Brooklyn

Nine years and a renovation will really make a difference for real estate in Brooklyn -- just take this two-bedroom co-op at 188 Degraw Street in Carroll Gardens. It sold in 2007 for $595,000 according to public records. The current owners then spiffed up the top-floor apartment and have just listed it for $1.095 million.
See the rest of the reno

Distinctive Homes

March 28, 2016

New Views and Renderings of Eliot Spitzer’s ODA-Designed Williamsburg Mega-Development

Construction and excavation is now underway on Spitzer Enterprises' trifecta of towers along the South Williamsburg waterfront. Set to rise from a three-acre parcel at 416-430 Kent Avenue, between Broadway and South 9th Street, the development is graced with nearly 400 feet of prized East River frontage. Approved permits filed with the Department of Buildings detail that the plan will comprise 857 rental apartments within three 22-story towers. A publicly accessible park and esplanade will run along the shoreline and connect to the the existing esplanade of the Schaefer Landing development to the south. The relatively young firm of ODA Architects is handling the design, which features many of their volume-popping elements to which we've grown accustomed. Firm founder Eran Chen told the Times that their design is a "molded iceberg, sculpted to create the maximum number of views and outdoor spaces." And as can be seen from the construction photos below, units will have stellar views of the Downtown and Midtown skylines and the East River bridges. The 253-foot-tall buildings will feature rooftop pools and terraces, on-site parking, bicycle storage, fitness centers, and lounge and recreation rooms. Twenty percent of units will be reserved for low-income households.
Get a look at all the renderings

March 28, 2016

Corner Loft in Former Downtown Brooklyn Toy Factory Isn’t Playing Around With $999K Ask

Here's a two-bedroom condo from the Toy Factory Lofts, the former home to Tudor Metal Products. From the 1920s to the 1980s, the company, known for designing the popular Depression-era toy Budget Bank and the board game Electric Football, occupied the factory. Today, it's a 56-unit residential building in Downtown Brooklyn that holds a gym, parking garage and a rooftop deck. This lofty apartment has a big wall of oversized factory windows, not to mention exposures to the east and south that bring light into the open space.
See more of the interior

Distinctive Homes

March 23, 2016

Morris Adjmi’s 465 Pacific Street Tops Out, Only One Penthouse Unit Remains

When 6sqft checked in on Boerum Hill's 465 Pacific Street in November, it was little more than a hole in the ground with roughly 50 percent of its 30 condo units already in contract. Now, a little more than four months later, its seven-story concrete skeleton has topped off and just a sole penthouse unit remains. The $55 million development was forged through a partnership between Avery Hall Investments and ARIA Development Group, who purchased the block-through lot for $18 million in 2013. With Morris Adjmi Architects at the helm, the development is composed of two seven-story wings encompassing 85,000 square feet of floor space. Lower levels of the building are faced in a uniform skin of red brick and red mortar joints, while upper levels are finished in dark steel to pay homage to the Mohawk ironworkers who once maintained a community within the neighborhood.
Find out more right here

My 1,000sqft: Tour a Newly Transplanted Couple’s Bushwick Apartment Filled With Craigslist Finds

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 the Bushwick apartment of Adam and Cami, a couple who spent the last few years living minimally abroad. Want to see your home featured here? Get in touch!

March 22, 2016

My 1,000sqft: Tour a Newly Transplanted Couple’s Bushwick Apartment Filled With Craigslist Finds

By Diane Pham

Most of us moved to New York City with nothing more than a couple suitcases, only very slowly accumulating objects to fill our bedroom—definitely not thinking about tackling our living spaces. But here's a couple that had no interest in sleeping on a mattress on a floor while they figured out how to decorate their home. After spending several years in London and bouncing from friends' places to sublets, Adam Dudd and Cami Raben (he's a graphic designer and she works in hospitality consulting) moved into their Bushwick apartment wanting to create a home to call their own as soon as possible. While IKEA seems like the no-brainer quick-fix for those on a budget with any design sensibility, Adam and Cami weren't interested in the mass-produced but instead wanted unique and quality pieces. So where did they turn without thousands of dollars to spend? Craigslist! Believe it or not, in just four months the pair managed to turn a blank slate into a perfectly outfitted apartment that's both minimal and functional and full of color and character.
Go inside their lovely home here

