Bed-Stuy

Extell Development's supertall on Billionaires' Row is officially the tallest residential tower in the world. As YIMBY reported this week, Central Park Tower, at 225 West 57th Street, has reached its 92nd floor, surpassing the 1,396-foot-tall tower at 432 Park Avenue. Designed by Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture, Central Park Tower will top out at 95 stories, or 1,550 feet tall, making it stand out significantly among neighboring skyscrapers when construction wraps up next year.
Details here

David Adjaye to help design Bed Stuy’s Restoration Plaza revamp

Image courtesy of Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation.

March 26, 2019

David Adjaye to help design Bed Stuy’s Restoration Plaza revamp

Restoration Plaza, the commercial complex on Fulton Street in Bed-Stuy that has served as a neighborhood hub since it opened in 1972, is getting a major revamp, with British starchitect David Adjaye at the helm for its design. Curbed reports that the nonprofit Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation, which owns and operates the plaza, has announced the creation of a five-year plan for re-imagining the site, including improved services for the surrounding neighborhood and the addition of 400,000 square feet of office space to the complex that currently houses the Billie Holiday Theatre, office space, restaurants, grocery stores and the Brooklyn Business Center.
Find out more

Architecture And Design

New images of SHoP’s skinny supertall at 111 West 57th Street show facade progress

Progress images of 111 W57th Street; photo © Paul Clemence.

January 28, 2019

New images of SHoP’s skinny supertall at 111 West 57th Street show facade progress

Even before reaching its final height of 1,428 feet tall, SHoP Architect’s Midtown supertall 111 West 57th Street, which surpassed 1,000 feet a few months ago, wowed us with views from the tower’s 64th, 72nd, and 73rd floors. Upon completion, the Billionaires’ Row tower will become the tallest residential building in the world, taking the title from 1,396-foot 432 Park Avenue, (until 1,500-foot Central Park Tower tops out). With a super slender frame (a ratio of 1:24), 111 West 57th Street is also set to become one of the skinniest skyscraper in the world. The new year brings new progress–and new photos showing the 86-story tower's intricate terra cotta and bronze facade making its way skyward.
Terracotta and bronze: going up!

Rendering courtesy of Wordsearch

January 18, 2019

Can Extell make Central Park Tower the most expensive condo in U.S. history?

"Some people wonder if Mr. Barnett will become a victim of the condo explosion he helped create," wrote the Wall Street Journal today in a rare expose of Extell's Gary Barnett, referring to the success he had with One57, considered the catalyst for the supertall, ultra-luxury condo boom, and the more challenging climate he's facing with the Central Park Tower. The latter, which will be the world's tallest residential building at 1,550 feet, launched sales in October, but in a soft luxury market, it's not a sure bet that the mega-developer will be able to achieve his projected $4 billion sellout and the title of the nation's most expensive condominium ever. In a likely noncoincidental move timed with the Journal story, Extell today launched the tower's new website (h/t Curbed), and it gives us mere mortals some of the first views inside the billionaire bunker.
See inside and hear from Barnett himself

January 4, 2019

This $799K Bed-Stuy condo ‘shakes’ things up with a clawfoot tub, wood stove, and roof deck

A condo full of Shaker woodwork detail in Brooklyn's Bed-Stuy neighborhood has hit the market for $799,000. The two-bedroom, two bath home at 464 Hancock Street boasts 10-foot-high ceilings, a functioning wood stove, and an envy-inducing windowed clawfoot tub. The sunlight-drenched home also features Shaker woodwork peg racks in most of the rooms and along the hallways, making for a unique storage addition.
Take the tour

Distinctive Homes

December 14, 2018

You can live on Billionaires’ Row for just $325K

It seems as if almost every day we hear of a new big-ticket sale on Manhattan's "Billionaire's Row," the glittering corridor just south of Central Park in Midtown. Eight-figure sales at a growing collection of supertalls like One57, 432 Park Avenue and 111 West 57th Street seem almost ordinary. But it's still possible to snag a home among the oligarchs and moguls: Two units on the market at the classic co-op building at 100 West 57th Street can be yours for $325K (for a studio) and $450K (for a spacious one-bedroom). If you're looking for more than a pied-a-terre, you could even combine both contiguous units and still come in under a mil.
Take a look at your options

Distinctive Homes

December 13, 2018

This $5.2K/month furnished Stuyvesant Heights townhouse is a mix of sophistication and charm

Available from January through August of 2019 at $5,250 per month, this freshly-renovated brownstone triplex at 458 Hancock Street in Bed-Stuy's coveted Stuyvesant Heights historic district presents a great opportunity to get to know the city and the neighborhood. Interiors are bright and spacious, and you don't need to bring anything but your family or friends, and your toothbrush. The four-bedroom home with lots of space to spare plus a private deck and yard comes ready for living, complete with cool furniture and plants.
Take the townhouse tour

