Events & Things To Do

March 31, 2016

Art Nerd New York’s Top Event Picks for the Week – 3/31-4/6

In a city where hundreds of interesting happenings occur each week, it can be hard to pick and choose your way to a fulfilling life. Art Nerd‘s philosophy is a combination of observation, participation, education and of course a party to create the ultimate well-rounded week. Jump ahead for Art Nerd founder Lori Zimmer’s top picks for 6sqft readers! Childhood memories of show and tell are revisited this week at the Roger Smith Hotel's adult rendition that, of course, involves booze from their in-house bar. Times Square's Midnight Moment is all new for April, with JUNGLE-IZED, an Amazon takeover of the advertising screens. Artist Jan Tichy talks about his time-based projections at Fridman Gallery, and Todd Lim explores works inspired by Søren Kierkegaard at Booth Gallery. The Queens Museum of Art celebrates a closing reception Saturday afternoon, while MoMA PS1 opens their doors for Spring, including a performance by Cao Fei and Chinatown rap group Notorious MSG. MTV's Liquid Television star animator Bill Plympton enlivens South Street Seaport, and four artists poke at nature versus nurture at the Royal Society of American Art.
more on all the best events this way

Events & Things To Do

‘Eloise From Hell’ Spent 35 Years in the Plaza for $500/Month, Until Donald Trump Came Along

Illustration by Hilary Knight, courtesy of Simon and Schuster

March 28, 2016

‘Eloise From Hell’ Spent 35 Years in the Plaza for $500/Month, Until Donald Trump Came Along

By Michelle Cohen

Remember the story of Herbert J. Sukenik, the famous Central Park West "hermit holdout?" Developers paid the rent-controlled curmudgeon $17 million and gave him a free massive pad overlooking the park in a legendary buyout. His female counterpart might be one Fannie Lowenstein, whom none other than Donald Trump is said to have ended up bestowing a sprawling suite in the venerable Plaza Hotel at 1 Central Park South, complete with a Steinway grand piano and maid service. For zero dollars a month. For life. Here’s how the story of the woman the hotel staff referred to as “the Eloise from Hell” became yet another Manhattan rent regulation legend, as told by Vice.
Find out more

The NYC Easter Parade in 1904, via Wikimedia Commons

March 27, 2016

PHOTOS: The NYC Easter Parade Through Time

By Dana Schulz

As more people break from traditional religious affiliations, certain holidays become less and less significant. Perhaps the best example of that modern-day cultural shift is Easter. Technically the highest holy day of the year for Christians, the holiday has become one of the most overlooked. Up until the 1960s, Easter Sunday was a 40-day ritual, complete with fasting on Fridays, attending Palm Sunday services, and putting together the perfect pastel outfit to go with one's Easter bonnet. In New York City, the tradition hasn't all been lost, as the annual Easter Parade still kicks off at St. Patrick's Cathedral and marches up Fifth Avenue to 55th Street every year. In addition to its traditional affiliations, the parade also welcomes the Bonnet Festival, where participants show off their wackiest head gear. With just a few days left until Easter Sunday, we decided to take a look back at the history of the parade, showcasing some great historic images of the tradition.
Check out all the photos here

March 27, 2016

Artist Laurence Vallières Builds Giant Chimp from Up-cycled Cardboard

By Rebecca Paul

Armory week here in NYC takes place every March, and as always, this year's festivities brought forth many exiting projects all across the city. Participating in the action was Montreal-based artist Laurence Vallières who was featured in a special exhibition curated by 6sqft's resident expert in the New York art scene, Lori Zimmer (founder of Art Nerd New York) and Lynzy Blair for Joseph Gross Gallery. Vallières' work was featured at the Art on Paper Fair at Pier 36 where she constructed, from scratch, a grandiose chimpanzee made from scrap cardboard found on site.
Details and photos of her at work ahead

Events & Things To Do

March 24, 2016

Art Nerd New York’s Top Event Picks for the Week – 3/24-3/30

By Lori Zimmer

Events & Things To Do

March 23, 2016

12 Easy and Affordable Ways to Transform Your Apartment With Just Paint

By Kristen Chuber

6sqft’s series Apartment Living 101 is aimed at helping New Yorkers navigate the challenges of creating a happy home in the big city. This week, the pros from Paintzen ("the Uber for painting") share some easy and affordable ways to transform an apartment using just paint. With the countless other tasks on New Yorkers’ agendas, finding time to do some interior upgrading can seem daunting. But thankfully, there are some quick and easy fixes that you can do - in the smallest of apartments and over the busiest of weekends - that require nothing more than paint. From simple accent walls and chalkboard paint to more funky techniques like ombre walls and patterns, here are 12 tips for transforming your space with paint.
All the tips, this way

