers announced on Monday a request to the Trump administration to create an emergency board to help reach a deal with the Metropolitan Transportation Authority over wage increases. A strike, the first on the LIRR since 1994, was approved for this Thursday, but the request to form the panel, called a Presidential Emergency Board, delays the walkout by several months.
learn more

Ai Weiwei unveils new Roosevelt Island installation, ‘Camouflage’

Ai Weiwei, “Camouflage,” 2025. Exterior view of installation. FDR Four Freedoms State Park. Image Credit: Andy Romer Photography. Courtesy of Four Freedoms Park Conservancy

September 11, 2025

Ai Weiwei unveils new Roosevelt Island installation, ‘Camouflage’

By Devin Gannon

An installation by renowned artist and activist Ai Weiwei opened on Roosevelt Island this week. "Camouflage" takes over all 3.5 acres of FDR Four Freedoms State Park and includes an open architectural structure draped with camouflage netting, creating a shelter over the bust of Franklin D. Roosevelt. The work, Ai's first in New York City since 2017, coincides with the 80th session of the U.N. General Assembly and the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II. The artwork is free to visit, but timed-entry tickets are recommended.
see it here

Asking $5.5M, this dramatic duplex in Sutton Place feels like a museum

All photos courtesy of Coldwell Banker Warburg

September 10, 2025

Asking $5.5M, this dramatic duplex in Sutton Place feels like a museum

By Devin Gannon

Coffered ceilings, columns, and casement windows add dramatic elegance to this Sutton Place duplex co-op. On the market for $5,495,000, the three-bedroom home at 322 East 57th Street, one of Manhattan's most coveted pre-war co-ops, has a grand living space that feels like a museum, with gilded furniture and decor, 18-foot ceilings, and a marble fireplace.
take a look around

Distinctive Homes

Design for ‘floating’ 79th Street Boat Basin dock house gets final approval

All renderings courtesy of Architecture Research Office

September 8, 2025

Design for ‘floating’ 79th Street Boat Basin dock house gets final approval

By Devin Gannon

More than 10 years after Hurricane Sandy extensively damaged the Upper West Side's 79th Street Boat Basin and its dock house, and three years after it was temporarily closed, the city is moving forward with a replacement facility. The Public Design Commission last month voted to approve the design for the reconstruction of the boat basin and the new dock house by Architecture Research Office (ARO). The planned one-story building appears to float over the Hudson River, with nine columns supporting the structure above the dock, chamfered corners to allow for better views, and a stainless steel facade that reflects the surrounding water and sky.
READ MORE

ODA’s pixelating concrete condo near Billionaires’ Row prepares to launch sales, studios from $1.4M

Renderings courtesy of Brick Visual

September 4, 2025

ODA’s pixelating concrete condo near Billionaires’ Row prepares to launch sales, studios from $1.4M

By Devin Gannon

A new condo in Midtown East wants to humanize Billionaires' Row living. Designed by ODA, the Malabar Residences at 126 East 57th Street rises 28 stories in cascading cast-in-place concrete tiers, described by CityRealty as a "playfully pixelated totem of apartments." The architects integrate the building with the streetscape with two entrances and public-facing retail, while promoting the idea of "vertical living" for residents by dispersing shared spaces throughout the tower. Sales are set to launch for the Malabar's 145 residences, with initial pricing starting at $1.4 million for a studio and going up to $12.5 million for a three-bedroom penthouse.
READ MORE

Art dealer Barbara Gladstone’s Chelsea townhouse sells for $13.1M

All photos courtesy of Hayley Ellen Day

September 2, 2025

Art dealer Barbara Gladstone’s Chelsea townhouse sells for $13.1M

By Devin Gannon

The longtime Chelsea townhouse of late gallerist Barbara Gladstone has closed for $13.1 million after finding a buyer in a matter of days. The four-story Greek Revival row house at 344 West 22nd Street was listed for $11.995 million in June and entered contract 12 days later. The deal closed at the end of last month, with the sales price $1.105 million over the initial ask.
get the details

