Architecture And Design

The rant that traveling via Penn Station is enough to kill you just took on a whole new meaning. Untapped Cities shared this vision from Columbia University's DeathLab (yes, this is a group dedicated to dealing with death in the city) that reimagines Penn Station and Madison Square Garden as a giant cemetery and public space. The general idea is to be more eco-friendly and accessible. Not only will the human remains be used to fertilize the gardens, but family members and the general public will be able to record digital memories to be stored on a central server.
Learn more about this proposal

November 7, 2017

BFDO Architects renovated this Fort Greene brownstone to house a close-knit family

By Emily Nonko

BFDO Architects is no stranger to the innovative Brooklyn townhouse renovation. The firm brought their magic to this landmarked Fort Greene brownstone, purchased by a Hong Kong-based businessman who wanted a home that he, his wife and three adult children could comfortably stay in during his extended visits. BFDO modernized the interior, added new staircases, and utilized every inch of the house to personalize it for each member of the family.
So go check out the work

November 7, 2017

INTERVIEW: Architect Morris Adjmi talks standing out while fitting in and organizing art exhibits

By Michelle Sinclair Colman

In architect Morris Adjmi’s new book, "A Grid and a Conversation," he describes his ongoing conversation between context and design. On any project, Adjmi balances three factors: standing out while fitting in, respecting history while not being frozen in time, and creating “ambient” architecture while gaining popularity. 6sqft sat down with Adjmi to find out more about his work philosophy, art exhibits, love of Shaker design, and awesome opening night parties with custom-made drinks.
Hear from Morris Adjmi himself

Rockefeller Plaza to get open, circular cutout in proposed makeover

Rendering of plaza outside 1221 Sixth Avenue, via Rockefeller Group/Citterio-Viel & Partners

November 7, 2017

Rockefeller Plaza to get open, circular cutout in proposed makeover

The Rockefeller Group will transform the indoor-outdoor plaza of 1221 Sixth Avenue, formerly the site of the McGraw-Hill tower, its biggest makeover since 1969. As the New York Post reported, the redesign calls for the current sunken plaza to be replaced with a sidewalk-level space. Designed by Italian architects Citterio-Viel & Partners, the plaza will also feature a large, circle-shaped cutout in its center, adding 35,000 square feet of retail space below-grade level.
Find out more

Architecture And Design

November 7, 2017

$17M Dutchess County ‘castle’ once belonged to Andrew Carnegie

Built in 1927 for Andrew Carnegie's daughter, the 34,000-square-foot estate in Millbrook, NY known as Migdale Castle was modeled after Carnegie's Skibo Castle in Scotland. Beginning in 2002, the home's current owners spent four years renovating its four floors, the 100 acres it occupies, and another 100-acre adjacent plot, giving new life to one of Dutchess County's most distinguished estates. Migdale first hit the market for $25 million, making it the county's most expensive listing, but a recent $8.1 million price chop resulted in the current $16.9 million ask.
READ MORE

Robert A.M. Stern joins fight against Snøhetta’s plan to renovate Philip Johnson’s AT&T Building

Photo of the protest courtesy of Nathan Eddy

November 6, 2017

Robert A.M. Stern joins fight against Snøhetta’s plan to renovate Philip Johnson’s AT&T Building

After Olayan America and Chelsfield revealed plans last week for a $300 million renovation of the building at 550 Madison Avenue, known as the AT&T Building, criticism quickly followed. Members of the architecture community, including New York architect Robert A.M. Stern, rallied together last Friday at the base of the Philip Johnson-designed skyscraper, to protest Snøhetta's proposal to replace the building's base with a scalloped glass front (h/t Dezeen). Protestors held signs that read "Hands off my Johnson," "Save the Stone," and "Save AT&T." Plus, a petition is currently being circulated on Change.org in an attempt to preserve Johnson's iconic AT&T Building by having the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission officially designate it as a city landmark.
Find out more

Bjarke Ingels to design WeWork’s new ‘capitalist kibbutz’ entrepreneurial elementary school

Rendering of the planned school by Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG). Source: WeWork via Bloomberg.

