Events & Things To Do

Sky lounge floating high above the Lincoln Tunnel entrance at AC Hudson Yards Hotel (Credit: Danny Forster Design Studio).

November 29, 2017

New renderings by ‘Build It Bigger’ host Danny Forster show 220-room AC Hudson Yards hotel

By Michelle Cohen

Last year, 6sqft reported that demolition permits were filed by developer Arisa Realty to make way for a hotel that will rise amidst the rapidly-growing Hudson Yards development in far west Midtown, with Epstein Global listed as the architect of record. Now, CityRealty reports that preliminary renderings have appeared on the website of Danny Forster, host of the Discovery Channel show "Build It Bigger," who is working with the architects on the project's design. Plans have beens submitted for a 220-key, 120,000-square-foot hotel at 432 West 31st Street, and the the unconfirmed renderings refer to the AC Hotel Hudson Yards (Marriott AC is a subsidiary of Marriott Hotels for which the Hudson Yards hotel would represent one of the first forays into the U.S. market).
Renderings this way

November 29, 2017

The 10 best holiday events and activities for NYC history buffs

By Devin Gannon

The holidays turn New York City into a bright, illuminated wonderland that even the biggest Scrooge among us can enjoy. While there are plenty of events to choose from, like alternative holiday markets and glittering art installations, many of these activities can be jampacked with tourists. For those looking to learn more about their own holiday traditions, or understand others, there are lots of low-key, educational events perfect for history buffs looking for a quieter holiday experience. Ahead, check out 6sqft’s guide to the best holiday events in New York City that come with a historical twist, from Christmas to Hanukkah to Kwanzaa.
This way for our top-10 picks

Events & Things To Do

Trump dumps Soho hotel after glitzy launch and 11-year slump

Image: Trump Soho; Donald Trump via Wikimedia Commons.

November 27, 2017

Trump dumps Soho hotel after glitzy launch and 11-year slump

By Michelle Cohen

New York City has never, barring perhaps a short stretch of the go-go '80s, been Trump country. But the Trump Organization's high-profile Midtown properties blend with the area's flow of international money and glamour-seeking tourists. Much further downtown, the Trump Soho condominium/hotel at 246 Spring Street has been at best a minor embarrassment in the neighborhood since the ambitious announcement of its birth on Donald J. Trump's TV show "The Apprentice" 11 years ago. Now, what was launched as "an awe-inspiring masterpiece," is being severed from the Trump fold, the New York Times reports. In addition to poor economic performance, the 46-story luxury hotel has attracted opposition from locals since its arrival, protests during Trump's candidacy and scrutiny after the election due to its ties to a Russian dealmaker.
Find out more

November 22, 2017

15 alternative holiday markets and indie pop-up shops in NYC

By Michelle Cohen

’Tis the season for shopping; even if we’re determined to resist the call to consume (or do all our shopping online, from bed), there’s always that unexpected invitation, last-minute secret Santa, or someone special that sends us scrambling for the perfect present. Fortunately, there’s no shortage of gift markets and pop-up shops offering a bounty of goodies and crafty gifts. The big mainstream NYC markets at Union Square, Bryant Park Grand Central Station and Columbus Circle are the front-runners for sheer volume, but some of the best finds—and the most fun—can be found at smaller, cooler neighborhood affairs. In addition to locally-made jewelry, crafts, vintage finds, artfully curated fashions, home items, gourmet goodies and other things we didn't know we needed, these hip retail outposts sparkle with drinks, food, workshops, tarot readings, nail art, music, and family fun to keep shoppers' spirits bright.
Find out where to get the goods

Events & Things To Do

November 21, 2017

What do New Yorkers search for on Thanksgiving? Bakeries, BBQ, and bowling alleys

By Michelle Cohen

You might be frantically putting the finishing touches on the Thanksgiving feast, stockpiling the “homemade” cookies you’ll bring for dessert, or making sure you’ve got the local pizza joint on speed dial, but Google News Lab knows what you’re up to, of course. Based on data from Google Maps and an analysis of the number of times people request directions to a location, you can find out how fellow New Yorkers (or Angelinos, or Baltimoreans) are planning to spend the precious hours of holiday weekend time.
More astonishing map facts this way

