Architecture And Design

Two Trees Management announced yesterday the opening of the second building to rise at Williamsburg's Domino Sugar Factory site at the corner of Grand Street and Kent Avenue. Designed by COOKFOX Architects, One South First is a mixed-use 45-story building within the newly-created six-acre Domino Park that includes 330 rental apartments, office space, and retail. Unique features include a distinct facade inspired by the structure of sugar crystals in honor of the site's history as a sugar manufacturing plant. The building is now the neighborhood's tallest tower at 435 feet, and it makes use of every inch of that height with dazzling amenities that include an outdoor granite pool overlooking the East River and City skyline.
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James Baldwin’s former Upper West Side home receives national landmark status

Photos: (l) Tax photo of 137 West 71st Street, 1964 (a year before James Baldwin bought the building). Courtesy of the NYC Municipal Archives; (r) 137 West 71st Street, on the Upper West Side, 2016. Credit: Christopher D. Brazee/NYC LGBT Historic Sites Project

September 12, 2019

James Baldwin’s former Upper West Side home receives national landmark status

By Dana Schulz

In June, the city's Landmarks Preservation Commission designated six sites significant to the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community, including the former home of James Baldwin on the Upper West Side. Now, the NYC LGBT Historic Sites Project tells us that the Baldwin residence at 137 West 71st Street has been added to the National Register of Historic Places, which recognizes his role nationally as relates to LGBT and civil rights history.
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Architecture And Design

September 10, 2019

See renderings of The Wing’s new Williamsburg location for design inspiration

Renderings were released this morning showing the gorgeously on-trend interiors at the much-anticipated Williamsburg location of The Wing–the women-centric community and work space's first location in that neighborhood and second in Brooklyn. The Williamsburg opening is part of a greater New York City expansion, which will bring the total number of locations in The Wing's home city to five by the end of 2019. Since launching less than three years ago, The Wing has opened eight locations across six U.S cities and raised $117.5 million in venture funding.
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Restoration of Philip Johnson’s 1964 New York State Pavilion will begin this month

Image via Purpleturtle52 on Wiki Commons

September 10, 2019

Restoration of Philip Johnson’s 1964 New York State Pavilion will begin this month

Plans to restore the Philip Johnson-designed New York State Pavilion at Flushing Meadows-Corona Park have been inching along slowly over the past five years. Now, the project finally has a construction start date, Untapped Cities reported. Work will begin by the end of the month and is expected to be completed in March 2021. As 6sqft previously reported, the project has acquired just over $24 million in funding from the Mayor's office, Queens Borough President Melinda Katz, City Council, and a FEMA grant for Hurricane Sandy repairs.
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Architecture And Design

City seeks nonprofit to run NYC’s first cultural institution dedicated to immigrants

Inwood Hill Park, courtesy of Dana on Flickr

September 6, 2019

City seeks nonprofit to run NYC’s first cultural institution dedicated to immigrants

The city is seeking proposals from nonprofits interested in running a new immigrant research center and performing arts center in Inwood. The city's Economic Development Corporation and the Department of Cultural Affairs (DCA) released a request for expressions of interest on Wednesday for a nonprofit organization to "design, construct, and operate" the Northern Manhattan Immigrant Research and Performing Arts Center (IRPAC). The neighborhood boasts a diverse community, with 49 percent foreign-born as well as the city's highest concentration of residents of Dominican descent.
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Via Wikimedia

September 6, 2019

WTC Oculus skylight won’t open this year during 9/11 commemoration due to leak

The skylight atop the $3.9 billion World Trade Center Transportation Hub Oculus won't open this year on September 11, according to the Port Authority. It was announced this week that the skylight–comprised of 224 panes of glass on 40 motorized panels designed by Spanish starchitect Santiago Calatrava–has a leaking problem and will remain closed for this year's anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. The skylight was intended to open and close, releasing a beam of light into the Oculus space at precisely 10:28 A.M. each year to mark the moment the north tower of the World Trade Center fell.
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Take a jazz-filled tour of historic Fort Greene homes

