Architecture And Design

The first commercial building at the Domino Sugar Factory site in Williamsburg officially launched leasing this week. Ten Grand Street sits within the 45-story mixed-use tower One South First, which opened in September with 330 rental units. Designed by COOKFOX Architects and developed by Two Trees Management, the towers interlock, a sustainable component that allows extra heat from the office building to be preserved and reused at the residential property. Offering tenants between 5,000 and 6,000-square-foot floor plates and floor-to-ceiling windows, Ten Grand boasts sweeping views of Manhattan, faces the six-acre Domino Park, and will be home to several Brooklyn-based retailers, including Roberta's and Other Half Brewing.
Take the tour

Sprawling residence inside Central Park West’s historic ‘castle’ seeks $6.5M

Listing images by Travis Mark; courtesy of Sotheby’s International Realty

November 7, 2019

Sprawling residence inside Central Park West’s historic ‘castle’ seeks $6.5M

This 120-year-old turreted brick-and-brownstone castle has a fascinating (and somewhat grim) history as the city’s first cancer hospital. Designed by Charles C. Haight in 1887 in the French Renaissance style, it later became a nursing home before it was converted to a very unique residential condominium in 2005. Units don’t often come on the market but when they do, they offer a scale that’s hard to match in the city, with 13-foot ceilings throughout, massive interior spaces, and Central Park a stone’s throw away. This three-bedroom residence at 445 Central Park West is now on the market for a relatively cool $6.445 million, considering the living room alone is larger than most NYC apartments.
Take a look around

This $950K Westchester home is part schoolhouse, part general store, part carriage house

Listing images by James Patrick Cooper; courtesy of Compass

November 5, 2019

This $950K Westchester home is part schoolhouse, part general store, part carriage house

You wouldn’t be able to tell from looking at this unassuming Tarrytown home that it’s actually a mash-up of historical structures, though the remaining steeple provides a little clue about its past. The current kitchen and dining area was once a carriage house, the living room once served as the town’s general store and post office, and the parlor room was a one-room schoolhouse in the 1700s. The three structures were fused together in 1900 to create what is now 13 Heritage Hill Road. Spanning nearly 2,500 square feet, the three-bedroom residence is on the market for $950,000.
Take a look around

All photos by Floto + Warner

November 1, 2019

Check out the cocktail bar at Nordstrom’s new Billionaires’ Row flagship

After much anticipation, Nordstrom opened its new NYC flagship last week. Located inside Billionaires' Row supertall Central Park Tower (the current world's tallest residential building), the seven-story department store offers such perks as stroller cleaning and shoe repairs and stocks "more than 10,000 handbags, 100,000 pairs of shoes, and 6,000 pairs of jeans," according to amNY. And in addition to all this retail excess, the store also has seven food and beverage options, including Broadway Bar, a cocktails and small plates restaurant on the third and fourth floors. Designed by Rafael de Cárdenas / Architecture at Large, Broadway Bar uses muted hues and subtly curved geometry to create a calm escape within the store. Ahead, get a better look at the space.
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Designs revealed for Phillips auction house’s new home in 432 Park Avenue’s white cube base

Rendering by studioMDA

October 30, 2019

Designs revealed for Phillips auction house’s new home in 432 Park Avenue’s white cube base

British auction house Phillips will move its headquarters into the white cube base of the supertall at 432 Park Avenue next year. As first reported by the New York Post, architecture firm studioMDA has been tapped to design the 55,000-square-foot auction house and will replace the ground floor the existing space with a sunken mezzanine. The new Billionaires' Row spot will open in the summer of 2020.
More here

Architecture And Design

This landmarked English Gothic Harlem church seeks a $6.25M buyer to create its next chapter

Photo credit: Matt Vacca courtesy of Compass.