Events & Things To Do

November 20, 2017

NYC’s best art installations and exhibits to get you in the holiday spirit

By Lori Zimmer

The holiday season in New York is one of the most magical times, packed with lots of events to perpetuate the experience. Aside from ice skating, holiday-themed bars, and the tree at Rockefeller Center, be sure to tuck into these art exhibitions and events to get you into the spirit! From old standbys like the New York Botanical Garden's Holiday Train Show to contemporary offerings like Yayoi Kusama's glittering installations in Chelsea and Erwin Redl's haunting field of glowing orbs at Madison Square Park, we've rounded up the 14 best must-see artsy exhibits this year.
Our top picks right this way

Events & Things To Do

MAP: Where to find all 300 works in Ai Weiwei’s ‘Good Fences Make Good Neighbors’ exhibition

Ai Weiwei: Good Fences Make Good Neighbors, The Arch, courtesy of the Public Art Fund

November 13, 2017

MAP: Where to find all 300 works in Ai Weiwei’s ‘Good Fences Make Good Neighbors’ exhibition

By Devin Gannon

Ai Weiwei's New York City art installation, "Good Fences Make Good Neighbors," is expansive: it features ten large fence-themed structures, more than 90 smaller installations and 200 banners found in all five boroughs. While the multi-site, multi-media exhibition might seem like a lot to explore, the Public Art Fund, which commissioned the project, has made enjoying Weiwei's sprawling exhibition easy. The fund has created an interactive map that displays all 300 of the famed artist-activist's artworks currently found at public spaces, transit sites, lampposts and monuments all over the city, as well as additional information for each.
Explore the map

Events & Things To Do

Where to volunteer in NYC: Food banks, shelters, soup kitchens, and more

Image by acfb.org

November 13, 2017

Where to volunteer in NYC: Food banks, shelters, soup kitchens, and more

By Rebecca Paul

The holiday season is the time of year when seeing friends and family is hard to avoid. We also find ourselves with more vacation days during these winter months. However, even though these two holiday realities suggest cheer and relaxation, they don't always mean we're taking the necessary time to slow down and appreciate what really matters. Instead of just eating and drinking your way through the next weeks, why not harness the holiday spirit and take a pause to help your fellow New Yorkers in need? There are hundreds of opportunities to volunteer from now through the New Year, and the list we've compiled below is a good place to start.
6sqft's list this way

Waldorf Astoria will lose 1,000 hotel rooms in renovation

Photo via Wiki Commons

November 13, 2017

Waldorf Astoria will lose 1,000 hotel rooms in renovation

By Emily Nonko

In the coming weeks, the renovation of the Waldorf Astoria Hotel will finally begin--a three-year process to convert much of the building to luxury condos. Hilton Worldwide Holdings, who had owned the landmark since 1972, agreed in 2014 to sell the 1,413-room hotel to Beijing-based financial and insurance company Anbang Insurance Group for $1.95 billion. Since then, the interior was landmarked, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill was tapped to design the project, and the building closed to begin work. Now the New York Post reports that post reno, the Waldorf will only hold 350 hotel rooms--a number that's "at the low end of recent estimates and much smaller than the number former Waldorf owner Hilton had expected," according to the paper.
It's caused some tension

Heating 101: How to keep your apartment warm during NYC’s coldest months

Image via Pexels

November 10, 2017

Heating 101: How to keep your apartment warm during NYC’s coldest months

By Devin Gannon

With the sun setting earlier each night and the temperature quickly dropping, it’s time to make the seasonal swap from sandals to boots and from air conditioning to heating. To prepare for the city’s coldest months, New York City renters should know the basic laws of heating an apartment, as well as the best products and decor to supplement a less-than-adequate system. Ahead, follow 6sqft’s heating guide to keeping things toasty all winter long.
More this way

Whitney Museum will host NYC’s first Andy Warhol retrospective in 30 years

By Emily Nonko

Andy Warhol, one of New York's most iconic artists, is getting the spotlight at an upcoming retrospective in the Whitney Museum. The museum announced it's planning the city’s first comprehensive Warhol retrospective in nearly 30 years--and they hope, according to ArtNet, that it'll change your opinion of the most famed Pop artist in the world. Donna De Salvo, the curator organizing the exhibition, told ArtNet that "I’ve always felt there was so much attention given to the persona of Warhol that we had trouble looking at the work—and that’s what this exhibition does." This showcasing of his work is scheduled to happen in November of 2018.
Here's what we know so far

Events & Things To Do

‘The Alamo’ turns 50: A history of the Astor Place cube

1980s photo of the Alamo surrounded by mural, vendors, & musicians. © Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation Image Archive.

