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.

June 23, 2017

$3,500/month West Village rental is flexible, functional, and fun

By Michelle Cohen

This parlor floor co-op at 135 Perry Street in the West Village is more than meets the eye: Listed as a one-bedroom for $3,500 a month, it’s configured as a studio–and according to the listing, it was once a two-bedroom. So whatever you imagine for the space, it could be a reality. Of course, you’ll have to get permission from the owner as it’s currently being offered as a rental. And we’re guessing the co-op board will need to be involved. If you leave it the way you found it, you'll still have a stylish if somewhat linear home in a neighborhood everyone's fighting over.
Have a loook

Distinctive Homes

June 22, 2017

Full-floor Chelsea co-op combines elegant history, modern luxury–and a private balcony

By Michelle Cohen

This two-bedroom co-op occupies a full floor in West Chelsea's Fitzroy Townhouses at 440 West 23rd Street, a grand row of converted 19th century Italianate homes–once owned by Clement Clark Moore–in the neighborhood's historic district. A loft-like open layout frames a balance of 21st century comfort and historic details like high ceilings, hardwood floors and a natural stone mantel above one of the apartment's of two fireplaces. A south-facing private terrace adds the luxury of outdoor space to this urban refuge.
Take the tour

Uncategorized

June 22, 2017

Sheryl Crow sells her incredible Noho loft for $2.72M

By Michelle Cohen

Singer Sheryl Crow has sold her Noho nest at 46 Great Jones Street. The second floor loft just sold to J.P. Morgan managing director Fadi Hanna for $2.72 million according to city records (h/t New York Post).
Take a look

June 21, 2017

$1.3M Arbor Close Tudor is a reminder of the 1920s ‘garden city’ movement

By Michelle Cohen

Just adjacent to the historic "secret" enclave of Forest Hills Gardens, Queens–a rare planned community founded in 1909–is the even more well-kept secret of Arbor Close. These garden-filled idylls share the same covenant to maintain their early 20th century "garden city" charm. Like its neighbor, Arbor Close consists of 1927-era Tudor rowhouses and apartment buildings with central gardens. Though it doesn't happen too often, one of those rare homes, an elegant, unassuming Tudor at 111-27 75th Road, is for sale, asking $1.275 million.
See more of this charming townhouse

June 21, 2017

New ArchiMaps app lets you explore cities by their important buildings

By Michelle Cohen

Because you can never have too many ways to explore a city, a new architecture-based travel guide map app helps make sure you don't miss any important architecture (h/t Curbed). Made by architectural historians, ArchiMaps points out a selection of important works like buildings and bridges. It's currently available for Android and iOS and in four cities–New York City, Chicago, London, and Madrid–so far with more in the works including Los Angeles, Berlin and Barcelona.
Find out more about that building

Architecture And Design

June 21, 2017

Brooklyn casual gets colorful in this $2.8M Carroll Gardens townhouse

By Michelle Cohen

Starting with a planted front garden of the sort that earned the classic Brooklyn neighborhood of Carroll Gardens its name, this four-bedroom row house at 439 Sackett Street has historic Brooklyn-casual nailed, with charm and warmth throughout–and a bright dose of country caravan whimsy in the kitchen. Built in 1880, this 20-foot-wide home, asking $2.795 million, boasts wide-plank knotty pine floors along with original details like dramatic archways, ceiling medallions, crown molding and ornate stone fireplace surrounds.
Backyard fun, this way

Distinctive Homes

June 20, 2017

For $2.4M, this sun-filled brick Greenpoint townhouse wraps modern comfort in historic charm

By Michelle Cohen

Greenpoint has quietly over the past decade become one of Brooklyn's most livable and lovable neighborhoods; its waterfront location, a diverse family-friendly vibe, proximity to McCarren Park and Williamsburg, and exciting new developments on the way are just a few of the reasons why. Townhouses here are rarer than lofts and condos, but they do pop up for lucky buyers, and this three-story home at 184 Calyer Street, asking $2.395 million, is a move-in ready example. The fully-renovated two-family house with a private garden is comprised of a spacious owners' duplex and a good-sized one-bedroom apartment with its own outdoor space.
Give the G line a try

