Brooklyn

"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

LPC approves sky bridge between landmarked Williamsburg church and new residential tower

Via Syndicate Architecture and Li/Saltzman Architects for LPC

January 17, 2019

LPC approves sky bridge between landmarked Williamsburg church and new residential tower

The Landmarks Preservation Commission on Tuesday approved a plan to build a sky bridge between a historic 19th-century church in Williamsburg and a neighboring residential tower. The new mixed-use building is currently under construction at 304 Rodney Street, next to the landmarked St. Paul's Evangelical Lutheran Church. As Brownstoner reported, commissioners expressed concern over the financial feasibility of the project and whether proceeds from the sale of the church's air rights would be enough to cover the substantial work planned.
More here

January 15, 2019

Williamsburg townhouse offers a unique live/work solution for $4.5M

Located in a prime Williamsburg location one block away from the water, this townhouse at 64 East 4th Street is a catch with an asking price of $4,495,000. The four-floor home was gut renovated a few years ago and boasts a slew of modern amenities: a top-of-the-line kitchen, a home gym, and a beautiful garden. Best of all, the entire top floor is a ready-to-go office, making this an exciting opportunity for those seeking a live/work solution.
Have a look for yourself

Distinctive Homes

173-unit project planned for the Greenpoint waterfront moves forward

Previous rendering by Young Kim for Atlantis Arts Studio/ Quadrum Global

January 15, 2019

173-unit project planned for the Greenpoint waterfront moves forward

New permits were filed this month for a 14-story development on the Greenpoint waterfront, a residential project 6sqft first reported on over two years ago. According to the documents filed with the city's Department of Buildings, 173 units are planned for the Brooklyn development at 53 Huron Street, which faces the East River and stretches a block to West Street (h/t YIMBY).
Details here

Maggie Gyllenhaal and Peter Sarsgaard put Park Slope townhouse on the market for $4.6M

Listing photos courtesy of Gamut Photos/Sotheby’s International Realty; Photo of Maggie Gyllenhaal and Peter Sarsgarrd via Wiki Commons

January 14, 2019

Maggie Gyllenhaal and Peter Sarsgaard put Park Slope townhouse on the market for $4.6M

By Annie Doge

Nearly thirteen years ago, Maggie Gyllenhaal and Peter Sarsgaard spent $1.91 million on a Park Slope townhouse at 36 Sterling Place. Though their two daughters grew up and went to the exclusive St. Ann’s school in the friendly neighborhood, they now attend school elsewhere, so the couple has decided to list the brownstone in favor of being "able to walk [the children] to school," Gyllenhaal told the Wall Street Journal. In addition to convenience, however, they'll also be looking at a nice profit, considering the home has hit the market for $4,599,000.
Take a look around

Photos by Max Touhey

January 11, 2019

Go inside Bjarke Ingels’ vibrant new U.S. headquarters in Dumbo

Bjarke Ingels Group has certainly lived up to its moniker BIG, with studios in New York, Copenhagen, and London, 17 partners, more than 500 employees, and roughly 50 projects currently in development. To keep up with this astonishing growth, the 14-year-old firm recently moved its U.S. headquarters to a vibrant new space in Dumbo's 45 Main Street. The 50,000-square-foot office fits 250+ employees and boasts cool features like Brooklyn Bridge views, a private outdoor terrace, chromatized steel doors, and tons of furniture and lighting by Danish brand and BIG collaborator KiBiSi.
Take the tour!

Via NYC Ferry

January 10, 2019

Staten Island, Coney Island to be added to NYC Ferry system

The city will launch two new ferry routes by 2021, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Thursday during his State of the City address. Staten Island and Coney Island will be added to the NYC Ferry system, providing a much faster commute to Manhattan for outer-borough New Yorkers. "It shouldn't be this hard to get around in the greatest city in the world," de Blasio said. "And so we’re giving people more and better options." With the addition of the Staten Island route, all five boroughs will be a part of the NYC Ferry system by next year.
Get the details

Transit

Lottery launches for 52 affordable units at a beachfront rental in Coney Island, from $759/month

