All articles by Michelle Cohen

Michelle is a New York-based writer and content strategist who has worked extensively with lifestyle brands like Seventeen, Country Living, Harper’s Bazaar and iVillage. In addition to being a copywriter for a digital media agency she writes about culture, New York City neighborhoods, real estate, style, design and technology among other topics. She has lived in a number of major US cities on both coasts and in between and loves all things relating to urbanism and culture.

Cuomo breaks ground on Belmont Park arena; see new renderings of Islanders’ future home

September 26, 2019

Cuomo breaks ground on Belmont Park arena; see new renderings of Islanders’ future home

By Michelle Cohen

In a ground-breaking ceremony that included the New York Islanders, National Hockey League Commissioner Gary Bettman, local leaders and hockey fans, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo this week heralded construction of the New York Islanders' new arena at Belmont Park. The arena will anchor the $1.3 billion Belmont Park redevelopment project that promises to create 10,000 jobs and generate $2.7 billion in economic activity for the region. The new 19,000-seat arena, which will host the hockey team and other events, is part of the governor's effort to transform 43 acres of parking lots into a top destination for sports, hospitality and retail, with a 250-key hotel, a retail village and office and community space to come.
More new renderings, this way

Famed Clinton Hill Pfizer Mansion with a rock-n-roll past and a $5M renovation lowers ask to $10M

Photo credit: Rayon Richards and Connie Zhou, courtesy The Corcoran Group

September 25, 2019

Famed Clinton Hill Pfizer Mansion with a rock-n-roll past and a $5M renovation lowers ask to $10M

By Michelle Cohen

Photo credit: Rayon Richards and Connie Zhou, courtesy The Corcoran Group In brownstone Brooklyn, there are dozens of grand homes that have historic significance and even more that are dazzling showcases of considered design. The unique 10,000-square-foot double mansion at 280 Washington Avenue in Clinton Hill happens to be one of Brooklyn's finest examples of both. Known as the Pfizer Mansion–it was built in 1887 by Charles Erhart, co-founder of the Pfizer pharmaceutical company and brother-in-law to Charles Pfizer–the block-through property had a full slate of interesting inhabitants, from a library to industrial band rockers, before receiving an epic renovation from its current owner. That same owner, designer Jessica Warren, who purchased the property in 2007 for $3.2 million, spent many years and many millions restoring the house to a stunning degree that surpassed even its former glory. The home, which has been featured in numerous design publications, has most recently been a beloved B & B known as The Notorious B.N.B. The current owners put the house on the market in 2018 for $13.5 million. After a year and a broker switch, it's now asking $9.995 million–and it's worth every penny, from its graceful, curving windows to a working Otis elevator and private parking space.
Tour this colorful and beautiful Brooklyn home

Own a 6,670-square-foot Tribeca townhouse with a garden, private garage and condo amenities for $15M

September 24, 2019

Own a 6,670-square-foot Tribeca townhouse with a garden, private garage and condo amenities for $15M

By Michelle Cohen

From the outside, the five-story townhouse at 3 Collister Street gives the appearance of being a modernist loft building, customized with a facade wall of windows to provide lucky homeowners with light and views. Within, the Tribeca home is a 6,670-square-foot mansion of a luxury home, with five bedrooms, a private garage, a private elevator, a back garden and a roof deck. But unlike even the most tricked-out of city townhouses, this home, asking $14.995 million and offered to the public for the first time, comes with the amenities of a full-service condominium–in this case one designed by BKSK Architects.
The best of all possible worlds, this way

Distinctive Homes

The original honeycomb skylight shines at this $2.65M Soho loft

September 23, 2019

The original honeycomb skylight shines at this $2.65M Soho loft

By Michelle Cohen

If you're looking for a quintessential downtown loft, 16-foot ceilings, exposed brick, lofted bedrooms and all, but don't want to deal with renovations and taming a raw space, this two-bedroom co-op at 41 Crosby Street (also known as 428 Broome Street) fits the bill. Traditional loft proportions and 1870s detail frame modern necessities like central air, heated floors, custom closets and a mansion-worthy kitchen. Asking $2.65 million, this Soho home spans 2,452 square feet, with a layout that emphasizes privacy (for a loft, that is) and comfort.
Tour the loft

Distinctive Homes

Urban Archive’s new History Crush feature lets you swipe right on your favorite images of NYC’s past

Image courtesy of Urban Archive.