November 2, 2017

‘The Alamo’ turns 50: A history of the Astor Place cube

By Andrew Berman of Village Preservation

On November 1, 1967, an enigmatic 20-foot-tall cube first appeared on a lonely traffic island where Astor Place and 8th Street meet. Though several months before the release of "2001: A Space Odyssey," the one-ton Cor-Ten steel sculpture shared many qualities with the sci-fi classic’s inscrutable "black monolith," at once both opaque and impenetrable and yet strangely compelling, drawing passersby to touch or interact with it to unlock its mysteries. Fifty years later, Tony Rosenthal’s "Alamo" sculpture remains a beloved fixture in downtown New York. Like 2001’s monolith, it has witnessed a great deal of change, and yet continues to draw together the myriad people and communities which intersect at this location.
Learn about the cube's entire 50-year legacy

Photo courtesy of the UN

October 24, 2017

The history of the United Nations in NYC

By Devin Gannon

Every year on October 24th, 193 countries celebrate United Nations Day, the international holiday commemorating the anniversary of the ratification of the 1945 UN Charter. Beginning in 1948, the holiday is part of a broader United Nations Week, which runs from October 20th to 26th. While the day is a global holiday, the UN and UN Day continue to be unique to New York City, home to the peacekeeping organization’s headquarters since 1952.
More this way

NYC trick-or-treat: The best neighborhoods for sweets and scares

Screen capture of ‘Hocus Pocus’

October 23, 2017

NYC trick-or-treat: The best neighborhoods for sweets and scares

By Susan Cohen

Halloween is a lot like real estate; both the holiday and the industry place a premium on size and neighborhood, it's not unheard of to hear phrases like "tons of it" and "prime location" used to describe trick-or-treating or a new listing, and when it comes down to it, apartment hunters and trick-or-treaters want the same things: the best block, thoughtful exteriors, attention to details, and most importantly, value. Ahead, 6sqft has put together a list of some of the best blocks across the five boroughs to score sweets and scares. Just remember to bring along your broker parent and to count the square feet pieces of candy.
Where to spend Halloween this year

October 19, 2017

LAST CHANCE! Win 2 tickets to the Municipal Art Society’s architectural tour of Gowanus

By 6sqft

With cleanup efforts underway along the notoriously polluted Canal and a slew of new developments rising, Gowanus is undoubtedly one of the top neighborhoods to watch. But we can't talk about its future without also looking back at its history. On October 28th, the Municipal Art Society is hosting a walking tour of Gowanus led by architectural historian Matt Postal that will explore the area's past as an industrial shipping center and its transformation into a trendy, artistic enclave. Not only will the two-hour tour take you to the city's oldest concrete structure and oldest retractile bridge, but it'll make stops at the new residential and commercial spaces. Interested in attending for free? MAS is giving away two tickets to "Gowanus Grows in Brooklyn," but today is the last day to enter!
Find out how to enter here

Events & Things To Do

October 18, 2017

Where I Work: Inside the plaster and mural studios at Evergreene Architectural Arts

By Dana Schulz

6sqft’s new 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 Industry City space of Evergreene Architectural Arts, one of the nation's foremost restoration and conservation firms. On Monday evening, the Historic Districts Council will present their 29th annual Landmarks Lion Award to Jeff Greene of EverGreene Architectural Arts, one of the nation's foremost experts in specialty contracting for both traditional and new, innovative techniques for restoring and conserving murals, ornamental plaster, and decorative finishes. "Jeff has been pivotal in restoring some of New York City’s most beloved landmarks to their proper glory," said HDC’s executive director Simeon Bankoff. And indeed, this is true; their commissions include the recent restoration of the New York Public Library’s Rose Reading Room, Brooklyn's Loew’s Kings Theater, the Eldridge Street Synagogue, and the McKim, Mead and White-designed University Club, where the event will be held, and this only scratches the surface of their hundreds of projects throughout the country. In anticipation of Jeff's recognition, 6sqft was given a behind-the-scenes tour of EverGreene's new office and studios in Industry City, where the firm's master artisans were hard at work painting murals, casting plaster moldings, and researching the history of several upcoming projects. We also spoke with Jeff himself about what inspired him to get into the field ("I ate the crayons before marking the walls," he says), how preservation has changed since he started the firm in 1978, and what some of his favorite projects have been.
Hear from Jeff and take a tour of EverGreene's incredible space