March 23, 2016

See New Nighttime Renderings of Long Island City’s Upcoming Dream Hotel

By Ondel Hylton

Near Long Island City's East River waterfront, work has begun on an eleven-story, 199-room DREAM Hotel conceived through a joint venture between Millhouse Peck Properties, Barone Management and MATT Development. The hotel will rise from a full-block, commercially-zoned lot between 44th Road, 44th Avenue, and 9th and 10th streets, which was previously home to Manhattan Cabinetry's factory building (the company has since relocated those operations to Woodside). Stephen B. Jacobs Group has been tapped as the architect and the studio has designed a Standard Hotel-esque tower where the room floors are pitched above various restaurants, bars and outdoor terraces. New nighttime renderings show windows framed by LED lighting. A previous image suggested the developers were looking to salvage a corner facade of the factory-building, but the facade is no longer depicted in the new set of renderings and the entire factory structure has been cleared from the site.
even more details here

March 17, 2016

POLL: An Irish Castle or a New York Castle – Which Would You Pick?

By Diane Pham

Get out your green, because in honor of St. Patrick's Day we're putting a twist on the classic real estate comparison conundrum pinning some of the coolest Irish castles currently up for sale against a few New York castles (a.k.a. really expensive condos). Hit the jump to see what's available in the $2 to $12 million range, and then cast a vote for whether you'd rather having a sprawling 700-year-old stone castle with 380 acres of land in Ireland, or a comfy four-bedroom penthouse at The Brompton in Yorkville. And if you're not into castles or condos, we've also figured out how many pints of Guinness you can get for the median price of an apartment...
Which would you pick?

March 17, 2016

Art Nerd New York’s Top Event Picks for the Week – 3/17-3/23

By Lori Zimmer

In a city where hundreds of interesting happenings occur each week, it can be hard to pick and choose your way to a fulfilling life. Art Nerd‘s philosophy is a combination of observation, participation, education and of course a party to create the ultimate well-rounded week. Jump ahead for Art Nerd founder Lori Zimmer’s top picks for 6sqft readers! Combine your love of shopping with art this week and check out Esmeralda Kosmatopoulos' neon installation in the window of Bloomingdale's. Gallery nine5 shares the mystical work of Tatyana Murray, while Orgy Park's Moon and Serpent show brings together three artists pensing on letting the mind wander, and Mira Schor discusses the Feminist artist at Lyle and King. Andrew Thiele takes over One Art Space for an action-packed pop up, while Quiet Lunch's Akeem K. Duncan guest curates at Brooklyn's Brilliant Champions. Learn a thing or two at the US National Committee for UN Women's symposium, then feed your soul with Brian Newman's Old New York at The Django.
more on all the best events this way

Events & Things To Do

March 17, 2016

The Plaza Reportedly Headed to Foreclosure Auction Next Month

By Michelle Cohen

The Plaza, New York City's iconic 109-year-old hotel and residence (formerly known as the Plaza Hotel) at 1 Central Park South will head for the auction block next month, says Bloomberg Business. An unnamed source claims the storied hotel will be offered in a foreclosure auction on April 26 along with the Dream Downtown hotel in Chelsea. The two mortgages total about $500 million, according to the report.
Find out more

Events & Things To Do

10 Ways to Decorate an Exposed Brick Wall Without Drilling

By Annie Doge

Exposed brick is one of the most common architectural elements in NYC apartments -- even otherwise bland spaces often feature the material. Though it offers tons of character, it can make decorating quite challenging since drilling into brick isn't the easiest task. Renters especially have a tough time, as putting holes in a brick wall can be a big no-no for landlords. But 6sqft has come up with 10 ways to dress up such walls, no drill necessary. Thanks to decor like string lights and ladders, you'll never have to stare at a blank brick wall again.
See all the ideas ahead

