Architecture And Design

Parts of a long-neglected public space under the Brooklyn Bridge once known as the "mecca" of New York City skateboarding will reopen this month. On Wednesday, May 24, "The Arches," a one-acre public space with basketball, pickleball, shuffleboard, and seating under the Manhattan side of the Brooklyn Bridge, will officially open after being shuttered for over a decade, Mayor Eric Adams announced last week. The new park sits next to Brooklyn Banks, a haven for skateboarders and BMX riders starting in the 1980s before closing in 2010.
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300-foot timber bridge connecting the High Line and Moynihan Train Hall has been installed

All photos © 6sqft

May 11, 2023

300-foot timber bridge connecting the High Line and Moynihan Train Hall has been installed

The elevated pathway that will connect the High Line to the new Moynihan Train Hall hit a major milestone this week. The 260-foot-long timber bridge has been craned into place and is currently suspended 25 feet over Dyer Avenue. The new footbridge connects Manhattan West's public plaza Magnolia Court to a pedestrian pathway at West 31st Street, providing an easier way of accessing the Moynihan Train Hall without having to cross multiple streets. The timber bridge will link to the so-called Woodland Bridge, which will extend east from the existing northern terminus of the High Line. The new linear park, dubbed the High Line-Moynihan Train Hall Connector, is expected to open in late June.
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NYCxDESIGN 2023: What to see and do at New York City’s annual celebration of design

Photo: © 6sqft

May 8, 2023

NYCxDESIGN 2023: What to see and do at New York City’s annual celebration of design

NYCxDESIGN: The Festival, New York City's official celebration of design, returns to the city from May 18 to May 25. This major international design event, now in its 11th year, attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors to celebrate globally renowned creative accomplishments, discover new ideas, and inspire through design. Anchored by several major industry fairs, including ICFF and WantedDesign, the festival is packed with independent shows, open studios, and exhibitions that inspire audiences and showcase new talent. The annual festival promises to be an opportunity to discover the newest and most exciting contributions in furniture, lighting, textiles, and accessories–many of which you'll be seeing in magazines, blogs, and showrooms for years to come–and an opportunity to get ideas for your own living space. Read on for a few highlights.
NYCXDesign Festival 2023 highlights, this way

Get a sneak peek of AMNH’s Studio Gang-designed Gilder Center before it opens

The Staircase in the Kenneth C. Griffin Exploration Atrium. Photo courtesy of Iwan Baan

April 27, 2023

Get a sneak peek of AMNH’s Studio Gang-designed Gilder Center before it opens

The American Museum of Natural History's highly anticipated science center officially opens next week. Designed by Jeanne Gang's Studio Gang, the Richard Gilder Center for Science, Education, and Innovation will serve as a space for scientific discovery with cutting-edge collections, research facilities, next-generation classrooms, and interactive exhibitions. Opening on Thursday, May 4, the Gilder Center is also New York City's latest architectural treasure, with its curving structure inspired by caves and canyons now nestled within the museum's existing historic campus.
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$700M climate research campus designed by SOM headed to Governors Island

Aerial view of The Exchange, showing the iconic forms designed to evoke the dramatic landscapes and hills of Governors Island. © SOM | Miysis

April 24, 2023

$700M climate research campus designed by SOM headed to Governors Island

New York City has revealed its vision for a first-in-the-nation climate research hub on Governors Island. Led by Stony Brook University, the New York Climate Exchange will be a nonprofit organization dedicated to climate research and solutions and serve as a center for climate education and green job training. Designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM), the 400,000-square-foot campus includes classrooms, laboratories, new open space, student and faculty housing, university hotel rooms, and more. Construction on the $700 million project is expected to begin in 2025, with the first phase slated for completion in 2028.
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IKEA to release reimagined vintage-inspired collection for its 80th anniversary

Images courtesy of IKEA

April 18, 2023

IKEA to release reimagined vintage-inspired collection for its 80th anniversary

In celebration of its 80th anniversary, IKEA is launching a new collection that honors its past. The beloved Swedish furniture retailer is releasing the "Nytillverkad" collection, a "loud, colorful, and fun" assortment of vintage-inspired furniture, bedding, and accessories that offers a new take on classic IKEA pieces. Starting this July, the company will launch a series of selected products from its design archive that are reimagined for today, with fresh, vibrant colors and materials.
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Queens’ iconic New York State Pavilion will be illuminated every night

