Rendering courtesy of RXR.

Plans for the block-deep Starrett-Lehigh building on Manhattan’s far west flank just below Hudson Yards have been in discussion since the building was purchased by RXR Realty in 2011. RXR recently announced that the former freight terminal, built in 1931 and named a city landmark in 1986, will get new public life as a huge event and expo space, plus retail and a food hall. The 43,000-square-foot project will be designed by ICRAVE, who brought LeDistrict to downtown and are creating another food hall in nearby Hudson Yards.

Find out why the West Side needs another food hall

Back in May 6sqft reported on plans for the 15 new gallery spaces in the works next to the Zaha Hadid-designed condo at 520 West 28th Street along the High Line, with the Paul Kasmin Gallery to anchor the project, which will expand into a 5,000-square-foot space with a sculpture garden designed by Future Green on its roof. With the official opening of the new building and inaugural exhibitions of works by Walton Ford and Joel Shapiro come new photos of the gallery and of the sculpture garden being installed.

More photos this way

260 Eleventh Avenue expansion (Vornado Realty Trust)

A high-tech future awaits the 235,000-square-foot building at 260 Eleventh Avenue that served as headquarters for the iconic Otis Elevator company from its construction in 1911 until the company’s move to midtown 1974. For the site’s next life, REIT Vornado Realty Trust plans to renovate and expand the property, which they purchased in 2015, for commercial tenants. Now, CityRealty reports, a trio of renderings from Vornado’s latest investor report provide a peek at the planned design overhaul by British architect Richard Rogers. Evoking the “inside-out” structure of the Pompidou Center in Paris and the high-tech Lloyd’s of London building, the new addition displays exposed structural and circulation systems and a multi-story atrium beneath glass-enclosed floors.

More Renderings this way

102-116 Eighth Avenue; via Brodsky Organization

Real estate investors Dalan Management Associates and Elion Partners announced a joint venture on Tuesday to acquire eight adjacent buildings in Chelsea for $83 million. The buildings, which run along Eighth Avenue from West 15th to West 16th Streets, contain 102 multi-family units and 10 ground-floor retail spaces known as the Chelsea Collection. Because the property sits directly across from Google headquarters, developers hope to attract workers from the tech giant, Crain’s reported.

Find out more

The renovated two-bedroom Chelsea loft owned by CNBC co-anchor Sara Eisen (“Squawk on the Street,” “Power Lunch”) and her husband Matthew Levine, head of U.S. Programming at Bloomberg TV, just hit the market for $2.595 million. The 1,200-square-foot condominium is in the Spears Building at 525 West 22nd Street, a former factory built in 1880 and converted in 1996. Twelve-foot beamed ceilings, exposed brick, and polished concrete floors pay homage to the building’s historical roots, while recent updates assure modern comfort and design.

More pictures, this way

Via WeWork/WeGrow

WeWork opened its first elementary school in Chelsea last week, equipped with modular classrooms, tree houses and giant floor cushions, dezeen reported Wednesday. Bjarke Ingels was tapped last year to design the WeGrow school on West 18th Street, designated for children ages three to nine, with a focus on education through play and interaction. New photos from the co-working company reveal open-plan classrooms with multi-functional furniture and lots of natural light.

Take a tour

This 2,223-square-foot three-bedroom triplex condominium looks for all the world like a modern townhouse–or, as the listing says, a Tribeca loft or a Hamptons house–in the heart of Chelsea. Topped by a  rooftop terrace and lit by a 300-square-foot skylight, the three-bedroom home is definitely unique for a condo.

Take the tour

This one-bedroom co-op at 250 West 15th Street in Chelsea shows off its considered design and just enough of an of-the-moment look and laid-back 1970s feel for us to almost overlook its compact size and slightly odd layout. The turn-key apartment is priced to sell at less than a million–and a wood-burning fireplace with an exposed brick hearth and drawers galore can’t hurt its chances.

Have a seat by the fire

Photo byLiz Ligon via Mile Long Opera.

For five consecutive nights from October 3-7, 2018 “The Mile-Long Opera: a biography of 7 o’clock,” will bring together 1,000 singers from across New York for free performances on the High Line. The project is a collaboration between architects Diller Scofidio + Renfro and Pulitzer Prize-winning composer David Lang, with words and lyrics by acclaimed poets Anne Carson and Claudia Rankine. The free collective choral work shares personal stories, gathered through first-hand interviews with hundreds of New Yorkers about city life.

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Photo via Flickr cc

The High Line and affordability don’t typically go hand-in-hand, but the lottery opens tomorrow for a new, 160-unit affordable housing project at 425 West 18th Street, less than a block from the High Line. As part of a Bloomberg-era initiative to lease unused NYCHA land to private developers, the 18-story building took over the parking lot of the 1960s Fulton Houses complex. The low- and middle-income availabilities range all the way from $702/month studios to $3,216/month two-bedrooms, and amenities include a laundry room, bike storage, and outdoor space on the roof and first floor.

Find out if you qualify