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.
$2M Brooklyn Heights penthouse feels like a Paris atelier with skyline views from the terrace
November 13, 2018

$2M Brooklyn Heights penthouse feels like a Paris atelier with skyline views from the terrace

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This classic pre-war penthouse at 200 Hicks Street in Brooklyn Heights sits atop one of the city's oldest co-ops, built in 1910 by William A. Moring. This elegant apartment has the kind of charm and detail–high ceilings, skylights and French doors opening to reveal a private landscaped terrace–that brings to mind a Paris atelier–with the added bonus of New York Harbor and Manhattan skyline views. The two-bedroom home is asking $1.95 million.
Have a look
Are NYC women paying a ‘pink tax’ to avoid sexual harassment on public transit?

Photo: Jeffrey Zeldman via Flickr.

November 13, 2018

Are NYC women paying a ‘pink tax’ to avoid sexual harassment on public transit?

By
According to a new report, New York City women are spending an extra $26 to $50 a month on transportation because of safety concerns. An online survey conducted by the Rudin Center for Transportation at NYU asked New Yorkers about harassment on public transportation, if safety concerns impact their transit choices and about their travel habits in general (h/t AMNY). According to the results, 75 percent of females who responded had experienced harassment or theft while using public transportation compared to 47 percent of male respondents; over half of female respondents were concerned about being harassed on public transit; 29 percent of the women (versus 8 percent of men) said they don’t take public transportation late at night because of “a perceived safety threat.”
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New Chase HQ in Midtown will rise 1,400 feet and have Metro North access

270 Park Avenue enclosed public space (with action); image from City Planning.

November 12, 2018

New Chase HQ in Midtown will rise 1,400 feet and have Metro North access

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In late October, JPMorgan Chase announced the selection of Foster + Partners, led by British Pritzker Prize winner Norman Foster, as the architects of a new 70-story headquarters on the site of its current offices at 270 Park Avenue between East 47th and 48th streets, CityRealty reports. The plan, announced in February, represents the first major project under the 2017 Midtown East Rezoning Plan that upzoned 78 blocks of Midtown to allow for the construction of larger, more modern skyscrapers. The 70-floor, 1,400-foot height would make the new headquarters one of the tallest buildings in the city and the tallest office building by roof height.
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Developer bets on seniors in the city with luxury assisted living tower on the Upper West Side

2330 Broadway. Source: Design by SLCE Architects, rendering by ARC Shadow

November 12, 2018

Developer bets on seniors in the city with luxury assisted living tower on the Upper West Side

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Betting that well-heeled seniors want to stay in the city as they age–and are willing to pay accordingly–developers Welltower, Inc. and Hines have purchased a pair of Manhattan building lots with the intent of building an assisted living tower for frail and memory-challenged seniors who want to stay in the neighborhood. Rising on two lots at 2330 Broadway at 85th Street will be the partnership's second luxury assisted living facility in the borough, Bloomberg reports. The 17-story residence will offer a spa, a rooftop garden and a “bistro” for cocktails and card games.
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This map shows the diversity of NYC’s veterans in every neighborhood
November 12, 2018

This map shows the diversity of NYC’s veterans in every neighborhood

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The New York City greater metropolitan area is home to over a million service members, veterans and their families. To provide an idea of just how many veterans call the city home–and how diverse a community they are– the New York City Department of Veterans' Services has compiled a set of maps using the most recently available data from the American Community Survey and the US Department of Veterans Affairs.
Maps and more info, this way
Pajamas, turkeys, and MetroCards: 7 ways to donate this holiday season

Image via New York Cares

November 12, 2018

Pajamas, turkeys, and MetroCards: 7 ways to donate this holiday season

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While giving thanks and exchanging gifts this holiday season, share the wealth and give a little extra to fellow New Yorkers in need. From coats and turkeys to MetroCards and toys, the list below is a good place to start. Yes, financial donations are always welcome–but there are plenty of much-needed, much-appreciated items you can give that don't require spending an extra penny.
Sometimes it really is better to give
Tribeca’s historic skybridge building gets a major price chop to $35M
November 8, 2018

Tribeca’s historic skybridge building gets a major price chop to $35M

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Just about three years ago, 6sqft reported that one of Tribeca's more unusual architectural offerings, the 8,170-square-foot townhouse at 9 Jay Street that includes the famous Staple Street Skybridge, was for sale. The building, the pedestrian skybridge and loft condo it connects to–once the home and studio of iconic 1980s fashion designer Zoran Ladicorbic–were asking $50 million. Now, the quirky collection is back on the market with a hefty $15 million price chop, asking $35 million. The new ask comes with 4,080 square feet of air rights, and from the looks of the building's wide open interiors, the options for a new buyer are many.
What's inside?
Rent a turreted 10-room wing of the Upper West Side’s famous Ansonia co-op for $21K a month
November 7, 2018

Rent a turreted 10-room wing of the Upper West Side’s famous Ansonia co-op for $21K a month

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Here’s a chance rent a sprawling space in the famous Ansonia on the Upper West Side for $21,000 a month. The 2,900-square-foot pad offers stunning views from east, south, and west exposures. The capacious co-op is the result of combining three units that formed their own wing of the building, representing the largest original layout ever designed by the building’s architect, Duboy of Graves and Duboy. The apartment was listed for sale in back in 2015 for $12M.
Take the tour
SummerStage in Central Park will get a revamp and new stage for the 2019 season

Rendering of the new, improved Central Park SummerStage; image courtesy of City Parks Foundation.

