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.
Are concessions and a high vacancy rate a sign the rental bubble will burst?
December 15, 2016

Are concessions and a high vacancy rate a sign the rental bubble will burst?

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In the past year or so, there has been no shortage of talk about inventory glut, flat rental prices and bursting bubbles; Now, Slate blogger Henry Grabar has rustled up some numbers and real-life examples to go with the chatter, and we're guessing they weren't too hard to find. According to Grabar, a vacancy rate at its highest since 2009 (with a staggering amount of inventory in the pipeline), and the percentage of rental price chops at a record 42 percent in October point to an impending renter's market of comparatively epic proportions.
More on the horizon, literally
This $5.4M townhouse is Harlem historic on the outside, Soho sleek on the inside
December 15, 2016

This $5.4M townhouse is Harlem historic on the outside, Soho sleek on the inside

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This historic Harlem townhouse at 22 West 120th Street fits right in with its neighbors on a gorgeous brownstone block just across from Marcus Garvey Park (and just a couple of blocks north of Central Park). Once you enter the four-story home, though, you could easily be in a luxury downtown penthouse. A custom renovation created statement features like a vast and dramatic skylight, radiant heated floors, a unique metal staircase and four ultra-modern wood burning fireplaces.
Have a look around
New renderings from Albo Liberis offer up two visions for Brooklyn’s next skyscraping office tower

Rendering of 625 Fulton Street; image: Albo Liberis /Genesis Studios

December 14, 2016

New renderings from Albo Liberis offer up two visions for Brooklyn’s next skyscraping office tower

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As the future Brooklyn skyline takes shape, one of the borough's largest office towers-to-be, a 36-story commercial skyscraper, is slated to rise at 625 Fulton Street in Downtown Brooklyn. Brooklyn-based Rabsky Group purchased the lot for $158 million and, as The Real Deal reports, plans are in the works to create 700,000 square feet of leasable space, for which the developer is in talks with City Planning to take advantage of a plaza bonus. Albo Liberis (see Williamsburg's William Vale Hotel) has been commissioned as the architect, and while no design has been officially revealed or finalized by Rabsky, the firm's site does offer up some insight into what is being considered for the game-changing tower.
Check out the renderings
Moroccan villa meets artsy loft, times two, for rent in Greenpoint
December 14, 2016

Moroccan villa meets artsy loft, times two, for rent in Greenpoint

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Whether they're luxury penthouses or shoebox-sized studios, New York City apartments don't often deviate much from the standard; so when apartments like the two now on the rental market at 658 Leonard Street in Greenpoint pop up, they tend to get our attention. The townhouse that is home to this pair of unique dwellings is, we're told, owner-occupied, and we're guessing the same owner made the effort to design these unique interiors with international flair, from the mahogany cabinetry and French-style mahogany windows to antique Moroccan tiling and hand-rubbed plaster walls. The higher-floor unit ($3,680/month) is slightly larger and has been divided to create two bedrooms, while the parlor-floor apartment ($3,280/month) has more of an open loft layout. In both, you get a spin-the-compass approach to home design while keeping quality and comfort in mind.
This way to the Kasbah
Rare modernist pieces by Prouvé, Le Corbusier, Gaudí and more up for auction today
December 13, 2016

Rare modernist pieces by Prouvé, Le Corbusier, Gaudí and more up for auction today

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If your idea of a perfect stocking stuffer is a classic Serge Mouille three-armed ceiling light, the auction of items from the private collection of architect Lee Mindel, which begins today, is just what your gift list ordered. "Light & Aerie: The Collection of Lee F. Mindel, FAIA" includes dozens of rare modernist pieces from the architect's personal collection. Mindel is moving from his Chelsea loft in a former hat factory to a new aerie in Tribeca's rare and collectible Herzog & de Meuron-designed "Jenga tower" at 56 Leonard Street; Mindel's loft is available, too, if you've got a really big stocking to fill. Auction house Phillips is handling the sale, which includes stunning pieces ranging from art to furniture, lighting and decorative items by the likes of Jean Prouvé, Antoni Gaudí, Georges Braque, Hans J. Wegner, Ettore Sottsass, Jr. and many, many more.
Check out some of the iconic pieces headed for auction
For $560K, this spacious Sunset Park co-op has a Scandinavian heritage and interior style to match
December 13, 2016

For $560K, this spacious Sunset Park co-op has a Scandinavian heritage and interior style to match

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We're told this big and bright pre-war apartment at 1413 9th Avenue is in a 1923 Finnish co-op building. We know that's not unusual for Sunset Park: In the first half of the 20th century, the neighborhood was home to a large Scandinavian community. But this particular home's charming interiors are also the picture of Scandi-chic (though we're pretty sure it's coincidental). At $560,000, three big bedrooms with plenty of space to spare make the laid-back minimal decor that much easier on the eyes.
Tour this lovely southwest Brooklyn gem
Historic districts and landmarking: What they mean and how they could affect you
December 13, 2016

