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.
$9.5M tricked-out Soho bachelor pad is a townhouse with condo benefits
February 14, 2018

$9.5M tricked-out Soho bachelor pad is a townhouse with condo benefits

By
The name is as flashy as its leather-wrapped walls and furnishings and smoked-glass kitchen:  Townhouse One at Soho Mews spans 3,855 square feet on two floors and offers five bedrooms and a discreet private entrance on Soho's bustling Wooster Street. Asking $9.5 million, this palatial "townhouse" gets access to the amenities of the stylish Soho Mews condominium at 311 West Broadway including a concierge, a gym and parking.
Get a closer look
The city will produce 500 affordable apartments across 87 hard-to-fill vacant lots

Image: Ed Reed/Mayoral Photography Office

February 14, 2018

The city will produce 500 affordable apartments across 87 hard-to-fill vacant lots

By
An announcement Tuesday by the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) gave lower-income New Yorkers lots to look forward to–literally. HPD Commissioner Maria Torres-Springer announced that nine development teams would be creating 490 affordable apartments and homeownership opportunities on 87 vacant lots through the department's New Infill Homeownership Opportunities Program (NIHOP) and Neighborhood Construction Program (NCP). The programs were designed specifically to unlock the potential of vacant lots long considered too small or irregular for traditional housing with innovative smaller homes, and develop more affordable housing on lots long used for parking at existing housing complexes. This latest round of development is the third and final in a series: The program has already seen the construction of over 600 affordable homes on 81 lots.
'No site has gone overlooked'
Historic Kips Bay townhouse with room to grow asks $4.3M
February 13, 2018

Historic Kips Bay townhouse with room to grow asks $4.3M

By
This mid-19th century townhouse in Manhattan's often overlooked neighborhood of Kips Bay might be a dime a dozen in a Brooklyn neighborhood like Cobble Hill. But in Midtown it's asking $4.3 million and it looks as cute as a button somehow. This four-story-plus-cellar Greek Revival-style (officially) three-family home sits on a pretty tree-lined residential street. At 18-inches wide its well-maintained and fetching façade is highlighted by custom contrasting shutters.
Tour the townhouse
Work for Google? Get a $1M discount on this $13M 7-story Chelsea townhouse
February 12, 2018

Work for Google? Get a $1M discount on this $13M 7-story Chelsea townhouse

By
In the heart of bustling and ever-expanding Chelsea, a seven-story, 6,500 square-foot new-construction townhouse stands seductively for sale at 338 West 15th Street. Listed for $13.395 million, the home represents a new kind of opportunity in more ways than one. In addition to being meticulously finished with the most luxurious materials available and possessed of endless space both indoors and outdoors, a $1 million discount is offered to a buyer who is an employee of Google. And that (not-so-) little extra perk for a potential Google buyer is intended as a celebration of the company's exciting expansion within the Chelsea neighborhood. And with more Google ownership in the neighborhood in the form of the just-purchased Chelsea Market (a $2.5 billion deal),  there could be a daily bonus of a seven-minute walk to work.
Get a look around
Pier 40 concept envisions an offshore apartment complex that allows for sea-level rise
February 12, 2018

Pier 40 concept envisions an offshore apartment complex that allows for sea-level rise

By
Local multidisciplinary creative firm DFA has come up with a concept for the rehabilitation of Manhattan's rapidly disintegrating Pier 40 that would provide housing and other services, but would also adapt to the predicted rising sea levels of future New York City. Dezeen reports on the firm's fascinating idea for a future-proof housing, commercial and recreation complex that rises from the Hudson River in the West Village and would be able to remain above water in the event of rising sea levels, while addressing the city's dire need for affordable housing and the ability to resist flooding as a result of climate change.
Find out more about the future-proof floating pier
See new photos of SHoP Architects’ Domino rental tower at 325 Kent

Photo: Adrian Gaut

February 9, 2018

See new photos of SHoP Architects’ Domino rental tower at 325 Kent

By
Now that the doughnut-shaped 16-story waterfront rental building at 325 Kent Avenue is nearly complete, you can take a look at some seductive new snaps of interiors and amenity spaces to see if it lives up to the hype. The first structure at the 11-acre Domino Sugar Factory site to open, the 522-unit riverfront tower brings something new to ogle to the famously rezoned Williamsburg neighborhood’s veritable city of glassy condo towers that surround the landmarked Refinery building.
More photos, yoga and food this way
$16M turreted Ansonia co-op combo is an Upper West Side opportunity for the ages
February 8, 2018

