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.
VIDEO: What to Expect if You Were a Tourist Visiting NYC in the 1940s
June 17, 2015

VIDEO: What to Expect if You Were a Tourist Visiting NYC in the 1940s

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Welcome to the "city of romance and excitement" in a time "where all roads lead to Gotham." This fascinating film produced by the city's PR arm back in the '40s is a total time warp that will transport you to the better days when everyone enjoyed travel by train, dapper suits were daily uniforms, and the New York skyline was downright demure with just the Empire State Building and Chrysler piercing the sky. Though all the landmarks featured are ones you'd expect to see (Grand Central, the Top of the Rock, The Statue of Liberty) and don't appear all that much different than they do now (kids were bathing in Washington Square Park's fountain back then too), a number of the shots and commentary provided by the film's narrator really highlight how much our city has changed (imagine a harbor full of Titanic-like ocean liners and no 432 Park). Watch the 22-minute video ahead.
Watch the video here
Own Andy Warhol’s Former Montauk Compound and Equestrian Farm for $85 Million
June 16, 2015

Own Andy Warhol’s Former Montauk Compound and Equestrian Farm for $85 Million

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How many Campbell's tomato soup cans would it take to cover Andy Warhol's former 30-acre estate? We're not sure, but we know it'd cost $85 million to find out. Though the artist's infamous Manhattan Factory was host to countless over-the-top and avant-garde activities, his Long Island home at 16 Cliff Drive and 8 Old Montauk Highway channeled a far more subdued vibe that was anything but city. Surrounded by miles of riding trails and hundreds of acres of oceanfront reserve, we can see exactly why Warhol was so inspired to let his silvery wig catch the Montauk wind.
Take a tour of this spectacular estate
New Rendering of Renzo Piano’s Soho Condos Shows a Curvy Glass Construction
June 16, 2015

New Rendering of Renzo Piano’s Soho Condos Shows a Curvy Glass Construction

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Last month it was revealed that Renzo Piano would be following up his new Whitney Museum with a 290-foot residential tower at 555 Broome Steet (previously pinned as 100 Varick Street) in Hudson Square right on the border of Soho. While at the time details on the project were scarce with just one rendering making the rounds, NY Yimby has a new image of the starchitect-designed building which reveal a far softer and curvier glass form than previously depicted.
more details here
Extell’s Nordstrom Tower Will Be the Country’s Tallest by Roof Height
June 16, 2015

Extell’s Nordstrom Tower Will Be the Country’s Tallest by Roof Height

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The Nordstrom Tower may not become the overall tallest building to ever rise NYC, besting One World Trade Center as previously reported and then rebuffed, but new filings unearthed by NY Yimby show that the supertall will still carry a very worthy, head-craning title. Documents show that the 95-story building will become not only the tallest building by roof height in NYC, but also in the country at 1,522.83 feet.
get the scoop here
New Rendering Reveals What Rafael Viñoly’s 125 Greenwich FiDi Tower Will Look Like

Rendering via NY Yimby via Shvo

June 15, 2015

New Rendering Reveals What Rafael Viñoly’s 125 Greenwich FiDi Tower Will Look Like

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It's been a while since we've heard anything on Rafael Viñoly's tower slated to rise in the Financial District, but it looks like the starchitect's next supertall is inching closer to a full reveal. Ground was broken at the building's 125 Greenwich Street site about four months ago, and now this newly uncovered rendering via NY Yimby gives us a much better idea of its height, its look, and how it fits in with the downtown skyline. Previous renderings had shown a stark, tall and slim rectangle—very much a glass version of Viñoly's 432 Park—while this new and sweeping depiction highlights a structure that will taper slightly as it rises, and feature a stacked crown of what appear to be residences and sky-high terraces.
Find out more here
Cornell’s Roosevelt Island Tech Incubator Unveiled; Midtown East’s Rezoning Advances
June 15, 2015

Cornell’s Roosevelt Island Tech Incubator Unveiled; Midtown East’s Rezoning Advances

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Extell has launched sales at 70 Charlton Street. [6sqft inbox] Forest City Ratner unveils “The Bridge at Cornell Tech,” a new incubator located at the heart of Cornell Tech’s campus on Roosevelt Island designed by WEISS/MANFREDI. [6sqft inbox] The world’s tallest ‘Passive House’ building also broke ground at the campus. [NYT] The rezoning of Midtown East continues to move […]

