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.
Sophisticated $16M Soho loft is part French farmhouse, part tropical palazzo
June 6, 2017

Sophisticated $16M Soho loft is part French farmhouse, part tropical palazzo

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The listing calls this three-floor home atop a classic Soho loft building at 12 Greene Street a "reimagining of urban living" that "defies easy categorization," and we'd have to agree. But what's instantly recognizable is the design knowledge and creative eye that was behind the construction of each room's eclectic but beautiful balance of form and function, including layers of verdant garden-draped patios, decks and terraces. Records show that the current owner purchased this 4,500 square-foot co-op for $1.7 million in 2005, which in itself sounds like quite a feat; the triplex is now asking a far more 21st century $16 million.
Tour the enchanted spaces of this amazing home
$2.75 congestion fee proposed for cars entering Manhattan south of 60th Street

Image via Pexels

June 5, 2017

$2.75 congestion fee proposed for cars entering Manhattan south of 60th Street

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Image via Pexels Advocacy group Move NY has suggested that the city impose a congestion charge on motorists driving on Manhattan's most crowded streets. Similar proposals haven't fared well in the state legislature–but the group cites a 1957 state law that says cities with a population of over a million can toll their own roadways and bridges. The Wall Street Journal reports that Move NY will offer the City Council's transportation committee a new proposal today under which the city would impose a $2.75 charge on automobiles entering Manhattan's central business district below 60th Street. The fee for trucks would be higher; for-hire vehicles including taxis would pay a congestion surcharge based on trips within the zone.
Find out more
Historic Bronxville Queen Anne home asks $4.2M
June 2, 2017

Historic Bronxville Queen Anne home asks $4.2M

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Situated on a corner lot in the Lawrence Park neighborhood in Bronxville, the home at 7 Valley Road, currently on the market for $4.2 million, is immediately recognizable by its stone and shingle facade, slate roof, stone turret, and sprawling wraparound porch. Prolific local Gilded Age architect William Augustus Bates designed this remarkable 7,000-square-foot home in the town's historic district. Completed in 1902, the seven-bedroom house combines the Queen Anne and Shingle styles with masterful turn-of-the-century workmanship that remains timeless today.
Tour this stunning turn-of-the-century home
$469K Clinton Hill studio has vintage charm and the convenience of a condo
May 31, 2017

$469K Clinton Hill studio has vintage charm and the convenience of a condo

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It's not too often that you find a condominium for sale that isn't in a new-construction building, usually sleek but generic unless it has been custom-designed. This pre-war condo studio at 940 Fulton Street in Clinton Hill, surrounded by historic buildings and a growing collection of newly-minted ones, has added vintage elements like reclaimed wood shelves and wide plank floors, with the flexibility, super-low common charges and contemporary comforts of a new development. The ask is $469,000.
Take a look around
REVEALED: 23-story tower at South Williamsburg’s Dime Savings Bank site

Rendering of The Dime at 209 Havemeyer Street; rendering via Fogarty Finger Architects

May 31, 2017

REVEALED: 23-story tower at South Williamsburg’s Dime Savings Bank site

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We know a little bit more of what to expect at one of Williamsburg's most important developments: The south 'burg site at 209 Havemeyer Street between South Fifth and Sixth Streets at the foot of the Williamsburg Bridge, anchored by the Neoclassical-style Dime Savings Bank of Williamsburgh building, will be getting a 23-story mixed-use tower with retail, office and residential space, CityRealty.com reports. The 109-year-old historic bank building will be preserved and restored, and will be integrated into the project at its podium according to details published by the developers. The 340,000 square-foot project will be known as the “the Dime.”
Find out more
May 30, 2017

Artist installs ‘Pissing Pug’ next to controversial ‘Fearless Girl’ statue in Wall Street standoff

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Image: Gabriella Bass via @dawn_images via Instagram You can almost guarantee that if you put something out in public in NYC, it's going to attract more than just attention. As 6sqft previously reported, Kristen Visbal's “Fearless Girl” statue, installed by asset manager State Street Global Advisors and advertising firm McCann back in March to challenge sculptor Arturo Di Modica’s “Charging Bull” with her defiant gaze attracted controversy and selfies, seen as both an empowering statement and corporate drivel. According to the Post, NYC-based artist Alex Gardega’s Memorial Day weekend installation of "Pissing Pug"–a crudely rendered statue of a dog lifting its leg on the steadfast “Girl”–was his reaction to “corporate nonsense,” and that the fearless female “has nothing to do with feminism, and it is disrespect to the artist that made the bull."
New Yorkers are a tough crowd
Redeveloping NYC’s armories: When adaptive reuse and community building bring controversy

