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.
67 years ago in Queens, Althea Gibson became the first African-American on a U.S. tennis tour

West Side Tennis Club via Joe Shlabotnik/Flickr; Althea Gibson via Wiki Commons

August 22, 2017

67 years ago in Queens, Althea Gibson became the first African-American on a U.S. tennis tour

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On August 22, 1950, what was then known as the United States Lawn Tennis Association (USLTA) accepted Harlem's Althea Gibson into their annual championship at Forest Hills, New York (the precursor to the U.S. Open). The spot on the championship roster made Gibson the first African-American athlete to compete in a U.S. national tennis competition, launching a storied career in which she won a whopping 16 Grand Slams, including the 1956 French Open where she became the first person of color to win such a title.
Find out more
East Harlem statue of unethical M.D. should be the next ‘hero’ to fall, says community board

Statue of Dr. J. Marion Sims in Central Park. Image: Wikimedia Commons.

August 21, 2017

East Harlem statue of unethical M.D. should be the next ‘hero’ to fall, says community board

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As protest and debate sweep the nation over the toppling of statues, centered around well-known Confederate names like Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson, here in New York City a lesser-known monument to medicine is in the spotlight for its offensive nature. The New York Times reports that Manhattan Community Board 11 is calling upon the city to remove an East Harlem statue of a white, southern doctor, Dr. James Marion Sims. Regarded as the father of modern gynecology, Sims achieved his success by performing experiments on slaves without consent and without anesthesia.
Definitely no hero here
Berg Design’s ‘upside down’ Montauk beach house is now for sale asking $6.5M
August 21, 2017

Berg Design’s ‘upside down’ Montauk beach house is now for sale asking $6.5M

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A couple of years ago, 6sqft featured the notable design of this contemporary Montauk getaway just steps from a private ocean beach. The owners worked with Berg Design Architecture to create a lofty home on land they purchased for $970,000 in 2013. The result was an ideal summer retreat that's also cozy and warm in winter. In "upside down" house fashion, the majority of the home's bedrooms are on its guest-friendly lower level with easy access to the pool, and its entertaining spaces are upstairs along with the ocean views (h/t Wall Street Journal). The home is now on the market for $6,495,000.
Take the tour
How researchers used NYC buildings to measure the 1925 solar eclipse

Postmaster General Harry Stewart New watches the solar eclipse of January 24, 1925, shielding his eyes with a photographic plate. Image: Wikimedia commons

August 21, 2017

How researchers used NYC buildings to measure the 1925 solar eclipse

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During a total solar eclipse that occurred in 1925 in Manhattan, according to Space.com, "the streetlights turned on, three women fainted, vendors sold smoked glass while exhorting passersby to 'save your eyes for 10 cents' and seagulls landed in the water, assuming it was night." Though today's eclipse will be only a partial version for New Yorkers, we know enough about the moon's orbit to accurately predict an eclipse's timing as narrowly as a city block's distance. At the time, though–long before anyone had landed on the moon, observing and measuring the shadow as it moved over the Earth provided important information on the moon's size, shape, and path.
Find out what happened next
$175M former Ford family estate sets record for most expensive Hamptons listing
August 18, 2017

$175M former Ford family estate sets record for most expensive Hamptons listing

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The 42+ acre Jule Pond Road Southampton estate that was built for Henry Ford II, grandson of the auto magnate, is asking $175 million; the towering ask makes the property, anchored by a 20,000-square-foot 12-bedroom home and blessed with the most ocean frontage in the Hamptons at almost a quarter mile long, the most expensive listing in not only the Hamptons but all of New York state, according to Mansion Global.
More photos of this gorgeous beachfront estate this way
Bus station beneath Javits Center proposed in new plan to fix cross-Hudson commuter hell

Image via Office of Gov. Cuomo depicting the Javits’ upcoming expansion 

August 17, 2017

Bus station beneath Javits Center proposed in new plan to fix cross-Hudson commuter hell

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As the "summer of hell" days of emergency repairs to Penn Station's rail system roll by, the Regional Plan Association, a nonprofit transportation advocacy group, is intent on tackling the transit system's biggest messes; specifically, the association warned that “public transportation across the Hudson River is in crisis,” and is in the process of updating its regional plan to address that issue and other transportation snarls. Among the group's suggestions: building a terminal for intercity buses underneath the Jacob K. Javits center on Manhattan's West Side, the New York Times reports.
Find out more
The Manhattan Skyscraper Explorer is your building-by-building skyline map
August 16, 2017

