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March 5, 2018

De Blasio’s affordable housing agenda sees a record year; A guide to Brooklyn distilleries

Excavation work has begun on Long Island City’s Court Square City View, Queens’ future tallest tower. [CityRealty] Tribeca’s Farm.One is an indoor vertical farm that grows 100 ingredients for some of NYC’s top restaurants. [Cool Hunting] Despite tax code changes under the Trump administration, Mayor de Blasio is plugging away at his affordable housing plan, spending a record […]

March 5, 2018

116-year-old Yorkville bakery Glaser’s announces summer closing

When 6sqft met with Herb Glaser, the third-generation co-owner of Yorkville's 116-year-old German bakery Glaser's, he attributed the business' longevity to the fact that his grandfather "had the foresight and the ability to buy the building that we are in." So it came as a bit of a surprise when we learned over the weekend that the beloved bake shop will be closing its doors this summer. A bittersweet Facebook post stated that "After many years of daunting hours and hard work, the third generation of bakers have come to the difficult decision to hang up their bakers' hat and move towards retirement."
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February 27, 2018

Stream 30,000 free movies from the NYPL; East End Avenue’s building boom

Have a library card? You can now stream 30,000 films for free from the New York and Brooklyn Public Libraries. [Time Out NY] What it’s like living in one of NYC’s turrets. [NY Mag] NYC now has 7,500 tech companies employing 120,000 people, 60% more than a decade ago. [Crain’s] A new children’s book tells the story […]

February 22, 2018

NYC is the dirtiest city in the country; Italian-American group wants to landmark Christopher Columbus statue

New York is the dirtiest city in the nation, topping the categories of litter and pests. [NBC] And its residents smoke more weed than any other city in the world. [Brokelyn] The Columbus Heritage Coalition is petitioning the LPC to landmark the controversial Christopher Columbus statue. [amNY] Related’s Stephen Ross discusses Hudson Yards’ centerpiece, the Vessel. […]

February 20, 2018

Taylor Swift has ‘bad blood’ with her Tribeca neighbors; Inside David Adjaye’s Midtown spy museum

Taylor Swift’s Tribeca neighbors are not happy about her recent real estate hoopla, even posting “Taylor Swift Can Go F–k Herself” signs. [NYP] A proposed law would force NYC businesses to accept credit cards for transactions over $10. [Time Out NY] See inside David Adjaye’s Spyscape museum of espionage in Midtown. [Dezeen] New York state has 400 breweries, breaking […]

February 14, 2018

A love letter to NYC pigeons; Are these the New Yorkiest Valentine’s cards?

They’re romantic, they’re ubiquitous, and they have crazy visual abilities–why you should love NYC pigeons. [WNYC] For the third time, Jersey City was ranked the most diverse city in the country. [NJ.com] Celeb-favorite sweets emporium Sugar Factory will open a Museum of Candy in the old Limelight Church. [NYP] Inside one of Bushwick’s last remaining […]

February 12, 2018

How to celebrate the Chinese New Year in NYC; The fight to save the Frederick Law Olmsted house

Of course, an all-avocado restaurant has made its way to Manhattan. Avocado Appetit is now open in Chinatown. [Eater] Friday kicks off the Year of the Dog. Here are 10 alternative events to celebrate the Chinese New Year in NYC. [Untapped Cities] NYC has 400 outreach workers whose job is to build trust with people living on the streets […]

February 7, 2018

Inside the construction at the TWA Flight Center Hotel; Help eat the world’s biggest bagel and lox

Healthcare workers who use mass transit have a median commute of 51.2 minutes—the longest of any workers in NYC’s private sector. [Center for an Urban Future] Mapping the West Village’s 150 shuttered storefronts. [Medium] Residents of a Flatiron condo building are suing the Soul Cycle downstairs over constant “bowling-ball”-like thuds. [NYP] Help consume the world’s biggest bagel & […]

February 1, 2018

NYC has the world’s second highest concentration of tall towers

In 1962, nine of the world’s tallest buildings were south of 59th Street in Manhattan–and things hadn't changed much by 1981 when five of the tallest towers were concentrated on the same tiny island, which, with Chicago's three, gave the U.S. nine of the world's top 10 tallest skyscrapers. If you added Toronto's entry that made 10. Today, the only U.S. entry the top ten is lower Manhattan's One World Trade Center. This same tiny island though, is still number two in the world when it comes to concentration of tall towers.
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January 31, 2018

Staten Island is getting a massive rooftop farm; Waterline Square’s tallest tower gets glassed

Brooklyn Grange is opening a 40,000-square-foot organic rooftop farm in Staten Island. [Untapped Cities] Ikea is experimenting with renting out and buying back their own furniture. [Curbed] The fascinating and tragic history of the Wythe Hotel. [Greenpointers] KPF’s Two Waterline Square, which will be the complex’s largest tower, is starting to get its reflective blue skin. [CityRealty] […]

January 26, 2018

MTA wants some Twitter love; Hosting the Grammys in NYC costs $8M more than LA

MTA Chairman Joseph Lhota says the Freedom Ticket, which provides riders a seamless and slightly cheaper transfer between the Long Island Railroad and the city’s bus and subway system, will launch this year. [amNY] He also wants the MTA’s Twitter feeds to “be a little bit more positive than they are.” [NYDN] It’s costing $6 million to […]

January 25, 2018

You can complain to 311 via Twitter 24/7; East Village bar will kick you out for saying ‘literally’

Screenshot of 311’s Twitter page (L); Google Street View of Continental bar (R) 311’s Twitter account will start taking requests 24 hours a day, seven days a week. [amNY] Two new laws focusing on vacant land throughout the city are aimed at identifying lots and buildings that could be used for affordable housing. [CityLand] New York Magazine’s […]

January 23, 2018

Attend a public meeting about the L train shutdown; Does NYC have a food hall ‘glut’?

