East Village

Ambitiously dubbed EVGB–for "East Village's Greatest Building"–Extell Development's new rental building at 510 East 14th Street between Avenues A and B just hit the rental market. In addition to amenities like a fitness center, saltwater pool and rooftop deck, the new building is perhaps best known for its also-new retail anchor tenant, a two-level Target store, the chain’s first location in the neighborhood. The building's 110 market-rate and 50 affordable–the lottery for those launched recently–units are expected to be ready for occupancy by April. According to the building's just-launched website, available apartments range from studios for $3,695 a month to a three-bedroom unit for $12,425.
Take a look and find out more

March 1, 2018

15 female trailblazers of the Village: From the first woman doctor to the ‘godmother of punk’

Greenwich Village is well known as the home to libertines in the 1920s and feminists in the 1960s and '70s. But going back to at least the 19th century, the neighborhoods now known as Greenwich Village, the East Village, and Noho were home to pioneering women who defied convention and changed the course of history, from the first female candidate for President, to America’s first woman doctor, to the "mother of birth control." This Women’s History Month, here are just a few of those trailblazing women, and the sites associated with them.
Learn all about these amazing women

History

Live above Target in Extell’s new East Village rental, from $1,114/month

Rendering via Extell Development

February 8, 2018

Live above Target in Extell’s new East Village rental, from $1,114/month

By Devin Gannon

An Extell Development rental building in the East Village is now accepting applications for 50 newly constructed, middle-income units. Not only does the chic building at 524 East 14th Street boast amenities like a fitness center, pool and rooftop deck, it will also have a two-level Target, the chain's first location in the neighborhood. Qualifying New Yorkers earning 70 and 130 percent of the area median income can apply for units ranging from $1,114/studios to $2,733/month two-bedrooms.
Find out if you quality

Affordable Housing

How an East Village building went from gangster hangout to Andy Warhol’s Electric Circus

Google Street View of 19-25 St. Mark’s Place today

February 1, 2018

How an East Village building went from gangster hangout to Andy Warhol’s Electric Circus

Fifty years ago this week, the Velvet Underground released their second album, "White Light/White Heat." Their darkest record, it was also arguably the Velvet’s most influential, inspiring a generation of alternative musicians with the noisy, distorted sound with which the band came to be so closely identified. Perhaps the place with which the Velvets have come to be most closely identified is the Electric Circus, the Andy Warhol-run East Village discotheque where they performed as the house band as part of a multi-media experience known as the "Exploding Plastic Inevitable." Many New Yorkers would be surprised to discover that the space the club once occupied at 19-25 St. Mark's Place has since been home to a Chipotle and a Supercuts. But the history of the building that launched the career of the godfathers of punk is full of more twists, turns, and ups and downs than one the Velvet’s extended distorted jams that once reverberated within its walls.
The whole history right here

History

January 18, 2018

From house of worship to NYU dorm: The story of the East Village’s ‘ghost church’

The disembodied church steeple sitting in front of a 26-story NYU dorm on East 12th Street between 3rd and 4th Avenues makes for one of the more head-scratching sights in New York. This jarring juxtaposition results from a confluence of powerful New York forces, including religion, immigration, real estate, and the expanding appetite of one large institution, New York University, and the shrinking resources of another, the United States Postal Service.
The whole story right here

History

January 10, 2018

This cute studio co-op with some bonus storage asks $499K in the East Village

Studio living in this East Village apartment comes with some perks. It's been fully renovated and boasts bonus storage, like a walk-in closet and reserved space in the building's basement. This cooperative at 634 East 14th Street also offers a bike garage and private garden for residents. The cute pad, finished with exposed brick, crown moldings and maple hardwood floors, is now listed for $499,000 after being taken off the market last year with an ask of $525,000.
Take a tour

Distinctive Homes

What lies below: NYC’s forgotten and hidden graveyards

Zoom of the 1852 Dripps map of Manhattan, showing the proximity of downtown cemeteries, via David Rumsey Map Collection

December 21, 2017

What lies below: NYC’s forgotten and hidden graveyards

Most New Yorkers spend some time underground every day as part of their daily commute, but some spend eternity beneath our streets, and in a few cases occupy some pretty surprising real estate. Manhattan cemeteries are tougher to get into than Minetta Tavern without a reservation on a Saturday night because as far back as 1823, New York forbade new burials south of Canal Street. In 1851 that prohibition was extended to new burials south of 86th Street, and the creation of new cemeteries anywhere on the island was banned. But thousands of people were buried in Manhattan before those restrictions went into effect. And while some gravesites remain carefully maintained and hallowed ground, such as the those at St. Mark’s in the Bowery Church on Stuyvesant Street, Trinity Church on Wall Street, and St Paul’s Church at Fulton and Broadway, others have been forgotten and overlaid with some pretty surprising new uses, including playgrounds, swimming pools, luxury condos, and even a hotel named for the current occupant of the White House.
READ MORE

