Bed-Stuy

6sqft’s series “Where I Work” takes us into the studios, offices, and off-beat workspaces of New Yorkers across the city. In this installment, we take a tour of the Bed-Stuy urban farm Square Roots. Want to see your business featured here? Get in touch! In a Bed-Stuy parking lot, across from the Marcy Houses (you'll know this as Jay-Z's childhood home) and behind the hulking Pfizer Building, is an urban farming accelerator that's collectively producing the equivalent of a 20-acre farm. An assuming eye may see merely a collection of 10 shipping containers, but inside each of these is a hydroponic, climate-controlled farm growing GMO-free, spray-free, greens--"real food," as Square Roots calls it. The incubator opened just this past November, a response by co-founders Kimbal Musk (Yes, Elon's brother) and Tobias Peggs against the industrial food system as a way to bring local food to urban settings. Each vertical farm is run by its own entrepreneur who runs his or her own sustainable business, selling directly to consumers. 6sqft recently visited Square Roots, went inside entrepreneur Paul Philpott's farm, and chatted with Tobias about the evolution of the company, its larger goals, and how food culture is changing.
Take a tour of Square Roots and get the full story from Tobias

April 4, 2017

Noroof Architects’ Bed-Stuy porcHouse re-imagines the classic American front porch

By Rebecca Paul

"The great American front porch was just there, open and sociable, an unassigned part of the house that belonged to everyone and no one, a place for family and friends to pass the time," said architect Davida Rochlin in her essay "Home, Sweet Home." It was this idea that Brooklyn-based firm Noroof Architects kept in mind when redesigning this 1879 two-story, wood-frame home in Bed-Stuy. It was structurally sound and maintained original details like its covered porch with original cornice and trim, marble mantels, and carved stair balusters, but mechanically required a full gut renovation. To complete their "porcHouse" vision, Noroof added a two-story addition at the rear that they say "creates a kind of ‘interior portico.’"
See the whole place

Architecture And Design

March 30, 2017

Renaissance Revival brownstone in Bed-Stuy has original ‘speaking tubes’ dating back to 1895

You pretty much step back in time walking into this Bedford-Stuyvesant brownstone, located in the eastern portion of the neighborhood at 538 Decatur Street. It is an 1895 Renaissance Revival, bay-fronted brownstone that is 18 feet wide with three stories and a two-story extension. When the listing brags that the interior boasts an "astonishing wealth of original detail" they aren't kidding--everything from carved fireplace mantles to oak pocket doors to beveled glass. The home even has its original "speaking tubes," which the original owners would have used to call to servants working on the garden floor of the home.
You must see this historic interior

Construction update: Extell’s Central Park Tower gets its fluted glass curtain wall

West 58th Street elevation of Nordstom’s podium; CityRealty

March 27, 2017

Construction update: Extell’s Central Park Tower gets its fluted glass curtain wall

When it reaches its projected 1,550-foot height, Extell Development’s Central Park Tower will have the highest roof-line of any residential building in the Western Hemisphere, besting the current record holder 432 Park. Though the $2.98 billion project won't be complete until 2019, construction is moving ahead along Billionaires' Row, reports CityRealty. The 58th Street side, which will hold a 285,000-square-foot, seven-story Nordstrom store, is currently receiving its fluted-glass skin, a "Waveforms Facade."
See more views here

New Developments

March 17, 2017

Oiio’s ‘Big Bend’ proposal for Billionaires’ Row would be the world’s longest building

New York City Architecture firm Oiio has proposed a conceptual skyscraper that would curve at the top and then return to the ground, becoming what the firm believes to be the “longest” building to ever be created. As reported by dezeen, their "Big Bend" proposal challenges Manhattan’s obsession with supertall skyscrapers by substituting extreme height with length—stretching 4,000 feet from end to end. If they are able to design this building, Oiio hopes it could potentially provide a solution to the height limitations imposed by city zoning laws.
See the renderings here

Architecture And Design

March 15, 2017

Governor Cuomo’s $1.4B Central Brooklyn plan stokes gentrification debate

Governor Cuomo announced a $1.4 billion initiative last week to bring resources like health care services and new jobs to Central Brooklyn. According to the governor, the plan, called “Vital Brooklyn,” will bring 7,600 jobs and more than 3,000 new affordable housing units to Brownsville, East New York, Bedford-Stuyvesant and Crown Heights. And while Cuomo’s administration found these neighborhoods to be some of the most disadvantaged in the state, residents worry about the possible gentrification and displacement effects (h/t NY Times).
Learn more about Vital Brooklyn here