March 22, 2016

‘Drinking Birds’ Artist Lists Gowanus Loft Building Filled With Hand-Crafted Interiors for $3.5M

Sometimes what you see is more than first meets the eye. That was definitely the case in the early '90s when internationally exhibited artist Daniel Reynolds, known for his utterly mesmerizing life-sized "Drinking Birds" installation, purchased this 30-foot-by-90-foot mixed-use building on the south side of Union Street in Gowanus. This listing, priced at $3.5 million, is unique in that its beautiful live and work spaces were designed with an artist's vision, as well as in its creative pedigree and many possibilities for use. Included are three market-rate lofts, a roof deck and an artist's workspace–an excellent investment on a prime Brooklyn block. Each loft offers unique hand-crafted marble baths, restored working fireplaces with stone mantles, stainless steel kitchens, and restored 19th-century tin detailing put to use in an unconventional yet breathtaking way.
Tour this fascinating custom-built creative space

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 21, 2016

Slate Property Group Seeks to Convert Greenpoint Savings Bank Annex Into Apartments

Slate Property Group is seeking approvals from the Landmark Preservation Commission to convert the rear annex of the landmarked Greenpoint Savings Bank into apartments. Situated within Greenpoint's historic district, at the southeast corner of Calyer and Lorimer Streets, the plan would add an additional two stories to an existing three-story office structure at the corner, ultimately yielding 25 units throughout 40,000 square feet of residential area.
More details ahead

March 18, 2016

$850K Architect-Designed Clinton Hill Condo in a Gothic Cathedral Is Just as Cool on the Inside

It's hard not to stare in awe at the impressive building at 555 Washington Avenue on the northeast corner of Atlantic and Washington Avenues near the border between Clinton Hill and Prospect Heights; the spectacular Gothic cathedral–fittingly known as Cathedral Condominiums–was built in 1914 as a seminary and converted to condos in 1988. The building's gargoyles and cathedral windows make it the kind of place it's hard not to try to imagine coming home to. This one-bedroom-plus-loft "duplex" apartment would be a nice place to call home in any building, but the fact that it's tucked away in this one makes it that much more special. While the interior is neither Gothic nor solemn, custom details, four distinct living areas and a great design eye make this feel like a find at $850K.
Take a look around

March 18, 2016

The Notorious RBG: Exploring Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s Brooklyn Roots

By Annie Doge

Though news this week has been focused on President Obama choosing Merrick Garland as the next Supreme Court justice, it's Ruth Bader Ginsburg who's been grabbing headlines for most of the recent past. And as Brownstoner recently pointed out, "the Notorious RBG, as Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is known to her fans, shares a home borough with the original Notorious title holder — the late rapper Biggie Smalls, aka the Notorious B.I.G."
Learn all about RBG's Brooklyn roots

March 17, 2016

Aaron Dessner of Brooklyn Band The National Gets $2.3M for Ditmas Park Beauty

By Annie Doge

There's lots of big-name news happening in Ditmas Park this week. Just yesterday, 6sqft found out about Michelle Williams' plans to renovate her Colonial Revival mansion in the neighborhood, and now the Observer reports that Aaron Dessner of Brooklyn-based band The National has sold his beautiful, historic home for $2.35 million. The sale will affect the whole Grammy-nominated band, since their studio space is located in the converted garage. As the Observer notes, "A three-story Victorian-style house isn’t exactly where we pictured an indie rock band recording their album," but nonetheless Dressner bought the 3,282-square-foot residence for $700,000 in 2003. He then renovated and restored it extensively, doing most of the work himself. He configured it as a two-family home and at one point rented out the top apartment to band co-founder Matt Berninger, who now lives in Prospect Heights.
Check out the entire property

