All articles by Diane Pham

Diane is the founder and Editorial Director of 6sqft. After graduating from the University of Southern California with a B.S. in Real Estate Finance & Development and a minor in Architecture, she enjoyed stints at SCI-Arc, the A+D Museum Los Angeles, Perkins Eastman Architects and Resolution 4: Architecture. She also previously served as Senior Editor of Inhabitat.com and spent several years as an analyst at CB Richard Ellis Investments in Milan, Italy.

What Does Your Zip Code Say About You? This Map Tells All

July 20, 2015

What Does Your Zip Code Say About You? This Map Tells All

Want to know if you're a trendsetter, a wannabe, or just a Joe Schmo in a glass condo? This new interactive map called the "Zip Lookup" will reveal to you that your life can pretty much be summed up in five digits. Created by ESRI, a geographic-information firm, Zip Lookup is eerily on point when it comes to figuring out an area's demographics, culture, and daily habits.
How it works here

Uncategorized

Bed-Stuy Prices Up Over 20 Percent; The Community Bookstore in Brooklyn Cashes In

July 20, 2015

Bed-Stuy Prices Up Over 20 Percent; The Community Bookstore in Brooklyn Cashes In

Mariah Carey has a shoe closet bigger than your apartment. [NYP] Bed-Stuy prices have spiked. Homes sales have gone up 20 percent, says a new report. [DNA Info] After rumors of a New Jersey move, Streit’s Matzo Factory has confirmed that they will move operations to Rockland County. [BB] Court Street’s beloved book-mess, The Community […]

Real Estate Trends

Live in a Rare Red Wood Cabin Near Prospect Park

July 20, 2015

Live in a Rare Red Wood Cabin Near Prospect Park

One look at this unassuming wood home and you might find yourself rubbing your eyes, but rest assured this charming little cabin is indeed located in Brooklyn. Said to be the former "vacation home" of a wealthy 19th century Brooklyn Heights family, this 1800s construction has just been put on the market for $1.249 million. Interestingly, its 658 Vanderbilt Street locale in Windsor Terrace hasn't always been its address. The home was previously sited, oddly enough, in the middle of Prospect Park.
Find out more here

Inside the First Model Unit at 10 Bond; Scaffolding Goes Up Around 190 Bowery

July 17, 2015

Inside the First Model Unit at 10 Bond; Scaffolding Goes Up Around 190 Bowery

More mysterious happenings for 190 Bowery: scaffolding has just gone up around the building. [Bowery Boogie] The first model unit at architect Annabelle Selldorf’s 10 Bond has been completed. It will be asking $7.1 million. [6sqft inbox; listings] The city plans to spend $2.8 million to beef up patrol on illegal Airbnb listings. [NYP] Annotating the corner of Mulberry […]

Real Estate Trends

Famed Photographer David LaChapelle Lists His Stunning Chelsea Home for $2.5M

July 16, 2015

Famed Photographer David LaChapelle Lists His Stunning Chelsea Home for $2.5M

Photographer David LaChapelle, best known for shooting everyone from Madonna to Michael Jackson to Leonardo Dicaprio and Lady Gaga in some seriously weird situations, has just listed his West Chelsea co-op at 427 West 21st Street for $2.469 million. Surprisingly, unlike the artist's audacious pop-surreal works, his apartment is far more subdued, sporting a very classic look with pops of color and patterns selectively emerging throughout the home's historic interiors.
Have a closer look inside here

In New York City Your $100 Is Really Worth Just $81.77

July 16, 2015

In New York City Your $100 Is Really Worth Just $81.77

Saying "NYC is expensive" is a pretty obvious statement, but have you considered what the spending power of your cash really is? The Bureau of Economic Analysis recently enlisted the help of economists at the Tax Foundation to create two maps that examine how much $100 can actually buy you in each state and various metro areas across the U.S. Unsurprisingly, your Benjamins wane in value significantly once you step into the NYC metro area.
Find out more here

City Living

Say Farewell to the Beloved Market Diner; What Folks in the Country’s Priciest Zip Codes Earn

