Architecture And Design

With the opening of five lush waterfront acres of park at Pier 3 on Tuesday, Brooklyn Bridge Park is now 90 percent complete. Designed by Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates, it's the final pier to be converted into parkland and features two lawns surrounded by shrubs and trees, which will offer both shade and protection from gusts of wind. "Brooklyn Bridge Park is a gem that gleams brighter with each exciting acre it adds, building on our borough’s commitment to offer high-quality open space that brings people together from all walks of life," Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams said.
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Architecture And Design

LPC sends Morris Adjmi’s proposal for East Village gas explosion site back to the drawing board

Rendering by Morris Adjmi Architects

July 10, 2018

LPC sends Morris Adjmi’s proposal for East Village gas explosion site back to the drawing board

Almost three years after an explosion caused by an illegal tap into a gas main at the corner of Second Avenue and East Seventh Street destroyed three buildings at 119-123 Second Avenue and killed two people, new renderings have been revealed of Morris Adjmi Architects' proposed seven-story, 21-unit condo that would replace the circa-1886 tenements that once stood there. As it's within the East Village/Lower East Side Historic District, it needs approval from the Landmarks Preservation Commission. After reviewing the plans this afternoon and deciding that the proposal is "close, but not quite there," they've sent Adjmi and Yaniv Shaky Cohen’s Nexus Building Development Group back to the drawing board over concerns regarding the windows, storefront, and coloring. Neighbors and those affected by the tragedy are also calling for a commemorative plaque to be incorporated into the design.
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As construction begins, cost of Bjarke Ingels’ South Bronx police station jumps to $68M

Image via BIG

July 10, 2018

As construction begins, cost of Bjarke Ingels’ South Bronx police station jumps to $68M

Mayor Bill de Blasio announced on Tuesday that construction has officially begun on the new police station coming to the 40th Precinct in the South Bronx. The Bjarke Ingels-designed station house, located in Melrose at East 149th Street and St. Anne's Avenue, will boast the first community event space ever to be at an NYPD facility. When Ingels was selected as the architect in 2013 (the project's second firm chosen after the first contract expired), the estimated cost was $57.7 million with a 2020 deadline. After the construction period was extended from two to three years, the cost of the total project jumped to $68 million and the station will now open in the spring of 2021. "This new precinct will strengthen the bond between community and police, which will ultimately help make the South Bronx and our City safer," de Blasio said in a press release.
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July 10, 2018

$14M townhouse in exclusive Upper East Side historic district looks like a European villa

This lavish townhouse could easily pass for a Parisian or Italian home, but it's, in fact, hiding behind a traditional brownstone facade on the Upper East Side. Located at 234 East 61st Street, the four-story residence is part of the ultra-exclusive Treadwell Farm Historic District, which encompasses only two blocks. Though it was built along with its neighbors in 1873, the house underwent a unique interior renovation in 1910 that added its 21-foot vaulted ceilings and rear, arched addition that opens to the magical south-facing garden. Other stylistically unique architectural elements that have made their way in include the wrought iron railings, ornately carved marble fireplace, and etched glass windows. After last selling in 2006 for $7.9 million, it's now asking $13.9 million.
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July 9, 2018

Army Corps proposes constructing hurricane barriers across the NY Harbor to stop flooding

Via US Army Corps In response to intensifying hurricanes that have hit the New York and New Jersey coastal region in recent years, the U.S. Army Corps is proposing a handful of measures to reduce the risk of storm damage. The proposals include constructing barriers, either in-water or land-based, and floodwalls that would stretch over 2,000 square miles across New York Habor to protect the area's waterfront neighborhoods. The barriers, already being used in cities like Stamford, Conn. and London, would have gates that remain open to let ships pass, but close when a hurricane is advancing (h/t WNYC). After completing a study that looked at nine high-risk areas, including 25 counties in NY and NJ, on the Atlantic Coast, the Corps this month will present the proposals at public information sessions across the two states.
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SHoP Architects reveal ‘vertical tech campus’ at 335 Madison