The Manhattan Skyscraper Explorer is your building-by-building skyline map

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Tall buildings—from supertalls to garden-variety skyscrapers—seem to grow like weeds in New York City: A recent boom in tall Midtown residential towers has ushered in a new focus on life in the clouds. And we're always comparing ourselves to other vertical cities. We also know there have been growth cycles and slower periods when it comes to the city's skyscrapers. Now we can survey the landscape of Manhattan's tallest buildings all at once thanks to the mapping wizards at Esri (via Maps Mania). The Manhattan Skyscraper Explorer reveals each of the city's tall towers, showing its height, when it was built, what it's used for and more.
Explore New York's tallest
Live at the legendary Osborne on Billionaires’ Row for just $399K
August 16, 2017

Live at the legendary Osborne on Billionaires’ Row for just $399K

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Share a gorgeous lobby with the rich and famous at the iconic Osborne at 205 West 57th Street. Yes, you’re seeing that right, the Billionaires’ Row address has a notable vacancy: This one-bedroom lobby-level co-op is asking just $399,000. That may sound more like a stingy holiday tip for residents of nearby trophy towers like One57, but it gets you a classic Midtown West address shared by celebrities current and past including Jessica Chastain, former Knicks president Phil Jackson, and Leonard Bernstein.
Find out more about this rare find
Taxi map shows where New Yorkers take cabs and how they pay for them

Images: Esri Taxi Cab Terrain map

August 15, 2017

Taxi map shows where New Yorkers take cabs and how they pay for them

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Looked at from any distance, New York City may appear to be a honking sea of cars and taxis, with the latter making the biggest visual impact (and probably doing the most honking). Thanks to GIS gurus Esri via Maps Mania, we have a snapshot–an aggregate vision, if you will–of a year of life in the Big Apple made up of the city's taxi journeys. The Taxi Cab Terrain map allows you to zoom in and find out about the many millions of rides that start and end in the New York City and New Jersey metro areas based on data from the NYC Taxi & Limousine Commission. Mapping yellow cab travel data covering July 2015 to June 2016, the map shows how different NYC boroughs use taxis and how they pay for their rides. Esri's John Nelson then takes a look at socioeconomic data to look for influences that might impact how different neighborhoods use and pay for cab rides.
More from the map, this way
Plan your future rooftop paradise atop Chelsea’s historic ‘Muffin House’ for $950K
August 15, 2017

Plan your future rooftop paradise atop Chelsea’s historic ‘Muffin House’ for $950K

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We've already covered the fascinating fact that 337 West 20th Street isn't your average cooperative building: This Chelsea townhouse-turned-co-op was formerly the bakery of Samuel Bath Thomas, the Englishman who introduced New Yorkers to the English Muffin in the early 1900s, earning it the nickname Muffin House–and the original ovens, though no longer working, remain built into the basement. While all other traces of the old bakery are gone, this Chelsea aerie on the top floor of the 1850s townhouse has plenty of historic charm–and the one-bedroom apartment, asking $950,000, comes with private deeded roof rights.
Check it out
$8M Mediterranean villa in Connecticut was built for composer Frank La Forge
August 14, 2017

$8M Mediterranean villa in Connecticut was built for composer Frank La Forge

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This 1930s home built in the style of a Mediterranean villa for the prolific composer Frank LaForge is a detail-filled masterpiece in a storybook setting (h/t Circa). Renovated with care over the years, the result is a seamless blend of original details with modern style and comfort. The 11-room riverfront house in Darien, CT spans 8,220 square feet, with a gorgeous terrace surrounded by an oasis of dreamy landscaping and pond and river views. We wish it could be bought for a song, but it's asking $7.995 million.
Tour the rooms
NYC law guaranteeing a lawyer for any tenant facing eviction is the nation’s first of its kind

Mayor Bill de Blasio announces findings on tenant representation last August. Image: nyc.gov

August 14, 2017

NYC law guaranteeing a lawyer for any tenant facing eviction is the nation’s first of its kind

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6sqft reported last year on a new bill that would guarantee a lawyer for all low-income residents facing eviction. On Friday, Mayor Bill de Blasio signed that bill into law, guaranteeing legal representation for low-income residents who face eviction (h/t Citylab). The legislation is the nation's first that provides right to counsel in housing matters. The new law is the result of efforts of activists and organizers that began in 2014.
Find out more about the new law
Look right into Stuyvesant Square Park through the huge windows at this $895K co-op
August 14, 2017

