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.
‘American Horror Story’ actor Denis O’Hare lists Fort Greene carriage house condo for $1.6M
September 18, 2017

‘American Horror Story’ actor Denis O’Hare lists Fort Greene carriage house condo for $1.6M

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Actor Denis O'Hare might be known for taking roles in creepy shows like "American Horror Story" and "True Blood," but his Fort Greene home is anything but. He bought the unique duplex at 159 Carlton Avenue, a landmarked 2,015-square-foot carriage house that was once the Feuchtwanger Stable, for just $175,000 in 1998 when he was still acting on Broadway (h/t WSJ). Over the past 19 years, his husband, interior designer Hugo Redwood, completely renovated the condo, preserving its amazing arched windows that once allowed horses and carriages to enter but creating a more open, loft-like space. And it's now on the market for $1,595,000.
Check out the layout
Asking $7.8M, this 1845 West Village townhouse has been renovated and decorated with timeless style
September 17, 2017

Asking $7.8M, this 1845 West Village townhouse has been renovated and decorated with timeless style

By
The kitchen may be in the cellar, but this 2,400-square-foot townhouse at 154 West 11th Street in the lovely western reaches of Greenwich Village keeps every inch of interior space clean, bright and airy. At 20 feet wide with three (legit) floors, it's understandable why so much thought was put into making sure space was used wisely. Built in 1845 and surrounded by its historic brethren in the Greenwich Village Historic District, the three-bedroom home has been lovingly restored and made ready for modern family life from to its walnut-stained oak floors and four wood-burning fireplaces to its charming garden.
Explore every floor
Explore 1980s NYC street by street with this interactive map

The East Village in the 1980s

September 15, 2017

Explore 1980s NYC street by street with this interactive map

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From Broadway to Bowery, 1980s New York City was a very different place compared to today's manicured metropolis. Courtesy of Maps Mania, the 80s.NYC street map picks up where the Finance Department of New York City left off. In the mid ‘80s the bureau photographed every single building in the five boroughs in order to accurately assess building taxes and estimate property taxes. Brandon Liu and Jeremy Lechtzin have finessed this trove of photographic information into a nifty map that allows users to travel the city's streets in the bad old 1980s with a map-based street view for an easy-to-browse glimpse of the streetscape 30 years ago. You can browse by location by clicking anywhere on the map for vintage street views on that spot, or type in an address. For more context there are curated “stories” that provide historical background where it’s available (and interesting).
Check out the map
Billionaire sports team owner gets $17M discount on Upper East Side mega-mansion
September 14, 2017

Billionaire sports team owner gets $17M discount on Upper East Side mega-mansion

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A massive Upper East Side single-family townhouse at 50 East 69th Street was just wrestled off the market for an equally monumental $45 million, sources have told the New York Post. Joshua Harris, co-founder of Apollo Global Management, owner of the Philadelphia 76ers and part owner of the NHL’s New Jersey Devils, just bought the 21,070-square-foot house, which was listed at $72 million last September and reduced to $59 million in June. The 44-foot-wide limestone-clad building, known as the Dommerich Mansion, was built in 1917 in a neo-French classic style by architect Henry C. Pelton for Otto Louis Dommerich, who ran his family's family cotton business. It was most recently being used as a cosmetic surgery facility.
More details this way
Everything about this $495K Yorkville co-op is done just right–including the price
September 14, 2017

Everything about this $495K Yorkville co-op is done just right–including the price

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This adorable one-bedroom co-op at 326 East 73rd Street shows what designer talent can do for a small apartment. High ceilings, white oak floors, and a great Upper East Side location don't hurt matters much, while the stylish and well-appointed kitchen, elegant lighting, and reclaimed wood accents make this space seem like a find indeed. There are also quartz countertops, glass French doors, big closets, and plenty of sun to enjoy, and we're guessing a new owner will be doing just that, very soon.
More small-space style, this way
Barry Diller pulls the plug on $250M Pier 55 offshore park

Photo: Pier 55, Inc./Heatherwick Studio.

September 14, 2017

Barry Diller pulls the plug on $250M Pier 55 offshore park

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Barry Diller, the billionaire chairman of IAC, announced he's killing the $250 million project that promised to bring a futuristic offshore park and cultural site to the Hudson River's dilapidated Pier 54. 6sqft previously covered the unfolding saga of the ill-fated project, known as Pier 55 (or sometimes as "Diller Park"), as opposing factions continually blocked its progress and were eventually revealed to be funded by prominent New York real estate developer Douglas Durst. According to the New York Times, Diller said Wednesday that his commitment to build the undulating pier would be coming to an end—an inglorious one for a bold plan that some, and certainly Diller himself, saw as a new Manhattan waterfront icon to rival the nearby High Line.
Find out more
First look at the 2017 Open House New York sites!
September 13, 2017

First look at the 2017 Open House New York sites!

