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.
London housing pioneer will bring NYC’s largest co-living location to Brooklyn

The Collective Old Oak in West London.

October 16, 2018

London housing pioneer will bring NYC’s largest co-living location to Brooklyn

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6sqft has checked in periodically to track the progress of co-living brands like Common and a foray into what some call "adult dorms" by co-working giant WeWork. Now, lifestyle and housing brand The Collective, the London-based creator of the world's biggest co-living community, has announced plans for a New York City flagship in Brooklyn at the border between Williamsburg and Bushwick at 555 Broadway.
When can we move in?
High-end shops compete for space in Williamsburg as North 6th rivals Bedford as the main drag

Toby’s Estate cafe and roastery on North 6th Street. Photo by James and Karla Murray exclusively for 6sqft.

October 16, 2018

High-end shops compete for space in Williamsburg as North 6th rivals Bedford as the main drag

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It started with Bedford Avenue. Whether you called it Williamsburg 3.0 or the New Brooklyn or any number of monikers signifying the North Brooklyn neighborhood's ascent to the international hall of coolest–and priciest–neighborhood fame, that avenue was its anchor. A Whole Foods and an Apple store soon followed. And, inevitably, as businesses flocked to the surrounding streets, the clear hegemony of Bedford began to become less evident even if its tourist population continued to grow. Now, the New York Post hails North Sixth Street, longtime home of anchor condo The Edge and more recently a growing host of retail chain shops, as the top contender.
The new 34th Street?
This $8.8M Park Slope limestone beauty was in ‘Boardwalk Empire’ and ‘The Age of Innocence’
October 16, 2018

This $8.8M Park Slope limestone beauty was in ‘Boardwalk Empire’ and ‘The Age of Innocence’

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Even in a neighborhood of grand and spectacular homes, 108 8th Avenue is a standout. The Park Slope townhouse has the scale and level of stunning historic detail that is, as the listing boasts, rarely found in a private home. It is also quietly possessed of  21st-century luxuries like central air and meticulously tended outdoor spaces, making it an even rarer gem that's now on the market for the first time in decades, asking $$8.8 million. Built in 1900, this limestone-clad mansion has a wealth of historic details like filigreed mahogany woodwork, original wood floors, delicately carved mantels and stained glass from world-renowned artists. Martin Scorcese's "The Age of Innocence" and HBO's "Boardwalk Empire" have made use of this opulent home to capture the essence of gracious living from a bygone era.
Take the grand tour
15 Hudson Yards reveals model home with shoppable interiors by Neiman Marcus fashion director
October 15, 2018

15 Hudson Yards reveals model home with shoppable interiors by Neiman Marcus fashion director

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The first phase of the Hudson Yards megaproject, including the public square and gardens and its centerpiece, Vessel, as well as The Shops & Restaurants at Hudson Yards, which will be anchored by NYC's first Neiman Marcus store, is preparing to open this March. Now, Fifteen Hudson Yards has announced that that Neiman Marcus fashion director Ken Downing has designed and styled the interiors for a new model home at the 88-story luxury condominium. Furthering the connection between the upper-crust department store and the development's high-end aspirations is a freshly-launched Neiman Marcus microsite that will allow people to purchase select items in the residence.
Interiors you can buy, this way
The Village’s beloved pink townhouse lists as an $11M fixer-upper
October 15, 2018

The Village’s beloved pink townhouse lists as an $11M fixer-upper

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Often noted for its unusual studio window and bright coral hue, the five-story townhouse at 114 Waverly Place was built in 1826 as part of a row of nine houses constructed for Thomas R. Mercein, who was at the time city comptroller and president of New York Equitable Fire Insurance Company. A dramatic overhaul in 1920 designed by William Sanger for portrait painter Murray P. Bewley is responsible for the building's quirkier design elements, which are credited to a German Expressionist style known as Jugendstil, a mix of English Art Nouveau and Japanese applied arts. This unusual Village house is now on the market for $11 million–with a few caveats.
Check it out
Coney Island’s ‘Miami-inspired’ Ocean Dreams rental project tops out

Developer John Catsimatidis hopes the Ocean Dreams project will eventually include three more towers, which require city approval. Rendering by Pace/Hill West Architects