$16M turreted Ansonia co-op combo is an Upper West Side opportunity for the ages

By
For every micro apartment that steals headlines, it seems that New York City responds with a massive mega-mansion or sprawling sky palace to reassure anyone who craves a city apartment the size of a small city. This combination of four apartments in the historic Ansonia condominium residence at 2109 Broadway on the Upper West Side is the latest example (h/t Curbed). Four individual apartments await the possibilities, asking $16.185 million.  This is also a rare opportunity to a create a duplex, which would be one of only five in the building.
Get a peek at 5,700 square feet of historic Ansonia interiors
Joe Jonas and Sophie Turner house hunt in Annabelle Selldorf’s Bowlmor Lanes-replacing condo
February 8, 2018

Joe Jonas and Sophie Turner house hunt in Annabelle Selldorf’s Bowlmor Lanes-replacing condo

By
DNCE singer Joe Jonas and fiancee Sophie Turner, star of "Game of Thrones," were recently spotted having a look at a Greenwich Village home in the newly-minted Annabelle Selldorf-designed condos that notoriously replaced the former Bowlmor Lanes at 21 East 12th Street. The New York Post reports that the pair checked out a unit in the building's C-line, where two-bedroom homes span 2,028 square feet, priced between $5 and $6 million.
Get a closer look
Asking $1.5M, is this cute three-story townhouse the last great deal in Sunset Park?
February 7, 2018

Asking $1.5M, is this cute three-story townhouse the last great deal in Sunset Park?

By
While waterfront neighbor Red Hook was recently named Brooklyn's most expensive neighborhood despite the challenges it presents when it comes to public transportation, easy-to-reach Sunset Park remains slightly out of the spotlight despite steady investment and growth. Blocks of historic row houses have long ago left the realm of bargain buys, but there's still an air of the undiscovered. This three story, three-family, four-bedroom-plus-apartment property at 425 45th Street is a prime example of Sunset Park perfection, and at $1.5 million seems downright affordable given what the average two-bedroom apartment commands a mere two subway stops away.
Take the tour
This stylish Chelsea loft, asking $2.25M, is a standout in luxurious textures and moody hues
February 6, 2018

This stylish Chelsea loft, asking $2.25M, is a standout in luxurious textures and moody hues

By
From smooth marble to luxe leather in dark tones of charcoal and slate, this floor-through pad at 151 West 28th Street at the intersection of Chelsea, Nomad and the Flatiron Districts combines classic loft detail with modern design. At 1,800 square feet, you're getting a fair amount of space for $2.25 million; there are currently two bedrooms, an interior "bonus" room, and the opportunity to create closet and storage space. But there's so much open space you'll always know you're in a Manhattan loft.
Tour this elegant loft
Live on Bergen Street in Crown Heights North for $2,415 a month; lottery launches today

Photo courtesy of City View Living

February 6, 2018

Live on Bergen Street in Crown Heights North for $2,415 a month; lottery launches today

By
A housing lottery has launched for five newly-constructed middle-income units at 876 Bergen Street in the rapidly growing Crown Heights neighborhood of Brooklyn. The 8-story, 16-unit building is located near Classon Avenue surrounded by popular restaurants, bars and lots of public transportation options. Amenities include an outdoor garden, a rooftop lounge, 24-hour security cameras, a laundry room and bike storage. Qualifying New Yorkers earning 130 percent of the area median income can apply for one-bedroom apartments for $2,415/month.
Find out if you qualify
Sleek and edgy Broken Angel House-replacing condo in Clinton Hill asks $1.5M
February 5, 2018

Sleek and edgy Broken Angel House-replacing condo in Clinton Hill asks $1.5M

By
This top-floor two-bedroom condominium at 4 Downing Street in Clinton Hill, we're told, is "an iconic turn of the century building recently completely reimagined and overhauled as a boutique condominium." Said overhaul was undertaken in 2015 by Barrett Design and Development on what was previously the indeed-iconic Broken Angel House, once among Brooklyn’s most unique landmarks. Artist Arthur Wood purchased the original tenement building in 1979 for $2,000 and subsequently transformed it into a whimsical, livable sculpture, complete with stained glass windows made from bottles and glass, a cathedral-like glass addition, and brick wings. It was also the backdrop for the documentary "Dave Chappelle’s Block Party." The two-bedroom unit is on the market for $1.55 million; it was purchased as new construction two years ago for $1.42 million.
Take a look
Affordable senior housing lottery launches at Staten Island’s Seaview Site C in Todt Hill