Rendering via Concern for Independent Living

January 9, 2019

Lottery launches for 52 affordable units at a beachfront rental in Coney Island, from $759/month

An affordable housing lottery launched on Wednesday at a mixed-use development located in Coney Island one block from both the beach and the recently-landmarked Riegelmann Boardwalk. The nine-story development at 3003 West 21st Street, dubbed Surf Vets Place, offers residents a 24-hour attended lobby, sun terrace, a fitness center, computer lounge, and party rooms. Qualifying New Yorkers earning 50 and 60 percent of the area median income can apply for the apartments, ranging from a $759/month one bedroom to a $1,289/month three-bedroom.
Find out if you qualify

Affordable Housing

My 600sqft: Writer and food artist Emma Orlow fills her Bed-Stuy pad with JELL-O prints and ’70s kitsch

Our ongoing series “My sqft” checks out the homes of New Yorkers across all the boroughs. Our latest interior adventure brings us to writer, artist, and event producer Emma Orlow’s Bed-Stuy apartment. Want to see your home featured here? Get in touch!

January 8, 2019

My 600sqft: Writer and food artist Emma Orlow fills her Bed-Stuy pad with JELL-O prints and ’70s kitsch

For most of us, our homes represent our personality generally, but for NYC native Emma Orlow, her Bed-Stuy apartment is a decorative translation of everything she loves and does. Part events producer, Emma has curated her space with yellow, bright orange, and lime green furniture and accessories, along with a mix of vintage mementos (her mom's old NYC matchbook collection adorns one wall), stylish accessories (she counts among her favorite things a set of rainbow Massimo Vignelli mugs), and kitschy '70s-era objects (see her retro Candy Land game). Emma also works as a food writer and artist working with food, another passion that can be seen throughout her home, from the JELL-O risographs to her beloved Japanese miniature food erasers. 6sqft recently paid Emma a visit and learned that you can't help but smile when you walk into her space--or when you chat with her, for that matter. Ahead, take her apartment tour and learn what influences her creativity, where her fun decor comes from, and what simply she simply couldn't live without.
Have a look for yourself

Sales launch at Brooklyn Heights library-replacing condo tower, from $1.1M

Renderings via Noe and Associates/ The Boundary

January 8, 2019

Sales launch at Brooklyn Heights library-replacing condo tower, from $1.1M

Nearly four years after the Brooklyn Public Library announced the sale of its Brooklyn Heights branch, sales have started at the 38-story condo building that replaced it. The Hudson Companies, the developer who bought the site in 2015 for $52 million, launched on Tuesday sales for 133 one- to five-bedroom residences at One Clinton, ranging in price from $1.088 million to roughly $5.26 million for a four bedroom. Five-bedroom and penthouse pricing will be released in the coming months.
See inside

Checking in on the tallest building at Cobble Hill’s River Park development

Editor’s note: A previous version of this post included renderings and details that do not represent the final project and have been removed.

January 7, 2019

Checking in on the tallest building at Cobble Hill’s River Park development

The second phase of Fortis Property Group's five-building project in Cobble Hill will continue into the new year, with the complex's tallest tower expected to enter the market soon. 2 River Park, located at 91 Pacific Street, will top out at 28 stories, 475 feet tall. In addition to being the tallest at River Park, the condo tower will become the tallest in South Brooklyn, which contains Boerum Hill, Carroll Gardens, Cobble Hill, Gowanus, Park Slope, and Red Hook.
Check it out

New Developments

January 7, 2019

From Brooklyn’s biggest bank to its tallest building: Behind the scenes at the Dime Savings Bank

