Real Estate Trends

March 28, 2016

Victoria’s Secret Model Amy Hixson Buys $875K Harlem Condo

Over the summer, 6sqft discovered that model Amy Hixson, who has graced the pages of GQ and Victoria’s Secret, was looking to unload her custom-designed, bespoke East Village pad for $899,000. She purchased the home for $625,000 in 2010 and then undertook a three-month renovation with Own Entity designers. The pad sold in August for $916,000, and using that extra profit the blonde beauty has now snapped up a two-bedroom Harlem condo for $875,000.
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March 28, 2016

Actor Chris Lowell Sells Double-Height Greenwich Village Loft for $1M

Former "Veronica Mars" actor Chris Lowell listed his Greenwich Village loft for $1.195 million back in November, just three months before buying another loft, this time in Soho, with girlfriend and fellow actor Kerry Bishé (from the AMC drama “Halt and Catch Fire” and the film “Argo”). The cute couple's new home, a triplex with outdoor space and tons of exposed brick, cost almost double at $2.25 million, which is why it's perfect timing that Lowell unloaded his bachelor pad. The Observer reports that he got $1,050,000 for the co-op at 67 East 11th Street, which boats 16-foot ceilings, double-height windows, and cast iron columns.
Take a look around
March 28, 2016

New Views and Renderings of Eliot Spitzer’s ODA-Designed Williamsburg Mega-Development

Construction and excavation is now underway on Spitzer Enterprises' trifecta of towers along the South Williamsburg waterfront. Set to rise from a three-acre parcel at 416-430 Kent Avenue, between Broadway and South 9th Street, the development is graced with nearly 400 feet of prized East River frontage. Approved permits filed with the Department of Buildings detail that the plan will comprise 857 rental apartments within three 22-story towers. A publicly accessible park and esplanade will run along the shoreline and connect to the the existing esplanade of the Schaefer Landing development to the south. The relatively young firm of ODA Architects is handling the design, which features many of their volume-popping elements to which we've grown accustomed. Firm founder Eran Chen told the Times that their design is a "molded iceberg, sculpted to create the maximum number of views and outdoor spaces." And as can be seen from the construction photos below, units will have stellar views of the Downtown and Midtown skylines and the East River bridges. The 253-foot-tall buildings will feature rooftop pools and terraces, on-site parking, bicycle storage, fitness centers, and lounge and recreation rooms. Twenty percent of units will be reserved for low-income households.
Get a look at all the renderings
March 28, 2016

New Looks for Staten Island’s $200M Mixed-Use Complex Lighthouse Point

Earlier this year, after a decade of delays, Triangle Equities received $16.5 million in state subsidies for their three-acre mixed-use development on Staten Island known as Lighthouse Point. They also partnered with real estate investment fund Lubert Adler LLP to secure another large sum of private financing, before breaking ground last month. With construction underway, Yimby uncovered new renderings that show the residential, retail, and commercial components of the $200 million development. As 6sqft previously reported, "Along with the New York Wheel, Empire Outlets, and New Stapleton Waterfront, Lighthouse Point is a key element of NYCEDC’s ongoing efforts to transform the St. George waterfront into a vibrant community."
All the renderings and details ahead
March 26, 2016

Permits Filed for Karim Rashid’s Soho Condos at 30 Thompson Street

A new building application was filed yesterday for a seven-unit condominium at 30 Thompson Street in Soho. New York-based Karim Rashid has been reported as the project's designer, though Heritage Architecture is listed as the architect of record. The boutique development is led by a joint venture involving between the Weis Group, Walker Ridge, and the Mavrix Group The permits detail the project will rise eight stories and 113 feet. The ground floor will house the lobby and off-street parking, while each of the high-ceilinged floors above will host just a single, floor-through residence. The mid-block site between Grand and Watts streets is located on a lightly-traversed stretch with an eclectic mix of building types and styles. The development will replace a one-story garage and will rise directly behind the glassy new condominium tower, 325 West Broadway.
more details this way
March 25, 2016

SHoP’s Dancing East River Towers Top Out With Plenty of Flood-Proofing Below

Three-and-a half years after Superstorm Sandy, New York developers are taking to the sea at a faster pace than ever. The most dramatic changes are in store for the East River shoreline, where more that two dozen developments are in construction or planned on both the Brooklyn and Manhattan sides. Ranging from the two million-square-foot Cornell Tech campus to the second largest condominium tower in the city going up at One Manhattan Square, the developments will usher in thousands of new residents and a sprinkling of workers to the flood-prone areas. As of late, the tidal strait's most striking addition has been a pair of asymmetrical, copper-clad towers at 626 First Avenue in Murray Hill. Last week, the team led by Michael Stern's JDS Development topped off construction on the 470-foot-tall southeastern tower. The taller 49-story, 540-foot northwestern tower finished its vertical rise some time earlier this month.
How is the project protecting itself from another possible storm?
March 24, 2016