Historic districts and landmarking: What they mean and how they could affect you

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In New York City, where buying and selling real estate is a high-stakes endeavor, the topic of historic and landmark designation is frequently raised. There are heated discussions on the subject of listing neighborhoods or buildings on the State and National Register of Historic Places or having them designated by the city’s Landmarks Preservation Commission. It's important to know what those organizations do and the distinctions between them. You could even be eligible for significant financial aid for your renovations if you own property in an historic district.
Find out what these designations mean, how you could benefit from them and why they're sometimes controversial.
Interactive map reveals the income gap that divides NYC’s richest and poorest
December 13, 2016

Interactive map reveals the income gap that divides NYC’s richest and poorest

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According to a 2016 Pew report, the middle class is shrinking in 90 percent of U.S. cities. It's the first time in our nation's history that the middle class doesn't make up the economic majority. Instead, the highest- and lowest-income households combined comprise over 50 percent of the population. And in New York City, the divide is startling. One in five New Yorkers live below the poverty line, while the upper five percent of Manhattan residents earned more than $860,000 in 2014. GIS software company Esri has created a series of interactive maps that visualize this wealth divide in NYC and across the country, revealing where the richest and poorest live and the new economic divisions that are forming in our major metropolitan areas.
Maps, this way
Governor Cuomo is ‘cautiously optimistic’ about Second Avenue subway opening deadline
December 12, 2016

Governor Cuomo is ‘cautiously optimistic’ about Second Avenue subway opening deadline

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Melissa DeRosa, the governor’s chief of staff, said Friday that Governor Andrew Cuomo was “cautiously optimistic” about a December opening for the long-awaited Second Avenue subway project, according to AM New York. After several weekly visits to the under-construction 72nd Street site, the governor appeared confident that the MTA would be able to meet the project's December 31 deadline. U.S. representative Carolyn Maloney had also expressed confidence in the Second Avenue subway meeting its year-end deadline.
Find out more
Historic 1865 Chelsea firehouse was Andy Warhol’s 1949 refuge, now renting for $33K
December 12, 2016

Historic 1865 Chelsea firehouse was Andy Warhol’s 1949 refuge, now renting for $33K

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The Chelsea Firehouse at 323 West 21st Street would be an historic icon based on its origins alone, beginning in the late 19th century as an actual firehouse, built to accommodate a shiny new horse-drawn steam pumper engine (h/t Daytonian in Manhattan). The mid-Victorian era structure not only survived the ensuing decades, but in 1999, Architectural Digest featured the duplex shown here, by then one of three luxury apartments, calling it "indisputably one of a kind." In the years between, the building was home to free-spirited performers and artists, including Andy Warhol and Philip Pearlstein who sought refuge here from seedy lodgings in the East Village. The designer-renovated, uniquely-configured 4,000 square-foot duplex in this storied building is now on the rental market for $33,000.
Find out more about this iconic home
Rent model Erin Heatherton’s rustic-chic West Village condo for $15K/month
December 9, 2016

Rent model Erin Heatherton’s rustic-chic West Village condo for $15K/month

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Back in October Sports Illustrated and Victoria’s Secret model—and onetime Leonardo DiCaprio arm candy—Erin Heatherton put her renovated 1,345 square-foot, two-bedroom Village condo at 1 Morton Square on the market for $2.85 million; we don't know if her thorny relationship with the building's condo board has had anything to do with it, but the two-bedroom apartment's rustic-chic interiors like exposed beams, stacked wood in the kitchen and stunning La Cornue range, plus a massive custom walk-in closet, have not yet found the model buyer: The apartment is now on the rental market for $15,000.
Take the tour
Make your stay in NYC an authentic one: Sleep in a closet-sized space for $3,500
December 8, 2016

Make your stay in NYC an authentic one: Sleep in a closet-sized space for $3,500

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This second-floor walk-up at 235 West 18th Street is about as much like an average NYC rental apartment as you could get for a month or two in town, which is clearly the intended purpose of this furnished Chelsea pad. The listing states that it's available for one to twelve months, but there are towels on the beds, AirBnB-style, along with other bare-bones necessities. Knowing that makes it seem a lot more acceptable that one of the apartment's two "flex" bedrooms appears to be in an actual closet—which isn't so bad if you're only in town for the holidays. And to be fair, whole rooms in some of the city's hipper boutique hotels appear to be in closets also. The listing says the apartment "comfortably sleeps 4," which apparently means at $3,500 you're getting a pretty good bargain.
Make yourself right at home
Former Citicorp Center is the city’s newest landmarked building