Distinctive Homes

June 19, 2017

Magical gardens surround this $775K Alphabet City aerie

By Michelle Cohen

The gardens are open to the public but the views are all yours from this well-configured studio at 257 East 7th Street in the easternmost reaches of the East Village. The block is, as the listing suggests, one of the neighborhood's most picturesque, with a history of community pride by longtime homeowners and a rare eclectic collection of historic townhouses. The verdant Flowerbox building, one of the neighborhood's first and most beautifully-designed luxury developments, is next door, and the East River Park foot and bike path is steps away. This charming studio is asking $775,000.
Get a closer look

Distinctive Homes

Rendering courtesy of SCAPE Landscape Architecture

June 19, 2017

Gowanus Canal Conservancy unveils renderings for SCAPE-designed Gowanus Lowlands

By Michelle Cohen

The Gowanus Canal Conservancy (GCC) has announced the launch of Gowanus Lowlands, a new comprehensive vision for the transformation of Brooklyn’s Gowanus neighborhood and a 'blueprint for NYC’s next great park.' As 6sqft has previously reported, between developers eyeing the pricey parcel of southwest Brooklyn land as Paris on the Gowanus and the city's ambitions to transform the long-embattled area into "Little Venice," all eyes have been on the neighborhood and the once-toxic, steadily improving Superfund canal that anchors it. With an important rezoning on the horizon–the process kicked off last October with meetings to gauge community opinion–passions are running high. The conservancy has identified SCAPE landscape architecture studio to guide the Lowlands vision toward reality.
Find out more

Two Waterline Square; Image: Noe & Associates with The Boundary

June 19, 2017

Waterline Square mega-development to get first Cipriani ‘experiential food market’

By Michelle Cohen

GID Development Group announced today that the Upper West Side's Waterline Square mega-development will be getting the first-ever experiential food market by the Cipriani family. Located within Two Waterline Square, the new Cipriani food hall will be designed by London-based interior designer Martin Brudnizki. Within the 28,000-square-foot space will be a large-format culinary experience with multiple food and beverage establishments including a market, restaurants, and casual outlets.
Find out more

Mayor announces $1.35 billion plan to create 100,000 new jobs with a focus on the city’s middle class

By Michelle Cohen

Mayor Bill de Blasio has announced a plan to add 100,000 new jobs to the city's economy over the next 10 years, particularly positions that pay over $50,000 a year, with the intention of shoring up an increasingly hard-to-maintain middle class lifestyle, the Wall Street Journal reports. The city would contribute more than $1.35 billion toward job creation in already promising job sectors, what the mayor referred to as “good-paying jobs,” that pay or lead to being paid at least $50,000 a year. The mayor said at a news conference Thursday, “the job here is to lift the floor for everyone in this city, to make sure that a middle-class lifestyle really is available to everybody.”
Find out more

Policy

June 16, 2017

The Harlem townhouse where Harry Houdini lived is for sale, asking $4.6M

By Michelle Cohen

If anyone can convince a buyer to part with $4.6 million for a four-story townhouse in an historic and happening part of Harlem, it's a magician. This four-story 18th century townhouse at 278 West 113th Street, on the market for the first time since 1991, has certainly got one in the form of master escape artist Harry Houdini, illusionist, magician and one of the buzziest celebrities of the early 20th century. Houdini–born Erich Weiss, son of a rabbi from Budapest–and his wife, Bess, lived at the Harlem home for 22 years until his death in 1926 (h/t Curbed).
This house is no illusion

June 15, 2017

Hilary Swank’s picture-perfect former Village townhouse asks $12M

By Michelle Cohen

This historic classic brownstone at 33 Charles Street in the West Village, asking $11.995 million, is the very picture of townhouse charm in a neighborhood that's overflowing with charming brownstones. Adding to the home's cachet is the fact that Hilary Swank lived here with then-husband Chad Lowe from when she purchased it for $3.9 million in 2002 until 2006 when it was sold for $8.25 million (h/t New York Post). The home has been completely updated with central air and new windows throughout and every imaginable modern convenience, though much of its original woodwork has been retained.
See all the rooms of this gorgeous home