July 15, 2015

Say Farewell to the Beloved Market Diner; What Folks in the Country’s Priciest Zip Codes Earn

A Park Slope townhouse has sold for $12M. It is the third most expensive sale of a single-family home in Brooklyn. [TRD] The iconic ’60s-era Market Diner on 11th Avenue at 43rd Street will be replaced by a 13-story mixed-use building, according to newly filed building permits. [TRD] FAO Shwarz has officially closed its doors along 5th […]

Real Estate Trends

One57 Received $66M in Tax Breaks in Exchange for Just 66 Units of Affordable Housing

July 15, 2015

One57 Received $66M in Tax Breaks in Exchange for Just 66 Units of Affordable Housing

If you need more proof that there are some serious flaws with the 421-a program, once again, look no further than One57. As reported by the Journal, the super-luxe tower was the beneficiary of a whopping $65.6 million tax cut, an abatement granted in exchange for a paltry $5.9 million contribution to help cover the cost of 66 affordable apartments in the Bronx. That means your tax dollars subsidized apartments at nearly $1 million per unit—the highest known subsidy under the program—when affordable units on average cost a mere $179,000 apiece. It's estimated that the generous cut could have provided for 367 affordable apartments. The findings came from the latest review by the city’s Independent Budget Office (IBO).
FInd out more here

Affordable Housing

Day vs. Night: What NYC’s Population Looks Like

July 14, 2015

Day vs. Night: What NYC’s Population Looks Like

Click for expanded version >> New York may be the city that never sleeps, but it certainly pulsates far differently depending on what time of day it is. This fascinating map created by Joe Lertola gives us an idea of just how population-filled areas of Manhattan get during working hours, and how the city empties out at night when most workers head back to their homes in the suburbs.
More on how it was created here

City Living

Model Gigi Hadid Lists Pad Because of Stalker; Century-Old Greenhouse at Green-Wood Cemetery to be Renovated

July 14, 2015

Model Gigi Hadid Lists Pad Because of Stalker; Century-Old Greenhouse at Green-Wood Cemetery to be Renovated

The penthouse at The Edge in Williamsburg has hit the market for $3.85M. [listing; video] Supermodel Gigi Hadid reportedly listed her Noho apartment because she was being stalked. [NYP] The Chinatown McDonald’s housed within a pagoda-inspired design has gone out of business. [Bowery Boogie] Green-Wood cemetery’s greenhouse will be renovated into a visitor center. [Gothamist] NYC’s […]

Real Estate Trends

Popular Articles

ATTENTION: Walk Faster or You’ll Be Banned from NYC for Five Years

Image courtesy of EV Grieve

July 13, 2015

ATTENTION: Walk Faster or You’ll Be Banned from NYC for Five Years

If you're a resident of New York, you know that this is no city for strolling. We all have places to be and we can't be bothered trying to sidestep slow walkers—and we certainly don't have time for niceties like "excuse me." As such, the NYC Department of Pedestrian Etiquette has a new set of rules to keep slow pokes, sidewalk blockers and the entirely un-self-aware off the streets: "Effective April 1, 2016, all new residents and visitors to New York City [o]ver the age of 16 will be required to take a mandatory training session on Proper Etiquette for navigating the sidewalks and streets of the greater metropolitan area."
Click here to read the whole memo

City Living

‘Breakfast at Tiffany’s’ Townhouse Sells; Skyscrapers Could Soon Reach 2,000 Feet

July 13, 2015

‘Breakfast at Tiffany’s’ Townhouse Sells; Skyscrapers Could Soon Reach 2,000 Feet

The townhouse where Miss Holly Golightly lived in “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” has sold for $7.4 million. [NYO] Midtown rents are getting so high many companies can’t afford them anymore. [NYP] Blink Fitness is leasing the entire Brooklyn Lyceum in Park Slope. [Crain’s] A structural engineer predicts that 2,000-foot towers are in the near future, and after […]

Real Estate Trends

Construction Update: Extell’s Controversial 800-Foot Tower Ready to Rise at 250 South Street