Real Estate Trends

Jackie Gleason’s UFO house in Westchester lands on the market for $5.5M

Photo credit: Chris Kiely, Jump Visual

August 29, 2025

Jackie Gleason’s UFO house in Westchester lands on the market for $5.5M

By Devin Gannon

"Honeymooners" star and comedy icon Jackie Gleason's unique UFO house in Westchester is back on the market. The sitcom legend had an infatuation with all things outer space and designed the Cortlandt Manor home to resemble a flying saucer. Situated on nearly nine acres about an hour north of New York City, the custom-built property, now asking $5,500,000, consists of three buildings: the main "mothership" home, a spaceship-like cottage, and a 1930s stone colonial.
far out

Historic Catskills estate lists for $14M after 200+ years in the same family

Photos courtesy of Francisco Rosario / DDReps

August 26, 2025

Historic Catskills estate lists for $14M after 200+ years in the same family

By Devin Gannon

An estate in the Catskill Mountains owned by the same family for over 200 years is for sale. Sitting on roughly 1,600 acres in Delaware County, the estate, known as Lake Delaware Farm, belongs to the descendants of the Livingston family, "early American aristocrats" who were given control over much of the area by the English crown in the 17th century, as first reported by the Wall Street Journal. Asking $14,000,000, the property in Bovina Center includes an eight-bedroom Greek-Revival home built on the edge of a 68-acre private lake, surrounded by rolling hills and dramatic mountain views.
a home with history

Distinctive Homes

Popular Articles

Asbury Park penthouse hits the market for record $9M

The penthouse at Asbury Ocean Club, at 1101 Ocean Avenue in Asbury Park. All photos courtesy of Nick Marraro, Motion City Media unless otherwise noted

August 25, 2025

Asbury Park penthouse hits the market for record $9M

By Devin Gannon

Less than a month after a penthouse in Asbury Park sold for $7.6 million, becoming the priciest condo ever sold in New Jersey, a newly listed apartment in the Jersey Shore city is already trying to break the record. Asking $8,999,999, the penthouse at the beachfront Asbury Ocean Club is a combination of two units, with six bedrooms and 2,600 square feet of rooftop space overlooking the ocean and boardwalk.
details here

Distinctive Homes

$9.5M Nomad condo has a front-row view of the Flatiron Building

Photo Credit: Coldwell Banker Warburg

August 22, 2025

$9.5M Nomad condo has a front-row view of the Flatiron Building

By Devin Gannon

This Nomad condo has a front-row seat to the Flatiron Building's transformation into a luxury residential building. Asking $9,495,000, the three-bedroom, three-bath apartment at 212 Fifth Avenue has windows that perfectly frame the Beaux-Arts tower, in addition to 3,000 square feet of functional living space. The view will improve even further when the Flatiron Building reopens as a condominium, as the exterior will be illuminated for the first time ever.
see the views

Distinctive Homes

Waymo to test self-driving cars in NYC

In 2021, Waymo mapped certain streets in Manhattan to learn its busy traffic patterns and features. Photo courtesy of Waymo

August 22, 2025

Waymo to test self-driving cars in NYC

By Devin Gannon

Waymo, the self-driving car company owned by Google's parent company Alphabet, is coming to New York City. The company received a permit to begin testing a limited number of autonomous vehicles (AV) in parts of Manhattan and Downtown Brooklyn, Mayor Eric Adams and the city's Department of Transportation (DOT) announced on Friday. Current state law does not allow for fully driverless riding, so a trained specialist will be behind the steering wheel at all times during the pilot run.
READ MORE