June 15, 2017

1920s Hudson Heights cliffside ‘Pumpkin House’ chops price to $4.25M

By Michelle Cohen

You may be familiar with the “Pumpkin House,” the extraordinary 1920s townhouse cantilevered across the cliffs at 16 Chittenden Avenue near Manhattan’s highest point in Hudson Heights. The name comes from the home's Jack-o'-lantern countenance, which bestows motorists along the George Washington Bridge with its anthropomorphic leer. Jack first hit the market last August for $5.25 million, the first time listed since 2011. But still without a buyer, the 17-foot-wide, six-bedroom brick home has a fancy new Sotheby's listing and a lower ask of $4.25 million.
Have a look inside

June 14, 2017

Tribeca Film Festival co-founders cut the price of their massive Dakota pad to $25M

By Michelle Cohen

As 6sqft previously reported, Tribeca Film Festival co-founders (with Robert DeNiro) Jane Rosenthal and Craig Hatkoff have been trying to sell their sprawling pad in the storied Dakota since last March, when they listed the 7,500-square-foot combo of no less than four individual units for the suitably vast sum of $39 million. A year and some months later with no takers, the couple, who announced their divorce in 2014–have edited a cool $19 million out of the picture and are now asking $25 million (h/t Curbed).
You might want to bring breadcrumbs for this

Distinctive Homes

June 14, 2017

$3.95M buys you a four-story townhouse with condo amenities in Dumbo

By Michelle Cohen

So...a 2,700-square-foot four-story townhouse with a garden and a roof deck, in a cool Dumbo factory loft complex with condo perks like a gym and cold storage? It sounds like the best of all possible worlds to us. And while the $3.95 million price on this "resplendent mix of modern and industrial charm" at 37 Bridge street might be no small sum by any stretch, you're certainly getting the bonus of not having to choose between location, space, or convenience.
See how the place stacks up

Distinctive Homes

9/11 Tribute Museum reopens in new 36,000-square-foot space to tell victims’ personal stories

Image © 9/11 Tribute Museum

June 13, 2017

9/11 Tribute Museum reopens in new 36,000-square-foot space to tell victims’ personal stories

By Michelle Cohen

When it comes to remembering the 9/11 terror attacks, personal stories can be the most moving reminder. The 9/11 Tribute Museum opened in 2006 in a former deli near the National September 11 Memorial and Museum site, intended as a temporary shrine to the victims during construction of the larger museum–and it has grown even since the latter opened. The Tribute Museum offers tours of the rebuilt World Trade Center site led by survivors, first responders, relatives of victims and others with close connections to the tragedy. Crain’s reports that the museum reopened today in a much larger location, slightly further from the memorial but with more space dedicated to victims’ personal stories.
Find out more

History

June 13, 2017

This $8.5K townhouse rental is quintessential Upper West Side with parlor-floor panache

By Michelle Cohen

A block from Central Park in Lincoln Square, this 1,850 square-foot parlor floor-through at 52 West 69th Street is the kind of Upper West Side residence that has inspired many a dream of New York City living. Listed as having two bedrooms convertible to three, the $8,500 per month rent seems a bit less daunting when imagined as a comfortably sprawling choice for family or group living.
Get a feel for the space

Distinctive Homes

June 12, 2017

$1.56M Cobble Hill condo has a garden, rooftop terrace, and laid-back loft style

By Michelle Cohen

This bright, loft-like Cobble Hill condo pulls off a pretty neat trick: It’s on the ground floor (giving it a private garden) and it also has the penthouse perk of an enormous skylight and a private roof terrace just above. How is this possible, you ask? The apartment occupies the rear extension of a 25-foot-wide brownstone at 56 Bergen Street, combining penthouse perks and garden level access. The two-bedroom 1,413 square-foot home is at the crossroads of Boerum Hill, Cobble Hill, Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn Heights and Fort Greene, within walking distance to everything from Trader Joe’s to the Promenade and antique shops on Atlantic Avenue.
Check out the rest