Images: Lemessurier and 6sqft

December 7, 2016

Former Citicorp Center is the city’s newest landmarked building

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The Midtown building formerly known as Citicorp Center has just been designated a city landmark. The building, now known simply as 601 Lexington Avenue, is one of 12 buildings in Midtown East to be given landmark status by the city's Landmarks Preservation Commission. This newest batch of landmarks brings the number of official historic buildings in the area to 50, Curbed reports. The 59-story office and retail tower, designed by Hugh A. Stubbins & Associates, was completed in 1978. It was considered quite innovative for its time, with distinctive features that included a 45-degree angular roof and a base of four stilt-like columns. The latter allowed it to cantilever over Saint Peter’s Church, also on the site. There is also a privately owned public space that connects the buildings to the Lexington Avenue-53rd Street subway station.
The distinctive tower will be dwarfed, but preserved
NYC will have free Wi-Fi in all underground subway stations by year’s end
December 7, 2016

NYC will have free Wi-Fi in all underground subway stations by year’s end

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NYC Subway riders will soon be less able to blame their subway commute for not being able to immediately answer that all-important email or text. Last January 6sqft highlighted Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s plan to get all MTA subway stations connected with free Wi-Fi by the end of this year as part of a comprehensive plan to upgrade subway infrastructure. According to AMNewYork, plans to implement free Wi-Fi in all 279 of the city’s subway stations are on track for the end of this year; as of Tuesday, 250 of them are already up and running.
It's all part of an ambitious plan
This $845K Chelsea studio’s sleep loft, brick walls and terrace are dreamy
December 7, 2016

This $845K Chelsea studio’s sleep loft, brick walls and terrace are dreamy

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This Chelsea-meets-Meatpacking studio at 221 West 14th Street checks the boxes for charm, neighborhood amenities and convenience, and it possesses that elusive bonus item: an attractive outdoor space with at least enough room for a rosé al fresco. For $845,000 it's not exactly a steal, though if neighborhood comps are a factor—which of course they are—then it becomes one. The second-floor townhouse condominium's layout works, allowing the space to be a small studio, yet solving the problem of having your bed next to the fridge.
What else do we love about it?
New documentary ‘Tree Man’ explores the lives of NYC’s Christmas tree sellers
December 6, 2016

New documentary ‘Tree Man’ explores the lives of NYC’s Christmas tree sellers

By
One of the many signs that it's Christmastime in the city is the sight, sound and scent of the city's sidewalk tree vendors. The annual arrival of the (mostly) jovial tree purveyors reminds us that bell-ringing Santas, office secret Santas, and bar-crawling Santas aren't far behind. Each year thousands of trees are sold to New Yorkers to help them deck the halls for the season. But what about the people who sell those trees? A new documentary film, “Tree Man,” gives us a peek at the lives of the city's tree sellers, many of whom leave families behind to camp out in sometimes harsh living conditions for the sake of their business.
Watch a trailer for 'Tree Man'
New bill could limit sidewalk scaffolding to six months or less
December 6, 2016

New bill could limit sidewalk scaffolding to six months or less

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Like an unwanted visitor, well-intentioned but present well after becoming a daily nuisance, New York City's familiar green sidewalk scaffolding seems to contradict the laws of gravity: It goes up but never really seems to come down. Now, the New York Times reports, a new City Council bill would require that scaffolding be taken down after six months–sooner if no work is being done.
Find out the details
Pretty Cobble Hill carriage house boasts history of circus zebras–and Norah Jones as neighbor
December 6, 2016

Pretty Cobble Hill carriage house boasts history of circus zebras–and Norah Jones as neighbor

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Though this 1830s livery stable on a picturesque Cobble Hill block offers seemingly endless charms on its own, the three-story, 4,300-square-foot home may have one of the more unique carriage house histories we've heard: It's believed that between 1915 and 1920 the stable was used to house zebras when what is now the Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus was in town—the building next door was used to hold the elephants. If that's not enough distinction, the adorable carriage house belonging to singer Norah Jones—it also appeared in the Julia Roberts film "Eat, Pray, Love,"—sits directly across the street. But this particular carriage house, on the market for $5.6 million, is eclectic enough without past-life zebras or celebrity neighbors, from its expansive owners' duplex to its cozy upper floor apartment. Two decks overlooking a gorgeous rear garden and parking at the front have already won us over, and that's before we've even gone inside.
Explore this eclectic former stable
As Red Hook’s Norman Foster office complex plans move forward, local residents want more input
December 5, 2016

As Red Hook’s Norman Foster office complex plans move forward, local residents want more input