October 30, 2019

This landmarked English Gothic Harlem church seeks a $6.25M buyer to create its next chapter

New York City's church conversions always draw interest and curiosity; whether they symbolize tranquility–or just offer a unique setting that often includes stained-glass windows with heavenly light and miles-high cathedral ceilings–they transcend the ordinary. This historic, landmarked Harlem church, built in 1897, is now on the market for $6.25 million. Home to the Greater Metropolitan Baptist Church since 1985, the building is zoned residential, so, according to the listing, it can become a single-family home. Built in the English Gothic style and first dedicated as St. Paul’s German Evangelical Lutheran Church, the house of worship is a reflection of the neighborhood's many layers of history. The listing calls on "sophisticated buyers and developers" to seize the chance to be responsible for the next chapter in the life of this neighborhood icon.
From 80-foot spires to a classic church basement

This $6M Norman Jaffe-designed waterfront home is a classic sculpture with views of the Hudson

Photo credit: Alon Koppel courtesy of Heather Croner Real Estate/Sotheby’s International Realty.

October 25, 2019

This $6M Norman Jaffe-designed waterfront home is a classic sculpture with views of the Hudson

Known for the "romantic modernist" residential architecture of so many iconic angular beach houses in the Hamptons, Norman Jaffe was a prolific architect who designed more than 600 projects during his 35-year career. Jaffe, who died in 1993, used passive solar design and lots of glass and wood in his striking waterfront homes. Built in 1993, the 12,980-square-foot residence at 1981 Broadway, asking $5.9 million, diverges a bit from his usual style. Set high on a bluff over the Hudson River surrounded by 20 acres of waterfront land in Ulster County, New York, the home's design refers to classic Greek architecture along with Jaffe's usual attention to natural light and shadow.
Tour this unforgettable waterfront home

All renderings courtesy of Gensler

October 22, 2019

New lobby renderings revealed for Phillip Johnson’s 550 Madison Avenue

It's been two years since developers unveiled their plans for a $300 million renovation of 550 Madison Avenue, helmed by architecture firm Snøhetta. Built in 1984 to the designs of Philip Johnson and John Burgee, the 647-foot building was the world’s first postmodern skyscraper. After several revisions, the renovation plans were approved by the LPC in February, and now, developer the Olayan Group has revealed the first renderings of the lobby. Most notably, the interior designs respect the 110-foot arched entryway and vaulted ceilings and add a window overlooking the proposed new public garden in the rear arcade.
More details ahead

Architecture And Design

William Lescaze’s modernist Upper East Side townhouse is back for a slightly reduced $19.5M

In 2013, the New York Times described the William Lescaze townhouse at 32 East 74th Street—one of the first modernist residences built in NYC—as being “just at the edge of passing from worn to shabby, waiting for a new owner to bring it back to flawlessness.” After years of being on and off the market, a new owner came into the picture in 2015, when he bought the property for $14.5 million and transformed it into a three-unit investment property. Lescaze designed the house for Raymond C. and Mildred Kramer in 1934, one year after completing a modernist home for himself at 211 East 48th Street. Both feature his characteristic use of white stucco and glass bricks. The landmarked exteriors have remained intact, but as 6sqft previously noted, the interiors have long shed any trace of Lescaze’s interior design. The transformed property was most recently on the market in 2017 with a $20 million ask and is now back for a slightly reduced $19.5 million.
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Brookfield unveils $400M redevelopment of 666 Fifth Avenue

Left: Photo by David Shankbone on Wikimedia; Right: Rendering by Hayes Davidson for Brookfield Properties

October 17, 2019

Brookfield unveils $400M redevelopment of 666 Fifth Avenue

Hoping to start a new chapter for the problem-plagued tower, Brookfield Asset Management has unveiled its plan to overhaul 666 Fifth Avenue. The 41-story Midtown office building will undergo a $400 million overhaul designed by Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates, including a new glass exterior, floor-to-ceiling windows, revamped rooftop spaces, and updated mechanical systems, as the Wall Street Journal first reported. And separating itself further from its past, the building's address will now be 660 Fifth Avenue.
New details this way

Architecture And Design

Second round of Transit Tech Lab accelerator launches with emphasis on accessibility

Photo by Shinya Suzuki on Flickr cc

October 16, 2019

Second round of Transit Tech Lab accelerator launches with emphasis on accessibility