This Etsy shop will build a Lego replica of your home. [Apartment Therapy] The first major exhibition about the borough’s waterfront is now open at the Brooklyn Historical Society DUMBO. [Untapped Cities] The city has named four public artists in residence who will tackle the social issues of domestic violence, discrimination, prison reform, and probation through […]

January 23, 2018

Pitch us! Send 6sqft your freelance submissions.

Know of an up-and-coming architect with a lot to say? Have a knack for scoping out hidden gems around the five boroughs? Love diving into the history of a particular place? Then you might have what it takes to be featured on our site. 6sqft is accepting pitches for in-depth, original feature stories covering the […]

January 18, 2018

Décor Aid’s founder shares his 2018 design predictions; This year’s best food hall bites

Sean Juneja, co-founder of interior design firm Décor Aid, talks about his inspirations and predictions for 2018. [CityRealty] The East Harlem statue of unethical gynecologist Marion Sims will be moved from public Central Park to private Green-Wood Cemetery. [Brooklyn Paper] Check out the five finalists selected for the 2018 City of Dream Pavilion on Governors Island. […]

January 12, 2018

Lower East Side’s Landmark Sunshine Cinema closes next week; G train already suffering from L shutdown

Chelsea Piers is opening the borough’s largest fitness facility in Downtown Brooklyn. [NYT] Go into the crumbling, disaster-prone tunnels beneath Penn Station. [Bloomberg] The Lower East Side’s Landmark Sunshine Cinema will screen its final reel on Sunday, January 21st. [Deadline] The 20 best cheap things to do this weekend. [Brokelyn] Nearly three million people rode the NYC ferry […]

January 10, 2018

MTA rolls out its all-electric bus pilot; Secretive buyers made up 70% of Trump’s 2017 real estate transactions

The MTA kicked off a three-year pilot of 10 all-electric buses in an attempt to reduce emissions. [amNY] Despite being considered for landmarking, demolition started on the AT&T Building lobby. [The Architect’s Newspaper] Last year, 70 percent of Trump condos were sold to hidden shell companies. [USA Today] Penn Station’s new West End Concourse is already […]

January 10, 2018

NYC subway performers have the chance to stream their shows for a global audience

Subway performers have a chance to play to an audience of millions around the world thanks to a concert series hosted by the real-time broadcasting app Live.me. Live.me has more than 35 million users across the globe, according to Claudie Chen, content and operations manager for the app — that’s about four times the population of all five […]

January 9, 2018

NYC pedestrian deaths hit an an all-time low in 2017

Photo via WNYC/Flickr As traffic fatalities across the country have increased more than 13 percent in recent years, New York City has bucked the trend four years running, with a 32 percent drop in 2017, the lowest number in more than 100 years, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Monday. Under the mayor’s Vision Zero initiative, fatalities […]

January 5, 2018

No Pants Subway Ride scheduled for Sunday; Jeanne Gang’s High Line tower officially on the rise

Not bothered by bare legs in sub-arctic temps? The annual No-Pants Subway Ride takes place this Sunday. [amNY] The most expensive home in America is now this $500 million Bel Air estate. [Apartment Therapy] A closer look at the fitness industry boom in urban settings. [CityLab] Fred Bass, who transformed his father’s small used-book store […]

January 5, 2018

Round two of Penn Station track work begins today

The winter round of repair work at Penn Station is slated to begin as scheduled on Friday, which means that changes are coming Monday for Amtrak, Long Island Rail Road, and New Jersey Transit passengers, though most of the work will be done on weekends. This round is expected to end May 28 and will focus on […]

January 3, 2018

All 471 subway stations now have countdown clocks; First Rikers jail to close this summer

Did you know today is National Returns Day? UPS says it will handle a record 1.4 million returns on Wednesday alone. [WP] After 50 years of advocacy, Prospect Park is officially car-free. [Streetsblog] All 471 subway stations now have countdown clocks, 11 years after the MTA started the project. [NYDN] Permits have been filed with the […]

January 3, 2018

De Blasio announces $50M initiative to add 1,500 new security bollards

Mayor Bill de Blasio and the City’s Security Infrastructure Working Group making the announcement at the Times Square pedestrian plaza. Credit: Ed Reed/Mayoral Photography Office. In an effort to better prevent vehicular terror attacks in New York City, officials on Tuesday unveiled plans to add 1,500 permanent bollards, or barriers, in high-profile areas. “These bollards will […]

January 2, 2018

NYC to stay below-freezing until at least Monday

If you’re already over the bitterly cold weather that accompanied the dawn of 2018, you may want to brace yourself. It’s going to be here for at least the next seven days. According to the National Weather Service, below-freezing temperatures are expected to remain throughout the New York City region until Monday, when we should […]