November 2, 2018

New Bed-Stuy rental opens affordable housing lottery, starting at $1,102/month

A new rental building just a few blocks from the Myrtle-Willoughby Avenue G train stop in Bed-Stuy is opening an affordable housing lottery for 20 apartments. Conveniently, the 65-unit building at 633 Marcy Avenue will have a supermarket in its base, as well as a laundry room, gym and yoga room, kids room, and a landscaped roof terrace. The affordable units are open to households earning 80 or 130 percent of the area median income. Those on the lower end range from $1,102/month one-bedrooms to $1,327/month two-bedrooms. On the other end, however, the savings are minimal, as they range from $2,207 one/bedrooms to $2,665 two/bedrooms. Currently, the market-rate two bedrooms are going for $2,800/month.
See if you qualify

Affordable Housing

POPULAR Bed-Stuy BUILDINGS

138 Broadway 138 Broadway

689 Myrtle Avenue 689 Myrtle Avenue

179 Throop Avenue 179 Throop Avenue

180 Franklin Street 180 Franklin Street

247 Hancock Street 247 Hancock Street

1247 Atlantic Avenue 1247 Atlantic Avenue

27 Albany Avenue 27 Albany Avenue

740 Dekalb Avenue 740 Dekalb Avenue

633 Marcy Avenue 633 Marcy Avenue

756 Myrtle Avenue 756 Myrtle Avenue

785 Dekalb Avenue 785 Dekalb Avenue

875 Dekalb Avenue 875 Dekalb Avenue

1921 Atlantic Avenue 1921 Atlantic Avenue

175 Spencer Street 175 Spencer Street

1068 Fulton Street 1068 Fulton Street

464 Hancock Street 464 Hancock Street

568 Lafayette Avenue 568 Lafayette Avenue

47 Chauncey Street 47 Chauncey Street

912 Broadway 912 Broadway

349 Hancock Street 349 Hancock Street

Surpassing 1,000-foot mark, SHoP’s skinny supertall shows off incredible Central Park views

Photo by Michael Toolan

November 2, 2018

Surpassing 1,000-foot mark, SHoP’s skinny supertall shows off incredible Central Park views

Without even reaching its final height of 1,428 feet tall, SHoP Architect's Midtown supertall is already boasting amazing views. New photos released this week of 111 West 57th Street, which recently surpassed 1,000 feet high, show off views from the tower's 64th, 72nd, and 73rd floors. Upon completion, the Billionaires' Row tower will become the tallest residential building in the world, taking the title from 1,396-foot 432 Park Avenue, (until 1,500-foot Central Park Tower tops out). With a super slender frame (a ratio of 1:24), 111 West 57th Street is also set to become the skinniest skyscraper in the world.
See the views

October 31, 2018

$925K duplex with a secret arch and backyard fire pit is a Bed-Stuy oasis

Located in the Stuyvesant Heights section of "arguably the most beautiful block in Bedford Stuyvesant," according to the listing, this charming duplex has a ton of hidden magic for under $1 million. The one-bedroom-plus-den condo occupies the garden and lower levels in a brownstone at 579 Jefferson Avenue and boasts a lovely backyard complete with a patio, fire pit, and rustic wooden walls. Inside, more architectural and decorative surprises await.
See for yourself

Distinctive Homes

Sales launch at Extell’s Central Park Tower, the world’s tallest residential building

Via Extell

October 15, 2018

Sales launch at Extell’s Central Park Tower, the world’s tallest residential building

Sales have launched for Central Park Tower, the tallest residential tower in the world, Extell Development announced Monday. Located at 225 West 57th Street, the 1,550-foot tower is rising on Billionaires' Row, a strip of ultra-luxury residences at the southern end of Central Park in Midtown. While Extell hasn't officially released pricing for its 179 condos, the Real Deal reported last year that 20 of the units have a price tag of $60 million and higher, with a $95 million penthouse being the most expensive. If the building achieves its projected $4 billion sellout, the tower would become the most expensive condo project in New York City.
More here

Real Estate Trends

October 2, 2018

Listings go live at the world’s skinniest skyscraper, 111 West 57th Street

The race to build the tallest residential building in the world has long been underway along Billionaires' Row, but 111 West 57th Street not only boasts height (at 1,428 feet it'll surpass the current record holder, 1,396-foot 432 Park Avenue until the 1,500-foot Central Park Tower tops out) but a frame that is so slender (a ratio of 1:24) it garners it the title of skinniest skyscraper in the world. And after six years watching the development unfold, listings have finally gone live for the 46-unit condo, first spotted by Curbed. The first batch includes seven units, six of which are three-bedrooms ranging from $18 to $30 million, along with a $56 million penthouse.
Ogle the floorplan porn