Rent at Soho’s Nearly Complete 75 Sullivan Street, Units Start at $8,500 Per Month

In the shadow of Property Market Group's bricky condominium at 10 Sullivan Place, P. Zaccaro Co., Inc. (PZCo) is putting the finishing touches on their ground-up, seven-story rental building at 75 Sullivan Street. In case you couldn't tell by the title, this is NOT an affordable housing story. Rather, it presents a rare opportunity to rent in a newly-constructed building in Soho, which for the most part has mainly built very high-end condo buildings and boutique office spaces in recent years.
More details on the rentals here
March 24, 2016

‘Scarface’ Director Brian De Palma Buys Second Co-op in Fifth Avenue Building for $1.8M

Filmmaker Brian De Palma just bought a second unit at 1 Fifth Avenue in Greenwich Village according to city records. The famous director of "Scarface" and "Carrie" already owns an apartment on the 23rd floor of the Gold Coast building, where's he's lived since at least 1989, but his latest acquisition is a two-bedroom unit for which he paid $1,750,000.
Find out more about the building's celebrity residents
March 24, 2016

Rent Michael C. Hall’s Greenwich Lane Pad for $15K a Month

"Dexter" star Michael C. Hall (whom you might also love from "Six Feet Under" or David Bowie's "Lazarus") made celebrity real estate news just last week for the purchase of a $4.3 million two-bedroom apartment in the new Greenwich Lane complex at 160 West 12th Street. Now the New York Post reports that the apartment is available for rent for $15,000 a month. The actor, who successfully fought cancer at age 38, recently married longtime girlfriend Morgan Macgregor, an associate editor at the Los Angeles Review of Books. He also recently sold his Los Feliz home for $4.85 million, so while the couple may be warming up to New York City living, it makes sense to put the prime Village property to good use from day one.
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March 23, 2016

Curvaceous ‘Morph Tower’ Begins Its Rise at 15 Hudson Yards, Abutting the Culture Shed

The foundation mat has been poured, and Hudson Yards' first residential building, Tower D at 15 Hudson Yards, is beginning its climb into the burgeoning far west side skyline. Situated alongside the High Line, at the northeast corner of West 30th Street and Eleventh Avenue, 15 Hudson Yards will house nearly 400 apartments and soar more than 900 feet high upon completion. Discounting the enormous spire on the New York Times Building, the tower will be for a short while the tallest building in Manhattan west of Eighth Avenue. It will also abut the Culture Shed, likely to be the city's next great cultural venue. The skyscraper will be the first of two residential towers that Related Companies and the Oxford Properties have planned for eastern rail yards. The second will be the 1,000-foot-tall 35 Hudson Yards, and they will join the 900-foot Coach Tower at 10 Hudson Yards and the 1,296-foot 30 Hudson Yards.
More details and renderings ahead
March 23, 2016

Morris Adjmi’s 465 Pacific Street Tops Out, Only One Penthouse Unit Remains

When 6sqft checked in on Boerum Hill's 465 Pacific Street in November, it was little more than a hole in the ground with roughly 50 percent of its 30 condo units already in contract. Now, a little more than four months later, its seven-story concrete skeleton has topped off and just a sole penthouse unit remains. The $55 million development was forged through a partnership between Avery Hall Investments and ARIA Development Group, who purchased the block-through lot for $18 million in 2013. With Morris Adjmi Architects at the helm, the development is composed of two seven-story wings encompassing 85,000 square feet of floor space. Lower levels of the building are faced in a uniform skin of red brick and red mortar joints, while upper levels are finished in dark steel to pay homage to the Mohawk ironworkers who once maintained a community within the neighborhood.
Find out more right here
March 22, 2016

First Look at Scaled-Down West Village Condos Slated for 111 Leroy Street

Moving past a resounding rejection from the local community board, Property Markets Group (PMG) is forging ahead with a smaller, as-of-right plan to build a condominium and townhouse development at 111 Leroy Street. On a Belgian block stretch of the street, bestriding leafy West Village and mixed-use Hudson Square, the development will replace a long-time parking lot and small commercial building at the northeast corner of Leroy and Greenwich streets. Permits filed last year indicate PMG is seeking to build a 10-story condo tower with five adjoining townhouses. In all, the development will span 44,000 square feet, just half the scope PMG asked the community board to approve last year. That abandoned option called for a larger 30-unit condo building anchoring the site’s corner and spanning much of the Leroy Street frontage. Towards the eastern end of the site, they proposed a modest five-story affordable senior supportive housing facility as a concession to build bigger.
More details ahead
March 21, 2016

Affordable Housing 101: Should I Buy an HDFC Apartment?