March 15, 2016

Demolition Permits Filed To Make Way for 25-Story New Hudson Yards Hotel

By Ondel Hylton

Demolition permits were filed yesterday to take down two small structures near the corner of West 31st Street and Dyer Avenue. Situated directly across from Brookfield's Manhattan West residential tower and just east of Hudson Yards, the parcel is owned by Arisa Realty, who purchased the buildings for $11 million in August of 2014. A revised new building application shows that the two- and one-story structures will be replaced by a 107,853-square-foot, 210-room hotel. The project's scale has been revised upward since initial filings, growing an additional 12,000 square feet and rising 25 stories instead of 21.
READ MORE

March 14, 2016

Interested in a Flex Apartment? Here’s What You Need to Know

By Diane Pham

With rising real estate prices and shrinking spaces, flex apartments are growing in popularity with roommates, couples and families who are looking to add another room but can’t afford to move into a larger space. Flex apartments, for those who are unfamiliar, are typically a studio, one-bedroom or two-bedroom unit large enough to be converted up one level with […]

Art Nerd New York’s Top Event Picks for the Week – 3/10-3/16

Jenny Sabin‘s illuminated pavilion

March 10, 2016

Art Nerd New York’s Top Event Picks for the Week – 3/10-3/16

By Lori Zimmer

In a city where hundreds of interesting happenings occur each week, it can be hard to pick and choose your way to a fulfilling life. Art Nerd‘s philosophy is a combination of observation, participation, education and of course a party to create the ultimate well-rounded week. Jump ahead for Art Nerd founder Lori Zimmer’s top picks for 6sqft readers! Most of us are dead tired from Armory Week, but the show must go on. This week, Times Square Arts delights twice- first with a new #MidnightMoment that invites a moment of relaxation amidst the concert jungle, then a scream fest at the AMC Theater. Herman Bas echoes queer art history at Lehmann Maupin, while Ground Floor Gallery brings ugly and cute side by side. The take of Genesis P'Orridge and Lady Jaye, who spent years getting plastic surgery to look like one another, is told in film at the Rubin Museum, and Jenny Sabin uses 3D technology to weave an epic, illuminated pavilion at the Cooper Hewitt. Experience a massive new installation by Nancy Lupo at the Swiss Institute, then end the week by honing your understanding of color with photographer Bill Armstrong at Aperture.
more on all the best events this way

Events & Things To Do

March 4, 2016

VOA Architects Design 70-Story Mixed-Use Supertall for the Far West Side

By Ondel Hylton

Here's a first idea of what may be coming to a valuable far west side corner owned by former governor Elliot Spitzer. First spotted by the eagle-eyed SkyscraperPage, the scheme was prepared by VOA Architects for Highgate Hotels and shows an approximately 70-story, mixed-use tower stacked with a 1,000-key hotel with condominiums above. The site at 451 Tenth Avenue at 35th Street was picked up by Spitzer for $62 million in 2014 through a 99-year lease from Madd Equities. VOA's blog page states, "the project would have been the first new convention hotel in NY since the Marriott Marquis opened in 1985." Judging by the past-tense nature of the description, it seems this exact vision will not come to fruition.
More renderings ahead

Stuff You Should Know: How Air Rights Work

Image of One57 © Wade Zimmerman courtesy of Agence Christian de Portzamparc (ACDP)

March 3, 2016

Stuff You Should Know: How Air Rights Work

By Diane Pham

“For whoever owns the soil, it is theirs up to Heaven and down to Hell.” Most folks outside the architecture and real estate industries are likely to believe that putting up a new skyscraper is simply about finding an empty lot to build up. However, those in the know understand that it takes much more than a stretch of space and a good […]