October 15, 2018

Coney Island’s ‘Miami-inspired’ Ocean Dreams rental project tops out

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Last spring, 6sqft revealed new renderings of grocery store king (Red Apple, Gristede's) John Catsimatidis' 425-unit Coney Island rental project at 3514 Surf Avenue known as Ocean Dreams. According to The Real Deal, Catsimatidis’ Red Apple Group secured a construction loan for $130 million from Bank of America for the project back in June. Now, the New York Times has reported that the pair of 21-story luxury apartment towers overlooking the Atlantic on the island's western end has topped out and is scheduled to open next summer.
Find out more
$8M mansion is a ‘waterfront Mediterranean villa’ in Queens
October 11, 2018

$8M mansion is a ‘waterfront Mediterranean villa’ in Queens

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On the gilded coast of Queens along the East River in Beechhurst, just north of Whitestone, this 10,000-square-foot manse is asking $7.988 million. At the end of a quiet waterfront street where you might find an angler's retreat, behold instead this Mediterranean-style villa complete with an elevator, a four-car garage, a Florida room, a 20-foot mahogany foyer, a magnificent crystal chandelier, a fabulous pool, a dock for a 60-foot boat and a full outdoor kitchen. All in a gated community, natch. Did we forget the gazebo?
Take a fascinating $8M tour
New coalition forms to push for LaGuardia AirTrain
October 11, 2018

New coalition forms to push for LaGuardia AirTrain

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More than a dozen organizations have joined together to form A Better Way to LGA in support of Governor Andrew Cuomo’s proposed AirTrain to LaGuardia Airport (AirTrain LGA). Comprised of community members, economic development groups, transportation advocates, unionized labor, civic stakeholders, and local business leader, the coalition beleives that it is essential to create a viable transit alternative for LaGuardia Airport travelers and workers. The coalition is co-chaired by the Queens Chamber of Commerce, the Association for a Better New York, and the New York Building Congress. The group emphasized in a press release announcing their launch that LaGuardia is the only major East Coast airport without a direct rail connection, despite the fact that LaGuardia Airport is currently undergoing an $8 billion complete renovation.
Why ride the train?
City will spend $250M+ connecting and greening 32 miles of Manhattan waterfront

Concept rendering of Harlem River Greenway Link view toward RFK Bridge.

October 11, 2018

City will spend $250M+ connecting and greening 32 miles of Manhattan waterfront

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The NYCEDC, the NYC Parks department and NYC DOT announced today the results of a study on how to close the 32-mile loop of the Manhattan Waterfront Greenway along with plans to invest over $250 million to get the project started in Inwood, Harlem, East Harlem and Midtown. The Manhattan Waterfront Greenway announcement outlines a strategy for connecting open waterfront spaces that total over 1,000 acres that will add about 15 acres of quality open space and integrate the Greenway into surrounding neighborhoods.
Find out more
For $895K, this architect-designed co-op is the picture of West Village chic
October 10, 2018

For $895K, this architect-designed co-op is the picture of West Village chic

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Tucked into one of New York City's most charm-filled and sought-after neighborhoods among the boutiques and bistros of the West Village, this compact one-bedroom co-op at 713 Washington Street has sophistication and style that set it apart from the average cookie-cutter flat. Architect-designed and renovated, this downtown walk-up (only two flights) makes use of every inch of livable space and looks good doing it.
See more, this way
Find out just how much sunlight any building in NYC gets
October 10, 2018

Find out just how much sunlight any building in NYC gets

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Natural light is at the top of the list when New Yorkers think about a building's livability. Recently at the Municipal Art Society Summit for New York City, Localize.city, an AI powered website that provides insights about every address in New York City, unveiled a shade analysis for every building in the five boroughs. The site's creators say the analysis gives NYC home hunters a way to really determine just how much light any given address gets.
More sunlight and shadows, this way
Get a peek at the new sculpture garden going up next to Zaha Hadid’s High Line condo
October 10, 2018

Get a peek at the new sculpture garden going up next to Zaha Hadid’s High Line condo

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Back in May 6sqft reported on plans for the 15 new gallery spaces in the works next to the Zaha Hadid-designed condo at 520 West 28th Street along the High Line, with the Paul Kasmin Gallery to anchor the project, which will expand into a 5,000-square-foot space with a sculpture garden designed by Future Green on its roof. With the official opening of the new building and inaugural exhibitions of works by Walton Ford and Joel Shapiro come new photos of the gallery and of the sculpture garden being installed.
More photos this way
1823 Greek Revival manor on the Hudson offers life the way it used to be for $1.7M
October 9, 2018