The MTA and the Partnership for New York City have announced the second round of the Transit Tech Lab accelerator program that launched earlier this year. The inaugural run selected six finalists to participate in an eight-week program dedicated to developing innovative, private sector solutions for the challenges facing our subway, bus, and rail services. Of those six, four companies have already started piloting their products with the MTA. The new round of submissions is specifically seeking entrepreneurs with products that improve accessibility (a major component of the MTA’s recently unveiled capital plan), enhance traffic coordination, or create new sources of revenue. Submissions are open through November 30.
More details

The Arches of Harlem aims to turn the Riverside Drive Viaduct into a public light-art installation

Renderings by Focus Lighting

October 15, 2019

The Arches of Harlem aims to turn the Riverside Drive Viaduct into a public light-art installation

Harlem-based architectural lighting firm Focus Lighting has worked on some pretty impressive projects here in NYC, from the Times Square ball to the Waldorf Astoria. But they're also getting involved in their local community, thinking about how they can transform the Riverside Drive Viaduct--a 50-foot-tall elevated steel roadway that runs from 125th to 135th Streets. As the firm notes, during the day, the structure's grand arches serve as a picturesque background to the neighborhood and the Hudson River, but at night, they "go completely unlit and unutilized." Their proposal, called The Arches of Harlem, seeks to incorporate a new programmable lighting composition every three months, each one "inspired by select works of historic artists and emerging local talent."
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See inside MoMA’s $450M revamped, expanded campus

53rd Street Elevation; Photo by Brett Beyer, courtesy of Diller Scofidio + Renfro

October 14, 2019

See inside MoMA’s $450M revamped, expanded campus

Following the completion of a $450 million renovation project, the Museum of Modern Art is set to reopen next week on October 21. In addition to expanding gallery space by nearly 50,000 square feet, the project reorganized the layout of exhibits, which now will be displayed chronologically instead of by discipline. Designed by Diller Scofidio + Renfro in collaboration with Gensler, the new museum expanded west into the former site of the American Folk Art Museum and within the base of Jean Nouvel's new residential tower, 53W53.
See inside

WeWork’s private NYC elementary school, WeGrow, will close after current school year

Photo by Laurian Ghinitoiu courtesy of WeWork

October 14, 2019

WeWork’s private NYC elementary school, WeGrow, will close after current school year

Following a failed IPO and an impending takeover by Japanese parent company SoftBank amid an exodus of investors, office space sublease and coworking brand leader WeWork informed parents that the 2019-2020 school year would be the last for the newly-launched Manhattan elementary school, HuffPost reports. Rebekah Neumann, the co-founder of the company and wife of its recently-ousted CEO, Adam Neumann (and first cousin of Gwyneth Paltrow), had helmed the educational program for children ages three to nine, titled WeGrow, with a focus on education through play and interaction. The small New York City private school opened in 2018 with a tuition bill of between $22,000 and $42,000 a year. On the curriculum were yoga, dance and martial arts and weekly trips to an upstate farm to learn how to plant and harvest crops–in addition to fundamental courses, all with a heavy emphasis on creative expression and immersion in nature.
Find out more

PHOTOS: See the views from the Empire State Building’s new 102nd-floor observatory

View looking north, with Central Park and the towers that dot Billionaires’ Row clearly visible; Photo courtesy of Empire State Realty Trust

October 11, 2019

PHOTOS: See the views from the Empire State Building’s new 102nd-floor observatory

After four years and $165 million, the revamp of New York City's first supertall is nearly complete, bringing a more contemporary and visitor-friendly experience to one of the world's most historic buildings. The Empire State Building's 102nd-floor observatory, which boasts 360-degree panoramic views at 1,250 feet above street level, officially opens to the public on Saturday, Oct. 12. Building owner Empire State Realty Trust redesigned the observatory to be less obstructive for guests, allowing more picture-perfect views and less time waiting.
All the way up

Completed report announced following East Side Coastal Resiliency Project consultant review

Preliminary design of Corlears shared use path; via DDC.