September 20, 2019

Urban Archive’s new History Crush feature lets you swipe right on your favorite images of NYC’s past

By Michelle Cohen

6sqft previously featured Urban Archive, the technology nonprofit that has been building (no pun intended) connections  between people, places, and historical institutions through a growing map of New York City’s unique architecture, culture, and stories for several years. Last February saw the launch of their citywide project seeking crowd-sourced histories and photographs to be included in the UA app. Now, the Urban Archive app has a fun new feature: History Crush serves users a steady randomized supply of historic images of NYC buildings, places and events. You can weigh in with a swipe left or right on each new image; yes, it's like the dating app (without the stress). This Adderall-era add-on actually makes the app even more addictive–and encourages users to check out more images. Even better, right-swiped and liked images are saved to a folder in your My Archive collection for future investigation.
Every picture tells a story

$5.9M townhouse on Prospect Park comes fully loaded with a garage, gym, sauna, & so much more

September 20, 2019

$5.9M townhouse on Prospect Park comes fully loaded with a garage, gym, sauna, & so much more

By Michelle Cohen

Starting with a semi-private driveway and private garage, the attractive if unassuming neo-Federal townhouse at 31 Prospect Park West, built in 1919 by Brooklyn architect W. J. McCarthy, has just about every luxury you could imagine under its roof, and 600 square feet of irrigated, landscaped terrace on the actual rooftop. Recently given a truly spare-nothing renovation by local design duo Delson or Sherman Architects, this townhouse is already blessed with a prime Park Slope location across from Prospect Park. Asking $5.895 million, the home packs perks that include a fully-stocked gym and sauna to a wet bar and dual gas and wood-burning fireplace into its 2,800+ square feet of interior space. And that's without the fountain in the backyard.
Step inside this amazing townhouse

Distinctive Homes

Nate Berkus and Jeremiah Brent buy swimsuit photographer’s $1.6M modern Montauk home

September 19, 2019

Nate Berkus and Jeremiah Brent buy swimsuit photographer’s $1.6M modern Montauk home

By Michelle Cohen

They just listed a fully decorated Village pad they'd bought in 2013 along with their former penthouse at 2 East 12th Street earlier this month, and the famed interior designer duo have made another real estate move, purchasing an appropriately stylish house at 53 Kettle Hole Road in Montauk that was most recently listed at $1.599 million. The seller is renowned contemporary artist and photographer Raphael Mazzucco, who has eight Vogue covers and three Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issues under his belt in addition to numerous campaigns for brands like Victoria's Secret and Ralph Lauren.
Tour the unique Hamptons home

Just listed for $4.7M, Kanye West’s former Soho home wears ego-soothing neutral hues

Photography by Tim Waltman for CORE; staging by ASH NYC

September 19, 2019

Just listed for $4.7M, Kanye West’s former Soho home wears ego-soothing neutral hues

By Michelle Cohen

This sleek and civilized condo at 25 West Houston Street was the long-time Soho residence of musician and fashion powerhouse Kanye West and his wife, Kim Kardashian. Designed by Italian minimalist architect and designer Claudio Silvestrin, the home is a study in tobacco and beige, guaranteed not to upstage the personality of its owners. And like its (former) owners, it has been showcased in the pages of Vogue and Elle Décor. The 2,427-square-foot Soho one-bedroom (easily convertible to two) just hit the market for $4.7 million.
Soft lighting, ample closets, this way