Photos courtesy of NYC Parks / Daniel Avila

April 18, 2023

Queens’ iconic New York State Pavilion will be illuminated every night

Queens' famous New York State Pavilion will now illuminate the sky every night. The city's Parks Department this week announced the completion of the first phase of the restoration of Flushing Meadow-Corona Park's iconic NYS Pavilion. As part of the $24 million restoration, the city installed new dynamic architectural lighting on the Philip Johnson-designed Tent of Tomorrow and Towers, which will be lit every night, with varying schedules for holidays and special events.
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Architecture And Design

New Penn Station overhaul proposal adds Vishaan Chakrabarti to design team

All images courtesy of ASTM North America

April 17, 2023

New Penn Station overhaul proposal adds Vishaan Chakrabarti to design team

Earlier this year, Vornado Realty Trust shelved plans to redevelop the area around Penn Station with several office buildings, citing poor economic conditions. Revenue from the proposed 18-million-square-foot redevelopment of Midtown West was expected to help fund the renovation of the despised transit hub. With that proposal on hold, an alternative plan has materialized that promises to leave Madison Square Garden in place and cost less money than the original project. And on Monday, the design team announced a new addition: Vishaan Chakrabarti of Practice for Architecture and Urbanism (PAU).
Details here

Architecture And Design

Two historic FDNY buildings in the Bronx may become city landmarks

Fire Alarm and Telegraph Bureau, Bronx Central Office. Images courtesy of the Landmarks Preservation Commission

March 14, 2023

Two historic FDNY buildings in the Bronx may become city landmarks

Two Bronx buildings associated with the Fire Department of New York may become New York City landmarks. The Landmarks Preservation Commission on Tuesday voted to calendar the Firehouse, Engine Company 88/Ladder Company 38 in Belmont, and the Fire Alarm and Telegraph Bureau, Bronx Central Office, both of which are architecturally significant and represent historic moments in the development of the city's fire department.
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NYC’s redesign of Broadway blocks into pedestrian-friendly stretch begins

New York City will begin its transformation of an iconic stretch of Broadway into a pedestrian-friendly corridor this week, Mayor Eric Adams announced Sunday. The work is part of the first phase of "Broadway Vision," a plan to make the chaotic and crowded streets between Madison Square and Herald Square safer by banning cars on some blocks and creating more space for pedestrians. As part of the first phase, the city will add two new plazas, shared streets, and a two-way bike lane on Broadway from West 25th Street to West 32nd Street.
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Eugene Kohn, co-founder of prolific architecture firm KPF, dies at 92

Photo courtesy of Kohn Pedersen Fox (KPF)

March 10, 2023

Eugene Kohn, co-founder of prolific architecture firm KPF, dies at 92

Eugene Kohn, who co-founded the influential international architecture firm Kohn Pedersen Fox, died on Thursday at the age of 92. Founded in 1976 by Kohn, William Pedersen, and Sheldon Fox, KPF has designed hundreds of buildings across the globe, with numerous notable skyscrapers in New York. Recent additions to the New York City skyline by KPF include One Vanderbilt, 10, 30, and 55 Hudson Yards, Brooklyn Point, and Two Waterline Square, among others.
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Architecture And Design

Rafael Viñoly, renowned NYC architect, dies at 78

Photo © Rafael Viñoly Architects

March 6, 2023

Rafael Viñoly, renowned NYC architect, dies at 78

World-renowned architect Rafael Viñoly, known in New York City for his work on many commercial and landmark buildings, passed away last week in his Manhattan home at the age of 78. The modernist designer, best known to many New Yorkers for his work on the controversial 432 Park Avenue condo tower, succumbed to a brain aneurysm, according to the New York Times.
Details here

Architecture And Design

Proposal to restore Prospect Park’s Vale faces criticism from LGBTQ+ advocates

Rendering of the proposed northeast pavilion. All renderings courtesy of the Prospect Park Alliance