October 11, 2019

Completed report announced following East Side Coastal Resiliency Project consultant review

Borough President Gale A. Brewer and Council Member Carlina Rivera announced Thursday the completed report by independent consulting firm Deltares on the East Side Coastal Resiliency Project (ESCR). As 6sqft previously reported, the project was first developed in the wake of Hurricane Sandy and is intended to protect 2.2 miles of Manhattan’s East Side, between East 25th Street and Montgomery Street, from flooding and improve access to waterfront space. According to the city, the ESCR project would protect over 110,000 New Yorkers in the area.
Find out more and read the report

October 8, 2019

Thomas Heatherwick’s pair of bubbled condos on the High Line gets rebranded as ‘Lantern House’

The pair of unique condo buildings with a bubbled facade rising on the High Line will officially be called Lantern House. Located at 515 West 18th Street, the two condo towers were designed by Thomas Heatherwick's Heatherwick Studio, the firm behind the climbable "Vessel" at Hudson Yards and the under-construction floating park at Pier 55. Along with the rebranding, Related Companies announced on Tuesday that sales for the development's 181 residences will launch next year, starting at $1.7 million for one-bedroom units.
Details here

Rendering by DBOX

October 8, 2019

Brooklyn’s tallest office tower tops out; see new interior renderings

Brooklyn just keeps getting bigger. In April, the borough's tallest tower, the condo tower Brooklyn Point, topped out at 720 feet. Now, Brooklyn's tallest office tower has also reached its full 495-foot height. One Willoughby Square (or 1WSQ as it's now being called) is expected to open at the end of 2020, at which time its architect, FXCollaborative, will also become the anchor tenant. The 34-story building will contain 500,000 square feet of office space; all of the floor plans are column-free and many floors have private outdoor terraces.
More looks and details

October 7, 2019

Hunters Point Library will move fiction shelves in response to accessibility criticism

Steven Holl's Hunters Point Library has garnered glowing architectural reviews since it's opening last month, but visitors quickly pointed out a critical issue with accessibility in the $41 million building. Although the library has an elevator, it doesn't stop at the fiction section which is tiered on three levels above the lobby and accessible only via stairs. In light of the criticism, a Queens Public Library official has announced that books in that section will be relocated to an accessible area of the library, as Gothamist reported.
More details

Architecture And Design

Photo credit: Ty Cole

October 3, 2019

Behold photos of Williamsburg’s new commercial office development 25 Kent, now complete

25 Kent Avenue, Williamsburg's first ground-up commercial office development in over 50 years, is now complete. The building spans a full city block and was designed by architects Hollwich Kushner (HWKN) and Gensler and to provide "a social campus for innovators, startup founders, and tech leaders." As 6sqft previously reported, the eight-story building holds 500,000 square feet of office space along the Williamsburg waterfront as well as retail at ground level and underground parking, with millennial-friendly rooftops and terraces and floor-to-ceiling windows.
Many more photos of 25 Kent, this way

CetraRuddy’s new tower will bring affordable rentals to Downtown Brooklyn

Rendering of 22 Chapel Street courtesy of CetraRuddy

October 3, 2019

CetraRuddy’s new tower will bring affordable rentals to Downtown Brooklyn

After breaking ground last month, the mixed-use development at 22 Chapel Street near the Manhattan Bridge now has more details to share. Designed by CetraRuddy, the 20-story tower will bring 180 rental units to Downtown Brooklyn, 45 of which will be affordable. Among other amenities, it will have a rooftop pool and terrace, along with ground-floor retail space and a new headquarters for the START organization. Completion is expected in 2021.
More details

Listing photos courtesy of Halstead Real Estate

October 1, 2019

Old-world Victorian decor fills every inch of this $325K Bronx co-op

Located in the University Heights section of the Bronx, this co-op could easily pass for a Victorian period museum. From House of Hackney wallpaper to reclaimed 19th-century doors to a painting that is Louvre-approved (literally!), nearly every inch of the 1,250-square-foot home is filled with old-world furniture and decor. And even if this isn't quite your style, the two-bedroom, two-bathroom layout and $325,000 price tag will surely grab your attention.
Even the bathrooms are worth checking out

Upper West Side group wants a stretch of Broadway to go car-free

Photo by 6sqft

September 30, 2019

Upper West Side group wants a stretch of Broadway to go car-free