Karim Rashid‘s condo at 329 Pleasant Avenue just can’t seem to win. Weeks ago, the designer was forced to scrap the building’s cyan and magenta color scheme for a more subdued palette, and now DNA Info reports that the city has issued a partial stop-work order on the building. The halting of construction comes after the city received complaints from neighbors that their foundations were being damaged by digging and careless workers. But the greatest victim in all of this? How about this Buddha statue which was decapitated by a construction worker.

More on the drama

The success of the High Line Park continues to inspire all corners of the world—including Queens—and now the latest neighborhood to jump on the elevated park bandwagon is Harlem. DNA Info reports a nonprofit called the Housing Partnership has proposed a plan to bring 2,000 affordable housing units and $170 million dedicated to public projects in Hamilton Heights. The new park encompassed within the nonprofit’s ‘Harlem Promenade‘ plan would run alongside the West Side Highway atop a portion of Amtrak rail lines.

More on the proposed harlem high line project here

According to city records released today, Emmy Award-winning CNN news anchor Don Lemon has purchased a condo in Harlem‘s 2280FDB (2280 Frederick Douglas Blvd.) for $867,780. He already owns the neighboring unit, so this may be an expansion opportunity for the journalist. The newly acquired 859-square-foot, one-bedroom, contemporary unit comes complete with a spacious terrace, boasting impressive city views.

Take a look inside

After much outcry, the Karim Rashid-designed residential building at 329 Pleasant Avenue in Harlem will be getting a new color scheme. According to the WSJ, locals have voted to scrap HAP Five‘s color-blocked magenta and turquoise design for a facade of simple white balconies with a less audacious “translucent cirrus with [a] graduated magenta balcony trim”.

Find out more here

This weekend, all you old-house lovers will have two opportunities to step back in time and explore the elite Harlem enclave known as Strivers’ Row. Located on West 138th to West 139th Streets, between Adam Clayton Powell and Frederick Douglass Boulevards, the area was once home to prominent, wealthy African-American performers, artists, and professionals who lived in the harmonious row of stately brick dwellings.

Running until Sunday, October 5th is an exhibit at Macy’s called “Strivers’ Row Style: Uptown Comes Downtown,” which will feature vignettes by various designers of what the interiors of these historic homes would have looked like during the heyday. Also on the 5th is the Strivers’ Rome Home Tour, which lets participants inside eight of the distinctive residences and four historic churches.

More on Striver’s Row and the upcoming events