November 7, 2018

SummerStage in Central Park will get a revamp and new stage for the 2019 season

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CityParks SummerStage is New York City’s largest free outdoor performing arts festival, with 100 performances happening annually in neighborhood parks around the city as well as in Central Park from May-October–the majority of which are free of charge. In 2019, City Parks Foundation's flagship SummerStage venue in Central Park will be getting a new stage, new sound system, more lighting, upgraded backstage areas, raised seating and an overall improved concert-going experience.
See more of what's to come next summer
New performing arts center announced for $400M Jersey City university project
November 6, 2018

New performing arts center announced for $400M Jersey City university project

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Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop just announced the newest phase of development on New Jersey City University's University Place project, Jersey Digs reports. The University and Strategic Development Group will break ground in early 2019 on University PAC, a state-of-the-art performing arts complex. University PAC, a 500-seat theater, and the Center for Music, Dance and Theater, a cutting-edge academic complex for the performing arts will serve as the centerpiece of University Place, serving both the university and the larger community.
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Asking $1.6M, this Murray Hill co-op has a Park Avenue address and old-world Manhattan glamour
November 6, 2018

Asking $1.6M, this Murray Hill co-op has a Park Avenue address and old-world Manhattan glamour

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This classic two-bedroom co-op at 67 Park Avenue in Murray Hill is just what you'd expect from a pre-war residence at such an esteemed address. Old-school Manhattan luxury defines the home's architecture as well as its interior design, exemplified by a large private entry hallway, hardwood floors, a working fireplace and high, beamed ceilings. Modern updates are in place, of course, including a Bosch washer/ dryer, a Lutron lighting system, and Bose surround sound speakers in the living room and kitchen.
Have a look around
720,000 New York City tax photos from 1940 are now digitized so you can find your building online
November 5, 2018

720,000 New York City tax photos from 1940 are now digitized so you can find your building online

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If you've ever tried to research an old building–to find out the history of your home for renovation purposes or just to see what it used to look like–you may have found yourself tasked with a trip to the Municipal Archives for an in-person search or having to order up a large, glossy photo by mail, sight unseen. Access to one of the city's most thorough documentation efforts, the black-and-white tax photos taken of every building in the city between 1939 and 1941, just got a lot easier, as Brownstoner reports. The New York City Department of Records & Information Services has released 720,000 digitized images made from the original negatives, meaning that a photograph of every building in the city that was standing at the time is now available to look up online.
Check it out
Upper West Side brownstone living with a huge private roof deck for $6.5K a month
November 5, 2018

Upper West Side brownstone living with a huge private roof deck for $6.5K a month

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Move-in ready is more than just a phrase in the case of this two-bedroom co-op at 126 West 80th Street in the Upper West Side. On a postcard-worthy brownstone street a block from the park, this equally charming floor-through may be up four flights, but you won't have to haul any furniture when you move in. For $6,500 a month, the space comes fully furnished, including a private outdoor terrace and monthly cleaning service to keep it all tidy.
Get a closer look
Follow this year’s autumn foliage in New York City’s oldest forest with NYBG’s live fall color cam

Image credit: Ben Hider via NYBG.

November 2, 2018

Follow this year’s autumn foliage in New York City’s oldest forest with NYBG’s live fall color cam

By
While New York City's brief autumn speeds by in the blink of an eye, the New York Botanical Garden can help make the most of the season's glory. The old-growth Thain Family Forest at the NYBG offers one of the region's best opportunities to view autumn's majestic hues via a live fall "color cam." Even better, you can experience the largest uncut expanse of New York’s original wooded landscape, walk long-ago Native American hunting trails and see marks left by glaciers shaded by trees that date back to the American Revolution with events happening on the NYBG's fall forest weekends this month.
More Autumn attractions and fall fun, this way
Upper East Side townhouse once home to Michael Jackson and Marc Chagall sells for $32M
November 2, 2018

Upper East Side townhouse once home to Michael Jackson and Marc Chagall sells for $32M

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The six-story Beaux-Arts mansion at 4 East 74th Street on the Upper East Side has been home to several prominent occupants throughout history from President Grover Cleveland’s law partner to artist Marc Chagall; Michael Jackson rented the house the '90s, and it served as the exterior of Nate Archibald’s residence in “Gossip Girl.” According to The New York Times and property records, the 16-room mansion sold in October for nearly $32 million.
Have a last look
Massive Tribeca loft with original Keith Haring mural gets a price chop to $10M