1823 Greek Revival manor on the Hudson offers life the way it used to be for $1.7M

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On the Hudson River in Athens, N.Y., the grounds of this 1823 Greek Revival manor touch the water's edge, with 350 feet of rare riparian (riverbank) rights included. In pristine condition and surrounded by park-like grounds and gardens, this fine example of timeless architecture, asking $1.7 million, offers a chance to remember a past era in a home equipped for modern living (h/t CIRCA).
Take the grand historic tour
$6,250/month loft shows the state of today’s Lower East Side
October 9, 2018

$6,250/month loft shows the state of today’s Lower East Side

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This 1,400-square-foot open loft space is located in the heart of the historic, iconic and fun Lower East Side at the corner of Eldridge and Rivington Streets at 193 Eldridge Street; the neighborhood was, a couple of decades ago, a relative bargain, rent-wise, when it was a diverse and low-key stomping ground for downtown rockers and punks. A complicated evolution of New York City's neighborhoods means the area now counts itself among downtown Manhattan's chicest and priciest, and this narrow but sunny third-floor walk-up loft above a former dance hall, with one existing bedroom area, is a condominium that's asking $6,250 a month in rent.
Get a closer look
Governor Cuomo says controversial Columbus monument will get historic listing

Photos via Public Domain Pictures and Flickr cc

October 9, 2018

Governor Cuomo says controversial Columbus monument will get historic listing

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Photos via Public Domain Pictures and Flickr cc Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced yesterday that New York City's Central Park-adjacent monument to Christopher Columbus has been listed on the State Register of Historic Places by the New York State Board for Historic Preservation. Cuomo also recommended the 76-foot rostral column statue, erected in 1892 by the city's Italian-American community, for listing in the National Register of Historic Places. The statue was the subject of controversy earlier this year after violent white supremacist groups in Charlottesville, Virgina protested the city’s plan to remove a statue of Robert E. Lee. Mayor Bill De Blasio announced the statue would remain, following a 90-day review of the city’s monuments by a mayoral advisory commission.
Find out more
$4.25M Upper East Side ‘classic 8’ has European flair and a French connection
October 8, 2018

$4.25M Upper East Side ‘classic 8’ has European flair and a French connection

By
On an historic and typically lovely tree-lined Upper East Side block between Park and Lexington Avenues, this sprawling 2,400-square-foot duplex co-op at 125 East 74th Street is as elegant and old-school as it gets, with modern interiors and laid-back charm. The listing points out the "European style and flair" of this classic eight, asking $4.25 million, with four bedrooms upstairs and plenty of entertaining space below; according to records, the home's current owner is Charlotte Sarkozy, ex-wife of Mary Kate Olsen's husband, financier Olivier Sarkozy (who is also former French President Nicolas Sarkozy's half-brother). As if that weren't enough of a pedigree, the building was also Jackie Onassis' childhood home.
Regardez ceci
2018’s best NYC neighborhoods for Halloween trick-or-treating

Trick-or-treating in Brooklyn, via Flickr cc

October 8, 2018

2018’s best NYC neighborhoods for Halloween trick-or-treating

By
Once again this year, in addition to the annual Village Halloween Parade, October 31st promises to bring out a veritable parade of pint-sized, adorably costumed youngsters hell-bent on scoring treats and scaring parents and each other. While urban trick-or-treating is nothing like the suburban version, it has its perks (apartment buildings can be like hitting the jackpot)–and its fair share of friendly neighbors, stores, businesses and neighborhood events. Technology–local-social site Nextdoor has a trick-or-treat map that neighbors can add themselves to if they're handing out candy–makes things easier and safer. Like so many other topics, New Yorkers love to argue over which neighborhoods offer the best bounty. Below are a few picks among the least tricky with the best treats.
Where the treats are this Halloween
For $1.7M this designer-renovated Kensington townhouse is a gorgeous condo alternative
October 8, 2018

For $1.7M this designer-renovated Kensington townhouse is a gorgeous condo alternative