Policy

Step into 1776 during a Battle of Brooklyn commemoration this weekend

All photos courtesy of The Green-Wood Cemetery

August 21, 2025

Step into 1776 during a Battle of Brooklyn commemoration this weekend

By Devin Gannon

The first, and the biggest, battle of the American Revolution took place in Brooklyn. In August 1776, just weeks after declaring independence from Britain, the first armed campaign for the colonies took place across the borough, through present-day Prospect Park, Fulton Ferry Landing, Fort Greene Park, and Green-Wood Cemetery. While the British soundly defeated the colonies, the historic battle led George Washington to develop a new strategy vital to the eventual win for independence. This weekend, the Green-Wood Cemetery will commemorate the Battle of Brooklyn with historical demonstrations, costumed interpreters, music, and a parade march up Battle Hill.
READ MORE

Huge Coney Island complex opens lottery for 150 middle-income apartments, from $2,449/month

All renderings courtesy of NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development

August 21, 2025

Huge Coney Island complex opens lottery for 150 middle-income apartments, from $2,449/month

By Devin Gannon

A three-tower luxury development in Coney Island opened a lottery last week for 150 middle-income apartments. Less than half a mile from the Riegelmann Boardwalk and beach, the sprawling development at 532 Neptune Avenue includes 499 apartments across three buildings and a whopping 95,000 square feet of amenities, including a rooftop, swimming pool, and a running track that encircles the property. Qualifying New Yorkers earning 130 percent of the area median income can apply for the apartments, priced from $2,449/month for studios and going up to $3,495/month for a two-bedroom.
do you qualify?

Affordable Housing

Federal Transit Administration again threatens MTA funds over safety risks

Retrofitting the platform at the Broadway Junction L train station. Photo courtesy of MTA/Megan Armas on Flickr

August 20, 2025

Federal Transit Administration again threatens MTA funds over safety risks

By Devin Gannon

President Donald Trump's administration is once again threatening to withhold funding from the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) on Tuesday accused the agency of using "flawed analytical approaches" in a safety plan and said it fails to reflect actual safety risk to subway workers. The FTA required the MTA to develop a new safety plan after a subway track worker was struck and killed by a train in 2023 and another worker was seriously injured the following year. The feds are threatening to withhold up to 25 percent of the financial assistance given to the MTA if safety is not improved for workers.
READ MORE

NYC beaches closed for swimming due to dangerous conditions from Hurricane Erin

Photo by Jessica Sheridan on Wikimedia

August 20, 2025

NYC beaches closed for swimming due to dangerous conditions from Hurricane Erin

By Devin Gannon

New York City beaches will be closed for swimming on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday as Hurricane Erin is expected to bring life-threatening surf and rip currents to much of the East Coast. Mayor Eric Adams announced swimming is prohibited at all city beaches on August 20 and August 21; the sand remains open. The National Weather Service predicts waves could reach between 9 and 13 feet on Thursday, with the highest waves expected in the Rockaways. Several beaches along the Jersey Shore and on Long Island have also banned swimming.
what to know

Policy

City-owned Boerum Hill parking lot to become 70 affordable homes and a job center

All renderings courtesy of New York City Housing Preservation and Development

August 19, 2025

City-owned Boerum Hill parking lot to become 70 affordable homes and a job center

By Devin Gannon

The city unveiled plans to transform a Boerum Hill parking lot into a new development with affordable homes and a job center. The Department of Housing Preservation and Development last week announced it had selected the nonprofit Fifth Avenue Committee (FAC) to convert the city-owned lot at 153 Nevins Street into a 70-unit mixed-use rental, with amenities and space for Brooklyn Workforce Innovations, a job training center for low-income New Yorkers.
from parking lot to new housing

Next Greenpoint Landing phase includes 1,000 apartments across three towers

Courtesy of C. Taylor Crothers / CTC Creative

August 19, 2025

Next Greenpoint Landing phase includes 1,000 apartments across three towers

By Devin Gannon

More than 1,000 new apartments are headed to the Greenpoint waterfront. The Domain Companies, LMXD, and Park Tower Group announced a joint venture partnership to build the next phase of Greenpoint Landing, a development along a 22-acre stretch of the East River that will eventually be home to 5,500 apartments. The next phase, "Block C" of the master plan, includes three mixed-income rental buildings, 20,000 square feet of retail space, and a waterfront public park.
READ MORE

