Bed-Stuy

689 Myrtle Avenue in Bed-Stuy is known as the Chocolate Factory Lofts as this warehouse building was formerly home to the Chocoline Chocolate Factory. Today there are 45 loft apartments in the building, and this one stands out from the rest--at least according to the listing. The one-bedroom pad is decked out with custom, one-of-a-kind details, like a curved, iron and reclaimed wood staircase and a hand-built five section "disappearing" closet. (In that it's storage space that blends right in with the apartment.) This quirky loft has just hit the market for a hair under $1 million.
Take a look around

Distinctive Homes

June 26, 2016

Boaz Gilad’s Bed-Stuy Rental Marcí Begins Leasing With $1,846/Month Studios

Another one of Boaz Gilad's reported 40+ Brooklyn projects has met the finish line with leasing kicking off at the Marcí in Bedford-Stuyvestant. Rising eight floors from the corner of Marcy Avenue and Kosciusko Street, the 35,000-square-foot project presents an inoffensive Rubik's Cube design hashed up by Franklyn Estrella Architects. Inside are 41 studio, one- and two-bedroom no-fee apartments. Pricing of the building's seven active units are rather affordable for new construction, with available units ranging from $1,846/month studios, $2,862/month one-bedrooms, and $2,723/month two-bedrooms.
More on the building

June 16, 2016

New Renderings of Extell’s Central Park Tower Emphasize Design and Record Height

By Annie Doge

A new set of images of the world's upcoming tallest residential tower have been uncovered, these better revealing the cantilevering silhouette of the 1,550-foot supertall and how it will relate to the skyline of Central Park South. The images of the Central Park Tower (née Nordstrom Tower) were first spotted by NY Yimby and are part of official EB-5 Immigrant Investor program materials posted online and provided by developer Extell. As such, they confirm that the supertall will indeed no longer have the spire, a feature which would have brought the tower to 1,775 feet and just a foot shy of One World Trade. The materials also reveal that the tower is being marketed with a height of 133 floors (the actual count is just 95, though some units like the 17,000-square-foot three-story penthouse have ceilings that stretch well beyond the standard) and 179 luxury residential units.
more here

June 15, 2016

Historic Home Upgraded by High-End Furniture Designer Asks $2.995M in Bed-Stuy

588 Madison Street is a French Neo-Grec brownstone built in 1889 by the architect William Godfrey. While the single-family, Bed-Stuy home is steeped in history, a recent owner has brought it stylishly into modern day. The owner/developer, a principle at the design firm KGBL, specializes in designing high-end furniture. Here, they played off the existing historic details to add some unique, modern touches. And the mashup of historic and modern is asking nearly $3 million.
Take a look

Distinctive Homes

June 14, 2016

Check Out the Manhattan Skyline in 2020! New Development Sales to Hit $8.4B This Year

As part of their Manhattan New Development Report, CityRealty has released a trio of skyline renderings that show how the city will appear in 2020 -- looking south from the Lower East Side, north from the tip of the island, and of course, down on Central Park South's Billionaires' Row. The eye-popping images underscore the fact that new developments have been "markedly above the average price of all other Manhattan condos since 2013." The average sales price in new developments is expected to hit $4.4 million this year and $5.7 million by 2018. By comparison, the expected average price of a non-new development condo for 2016 is $2.65 million. Moreover, new development sales totaled $5.4 billion last year, up from 2014's $4.1 billion. This figure is expected to reach $8.4 billion this year and more than $10 billion by 2018.
See all the renderings and find out which buildings are leading the pack

June 7, 2016

Another Luxury Development May Rise on Billionaires’ Row

Crain's reports that another prime piece of property will soon be changing hands, putting 126,000 square feet of development rights in play. The Steinberg family last month made an agreement with commercial developers Thor Equities and General Growth Properties to sell neighborhood fixture Lee's Art Shop's four-story structure at 220 West 57th Street for $85 million, a deal that is expected to close this month. It is not yet clear what the developers plan to do with the landmarked building, but what is known is that the property comes with the right to build atop the historic structure—itself boasting 21,837 square feet on a sizable 8,400-square-foot lot.
find out more here

New Developments

May 20, 2016

Bed-Stuy’s The MYNT Offering One Month Free on New Leases

In the thriving Bedford-Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn, the recently finished rental building named The MYNT is offering one month free on 12-month leases for select apartments. Currently, two no-fee units are complying with the offer: Unit 4J is a three-bed, two-bath spanning 1,200 square feet is available for a net effective rent of $3,484/month, and two floors above, unit 6J is a two-bed/two-bath available for a net effective rent of $3,117/month.
find out more about the deal here

May 12, 2016

Preserved Stuyvesant Heights Brownstone Was Jackie Robinson’s First Home in Brooklyn