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Located on a tree-lined block in Brooklyn's Kensington neighborhood at 214 East 9th Street, a short walk from Prospect Park and near the Beverley Road Q subway, this single-family townhouse is the picture of considered design. Framed by turn-of-the-century bones, the home's four floors–including the fully-finished basement–have been given a modern renovation that's as livable as it is pretty. The four-bedroom house is for sale by its owners–professional designer/developers who have lived in the home since purchasing it in 2015 for $780,000.
Take a look at what good design can do
New renderings show Vornado’s Pompidou Center-like office plans for Chelsea

260 Eleventh Avenue expansion (Vornado Realty Trust)

October 5, 2018

New renderings show Vornado’s Pompidou Center-like office plans for Chelsea

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A high-tech future awaits the 235,000-square-foot building at 260 Eleventh Avenue that served as headquarters for the iconic Otis Elevator company from its construction in 1911 until the company's move to midtown 1974. For the site's next life, REIT Vornado Realty Trust plans to renovate and expand the property, which they purchased in 2015, for commercial tenants. Now, CityRealty reports, a trio of renderings from Vornado's latest investor report provide a peek at the planned design overhaul by British architect Richard Rogers. Evoking the "inside-out" structure of the Pompidou Center in Paris and the high-tech Lloyd's of London building, the new addition displays exposed structural and circulation systems and a multi-story atrium beneath glass-enclosed floors.
More Renderings this way
$5.5M West Village townhouse offers location, history, charm–and income potential
September 26, 2018

$5.5M West Village townhouse offers location, history, charm–and income potential

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In an especially photogenic corner of the uber-desirable West Village where Hudson Street meets Jane Street, this classic townhouse at 613 Hudson Street boasts direct views of Abingdon Square Park. Asking $5.45 million, this 20-foot-wide four-and-a-half story home has elegant historic details befitting an 1842 townhouse and stylish modern updates to the kitchen and baths. It also has commercial zoning–something most townhomes don't offer–for added options.
More West Village townhouse goodness this way
NYC chefs bring giant food hall to Eero Saarinen’s Bell Labs building in suburban NJ

Photo: Lapeg Photo

September 26, 2018

NYC chefs bring giant food hall to Eero Saarinen’s Bell Labs building in suburban NJ

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Symbolic of the future-happy post-war era, Bell Labs, the research and development center for telecom giant AT&T, was one of Finnish architect and industrial designer Eero Saarinen’s architectural masterpieces, though his iconic TWA Flight Center may be better known. The two-million-square-foot modernist cube, built in 1962–the architect passed away in 1961 before it was completed—made a statement in the quiet suburban scenery. Within, scientists made famous discoveries and won Nobel Prizes. As the centuries changed, 2007 saw the end of era when Bell Labs shuttered. After American ambitions shifted from science to snacking, a seasoned culinary squad was tapped by RBC Hospitality Group, Eater reports, to bring the winning formula of sushi, pizza, sandwiches, pastries and grain bowls to the historic building in the 'burbs.
So, what's on the menu?
The Frick will take over the Breuer building from the Met

The Met Breuer. Image courtesy of the Metropolitan Museum.

September 26, 2018

The Frick will take over the Breuer building from the Met

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It was announced Friday that the Met Museum would lease the Breuer building to the Frick, the New York Times reports. According to an agreement between the two venerable art institutions, the Metropolitan Museum of Art will likely sign the Met Breuer on Madison Avenue over to the Frick Collection beginning in 2020. Doing so would allow the in-debt Met to free itself of the last three years of an eight-year lease and an $18 million annual expense and enable it to put funds toward improving the modern and contemporary galleries at its Fifth Avenue flagship. Likewise, the Frick would have a suitable temporary home while the Gilded Age mansion that it inhabits is being renovated.
Find out more
$3M Victorian gem in Prospect Park South is blessed with gorgeous details and outdoor space
September 25, 2018

$3M Victorian gem in Prospect Park South is blessed with gorgeous details and outdoor space

By
Just under $3 million may seem steep for a house in Prospect Park South, but–in addition to being three blocks from the park–this beautifully preserved 1901 townhouse at 214 Marlborough Road is likely someone's Victorian Flatbush dream come true. The rambling and colorful home was designed by Benjamin Dreisler, who was among the area's most prominent architects of the day. Nearly 4,000 square feet provides room for seven bedrooms and grand living spaces, and there's a finished basement in addition. The home's millwork and moldings are among the neighborhood's finest–and in this neighborhood that's saying a lot.
Get a closer look
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