September 6, 2018

Historic Bed-Stuy mansion smashes neighborhood record with $6.3M sale

Bedford-Stuyvesant's most expensive home has sold for $6.3 million, setting a record price for the neighborhood and sending a message that rising property prices are making their way further into Brooklyn, according to the Wall Street Journal. At nearly twice the previous record sale of $3.3 million in 2017, the Renaissance Revival-style John C. Kelley mansion at 247 Hancock Street is the most expensive single-family house ever sold in Bed-Stuy. The 8,000-square-foot, 10-bedroom townhouse was built in 1887 for water-meter magnate John Kelley, designed by noted architect Montrose Morris and modeled after a Gilded Age Vanderbilt mansion along Fifth Avenue.
Take a look inside this incredible mansion

Music fan behind ‘Aretha’ signs at Franklin Ave subway aims for permanent tribute mural

Images: Aretha Franklin, Franklin Avenue subway station via Wikimedia.

August 21, 2018

Music fan behind ‘Aretha’ signs at Franklin Ave subway aims for permanent tribute mural

Upon hearing of the death of Queen of Soul Aretha Franklin last week, music enthusiast and location manager LeRoy McCarthy corralled a street artist friend and got to work on a fitting sendoff–"Aretha," stenciled in magenta sprayable chalk lettering above each sign that identified the Franklin Avenue subway station in Brooklyn. Curbed reports that McCarthy, who was responsible for efforts to name streets for Notorious B.I.G. in Clinton Hill, Phife Dawg in Queens and the Beastie Boys in the Lower East Side, among others, hopes to create a more permanent tribute. The plan is to create the word R-E-S-P-E-C-T in large black letters on a blank wall just south of Fulton Street on the west side of Franklin Avenue.
more than a little respect, hopefully

August 16, 2018

Apply for 35 affordable apartments in Bed-Stuy, from $745/month

A six-story building in Bed-Stuy launched a lottery this week for 35 affordable apartments. Developed in collaboration between Comunilife and NYC Health + Hospitals, the Woodhull Residence at 179 Throop Avenue contains 89 studio apartments, designed as supportive and affordable housing. The apartments up for grabs through the lottery are set aside for individual New Yorkers earning 50 and 60 percent of the area median income, or between $27,463 and $43,860 annually, and include $746/month and $903/month studios.
Find out if you qualify

Affordable Housing

3 chances to live just steps from the G train in Bed-Stuy, from $1,912/month

Photo via Julien Magne/Flickr

August 14, 2018

3 chances to live just steps from the G train in Bed-Stuy, from $1,912/month

A six-story building in Bed-Stuy launched a lottery this week for three middle-income units. The newly constructed building, located at 523 Willoughby Avenue, sits between Marcy and Tompkins Avenues and just a two-minute walk from the G train. Qualifying New Yorkers earning 130 percent of the area median income can apply for one $1,912/month one-bedroom and two $2,303 two-bedroom apartments.
Find out if you qualify

Affordable Housing

The best affordable and student-friendly off-campus neighborhoods in NYC

Columbia campus, via Pixabay

August 9, 2018

The best affordable and student-friendly off-campus neighborhoods in NYC

By Cait Etherington

If you can’t bear the idea of living in the dorms for another year, you’re not alone. Unless you happen to go to Columbia where over 90 percent of students live on campus, there's a high likelihood you’ll be searching for your own apartment at some point during your college years, just like 57 percent of students at NYU and 74 percent at The New School. And if you're like most students, you’ll be looking for an apartment far from downtown that strikes the right balance between affordability, commutability, and access to services. To help you make the smartest decision possible, 6sqft has compiled a list of affordable, student-friendly neighborhoods in Manhattan and Brooklyn. By New York City standards, all of these are both safe (e.g., reported fewer than 1.5447 crimes per 1000 people in June 2018) and within reach (e.g., on average, three-bedroom units can still be rented for less than $5,000 per month). Using July 2018 City Realty data on average neighborhood rents, we've broken down how much you’ll pay on average to live in a three-bedroom shared unit in each of these neighborhoods. We’ve also provided average commute times to both Union Square, which is easily walkable to NYU, The New School, and Cooper Union, and to the Columbia University campus.
Get the guide

20 affordable studios in Bed-Stuy up for grabs for $666/month

Photo via Matthew Rutledge on Flickr

August 7, 2018

20 affordable studios in Bed-Stuy up for grabs for $666/month

A newly constructed Bed-Stuy rental launched a lottery this week for 20 affordable studios. Located at 500 Gates Avenue, the five-story, 68-unit apartment building sits on the corner of budding Thompkins Avenue, a block home to nearby favorites like Bed-Vyne Brew and Peaches Hot House. Qualifying New Yorkers earning 60 percent of the area median income can apply for the $666/month studio apartments.
Find out if you qualify

Affordable Housing

Our 2,500sqft: New homeowners Mark and Lauren take us inside their relaxed Bed-Stuy brownstone

6sqft’s series “My sqft” checks out the homes of New Yorkers across all the boroughs. Our latest interior adventure brings us to the Bed-Stuy brownstone of Mark and Lauren. Want to see your home featured here? Get in touch!