March 13, 2017

$2M garage conversion in Bed-Stuy has a zen atrium and industrial glamour

Although this listing looks like a basic garage from the outside, inside 222 Madison Street in Bedford-Stuyvesant is actually a single-family home on the market for just over $1.9 million. The cured cement floors, exposed white-washed brick wall, and high ceilings topped by skylights add plenty of industrial glamour, while a private garage, multiple sleeping areas, and 3,000-square-foot open layout retain all the functionality one could hope for in a residence.
Check out the unique space

Distinctive Homes

February 28, 2017

Spacious $860K loft is in a Bed-Stuy building known for its quirky apartments

This loft apartment comes from the well-known Brooklyn condo the Chocolate Factory Lofts at 689 Myrtle Avenue. (The building was once, not surprisingly, a chocolate factory.) The Bed-Stuy pad, asking $860,000, is much like the other units that have hit the market: spacious, 13-foot ceilings and oversized casement windows. The building's also known for its creative owners who deck out their apartments (just check out this apartment on the market last summer with a "floating" closet and custom staircase) and this latest apartment is no different.
Check it out

Distinctive Homes

February 24, 2017

Glamorous modern condo inside a historic Bed-Stuy townhouse asks $855K

Talk about an apartment with good bones. This modern condo was carved from the historic four-story townhouse at 347 Gates Avenue, in Bedford-Stuyvesant. The condo conversion brought sleek finishes to each floor-through apartment, and this one on the third floor is now asking $855,000. It is located on a block of Bed-Stuy lined with picturesque townhouses, just a half block from the main drag of Bedford Avenue and close to the A/C trains on the Nostrand stop.
See more of the apartment

February 14, 2017

432 Park owner attempts to sell $20M apartment with iPhone photos

If you've been as curious as we have to know what the inside of 432 Park looks like IRL, look no further than unit #52C, now for sale by owner. LLNYC spotted the listing today which boldly ditches professionally staged photos for somewhat sloppy phone snapshots of the interiors. As the mag points out, 432's developers have been keen on putting the luxury tower's best foot forward, revealing only sleek renderings or retouched images of impeccably outfitted model units to press and onlookers.
more inside here

Distinctive Homes

January 19, 2017

Pop singer Santigold lists her ornate Bed-Stuy brownstone for $1.95 million

By Annie Doge

Singer and songwriter Santi "Santigold" White—best known for her singles "Creator" and "LES Artistes," and more recently her video "Can't Get Enough of Myself" which featured cameos by Jay Z, Pharrell, Olivia Wilde, amongst other A-listers—has just listed her stunning Bed-Stuy brownstone for $1,950,000. White originally purchased the property back in 2010 for just $775,000, meaning if she can make a sale, she'll walk away with quite a tidy profit. With that said, the home at 786 Putnam Avenue should have no issues drawing in buyers. In addition to offering generous quarters as a "one-of-a-kind 2-family brownstone, currently used as an extra-large one-family residence," plenty of lavish details make this home a standout.
Get a closer look inside here

January 6, 2017

This $840K duplex condo in Bed-Stuy comes with its own private backyard and deck

Though the Brooklyn neighborhood of Bedford-Stuyvesant is best known for its historic townhouses, you can still find a cute condo in the area. Cue this apartment from 156 Pulaski Street, a three-bedroom, two-and-a-half bathroom unit now asking $840,000. There's 1,150 interior square feet plus a big added bonus: a private backyard and patio space that'll make you long for summer.
See more

Distinctive Homes

November 11, 2016

432 Park Avenue will become a beacon of light beginning Monday

Just in case you had trouble spotting the Western Hemisphere's tallest residential tower, beginning Monday, 432 Park Avenue will debut a brand new lighting feature that will turn the 1,396-foot supertall into a glowing beacon. As LLNYC reports, 32 LEDs will fill the tower's five open-air "drum floors" where the building's mechanicals are situated. 432 Park's starchitect, Rafael Viñoly, worked with HDLC Architectural Lighting Design to develop the scheme.
more details here