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If you love architecture and urban design from historic to contemporary, there has never been a better time to join Open House New York for a rare weekend of access to typically off limits sites. Celebrating its 15th anniversary, this year’s OHNY will take place on Saturday, October 14 and Sunday, October 15, opening up more than 200 buildings and projects across the five boroughs for tours and talks with architects, urban planners, preservationists, and city leaders. OHNY has just released a sneak preview of the program, which includes a tour of  SHoP Architects' American Copper Buildings and their iconic skybridge, a peek inside the artifacts and archival gems at the New York Transit Museum Archives, the Bridge at Cornell Tech at the university's new Roosevelt Island Campus, and the new global headquarters of West Elm.
This way for a sneak peak at what’s in store this year for OHNY
‘Rat Academy’ will teach Upper West Siders how to keep the neighborhood rodent-free
September 12, 2017

‘Rat Academy’ will teach Upper West Siders how to keep the neighborhood rodent-free

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With a new school year underway, Upper West Siders now have another chance to sign up for one of the city’s many rigorous academic opportunities. Councilmember Helen Rosenthal and Community Board 7 will be hosting a “Rat Academy” on September 28 to instruct and inspire building owners, supers, management companies and businesses on how to keep the neighborhood rodent-free, according to Time Out. The Department of Health will be on hand to outline safe and effective methods of curbing the subject of a recent West Side Rag rant that lamented "being overrun by rats in and around the entrance on 83rd Street and Riverside Drive.”
No rat left behind, find out more
From gallery to solarium, $5.2M West Side condo takes classic Manhattan into the 21st century
September 12, 2017

From gallery to solarium, $5.2M West Side condo takes classic Manhattan into the 21st century

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This Parc Vendome apartment at 350 West 57th Street embodied a certain classic New York style long before West Midtown became Billionaires’ Row, when nearby Hell’s Kitchen was still a colorful jumble of old and new. The bright, pristine space rivals any in 21st century Manhattan when it comes taking art collecting and entertaining seriously, with a 27-foot gallery and a solarium as just a sampling of its enviable features, making the 2,600-square-foot unit’s $5.2 million ask seems like a deal.
Tour this classic four-bedroom beauty
News journalist Linda Ellerbee lists her historic West Village townhouse for $10.75M
September 11, 2017

News journalist Linda Ellerbee lists her historic West Village townhouse for $10.75M

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After finding this incredible townhouse at 17 Saint Luke's Place–one of 15 identical Italianate row houses built in the 1850s on land owned by the Trinity Church--in the New York Times real estate section 40+ years ago, legendary journalist Linda Ellerbee knew she had to have it, even though it was above her budget. "I bought the house 30 minutes after touring it," she told LL NYC. "It was like every movie I had ever seen growing up about what it was like to live in Greenwich Village in a brownstone." But now that her children are grown and she plans to spend most of her time in the Berkshires and Puerto Vallarta, she's decided to list the well-renovated and well-preserved home for $10.75 million.
See what's upstairs and downstairs
David Rockefeller’s 75-acre Westchester estate asks $22M
September 11, 2017

David Rockefeller’s 75-acre Westchester estate asks $22M

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Some call it the end of an era of understated wealth. David Rockefeller, philanthropist, art collector and former CEO of Chase Manhattan bank–and the last surviving grandson of oil baron John D. Rockefeller–died in March at the age of 101. His properties have been up for sale since then, including his legendary art collection featuring works by Matisse, Cezanne, Gauguin, Seurat, and Picasso that headed for auction at Christie’s, his Upper East Side townhouse with an ask of $33 million and a retreat in Maine asking $19 million. The billionaire’s treasured Westchester estate, Hudson Pines, has just been listed at $22 million. Only 45 minutes from New York City, the property, which was home to the aforementioned art collection as well as the owner's antique carriage collection and his collection of 250,000 beetle specimens–Rockefeller was an avid entomologist–seems a world away from the bustle of daily life.
Find out more about this magical estate
‘Uncle Sam’ may have been born in Brooklyn instead of upstate
September 7, 2017

