Architecture And Design

Who needs walls in a large, lofty apartment when you can utilize great design instead? That was the thinking behind this Tribeca apartment renovation, spearheaded by the Brooklyn-based firm Office of Architecture. Walls were taken down to make space for walnut cabinetry, sliding doors, and industrial steel columns. The idea was to open up the living areas and bring in as much natural light as possible--and the resulting 3,000-square-foot apartment is quite stunning and livable.
Take the grand tour

December 22, 2017

The Urban Lens: How Temple Court went from an abandoned shell to a romantically restored landmark

By James and Karla Murray

In 1883, one of NYC's first skyscrapers opened at the corner of Nassau and Beekman Streets. Known as Temple Court, the nine-story red brick and terra cotta structure was designed in the Queen Anne style by architect James M. Farnworth to attract accountants and lawyers who needed to be close to the city's courthouses. Its most impressive feature was its central atrium that rises the full height and is topped by a large pyramid-shaped skylight and two rooftop turrets. In the 1940s, this romantic atrium was walled in from top to bottom, and by 2001, the last commercial tenant moved out, ultimately sending the building into disrepair, a crumbling shell open to the elements. Plans to restore Temple Court into The Beekman hotel and add an adjacent 51-story condominium tower first surfaced in 2008, but before work got underway in 2012, we were granted the rare opportunity to explore the architectural gem in its eerily beautiful derelict state. And now that guests are filling up the 287 hotel rooms, the main floor is buzzing with restaurants from restaurateurs Tom Colicchio and Keith McNally, and the atrium's skylight and Victorian cast iron railings and ornamentation have been restored, we went back in to document how this one-of-a-kind landmark has been restored.
See the before-and-after photos and learn about our experience

Renderings revealed for Dattner Architect’s nine-story building at the Brooklyn Navy Yard

Rendering of Admirals Row via S9 Architecture and 399 Sands Street via Dattner Architects

December 21, 2017

Renderings revealed for Dattner Architect’s nine-story building at the Brooklyn Navy Yard

Once a shipyard where World War II warships were produced, the 300-acre Brooklyn Navy Yard is undergoing a major development to become a multi-use industrial and commercial mecca. Steiner Equities Group is overseeing the area's reinvention and as YIMBY learned, the developer has filed permits for a mixed-use building at 399 Sands Street. Designed by Dattner Architects, renderings reveal a nine-story building with a concrete facade and lots of greenery on its roof, as well as new views of the site as a whole and the planned Wegmans grocery store.
More this way

December 20, 2017

Interactive map shows how NYC’s waterways have evolved over the years

This map will delight any NYC geography buffs out there: The Changing Shoreline of New York City uses historical maps from the New York Public Library’s digital collection to explore how Manhattan has managed its waterways to expand its small city footprint. Created by Laura Blaszczak during her internship with NYPL, it's an interactive map that highlights waterfront locales around the city. Zoom in, and you can peruse historical maps and photographs that show how our rivers, creeks, brooks, and bays have been managed or built over. There's even an opacity control, so you can directly compare the historical map with the modern map and see how much Manhattan's landscape has changed.
Check it out

December 19, 2017

The Upper West Side’s next tall tower reveals its Art Deco design

Despite some initial construction hiccups, plans for the 668-foot residential tower at 200 Amsterdam Avenue continue to move forward. According to YIMBY, the tower's developers, SJP Properties and Mitsui Fudosan, have unveiled new renderings of the Upper West Side building, including an up-close shot of its crown. Designed by Elkus Manfredi, the exteriors feature an aluminum curtainwall and metal panels. New York firm CetraRuddy will take on the interiors of the 112-unit condominium building.
More this way

December 18, 2017

Extell’s first outer-borough skyscraper, Brooklyn Point, gets new renderings

In October, Extell Development released a website with details about their luxury high-rise planned for Downtown Brooklyn. Two months later, they've released additional renderings of 138 Willougby, their first outer-borough tower. As YIMBY learned, the 720-foot skyscraper called Brooklyn Point, temporarily the tallest in Brooklyn, will have 458 condominiums designed by Katherine Newman that focus on blending "Brooklyn industrial chic” with a “refined mid-century aesthetic."
Get a first look inside