March 1, 2023

Proposal to restore Prospect Park’s Vale faces criticism from LGBTQ+ advocates

The city's Parks Department and the Prospect Park Alliance this week unveiled plans for the restoration of the Vale of Cashmere. The proposal, presented during a Landmarks Preservation Commission hearing on Tuesday, includes a new pollinator garden, natural exploration play areas, a planted arbor, and a wooden pavilion with a green roof and bathrooms. Several LPC commissioners, preservationists, and LGBTQ+ advocates opposed the proposal for the Upper Vale, with most taking issue with the plan's erasure of the site as a significant meeting spot for the city's queer community as well as the disregard for the original vision of the Vale.
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Asking $3.5M, this rare modernist Adirondack lake house was designed by Philip Johnson in 1948

Photos courtesy of Covered Bridge Realty

February 27, 2023

Asking $3.5M, this rare modernist Adirondack lake house was designed by Philip Johnson in 1948

This early modernist home tucked away on the western shores of Lake Champlain in the Adirondacks was designed by Philip Johnson in 1948, the same year the noted architect designed his iconic Glass House. Asking $3,500,000, this unusual property at 314 Point Road in the northern New York town of Willsboro, which Johnson designed with partner Landis Gores (both were members of the famed Harvard Five architectural group that also included Marcel Breuer, John Johansen, and Eliot Noyes) appears in the book "Houses of Philip Johnson." Known as Paine House, the home's two subsequent owners have maintained it in its original state. Situated on 20 acres surrounded by forest and lake (with 850 feet of waterfront), the home's seclusion has kept it from the public eye.
Tour this rare modern lake houe

Plans unveiled for David Adjaye’s Restoration Plaza revamp in Bed-Stuy

Renderings courtesy of Adjaye Associates

February 17, 2023

Plans unveiled for David Adjaye’s Restoration Plaza revamp in Bed-Stuy

Plans to transform Brooklyn's Restoration Plaza into a global cultural and economic hub were unveiled this week. Non-profit Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation on Thursday released renderings and new details of its plan to reimagine its headquarters with an 840,000-square-foot mixed-use campus designed by renowned architect Sir David Adjaye. The plan expands and modernizes existing space, adds office and retail space, and creates new public open space in the heart of Bed-Stuy. According to the developer team, the Innovation Campus is a direct response to the country's racial wealth gap, particularly the economic barriers Black New Yorkers face in Brooklyn.
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Take a tour of a duplex penthouse at Jean Nouvel’s tower above MoMA

Image courtesy of Evan Joseph

February 15, 2023

Take a tour of a duplex penthouse at Jean Nouvel’s tower above MoMA

New images of a fully-furnished penthouse atop Pritzker-Prize-winning architect Jean Nouvel's tower 53 West 53 were released this week, showing off the one-of-a-kind duplex apartment's soaring ceiling heights, expansive living spaces, and breathtaking views of Central Park and the city skyline. The four-bedroom, three-and-a-half bathroom penthouse was designed by Fox-Nahem Associates in collaboration with Elle Decor and spans nearly 8,000 square feet across the 76th and 77th floors of the Midtown Manhattan skyscraper. Although this penthouse is not currently on the market, the identical unit above it, Penthouse 78, is available for $64,730,000.
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The Brooklyn Tower’s striking neo-Deco crown is complete

Photo by Evan Joseph

February 10, 2023

The Brooklyn Tower’s striking neo-Deco crown is complete

The top of the tallest tower in Brooklyn is now complete, cementing its status as New York City's newest landmark. The Brooklyn Tower rises 93 stories from a marble base with a facade of repeating vertical columns and alternating panels of colored metals that fade from bronze to black as it moves upward to the neo-Deco crown. The spired pinnacle reaches 1,066 feet, making the Brooklyn Tower the tallest building in the borough.
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Architecture And Design

Bjarke Ingels to design production studio and waterfront park in Red Hook

All renderings courtesy of Samson Stages

February 6, 2023

Bjarke Ingels to design production studio and waterfront park in Red Hook

Architecture firm Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) is designing another film studio in New York City. Production company Samson Stages announced plans for a new 330,000-square-foot production facility on the waterfront in Red Hook, Brooklyn. Designed by BIG, the firm also behind Robert De Niro's under-construction Wildflower Studios in Astoria, the Samson Stages Red Hook Studio will include a building with eight stacked stages and a public park.
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Architecture And Design

Army Corps of Engineers releases first renderings of NYC sea walls for coastal storm protection plan

This rendering shows a 20-foot-tall proposed floodwall along the Hudson River at Huron Street in the West Village. Image: Army Corps of Engineers.