‘Uncle Sam’ may have been born in Brooklyn instead of upstate

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September 7th is often credited with being the date, in 1813, that the United States received its moniker Uncle Sam. It's said that upstate New York butcher Samuel Wilson was the real-life inspiration behind the unofficial “human face” of the U.S. Government. The Troy, NY butcher supposedly stamped cuts of meat he delivered to American troops during the War of 1812 with the initials “U.S.” But the NY Times tells us that a Nebraska professor who has been tracing the origin of the top-hatted elder statesman has turned up an earlier reference. History professor and War of 1812 expert Donald R. Hickey from Wayne State College brings the origin of Uncle Sam back to New York City–the nation’s first capital–and a young midshipman’s use of the Navy slang of the day.
So what's the Brooklyn story?
Fort Greene brownstone co-op with a private roof deck is a deal at $949K
September 7, 2017

Fort Greene brownstone co-op with a private roof deck is a deal at $949K

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On a picture-perfect block in the heart of historic Fort Greene, this brownstone co-op is both lovely and livable–with two bedrooms and plenty of pre-war charm–for under $1 million. Located at 154 Lafayette Avenue and currently listed at $949,000, this quintessential Brooklyn home is only two flights up from the stoop and has the added bonus of a private rooftop deck.
Take a look around, then head up to the deck
New renderings and construction photos reveal full design of Jean Nouvel’s 53W53 ‘MoMA tower’

Central Park View; Rendering by Hayes Davidson

September 7, 2017

New renderings and construction photos reveal full design of Jean Nouvel’s 53W53 ‘MoMA tower’

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6sqft checked in almost a year ago on starchitect Jean Nouvel's MoMA-adjacent tower, 53W53 at 53 West 53rd Street, when photos from the Billionaires’ Row construction site showed the building getting the first of its intricate diagrid skin. Construction on the 82-story building recently reached the 58th floor, and newly-released renderings and construction photos show the full design of the 1,050-foot-tall tapered tower, which will have interiors by celebrated designer Thierry Despont, from crown to ground level. The new images also show how the Museum of Modern Art will have three new gallery levels within the tower's base on floors 2, 4 and 5.
Check out the renderings and photos this way
Over-the-top Upper East Side maisonette is back on the market for $19M
September 6, 2017

Over-the-top Upper East Side maisonette is back on the market for $19M

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Well within the gracious walls of 135 East 79th Street, one of the Upper East Side's most coveted–and expensive–condominiums, this nearly 5,000-square-foot elevator duplex is for all intents a townhouse that feels like a penthouse. Except it's a maisonette, complete with separate street entrance and backyard. It’s also a condo, with access to the top-notch amenities one would expect from a recent big-ticket Carnegie Hill development. The unit first sold for $11.8 million in 2014 to convenience store heir Gerald Erickson, Jr., but he re-listed it just a month later, with the added benefit of over-the-top interiors, for a considerably elevated $18.4 million. It doesn’t look like things have changed much since then, but the maximalist pad has just reappeared on the market with an $18.995 million price tag.
Get a non-stop eyeful, this way
East Village’s $3.5M rooftop cottage finds a buyer in just over a month
September 5, 2017

East Village’s $3.5M rooftop cottage finds a buyer in just over a month

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6sqft marveled earlier this summer at the utter coolness of the two-unit, three-story property that atop the building at 72 East 1st Street in the East Village. The unit arrived on the market for $3.5 million in June; its top floor is comprised of one of the city’s handful of rare rooftop cabins and cottages. The Nantucket-style cottage is an artists’ studio, with a full-floor penthouse duplex below. Rare and cool clearly count for a lot, because the property has already entered contract at its asking price according to the listing site (h/t Curbed).
Take a look at how these unique homes are laid out
Homespun details and an outdoor pool make this Chelsea rental stand out from the pack
September 1, 2017

Homespun details and an outdoor pool make this Chelsea rental stand out from the pack

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Though 634 square feet might not be an endless amount of living space, this one-bedroom Chelsea condo at 133 West 22nd Street packs in a lot of livability, starting with high ceilings, floor-to-ceiling windows, a well-appointed kitchen, a washer-dryer, central air/heating and FIOS wiring. And that's just the apartment–the building even has an outdoor pool. For $4,650 a month you could look forward to spending next summer poolside.
Get an eyeful, this way
Floating pools on the Hudson and East Rivers kept New Yorkers cool as early as 1870

Early public floating bath. Image: New York City Department of Parks and Recreation.