While perusing hundreds of real estate listings you come across one that seems almost too good to be true: it’s in a prime neighborhood, there are two real bedrooms and two real bathrooms, and it’s selling for well under a half million. While you may be pinching yourself over the price tag, rest assured that it’s […]

March 21, 2016

Slate Property Group Seeks to Convert Greenpoint Savings Bank Annex Into Apartments

Slate Property Group is seeking approvals from the Landmark Preservation Commission to convert the rear annex of the landmarked Greenpoint Savings Bank into apartments. Situated within Greenpoint's historic district, at the southeast corner of Calyer and Lorimer Streets, the plan would add an additional two stories to an existing three-story office structure at the corner, ultimately yielding 25 units throughout 40,000 square feet of residential area.
More details ahead
March 21, 2016

Light Installation Artist James Turrell Gets $2.2M for Classic Gramercy Co-op With Park Key

In November, 2014, 6sqft reported that light installation artist James Turrell had sold an apartment at 26 Gramercy Park South for $2.1 million. The famed conceptual artist is based in Flagstaff, Arizona, so the sale didn't come as much of a surprise. However, now it's come to light (no pun intended) that he and his wife Kung Lim-Lee Turrell own more real estate in the neighborhood. According to city records released today, Turrell has sold his personal apartment at 2 Gramercy Park West (an historic Italianate mansion known as the James Pinchot House that's been divided into seven units) for $2,225,000. The artist's former home is a full-floor residence that comes with a much-coveted key to the park, a private garden, and, not surprisingly, an enormous skylight.
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March 21, 2016

Teaser Site Launched for Restored Harlem Gem on Morningside Park, Leasing Begins This Spring

Built in 1901 as a seven-story residential building, the distinctive Beaux Arts-style apartment house at 92 Morningside Avenue in Harlem has shed its scaffolding after a two-year renovation/restoration by ND Architecture & Design. It's also officially launched its teaser website that announces leasing of its 45 rental units will begin this spring. The site reveals unit interiors will have "prewar-inspired floor plans, contemporary design, and masterfully crafted finishes." The living experience is branded as "prewar parkside perfection" with “luxurious parkside living in a re-imagined Beaux-Arts masterpiece." Layouts will range from one- to four-bedroom residences with some duplex apartments. Amenities will include bike parking, a recreation room, a rooftop terrace and professional concierge services.
The full history of the site
March 21, 2016

Soap Star Cameron Mathison Sells Turn-Key Harlem Brownstone for $3.3M

In September, 6sqft uncovered the listing for 136 West 130th Street, the brownstone owned by Emmy-nominated “All My Children” regular and current "Entertainment Tonight" correspondent Cameron Mathison and his wife, Vanessa. The couple bought the four-bedroom home for $1.2 million in 2004 after house hunting and falling in love with Harlem's "Sesame Street” vibe. It had already been through a substantial developer-led renovation, but Mathison finished up the job, creating an urban oasis that's a mix of classic charm and contemporary fixes. Though the Canadian actor told the Times in 2009 that he “envisioned being in this place forever,” the plans changed when the TV show moved studios to Los Angeles. That same year, the couple listed the four-story home for $2.7 million, followed by a price cut to $2.5 million in 2011. There were no takers, so they rented the property out for $6,900 a month, before re-listing it this past fall for $2.9 million. Despite moving back to NYC, Luxury Listings NYC reports that the soap opera heartthrob has now sold the residence for $3.3 million, pretty significantly over ask.
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March 20, 2016

How to Use Virtual Renovations to Sell Your Home for More

New York City’s real estate market may move fast, but the same can’t be said for every property that’s up for sale. Smart sellers know that in order to be competitive, you’ve got to put your best space forward, and that means no mounds clothing stuffed into corners, no grit and grime in the bathroom, and definitely no dark […]