March 17, 2016

Colorful $425K Park Slope Co-op Makes Up in Location What It Lacks in Square Feet

It's often said that you can't change your home's location, so you'd better love it; in that case there's plenty to love about this colorful and cozy prewar apartment steps from Prospect Park, restaurants, bars and shopping on Seventh (and Fifth, Sixth, Eighth and Vanderbilt) Avenues and the 2/3/B/Q trains. Though the location is fairly perfect, this junior one co-op has plenty of personality on its own, with prewar elegance, high ceilings, decorative moldings, French doors and gorgeous restored parquet wood flooring. "Junior" one bedroom translates to a studio with a separate bedroom area—more often than not somewhat less than ideal, but better than not being able to shut a door between you and your couch-surfing houseguest playing video games for eighteen straight hours.
READ MORE

Distinctive Homes

March 16, 2016

Housing Lottery Launches for Greenpoint Landing’s 33 Eagle Street, Rents Start at $494

Greenpoint Landing's third affordable housing building has kicked off its lottery process. The ground-up seven-story building at 33 Eagle Street will provide 97 newly constructed rental apartments priced well below market-rate rents. The 24 studios will be priced from $494 to $1,463 per month for annual household earnings ranging from $18,275 to $78,650. Its 29 one-bedrooms, designated for either one or two-person households, have rents ranging from $532 to $1,840 for household incomes from $19,612 to $78,650. And lastly, the building's 49 two-bedrooms are priced between $647 and $2,216, based on household sizes ranging from two to four persons with income ranges from $23,589 to $112,190 per year.
Find out more this way

March 16, 2016

Michelle Williams Submits Plans to Renovate Historic Prospect Park South Mansion

By Annie Doge

When word got around this past June that Michelle Williams had bought a $2.5 million Colonial Revival mansion in Prospect Park South, 6sqft noted that the grand home was in need of some TLC. So, not surprisingly, the Brooklyn-loving actress submitted a proposal to the Landmarks Preservation Commission yesterday, reports Brownstoner. Williams enlisted Matiz Architecture & Design (who have worked on numerous historic projects across the city) to draw up the plans for 1440 Albemarle Road, which include restoring the original clapboard siding, replacing a door with a stained glass window, fencing in the rear yard, and transforming the small back porch with four columns into a porch twice the size with three columns.
More information this way

March 15, 2016

Lofted Duplex With 18-Foot Ceilings Is Priced at $699K in Prospect Heights

Hello Madison is a boutique condo building that was constructed at 925 Pacific Street, in Prospect Heights, by the Brooklyn developer Hello Living. Many of the developments feature glassy, bright and lofty apartments, and this one now on the market is no exception. It's a one bedroom that's maximizing space with a loft built upstairs. While both the loft and the apartment downstairs are compact, double heights windows and a terrace manage to lend a feeling of spaciousness.
See more of the loft

March 15, 2016

This $1.2M Factory Loft With a Rooftop Garden Is a Pleasant Surprise in Greenwood

A certain "just right" location can make a buying a home there seem like it's a way better idea than it might have been, say, ten years ago. That certainly describes one thing this unexpected loft condominium has going for it; it's exactly at the crossroads where Greenwood meets South Slope and Sunset Park, with a side of Gowanus. All of those neighborhoods are uniquely poised, each in their own way, to become some of the most exciting districts in Brooklyn. Though the surrounding streets are more likely to yield modest clapboard or brick multi-family homes, this 1,255 square foot condominium in a converted factory building at 248 17th Street just south of the border (of Park Slope) conveys a vibe of cool, authentic loft living, with poured concrete floors, painted brick walls, 14-foot ceilings and oversized steel-framed casement windows. And while the $1.2 million price tag may be a sign of the times, it's definitely a sign of the territory.
Check out this lovely loft