First official look at David Adjaye’s 800-foot Financial District condo tower

Renderings courtesy of Lightstone

December 15, 2017

First official look at David Adjaye’s 800-foot Financial District condo tower

By Dana Schulz

Nearly four years after wrapping up his first NYC project, Harlem's Sugar Hill affordable housing development, renowned British architect David Adjaye is inching closer to completing his first skyscraper in the city. Preliminary plans for his Financial District condo tower surfaced in May, but developer Lightstone has shared the first official reveal of the tower, now known as 130 William. The height has increased from 750 to 800 feet, or 61 to 66 stories, and it will hold 244 residences. Adjaye says the "rich history" of one of "the city's earliest streets" influenced the building's unique concrete form. "I was inspired to craft a building that turns away from the commercial feel of glass and that instead celebrates New York’s heritage of masonry architecture with a distinctive presence in Manhattan’s skyline," he said.
More details and renderings ahead

JFK’s TWA Flight Center Hotel tops out, on track to open in 2019 with the world’s largest hotel lobby

Image courtesy of MCR and Morse Development; Photo: Max Touhey.

December 15, 2017

JFK’s TWA Flight Center Hotel tops out, on track to open in 2019 with the world’s largest hotel lobby

MCR and Morse Development announced this week the topping out of the TWA Hotel at JFK Airport less than a year after breaking ground on the project. Designed by celebrated 20th-century architect Eero Saarinen in 1962, The hotel is set to reopen in early 2019, when it will become JFK's only on-airport hotel. Saarinen’s iconic TWA Flight Center terminal building will serve as the hotel's lobby; at 200,000 square feet, it is thought to be the world's largest hotel lobby. Hotel guests and passengers will be able to access the hotel through the famous Saarinen passenger tubes that connect directly to JFK’s Terminal 5 as well as through via the AirTrain system.
Find out more about the rebirth of this mid-century modern icon

A public waterfront park is finally taking shape at Greenpoint’s first skyscraper

The Greenpoint, a 40-story waterfront rental and condo tower and the neighborhood's tallest building, topped out in February, launched sales in July and now, is a few months away from getting a public 275-foot long promenade at its waterfront site. After nearly a decade of delays, the Brooklyn walkway, the first of its kind to be privately built in Greenpoint, will open in the spring. According to the Wall Street Journal, the park will total 29,500 square feet, including a 4,000-square-foot playground with lots of trees and colorful oval panels above.
Find out more

December 12, 2017

LPC approves Achim Menges’ futuristic rooftop pavilion and stage for Pier 17

Between the controversial–and eventually nixed–condo tower and the news of ESPN's new studio plans, it's hard to keep up with what's taking shape at Pier 17 in the Seaport district. The latest arrival comes from above: Developers Howard Hughes Corporation announced plans earlier this year for a "crown jewel" for the new pier, a rooftop stage and installation with a see-through canopy that will maintain sightlines of Lower Manhattan. The high-tech topper was designed by German architect Achim Menges, known for ethereal, high-concept structures made with 3-D printers or woven from carbon fibers. Set for a summer 2018 opening, the new performance space will occupy 60,000 square feet according to Downtown Express. The project on Tuesday was approved by the Landmarks Preservation Commission, who said it will "set a standard for all future temporary seasonal structures."
Renderings of the high-tech sky canopy this way

December 12, 2017

COOKFOX unveils design for five eco-conscious high-rises in Hudson Square

COOKFOX Architects released new renderings this week of its five proposed high-rise buildings in Hudson Square, part of the redevelopment of St. John's Terminal into a nearly two-million-square-foot complex of housing, retail and office space. As CityRealty learned, the design calls for an industrial-meets-earthy design with deftly sculpted towers detailed with geometric setbacks and planted terraces. Located near Pier 40, the proposed buildings will hold a total of 1,586 apartments, with 30 percent of them below market rate, office spaces, a hotel and about 400,000 square feet of retail.
Find out more

December 12, 2017

Announcing 6sqft’s 2017 Building of the Year!