The final Vendy Awards are coming to Governors Island this Saturday

September 18, 2019

The final Vendy Awards are coming to Governors Island this Saturday

By Michelle Cohen

This weekend is your last chance to enjoy New York City's famous annual street food showdown. The competition between New York City's finest street vendors, known as the Vendy Awards, is ending on Saturday, Sept. 21 after 15 years. The last event ever will be held on Governors Island, providing one last chance to enjoy one of the city's most anticipated food events. Organized by the Street Vendor Project at the Urban Justice Center, the contest began with only four vendors in 2005. It has since expanded to feature vendors from across the city, serving nearly two thousand food-loving attendees annually and providing a career boost for vendors. The highlight of the event will be the 15 nominees who will compete for the top award, the Vendy Cup.
Check out the finalists, this way

Citi Bike expansion in Bushwick and Ridgewood begins next week

September 18, 2019

Citi Bike expansion in Bushwick and Ridgewood begins next week

By Michelle Cohen

Next week, Citi Bike will begin the first phase of a four-year expansion that will double the system’s New York City footprint. The blue bikes are coming to a larger area of Bushwick and, for the first time, Ridgewood, Streetsblog reports. L train riders will have more options thanks to 85 new stations in those neighborhoods.
More on the rollout, this way

Transit

Popular Articles

Sublime interiors and two terraces make this $1.9M Brooklyn Heights brownstone duplex extraordinary

September 18, 2019

Sublime interiors and two terraces make this $1.9M Brooklyn Heights brownstone duplex extraordinary

By Michelle Cohen

Asking $1.895 million, this circa 1844 brownstone duplex at 44 Remsen Street sits on one of the most sought after blocks in Brooklyn Heights. Situated on two floors of what was once a single-family home, the co-op's crown jewel is also what may have been the original home's grandest room: A 15-foot-by-20-foot great room is framed by a 12-foot-high coffered ceiling, paneled walls, intricately detailed oak trim and a southern elliptical wall featuring stained glass windows that depict the four seasons.
More brownstone beauty, this way

Distinctive Homes

Get free tickets to 1,500 museums nationwide on Smithsonian’s Museum Day

Photo by James and Karla Murray exclusively for 6sqft

September 18, 2019

Get free tickets to 1,500 museums nationwide on Smithsonian’s Museum Day

By Michelle Cohen

Smithsonian Magazine's Museum Day is drawing near–this year it's on Saturday, Sept. 21. It's a chance to get free admission to museums across the country, including more than 30 New York City options. Tickets became available on August 15 on Smithsonian's website, where you can download two free tickets to museums, galleries, and cultural institutions like the Cooper Hewitt Design Museum, the Museum of Arts and Design, the Intrepid Sea, Air, and Space Museum and many more.
Choose from over 1,500 museums throughout the US

Events & Things To Do

Trump’s childhood home heads back to the auction block after failing to find a $2.9M buyer

Images courtesy of Paramount Realty USA

September 17, 2019

Trump’s childhood home heads back to the auction block after failing to find a $2.9M buyer

By Michelle Cohen

President Donald Trump’s boyhood home in Jamacia Estates is headed to auction after spending 19 days on the market last February for $2.9 million, the New York Times reports. The home is no longer owned by Trump or his organization; the current owner bought the property in 2017 for $2.14 million anonymously via Trump Birth House LLC. The unassuming five-bedroom Tudor has since been used as an Airbnb rental, and it was briefly rented by refugees via anti-poverty organization Oxfam to bring attention to the refugee crisis during the 2017 UN General Assembly.
It's not about real estate

New design revealed for Central Park women’s suffrage statue, but objections delay vote

Rendering of “Women’s Rights Pioneer Monument” (courtesy of Monumental Women).

September 17, 2019

New design revealed for Central Park women’s suffrage statue, but objections delay vote

By Michelle Cohen

Last year’s unveiling of designs for the first statue in Central Park’s 165-year history that depicts real historic women–a sculpture of Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony, set to be dedicated in August of 2020 to mark the 100th anniversary of nationwide women’s suffrage–was met with the criticism that it didn't adequately represent the many African-American women who aided in the cause. As 6sqft previously reported, a redesigned statue honoring women’s rights advocates will now include Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and escaped slave and abolitionist Sojourner Truth, who aided in the fight for women’s rights. The updated design has been revealed. But, as AM New York reports, The city's Public Design Commission has said the statue still falls short, and has postponed the vote to confirm the new design–possibly jeopardizing an August 26, 2020 unveiling.
Critics weigh in