History

Extell’s Target-touting East Village rental gets new looks

Rendering via Extell Development

December 5, 2017

Extell’s Target-touting East Village rental gets new looks

By Devin Gannon

With construction wrapping up, Extell Development's two-tower rental complex on 500 and 524 East 14th Street got new renderings this week, revealing luxury amenities and ground-floor retail, including Target, the store's first East Village location. Opening in July, the popular chain will sit in one building of Extell Development’s complex, which was designed by Beyer Blinder Belle. According to CityRealty, the “flexible format” Target will span 9,649 square feet on the ground floor and 17,705 square feet in the cellar of 500 East 14th Street. The development will also include 160 total new rental apartments, with 32 set aside for low-, moderate- and middle-income households.
Find out more

New Developments

Apply for a middle-income apartment in Alphabet City, from $2,116/month

Photo of 101 Avenue D courtesy of Arabella 101

November 27, 2017

Apply for a middle-income apartment in Alphabet City, from $2,116/month

By Devin Gannon

Applications are currently being accepted for middle-income studio and one-bedroom apartments at 101 Avenue D in the Alphabet City section of the East Village. The 78-unit building, known as Arabella 101, is a post-war rental located between East 7th Street and East 8th Street. In addition to its prime downtown Manhattan location, residents can enjoy a roof deck, laundry room, bike room and fitness center. Qualifying New Yorkers earning between $74, 435 and $116,900 can apply for a $2,116 per month studio and those earning between $74-435 and $133, 700 can apply for $2,270 per month one-bedroom.
Find out if you qualify

Affordable Housing

Jewish gangsters, jazz legends, and Joy Division: The evolution of the Ukrainian National Home

The Stuyvesant Casino in 1945, via the Swedish Buck Johnson Society (L); The Ukrainian National Home Today, via Wally Gobetz/Flickr (R)

November 16, 2017

Jewish gangsters, jazz legends, and Joy Division: The evolution of the Ukrainian National Home

On 2nd Avenue, just south of 9th Street at No. 140-142, sits one of the East Village's oddest structures. Clad in metal and adorned with Cyrillic lettering, the building sports a slightly downtrodden and forbidding look, seeming dropped into the neighborhood from some dystopian sci-fi thriller. In reality, for the last half century the building has housed the Ukrainian National Home, best known as a great place to get some good food or drink. But scratch the surface of this architectural oddity and you'll find a winding history replete with Jewish gangsters, German teetotalers, jazz-playing hipsters, and the American debut of one of Britain's premier post-punk bands, all in a building which, under its metallic veneer, dates back nearly two centuries.
Learn this fascinating history

History

Artist aeries: Touring downtown’s ‘studio windows’

Artist’s studios on Bleecker Street, via GVSHP

November 9, 2017

Artist aeries: Touring downtown’s ‘studio windows’

With fall’s arrival and the turning back of the clocks, sunlight becomes an ever more precious commodity. Perhaps no New York living space is more centered around capturing and maximizing that prized amenity than the artist’s studio, with its large casement windows and tall ceilings. So with sunlight at a premium, let’s conduct a brief survey of some of the most iconic artist’s studio windows in the Village and East Village.
But first, a little history

‘The Alamo’ turns 50: A history of the Astor Place cube

1980s photo of the Alamo surrounded by mural, vendors, & musicians. © Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation Image Archive.

November 2, 2017

‘The Alamo’ turns 50: A history of the Astor Place cube

On November 1, 1967, an enigmatic 20-foot-tall cube first appeared on a lonely traffic island where Astor Place and 8th Street meet. Though several months before the release of "2001: A Space Odyssey," the one-ton Cor-Ten steel sculpture shared many qualities with the sci-fi classic’s inscrutable "black monolith," at once both opaque and impenetrable and yet strangely compelling, drawing passersby to touch or interact with it to unlock its mysteries. Fifty years later, Tony Rosenthal’s "Alamo" sculpture remains a beloved fixture in downtown New York. Like 2001’s monolith, it has witnessed a great deal of change, and yet continues to draw together the myriad people and communities which intersect at this location.
Learn about the cube's entire 50-year legacy

November 2, 2017

Fabled East Village triplex with retractable screen overlooking 14th Street asks $4.2M