Architecture And Design

November 8, 2016

Even more pricey condos are coming to Billionaires’ Row

Back in September, there were murmurs that the Feil Organization had plans to convert a 57th Street office building into residences. As it turns out, Billionaires' Row will indeed soon find itself with another 34 high-end condos in tow. As Yimby first reports, plans were filed last week to convert a 14-story, 1907 commercial tower at 140 West 57th Street into a mixed-use property that would keep an existing grocery story at its base, but transform the building's upper 12 floors into 70,885 square feet of upscale living space.
more details here

October 20, 2016

Jean Nouvel’s MoMA Tower is getting the first of its intricate, diagrid skin

News at starchitect Jean Nouvel's condominium MoMA Tower (officially called 53W53) has been relatively quiet since units hit the market just over a year ago. But CityRealty brings us an update from the Billionaires' Row construction site, where the 1,050-foot-tall, tapered tower is currently getting the first of its intricate, diagrid skin, which the architect once said will resemble blood running the veins with its nighttime lighting.
More details and views this way

September 27, 2016

More luxury condos may head to Billionaire’s Row as office tenants are vacated across from One57

Recent reports that the luxury housing market is slowing down may soon be dismissing Billionaires' Row, where several sites are in question to add to the strip's uber-high end array of residential offerings. The latest is at 140 West 57th Street, the Feil Organization's office tower right across from One57. The Post tells us that leases are not being renewed for tenants in the 14-story, landmarked building, where the developer "is said to have already drawn up floor plans for apartments."
The full story ahead

New Developments

September 16, 2016

Saudi billionaire seals the deal on the city’s highest home for record $88M

The most expensive apartment closing in New York City this year and one of the priciest sales ever is finally a done deal, reports The Real Deal. The apartment, the top penthouse at Rafael Viñoly-designed billionaire’s bunker 432 Park Avenue, is the priciest unit in the big-ticket building as well as being literally the city’s highest. As 6sqft previously reported, the buyer is Saudi retail magnate Fawaz Al Hokair. The sale price was $87.7 million—a skyscraping $10,623 per square foot.
More jumbo numbers, this way

Real Estate Trends

September 1, 2016

Bright apartment in historic Stuyvesant Heights brownstone offers a lot of space for $1,850/month

With lots of space, a wealth of pre-war details and plenty of natural light, this third-floor one-bedroom-plus-office brownstone apartment at 513 Macon Street in the historic Stuyvesant Heights section of Bed-Stuy looks like a pretty good deal at $1,850 a month. It also offers a fully renovated kitchen and bath with new appliances and a convenient location near the A and C trains. Besides trees and townhouses, you're surrounded by the restaurants and cafes that have been making this neighborhood a new favorite.
See more of this cute Bed-Stuy pad

Distinctive Homes

August 26, 2016

With $2.5 billion in Brooklyn real estate, Hasidic investors are a formidable gentrification driver

We hear so frequently about the players behind Manhattan’s billion-dollar real estate projects and how foreign investors are pouring a global vault's worth of currency into New York City property, often shielded by LLCs. It's illuminating to get a closer look at the city’s larger real estate landscape–one that has changed so much in recent decades–and learn who's behind the soaring property values, skyrocketing rents, frenzied flipping and veritable horse-trading that has driven the unprecedented and transformative gentrification beyond Manhattan’s rarified development scene. A recent story by The Real Deal titled “Learning and earning: Hasidic Brooklyn’s real estate machers” reveals that a huge slice of the borough’s real estate pie is owned by the Hasidic community. The ultra-orthodox sect reportedly includes some of Brooklyn’s wealthiest property owners, to the tune of $2.5 billion.
Find out more

Real Estate Trends

August 23, 2016

Housing lotto kicks off today for 27 Bed-Stuy/Ocean Hill apartments, from $834/month

As a subsection of Bed-Stuy—and with a location adjacent to rapidly gentrifying Bushwick—Ocean Hill has seen renewed interest from developers in the last few years. The approved rezoning of East New York in February has also given the neighborhood a big boost and brokers have started calling the area Brooklyn's "last frontier." As such, although the area median income remains very low ($35,000), home prices are quickly moving skyward and flipping is already in full effect. But not all is lost for those with lesser means. Starting today, qualifying NYC residents can apply for 27 newly constructed apartments at 1676 Broadway and 8 Rockaway Avenue. Apartments ranging from one- to three-bedrooms have been priced between $834 and $1,163 a month and are being offered to households earning between $30,000 and $63,000.
See more on if you qualify here