August 7, 2018

Our 2,500sqft: New homeowners Mark and Lauren take us inside their relaxed Bed-Stuy brownstone

The Upper West Side to Bed-Stuy may seem like a big jump, but Mark Macias and Lauren DeGregory haven't looked back. Last August, the lovely couple bought a renovated brownstone in the 'hood, upgrading from a one-bedroom apartment to a three-story 1890 house complete with a rental apartment, owner's duplex, and, best of all, rear deck and backyard. Having a warm, comfortable home was especially vital to the couple because of their schedules. Though he runs his own PR firm, Mark spent their first year as homeowners finishing up his play about Elvis Presley, "The King, The Final Hours." And Lauren's life sciences consulting job keeps her traveling and living out of a suitcase for most of the work week. 6sqft recently paid Mark and Lauren (and their dog Einstein!) a visit, got a tour of their pretty home, and learned a bit more about their new lives as homeowners.
Take the tour

Live one block from the G train in Bed-Stuy for just $1,074/month

Photo via Julien Magne/Flickr

July 11, 2018

Live one block from the G train in Bed-Stuy for just $1,074/month

With the impending L train shutdown, the G train is looking better and better, and here's a chance to live less than a block from the Myrtle-Willoughby Avenues stop. The affordable housing lottery is for seven $1,074//month one-bedrooms, open to New Yorkers earning 60 percent of the area median income, at 901 Myrtle Avenue, a new 30-unit rental building.
Find out if you qualify

Affordable Housing

June 22, 2018

Two affordable one-bedrooms in Bed-Stuy up for grabs for $985/month

Photo via CityRealty Act quickly: Just two one-bedroom apartments are available at a new rental building in Brookyln's Bed-Stuy neighborhood. The rental at 88 Hart Street sits between Marcy and Tompkins Avenues and only a few blocks from the Kosciuszko Pool and the Herbert Von King Park, a historic green space designed by Frederick Law Olmsted that also has a cultural arts center. Plus, the building includes a laundry room. New Yorkers who earn 60 percent of the area median income, or between $33,772 and $50,100 annually, can apply for the affordable $985/month one-bedrooms.
Find out if you qualify

Affordable Housing

June 5, 2018

Lottery opens for 13 middle-income units in Bed-Stuy, from $1,744/month

As any New Yorker knows, convenience is key, but it'll often cost you. The city's latest affordable housing lottery, however, offers a location on the same block as the Franklin Avenue stop in Bed-Stuy, and just a short walk to both the subway and LIRR at Nostrand Avenue. The brand new building at 1068 Fulton Street has 13 middle-income units up for grabs for New Yorkers earning 130 percent of the area median income, including $1,744/month one-bedrooms and $2,099/month two-bedrooms.
Find out if you qualify

Affordable Housing

June 4, 2018

City sells million-dollar homes in Bed-Stuy to 10 families for roughly half price

Photo via CityRealty New York City has sold 10 homes valued between $1 and $1.2 million to Brooklyn families for about half the price, as part of an initiative to promote affordable homeownership throughout the five boroughs. The two-family homes are located throughout the Bed-Stuy neighborhood and sold for between an estimated $407,000 and $625,000 (h/t NY Post). To qualify for the affordable homes, the families had to apply through a housing lottery and earn 90 or 130 percent of the are median income, which ranges roughly between $50,856 for a family of three and $153,790 for a family of seven.
Get the details

Middle-income housing lottery in Bed-Stuy saves renters close to nothing

Google Street View of 867 DeKalb Avenue

April 19, 2018

Middle-income housing lottery in Bed-Stuy saves renters close to nothing

For the second time in two days, the city's affordable housing portal has opened the application process for a middle-income lottery that's basically no cheaper than the building's regular market-rate units. For example, this opportunity at 867 DeKalb Avenue, a recently constructed rental in Bed-Stuy, is offering 11 units to those earning 115, 125, and 130 percent of the area median income. The "affordable" apartments range from $2,163/month one-bedrooms to $2,716/month two-bedrooms. By comparison, the market-rate units start at $2,100 for one-bedrooms and $2,744 for two-bedrooms.
What's up with that?

Affordable Housing

April 18, 2018

For only $950K, this tiny townhouse in Stuyvesant Heights has a backyard shed and modern updates