This cozy, quirky $425K Upper East Side studio has an astroturf-clad dream of a backyard

September 16, 2019

This cozy, quirky $425K Upper East Side studio has an astroturf-clad dream of a backyard

By Michelle Cohen

This Yorkville studio at 340 East 83rd Street may not be spacious inside, but the private backyard paradise just outside of the living room window is a study in hidden charm in the city. Asking $425,000, the cozy co-op spans 400 square feet of quiet, back-of-the-building efficiency.
More of that fabulous patio, this way

Distinctive Homes

Express service on the F train beings today

Image via Wikimedia cc.

September 16, 2019

Express service on the F train beings today

By Michelle Cohen

As of today, the MTA has added four express trains to the F line during morning and evening rush hours. Two F trains will run express between the Church Avenue and Jay Street-MetroTech stations, stopping only at Seventh Avenue, during the morning and evening rush hours. Additionally, two Manhattan-bound trains will run express from Church Avenue between 7 and 7:30 a.m. and two Coney Island-bound trains will run the express route between 5 and 5:40 p.m. Previously, as the Daily News reports, the F train's route was the longest in the whole subway system without an express option.
Find out more

Transit

Fall art roundup: Highlights of the season’s new crop of exhibitions, openings and events

Image courtesy of Harold Navarro via Flickr

September 16, 2019

Fall art roundup: Highlights of the season’s new crop of exhibitions, openings and events

By Michelle Cohen

When autumn rolls into New York City, the fall arts season heats up with museum exhibits, gallery openings, art fairs and more to keep us culturally fulfilled through shorter days and colder nights. Below are our top picks and suggestions for the season’s art whirl, from an all new MoMA to open studios in Bushwick.
Inspirational art, this way

Events & Things To Do

Williamsburg’s tallest building opens in Domino complex with an outdoor pool and rooftop cabanas

Image courtesy of Two Trees Management.

September 13, 2019

Williamsburg’s tallest building opens in Domino complex with an outdoor pool and rooftop cabanas

By Michelle Cohen

Two Trees Management announced yesterday the opening of the second building to rise at Williamsburg's Domino Sugar Factory site at the corner of Grand Street and Kent Avenue. Designed by COOKFOX Architects, One South First is a mixed-use 45-story building within the newly-created six-acre Domino Park that includes 330 rental apartments, office space, and retail. Unique features include a distinct facade inspired by the structure of sugar crystals in honor of the site's history as a sugar manufacturing plant. The building is now the neighborhood's tallest tower at 435 feet, and it makes use of every inch of that height with dazzling amenities that include an outdoor granite pool overlooking the East River and City skyline.
New views, this way

$18M Brooklyn Heights townhouse is the borough’s most expensive listing

September 13, 2019

$18M Brooklyn Heights townhouse is the borough’s most expensive listing

By Michelle Cohen

Brooklyn Heights is an expensive neighborhood to be sure, but the five-story townhouse at 88 Remsen Street, asking $18 million, takes the top spot for the entire borough, where the most expensive sale to date was around $15.5 million (h/t Curbed). For that price, you're certainly getting your money's worth. The five-story home offers a separate apartment on the ground floor, with an owners' quadraplex above, complete with decks and harbor views. The historic home has lots of restored original details. But the most unique part of this pricey property is the carriage house that's included in the sale; across a quiet alley, this quaint structure is thoroughly renovated and includes a garage, a full kitchen, and a skylit recreation room.
Tour this Brooklyn Heights compound

Distinctive Homes

Condo board at Trump’s Central Park West building votes to keep president’s name on signage

Photo by Loozrboy on Flickr

September 12, 2019

Condo board at Trump’s Central Park West building votes to keep president’s name on signage

By Michelle Cohen

The condo board of the glass tower at One Central Park West on Tuesday voted unanimously to retain the Trump name on the signage at the front of the building, the New York Post reports. However, the word “tower” will be removed from the marquee over the front entrance, to be replaced with the building's address. As 6sqft previously reported, as part of a larger renovation of the Trump International Hotel and Tower in Columbus Circle, the Trump Organization was reconsidering its heavily-branded signage, and some building owners say Trump’s polarizing presidency is depreciating the value of their investments.
A compromise of sorts

Uncategorized

$3.25M Brooklyn Heights loft mixes historic bones with surfer-chic style

Photo credit: Donna Dotan Photography courtesy of Compass.