Affordable Housing

August 18, 2016

Robert A.M. Stern’s 220 Central Park South now two-thirds erected

Robert A.M. Stern's latest Billionaires' Row blockbuster continues its rapid ascent into the sky. As CityRealty.com reports, 220 Central Park South (220 CPS) is now two-thirds of the way up, construction having knocked out about 600 feet of the tower's eventual 950-foot height. Application of the limestone cladding started in April and has thus far been installed across over one-third of the building. When finished in 2017, the two-winged skyscraper with its rare and direct Central Park South frontage will host 118 luxurious homes across 66 stories—and it will be one of the city's most expensive residences. Jump ahead to see more photos of all the work that's been completed.
More photos of the tower under construction here

My 700sqft: Tour Two Photographers’ Bed-Stuy Brownstone Home, Complete With Shower in Kitchen

Our ongoing series “My sqft” checks out the homes of 6sqft’s friends, family and fellow New Yorkers across all the boroughs. Our latest interior adventure brings us to two photographers’ Bedford-Stuyvesant brownstone apartment. Want to see your home featured here? Get in touch!

August 8, 2016

My 700sqft: Tour Two Photographers’ Bed-Stuy Brownstone Home, Complete With Shower in Kitchen

As photographers, Michael DePasquale and Martina Maffini have traveled the world, shooting everything from India’s middle class to the last remaining Jewish cowboys in Argentina to the polished interiors of artists and designers across Europe. While this pair's subjects are wide-ranging, their personal style is far more restrained. In their Bed-Stuy brownstone they let the building's historic details define their space, complementing these features with the artwork of friends and personal relics. Have a look inside their home ahead, and be sure to pay special attention to one defining attribute: the shower in the kitchen.
Go inside their apartment here

Friday 5: Find Free Rent in Lovely Brooklyn Heights and Bed-Stuy

Every Friday 6sqft is rounding up five of the best rental deals showcased on CityRealty.com’s newly launched no-fee rentals page, a space where house hunters can find the best concessions being offered by landlords across the city.

August 5, 2016

Friday 5: Find Free Rent in Lovely Brooklyn Heights and Bed-Stuy

By 6sqft

If you're an urban dweller that appreciates the opportunity to disconnect from the craze of the city, Bed-Stuy or Brooklyn Heights are two of the best places to find respite. While these neighborhoods don't boast the same trendsetter vibes as other borough favorites like Williamsburg or DUMBO, they do offer an unparalleled beauty highlighted by leafy streets and rows and rows of historic brownstones and brick townhouses. Below we've rounded up five buildings in these two lovely locales offering free rent and more.
check them out here

Uncategorized

July 28, 2016

Time Lapse Video Shows How Midtown’s Tall Towers Will Cast Dark Shadows on the Park

A dozen supertalls (1,000 feet or higher) in the construction or planning stages in Manhattan include a significant number on the rise along the Billionaires’ Row strip just south of Central Park. This trend has been causing concern due to the shadows the looming towers will cast on the park. Now, a slightly ominous time-lapse video from Cube Cities shows how Billionaires' Row will have a sundial effect on the park (h/t Gothamist). The length and duration of the shadows will vary as the sun's angle changes with the seasons; fall and winter days are looking dark, with the tall towers' long shadows reaching as much as a mile into the park.
Watch the tall towers darken the park on a fall day in the future

New Developments

July 12, 2016

Why Are the Supertall Gurus at Extell Planning a Stubby 18-Story Condo on Billionaires’ Row?

Gary Barnett's Extell Development has become synonymous with sky-high towers, especially those along Billionaires' Row -- the 1,005-foot-tall One57 and the 1,550-foot-tall Central Park Tower -- where it appeared that they were readying to construct a third behemoth that would rise more than 700 feet. However, Crain's reports that Extell has filed plans for the site at 134 West 58th Street (the same block as One57), and they call for a stubby, 18-story, 41-unit condo building that's less than 200 feet tall.
What's the deal?

July 8, 2016

$995K Bed-Stuy Loft Boasts Custom Closet and Reclaimed Wood Staircase