New Museum taps Rem Koolhaas’ OMA to design next phase of Bowery expansion

231 Bowery sits next to the New Museum, image via New Museum

October 11, 2017

New Museum taps Rem Koolhaas’ OMA to design next phase of Bowery expansion

By Devin Gannon

The New Museum Board of Trustees announced Wednesday that OMA's Rem Koolhaas and Shoehei Shigematsu will design the museum's new building at 231 Bowery as part of the institution's expansion. The new structure, purchased by the contemporary art museum in 2008, will link the museum's Sanaa-designed building and double their footprint on the Bowery, adding 50,000-square-feet of space. OMA's first public project in New York City, 231 Bowery is expected to break ground in 2019.
Find out more

October 10, 2017

A borough-by-borough guide to NYC’s food halls

By Devin Gannon

Cronuts. Raclette. Poke bowls. Avocado toast. While the list of trendy cuisines making a splash in New York City’s food scene appears endless, food halls are making it easier for New Yorkers to try a bit of everything all under one roof. The city is experiencing a boom in this casual dining style; real estate developers opt to anchor their buildings with food halls, as all-star chefs choose food halls to serve their celebrated dishes. Ahead, follow 6sqft’s guide to the city’s 24 current food halls, from old standby Chelsea Market to Downtown Brooklyn’s new DeKalb Market, as well as those in the pipeline, planned for hot spots like Hudson Yards and more far-flung locales like Staten Island.
More this way

Short Films Walk presents architecture and design films in Soho’s showrooms

“Ghost Story.” Director: Sarah Elgart. 2017 / 7:33 min / USA. Image via ADFF.

October 5, 2017

Short Films Walk presents architecture and design films in Soho’s showrooms

By Michelle Cohen

The annual Architecture & Design Film Festival is always one of the coolest offerings among the Center for Architecture's Archtober events. This year, the one-night Short Films Walk (SFW), happening on October 11th, will connect the film festival with Soho's creative design showrooms. The event features an ADFF-curated selection of short films about architecture and design, to be screened at each showroom as a 15-minute loop. You can catch the short films at these Soho showrooms (including Flos, Moroso, Artemide and Hästens) from 5 p.m. to 9.p.m.
More about the short films and a ADFF ticket giveaway, this way

MAP: Find the colorful fall foliage of Central Park’s 20,000 trees

Central Park in Autumn, photo via Anthony Quintano on Flickr

October 5, 2017

MAP: Find the colorful fall foliage of Central Park’s 20,000 trees

By Devin Gannon

Central Park's most dazzling and vibrant season has arrived. With over 20,000 trees and 150 species of trees spread across 843-acres, Central Park in autumn remains a cannot-miss spectacle for New Yorkers. Thankfully, the Central Park Conservancy created a fall foliage map making it easy to find the leaves with the brightest shades of gold, yellow, red and orange this season.
Check it out

Events & Things To Do

New details about JFK’s TWA Hotel revealed, on track to open in 18 months

Rendering of TWA Hotel via MCR

September 29, 2017

New details about JFK’s TWA Hotel revealed, on track to open in 18 months

By Devin Gannon

MCR Development officially launched the mid-century modern TWA Lounge on the 86th floor of One World Trade Center on Thursday and provided a deeper look into plans to convert Eero Saarinen’s historic TWA flight center at JFK Airport into a hotel, event space, and dining destination (there will even be a bar in a vintage aircraft parked outside). As part of a public-private partnership between MCR and the Port Authority, the project will rehabilitate the landmarked Queens flight center by restoring the majority of its 1960s Jet Age features and adding a crescent-shaped hotel with 505 rooms flanking the original building on each side. According to MCR's CEO Tyler Morse, construction of the hotel is on schedule; it will go vertical on Monday, top out in December, and have its curtainwall applied by January. If everything remains on schedule, the project is expected to open in 18 months.
More details and photos this way

Donald Trump’s Empire State Building doodle expected to fetch $12,000 at auction

Sketch via Julien’s Auctions; Donald Trump via Wiki Commons

September 28, 2017

Donald Trump’s Empire State Building doodle expected to fetch $12,000 at auction

By Dana Schulz

Update 10/20/17: Crain's reports that Trump’s doodle has sold at auction for $16,000. The buyer has not been named, but a portion of the sale will benefit Connecticut National Public Radio station WHDD-FM. He may not have had any formal political experience before taking office, but Donald Trump was certainly well versed in doodling. In July, a 2005 charity auction sketch he made of the NYC skyline, which not surprisingly depicts Trump Tower front and center among anonymous buildings, sold at auction for an incredible $29,184. And now, as reported by the Guardian, a similarly elementary sketch he did of the Empire State Building is also headed to auction, where it's expected to fetch up to $12,000, a portion of which will be donated to National Public Radio (NPR). Interestingly, Trump did the signed drawing in 1995, the year after he began his fraught attempt to take ownership of the landmark building.
Find out more