Park Avenue Armory, image © PBDW Architects

May 30, 2017

Redeveloping NYC’s armories: When adaptive reuse and community building bring controversy

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Constructed between the 18th and 20th centuries to resemble massive European fortresses and serve as headquarters, housing, and arms storage for state volunteer militia, most of America’s armories that stand today had shed their military affiliations by the later part of the 20th century. Though a number of them did not survive, many of New York City’s historic armories still stand. While some remain in a state of limbo–a recent setback in the redevelopment plans of Brooklyn's controversial Bedford-Union Armory in Crown Heights raises a familiar battle cry–the ways in which they've adapted to the city’s rollercoaster of change are as diverse as the neighborhoods that surround them.
Find out how the city's armories have fared
Muppet set designer’s Catskills ‘tower house’ is a playful sculpture you can live in, for $1.2M
May 30, 2017

Muppet set designer’s Catskills ‘tower house’ is a playful sculpture you can live in, for $1.2M

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At the heart of this thoroughly trippy house near Woodstock, N.Y. are tales of the Muppets and Jim Henson, The Grateful Dead, and their biggest LSD supplier, and that's not even the half of it. The real visionary here was the home’s first owner, artist, engineer and master set designer John Kahn, who built the one-of-a-kind house over 15 years. Kahn was a friend and collaborator of the late Muppet creator, and he designed sets for the "Fraggle Rock" touring company and more. Kahn used re-purposed materials including slate, copper, aircraft-grade aluminum and redwood as well as local wood and bluestone to craft this cylindrical work of art that never seems to look the same way twice. The three-bedroom home spans 3,518 square feet and is asking $1.2 million.
Take a long, strange trip through this unbelievable house
$700K modern ‘tree house’ on Fire Island is a minimalist’s dream summer getaway
May 29, 2017

$700K modern ‘tree house’ on Fire Island is a minimalist’s dream summer getaway

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A long weekend that heralds the start of summer living is a good time to think about beach house possibilities. This thoughtfully-designed house at 10 First Walk in the in Davis Park area of Fire Island feels like an airy cabin or a more polished tree house–or a little bit of both (h/t Brick Underground). With three bedrooms and a well-appointed kitchen and dining area, and a location that's a block from the ocean, it's got just enough going on to keep things focused on enjoying your summer getaway.
See more of this seaside retreat
This little renovated slice of Williamsburg could be yours for $360K
May 26, 2017

This little renovated slice of Williamsburg could be yours for $360K

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It's rare to see a habitable—much less chic and renovated—apartment in most of Williamsburg for anything even close to the $360,000 this cozy co-op is going for. There's a reason, of course; this "junior-one" at 648 Grand Street is an HDFC co-op, though the income cap isn't mentioned in the listing yet. For a qualified buyer the bright, cozy space offers a home that's easy on the eyes as well as the wallet.
Get a closer look
Robert Moses’ former Yorkville home lists for $2M
May 25, 2017

Robert Moses’ former Yorkville home lists for $2M

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"Master builder" Robert Moses–he of the 13 expressways that crisscross New York City–spent the 1970s living with his wife, Mary Grady Moses, in a three-bedroom co-op at 1 Gracie Terrace in Yorkville on Manhattan's Upper East Side (h/t NYPost). We can see how the home's sweeping river views would inspire the subject of Robert Caro’s Pulitzer Prize-winning book, “The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York,” when pondering the conflicting issues of a complicated and changing city. The apartment is now for sale asking $1.95 million.
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Beautifully preserved 1827 West Village Federal row house asks $13.9M
May 25, 2017

Beautifully preserved 1827 West Village Federal row house asks $13.9M

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One of a pair of Federal-style row houses on the longest unbroken stretch of Federal/Greek Revival homes in New York City, 39 Charlton Street was built in 1827 to exacting standards by a builder-carpenter at a time when the area, now a tony enclave where the West Village meets Soho, was known as Richmond Hill. This 25-foot-wide home has been called one of the city's finest examples of Greek Revival/Federal houses. The house and its neighbor are regarded by the Landmarks Preservation Commission as “the two best (and best preserved) examples...whose exquisitely detailed entrances with original doors and leaded glass sidelights convey many of the style’s most distinctive qualities.” Both the interior and exterior of this unique home, now on the market for $13.85 million, have retained an extraordinary level of original detail.
Tour this historic home
Michael Bloomberg gives $75 million to Hudson Yards arts center The Shed