Photo courtesy of CityRealty

September 4, 2019

Take a jazz-filled tour of historic Fort Greene homes

While it's always easy to admire the stunning brownstones of Brooklyn's Fort Greene neighborhood from the outside, here's your chance to appreciate them up close. The 34th Fort Greene House Tour takes place on Sunday, Sept. 22, opening up unique homes from the 19th-century to architecture enthusiasts. Hosted by the Fort Greene Association, the theme of this year's tour is "Houses, History & All That Jazz," with some homes on tour featuring live music, in honor of the neighborhood's musical legacy.
How to get tickets

Rikers Island, photo by Tim Rodenberg on Wikimedia

September 3, 2019

City Planning Commission approves plan to build four borough-based jails as Rikers replacement

The City Planning Commission on Tuesday approved a plan to replace the Rikers Island complex with four new jails across the city. The plan, unveiled by Mayor Bill de Blasio in 2017, would close Rikers by 2026 by moving inmates to new, smaller facilities in Lower Manhattan, the South Bronx, Downtown Brooklyn, and Kew Gardens. Despite disapproval from four community boards, three borough presidents, and criminal justice advocates, nine CPC members voted in favor of the plan, with three opposed and one abstained. The proposal will move to the City Council on Thursday for a public hearing.
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A first look inside Álvaro Siza’s restrained yet powerful Hell’s Kitchen tower, his first U.S. building

Renderings courtesy of The Boundary

September 3, 2019

A first look inside Álvaro Siza’s restrained yet powerful Hell’s Kitchen tower, his first U.S. building

With the construction of Álvaro Siza’s Hell’s Kitchen tower well underway and sales expected to launch later this month, the project website and a new batch of renderings have been released, revealing new project details and a first peek at the interiors designed by Gabellini Sheppard Associates. The rising 37-story tower at 611 West 56th Street will be the Pritzker Prize-winning architect’s first high-rise in the United States and largest project to date. Unlike most other starchitect projects in NYC, it stands out for its restraint and simplicity, hallmarks of Siza’s approach to design.
More info

For $595/night, you can go glamping in a 300-square-foot cabin on Governors Island

A well-rounded urban camping experience is a new summer option on Governors Island. Campers can choose an activity-packed agenda complete with private boats, dining, kids’ activities and wellness programs, and a chance to sleep under the stars surrounded by New York skyline views and 1,500 thread count sheets, private en-suite bathrooms and decks, electricity, and WiFi within. For modern design lovers, the island's cozy Summit and Journey tents from Collective Retreats will be joined by new Outlook shelters. These modular hotel rooms resemble tiny modern cabins with 225 square feet–plus 75 square feet of deck space–of indoor architecture that "seamlessly compliments outdoor grandeur with fully sheltered structures." And for this unique experience, prices will start at $595/night.
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Updated design revealed for long-awaited Willoughby Square Park in Downtown Brooklyn

Rendering by Hargreaves Jones, courtesy of NYCEDC

August 28, 2019

Updated design revealed for long-awaited Willoughby Square Park in Downtown Brooklyn

The city unveiled on Monday an updated design for its Willoughby Square Park project, which has been 15 years in the making. The city's Economic Development Corporation and Hargreaves Jones Landscape Architecture presented revised plans to Brooklyn's Community Board, which include lawn space, promenade, and seating near City Point's Dekalb Market, as Bklyner reported.
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Architecture And Design