The votes have been tallied, and so it's time to name the 2017 Building of the Year! The winning title belongs to no other than One Manhattan Square, the Lower East Side meets Chinatown skyscraper that will be home to NYC’s largest outdoor private garden when it opens next year. The 800-foot-tall tower beat out 11 other significant NYC buildings in a competitive two-week competition held by 6sqft. Out of 3,782 votes cast, the Extell-developed, Adamson Associates-designed structure took first place with 959 votes or 25.35% of the total.
More on this year's winner!

$80M Upper East Side mansion could set a record for most expensive townhouse ever sold in NYC

Google Streetview of 12 East 69th Street

December 11, 2017

$80M Upper East Side mansion could set a record for most expensive townhouse ever sold in NYC

A 20,000-square-foot Upper East Side mansion--complete with its own red velvet movie theater, panic room, and double-height library, has entered contract priced at $80 million. And according to the Wall Street Journal, if it closes at that price the property will become the most expensive townhouse ever sold in New York City. The sale would beat out a record set just this year, when the 25,000-square-foot, 41-foot-wide townhouse at 19 East 64th Street belonging to art heir David Wildenstein closed for $79.5 million. This home, located at 12 East 69th Street, came on the market in 2013 for roughly $114 million but was delisted after a price cut to $98 million in 2014.
Find out more

City will replace Nolita’s Elizabeth Street Garden with 121 affordable apartments for seniors

Rendering courtesy of Curtis + Ginsberg Architects

December 8, 2017

City will replace Nolita’s Elizabeth Street Garden with 121 affordable apartments for seniors

After years of public battles between open space advocates and public officials, the city announced on Friday that it will create an affordable senior housing development at the site of the Elizabeth Street Garden in Nolita. Dubbed Haven Green, the project will be an energy-efficient passive house, with units reserved for seniors earning between $20,040 and $40,080, as well as formerly homeless seniors. According to the Daily News, the project calls for 121 deeply affordable units with 7,600 square feet of public open space in a new garden. Developed by Pennrose Properties, Habitat for Humanity New York City, and RiseBoro Community Partnerships, Haven Green will use 60 to 70 percent less energy than a standard building of its kind and will be designed to manage and reuse stormwater through permeable surfaces.
More this way

December 8, 2017

Escape to this extraordinary mini-castle overlooking Lake George for $395/night

The Airbnb listing for this unique retreat with the Adirondack Mountains and lakes as a backdrop offers a castle to match your fairy tale. Located in Bolton Landing, New York, Highlands Castle, the larger, grander fairytale venue next door, was featured by 6sqft in 2015 when it was listed for sale for $12.8 million. The entire property is the work of one John Lavender, who built the magical castles a mere 30-some years ago complete with knights, turrets, life-size lion statues and secret passageways to make good on a promise he'd made to his three-year-old son a decade prior that he’d build him a castle. The same #1 dad is offering the mini-castle on the property as an unforgettable mountain-country escape.
Tour the mini-masterpiece

New renderings revealed for Extell’s Central Park Tower as it hits halfway mark

Rendering courtesy of Extell

December 7, 2017

New renderings revealed for Extell’s Central Park Tower as it hits halfway mark

The 1,550-foot Central Park Tower, the soon-to-be tallest residential tower in New York City, has gotten some new renderings that reveal how it'll appear lit up at night, as well as how its interiors may look (h/t YIMBY). Extell Development's current plans for the Billionaires' Row tower call for 179 condominiums, spanning on average 5,000 square feet, with open layouts and oversized windows overlooking Central Park. With the construction of the supertall at 217 West 57th Street now hitting its halfway mark and rising to roughly 700 feet, Central Park Tower is expected to be completed in 2019.
See inside the supertall

‘I Love New York’ design legend Milton Glaser brings new works to NYC subway stations

Milton Glaser’s new subway posters, L-R “Give Help,”” To Dream Is Human,””It’s Not About Me, It’s About We.” Images © Milton Glaser for SVA.