July 10, 2015

Construction Update: Extell’s Controversial 800-Foot Tower Ready to Rise at 250 South Street

After being slapped with a partial stop-work order about three weeks ago for causing a local street to sink, Extell's Lower East Side mega-development at 250 South Street appears to be back on track. A recent visit to the site shows that piles for the building are again being driven into the bedrock. However, it appears excavation will continue to be an arduous journey since most of the parcel sits on landfill and is only a few feet above street level. Since its reveal last year, the tower has been met with intense public outrage due to its unprecedented height for the mid-rise neighborhood. The building was first reported to be 68 stories, then 71 stories, then 56 stories, and now the latest filing with the Department of Buildings has a revised height pinned again at 68 stories, or 800 feet at its highest floor. To put that in perspective, the neighboring Manhattan Bridge is only 330 feet tall, and just 170 feet at its roadway—meaning the building will be nearly five times the height of the bridge's road deck.
FInd out more here

New Developments

Taking Inventory at Billionaires’ Row; Lowline Creators Raise $224K on Kickstarter

July 10, 2015

Taking Inventory at Billionaires’ Row; Lowline Creators Raise $224K on Kickstarter

Here’s a closer look at what’s going on along Billionaires’ Row. [Market Watch] Clothier David Chu has listed his 15 CPW pad for $8.6M. [NYO] ODA’s Williamsburg tower condos have hit the market. [Curbed] “Scandal” actor Tony Goldwyn has nabbed himself an Upper West Side co-op. [TRD] The Lowline underground park has raised a staggering […]

Real Estate Trends

LAST DAY to Win a Free Pass to the New York Times Cities for Tomorrow Conference (Worth $595!)

July 10, 2015

LAST DAY to Win a Free Pass to the New York Times Cities for Tomorrow Conference (Worth $595!)

Cities for Tomorrow is back again for its second year, and we’ve teamed up with the New York Times to give one lucky 6sqft reader a free pass (worth $595!) to the event taking place July 20th–21st in Midtown Manhattan. Join leaders in the real estate, architecture and urban planning fields such as New York City’s police commissioner, […]

Construction Update: NYC’s First Micro Apartment Complex Is Now Fully Stacked

July 9, 2015

Construction Update: NYC’s First Micro Apartment Complex Is Now Fully Stacked

Moving day inches closer for those looking to claim a module in the city's first micro apartment complex. As of this week, My Micro NY is fully stacked, rising 120 feet from its site at 335 East 27th Street at the border of Gramercy in Kips Bay. The project, also known as Carmel Place, is the product of a city-sponsored design competition launched by former mayor Michael Bloomberg in 2012 as a way to test out if micro dwellings could be an answer to the city's housing shortage, and in turn give enough reason for adjusting NY's dated building codes to allow for smaller units better suited for today's shrinking households. As it stands, the legal minimum is 400 square feet, while My Micro NY's apartments measure a mere 260 to 360 square feet.
More images of the construction

Robert De Niro’s 15 CPW Rental Now Selling for $55M; Brooklyn Rents and Home Prices at a Record High

July 9, 2015

Robert De Niro’s 15 CPW Rental Now Selling for $55M; Brooklyn Rents and Home Prices at a Record High

There’s a documentary film coming out about Brooklyn’s infamous Broken Angel House. [NYO] Sales launch at 200 East 62nd Street. [via 6sqft inbox; listings] The 15 Central Park West pad Robert De Niro has been renting just hit the market for $55M. [NYDN; listing] Don’t call Brooklyn the borough with better deals. Rents and home prices are at […]

Real Estate Trends

EVENT: Is Historic Preservation Elitist?

July 9, 2015

EVENT: Is Historic Preservation Elitist?