November 6, 2017

Bjarke Ingels to design WeWork’s new ‘capitalist kibbutz’ entrepreneurial elementary school

Fast-growing coworking brand WeWork has been in the news recently for the company's rapid expansion into everything from "co-living" to wellness, including a planned move into the former Lord & Taylor department store Fifth avenue flagship building, which will become the company's new HQ. Now, Bloomberg reports that the $20 billon startup, which boasts offices in 57 international cities, has plans to launch a private elementary school for “conscious entrepreneurship”called WeGrow in a New York City WeWork location next year. The company has even tapped Danish architect du jour Bjarke Ingels' firm BIG to design the first WeWork school, which will likely be within the aforementioned new Fifth Avenue headquarters.
More about WeGrow

Architecture And Design

More affordable senior housing units planned for Essex Crossing development

New rendering of 140 Essex Street courtesy of Beyer Blinder Belle

November 6, 2017

More affordable senior housing units planned for Essex Crossing development

Thanks to a $34 million loan from Wells Fargo, Delancey Street Associates closed last week on financing the construction of a 100 percent affordable senior building at 140 Essex Street, site 8 of the 1.9 million-square-foot Essex Crossing development. Originally, the project called for an 80/20 condo building, but developers decided to add 61 more affordable units to the building, bringing the number of affordable rentals at the Lower East Side complex to 561 out of 1,078 total units. Designed by Beyer Blinder Belle, the building at 140 Essex will rise 8 stories and include 92 affordable homes for seniors earning between 0 and 60 percent of the area median income, as well as 9,600 square feet of retail on the ground floor. Construction will begin soon, with an expected opening date sometime in 2019.
More this way

November 6, 2017

Frank Lloyd Wright’s mushroom-shaped house in Westchester asks $1.5M

All around the Sol Friedman House at 11 Orchard Brook Drive in Pleasantville, New York, country roads wind through forests and meadows and the homes–three designed by Frank Lloyd Wright himself, the rest approved by Wright and built by noted architects of his choosing–that make up Westchester's 1947 Usonian community of 50 houses blend perfectly into the landscape. None can be seen from the nearby highway that makes the Usonia Historic District a mere 50 minute commute to Manhattan. Documented by architectural photographers and featured in numerous publications, the Friedman house is indeed an extraordinary masterpiece, one of the three designed by the master architect–and it can now be yours for $1.5 million (h/t Curbed). The home's overlapping circular masonry design brings structure and nature together in one of Wright's celebrated signature styles–one which would be seen before long in the design of Manhattan's Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum.
More great photos, this way

Fully skinned, TF Cornerstone’s mammoth Midtown tower on West 57th tops out

In May 2012, TF Cornerstone (TFC) entered a 99-year ground lease for the building's site that spans nearly a full city block and measures 63,000 square feet. Now topped out and fully skinned, the massive rental at 606 West 57th Street has a less flashy appearance than renderings previously hinted, but still features an impressively imposing, boxy design, as CityRealty reported. Designed by Arquitectonica, the 42-story, 1.2 million-square-foot building will contain a whopping 1,028 apartments. It joins other West Side gems like the Helena and the pyramid-shaped, Bjarke Ingels-designed Via57 West.
See it here

FXFOWLE reveals renderings of 40-story office tower at Jersey City’s Harborside boardwalk

Rendering of Harborside Tower, courtesy of Mack-Cali and SJP Properties

November 1, 2017

FXFOWLE reveals renderings of 40-story office tower at Jersey City’s Harborside boardwalk

In conjunction with a larger plan to transform Jersey City into a waterfront destination, real estate investors Mack-Cali and SJP Properties announced on Tuesday a proposal for a 40-story office building that will implement the latest in “intelligent building” technology. Located just seven minutes to Manhattan via the PATH, Harborside Tower, designed by FXFOWLE, will feature a sleek glass and steel facade, with 1.2 million square feet of space for businesses. In addition to the office space, the tower will feature two units of retail space, one at 12,000 square feet and the other at 25,000 square feet, found just off the lobby.
Renderings this way