December 7, 2017

‘I Love New York’ design legend Milton Glaser brings new works to NYC subway stations

"I Love New York" design legend Milton Glaser will debut three new works this week in places that can always use more love: New York City subway stations. The three posters, according to Glaser, are a direct counterpoint to President Trump's attack on humanity and reflect the designer's commitment to justice using art and design to inspire social engagement. Milton's signs join the School of Visual Arts' enduring "Underground Images" ad campaign which has for the past half-century featured the work of a roster of A-list current and former design faculty including Ivan Chermayeff, Edel Rodriguez, Paula Scher and Tom Geismar in NYC subways. The series has challenged millions of New Yorkers to "think big, take chances and never stop learning. "
Find out more about the new posters and their meanings

Renderings revealed for the renovated Condé Nast cafeteria, Frank Gehry’s first NYC project

Renderings via the Durst Organization/Studios Architecture

December 6, 2017

Renderings revealed for the renovated Condé Nast cafeteria, Frank Gehry’s first NYC project

The fabled Condé Nast cafeteria--starchitect Frank Gehry's first ever project in New York--is getting a revamp and will reopen to new tenants in the Four Times Square office tower. The Post reports that the titanium-wrapped, fourth-floor venue is going to be integrated into a $35 million, tenants-only space in the 1.2-million-square-foot tower. The building's owner, the Durst Organization, says that while the space will have more seats, Gehry's signature elements have been preserved, like the curved-glass “curtains,” undulating titanium walls, and banquette seating nooks. 6sqft received a first look at
It'll now be run as a food hall

Architecture And Design

December 6, 2017

Private island mansion with celebrity history and NYC views returns for $8.7M

Back in 2015, 6sqft covered this unusual property. The mansion at Tavern Island is, in fact, on a 2.7-acre private island off the coast of Connecticut. Even cooler is the island's history: The property's main house was built in the 1930s and was home to screenwriter Lillian Hellman when she was writing “The Little Foxes,” Mansion Global reports, and theater impresario Billy Rose owned the island in the 1960s and hosted lavish parties for the likes of Marilyn Monroe, Maureen O’Sullivan, and Barbara Streisand. In addition to these epic bragging rights, the new owner of the island will gain a six-bedroom English Colonial mansion dating to 1900, private beach, swimming pool, and a docking area and boat for access the mainland. According to property records, the current owners bought the island for $950,000 in 1981.
Tour this astounding island property

Helmut Lang’s throwback “Taxi Project” collection uses real NYC cab drivers as models

Credit: Alex Lee. Image courtesy of Helmut Lang

December 5, 2017

Helmut Lang’s throwback “Taxi Project” collection uses real NYC cab drivers as models

Iconic fashion brand Helmut Lang has launched a capsule collection called the "Taxi Project," named in celebration of the fact that the eponymous Austrian designer–though he no longer heads the company–was the first designer to advertise on top of the city's yellow cabs starting in 1998. InStyle reports that as part of the project, actual NYC taxi drivers posed for an editorial shoot by Alex Lee, held in a body shop in Queens, in which they're wearing the new hoodies and tee. The brand is having a giveaway of items from the sporty collection–via taxi, of course.
Find out more and win free stuff

Former IRT Powerhouse on West 59th Street, once the world’s largest, gets landmark status

Image via NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission.

December 5, 2017

Former IRT Powerhouse on West 59th Street, once the world’s largest, gets landmark status

This morning, the Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) designated the former IRT Powerhouse (now the Con Ed Powerhouse) at 12th Avenue and 59th Street an official New York City landmark. The Beaux-Arts style building, designed in 1904 by McKim, Mead & White, is considered a remarkable example of the style applied to a utilitarian building. It was bestowed with such grandeur to convince the public to embrace the subway, a newly-created transportation option at the time. The monumental building not only powered the city's the first subway line but upon completion 111 years ago it was the largest powerhouse in the world.
Find out more

December 5, 2017

Statue of Liberty Museum tops off construction ahead of 2019 opening

Yesterday morning construction topped off at the Statue of Liberty Museum, a brand new $70 million building on Liberty Island designed by FXFOWLE and ESI Design. Project designs were released last fall; soon after the project was approved. Construction has been moving along steadily ever since, and today marked a milestone before the 2019 opening. Diane von Furstenberg, who is still working to raise money for the museum, and Stephen Briganti, president of the Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation, signed their names on the beam symbolically hoisted to the top of the structure. Once it opens, the 26,000-square-foot space will hold an immersive theater and gallery that showcases the Statue of Liberty's original torch, framing stunning views of New York's most iconic monument.
Tour the construction site

Architecture And Design

December 4, 2017

15 alternative Christmas trees that fit your decorating style (and your apartment)