Gowanus’ historic Coignet Stone Building is for sale asking $6.5M

Photos by Vanessa DeGarcia, courtesy of The Corcoran Group

August 28, 2019

Gowanus’ historic Coignet Stone Building is for sale asking $6.5M

By Dana Schulz

If there's one building that has come to represent the preservation movement in Gowanus, it very well might be the Coignet Stone Building. Built in 1873 as a showroom and physical advertisement for Francois Coignet's concrete construction company, it was the first documented concrete building in the city. Whole Foods purchased the property in 2005 and built its new supermarket next door, and the following year, the Coignet Buiding was landmarked. After years of neglect, Whole Foods completed a $1.3 million restoration in 2016, listing the property shortly thereafter for $6 million. It's now back for a hair more, and though a gut interior renovation is definitely required, it's being sold as a residential townhouse that has incredible potential.
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August 26, 2019

For $1.2M, this stone Cotswold cottage in Greenwich, Connecticut has Anglophile appeal

On three magical acres landscaped with weeping willow trees and enchanting gardens, this Cotswold-style cottage isn't set in the rolling hills of rural England but in Greenwich, CT, less than an hour from New York City. Cotswold cottages are famous for their stone-clad beauty, and this one on Connecticut's gold coast, asking $1.195 million, is no exception.
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Steven Holl-designed Hunters Point Library to finally open next month

Photo by Vitali Ogorodnikov for 6sqft

August 23, 2019

Steven Holl-designed Hunters Point Library to finally open next month

The long-awaited Hunters Point Library will open in Long Island City next month, more than eight years after its futuristic design was revealed, library officials announced Thursday. Designed by Steven Holl Architects, the concrete building with carved windows sits on the East River and boasts sweeping Manhattan views. After many construction and financial delays, the library will officially open on September 24.
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Architecture And Design

Last available home in upstate ‘eco community’ Hudson Woods asks $1.18M

Image credit: Deborah De Graffenreid for Hudson Woods.

August 22, 2019

Last available home in upstate ‘eco community’ Hudson Woods asks $1.18M

The last house in the Hudson Woods modern development is for sale. The $1.18 million home was, like its neighbors in the 131-acre Hudson Valley community, designed by Lang Architecture with a modern aesthetic, quality craftsmanship and premium finishes. The 26-family community was constructed in a scenic corner of the Catskills characterized by wooded rolling hills and a large river; it's a two-hour drive from New York City.
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New 2.5-acre complex will bring 500+ rentals to the Astoria waterfront

30-77 Vernon Boulevard. Renderings by Pax Brooklyn, courtesy of Fogarty Finger

August 22, 2019

New 2.5-acre complex will bring 500+ rentals to the Astoria waterfront

A sprawling new residential development at 30-77 Vernon Boulevard from Cape Advisors and Wainbridge Capital will bring over 500 rental apartments to the Astoria waterfront area (h/t Yimby). The 522,000-square-foot construction site on two-and-a-half acres of land will be comprised of three adjacent buildings designed by Fogarty Finger. New renderings show a white and gray façade with rooftop recreation areas; amenity spaces will include a private courtyard, indoor and outdoor lounges, a fitness center and a rooftop pool East River and Manhattan skyline views.
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August 21, 2019

This waterfront Connecticut home comes with a private island for $6.25M

Just in case panoramic water views from one of the East Coast's most sought-after spots isn't enough, this meticulously renovated traditional home at 16 Marlow Court at the mouth of Cos Cob harbor on Long Island Sound in Fairfield County, CT, comes with its own .15 acre private island. Consider it an extension of your back porch, just another part of your $6.25 million private estate on 200 feet of direct water frontage with views of the harbor and the Riverside Yacht Club.
Get an eyeful of those views

Brooklyn Grange Sunset Park, courtesy of Brooklyn Grange

August 20, 2019

Brooklyn Grange opens NYC’s largest rooftop farm in Sunset Park

Brooklyn Grange has opened its third rooftop farm at the Liberty View building along the Sunset Park waterfront. The new facility is the largest rooftop farm in New York City, encompassing 140,000 square feet. In addition to a 55,000-square-foot garden, the space also features a 5,000-square-foot greenhouse with microgreen and hydroponic growing areas and a 6,000-square-foot indoor space that will host a range of community events throughout the year.
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You can buy this house on a private island upstate for $850K, but you can only get there by boat