Look right into Stuyvesant Square Park through the huge windows at this $895K co-op

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Tucked away on Rutherford Place, one of the prettiest streets in the neighborhood, this charming first-floor pre-war apartment sits along the eastern border of Gramercy and Union Square. Built in 1855 as a townhouse, the one-bedroom co-op at 224 East 17th Street has a large master bedroom and a small office space–and direct views of Stuyvesant Square Park.
See more of this pretty Gramercy pad
$1.3M West Side duplex with a greenhouse and a double-decker roof is a gardener’s dream
August 11, 2017

$1.3M West Side duplex with a greenhouse and a double-decker roof is a gardener’s dream

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If you've got a green thumb–or you just like a stroll in the garden--this unusual duplex co-op at 361 West 30th Street in Midtown West is a dream come true. Though it's situated near the northern entrance to the High Line on a lovely tree-lined block, there's enough greenery and outdoor infrastructure just out the door of this convertible-two-bedroom home to keep a park fanatic busy.
Take a walk down the garden path
Bjarke Ingels’ VIA offering 36 middle-income affordable apartments, from $1,448 a month

Photograph © Danica O. Kus

August 11, 2017

Bjarke Ingels’ VIA offering 36 middle-income affordable apartments, from $1,448 a month

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In October of 2015, 6sqft reported that applications were being accepted for the 142 affordable apartments set aside for low-income tenants at the tantalizing tetrahedron that is starchitect Bjarke Ingels' VIA 57 West, a newly-minted rental residence at 625 West 57th Street. Word comes today that the lottery has opened for the middle-income portion of the building's affordable housing inventory. The half-block-long residential development contains 709 units, of which 20 percent have been deemed affordable. Of the 36 middle-income units available, studios have been priced between $1,448-$1,949; $1,554-$2,091 for one-bedrooms; $2,089-$2,519 for two-bedrooms; and $2,902 for three-bedrooms, each adjusted for income.
complete details here
There’s a rare Guastavino tiled ceiling hidden inside this $359K UWS studio

Image courtesy of Halstead

August 10, 2017

There’s a rare Guastavino tiled ceiling hidden inside this $359K UWS studio

By
A block of 78th Street on the Upper West Side, between the Museum of Natural History and Amsterdam Avenue, has more going for it than just colorful brownstones; it also has a colorful architectural secret. The block's display of Moorish brick and stone buildings shares a history with some of the city's notable public spaces. Known as "Guastavino Row," its decorative and altogether charming townhouses were designed by noted 19th-century architect Rafael Guastavino, famed for his beautiful and expertly engineered vaulted, tiled ceilings. Recently, a small but lovely first-floor studio at 120 West 78th street listed for $359,000, and it boasts a beautiful ceiling that, according to the listing, was one of Guastavino's iconic designs.
READ MORE
Refreshingly genuine Williamsburg artists’ loft asks $6,800 a month
August 10, 2017

Refreshingly genuine Williamsburg artists’ loft asks $6,800 a month

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We're guessing the words "genuine" and "Williamsburg" are spending less and less time together these days, but if you look diligently, you can find the odd authenticity–a big, pretty space that's actually live/work friendly and isn't a shiny, overpriced condo calling itself a loft. This one-bedroom-plus-office apartment at 119 North 11th Street looks to be just that. Occupying the third floor of a former paint factory taken over by artists over 30 years ago, it's approved for mixed use, allowing live/work opportunities. Seeking a rental tenant for $6,800 per month, the space has many of the comforts of those shiny new buildings–central air, a washer/dryer, a roof deck with great views–without the shiny new.
Take a look around
A top-floor Madison Avenue studio a block from the park for $460K? Yes, it’s true.
August 9, 2017

A top-floor Madison Avenue studio a block from the park for $460K? Yes, it’s true.