Art Nerd New York’s Top Event Picks for Armory Arts Week

The Armory Show courtesy of Roberto Chamorro

March 3, 2016

Art Nerd New York’s Top Event Picks for Armory Arts Week

By Lori Zimmer

In a city where hundreds of interesting happenings occur each week, it can be hard to pick and choose your way to a fulfilling life. Art Nerd‘s philosophy is a combination of observation, participation, education and of course a party to create the ultimate well-rounded week. Jump ahead for Art Nerd founder Lori Zimmer’s top picks for 6sqft readers! The absolute mayhem of Armory Arts Week is upon us once again, with the international art world descending upon our fair city. The Armory Show leads the way once again, taking over the West Side's Piers 92 and 94, with a scattering of satellite fairs rounding out Manhattan. VOLTA takes on a new location at Pier 90, while SCOPE Art Show continues to impress with cutting edge leaders. Further downtown, PULSE hits up the Metropolitan Pavilion once again, and curator-led SPRING/BREAK takes residence at the former post office across from Penn Station. Newcomer Art on Paper impresses for a second year (and will feature a booth co-curated by yours truly) on the shores of the East River at Pier 36. The Art Show by the ADAA sticks with the traditional at the Park Avenue Armory, while Clio reigns supreme as the anti-fair, nestled in Chelsea right next to the High Line. If you're up for it, there is something for every sort of art lover and collector this week, including the bevy of highly anticipated parties and events.
more on all the best events this way

Events & Things To Do

March 1, 2016

Williamsburg Hotel/Residential Tower at 500 Metropolitan Avenue Rises Above Ground

By Ondel Hylton and Julian Friedman

Not to be completely outdone by Bjarke Ingels' Via 57 West, Williamsburg is getting its own highway-fronting pyramidal pile. Alongside the bucolic banks of the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway, the concrete frame of 500 Metropolitan Avenue has finally climbed above street level, now reaching its third floor. The uniquely massed 200,000-square-foot, mixed-use project ascends near the Metropolitan Avenue-Lorimer Street station of the G and L lines, and from a V-shaped lot that borders five streets: Metropolitan Avenue, Union, Keap, Ainslie and Rodney Streets. Its stepped, ziggurat-like form will soar 14 stories and 172 feet above the low-slung area, making it among the tallest structures in the 'hood.
Find out more

February 29, 2016

RAAD-Designed Bushwick Building May Have the World’s Largest Urban Farm

By Dana Schulz

Design firm RAAD is no stranger to boundary-pushing projects (their founder James Ramsey is a co-creator of the Lowline underground park), and their latest endeavor may grant them bragging rights as the designers behind the city's, perhaps even the world's, largest urban farm. Brownstoner spotted conceptual renderings (read: the developer has not filed permits nor have they confirmed they'll move ahead with RAAD's vision) for 930 Flushing Avenue in Bushwick, part of the Rheingold Brewery mega-development. The mixed-use project, officially known as 1 Bushwick, would offer commercial, retail, residential, hotel, cultural, and agricultural spaces. The aforementioned rooftop farm would be nearly 165,000 square feet; Brooklyn Grange, which is currently the world's largest rooftop soil farm, occupies 108,000 square feet across two sites. A description of 1 Bushwick says: "Guests relaxing in the rooftop pool will be regaled by a rare experience: views of the skyscrapers of Manhattan — and cornfields."
More renderings and details

February 29, 2016

10 Clever, Creative and Unexpected Storage Ideas for Apartment Dwellers

By Alyssa Alimurung

6sqft’s series Apartment Living 101 is aimed at helping New Yorkers navigate the challenges of creating a happy home in the big city. This week we offer up spots in your apartment that may be underutilized as storage. Unless you're living in a mega-mansion with amazing closet space, chances are your belongings are scattered across your apartment and overstuffed into drawers and cabinets. With spring right around the corner, you may want to rethink how you've been tackling clutter at home. Below we've rounded up 10 clever, creative and unexpected storage ideas that you can put into action in your apartment right now.
Spring cleaning organization this way

Art Nerd New York’s Top Event Picks for the Week – 2/25-3/2

Image: Ole Marius Joergensen

February 25, 2016

Art Nerd New York’s Top Event Picks for the Week – 2/25-3/2

By Lori Zimmer

In a city where hundreds of interesting happenings occur each week, it can be hard to pick and choose your way to a fulfilling life. Art Nerd‘s philosophy is a combination of observation, participation, education and of course a party to create the ultimate well-rounded week. Jump ahead for Art Nerd founder Lori Zimmer’s top picks for 6sqft readers! This week we're gearing up for action-packed days full of art events and openings, starting off with a double header photographic exhibit at Emmanuel Fremin Gallery in Chelsea, and the opening reception for Literally Balling, a show featuring stained glass basketball backboards from artist Victor Solomon. With the approaching weekend you can take a trip to Zimbabwe with the opening of ZIG ZAG ZIM, and then follow that up with your perfect excuse to get out of the city: Saturday evening's opening reception of WORD at the Hudson Valley Center for Contemporary Art. Also this week, the New School will be hosting a public talk with Isa Genzken, arguably one of the most influential artists of the past four decades. Come Tuesday we're back in the galleries for the opening of Light: Fixtures and Sculptures, and Beauty Undefined, a group show exploring the idea of female beauty across various cultures.
more on all the best events this way