Via Douglaston Development

February 5, 2018

Affordable senior housing lottery launches at Staten Island’s Seaview Site C in Todt Hill

By
New York City Seniors now have more options in the five boroughs as the lottery launches today for Staten Island's Seaview Site C, comprised of 160 newly-constructed units at 155-175 Friendship Lane in the Todt Hill neighborhood. The Douglaston Development project is exclusively for low-income senior citizens and consists of 82 studios, 78 one-bedroom apartments, and a resident manager’s unit. Amenities include an indoor common area, outdoor patio, laundry room, and on-site parking.
Find out more
For $2.8M, a sustainable Tribeca loft with wall tiles made of recycled car parts
February 2, 2018

For $2.8M, a sustainable Tribeca loft with wall tiles made of recycled car parts

By
Even at first glance this architect-designed loft in Tribeca's City Hall Tower at 258 Broadway seems to have all the best elements of downtown loft living: Beneath 14-foot ceilings, walls of windows wrap the space for views of City Hall Park and the neighborhood below, and a mezzanine level offers more sleeping and living room. But this $2.8 million co-op's secret superpower is sustainability, from walls of recycled post-industrial denim insulation and sound isolation to 100 percent VOC-free YOLO paint.
Have a look around this amazing loft
Apply for a mixed-income apartment in a glassy new Hudson Yards tower, from $613/month

Photo: CityRealty

February 2, 2018

Apply for a mixed-income apartment in a glassy new Hudson Yards tower, from $613/month

By
CityRealty recently reported on the progress of the under-construction rental building at 515 West 36th Street, bringing us snapshots of the 39-story Midtown West tower, which topped out over the summer; next to arrive was its sleek glass facade. The mixed-use building will contain 250 rental units upon completion. A lottery launched today for 63 of those units set aside as low- and middle-income studios, one- and two-bedroom apartments. Qualifying New Yorkers earning 40, 60 and 130 percent of the area median income can apply for units ranging from $613/month studios to $2,733/month two-bedrooms.
Find out if you qualify
NYC has the world’s second highest concentration of tall towers

Image: Michael Vadon via Flickr

February 1, 2018

NYC has the world’s second highest concentration of tall towers

By
In 1962, nine of the world’s tallest buildings were south of 59th Street in Manhattan–and things hadn't changed much by 1981 when five of the tallest towers were concentrated on the same tiny island, which, with Chicago's three, gave the U.S. nine of the world's top 10 tallest skyscrapers. If you added Toronto's entry that made 10. Today, the only U.S. entry the top ten is lower Manhattan's One World Trade Center. This same tiny island though, is still number two in the world when it comes to concentration of tall towers.
Check out the infographic
Jemima Kirke is selling her luxuriously bohemian Carroll Gardens townhouse for $4.5M
February 1, 2018

Jemima Kirke is selling her luxuriously bohemian Carroll Gardens townhouse for $4.5M

By
"Girls" star and rock royalty Jemima Kirke has just listed her boho-chic Brooklyn brownstone, according to WWD. The 19th-century townhouse at 408 Clinton Street in photogenic Carroll Gardens has been restored and decor-ed to luxurious hippie-glam perfection by popular architect Richard H. Lewis and now seeks a buyer for $4.5 million.
Take the tour
Live in ‘Imperial’ style next door to the Carlyle on the Upper East Side for $1.65M
January 31, 2018

Live in ‘Imperial’ style next door to the Carlyle on the Upper East Side for $1.65M

By
When modern renovations happen to grand pre-war homes on the Upper East Side, the result is often predictable at best, or over-the-top and garish. This lofty two-bedroom co-op at 55 East 76th Street in an 1883 Neo-Grec brownstone known as the Imperial is definitely an exception. Acclaimed contemporary architect Louise Braverman was able to combine the sleekness of a modern loft and the elegance of pre-war architecture seamlessly in this unique home in a classic uptown setting. The co-op is asking $1.65 million with the opportunity to combine it with unit #12 at $3.63M for the pair.
See more of this elegant apartment
Union Square tech hubbub heats up ahead of public review date with mayor’s latest rezoning bid

Rendering via NYCEDC

January 30, 2018

Union Square tech hubbub heats up ahead of public review date with mayor’s latest rezoning bid

