Howard Hughes Corporation’s re-launch of the SHoP Architects-designed Pier 17 in Lower Manhattan’s Seaport District kicked off this summer, with exciting plans for food, drink, art, architecture, retail, and entertainment concepts finally being realized. The first two venues in the new complex–the Heineken Riverdeck waterfront bar, designed by Woods Bagot, and the Fresh Market Hall restaurant–are open for business and the district’s 2018 rooftop concert series officially began on July 28 with a free opening-day performance by Jon Batiste and the Dap-Kings. The rest of the new complex in what historically was the city’s first 24-hour district is still under construction, but designs are taking shape on the way to transforming the existing building into a vibrant destination and a 21st century 24/7 live/work/play community.

Take a look

Photo via Flickr cc

This Saturday is the 11th annual City of Water Day, a free festival organized by the Waterfront Alliance to get people to, on, and in New York Harbor and its surrounding waterways. The most anticipated event this year is the chance to access the normally off-limits Brooklyn Bridge Beach, located just north of Pier 17 in the Financial District. For years, Lower Manhattan civic groups have been advocating for the small, sandy beach under the Brooklyn Bridge to be opened to the public, and though it doesn’t look like that’ll be happening any time soon, the Alliance worked with the NYC EDC to grant access for this one special day.

Learn about all the events happening this Saturday

What this newly built townhouse lacks in width, it makes up for in height (h/t CityRealty). Located on one of the historic area’s original cobblestoned streets, at 246 Front Street, the 12-foot-wide home has four stories, plus a basement and private roof terrace. In addition to its narrow frame, the house also stands out for its unique metal facade, made entirely of steel and zinc.

See it all right here

Pun intended, this open-plan penthouse loft is certainly no slum–it sits atop a genuine restored 1840s ship house at 115 South Street in lower Manhattan’s Seaport District. Asking $8,495 a month, the character-filled top-floor space is blessed with 14-foot-high ceilings, exposed timber joists, and whitewashed brick, with stunning views of the harbor and river. It’s four flights up, says the listing, but “worth every step.”

Take a look around

A rendering of Pier 17’s proposed temporary rooftop structure via LPC/ Howard Hughes Corp.

The Howard Hughes Corporation has worked since 2010 to revitalize the Seaport District as a destination for New Yorkers, bringing more than 400,000 square feet of cultural and culinary space to the waterfront. The highlight of the $731 million redevelopment remains Pier 17, a four-story building designed by Achim Menges with a see-through canopy, dining options, an iPic theater, retail and more. The Landmarks Preservation Commission approved the revised designs for the project in December and the New York Post has just learned more information about the project’s timeline, with nearly everything set to open at some point this year.

More this way

Between the controversial–and eventually nixed–condo tower and the news of ESPN’s new studio plans, it’s hard to keep up with what’s taking shape at Pier 17 in the Seaport district. The latest arrival comes from above: Developers Howard Hughes Corporation announced plans earlier this year for a “crown jewel” for the new pier, a rooftop stage and installation with a see-through canopy that will maintain sightlines of Lower Manhattan. The high-tech topper was designed by German architect Achim Menges, known for ethereal, high-concept structures made with 3-D printers or woven from carbon fibers. Set for a summer 2018 opening, the new performance space will occupy 60,000 square feet according to Downtown Express. The project on Tuesday was approved by the Landmarks Preservation Commission, who said it will “set a standard for all future temporary seasonal structures.”

Renderings of the high-tech sky canopy this way

Pier 17 glows red in honor of new tenant ESPN. Photo: Taylor Crothers via Howard Hughes Corporation.

Cable giant ESPN will be opening a big new studio–the sports network’s first in NYC–this spring at the South Street Seaport Pier 17 complex in Howard Hughes Corporation’s $731 million East River waterfront redevelopment project. The New York Post reports that the network’s studio partner, NEP group, has signed a multi-year lease for a 19,000-square-foot third floor space with Brooklyn and Manhattan skyline views at the new pier.

Find out more

The Beaux Arts skyscraper known as the American Tract Building at 150 Nassau Street is among the city’s oldest landmarks. It was built in 1896 as the headquarters for the American Tract Society, one of the nation’s largest religious printing companies. As an anchor of the Seaport district’s Newspaper Row, it was among the city’s tallest office towers of its time and one of the city’s first steel skeletal frame skyscrapers. Like many historic NYC buildings, it has since been transformed into luxury condominiums like this sprawling 1,700 square-foot two-bedroom designer loft, now on the rental market for $8,250 a month.

Check out the space

In 2005, the Durst Organization and COOKFOX Architects completed a restoration of 11 landmarked rowhouses along the historic, cobblestoned Front Street in the South Street Seaport, preserving the nearly 200-year-old structures. In addition, they constructed three new buildings on the block between Beekman Street and Peck Slip to offer a total of 13 street-level retail spaces and 95 residential units above. The New York State Housing Finance Agency provided more than $46 million in funding for the project, and as such stipulated that five percent of the apartments be reserved as below-market rate. Back in 2012, a waitlist opened for these units, and as of today, the next waitlist is accepting applications. The middle-income homes are available to those earning no more than 150 percent of the area median income and range from $2,268/month studios to $2,913/month two-bedrooms.

Find out if you qualify

A report released Monday by the Downtown Alliance shows that the area south of Chambers Street in lower Manhattan is chock full of young New Yorkers with plenty of disposable income; the development advocacy group hopes the news will result in the creation of more options for them to spend it. Crains reports on the survey, which found that 60 percent of apartments in a growing residential sector that includes the Financial District, Battery Park City and the South Street Seaport are home to single tenants and roommates with no children, one of the highest concentrations of young singles–defined as 18- to 44-year-olds, in the city. This spendy demo hits the town every other night on average, blowing about $1,000 a month, adding up to $356 million a year. But according to the report, half of that is spent in other neighborhoods due to a lack of “appealing options” in the area.

Tap a keg, stat