Distinctive Homes

June 9, 2017

Dramatic Sutton deco duplex that belonged to Sen. Jacob Javits asks $5.2M

By Michelle Cohen

New York City's classic pre-war co-ops are in an elegant class by themselves, with beamed high ceilings, big casement windows, entry halls and galleries, maid's rooms and gracious spaces in general. The more interesting among them tend to be those in which the customized luxury of their longtime residents has been preserved. Such is case with this spacious duplex at 322 East 57th Street in Sutton Place (where you'll find a lot of preserved customized luxury). The listing describes the three-bedroom deco-era co-op, listed for $5.195 million, as "exquisite, dramatic and unique." Designed in 1933 by renowned architect Joseph Urban, the 3,300 square-foot apartment was for 40 years the home of the late Senator Jacob Javits and his wife, Marian, who died earlier this year. And while it's likely that there are many updates to be made, there are also many surprising details that have returned with today's trends.
Check out the glass cube

New details revealed for Upper West Side’s starchitect-studded Waterline Square

L to R: One Waterline Square by Richard Meier, Two Waterline Square by KPF, and Three Waterline Square by Rafael Vinoly

June 8, 2017

New details revealed for Upper West Side’s starchitect-studded Waterline Square

By Michelle Cohen

As 6sqft previously reported, the three buildings that comprise the Upper West Side's Waterline Square are rapidly rising from a five-acre site overlooking the Hudson River. For the neighborhood's most exciting and ambitious project in decades, a group of the architecture and design world's most celebrated names was chosen by GID Development Group to create the master plan, with Richard Meier and Partners, Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates and Rafael Viñoly Architects each designing a residential tower. We've been graced with leaked renderings of what's to come on several occasions; now, the project's dream team has lifted the curtain on a comprehensive website that reveals so-far unseen renderings of the towers and their interiors, the 100,000 square feet of amenity space that will be shared between them and the three-acre park designed by Mathews Nielsen Landscape Architects.
See the latest renderings

June 8, 2017

Clever use of space is key in this fully customized $450K Gramercy studio

By Michelle Cohen

If you're looking for a (Manhattan) budget-friendly studio in a neighborhood like Gramercy Park, chances are you'll be seeing lots of tiny spaces. But we've seen some genius ways to turn a tiny apartment into a great place to live, and this studio co-op at 22 Irving Place (where everyone's favorite downtown Manhattan neighborhoods merge) showcases some fine examples. Outfitted with custom cabinetry that often does double duty and also looks great, this diminutive dwelling packs storage and modern amenities into a bright and cheerful home with treetop views overlooking a private garden.
See more of this clever studio

Distinctive Homes

June 7, 2017

Macy’s may add public park to rooftop of Herald Square flagship

By Michelle Cohen

As part of a strategy to shore up its flagging retail business, Macy's is considering providing New York City with more public park space right on the rooftop of its Herald Square flagship store, the New York Post reports. Doug Sesler, EVP of Real Estate for the chain, said in an investor presentation Tuesday that the store was "Exploring ways to activate upper levels (e.g.rooftop) and overall property while retaining Macy’s store and presence." To attract shoppers and add more excitement to the shopping experience, Macy’s execs are looking at plans to develop the rooftop of the 2.2 million square-foot 34th Street store, including restaurants, green space, trees and benches.
Why a park?

Uncategorized

June 7, 2017

Sprawling five-bedroom loft in Soho offers style and plenty of space for $20K/month

By Michelle Cohen

It doesn't get more Soho than Prince Street, once home to big-name artists, now home to big-brand sneaker stores and...a few big name artists who bought their lofts way back when. This sprawling full floor loft at 131 Prince Street in the center of it all spans 3,600 square feet including five bedrooms; while it's all loft, it also feels like a big rambling estate that has been in the family for years. You can experience this level of space, convenience and comfort with renovations that have integrated substance and style, provided you've got $19,995 a month rent.
Take the tour

Distinctive Homes

June 6, 2017

Central Park lampposts bear ‘secret codes’ to help you find your way

By Michelle Cohen

We can think of worse fates than getting lost in Central Park. With its winding pathways, lovely bridges, stunning gardens, and a magical lake, it’s the most visited urban park in the United States. But a few of those visitors are bound to take a wrong turn every now and again, and if you find yourself in that predicament, Central Park's 1,600 lampposts bear a secret code that will help you get your bearings and find your way.
Find out how to use the numbers to find out where you are

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