March 18, 2016

Revealed: First Look At the Builtd’s Condos Coming to 570 Broome Street

Who would have thought the hottest new address downtown would be along the approach to the Holland Tunnel? Recently, we published a new set of images showing a Renzo Piano-designed condo tower to rise at 565 Broome Street, last week we unveiled S9 Architects' renderings of a 30-story residential building to rise at 111 Varick Street, and now here's our first look at another stack of condos slated for 570 Broome Street. The rendering posted on the project site's construction fence shows a smart design of staggered setbacks and window groupings that offer an interesting solution to the area's tightly prescribed building envelopes. Designed by Tahir Demircioglu, builtd's facade is composed of a warm stone that clads both the lot-line walls and frames three-story high expanses of glass.
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March 18, 2016

REVEALED: TRA Studio’s Eco-Conscious East Harlem Condo, ONE 112

On a rather typical East Harlem block, along 112th Street between First and Second avenues, Soho-based architecture firm, TRA Studio has drawn up plans for a 22-unit condominium that will mend a once derelict site back into Manhattan's taut urban fabric. Commissioned by Gotham LP, the seven-story building will rise from a 60-foot wide, 5,000 square-foot parcel that is a third smaller than a new American home's median lot size. With the city's built-in efficiency already in place, TRA sought to go further and will implement low-energy strategies such as super-insulated glass windows and long rows of sun-shading terraces along the rear will reduce the building's environmental footprint.
Take the tour here
March 18, 2016

First Look: The Annabelle Selldorf Condos Replacing Bowlmor Lanes in Greenwich Village

The 23-story residential tower that will rise at 110 University Place, home of the beloved now-demolished Bowlmor Lanes, will be designed by starchitect Annabelle Selldorf, Curbed reports. Accompanying this news are brand new renderings and a teaser site for the 56-unit condominium building, which is being developed by William Macklowe Company. The condos replacing the Greenwich Village bowling mecca will be known as 21E12, with sales expected to launch in the next several months. As 6sqft previously reported, in 2012, Billy Macklowe, founder and CEO of William Macklowe Company and son of 432 Park Avenue developer Harry Macklowe, acquired control of the property from a partnership group.
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March 17, 2016

New Views Inside and Out of Renzo Piano’s First New York Residential Building

In January, 6sqft unveiled a set of illustrations and drawings detailing the exterior of Renzo Piano's forthcoming condominium tower 565 Broome Street (formerly known as 555 Broome). Now, with construction finally underway, the investors at Cindat Capital Management have published an online gallery providing a better taste of what's to come. Pitched between two of the city's most coveted neighborhoods, Soho and Tribeca, the much-anticipated development will rise nearly 320 feet in height along a full Varick Street block front between Broome and Watts Streets. The 25-story structure is being propelled forward by a joint venture among Bizzi & Partners Development, Michael Shvo and Itzhaki Acquisitions. Pritzker Prize-winning architect Renzo Piano was tapped as the design architect, while the local talents at SLCE are serving as the architects of record.
More details and renderings ahead
March 17, 2016

Richard Gere Picks Up $2.25M Old-World Condo With Keys to Gramercy Park

Last week, news hit that Richard Gere's former Noho apartment in the Silk Building had finally found a renter. It took eight months to get a tenant in to the sprawling live/work space, which was last listed at $20,000/month. Good thing the transaction went through, because the Post is now reporting that the actor turned activist picked up a $2.25 million Gramercy condo. The sale at 34 Gramercy Park East, which comes with a coveted key to the park, actually went through back in July, according to city records, but apparently Gere is extensively renovating the two-bedroom home and has only stopped by a few times since the summer. Sources say that he found out about the apartment through his friend Jimmy Fallon, who owns a whopping five units in the building.
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March 17, 2016

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

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

Aaron Dessner of Brooklyn Band The National Gets $2.3M for Ditmas Park Beauty

There's lots of big-name news happening in Ditmas Park this week. Just yesterday, 6sqft found out about Michelle Williams' plans to renovate her Colonial Revival mansion in the neighborhood, and now the Observer reports that Aaron Dessner of Brooklyn-based band The National has sold his beautiful, historic home for $2.35 million. The sale will affect the whole Grammy-nominated band, since their studio space is located in the converted garage. As the Observer notes, "A three-story Victorian-style house isn’t exactly where we pictured an indie rock band recording their album," but nonetheless Dressner bought the 3,282-square-foot residence for $700,000 in 2003. He then renovated and restored it extensively, doing most of the work himself. He configured it as a two-family home and at one point rented out the top apartment to band co-founder Matt Berninger, who now lives in Prospect Heights.
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