Opponents of the Pier 55 Floating Park Slap Barry Diller with a Lawsuit
June 12, 2015

Opponents of the Pier 55 Floating Park Slap Barry Diller with a Lawsuit

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As with any major project ready to make waves in NYC, we were just counting the days until Barry Diller's plan for a futuristic floating park would run into legal trouble. Today, the Times reports that opponents of the $130 million project have joined together to sue Diller and The Hudson River Park Trust (who approved the plans to build) in order to stop construction. The civic group, known as City Club of New York, are saying that the parties have failed to throughly evaluate the environmental impact of the park, and they want Pier 55 to undergo a new environmental review while also obtaining approval from the State Legislature.
More on the lawsuit here
98 Percent of Manhattan Rentals Are Occupied, Rents Keep Rising Everywhere
June 11, 2015

98 Percent of Manhattan Rentals Are Occupied, Rents Keep Rising Everywhere

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Looking to change apartments? Well apparently so is everyone else in the city as they get slammed with rent hikes. According to Douglas Elliman's latest rental report prepared by real estate guru Jonathan Miller, there was an 85.1 percent increase in new leases signed last month with units lingering on the market an average of only 41 days before being scooped up by a new tenant. Landlord concessions have also pretty much disappeared, they report, and the city's vacancy was a mere 1.65 percent in May. The takeaway: Even in the face of insane, and ever-rising rents—we're now talking a median $3,380 in the city (up for the 15th consecutive month)—Manhattan's is still full of crazy people (including us) willing to pour their paychecks into one-bedroom apartments with no views. Brooklyn, of course, was no better, with median rents also climbing to $2,961.
more here
432 Park Will Offer Office Space; Heidi Klum May Purchase $11M Island
June 11, 2015

432 Park Will Offer Office Space; Heidi Klum May Purchase $11M Island

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Billionaires living in 432 Park can have their minions work right below them. The supertall condo tower will also offer office space. [Crain’s] Remember this amazing island plus home combo going for $11M? Well, it might have a buyer. Heidi Klum has reportedly checked it out. [NYP] Foster and Partners break ground on their 425 Park Avenue skyscraper project. […]

Trolley Map from the 1930s Shows How Easy It Was to Get Around Brooklyn
June 10, 2015

Trolley Map from the 1930s Shows How Easy It Was to Get Around Brooklyn

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Long before there was a subway packed full of angry crowds and unidentifiable organisms, New Yorkers in Brooklyn enjoyed above-ground commutes serviced by a streetcar system. This map posted recently by a Redditor is a blast from the past, showing just how complete and comprehensive this network was. In fact, by 1930, nearly 1,800 trolleys were traveling along the streets of BK from Greenpoint to Gowanus to Bay Ridge and beyond. Though the system proved to be profitable (yes, NYC once ran a transit system that actually made them money), the streetcars were eventually forced out of the city by none other than the auto industry.
find out more and see the complete map here
Camera-Equipped Intelligent Oven Knows Exactly How to Cook Your Meal
June 10, 2015

Camera-Equipped Intelligent Oven Knows Exactly How to Cook Your Meal

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Although it may look like a run-of-the-mill toaster oven, don't let its modest appearance deceive you. This little appliance will quickly turn a poor soul who can't fry an egg into a master chef—or something close to one. Invented by Ammunition Group, a team credited with bringing the iPhone, the FitBit, the GoPro, and Lyft to market, the June Intelligent Oven is a revolutionary kitchen appliance that harnesses the power of everything we digital age junkies love: computers, a HD camera, and a Google-like image search system that can determine what we're cooking and how it should be cooked.
READ MORE
Karim Rashid Asks Facebook Followers to Choose the Facade of His Next Building
June 9, 2015

Karim Rashid Asks Facebook Followers to Choose the Facade of His Next Building

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With all the controversy currently swirling around Karim Rashid's colorful design of a residential building in a historic Harlem neighborhood, it looks like the designer is looking to avoid any additional headache with the public as he moves forward with a brand new project in Soho. Rashid recently took to Facebook, asking his more than 419,000 followers to vote for one of four facades being considered for a building slated to rise at 30 Thompson Street. "It is a great opportunity to get feedback for my work," he said. "I believe we live in the age of 'the empowerment of the individual' where we all have a voice in the digital age."
Find out more here
Own a Charming Wood Frame Church in the Catskills for $99,000
June 8, 2015