Second Avenue Subway extension moves ahead in Harlem with $2B contract

106th Street. Rendering courtesy of the MTA

August 18, 2025

Second Avenue Subway extension moves ahead in Harlem with $2B contract

By Devin Gannon

East Harlem is one major step closer to having better subway access for the first time since the 1940s. The board of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority on Monday approved a nearly $2 billion tunnel-boring contract for the second phase of the Second Avenue Subway, which extends the Q train from 96th Street to 125th Street. The tunneling contract marks the largest awarded in agency history.
learn more

For $12M, a modern mansion in coastal Connecticut, with plenty of room for guests

Credit: Borgatta

August 15, 2025

For $12M, a modern mansion in coastal Connecticut, with plenty of room for guests

By Devin Gannon

With 8,000 square feet, seven bedrooms, and two guest houses, this modern mansion in a coastal Connecticut village was built for entertaining. Now on the market for $12 million, the home at 260 Willow Street in the historic waterfront village of Southport underwent a sweeping renovation that transformed the home from a traditional colonial into a luxurious compound, with a contemporary main house joined by a resort-style pool, pool house, and a garage with a studio apartment.
see inside

Distinctive Homes

City Council approves Midtown South rezoning, unlocking 9,500 new homes

8th Avenue below 40th Street. © Ondel Hylton

August 15, 2025

City Council approves Midtown South rezoning, unlocking 9,500 new homes

By Devin Gannon

The New York City Council on Thursday voted to approve the rezoning of Midtown South, permitting thousands of new homes to be built in the commercial neighborhood. The plan, the largest residential rezoning in the city in 20 years, updates zoning rules for 42 blocks, potentially unlocking 9,500 new apartments, with 2,800 affordable units.
more on the midtown plan

Policy

$1.5M Upper East Side co-op has floor-to-ceiling built-ins and oversized windows

Credit: Niko Strbac for The Corcoran Group

August 14, 2025

$1.5M Upper East Side co-op has floor-to-ceiling built-ins and oversized windows

By Devin Gannon

For pre-war co-op enthusiasts, this $1,500,000 Upper East Side co-op may fit the bill. The one-bedroom home at 170 East 78th Street has super-tall 13-foot ceilings, a wood-burning fireplace, and floor-to-ceiling built-ins, with the top shelf accessible via library ladder. The oversized casement windows provide a picture-perfect view of the tree-lined city block below.
take a look

Distinctive Homes

Prospect Park launches first formal nature trail system

The Midwood Loop. Photos courtesy of the Prospect Park Alliance unless otherwise noted.

August 13, 2025

Prospect Park launches first formal nature trail system

By Devin Gannon

The Prospect Park Alliance this week unveiled the first formal nature trail system through the park's bucolic waterways and woodlands. The five routes are marked by signage and blazes on trees, guiding visitors through 250 acres of the park's most scenic natural areas while protecting its fragile wildlife habitats.
READ MORE

City landmarks five Garment District buildings ahead of major changes in Midtown

The Furcraft Building on West 30th Street. All photos courtesy of the NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission.

August 12, 2025

City landmarks five Garment District buildings ahead of major changes in Midtown

By Devin Gannon

Midtown South could look a lot different in the coming years, with a neighborhood rezoning imminent, but at least five buildings will remain protected. The Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) on Tuesday voted to designate five buildings that not only are unique architecturally, but also reflect the development of the Garment District and the importance of the fashion industry to New York City. The designation comes as the City Council prepares to vote on the Midtown South Mixed-Use plan this week.
details this way

1
2
3
4