3 Hudson Boulevard loses 100+ feet in new renderings

A new rendering of 3 Hudson Boulevard, via FXFOWLE/Moinian Group

November 1, 2017

3 Hudson Boulevard loses 100+ feet in new renderings

A revised proposal for the Moinian Group’s Hudson Yards tower 3 Hudson Boulevard calls for a slight height chop, which will strip it of its supertall status. A redesign from FXFOWLE now brings the total square footage to 2 million square feet from a previous 1.8 million and lowers its height to 940 feet tall from 1,050 feet. Instead of 63 floors, the tower will rise 53 floors in this new design. To match standards for today’s modern office, the building will now feature larger floor plates, higher ceilings and a terrace on the eighth floor. As the New York Post reported, a groundbreaking ceremony will be held this Friday with elected officials, celebrating the reboot.
More this way

November 1, 2017

One Vanderbilt’s outdoor observation deck may tie for highest in NYC

Nearly a year ago, developer SL Green confirmed that their 1,401-foot supertall One Vanderbilt, set to be the city's second tallest building behind One World Trade Center, would boast a 1,020-foot observation deck, which would have made it the third-highest indoor-outdoor observatory in the city after the forthcoming 1,100-foot deck at 30 Hudson Yards and the 1,050-foot deck at the Empire State Building (One World Observatory is at 1,250 feet, but it’s not outdoors). However, new details and diagrams uncovered by NY Yimby show that it may actually stand at 1,100 feet, tying for the city's highest.
READ MORE

Snøhetta tapped as lead architect for $300M Sony Building restoration

Rendering of 550 Madison Avenue, via DBOX/ Snøhetta

October 30, 2017

Snøhetta tapped as lead architect for $300M Sony Building restoration

Over the last few years, plans to refurbish the former headquarters of AT&T and Sony Building at 550 Madison Avenue have come and gone, including a proposal to convert the upper floors into luxury condos designed by Robert A.M. Stern. Now, with those plans long abandoned, Olayan America and Chelsfield revealed plans on Monday for a $300 million renovation of the tower, modernizing the lower levels of the building with high-quality amenities and a sprawling 21,000-square-foot public garden. With Snøhetta as lead architect, the renovation will be the first major project in East Midtown since its revitalization plan was approved earlier this year.
See the new design

Architecture And Design

New Domino Sugar Factory renderings show barrel-vaulted glass topper and taller towers

292-314 Kent. Rendering by Practice for Architecture and Urbanism via Landmarks Preservation Commission.

October 30, 2017

New Domino Sugar Factory renderings show barrel-vaulted glass topper and taller towers

Update 10/31/17: The Landmarks Preservation Commission did not approve the new plans at the hearing, instead suggesting the architects present revised designs that address how the newly exposed brick will be preserved and how the ground floor will interact with the open space. The Commissioners were divided on the glass topper, with some feeling it appropriately references the building's arches and others feeling it inappropriately treats the structure as a ruin. 6sqft previously shared the latest round of designs for the three million-square-foot Domino Sugar Factory mega-development in Williamsburg, done by Vishaan Chakrabarti‘s Practice for Architecture and Urbanism (PAU). Developer Two Trees broke ground on the first tower in the Domino Sugar Refinery Master Plan last spring, and the lottery opened for 104 affordable units at the SHoP Architects-designed building, the 16-story 325 Kent Avenue. Now, more new renderings of the complex have been released ahead of an October 31 presentation before the Landmarks Preservation Commission (h/t Brownstoner).
More new renderings this way

October 27, 2017

First look at proposed Greenwich Village tower by Robert A.M. Stern

If there's one neighborhood in NYC where new developments face the most challenges it's Greenwich Village. One of the city's first historic districts and once home to preservation godmother Jane Jacobs, the low-scale community is arguably the most vocal and steadfast in the city. But it looks like Madison Realty Capital didn't get the memo, as they've tapped starchitect Robert A.M. Stern to design a hulking, 27-story condo tower at 14 Fifth Avenue, just a block north of Washington Square Park, according to NY Yimby. And while Stern's signature classy, limestone design fits in well with the stretch's other apartment buildings, the proposed 367-foot height will likely not sit well with locals. However, at this point, the tower is merely conceptual and will still require a public review need Landmarks Preservation Commission approvals.
More looks and details

System Architects’ fiery Tribeca townhouse is partially unveiled

First glimpse of Jeremy Edmiston’s “Unhistoric Townhouse” at 187 Franklin Street. Photo courtesy of Tribeca Citizen.

