By Dana Schulz, Wed, April 18, 2018 A map showing T-REX’s new crosstown connections, via RPA
When NYC’s three commuter railroads–the Long Island Railroad, New Jersey Transit, and Metro-North–were built more than a century ago when the metropolitan area was less than half its current size. Today, the systems are crumbling, both in their physical infrastructure and politics. The latest suggestion for how to fix the issues comes from a new Regional Plan Association report that wants to take advantage of the fact that these railroads “share an amalgamation of rail lines” and thereby create one integrated regional rail network. Dubbed T-REX, short for Trans-Regional Express, the 30-year, $71.4 billion proposal would add 60 new train stations and more than 200 miles of new tracks.
We break it down
By Michelle Colman, Tue, April 3, 2018 New York City is filled with amazing art so why go any further? Because there are some spectacular museums with extraordinary collections set in nearby locales that demand attention. Art can be appreciated for the work itself but taken within its context and history, it can be so much more. 6sqft found a variety of incredibly interesting art destinations in the tri-state area that are worth a trip. Perhaps when planning your next staycation or day-trip, choose one of these museums to set your itinerary.
Check out our list of the top 15
By Dana Schulz, Mon, April 2, 2018 It looks like it’s not just owners within Trump-branded condo buildings who are struggling to sell their homes, but the owners of individual homes with connections to the President, too. In 1998, financier Robert Steinberg and his wife Suzanne paid $15 million for this 5.8-acre Greenwich, Connecticut estate on its own peninsula. It was previously owned by a then-Democratic Donald Trump and his wife Ivana, but when they divorced in 1991, she kept the mansion. Likely not realizing what was yet to come, the Steinbergs first listed the home in early January 2016 for $54 million, dropping the price to $45 million in May. But according to the Wall Street Journal, when Trump’s campaign “started heating up,” they took the listing down. Although the fire has only grown, they’ve now decided to try again.
Get a look around
By Michelle Colman, Fri, March 30, 2018 Connecticut’s picturesque New Canaan boasts glorious architectural juxtapositions of old and new, with super traditional center hall colonials alongside classic mid-century modern homes, all in a super posh, perfectly manicured, “country” setting. Located at 126 Chichester Road, this five-bedroom, 3,000-square-foot home asking $1,549,000 falls into the latter group. It was built by James Evans, a student of Louis Kahn’s when Kahn was president of Yale University’s architecture department. Take a tour
By Michelle Colman, Wed, March 28, 2018 Trump Parc Stamford via F.D. Rich Company
Stamford might be joining the ranks of Soho, the Upper West Side, Toronto, Queens and Panama. Some residents of the Trump Parc condominium in Connecticut want to remove President Donald Trump’s name from their building and with new officers on its board, a vote for a name-change might be around the corner. According to the Stamford Advocate: “Some owners, in recent interviews, said a vote on the Trump name is now more likely as property values continue to decline and some owners and realtors say the name drags down prices.”
More details here
By Michelle Colman, Tue, March 27, 2018 A staycation used to be a term people used when they were staying home and trying to make their non-vacation seem less pathetic when everyone else was hopping on a plane to an exciting locale. Now, the definition has broadened to not going far away. Thankfully, there are many staycation options to choose from in the New York City orbit – even if you limit the distance to the surrounding suburbs.
Although a suburban staycation may not come to mind when you think “luxurious getaway,” not only are there amazing local options for gorgeous retreats but think of how relaxed you will be without all the headaches of travel. 6sqft found three luxurious suburban retreats less than an hour from Grand Central that can rival any five-star destination abroad. These inns are only “suburban” in their locale. Everything from their level of service to their design-forward decor will transport you far from your daily grind.
Start making your staycation plans
By Michelle Colman, Fri, March 23, 2018 Lynn Gaffney, a LEED accredited and certified Passive House designer based in Brooklyn, is selling her 2,500-square-foot, three-bedroom Sharon, Connecticut weekend retreat named “The Bog” for $650,000. Gaffney has a lot of emotion attached to her home. “It’s very personally designed. My husband was my client and my friend built this house.” She particularly loves the space between the garage and the house, “There’s a gateway where the two buildings almost touch and it creates the most wonderful courtyard. Conceptually, the idea was to build a metal shell toward the road and create an envelope for a private warm house based on the garden.” She describes the metal shell as a modern “interpretation of an agrarian shed.”
Check it all out
By Emily Nonko, Fri, February 23, 2018 Be prepared to swoon over this estate in Warren, Connecticut. 90 minutes outside of New York City, follow a long tree-lined private road to this six-acre hideaway. Inside and out, the 1950s property stuns, with interior design worthy of a magazine spread. And property amenities are plentiful, including wood-burning fireplaces in every room, an in-ground pool with its own cabana, a barn and lush landscaping. The property is now up for grabs asking $2.495 million.
Prepare to fall in love
By Michelle Cohen, Thu, February 15, 2018 The marvelously enormous Greenwich, CT estate known as Old Mill Farm was owned by Mel Gibson for 15 years, during which it was known as Wayne Manor; The actor/director sold it for about $24 million in 2010, and it has been on and off the market ever since. The sprawling property, which includes a greenhouse, a pool, a box maze, stables, a log cabin, a spring-fed lake, a lighted tennis court–and a life-sized chess board–is back on the market asking $22.5 million, Curbed reports. The estate is anchored by a 15,800-square-foot, eight-bedroom Elizabethan Tudor, which is a marvel even on its own.
Get the grand tour
By Emily Nonko, Fri, February 2, 2018 There’s no shortage of stunning modern homes designed in Connecticut by prominent architects, from Philip Johnson to Marcel Breuer. Add Richard Meier to that list, an architect currently making a big mark here in New York with his first NYC skyscraper design. He was just 31 when he designed the Smith House in Darien, Connecticut, which hit the market last week for $14.5 million. The home–with stark white walls, a geometric design and expanses of glass–was built in 1967 right along the Long Island Sound waterfront.
See the striking interior