Besides being a newly-hot neighborhood, Brooklyn's Bedford-Stuyvesant holds one of the city's finest collections of historic brownstones. Though many beautiful homes didn't survive the neglect of the late 20th century, many that did have been remarkably preserved or painstakingly restored to their original splendor. One of the highest concentrations of those impressive townhouses can be found in the Stuyvesant Heights Historic District in the south-central part of the neighborhood. It's here that you'll find this landmarked four-story home at 407 Stuyvesant Avenue, just arrived on the market for $2.875 million. According to the listing, baseball icon and civil rights pioneer Jackie Robinson lived here, and the brokers tell 6sqft that this was his first residence in Brooklyn. They add that when the current owners moved in, they found a treasure trove of memorabilia. So let's just say this 20-foot-wide Romanesque Revival-style brownstone hits it out of the park when it comes to intact historic detail and unspoiled 19th century architecture.
Explore this central Brooklyn treasure

May 12, 2016

Interview: RAMSA’s Paul Whalen Reflects on the Unique Design of 15 Central Park West

For good reason, hundreds if not thousands of articles and books have been published on 15 Central Park West, the “Limestone Jesus” designed by famed architect Robert A.M. Stern. This modern icon is credited with not only elevating the New York City luxury market to a level no one before dreamed it could reach, but […]

May 5, 2016

$250M Penthouse at 220 Central Park South Will Officially Be NYC’s Most Expensive Apartment

By Ondel Hylton and Julian Friedman

For over a year, it's been a guessing game with just how expensive 220 Central Park South's penthouse will actually be. Initial murmurings put the price at $175 million, but later reports that claimed hedge fund tycoon Ken Griffin was the buyer upped it to $200 million. The guessing is over, though, as The Real Deal has obtained an amended offering plan filed with the New York Attorney General, which shows that the 23,000-square-foot, four-floor "billionaire's bunker" will cost a mind-boggling $250 million (or $11,000 per square foot), making it by far the city's most expensive apartment.
Check out the insane floorplans

Uncategorized

April 25, 2016

First Look StudiosC’s Bed Stuy Rental Underway at 1875 Atlantic Avenue

Over the next decade, Brooklyn's Atlantic Avenue will likely continue its transformation from high-speed deathtrap to high-density residential boulevard. With more than a dozen projects already taking shape near its western extents, such as the 16-tower Pacific Park project, Cobble Hill's LICH redevelopment, and a pair of towers at Brooklyn Bridge Park, it's not difficult to imagine infill developments progressing eastward, rising from the acres of underutilized land along the ten-mile artery. And in East New York, the City Council just approved a rezoning of the neighborhood that allows for 10- to 14-story apartment blocks to rise along Atlantic Avenue. In Bedford-Stuyvesant, in between the two much-discussed areas, StudiosC Architects has crafted an eight-story apartment block at 1875 Atlantic Avenue, which will contain 118 rental units.
Get all the details on the building

April 18, 2016

Robert A.M. Stern’s 220 Central Park South Gets Stoned; New Renderings and Construction Shots

At the forefront of Midtown's high-rise sierra, a new peak is emerging. Simply addressed 220 Central Park South, the two-winged development is being designed by celebrated historian and poet of the city's skyline Robert A.M. Stern and developed by commercial and retail heavyweights Vornado Realty Trust. The tower portion of the complex has already ascended some 300 feet above street level and is noticeable from many parts of Central Park. Ultimately, it will stand 66 stories, 950 feet high, making it among the tallest residential buildings in the city. The exclusive, Central Park South-fronting wing, dubbed "The Villas" is up to the third of 17 stories and will be topped by a palatial quadplex penthouse. Earlier this month, the tower's warm limestone cladding was being applied to the lower mechanical floors, which will have 18- to 24-foot-high ceilings, boosting the building's height by more than 100 feet and allowing nearly all its residences to possess Central Park views. To coincide with the construction work, Vornado recently published a collection of new renderings in a property portfolio, showing us for the first time several new looks at the project, including three full-scale views from Central Park and close-up looks at the base, porte-cochere, and an upper-level interior.
Check out the renderings and construction shots right here

April 15, 2016

Bed-Stuy Townhouse Beauty With Modern Upgrades Asks $2.75 Million

Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn is known for its stock of townhouses, many of which still retain incredible amounts of historic details. This one, at 17 Madison Street, has been renovated in a way that tastefully retains features like woodwork, parquet floors, marble mantlepieces and wainscoting. And beautiful interior design, on top of that, is the icing on the cake.
Take an interior tour

Distinctive Homes

March 21, 2016

The Sale of This $2.8M Stuyvesant Heights Corner Limestone Beauty Will Benefit Creative Kids