Own a Charming Wood Frame Church in the Catskills for $99,000

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We're all keen on the trend of buying religious institutions for use as residential buildings. But in Manhattan, living on hallowed ground often means shelling out millions to nab just a room or two in one of these holy structures. Well, if you're on a budget and have designs on living in something a little more divine than a church attic studio (and don't mind giving up the city life), then feast your eyes on this amazing wood frame church located 90 minutes from Manhattan in the town of Harris in the Catskills. Priced at a mere $99,000, this 2,500-square-foot cutie was constructed in 1920, comes with half an acre, and according to its Craigslist listing, is in "excellent shape!"
Have a look inside
Skyscrapers Signal Economic Doom; South Street Seaport Tower Design to Be Revised
June 8, 2015

Skyscrapers Signal Economic Doom; South Street Seaport Tower Design to Be Revised

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The extinction of a quintessential NYC architectural facet has commenced: An architect pushing to remove fire escapes from two Soho buildings has received permission from the city to move forward. [DNA Info] Blue Bottle is expanding operations into NYC. The California-based brewer is opening up a roasting plant in Bushwick. [CO] A 392-rental project backed by Japanese […]

Mipsterz Are on the Rise in NYC, and They’re Cooler Than Your Average Hipster
June 4, 2015

Mipsterz Are on the Rise in NYC, and They’re Cooler Than Your Average Hipster

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We all have one of those friends: you ask them if they consider themselves a hipster (which by all accounts they are) and you're met with a very sardonic "I hate hipsters..." While it's pretty much an unspoken rule that those who knowingly fall within hipsterdom should never acknowledge such, there is a unique group of young folks in the city wholly embracing the label as part of their identity. In fact, they've come up with their own play on the word: Mipsterz, or Muslim hipsters.
more here
Bjarke Ingels Confirmed to Replace Norman Foster in the Design of 2 World Trade Center
June 3, 2015

Bjarke Ingels Confirmed to Replace Norman Foster in the Design of 2 World Trade Center

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Back in April, word broke that starchitect Bjarke Ingels was in talks to re-design 2 World Trade Center, as News Corp. and 21st Century Fox mulled over a downtown move. Now the Post's Steve Cuozzo reports that the rumors are rapidly closing in on reality as both media companies have signed a non-binding but detailed letter of intent with developer Larry Silverstein to anchor the new 80-plus-story tower that pins Ingels as the architect. The news conglomerate would occupy 1.3 million square feet of the available 2.8 million square feet—a portion significant enough to jumpstart construction of the tower that has been stalled since 2008.
FInd out more here
Artist David Salle Lists Home for $13M; What the World’s Richest One Percent Earn
June 3, 2015

Artist David Salle Lists Home for $13M; What the World’s Richest One Percent Earn

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Plans have been filed for Renzo Piano’s new residential project rising in Soho. [TRD] Here’s how much money the richest one percent make in 20 countries around the world. [Washington Post] Artist David Salle’s massive Fort Greene home has hit the market for $13M. [Curbed] How to give a crappy roommate the boot. [BrickUnderground] Images: The top floor […]

INTERVIEW: noroof Architects on Tackling Tiny Apartment Design in NYC
June 2, 2015

INTERVIEW: noroof Architects on Tackling Tiny Apartment Design in NYC

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The tiny house movement seems to be taking over the nation, but living in modest quarters has pretty much always been the norm for the average New Yorker. One architecture studio that's focused their energies on the challenges of designing the super small—versus the super tall—is Fort Greene-based noroof Architects. Led by the duo of Margarita McGrath and Scott Oliver, the studio has been developing ingenious ideas that address the space challenges that come with living in a dense city—and they often involve transforming furniture. Jump ahead to learn more about how the pair approach downsized living and designing for families, where they find inspiration, and then get some ideas on how you can make your cramped apartment feel far more capacious.
Meet Margarita and Scott
Interior Renderings Revealed for Central Park South’s Brand New 1,210-Foot Supertall
June 2, 2015

Interior Renderings Revealed for Central Park South’s Brand New 1,210-Foot Supertall

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Last week, the first exterior images of Central Park South's new supertall 1 Park Lane surfaced. Now NY YIMBY has obtained additional renderings of the 1,210-foot condo tower being designed by Handel Architects, showing off what the interiors could look like, and, most notably, the kinds of views afforded by the multi-million-dollar perches above.
See more here
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