By Lucie Levine

Since it opened in 1859, the Dime Savings Bank of Brooklyn has been integral to the history of the borough it calls home. True to its name, you could open a savings account with just a dime. The first person to make a deposit was a man named John Halsey who invested $50. Scores of Brooklynites followed suit, and by the end of the bank’s first business day, 90 people opened accounts; by the end of the first month, more than 1,000 people were depositing at Dime. But the bank cemented its prominent status in 1908 when the first subway tunnel between Manhattan and Brooklyn opened and Dime moved into its grand neo-classical building on Dekalb Avenue and Fleet Street. After the bank closed in 2002, the landmark still stood in all its former glory, operating as a special event space. Three years ago, JDS Development filed plans to build Brooklyn's tallest tower adjacent to Dime, incorporating its Beaux-Arts interior as retail space for the project. And with work now underway, 6sqft recently got a behind-the-scenes tour of Dime Savings Bank with Open House New York.
Explore the history and future of Dime Savings Bank

FREE RENT: This week’s roundup of NYC rental news

Images (L to R): 525 West 52nd Street, The Essex, 505 Union Avenue and 19 Dutch Street

January 5, 2019

FREE RENT: This week’s roundup of NYC rental news

By Ondel Hylton

Images (L to R): 525 West 52nd Street, The Essex, 505 Union Avenue and 19 Dutch Street The Essex: Rent at the tallest building in Essex Crossing with 2 months free [LINK] Hunters Landing: New Long Island City rentals with 3 months free [LINK] 525 West 52nd Street: Luxury Hells Kitchen rental has amenities for […]

Real Estate Trends

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

January 4, 2019

Where I Work: Jun Aizaki’s architecture and design firm CRÈME gets creative in Williamsburg

Japan native Jun Aizaki started Brooklyn-based CRÈME / Jun Aizaki Architecture & Design 14 years ago when both the design and architecture firm's Williamsburg location and their portfolio were much different. Today, with more than 15 employees, CRÈME has become a leader in hip restaurant design (think Redfarm, L'Amico, and Mr. Purple), along with more innovative product design such as gourd cups and indigo-dyed furniture. The firm also has a pulse on urban planning projects, such as a proposal to build a timber bridge connecting Greenpoint and Long Island City, as well as a master plan of Denver’s Dairy Block. And it's this combination of cool-factor, outside-the-box thinking, and style that CRÈME embodies in their industrial Williamsburg office space. 6sqft recently visited the firm to take a look around and see their work, as well as to have a chat with Jun.
READ MORE

January 3, 2019

For under $1M, this Fort Greene condo has two bedrooms and a smart split-level layout

You might think of split-levels as a throwback to your grandparents' house, but when space is limited in a city apartment, the layout serves quite well for smart storage, privacy, and an open feel. All of these attributes apply to this completely charming two-bedroom at 69 South Oxford Street in Fort Greene. The fifth-floor spread has its public and private areas separated by a small staircase and it's listed for either $950,000 or as a $3,500/month rental. To boot, it's just steps from the park and Atlantic Terminal, located in the historic Roanoke Condos.
Check it out

Distinctive Homes

Greenpoint’s new ‘community-forward rental’ launches lottery for 60 affordable units

Image via Otto Greenpoint

January 2, 2019

Greenpoint’s new ‘community-forward rental’ launches lottery for 60 affordable units

Ranging from $1,045/month studios to $2,795/month three-bedrooms, 60 low- and middle-income units at Greenpoint's new rental Otto have come online through the city's affordable housing lottery. The block-long, 197-unit building boasts that it is "community-forward," with amenities like a lounge, old-school game room, gym, and a large rooftop with a pool, hot tub, barbecues, and incredible Manhattan views. For comparison, market-rate apartments are renting from $2,279/month for studios to $4,704/month for three-bedrooms.
Find out if you qualify

Affordable Housing

January 2, 2019

One block from Prospect Park, rent an entire three-bedroom house for $5,400/month

For the price of a Manhattan apartment, this entire Windsor Terrace house--complete with three bedrooms, a rear garden, and a location on a private street just one block from Prospect Park--is up for rent. Listed for $5,400 a month, the rowhouse at 19 Temple Court recently underwent a total renovation, but it still has loads of charming details like a front bay window, brick fireplace, and original pine floors.
Check it out