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This pre-war studio might not be huge (in fact it's only 550 square feet), but it has plenty of charm and even more location going for it. Tucked into the top floor of an elevator building at 1361 Madison Avenue, the diminutive co-op is asking $460,000 and not a penny more. Central Park is a block away, and the Upper East Side location is in the heart of the neighborhood.
Check it out
New renderings of proposed Triboro Corridor, 17-stop outer borough light rail and linear park

Rendering: Only If + One Architecture

August 8, 2017

New renderings of proposed Triboro Corridor, 17-stop outer borough light rail and linear park

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Back in June, the Regional Plan Association (RPA), an urban research and advocacy organization, in conjunction with the Rockefeller Foundation, announced a design competition asking for proposals that would transform various areas of the New York metropolitan region. One of the four ideas chosen to receive $45,000 was a transportation alternative that would serve the Bronx, Queens, and Brooklyn. As 6sqft reported, the proposal, developed by New York-based firm Only If along with Netherlands-based firm One Architecture, focuses on using a light rail to move passengers between the outer boroughs to alleviate some of the overcrowding that has plagued the current subway system with delays. On August 4, the organizations held an event at Fort Tilden to mark the opening of a public presentation of the selected proposals. "4C: Four Corridors: Foreseeing the Region of the Future" spotlighted this plan to strengthen the Triboro Corridor, a plan to address the future of the suburbs, and more.
See the renderings and learn more
Leasing launches at One Hudson Yards, luxury rentals starting at $5,095/month

A rendering of One Hudson Yards, designed by renowned architecture firm Davis Brody Bond. (Image via onehudsonyards.com/Related)

August 7, 2017

Leasing launches at One Hudson Yards, luxury rentals starting at $5,095/month

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The new luxury rental residences at One Hudson Yards at 530 West 30th Street, part of Manhattan's largest new mixed-use development, have begun leasing for the 30-story building's 178 apartments which range from one to three bedrooms (and one four-bedroom penthouse) according to a press release from Related Companies. The building's architecture is by Davis Brody Bond; interiors are by Andre Kikoski, who also designed the building's peerless collection of luxury amenities. Of particular note are extra-tall windows set into a modern curtain wall façade that offer breathtaking views of out over the Hudson River, the surrounding West Chelsea neighborhood and all of Downtown Manhattan–as well as Heatherwick Studios’ "Vessel" sculpture.
Find out more details
Follow-up report says next year’s 11 percent NYC vacancy rate is bogus

Image: Pexels

August 7, 2017

Follow-up report says next year’s 11 percent NYC vacancy rate is bogus

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6sqft recently reported on a forecast by online real estate marketplace Ten-X predicting a precipitous threefold spike in New York City’s apartment vacancy rate that could even exceed 11 percent by the end of next year as thousands of new apartments hit the market, adding up to a "grim reckoning” for landlords. Now, a Crains reporter tells us that skeptics like marketing-consultant-to-developers Nancy Packes, who said the prognostication of a rental market meltdown “didn’t make any sense,”  could be right after all.
Let's hear more
This little Chelsea studio with cool custom details and a stunning wood wall is asking $589K
August 4, 2017

This little Chelsea studio with cool custom details and a stunning wood wall is asking $589K

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As soon as you move into this 560-square-foot loft-style Chelsea studio at 85 8th Avenue, you'll be convinced you've snagged the coolest apartment in the neighborhood. It was formerly a one-bedroom, it's just had a full renovation...and the space is divided by a custom-milled wooden wall that runs the length of the bedroom area. Not convinced? There's also a walk-in closet, a Juliet balcony and Empire State Building views, all for $589,000.
That's the kind of wall we like to see
Metered NYC taxis turn 110 years old this month

Image via Wiki Commons

August 4, 2017

Metered NYC taxis turn 110 years old this month

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110 years ago on August 13th, one of the cornerstones of New York City life, the first metered taxicab, rolled into the city's streets. The metered fare idea was born, fittingly, in 1907 when Harry N. Allen was smacked with a five dollar fare ($126.98 in today's dollars) for being driven a quarter of a mile in a horse-drawn hansom cab. Allen imported 65 gas-powered cars from France, painted them red and green, and started the New York Taxicab Company. The elven hues were replaced by the iconic yellow shortly thereafter so they could be seen from a distance, and a year later 700 cabs were nowhere to be found when you wanted one.
Find out more
No state is spared a roasting in this 19th-century nickname map

Image: Library of Congress

August 4, 2017

No state is spared a roasting in this 19th-century nickname map

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When a livestock supply company tries to get clever, the result is likely to be something like this "odd and obscure" (h/t Slate) map of the U.S. showing common state nicknames of the day, many of which haven't changed since the map was printed as a promotional offering by H.W. Hill & Co. in 1884. Each state's nickname is illustrated by a portly porker doing whatever it is that state would probably rather not be known for doing best: New York's "knickerbocker," Ohio's "buckeye" and Michigan's "wolverine" are present and accounted for; Kentucky's "corn cracker" and Georgia's "cracker" are similarly skewered.
This way for more pig tales
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