Distinctive Homes

March 14, 2016

New Close-Up Renderings of Brooklyn’s Future Tallest Tower

By Dana Schulz

About a month ago we were treated to a lone rendering of Brooklyn’s future tallest tower at 340 Flatbush Avenue Extension (now re-dubbed 9 DeKalb Avenue) that showed its full 1,066-foot height, towering against the rest of Downtown Brooklyn. Now, Curbed has spotted a full set of views, these showing more facade details and close ups of the building's triangular base next to the historic Dime Savings Bank.
All the renderings ahead

March 14, 2016

Surfboard Storage and Skylights at This $2.7M Mixed-Use Building in Williamsburg

This Williamsburg townhouse at 61 Withers Street has been outfitted with all kinds of bonuses. A recent reno brought skylights, custom built-in shelving -- perfect for a surfboard collection -- and a new kitchen. Then there's 1,700 square feet of outdoor space and a commercial unit on the ground floor for some extra income to pay off that $2.69 million price tag. Finally, the zoning for this site allows a new buyer to expand the property, adding an extra 1,800 square feet.
Take a look inside

Distinctive Homes

March 11, 2016

Spotlight: The Word on Whiskey From Kings County Distillery’s Colin Spoelman

By Susan Cohen

Colin Spoelman moved to New York for post-grad job opportunities, but it was his home state of Kentucky that ended up giving him direction. On trips back home, he developed a deep appreciation for moonshine and distilling, and now his interest has gone from hobby to profession. Six years ago, Colin combined his Kentucky roots, his life in Brooklyn, and his love of distilling whiskey through Kings County Distillery, where he is one of the founders (along with David Haskell) and the head distiller. Founded in 2010, Kings County Distillery is making a name for itself with the whiskey and bourbon it distills at the Brooklyn Navy Yard, making it New York City's oldest operating whiskey distillery, the first since prohibition. The company started with eight five-gallon stills, and were at the time the smallest commercial distillery in America. But they now have a 250-gallon and a 180-gallon still and are beginning to distribute out west and internationally. With St. Patrick's Day coming up and lots of whiskey drinking to be had, 6sqft spoke with Colin to find out what's distilling in Brooklyn and why it makes perfect sense to make whiskey in this borough.
The full interview, this way

March 11, 2016

Barn Wood and Brick Abound at This $1.1M Cobble Hill Co-op

By Dana Schulz

It's not surprising that this ridiculously charming Cobble Hill co-op restoration was featured in Good Housekeeping Magazine. From it's cozy furniture to rustic architecture, the one-bedroom home at 29 Tompkins Place has a little something for every type of design lover. We can't quite pinpoint the style, but it seems to be a mashup of country cabin, bespoke Brooklyn, and midwestern flair. It's currently on the market for $1,115,000 (h/t Curbed), which will get you details like exposed brick, crown moldings, wide-plank hardwood floors, and two cozy faux fireplaces.
You don't want to miss this one

Distinctive Homes

March 11, 2016

New Renderings of Boerum Hill’s Nevins Condominium, Teaser Site Launched

Walk down any of Downtown Brooklyn's high streets -- Court, Fulton, or Atlantic Avenue -- and you'll experience a palpable energy that can now rival any American downtown. Thanks to its cost advantages relative to Manhattan, the surging city economy, and attractive building stock, the district seems to have reached a level of vibrancy worthy of its borough's 2.1 million inhabitants. Since a major upzoning in 2004, the one-gritty hub has attracted thousands of residents and now has more than 41 million square feet of residential, commercial, and institutional space completed, under construction, or in the pipeline, according to an NYU Rudin Center report. Along the district's southern periphery, where its new soaring tower blocks transition into the genteel streetscapes of Boerum Hill, the Nevins condominium rises at 319 Schermerhorn Street. Now Curbed has spotted the first renderings of the 21-story, 73-unit development and the newly launched registration site for prospective buyers.
More details ahead

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

By Dana Schulz

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

March 10, 2016

Indulge Yourself in History at This $15K/Month Park Slope Brownstone Rental