There's so much to love about this 4,100-square-foot, four-story limestone townhouse at 271 Stuyvesant Avenue we hardly know where to start. For lovers of historic homes, this 1890s townhouse has a bounty of intact original details on every floor, from fireplaces to inlaid parquet floors to moldings and wainscoting. It's in a great corner spot in the prized Stuyvesant Heights historic district, the Bed-Stuy neighborhood known for its rows of architecturally notable brownstones and limestones. There's outdoor space and a deck; use the garden-level apartment for extra income (or live in the lower unit, with the yard and finished cellar). But perhaps the most rare blessing of this property is that proceeds from the sale of the $2.795 million home will "enable the launch of a non-profit creative residency for marginalized youth," founded by the current owner, renowned photojournalist and Guggenheim Fellow Brenda Kenneally.
Tour this amazing historic townhouse

March 10, 2016

Property Markets Group Shares New Eye Candy of 111 West 57th Street

Here's a new set of images of Property Markets Group's and JDS Development's 111 West 57th Street. In case you haven't been paying attention, the highly-anticipated tower will be among the tallest residential skyscrapers in the world, climbing some 1,421 feet high to its tip. Designed by SHoP Architects, the feathery spire is sheathed in terra cotta, bronze and a glass curtain wall. The tower will be the most slender skyscraper in the world with a height to width ratio of 24:1.
More renderings ahead

March 10, 2016

Closing Time at 432 Park: A Look at the Numbers at NYC’s Tallest and Most Expensive Building

Closings at Macklowe Properties/CIM Group‘s Billionaires’ Row blockbuster 432 Park Avenue officially commenced just eight days into the new year, and now that enough time has gone by for these sales to be re-listed as rentals, CityRealty has put together an informative infographic that takes a look at the numbers at New York City's tallest and most expensive residential building. There's a lot of fun and fascinating info to be found ahead, but one of the most surprising facts? Of the 141 units available, only 13 have sold to date.
See the full infographic here

City Planning Commission Approves Controversial East New York Rezoning Plan in 12-1 Vote

Map of proposed rezoning via Department of City Planning

February 25, 2016

City Planning Commission Approves Controversial East New York Rezoning Plan in 12-1 Vote

The New York City Planning Commission voted 12-1 in approval of Mayor de Blasio's controversial rezoning plan for East New York, Gothamist reports. It's the first of 15 low-income neighborhoods scheduled for rezoning as part of the Mayor's affordable housing plan, which promises to create or preserve 200,000 units of affordable housing. The City Council is scheduled to vote on the rezoning this spring. As part of what is known as Mandatory Inclusionary Housing (MIH), rezoning plans for East New York's Cypress Hills neighborhood and adjacent Ocean Hill in Bed-Stuy would have 7,000 new apartments built by 2030, 3,447 of which will be designated affordable, in addition to one million square feet of commercial space. Of those affordable units, 80 percent would be reserved for families (defined as a household of three, with any number of earners) making no more than 60 percent of the Area Median Income (AMI), or $46,000; 27 percent would go to families making 40 percent of the AMI or $31,000.
Find out more

February 16, 2016

My 1,640sqft: Inside Chef Devin Gaffney’s Rent-Stabilized Classic Six on Billionaires’ Row

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 chef Devin Gaffney's Central Park South home. Want to see your home featured here? Get in touch! Whenever 57th Street and the few blocks that cluster Central Park South make the news, headlines usually swirl around how there's a brand new multi-billion dollar tower on the rise or how a condo in One57 just broke some city record. But lest we forget, many mere mortals like ourselves still fill out the more elfin edifices surrounding these supertalls. One such resident is Devin Gaffney, a chef (he's whipped up dishes at Brooklyn's beloved Speedy Romeo and No. 7) who not only grew up in the area, but moved away, spent 10 years in Brooklyn, and then moved back to the island into the same apartment he called home during his formative years. Ahead, Devin takes us through his eclectic, art-filled (many works centuries-old) classic six in a 1913 construction built for musicians just a block from Carnegie Hall, a block from Central Park, and right smack in the middle of one of New York City's most coveted and most expensive areas.
Go inside Devin's home here

February 12, 2016

Revealed: Central Park Tower Shows Off Its Retail Base

Now dubbed the Central Park Tower, Extell's 1,550-foot-tall supertall on Billionaires' Row was originally known as the Nordstrom Tower, so named because of its ground-floor tenant who will be opening their first Manhattan flagship store. But despite the fact that we architecture nerds were saying "Nordstrom" for years, we had no idea how the store would actually factor into the 95-story building's overall design (which was recently knocked down from a whopping 1,775 feet with the loss of its spire). But now, the Seattle Times (the department store is based out of the Washington city) has revealed renderings of the retail base, reports NY Yimby.
All the details and renderings