A new bar/terrace at 335 Madison overlooking Grand Central, © SHoP Architects

July 9, 2018

SHoP Architects reveal ‘vertical tech campus’ at 335 Madison

Since the announcement of One Vanderbilt more than four years ago, much attention has been paid to the controversial Midtown East Rezoning, which was approved last summer. Howard Milstein was one of many developers looking to take advantage of the rezoning, proposing a plan to raze the Grand Central-adjacent office tower 335 Madison and replace it with a modern structure that would expand the building's tech incubator. But he ultimately decided to forego the demo and undertake a $150 million renovation by SHoP Architects that more than doubles the square footage of Grand Central Tech and creates a new lobby and retail/amenity spaces for tenants. Renderings for the new "vertical tech campus" known as Company have now been revealed by Arch Daily.
More details and all the renderings

Architecture And Design

ODA reveals playful facade, outdoor space for former Jehovah’s Witnesses’ site in Dumbo

Rendering of 80 Adams Street courtesy of BH3 Partners

July 6, 2018

ODA reveals playful facade, outdoor space for former Jehovah’s Witnesses’ site in Dumbo

In the latest news from CityRealty, a new rendering of the exciting design for a 10-story, 165-unit building that will rise at the former Jehovah's Witnesses-owned property at 80 Adams Street has been revealed. Buyer Jeffrey Gershon of Hope Street Capital closed on the $60 million purchase of what was a single-story garage in November. ODA New York was listed on the permits, which meant we were likely to see an innovative design; now that design is here in rendering form.
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Jackie Gleason’s circular “mothership” mansion in Westchester is on the market for $12M

Jackie Gleason photo via Wikimedia Commons

July 3, 2018

Jackie Gleason’s circular “mothership” mansion in Westchester is on the market for $12M

"Honeymooners" star and comedy legend Jackie Gleason kept an architecturally remarkable round house in Westchester County, using it as an escape while filming the iconic sitcom; now it's for sale as part of an estate listed for $12 million, the New York Post reports. Gleason was a UFO lover who referred to the home, which is circular inside and out as "The Mothership."
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‘For Lady Liberty’ campaign launches to help fund the Statue of Liberty’s new museum

Rendering by FXCollaborative

July 2, 2018

‘For Lady Liberty’ campaign launches to help fund the Statue of Liberty’s new museum

The Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation this week will launch a fundraising campaign to help finish construction on its new $70 million museum. The foundation's campaign, "For Lady Liberty," seeks to raise $10 million to "add the finishing touches" to the 26,000-square-foot museum on Liberty Island. When it opens in May 2019, the space, designed by FXCollaborative and ESI Design, will feature an immersive theater and gallery that showcases the statue's original torch and the Liberty Star Mural, a panoramic display with the names of donors.
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With funding and plans, revamp of Philip Johnson’s New York State Pavilion moves slowly forward

Designed by starchitect Philip Johnson for the 1964-65 World's Fair to embody the architectural essence of Space Age futurism, the New York State Pavilion, has, in the ensuing decades, become what amNY called a "hulking 54-year-old relic of the World’s Fair," though it has never lost its modernist cachet and has gained value as an historic ruin of sorts. Recently, talk of restoring the pavilion beyond its current inglorious purgatory slowly appears to be moving toward actual plans with funding attached. City officials and preservationists have secured $14 million for specific repairs and improvements to the pavilion.
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Architecture And Design

June 29, 2018

von Dalwig Architects animates a Park Slope rowhouse with three skylights and chic cutouts

By Michelle Sinclair Colman

von Dalwig Architects, formerly known as Manifold Architecture Studio, changed their name as they changed their focus, from a broad architectural lens to a more concentrated vision on space, program and the relationship between them. The firm achieved their vision in the gut renovation and expansion of a 19.5’ wide x 42’ long three-story, single family Brooklyn townhouse, completed in 2016. This renovation both infused the traditionally dark rowhouse with light from the front, back and sky and also created a continuous connection from the house to the backyard.
See inside the bright space

June 28, 2018

Private 63-acre Connecticut island is on the market for the second time in a century asking $120M

Not only is Great Island in Darien, CT, the largest private island to be offered for sale on the East Coast, but before it was listed in 2016 for $175 million, this iconic property hadn't been offered for sale or changed hands for more than a century. Purchased in the early 1900s by baking powder tycoon William Ziegler, the estate that lies just 50 miles north of New York City has remained in the family ever since. It's asking $120 million this time around.
Have a look at this unusual island property

June 27, 2018

PHOTOS: Phase two of Hunter’s Point South Park officially opens on the LIC waterfront