The Shed via Wikipedia

May 24, 2017

Michael Bloomberg gives $75 million to Hudson Yards arts center The Shed

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Michael R. Bloomberg has added a $75 million contribution to what the New York Times calls "New York's first new cultural institution in recent memory," the arts center known as The Shed, part of the new Hudson Yards development on Manhattan's far west side. The former mayor's gift brings the total raised for the project to $421 million of its $500 million capital campaign. The new arts center has gotten much of its funding from a small group of billionaires that includes Related Companies' Stephen M. Ross and media mogul Barry Diller. Set for completion in 2019, the eight-level structure, designed by Diller Scofidio & Renfro in partnership with the Rockwell Group, will host performances, concerts, visual art, music and other events.
A 'tool kit for artists'
Greet the sun from your solarium or tech-friendly garden in this $1.7M East Village duplex
May 24, 2017

Greet the sun from your solarium or tech-friendly garden in this $1.7M East Village duplex

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This unusual East Village one-bedroom duplex condo in the Village Mews at 407 East 12th Street checks all the boxes without shouting–that is, it lets a rare and fabulous garden paradise do the talking, which in this case means asking for $1.695 million. The 750-square-foot home was recently renovated from tip to toe, and the design is tasteful without being generically "luxe." And while this not-huge condo wouldn't work for a growing family or a communal crew, it looks heavenly for anyone seeking, an "oasis away from city living" while situated on a lovely street in the heart of what could be called an oasis of city living, with its 24-hour energy and unending list of destinations of every kind.
Here comes the sun
For $1.25M, this Downtown Brooklyn loft may need some layout changes
May 23, 2017

For $1.25M, this Downtown Brooklyn loft may need some layout changes

By
With two exposures, 11-foot ceilings and walls of windows, this 1,100-square-foot two-bedroom loft condo in the Toy Factory Lofts at 176 Johnson Street has its heart in the right place–even if its bathroom isn't. The historic 1926 building–once the home of Tudor Metal Products and birthplace of many mid-20th-century toys–lends itself to authentic loft living in ever-changing Downtown Brooklyn. A modern renovation makes loft living easy–with a possible exception or two–and the $1.25 million ask comes with low carrying costs.
About that bathroom
Pier 55 project files appeal to stop work order; Durst says he backed opposition

Photo via Pier 55 Inc.

May 23, 2017

Pier 55 project files appeal to stop work order; Durst says he backed opposition

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6sqft reported in March on the latest developments in the on-again-off-again status of the $200 million Barry Diller-funded offshore park/performing arts center proposed for Pier 55 on the Hudson River; though construction began last November, opponents of the project, led by the City Club of New York, gained a victory in the form of a ruling by Judge Lorna G. Schofield that agreed with group’s claim that the Army Corps of Engineers had not conducted a sufficient environmental review on how the 2.4-acre park would affect fish and wildlife. The judge ordered that work stop at the site and called for a review of alternatives for building along Hudson River Park, a maritime sanctuary. Now, the New York Times reports that the Corps of Engineers, with the project's sponsor, the Hudson River Park Trust, has filed an appeal of the decision.
And what about that Diller-Durst feud
Three tiny beach cabins are up for rent on NY Harbor this summer
May 22, 2017

Three tiny beach cabins are up for rent on NY Harbor this summer

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If smelly subway platforms and sweaty tourist hordes start to loom large this summer, there might be cabin for two on the shores of New York Harbor with your name on it. Gateway National Recreation Area–which includes Fort Tilden, Jacob Riis Park, Floyd Bennett Field, Great Kills Park, Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge, and Canarsie Pier–and Getaway, a company that provides pop-up camping houses, are placing three tiny cabins along NYC's harbor shore to provide a place to spend a quiet summer night in a national park, reports Gothamist.
Check it out
Senators request interior landmark status for two NYPL reading rooms