February 10, 2016

Live in a Former Bed-Stuy Underwear Factory With City Views and Rustic Flair for $895K

This converted two-bedroom condominium is located within a former industrial building in an equally industrial, but rapidly changing, stretch of Bed-Stuy near the Clinton Hill border, with the Navy Yard just to the north. In what was once the Kaiser Underwear Factory at 970 Kent Avenue, you'll find open city views, 12-foot ceilings, a wall of city-facing windows and wide-plank wood floors setting the stage for a cool loft feeling. Recently renovated by the current owner, the home's interior has been transformed into quite a unique living space, and it's now on the market for $895,000.
See the whole space

Distinctive Homes

February 5, 2016

432 Park Avenue’s First Recorded Sale Just Became Its First Listed Rental for $60K a Month

Less than a month after 432 Park Avenue recorded its first sale at $18,116,000, the first unit to close at the Billionaires' Row blockbuster has appeared on the rental market for $60,000 a month (h/t Curbed). As 6sqft previously reported, "The unit is #35B, a massive 4,003-square-foot, three-bedroom pad with four-and-a-half baths, a private elevator landing, and 10-foot by 10-foot windows providing southern and western exposures with park views." It was purchased via an LLC, 432 PARKVIEW, but now that it's been re-listed as a rental, it's also the first apartment whose interiors we get a peek at outside the generic, digitally-enhanced promotional images that accompany listings.
Take a look at the generic, non-digitally-enhanced interiors

Savanna Fund Files Permits to Demolish Billionaires’ Row Building

500-foot tall massing model depicted at the site. Image courtesy of CityRealty

January 29, 2016

Savanna Fund Files Permits to Demolish Billionaires’ Row Building

New York City-based real estate private equity firm Savanna Fund has filed permits with the Department of Buildings to demolish a 12-story, 36,000-square-foot office building at 106 West 56th Street. No plans for the 5,000-square-foot lot have been announced, but its location along Billionaires' Row and three blocks south of Central Park makes it well suited for another slender residential or hotel tower. The 50-foot by 100-foot lot is zoned at one of the city's highest as-of-right densities and could therefore yield a building of roughly 80,000 square feet of zoning area without any development rights transfers. Above 350 feet in height, north facing spaces would have partial views of Central Park.
More details ahead

New Developments

January 23, 2016

$2M Historic Bed-Stuy Brownstone Comes With an Ethereal Interior

There really is something dreamy about the interior of this Bed-Stuy home at 231 Decatur Street. From the outside, it looks like a well-kept, historic townhouse -- prominent Brooklyn architects Axel Hedman and Eli Bishop designed this barrel-front, Renaissance Revival-style brownstone in 1897. The interior is chock full of historic detailing, too, like intricate mantels and woodwork, decorative fireplaces and stained-glass windows. The design, very bright and white, compliments those old details well, and gives the spaces an ethereal feel. If we could pick any Brooklyn brownstone to show up in our dreams, this would be the one.
See the interior

Distinctive Homes

January 8, 2016

432 Park Avenue Records Its First Blockbuster Closing at $18.1M!

And so it begins! Closings at Macklowe Properties/CIM Group's Billionaires' Row blockbuster 432 Park Avenue have officially commenced with its first sale showing an impressive $18.116 million figure, as city records released this afternoon reveal. The unit is #35B, a massive 4,003-square-foot, three-bedroom pad with four-and-a-half baths, a private elevator landing, and 10-foot by 10-foot windows providing southern and western exposures with park views. Documents show that the palatial home was purchased via a LLC, 432 PARKVIEW.
more on the sale and the floor plan here

Should the City Impose a ‘Window Tax’ for Billionaires’ Row Central Park Views?

Google Earth rendering from CityRealty showing some of the supertalls around the south end of Central Park

December 31, 2015

Should the City Impose a ‘Window Tax’ for Billionaires’ Row Central Park Views?

"The builders are charging up to $100 million for apartments that offer helicopter views of lush foliage, jagged skylines, soothing rivers and angelic clouds. They lure the superrich, many with suspect foreign assets, to sky-high mansions. They enrich themselves by exploiting weak zoning rules to pour hideous implants into Manhattan cavities." All of this, says Max Frankel, who was the executive editor of The Times from 1986 to 1994 and lives half a block from Central Park, may need some consequences. And he wonders if this should come in the form of a "user fee," where residents of these Billionaires' Row towers would have to pay a monthly "window tax" based on how high in a given tower their unit is located. And according to his "back-of-the-envelope calculations," this could bring in roughly $1 million a year per building for the city to use on public projects like street work, parks, education, and affordable housing.
More details ahead

December 22, 2015

Stubby Shotgun-Style House Asks $775K in East Bed-Stuy