Events & Things To Do

February 24, 2016

What You Can Do If You’re Injured On Rental Property

By Tom J. Moverman

Our ongoing series Apartment Living 101 is aimed at helping New Yorkers navigate the challenges of creating a happy home in the big city. This week Tom J. Moverman, partner at the Lipsig Law Firm, a practice specializing in personal injury, joins 6sqft to offer up tips on how to avoid injuries on a rental property, and what to do if they do occur. In New York City, Manhattan remains the dominating force when it comes to new apartment construction. However, in recent years, boroughs such as Brooklyn have closed that gap considerably. According to BuildingCongress.com, Manhattan accounted for 37 percent of all of the apartment construction in New York City, and in Brooklyn, construction accounted for 36 percent of the rental property construction activity in the city. By the middle of 2015, there had been $10.5 billion in residential construction throughout the entire city of New York (to give an idea as to how much the volume has increased, there was just $11.9 billion in residential construction in all of 2014). With an increase in construction comes an increase in tenant injuries. When volume increases, the demand to get new buildings up and generating revenue quickly also increases, and this means that corners will often be cut to make sure that rents from tenants can be collected in time to start showing a profit. Unfortunately, people can get injured when corners are cut, and tenants need to know how to protect themselves and fight back.
find out more here

February 23, 2016

Minimalist Subway Map Posters Are More About Beautiful Design Than Finding Your Way

By Michelle Cohen

Cartographer Andrew Lynch has spent a lot of time looking at the NYC subway system. The CUNY Hunter alum recently perfected the entire system in a series of hypothetical but geographically accurate "Future NYC Subway" maps. But while studying the paths of the city's most important people mover, Lynch noticed they looked rather lovely, but just too, well, cluttered. From this thought came a series of colorful minimalist subway line posters (h/t CityLab) that Lynch calls "totally accurate, totally useless," but nice to look at nonetheless.
Get your own, this way

February 23, 2016

First Look at MY Architect’s 19-Story Hotel Set for Jamaica’s Transit Hub

By Ondel Hylton

With all corners of the city bursting at their seams, once overlooked business nodes are experiencing a resurgence of construction activity. Perhaps most foreign and far-flung to Manhattanites is Jamaica, Queens, where a cluster of high-rises is rising around its transit hub, which serves LIRR commuters and is a terminus to JFK's AirTrain network. The neighborhood's latest large project to come forward is from Flushing-based Ampiera Group, who have proposed a 100,000-square-foot hotel and office tower at 90-75 Sutphin Boulevard, just one block from the transit center. The building's exterior, comprised of a mix of glass and stone, is designed by MY Architect, who are working with the development team on at least two Long Island City projects. Approved permits and documents filed last summer co-align with images published on the architect's website that call for a double-winged building with a low-rise leg fronting Sutphin Boulevard. The low-slung retail buildings along Archer Avenue will be demolished to create a plaza at the foot of the tower.
More views and details ahead

February 20, 2016

Williamsburg’s William Vale Hotel Launches Website, New Renderings & Video

By Ondel Hylton

Williamsburg likely has the highest concentration of awful new buildings in the city. The neighborhood has lots of things going for it, but architecture has not been one of them. However, just north of Kiss + Cathcart's noteworthy Bushwick Inlet Park is a cluster of development that finally flaunts the design creativity for which the borough has become renowned. Centered around the Walentas' Wythe Hotel, four exciting new hotels and office buildings are in the works. Tallest of them all, and farthest along, is the 21-story, 250-foot William Vale Hotel between North 12th and North 13th Streets. The striking pile of structural acrobatics topped off last fall and recently launched their website with a handful of new renderings.
More info and all the renderings

Events & Things To Do

Pitch a Story

Interested in seeing the property in person?

Interested in seeing the property in person?

Distinctive Post Form

Get in Touch

Send us a Tip

Interesting in learning more about purchasing a new home?

Thinking about selling your home?

Sell a Home (Footer)

Before You Move On from this Page.

Your Daily Doseof NYC Life!

Before You Move On
from this Page.

Your Daily Dose
of NYC Life!