Distinctive Homes

December 28, 2018

Historic Brooklyn Heights 1854 parlor home with a private garden asks $5.1M

Own a corner of historic Brooklyn Heights with this home at 23 Willow Place—part of the landmarked neighborhood known as Willowtown. The picturesque setting and old world charm of the 1854 building combine with a modern extension in the back to give an elegant but relaxed feel. The four-floor, seven-bedroom home with a private garden is on the market for $5.1 million.
See inside the townhouse

Distinctive Homes

Matt Damon officially buys the priciest pad in Brooklyn, a $16.7M penthouse

The building via DDG; Matt Damon via Wiki Commons

December 28, 2018

Matt Damon officially buys the priciest pad in Brooklyn, a $16.7M penthouse

By Annie Doge

Actor Matt Damon has officially purchased the most expensive home in Brooklyn: a $16.7 million penthouse at The Standish, the New York Post reported on Thursday. Last September, 6sqft learned Damon had gone into contract at the Brooklyn Heights building, located at 171 Columbia Heights. At that time, it was listed for just over $16.6 million. With the deal officially inked, the A-lister takes the title of the priciest property in BK from Jennifer Connelly, who bought a $15.5 million townhouse in Brooklyn Heights this year, and photographer Jay Maisel, who owns a $15.5 million home in Cobble Hill.
Details here!

City Council votes to name NYC streets after Notorious B.I.G., Wu-Tang Clan, and Woodie Guthrie

Via Flickr

December 27, 2018

City Council votes to name NYC streets after Notorious B.I.G., Wu-Tang Clan, and Woodie Guthrie

The New York City Council last week unanimously voted to co-name streets in honor of three NYC music icons, Notorious B.I.G., the Wu-Tang Clan, and folk singer Woody Guthrie, Gothamist reported. If the bills are signed by Mayor Bill de Blasio, the block in Brooklyn where B.I.G. grew up will be called Christopher Wallace Way, after the rapper's birth name, Staten Island's Vanderbilt Avenue and Targee Street will be known as the Wu-Tang Clan District, and Woodie Guthrie Way will be found on Mermaid Avenue, marking where the singer lived in Coney Island.
More here

Policy

Images (L to R): American Copper Buildings, The Eagle, One Blue Slip, View34 and in center 555 Waverly Avenue

December 22, 2018

FREE RENT: This week’s roundup of NYC rental news

By Annie Doge

Images (L to R): American Copper Buildings, The Eagle, One Blue Slip, View34 and in center 555 Waverly Avenue American Copper Buildings: Waterfront Studios to 3-Bed Apartments Available in Murray Hill’s Two-Tower Rental [LINK] One Blue Slip: Greenpoint Landing Rental Now leasing and 90% of Apartments Have Water Views [LINK] The Eagle: Downtown Brooklyn’s New […]

Real Estate Trends

December 21, 2018

$10,500/month Cobble Hill duplex with four bedrooms and playful decor is a perfect family home

This four-bedroom condo on a quintessential Cobble Hill block is currently on the market for $10,500 a month. With rooms to spare, it's perfect for a growing family. The two-level unit is bathed in southeastern light, in tip-top shape, and features cute decor details throughout, like exposed brick and hardwood floors. To top it all off, a private roof deck provides a cozy outdoor sanctuary.
Take a look around

Distinctive Homes

December 19, 2018

New renderings of Norman Foster’s Red Hook office complex reveal green roofs and courtyard

Construction on Norman Foster’s Red Hoek Point, a 7.7-acre commercial campus at the former Revere Sugar Factory, started in October and this week new renderings of the future office complex were released, as CityRealty first reported. Developed by Thor Equities and designed by Foster + Partners with SCAPE Landscape Architecture, the complex will be composed of two five-story buildings that will hold a combined 795,000 square feet of office space on three levels and 23,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space on the ground level. The new views provide the first look at the nearly four acres of green roof space, including walking and jogging paths and landscaping to mitigate stormwater runoff.
Find out more

Apply for 14 middle-income apartments on the Williamsburg-Bushwick border, from $2,081/month

Photo via Flickr cc

December 19, 2018

Apply for 14 middle-income apartments on the Williamsburg-Bushwick border, from $2,081/month