August 30, 2017

Floating pools on the Hudson and East Rivers kept New Yorkers cool as early as 1870

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With summer winding down, New Yorkers are treading water til fall arrives–with late-season heat and kids that still need to be kept busy, back-to-school or not. The good news: Most city pools are open until September 10. This form of easily-accessible fun has been keeping NYC cool since the early days of the 20th century. The New York Times tells of the first city pools and their origins as public baths as early as 1901–and the even older pontoon-pools that floated in the Hudson and East Rivers.
More on the history of the floating pool, this way
This slender West Village townhouse condo is well-located, well-dressed and just under $1M
August 30, 2017

This slender West Village townhouse condo is well-located, well-dressed and just under $1M

By
There's no question, West 10th Street in the West Village is an absolutely lovely street to call home, enviably lined with historic townhouses and surrounded by iconic Village establishments and street life. Tucked within the townhouse condominium at number 223, this renovated apartment, currently asking $999,000, has the right dose of pre-war character and modern conveniences even if its size and layout put it squarely in divided studio territory.
See more West Village cuteness this way
$2.5M Windsor Terrace house offers suburban living right near Prospect Park
August 29, 2017

$2.5M Windsor Terrace house offers suburban living right near Prospect Park

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This laid-back little Windsor Terrace townhouse occupies a fortunate spot on a tree-lined block among similarly adorable Arts and Crafts-style homes, just on the edge of Prospect Park. The updated semi-attached, single-family home is no bargain at $2.468 million, but there are at least four bedrooms, plus more than enough space, modern comfort, and charm for the whole family. And while it may not be designer-perfect, it offers far more space than the average condo, and it's the kind of place that looks like home.
See the backyard
Chinatown’s low-income senior building is taking applications for the first time in 25 years

96 Baxter Street via Google Street View

August 24, 2017

Chinatown’s low-income senior building is taking applications for the first time in 25 years

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The 13-story, 88-unit rental building for low-income seniors at 96 Baxter Street in Chinatown has opened its waiting list to new applicants this week for the first time in 25 years (h/t Lo-Down). Only people aged 62 and older (over 18 if they are mobility impaired) can apply. The units rent for 30 percent of one's annual income; studios are available to those earning less than $33,400 a year and one-bedroom to those earning less than $38,200. The waitlist originally contained over 3,000 names, a number which now stands at only a handful. Among the building's current tenants, two are reportedly 108 years old. The youngest residents are about 85.
See the qualifications
This $699K custom-designed Brooklyn Heights studio elevates small-space living
August 24, 2017

This $699K custom-designed Brooklyn Heights studio elevates small-space living

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This 589-square-foot Brooklyn Heights studio loft at One Brooklyn Bridge Park at 360 Furman Street gives you plenty to work with from the start, with 13-foot ceilings and huge east-facing windows. The kitchen, living, dining and sleeping areas each pull their own weight in the space, and the resulting whole feels like a home. The apartment is asking $699,000.
Get a closer look
15 Central Park West still reigns as New York City’s most expensive condo

15 Central Park West. Image: Wikimedia Commons

August 23, 2017

15 Central Park West still reigns as New York City’s most expensive condo

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Even with a rapidly rising field of competitors, 15 Central Park West  still holds the title of New York City's most expensive condominium, according to the just-released CityRealty100. Robert A.M. Stern's "Limestone Jesus," built in 2007, has many a superlative under its limestone-clad belt, but the one that puts it in the top spot tallies the eight apartments sold in the past year for an average price per square foot of $7,227. 15 Central Park West also grabbed the top three most expensive sales by PPSF, with the $50.5 million Penthouse 40B, sold by Barclay’s CEO Bob Diamond to an unnamed Chinese buyer, topping the list at $9,581/square foot.
Find out more about the city's priciest properties
Loft in an 1896 Newspaper Row skyscraper has a sunroom and a terrace for $8.3K a month
August 23, 2017

Loft in an 1896 Newspaper Row skyscraper has a sunroom and a terrace for $8.3K a month

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The Beaux Arts skyscraper known as the American Tract Building at 150 Nassau Street is among the city's oldest landmarks. It was built in 1896 as the headquarters for the American Tract Society, one of the nation's largest religious printing companies. As an anchor of the Seaport district's Newspaper Row, it was among the city's tallest office towers of its time and one of the city's first steel skeletal frame skyscrapers. Like many historic NYC buildings, it has since been transformed into luxury condominiums like this sprawling 1,700 square-foot two-bedroom designer loft, now on the rental market for $8,250 a month.
Check out the space
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