By Annie Doge

Beginning in 2006, the conversion of a boarded-up brownstone at 224 East 14th street has been too fascinating to avoid headlines. The features that make the four-unit “Brownstone East Village” so noteworthy: on the second floor, a facade of honeycomb-patterned aluminum with a brownstone veneer can be automatically retracted to bare the home’s interiors to the bustling traffic of 14th Street just outside. At the rear, a glass- and steel-paneled garage door raises to open the kitchen onto the open air of an urban lawn. The project's architect, Bill Peterson, moved into the garden triplex with the retractable facade screen and garage doors; Philadelphia developer Alon Barzilay purchased the home from Peterson in 2014 for $2.355 million. Now, this traffic-stopping two-bedroom triplex is back on the market asking $4.2 million.
Check it out, this way

Distinctive Homes

October 30, 2017

Global interiors and a 1,000-square-foot garden put this $1.8M East Village maisonette in a class by itself

This impeccably decorated one-bedroom garden maisonette at 645 East 11th Street has East Village charm, international flair and a claim to the "largest private garden in Manhattan." Adding to the apartment's unique style is the treasure trove of interior details that reflect the owners' extensive travels to Asia, Bali and elsewhere including ceiling fans from the Metropole Hotel in Vietnam, a rosewood fireplace mantel, 19th century mahogany doors, a 19th century Chinese armoire and 10-foot teak walls surrounding a dozen bamboo trees in teak planters in the massive back garden.
Take the tour

Distinctive Homes

October 19, 2017

Off the grid: The little Flatiron Buildings of the Village

The Flatiron Building is one of the city’s most iconic and beloved landmarks. Since 1902 it’s been a symbol of New York, though ironically its acute angle formed by the intersection of Broadway and Fifth Avenue makes it an unusual sight in our otherwise orthogonal city on a grid. But while the Flatiron Building may be the most famous product of quirky street angles, it’s far from the only one. In fact, the "off-the-grid" streets of Greenwich Village and the East Village contain scores of them, most of which pre-date the 23rd Street landmark.
Take a tour of the little Flatirons

October 12, 2017

Two Boots Pizza founders’ amazing $10.5M townhouse is filled with memories of a bygone East Village

New York City is filled with homes–and stories–that are truly one-of-a-kind, and this massive, customized-from-top-to-bottom townhouse at 113 East 2nd Street in the East Village is a perfect example. The five-story townhouse is brimming with creative additions by residents who themselves helped shape one of the city’s most storied neighborhoods. The 7,000-square-foot property finds itself finally on the market for $10.5 million after a decade-long dispute between its owners, Phil Hartman and Doris Kornish, founders of the now-national pizza chain Two Boots, as the New York Post reports. The two divorced in 2008 and have been fighting over the home, where the pair raised three children, ever since. The 25-foot wide two-family townhouse is currently configured as an owner's unit with seven bedrooms and a separate one bedroom apartment on the parlor floor with "very limited and specific commercial uses." Though there are endless details that add originality and livability within, highlights include a serene rear garden and a performance space in the basement and cellar that's complete with a stage and 14-foot ceilings.
Explore this rare bit of East Village history

October 12, 2017

‘Orange is the New Black’ star Natasha Lyonne checks out $2M East Village synagogue condo

6sqft reported last year that "True Blood" star Alexander Skarsgård had viewed the penthouse-in-a-synagogue at 415 East 6th Street in the East Village; now, the New York Post reports that "Orange Is the New Black" star and noted native New Yorker Natasha Lyonne was seen checking out the 2nd floor unit in the unique condominium building, whose still-active congregation Adas Yisroel Anshe Meseritz will meet in a new space with a separate entrance on the first floor. The $1.99 million apartment–one of only three in the building–has plenty of perks like a key-locked private elevator entry behind its carefully-restored 1910 limestone facade with original stained-glass windows and architectural details.
Take a look,this way

October 10, 2017

For $1.65M, a folksy and funky East Village duplex with prime outdoor space

We are loving this East Village duplex, which boasts a front door straight out to a huge, elevated common terrace that acts like a private park for the residents of this boutique condo at 549 East 11th Street. Inside, a unique, whimsical interior has been decorated by owner Olga Vieira, owner of the yarn-turned-travel business the Koko Company. The apartment was last purchased in 1999 for $180,500 and now it's asking $1.65 million. And if you can't afford that, there's still a chance to Airbnb it.
Check out the outdoor space

Distinctive Homes

September 28, 2017

Iconic album covers of Greenwich Village and the East Village: Then and now

There’s no shortage of sites in the Village and East Village where great makers of popular music lived or performed. Less well known, however, are the multitude of sites that were the backdrop for iconic album covers, sometimes sources of inspiration for the artists or just familiar stomping grounds. Today, many are hiding in plain sight, waiting to perform an encore for any passersby discerning enough to notice. Ahead, we round up some of the most notable examples, from "The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan" to the Ramones' self-titled debut album.
Learn about the covers and see what the locations look like today