By
In what may be shaping up to be one of New York City's biggest preservation battles of the coming year, Mayor Bill de Blasio's application Monday for a rezoning in order to move forward with a proposed tech hub at 124 East 14th Street in Union Square led neighborhood preservation and affordable housing groups to escalate cries of protest. Community organizations, including the Cooper Square Committee and the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation (GVSHP), restated the urgent need for assurance that rezoning would come with protections for the adjacent residential neighborhood. Preservationists fear the creation of a new "Silicon Alley" near Union Square will bring rent hikes and more condo and office towers. The proposed tech center, which the mayor hopes will nurture budding entrepreneurs in the technology field and bring over 600 jobs to New Yorkers, is planned at the site of a P.C. Richard & Son store, in an area already filled with new developments with more on the way.
Find out more
$8.5K/month Chelsea duplex has a sweet roof deck and plenty of character
January 29, 2018

$8.5K/month Chelsea duplex has a sweet roof deck and plenty of character

By
Right from the beginning you'll feel fortunate–if  you can swing the $8,495 a month rent–living in this charming townhouse condominium at 360 West 19th Street: You'll only have one neighbor, as the building only contains two units. Two sun-filled upper floors hold the standard townhouse bounty of three bedrooms above a spacious living area, plus a private roof deck, all on a pretty Chelsea block.
Tour the duplex
Two new Grand Street Guild towers will bring 400 all-affordable units to the Lower East Side

Proposed site; Image via Google Maps.

January 29, 2018

Two new Grand Street Guild towers will bring 400 all-affordable units to the Lower East Side

By
Housing organization Grand Street Guild has announced plans to build two 15-story towers as part of a 100 percent affordable housing project that will bring 400 new apartments–including over 150 reserved for seniors–to the Lower East Side. The not-for-profit group, which was formed by the Archdiocese of New York, is the owner of the 26-story Grand Street Guild towers, built in 1973 and home to over 1,500 residents, that surround St. Mary's Church on Grand Street. According to The Lo-Down, one of the proposed sites for the new towers is the corner of Broome and Clinton streets (now a parking garage) and another is 151 Broome Street, currently housing the Little Star Daycare Center.
Find out more
$9M Upper East Side duplex is dressed up like a Park Avenue socialite
January 26, 2018

$9M Upper East Side duplex is dressed up like a Park Avenue socialite

By
Besides being an architectural gem, designed by William Alciphron Boring and completed in 1911, 521 Park Avenue is the rare classic pre-war Upper East Side building that's also a condominium (it was converted in 1987). This sprawling duplex is the result of a high-floor two-unit combo. The resulting 3,000+ square-foot corner apartment has as much space and impressive pre-war detail as you'd expect from an address like this one.
Take a look
In Clinton Hill, two Brooklyn Home Company-designed carriage houses ask $3.4M apiece
January 25, 2018

In Clinton Hill, two Brooklyn Home Company-designed carriage houses ask $3.4M apiece

By
We love the uniqueness of restored 19th century carriage houses, in part because we don't see them on the market as often as standard-issue townhouses. In this case you get two chances at owning one: Adjacent carriage houses at 409 and 411 Vanderbilt Avenue in Clinton Hill just emerged from top-to-toe renovations by designer fix-and-flip favorites The Brooklyn Home Company. They're up for sale for $3.4 million and $3.35 million, respectively.
See double, take the tours
Pitch a story icon

Pitch a Story

We love to hear from you!

"*" indicates required fields

Interested in seeing the property in person?

It’s free, with no obligation.

CityRealty Logo

"*" indicates required fields

or Call (212) 755-5544

Interested in seeing the property in person?

It’s free, with no obligation.

CityRealty Logo

Distinctive Post Form

"*" indicates required fields

or Call (212) 755-5544
Contact us image

Get in Touch

We love to hear from you!

"*" indicates required fields

Send us a tip image
Delivering New York stories focused on design, lifestyle & real estate.

Send us a Tip

We love to hear from you!

"*" indicates required fields

Interesting in learning more about purchasing a new home?

Let us know what you are looking for and we’ll help you find the home of your dreams. It’s free, with no obligation.

CityRealty Logo
or Call (212) 755-5544

Thinking about selling your home?

We’ll provide current market comps and connect you with a trusted expert.

CityRealty Logo

Sell a Home (Footer)

"*" indicates required fields

or Call (212) 755-5544

Before You Move On
from this Page.

Subscribe for NYC's Lastest Design, Lifestyle,
and Real Estate Trends!

No Worries. We Don’t Spam.

By providing your email address, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
You can unsubscribe at any time.

Your Daily Dose
of NYC Life!

No Worries. We Don’t Spam.

By providing your email address, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
You can unsubscribe at any time.