Rose Main Reading room via NYPL

May 22, 2017

Senators request interior landmark status for two NYPL reading rooms

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State Senators Brad Hoylman and Liz Krueger have asked the Landmarks Preservation Commission to designate the Rose Main Reading Room at the New York Public Library's main branch and the Bill Blass Public Catalog Room at the 42nd Street and Fifth Avenue branch as interior landmarks, according to DNAInfo. The library's main branch, the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building, was given landmark designation in 1967 and Astor Hall and the grand staircases within the building were designated as interior landmarks in 1974. Interior landmark designation would give the two reading rooms–favorites of literary greats including Norman Mailer, E.L. Doctorow and Elizabeth Bishop–the same protection moving forward.
Find out more
‘Vending machine’ skyscraper 3D-prints pod apartments to address housing shortages
May 19, 2017

‘Vending machine’ skyscraper 3D-prints pod apartments to address housing shortages

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The growing need to build affordable housing in big, dense cities while keeping expenses to a minimum led to Malaysian designer Haseef Rafiei’s idea for a futuristic “skyscraper” housing pod vending machine. A Dezeen video shows how the designer–he won an honorable mention in this year’s eVolo Skyscraper Competition–inspired by the fascination with vending machines and robotics in Japan, sketched up the skyscraper idea for offering prospective homeowners a way to customize–and then create–a modular home. The home would then be slotted into place within a high-rise framework. According to the designer, the Pod Vending Machine is based on a "3D-printed building that grows in parallel with the city’s housing demand."
Check out this 'affordable mass produced home dispenser'
$1.6M limestone rowhouse in Bay Ridge is filled with original details
May 19, 2017

$1.6M limestone rowhouse in Bay Ridge is filled with original details

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We may not think first of Bay Ridge when we think of barrel-fronted attached limestone row houses lining sun-dappled city blocks. But they do exist, and this one at 456 74th Street asking $1.575 million is a fine example. This turn-of-the-century townhouse is filled with meticulously restored original details like 10-foot ceilings, oak parquet floors with detailed inlaid borders, pocket doors and fluted oak columns while offering a modern kitchen and bath, basement family room and plenty of play space indoors and out.
Tour this Bay Ridge limestone
Citi Bike looks at major five-borough expansion

Image by Nick Harris flickr CC

May 18, 2017

Citi Bike looks at major five-borough expansion

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Image by Nick Harris flickr CC 6sqft recently reported that so many people are hopping on Citi Bikes that even bus ridership has been affected. But there are parts of New York City–Staten Island and the Bronx for example–don't have that option because the familiar blue bikes haven't made it into their neighborhoods–yet. Citi Bike parent company, Motivate, has approached City Hall with a plan that would add 6,000 bikes to the system–4,000 of them in areas that currently have no docks–without spending tax revenue, the New York Daily News reports.
Find out more
$550K Noho one-bedroom is a cozy perch in a perfect downtown neighborhood
May 18, 2017

$550K Noho one-bedroom is a cozy perch in a perfect downtown neighborhood

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This bright and airy co-op at 308 Mott Street in Noho may not have a 35-foot-long terrace,  but it is, as the listing says, both charming and efficient, with plenty of storage and enough room for a guest or two. The lovely tree-lined blocks that surround the building are home to elegant buildings both historic and new, and quaint shops, theaters and restaurants just far enough from the bustle of Soho. It's an expensive enclave, home to celebrities galore, so the $550K ask makes this charming apartment seem like quite a find.
Get a closer look
The Campbell Apartment: Grand Central Terminal’s historic ‘secret’ bar reopens

Image of The Campbell Bar via Facebook.

May 17, 2017

The Campbell Apartment: Grand Central Terminal’s historic ‘secret’ bar reopens

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Though we're getting used to bidding farewell to our favorite vestiges of old New York, the May 17 reopening of historic and elegant cocktail establishment Campbell Apartment brings a rare reprieve to that familiar scenario, as The New York Times reports. Shuttered in July, the iconic lounge tucked away deep within Grand Central Terminal will reopen as an expanded version of the original. Both its slightly hidden nature and the establishment’s dress code will not be returning in its newest incarnation. The new, easier-to-find bar will be run by the Gerber Group, who says they want the bar to be less stuffy, hopefully without losing any of the historic and genteel appeal that made it a favorite grown-up rendezvous spot and a great way to impress a date.
Find out the story behind this unique NYC space
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