Many folks argue that historic preservation is elitist, time-consuming, expensive and a drain on resources, further claiming that it’s a whole lot easier, cheaper and more practical to replace an old building with something new—especially when that means more housing. However, on the other side of that coin is the argument that historic districts and the architecture preserved within them are […]

July 8, 2015

Will Michelle Williams Ruin Prospect Park South?; ‘Cobble Hook’ the Next ‘It’ Neighborhood

A Gowanus high-rise developer has been dumping muddy water into the already heavily polluted canal. [DNA Info] Will Michelle Williams be the downfall of Ditmas Park? The actress recently purchased a home in the area for $2.45M. [NYP] A restaurant owner is trying to make “Cobble Hook” happen. [Gothamist] A Lower East Side condo project […]

Real Estate Trends

Gentrification Sale: Get a Single Hand-Cut Summer French Fry for Just $8.99!

Image via Bill de Bodega

July 7, 2015

Gentrification Sale: Get a Single Hand-Cut Summer French Fry for Just $8.99!

Jarritos with an $11.99 corkage fee, a hipster breakfast for $8.99? Act fast because you won't want miss out on all the great deals going on at the Washington Heights "Gentrification in Progress Sale." A row of mom and pops located along a stretch between 162nd and 163rd streets got a Williamsburg-worthy facelift on Monday as Brooklyn locals Doug Cameron and Tommy Noonan plastered storefronts with scathingly sardonic signage pointing to the area's demise. The campaign, first reported on by Vanishing NY, was created in response to the ousting of several of the block's 30-plus-year-old businesses by a new landlord in order to make way for commercial tenants willing to pay higher rents.
See more here

Policy

Norman Foster’s Next Condo Tower Will Be 900 Feet; How to Shed Affordable Tenants

July 7, 2015

Norman Foster’s Next Condo Tower Will Be 900 Feet; How to Shed Affordable Tenants

Jennifer Lawrence continues her search for a NYC pad, now with Chris Martin in tow. [NYDN] Much to locals’ dismay, reports confirm that Norman Foster’s new condo tower planned for Sutton Place will indeed be 900 feet tall. [NYDN] Rising mortgage rates could block millennials from buying. [AOL] How to get rid of rent-stabilized tenants and make a killing. [The […]

Real Estate Trends

New Yorker Spotlight: Inhabitat’s Jill Fehrenbacher on Raising Two Kids on the Lower East Side

July 6, 2015

New Yorker Spotlight: Inhabitat’s Jill Fehrenbacher on Raising Two Kids on the Lower East Side

When you think about family-friendly neighborhoods, the last one to come to mind is probably the Lower East Side. But Inhabitat.com's Jill Fehrenbacher is here to tell you that this downtown stretch is more than just a breeding ground for bros and getting bombed. A LES resident for more than a decade, Jill moved into the area looking for cheap rents as a student but has stuck around to see it transform into both a cultural destination and a diverse community-driven neighborhood fueled by much more than just a bar scene. Ahead, Jill shares her thoughts on what makes this neighborhood such a special one for raising kids (she's got two boys of her own) and her NYC success story of hitting it big as the founder of one of the world's most visited design websites.
Our interview with Jill here

Man Blocked from His Dakota Apartment for 16 Years; WeWork Offices Coming to Brooklyn Navy Yard

July 6, 2015

Man Blocked from His Dakota Apartment for 16 Years; WeWork Offices Coming to Brooklyn Navy Yard

A state court has ruled to shut down plans for a Willets Point Mall. [NYT] Developer Robert Siegel bought an apartment at The Dakota for $2M back in 1999 and he’s still waiting to move in. The building’s co-op board has been using half of it for tenant storage. [NYP] The first crane has arrived at the site […]

Real Estate Trends

JFK Airport Gets an Awesome Open-Air Roofdeck; Joan Rivers’ Penthouse Sells for Ask

July 2, 2015

JFK Airport Gets an Awesome Open-Air Roofdeck; Joan Rivers’ Penthouse Sells for Ask

An UES woman found apartment hunting so stressful, she gave up her search and stayed in her over-priced studio. [NYT] Joan Rivers’ opulent apartment has sold for $28 million to a Middle Eastern buyer. [NYDN] NYCHA is looking for bids from developers interested in building affordable apartments. [NYDN] Tribeca Cinemas has closed down and the building is now […]

Real Estate Trends

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