By Alexandra Alexa, Mon, April 22, 2019 Rendering via SHoP Architects
A fresh rendering of 9 Dekalb Avenue first published in the New York Times last week revealed a new aspect of the project: the Dime Savings Bank‘s roof will be transformed into an outdoor lounge for residents, including a pool that will partly wrap around the ornate Guastavino dome. Inside, the Beaux-Arts interior will become a flagship store, with further details to be announced. The rising 1,066-foot-tower is being developed by JDS Development, with SHoP Architects leading the design, and is set to become the tallest tower in Brooklyn upon completion.
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By Michelle Cohen, Wed, April 17, 2019 Rendering by Arup, courtesy of Brooklyn Bridge Park.
Brooklynites are hoping the third time’s a charm for the trouble-plagued Squibb Bridge, a 450-foot-long wooden walkway connecting Squibb Park to Pier 1 in Brooklyn Bridge Park. The bridge has had what Brooklyn Bridge Park president Eric Landau called a “challenged history.” But the park has been working with engineers at Arup to find ways to make the new bridge safe (h/t Curbed). Possible solutions included retrofitting the existing bridge, which would cost $4 million and take about a year, and building a new bridge from scratch atop the current concrete in-ground support structures, with a cost of about $6.5 million and an 18-month schedule. The latter plan was chosen, and the new bridge will be made from pre-fabricated steel, which means it should be safe for years to come rather than needing significant maintenance soon.
More on Squibb Bridge 3.0, this way
By Alexandra Alexa, Tue, April 16, 2019 Current construction shot of Brooklyn Point by CityRealty (L); Photo of the view courtesy of Williams New York (R)
Brooklyn Point, Extell’s first outer-borough tower rising at 138 Willoughby Street officially topped out this week at 720 feet, and the views from near the top are even more incredible than expected. The 68-story high-rise designed by Kohn Pedersen Fox will contain 458 luxury units, ranging from studios to three-bedrooms, starting at $850,000 and reaching over $4 million. On track to be completed by 2020, it’ll be Brooklyn’s tallest building (at least until the 1,000-foot building planned for 9 DeKalb Avenue rises) and boast the highest outdoor infinity pool in the western hemisphere.
Check out the views!
By Michelle Cohen, Tue, April 16, 2019 Rendering by Dattner Architects via NY Landmarks Preservation Commission.
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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By Devin Gannon, Wed, April 10, 2019 Rendering via The Boundary
New renderings of Pritzker Prize-winning architect Álvaro Siza’s first United States building was revealed this week, stirring up interest before the Hell’s Kitchen tower launches sales this fall. Currently under construction just off 11th Avenue, 611 West 56th Street will reach 37 stories and contain 80 condo units, ranging from one- to three-bedrooms, and penthouses. In addition to the fresh images of the limestone tower, developers Sumaida + Khurana and LENY also released a teaser website for the project.
See it here
By Alexandra Alexa, Tue, April 9, 2019 Photo courtesy of Magnusson Architecture + Planning
Magnusson Architecture + Planning (MAP) unveiled a new, mid-rise building known as St. Augustine Terrace that will provide 112 units of affordable housing for low-income families in the Bronx. The project was commissioned by the Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of New York and is the first building in 50 years to be built on the site of a former church, what used to be St. Augustine’s Church in the Morrisania neighborhood of the Bronx.
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By Dana Schulz, Fri, April 5, 2019 Eight years ago, then 71-year-old Alex Schibli bought an entire NYC island for $160,000. If you’ve never heard of Rat Island, it’s a 2.5-acre land mass off the coast of City Island in the Bronx, where Schibli and his wife live. Originally, he said he had no plans to alter it, but a few months ago, he received a phone call from architect Pablo Jendretzki. “I read an article on him and the island a few months ago and called him to offer to design a project. We met the next morning,” Jendretzki told 6sqft. Schibli had expressed a desire to build a self-sustaining hotel that takes advantage of the island’s natural surroundings. In response, Jendretzki designed this series of off-grid eco pods that would function as a sort of glamping experience.
Learn more about the proposal
By Michelle Cohen, Wed, April 3, 2019 Rendering courtesy of Goldstein Hill & West / Fortis Property Group
The sleek 670-foot-tall, 58-story condominium tower at 161 Maiden Lane that broke ground in 2015 alongside one of Manhattan’s most iconic vistas is leaning three inches to the north, according to a lawsuit filed by the project’s contractor, the Observer reports. The contractor, Pizzarotti, filed a suit in New York State Supreme Court that alleges that an off-kilter foundation affects the structural integrity, facade, waterproofing, and elevators at the 150,000-square-foot tower and that developer Fortis Property Group is responsible.
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By Dana Schulz, Mon, April 1, 2019 6sqft’s series “Where I Work” takes us into the studios, offices, and off-beat workspaces of New Yorkers across the city. In this installment, we’re touring the Battery Park office of architecture-interior design firm CetraRuddy. Want to see your business featured here? Get in touch!
Husband-and-wife team Nancy Ruddy and John Cetra started architecture/design firm CetraRuddy in 1987, and after working from an office in Soho for 25 years, the firm moved to One Battery Park Plaza a year-and-a-half ago. Now with 100 employees, they had outgrown the space and wanted to use the move as an opportunity to revamp and improve the things that didn’t work. They were first attracted to the space’s light and views, but the firm was also able to occupy the entire floor, meaning they could design the entire office space, as well as the corridors.
After recently interviewing Nancy about CetraRuddy’s many successes, 6sqft paid a visit to their new offices, where we received a tour from Eugene Flotteron, Director of Architecture. Eugene has been with the firm for 17 years and has been a partner for five, so he’s had the opportunity to see them grow and transform over the years.
Take the tour
By Mike Mishkin, Wed, March 27, 2019 Google Street View of 249 West End Avenue
From brownstones to art-deco co-ops to glassy towers, the Upper West Side is home to an incredibly diverse mix of architectural styles. And this contrast is seen in its most abundant light when these different styles are located on a single street! Ahead, we’ve rounded up five buildings that really stick out like sore thumbs among their neighbors.
See them all here