October 27, 2017

System Architects’ fiery Tribeca townhouse is partially unveiled

The latest Tribeca distraction: the partial unveiling of the single-family townhouse at 187 Franklin Street, a funky flame-façaded new building that its architect, Jeremy Edmiston of System Architects, refers to as the Unhistoric Townhouse. Tribeca Citizen reports that workers at the building (which also resembles a Yankees logo) were lifting off some of the mesh that conceals the wavy wonder, perhaps to install one of its metal-mesh balconies. 6sqft previously covered the building, whose design of an undulating red façade complemented by those silvery, net-like balconies was first proposed in 2010.
Landmarks approved rendering, this way

Barry Diller’s Pier 55 offshore park plan is back on with backing from Cuomo

Photo: Pier 55, Inc./Heatherwick Studio.

October 26, 2017

Barry Diller’s Pier 55 offshore park plan is back on with backing from Cuomo

In September, 6sqft reported that billionaire IAC Chairman Barry Diller was giving up on the $250 million project that promised to bring a futuristic offshore park and cultural destination to the Hudson River’s dilapidated Pier 54. Since its beginnings in 2014, the seemingly ill-fated project, known as Pier 55 (or sometimes “Diller Park”), was beleaguered by opposing factions–eventually revealed to be funded by prominent New York real estate developer Douglas Durst–that blocked its progress at every turn. Diller, who had imagined the project as a new Manhattan waterfront icon to rival the nearby High Line, had had enough. In a cautiously optimistic turnaround, it was announced Wednesday that the media mogul–now backed by his recent legal foes and Durst in addition to Governor Andrew Cuomo–was renewing his commitment to move ahead with the project, according to Crain's. Diller said in a statement, "I have had countless people tell me how much they were looking forward to having this new pier, and how unfortunate were the circumstances of its cancellation."
So what happened?

262 Fifth Avenue, the tallest tower between Empire State Building and One WTC, gets new details

Rendering via DBOX for Meganom

October 25, 2017

262 Fifth Avenue, the tallest tower between Empire State Building and One WTC, gets new details

There will be a lot of firsts at 262 Fifth Avenue--Nomad's first supertall, Moscow-based firm Meganom's first U.S. project, and NYC's first Russian-designed supertall. 6sqft first uncovered renderings of the super-skinny, 1,009-foot skyscraper in May, revealing its aluminum and glass facade and "striking arched observation deck" at its top. Now, Yimby has gotten its hands on a new rendering, just a day after the Department of Buildings approved plans for the project.
See the new rendering in full

October 23, 2017

Hamptons’ infamous Grey Gardens estate sells for the first time in 40 years

After two years as a rental and seven months on the market, the infamous Grey Gardens Estate has gone into contract for the first time in 40 years. The 28-room mansion was last listed for $18 million, but according to the Washington Post, the exact sales price and buyer haven't yet been revealed. Though now a stunning Hamptons home, as 6sqft previously explained, it gained notoriety as a "decrepit, crumbling, cat-infested, overgrown horror," after its isolated residents, Edith wing Bouvier Beale and her daughter Edith Bouvier Beale (the aunt and cousin to Jackie O), were featured in the 1975 documentary "Grey Gardens."
READ MORE

October 23, 2017

J.P. Morgan’s 120-year-old ‘Great Camp Uncas’ in the Adirondacks finally sells

By Emily Nonko

A new owner has claimed the stately Great Camp Uncas compound, nestled among the Adirondack forest and lakefront. The secluded property was built in 1895 by Brooklynite William West Durant, credited with perfecting the style of the Adirondack Great Camps of the Gilded Age. This particular camp—at 1,500 acres—was impressive enough for financier J.P. Morgan to purchase it in 1897. It was used as a vacation home for him and his family the next 50 years. Since then the property has traded hands several times, and a parcel of it last hit the market in 2015 for $3.25 million. An unsuccessful sales run caused a price drop, in 2016, to $2.7 million. According to the brokerage firm Franklin Ruttan, one lucky owner has snapped it up.
Learn more about the camp's history

October 20, 2017

A never-built transit plan would have shuttled New Yorkers through elevated tubes