Images courtesy of Houlihan Lawrence

August 20, 2019

You can buy this house on a private island upstate for $850K, but you can only get there by boat

Though we've all probably dreamed at some point of owning a private island–and they're more common than you may think–the serene and very private Willow Island on Putnam Lake in Patterson, N.Y., on the market for $850,000, is less out of reach than some others. On the one hand, it's accessible only by boat. On the other, it's less than 60 miles north of New York City in Putnam County. There's a private driveway and garage on the mainland and multiple docks on the property. The lake is "non-motorized," but the island comes with a solar-powered boat.
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August 19, 2019

Clean lines highlight this $810K Usonia home in Westchester by a Frank Lloyd Wright apprentice

The Usonia community in Pleasantville, NY, was created as a tribute to legendary architect Frank Lloyd Wright to celebrate his "Usonian" home ideal–design that would integrate with a home's natural surroundings and live and grow with its inhabitants. The site plan, road system, and a handful of homes in the community were designed by Wright himself, but most of its houses were created by his associates and admirers, David Henken and Aaron Resnick. Henken designed the three-bedroom home at 6 Usonia Road in 1950. In true Wright style, this mid-century modern property, known as the Anderson House, is surrounded by greenery, with floor to ceiling windows and a wraparound deck. The house is now on the market for $810,000.
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LPC approves 14-story complex behind East New York’s landmarked Empire State Dairy building

Revised rendering from August by Dattner Architects via LPC

August 14, 2019

LPC approves 14-story complex behind East New York’s landmarked Empire State Dairy building

Update 8/14/19: The Landmarks Preservation Commission on Tuesday approved Dattner Architects' plan to construct a 14-story building behind the Empire State Dairy. According to Brownstoner, the architects removed the cantilever element from the project's previous design and plan to preserve the chimney, instead of demolishing it. The new tower will replace two existing, but not landmarked, buildings, and include over 330 affordable apartments. An affordable housing developer on Tuesday presented plans to the Landmarks Preservation Commission for a new building that would cantilever over the Empire State Dairy building in East New York. HP Brooklyn Dairy Housing Development Fund Company, part of the nonprofit Housing Partnership Development Corporation, wants to construct a 14-story tower on top of the early 20th-century factory, located at 2840 Atlantic Avenue. Landmarked in 2017, the factory is notable for its architectural style and decorative tile murals. Dattner Architects created the designs for the proposed complex shown in the new renderings. The new construction would be a major change for the property, which was purchased by the developer for $16.75 million last year.
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August 8, 2019

Jeanne Gang completes ‘solar-carving’ tower on the High Line, her firm’s first NYC building

The Meatpacking District gained a new architectural landmark this week. Construction of Studio Gang's 40 Tenth Avenue is officially complete, making it Jeanne Gang and her firm's first New York City building. Nicknamed the Solar Carve Tower because the way its facade seems to have been "sculpted by the angles of the sun," the 10-story, High Line-facing office tower is designed to allow for lots of sunlight without casting shadows on the neighboring green space.
Details this way

August 2, 2019

Pottery Barn’s new ‘Friends’ collection will be there for you…and your apartment

"Friends" is set to leave Netflix by the end of the year, but devoted fans now have a new way to keep their favorite moments close by. As the show prepares to celebrate its 25th anniversary, Pottery Barn has just launched the much-anticipated FRIENDS x Pottery Barn collection, comprised of furniture, tableware, and other household accessories inspired by the classic '90s sitcom. Ranging from a $1,099 apothecary coffee table to a $29.50 throw pillow featuring the iconic shade of purple in Monica’s apartment—there’s a little something for everyone, whether you’re a Rachel, a Joey, or a Phoebe.
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Demolition of debated vacant oil tanks in Williamsburg begins

Photo by James and Karla Murray exclusively for 6sqft

August 2, 2019

Demolition of debated vacant oil tanks in Williamsburg begins