Image credit: Tim Waltman

November 2, 2018

Massive Tribeca loft with original Keith Haring mural gets a price chop to $10M

By
This 8,000 square-foot Tribeca triplex in the American Thread Building contains a unique New York City treasure: An original Keith Haring mural, made in 1978 during the late artist’s days at SVA when the space was a student gallery. But the massive loft is itself a treasure: Occupying the lower floors of the classic, landmarked building at 260 West Broadway–it was among the first of Tribeca’s luxury condo conversions–the loft combines modern finishes with pre-war authenticity, plus the amenities of a condominium. 6sqft featured the listing in 2016 when it was asking $13 million, which was apparently too steep for potential treasure-seekers. The home was just re-listed at $9.999 million.
Take another look
Madison Square Park Tower penthouse, now a triplex, back on the market for $77.7M

Image: Moso Studio

November 1, 2018

Madison Square Park Tower penthouse, now a triplex, back on the market for $77.7M

By
The penthouse atop the Flatiron District's tallest tower, Madison Square Park Tower at 45 East 22nd Street, has gained a floor and nearly doubled in price. The 7,000-square-foot duplex was listed in 2017 for $48 million. Now, Mansion Global reports, the stunning residence 777 feet above the ground has gained a floor, measures over 15,000 square feet and is about to return to the market at $77.7 million, making it one of the most expensive listings in the city.
Interiors and amazing views ahead
Historic Bronx General Post Office is for sale again after food market plans dissolve

Via Wikimedia

November 1, 2018

Historic Bronx General Post Office is for sale again after food market plans dissolve

By
The historic Bronx General Post Office on the Grand Concourse is once again for sale, Welcome2TheBronx reports. The familiar neighborhood landmark was purchased from the postal service in 2014 by developer Young Woo & Associates and the Bristol Group for $19 million, as 6sqft previously reported. After suggesting a new life for the 80+-year-old building as "a crossroads for community, commerce and culture" including a food market that could become a dining/drinking/shopping destination, the developer has put the building up for sale for an undisclosed price.
Find out more
Vornado releases new renderings of $200M Penn Plaza redevelopment
October 31, 2018

Vornado releases new renderings of $200M Penn Plaza redevelopment

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REIT Vornado Realty Trust expects to be starting work on the first phase of renovation at Pennsylvania Plaza before the end of this year according to CEO Steve Roth, The Real Deal reports. The $200 million "megacampus" redevelopment project plan for the 2.5 million-square-foot building at One Penn Plaza–including a double-height lobby–is expected to be completed in two years. In 2016 Vornado released renderings for Two Penn Plaza by starchitect Bjarke Ingels. New renderings were released Wednesday on the company's website.
See more renderings, this way
$775K Scandi-styled Prospect Heights co-op is move-in ready and expandable
October 30, 2018

$775K Scandi-styled Prospect Heights co-op is move-in ready and expandable

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This two-flight walk-up at 521 Dean Street in a prime spot in Brooklyn's Prospect Heights is ready for living, unless you want more space. Then the charming one-bedroom can easily become a two-bedroom with a new wall (its original configuration). Otherwise, the designer-renovated floor-through, asking $775,000, has plenty of sun, a wood-burning fireplace, exposed brick, and a subtle, cozy Scandinavian design.
Come on in, look around
Museum of Natural History expansion plans stalled by restraining order and lawsuit

Rendering via Studio Gang

October 30, 2018

Museum of Natural History expansion plans stalled by restraining order and lawsuit

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As 6sqft previously reported, last October the architects at Studio Gang tweaked their proposal for the American Museum of Natural History expansion to preserve more public parkland–and the Landmarks Preservation Commission unanimously approved the plans. Now, Curbed reports, those expansion plans have been put on hold after a temporary restraining order (TRO) was issued against the Richard Gilder Center for Science, Education and Innovation by New York State Supreme Court justice Lynn Kotler. The TRO follows a lawsuit filed by a community group that has been opposed to the expansion, saying it will destroy the park, cause trees to be removed and endanger the safety and environment surrounding the construction area.
How big a setback is this?
12-ton Norway spruce is headed for Rockefeller Center’s 2018 holiday HQ

The Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree-to-be in its birthplace in Walkill, New York.

October 30, 2018

12-ton Norway spruce is headed for Rockefeller Center’s 2018 holiday HQ

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That's right, it's not even Halloween yet, but the 2018 Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree has been selected and is now being groomed for duty as the centerpiece of New York City's treasured holiday tableau. The tree, a 72-foot Norway spruce, born and raised in Walkill, New York, is 45 feet in diameter and weighs about 12 tons. The tree will be lifted by crane onto Rockefeller Plaza on Saturday, November 10. After being wrapped with five miles of LED lights, the enormous evergreen will be crowned with a new Swarovski star designed by architect Daniel Libeskind for the free, public tree-lighting extravaganza happening this year on November 28.
Find out more
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