David Adjaye’s design for Harlem’s new Studio Museum building revealed

Exterior view from 125th Street Plaza. Courtesy Adjaye Associates

September 27, 2017

David Adjaye’s design for Harlem’s new Studio Museum building revealed

By Michelle Cohen

The Studio Museum in Harlem is scheduled to break ground on a new 82,000-square-foot home, designed by internationally renowned British architect David Adjaye, in late fall of 2018. Director and Chief Curator Thelma Golden and Chairman of the Board of Trustees Raymond J. Mc Guire unveiled designs for the new building Tuesday along with the announcement of a $175 million capital campaign to fund and maintain the new museum space. The groundbreaking coincides with the celebrated cultural institution's 50th anniversary year. In 2015, the museum announced that it would be working with Adjaye Associates in collaboration with Cooper Robertson on the new building, having outgrown its current home, a century-old building on West 125th Street that it has occupied since 1982.
See more renderings and find out more

Sarah Jessica Parker to lead NYC shoe-shopping tour for Airbnb

Bloomingdales via Wiki Commons; Sarah Jessica Parker via Wiki Commons

September 25, 2017

Sarah Jessica Parker to lead NYC shoe-shopping tour for Airbnb

By Dana Schulz

If there are two things Sarah Jessica Parker loves they're New York City and shoes, and she's now teamed up with Airbnb (yes, you read that right) to share her combined passions with the general public. Last year, the home sharing company launched its Social Impact Experiences, nonprofit-led tours and excursions for which the proceeds go back to the host organization, and recently, they expanded the program in NYC to feature celebrity-hosted events. Parker's October 6th experience--Sole of the City with SJP--will have only four open spots, each for $400 (h/t NYP). Guests will join the actress at Bloomingdales, where they'll get a pair of shoes from her collection that's sold there, eat frozen yogurt at the department store's Forty Carrots, and then head to Lincoln Center for the New York City Ballet. SJP is an NYC Ballet board member and the proceeds will benefit the dance company.
More right here

Events & Things To Do

New renderings by ‘Build It Bigger’ host Danny Forster show 220-room AC Hudson Yards hotel

The 10 best holiday events and activities for NYC history buffs

Trump dumps Soho hotel after glitzy launch and 11-year slump

15 alternative holiday markets and indie pop-up shops in NYC

What do New Yorkers search for on Thanksgiving? Bakeries, BBQ, and bowling alleys

NYC’s best art installations and exhibits to get you in the holiday spirit

MAP: Where to find all 300 works in Ai Weiwei’s ‘Good Fences Make Good Neighbors’ exhibition

Where to volunteer in NYC: Food banks, shelters, soup kitchens, and more

Waldorf Astoria will lose 1,000 hotel rooms in renovation

Heating 101: How to keep your apartment warm during NYC’s coldest months

Whitney Museum will host NYC’s first Andy Warhol retrospective in 30 years

‘The Alamo’ turns 50: A history of the Astor Place cube

The history of the United Nations in NYC

NYC trick-or-treat: The best neighborhoods for sweets and scares

LAST CHANCE! Win 2 tickets to the Municipal Art Society’s architectural tour of Gowanus

This $5M three-family Crown Heights townhouse is a modern triplex with two rental apartments

Where I Work: Inside the plaster and mural studios at Evergreene Architectural Arts

New Museum taps Rem Koolhaas’ OMA to design next phase of Bowery expansion

A borough-by-borough guide to NYC’s food halls

Short Films Walk presents architecture and design films in Soho’s showrooms

MAP: Find the colorful fall foliage of Central Park’s 20,000 trees

New details about JFK’s TWA Hotel revealed, on track to open in 18 months

Donald Trump’s Empire State Building doodle expected to fetch $12,000 at auction

David Adjaye’s design for Harlem’s new Studio Museum building revealed

Sarah Jessica Parker to lead NYC shoe-shopping tour for Airbnb

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