Photo © 6sqft The Hunter's Point South Park extension officially opened Wednesday, over three years after construction began at the Long Island City site. The second phase adds 5.5 acres south to the existing park, which currently has a basketball court, playground, two dog-runs, and a volleyball sand pit. The city's Economic Development Corporation and Department of Parks and Recreation developed the project, which measures 11-acres from 50th Avenue to Newton Creek on the East River. At the ribbon-cutting ceremony, local officials and community members gathered to celebrate the project's opening. "This is a beautiful park," State Sen. Michael Gianaris said. "Enough to make our friends across in Manhattan look over and be jealous that they don't have anything as beautiful on their side of the River."
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Architecture And Design

June 27, 2018

Landmarks approves Frick expansion plan despite protests from preservationists

All renderings courtesy of Beyer Blinder Belle and Selldorf Architects On Tuesday the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission approved the most recent plan submitted by the museum for the expansion and renovation of the 1914 Gilded Age mansion it calls home in a 6 to 1 vote with one abstention, the New York Times reports. Three prior attempts by the museum in a quest to gain more space for exhibitions and programs were turned back amid vocal protests by neighborhood advocates and preservationists. The revised plan submitted by the project's architects Beyer Blinder Belle and Annabelle Selldorf includes the decision to restore the museum's original gated garden, which had been a point of controversy with those opposed to the project.
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June 26, 2018

$12M Soho loft was inspired by an opulent Parisian hotel and an art gallery past

This three-bedroom loft at 69 Wooster Street is the kind you don't often see in today's world of sleek designer spaces. Until 2014, it was the longtime home and personal gallery of prominent art collectors Eileen and Michael Cohen, who had lived there since Soho was, well, Soho. The current owner is a fashion designer who just finished a multi-year renovation adding a layer of one-of-a-kind opulence to an already dramatic space. The home, now on the market for $12 million, has been featured in Architectural Digest and other design publications, and we can see why, with everything from tin ceilings and exposed brick to gold-clad columns, dripping crystal chandeliers, a mirrored wall, and plenty of leather accents.
Don't miss the gold bathtub

See aerial renderings of COOKFOX’s massive St. John’s Terminal redevelopment

Rendering looking south down the Hudson River waterfront with COOKFOX’s design for 550 Washington on the left-hand side. Courtesy of COOKFOX.

June 26, 2018

See aerial renderings of COOKFOX’s massive St. John’s Terminal redevelopment

This past December, COOKFOX Architects released up-close renderings of their nearly two-million-square-foot St. John’s Terminal redevelopment in Hudson Square. COOKFOX, known for their commitment to contextual and sustainable development, created a five-building plan that, according to the firm, takes inspiration from the early Hudson Square factories and printing press buildings "with massing assembled around finely sculpted towers, detailed with geometrically rigorous setbacks and planted terraces." Now, CityRealty has uncovered two aerial views of the residential, retail, and commercial project that show just how massive this development will be.
More details ahead

PHOTOS: NYC’s first LGBTQ monument opens in Greenwich Village

Photo by Tia Richards for 6sqft

June 25, 2018

PHOTOS: NYC’s first LGBTQ monument opens in Greenwich Village

New York's first public monument to the LGBTQ community opened Sunday in the Greenwich Village, a historically significant neighborhood for the gay rights movement. Located in Hudson River Park and designed by local artist Anthony Goicolea, the monument honors the victims of the 2016 Pulse nightclub shooting, as well as all victims of hate and violence. "This memorial saddens us, when we think about the Orlando 49 senseless deaths, but it also enlightens us, and it also inspires us," Cuomo said on Sunday. "It inspires New Yorkers to do what New Yorkers have always done - what Anthony was referring to: to push forward, to keep going forward on that journey until we reach the destination that the Statue of Liberty promised in the first place."
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June 25, 2018

Get a first look at the amenities at Bjarke Ingels’ High Line towers

Less than two weeks after HFZ Capital revealed the marble-clad interior renderings for Bjarke Ingels’ High Line-facing XI condo/hotel project at 76 Eleventh Avenue, they've now launched the official website. First spotted by Curbed, the site gives us our first view of the amenities such as the huge, glass-enclosed pool, as well as an up-close look at the "Bridge Lounge," the swanky amenity space located within the development's skybridge. The double-height podium bridge, which connects the asymmetrical, twisting towers, will have a retractable movie screen, private wine tasting room, bar, and library.
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New renderings and details for Perkins Eastman’s 730-foot tower at controversial Two Bridges site