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In October 6sqft reported that work on Thor Equities' 7.7-acre waterfront office and retail complex, architect Norman Foster‘s first Brooklyn commission, had begun. A recent meeting between the developers' representatives and community members to discuss plans for the 818,000-square-foot two-building project on the former site of Red Hook’s Revere Sugar Refinery–known as Red Hoek Point–revealed concerns that the Red Hook community is being excluded from development plans.
Find out more
West Chelsea mansion reboot with gym, pool, elevator, theatre and wine room ready for its $36.8M close-up
December 5, 2016

West Chelsea mansion reboot with gym, pool, elevator, theatre and wine room ready for its $36.8M close-up

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Back in September 6sqft brought you news of the “unbridled luxury” in the works for a townhouse at 357 West 17th Street that designer Karim Rashid sold to Wonder Works Construction Corp., developer of Williamsburg‘s pricey Oosten condominium complex, for $9.35 million in 2014. Rashid had lived in–and occasionally rented out–a candy-colored, neon-furnished loft in the building. Wonder Works subsequently hired Architect Andres Escobar to transform the 25-foot-wide building into an 11,000-square-foot modern single-family mansion with five bedrooms, 11 baths, a private internal garage, a 400 bottle glass-enclosed wine room, a fully-stocked gym and spa with a pool, a screening room, decks, terraces and patios with city views. Though the renderings looked sufficiently swank, the finished home, now on the market for $38.6 million, more than delivers on the promise of luxe. From the smallest details (Swarovski crystal drawer pulls, faux croc finishes on kitchen cabinets, marble everything and a bathroom faucet that's suspended from the ceiling) to the previously-mentioned lifestyle transformers, no expense was spared in the creation of this contemporary urban manse.
Lots more shiny things and marble, this way
Harmonize with nature in this $488K mid-century modern home in the Ramapo foothills
December 4, 2016

Harmonize with nature in this $488K mid-century modern home in the Ramapo foothills

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If you've got Eichler dreams and Fallingwater fantasies, but don't live in state that's abundant with mid-century modern architectural gems, it helps to be on the lookout for homes like this one. The Rockland County house on over an acre of woods in Wesley Hills, NY, now on the market for $488,000, was built in 1965 by Versland Rhodes, a popular builder of contemporary upstate homes of the day. The four-bedroom home is beautifully preserved, with details like a sunken living room, cherry wood cabinetry and hardwood and stone floors joining conveniences like central A/C. Like many modern homes, every effort was made to minimalize the border between inside and outdoors, so you get to enjoy a wraparound deck, tons of windows and scenic views.
Take the tour
State seeks proposals for massive development above South Bronx rail yard tracks
December 2, 2016

State seeks proposals for massive development above South Bronx rail yard tracks

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As the city's land costs rise, interest has been focused on the South Bronx, including the potential for a huge waterfront development above the MTA's Concourse Yards, as 6sqft previously reported. Now, Crains reports that Empire State Development (ESD) has invited developers to present offers for leasing or purchasing a 13-acre South Bronx rail yard along the Harlem River just north of the Willis Avenue Bridge and decking it over to build a residential or mixed-use project.
Find out more
Michael Bloomberg’s daughter looking to sell Tribeca loft for $3.5 million
December 1, 2016

Michael Bloomberg’s daughter looking to sell Tribeca loft for $3.5 million

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Though Emma Bloomberg–daughter of former mayor Mike Bloomberg–may be trying to patch up her relationship with Donald Trump, she's looking to part ways with the sprawling loft at 62 Beach Street that she and husband Christopher Frissora bought for $2.45 million in 2007. And though it's certainly no little pink house, John Cougar Mellencamp was among the interested parties eyeing the two-bedroom 1,528 square-foot home, currently on the market for $3.5 million, according to the New York Post. The rocker recently split from Christie Brinkley after a year of dating, and we can't think of a better post-breakup man-cave.
Another day, another Tribeca loft fit for a celebrity
Artists’ storied 187-year-old West Village carriage house finally finds a buyer
December 1, 2016

Artists’ storied 187-year-old West Village carriage house finally finds a buyer

By
A 187-year-old carriage house at 29 Downing Street on a quintessential West Village block has appeared in print for so many reasons it's hard to name them all–starting with the six-degrees-of-"Hamilton" fact that it was built in 1829 on land owned by third U.S. vice president Aaron Burr. 6sqft featured the historic home owned by artists John Bennett and Karen Lee Grant in early 2015 when it was listed for $13 million. The homeowners' vision reflected in this remarkable art studio, gallery and living space was featured in House Beautiful, Elle and two coffee table books; the Wall Street Journal called the 25-foot-wide home a "time capsule of development in the West Village." Not only is it one of the most photographed homes in the neighborhood, it's also among the oldest. Purchased by Bennett in 1977 for $155,000 with the help of a loan from the previous homeowners, the house recently sold for $6.8 million–about half the original ask–after two years on the market and several broker changes and price chops (h/t Curbed).
Get a peek inside this rare slice of Village life
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