September 12, 2019

$3.25M Brooklyn Heights loft mixes historic bones with surfer-chic style

By Michelle Cohen

Asking $3.25 million, this authentic landmarked loft at 8 Old Fulton Street is also a well-kept two-bedroom co-op in coveted Brooklyn Heights. Along with historic loft bones it offers stunning Brooklyn and Manhattan views and gorgeous renovated interiors in a pre-Civil War building.
Get a closer look

Distinctive Homes

Rent this Novogratz-designed Little Italy townhouse for $40K/month

Photo credit: MW Studio / Udom Surangsophon courtesy of Compass.

September 12, 2019

Rent this Novogratz-designed Little Italy townhouse for $40K/month

By Michelle Cohen

Millionaire private investor and man-about-town Bradley Zipper purchased this Little Italy townhouse in 2004 to use as a massive bachelor pad where he could host celebrity soirees and lavish business events for up to 400 guests. After dropping $3.385 million on the property, he hired Cortney and Robert Novogratz, the famous husband-and-wife design team, to deck it out. The result definitely fit the bill, rocking a 900-bottle wine cellar that’s a replica of one in a Meatpacking District club, a 14-foot mahogany and pewter bar imported from Paris, and a vintage 1940s pool table surrounded by graphite walls. Zipper started trying to unload the house in 2013, first for $15 million, then $13 million, next as a $35,000/month rental, and again in 2015 for $15.5 million. Now the six-story 5,000-square-foot townhouse with six outdoor spaces is for rent once again asking an adjusted-for-inflation $40,000/month.
Get a closer look

Distinctive Homes

COLORS restaurant, founded by 9/11 survivors, to reopen on the Lower East Side

View of Colors in 2013. Map data ©2013 Google.

September 11, 2019

COLORS restaurant, founded by 9/11 survivors, to reopen on the Lower East Side

By Michelle Cohen

COLORS restaurant in downtown Manhattan was originally founded by employees of the Windows on the World restaurant on the 107th floor of the World Trade Center, and employed many restaurant workers who lost their jobs on the day of the terrorist attacks. COLORS closed in 2017, closing the door on an establishment that had helped survivors to thrive. Now, am New York reports, on the 18th anniversary of the attacks, that the restaurant is re-opening in October.
More good news, this way

Food & Dining

Asking $1.925M, this Williamsburg home offers a modern perspective on townhouse living

Photo credit: DD Reps courtesy of Compass. Staged by Studio Melrose.

September 11, 2019

Asking $1.925M, this Williamsburg home offers a modern perspective on townhouse living

By Michelle Cohen

Brooklyn townhouse living meets Williamsburg modernism in this 1,700-square-foot townhouse at 338 Humboldt Street. Asking $1.925 million, this compact home has all the elements of a classic renovated brownstone–three or four bedrooms, generous outdoor living space, a basement playroom and a separate guest suite–with the sharp good looks of a modern house.
Take the tour

Distinctive Homes

For $10K/month this Cobble Hill townhouse rental has a private roof deck and a country house vibe

September 10, 2019

For $10K/month this Cobble Hill townhouse rental has a private roof deck and a country house vibe

By Michelle Cohen

This three-bedroom duplex at 9 Wyckoff Street is the upper of two units in a 24-foot-wide Cobble Hill two-family townhouse. Topped by a private garden-ready finished roof deck, the charming Brooklyn home, asking $10,000 a month, is getting a brand-new kitchen and updated baths in time for a late October move-in date. Rustic interiors and details like wood-beamed ceilings make the spacious townhouse look just right for autumn days and evenings.
Take a look inside

Distinctive Homes

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