259 Clinton Street via Perkins Eastman

June 25, 2018

New renderings and details for Perkins Eastman’s 730-foot tower at controversial Two Bridges site

Additional details and a new rendering have been unveiled this week for a 62-story Lower East Side skyscraper designed by Perkins Eastman Architects, nearly two years after 6sqft first wrote about the project. Located at 259 Clinton Street, the tower is a part of a controversial three-building project coming to the waterfront of the Two Bridges neighborhood. According to YIMBY, latest plans for 259 Clinton Street, developed by Starret Development, call for a 730-foot tower, slightly higher than an earlier 724-foot proposal.
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INTERVIEW: Architect Glen Coben dishes on his passion for design and restaurants

Headshot of Glen Coben via Tommy Campbell, Brothers & Company

June 22, 2018

INTERVIEW: Architect Glen Coben dishes on his passion for design and restaurants

By Michelle Sinclair Colman

New York City architect Glen Coben's An Architect’s Cookbook: A Culinary Journey Through Design is part journal, part cookbook. The book shares Coben’s experience over the last 18+ years working with some of the world’s greatest chefs to create magical culinary experiences: Empellon/Alex Stupak, Del Posto/Mario Batali, Gabriel Kreuther, Carbone, The Marrow and Romera. Each chapter includes: the narrative between Glen and Chef – their story together throughout the process, sketches and renderings, followed by the final photos of the restaurant and recipes contributed by each chef. Coben loves what he does and it shows. To him, working with chefs to design their dreams means “there is another creative partner at the table.” 6sqft recently spoke with Coben and learned how it all started, about his restaurant inspirations and what the architectural equivalent of adding that special spice to meatballs is to make us all sigh in delight, ahhhhh.
Dive to learn more about Glen

Construction well underway for interactive LGBTQ monument in Greenwich Village

Rendering by Anthony Goicolea via Gov. Cuomo’s office

June 21, 2018

Construction well underway for interactive LGBTQ monument in Greenwich Village

A monument to the LGBTQ community is taking shape in Hudson River Park along the Greenwich Village waterfront. Last year, Gov. Andrew Cuomo chose Brooklyn-based artist Anthony Goicolea to design the monument, aimed at honoring both the LGBT rights movement and the victims of the 2016 Orlando Pulse nightclub shooting. Although the Hudson River Park Trust told 6sqft an opening date of the installation isn't known yet, Urban Omnibus reported the monument is expected to be completed this month, coinciding with Pride Month.
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June 21, 2018

PHOTOS: See Moynihan Train Hall’s massive skylight being installed

By Michelle Sinclair Colman

After starting construction last summer, Skidmore Owings & Merrill (SOM)'s reimagined Moynihan Train Hall is now beginning to take shape. Part of Governor Cuomo's Empire Station Complex revamp of Penn Station, the old James A. Farley Post Office will be transformed into a crystal palace-esque boarding concourse with a 92-foot high skylight atop the 1913 building's original steel trusses. CityRealty recently got an exclusive aerial look at how construction is progressing on the glass skylights ahead of the Train Hall's anticipated 2020 opening.
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June 20, 2018

This rustic Finger Lakes cabin and taxidermy factory on 90 acres could be yours for just $1M

Located near the remote Ithaca-area village of Van Etten, NY, is a genuine, authentic, real live (or, mostly not) taxidermy factory for sale, asking $1.05 million. You don’t see a listing for a stuffed fauna foundry every day, but this one, it turns out, is enough to cover all the days. The 90-acre parcel in the heart of the state's Finger Lakes region includes a 2,927-square-foot classic log-and-stone three-home with hillside views. Also on the property are a tiny cottage overlooking a two-acre pond, 20 acres of fenced pastures, 70 acres of hardwood forest, an orchard, a fenced garden, a pole barn with tack room and an outdoor arena, a garage, and a woodshed–plus a workshop and office (more about those later).
Now, about that wildlife

June 20, 2018

Where I Work: Tour FXCollaborative’s Flatiron architecture office with partner Dan Kaplan