January 31, 2023

Army Corps of Engineers releases first renderings of NYC sea walls for coastal storm protection plan

Late last year, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers released the $52 billion proposal that will represent the most comprehensive effort to date to protect the city from storm surges and the only existing plan for protecting the entire New York Harbor area. The Army Corps recently revealed a new series of renderings that provide a visual glance at how some of these projects might transform the New York City waterfront. Renderings show barriers, gates, sea walls, and raised promenades at Flushing Bay in Queens, at Greenpoint Public Park, and Coney Island in Brooklyn, among others, as THE CITY first reported.
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Plan to resurrect NYC’s iconic Brooklyn Banks skate park moves forward

The Brooklyn Banks in 2009. Photo credit: Rasmus Zwickson via Flickr

January 27, 2023

Plan to resurrect NYC’s iconic Brooklyn Banks skate park moves forward

Tony Hawk’s The Skatepark Project announced plans Thursday to bring the much-loved Brooklyn Banks skate park back to life in a partnership with the nonprofit Brooklyn Bridge Manhattan/Create Gotham Park project. The organizations have joined an ongoing initiative to develop Gotham Park and return the iconic skateboarding mecca to the community by creating a new public park under the Manhattan side of the Brooklyn Bridge. During his State of the City speech on Thursday, Mayor Eric Adams voiced his support for the new public space.
Find out more about bringing back the Banks

Live in Zaha Hadid’s Chelsea masterpiece with four bedrooms and a curvy balcony for $10.5M

Photo credit: Fortem Media for The Corcoran Group

January 25, 2023

Live in Zaha Hadid’s Chelsea masterpiece with four bedrooms and a curvy balcony for $10.5M

This four-bedroom condo in The Residences by Zaha Hadid at 520 West 28th Street is a rare opportunity to live in the late starchitect's residential masterpiece. The unique loft-like 3,840-square-foot residence, asking $10,495,000, features Hadid's signature curves, curated amenities, and a balcony with views of the architecturally significant Chelsea skyline. Details include 10-foot-wide motorized windows with distinctive curved detailing, high ceilings, and generous proportions.
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Photo courtesy of Douglas Elliman

January 23, 2023

This $4.5M historic Riverdale home overlooks the Hudson River from an elegant veranda

Known as the Henry Atherton Villa, this extraordinary home at 5247 Independence Avenue was known at the turn of the 20th century as a gathering place for artists, poets, and society notables. Looking out over the Hudson River and the Palisades beyond, the property is 15 minutes away from Midtown Manhattan, surrounded by the verdant historic Bronx neighborhood of Riverdale. Built in 1830, the Gothic Revival style home received a Colonial Revival addition at the turn of the century. Asking $4,500,000, the home spans 10,000 square feet, with nine bedrooms, gracious lawns, a solarium, and a veranda with breathtaking river views.
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Hell’s Kitchen church home to first Black Catholic parish in the north sells for $16M

Photo by James Russiello on WikiCommons

January 19, 2023

Hell’s Kitchen church home to first Black Catholic parish in the north sells for $16M

The first Black Catholic church to open above the Mason-Dixon line has been sold for $16 million, as first reported by Bisnow New York. Located at 342 West 53rd Street in Hell's Kitchen, the former St. Benedict the Moor church was constructed in 1869 as the only church for Black Roman Catholics. The property was sold by the Archdiocese of New York to developer Walter Wang's JMM Charitable Foundation, whose future plans for the site are unknown, according to W42ST.
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Civil rights lawyer William Kunstler’s former Village townhouse sells for $6.5M

Photos courtesy of Brown Harris Stevens unless otherwise noted

January 10, 2023

Civil rights lawyer William Kunstler’s former Village townhouse sells for $6.5M