History

September 26, 2017

For $875K, a boho-glam East Village co-op with its own roof deck

Scale to the top of the historic brick townhouse at 111 East 10th Street in the East Village and you'll find this charming one-bedroom co-op now on the market for $875,000. The walk-up may not be great, but there are lots of benefits of living on the top floor here. The ceiling has been heightened and expanded to include a row of skylights, and there's direct access to a private rooftop garden. The unit is part of a unique, coveted cooperative comprised of six 19th century townhouses that sit within the landmarked St. Mark's Historic District, holding 29 residences total.
Take a peek

Distinctive Homes

September 19, 2017

Massive, stunning East Village condo with a similarly impressive roof deck is renting for $10K a month

Looking for a huge, dramatic living space right in the heart of the East Village? It's right here, at 175 East 2nd Street, but it'll cost a cool $10,000 a month. This one-bedroom condo now up for rent spans 1,450 square feet and comes with a 1,247-square-foot roof deck. That's a ton of space, and all of it is dripping in unique, super trendy details: 11-foot ceilings with the original wooden ceiling beams, exposed brick, a fireplace and a long skylight over a renovated kitchen. Chic furniture and artwork fills all the open living space, and the apartment comes with the option to move into it furnished.
You'll be tempted to move in

Distinctive Homes

How Alphabet City’s ‘milk laboratory’ led to modern pasteurization

Nathan Straus’ First Milk Depot, opened in the summer of 1893, courtesy of the Augustus C. Long Health Sciences Library, Columbia University

September 14, 2017

How Alphabet City’s ‘milk laboratory’ led to modern pasteurization

The utilitarian building at 151 Avenue C between 9th and 10th Streets would hardly elicit a second glance from the casual passerby today. But its unassuming looks belie the incredible story of how Gilded Age science and philanthropy converged here to save thousands of children’s lives. In the 1800s, intestinal infections and diseases like tuberculosis caused by bad milk was running rampant in the city's child population, especially in poor communities like the Lower East Side. To combat the problem, Macy's co-owner Nathan Straus instituted a program to make pasteurized milk affordable or even free. And on Avenue C, he set up a “milk laboratory” to test the dairy and distribute millions of bottles.
The whole history here

History

September 6, 2017

For $879K, a lovely loft in an East Village building designed by Central Park’s architect

By Dana Schulz

Sure this East Village pad is cute--what with its exposed brick walls, reclaimed wood accents, pressed tin ceilings, and boho-chic kitchen--but what really sets it apart is its location at 307 East 12th Street, a landmarked Victorian Gothic/Flemish Revival structure designed in 1892 by the firm of Calvert Vaux, who co-designed Central and Prospect Parks. Built for the Children's Aid Society as a home and job-training center for abused young women, it was converted to co-ops in 1983, and today its lofty apartments boast high ceilings, double-height historic windows, and plenty of pre-war charm. This one-bedroom unit underwent a gut renovation last year and is now asking $879,000.
See it all here

Distinctive Homes

September 5, 2017

East Village’s $3.5M rooftop cottage finds a buyer in just over a month

6sqft marveled earlier this summer at the utter coolness of the two-unit, three-story property that atop the building at 72 East 1st Street in the East Village. The unit arrived on the market for $3.5 million in June; its top floor is comprised of one of the city’s handful of rare rooftop cabins and cottages. The Nantucket-style cottage is an artists’ studio, with a full-floor penthouse duplex below. Rare and cool clearly count for a lot, because the property has already entered contract at its asking price according to the listing site (h/t Curbed).
Take a look at how these unique homes are laid out

August 28, 2017

Alexander Skarsgärd lands Parker Posey’s former East Village co-op for $2.3M

By Annie Doge

Alexander Skarsgärd, an Emmy-nominee for his role in “Big Little Lies” and star of “True Blood,” has just purchased a co-op at 119 East 10th Street for $2.3 million, $300,000 over the asking price (h/t LLNYC). The East Village apartment once belonged to actress Parker Posey who sold it in 2008 for $1.3 million. Chloe Sevigny also lived in the same building for a few years before making the move to Brooklyn in 2013. The newly-single Swedish actor, who first looked at a penthouse at 415 East 6th Street back in December, chose the historic loft-like one-bedroom, which features wood-beamed ceilings, oversized windows and a communal garden, instead.
See inside

August 25, 2017

James Wagman Architect designed this East Village apartment around a custom helix staircase