Midtown

December 8, 2017

Three $40M units go into contract at 432 Park, buyer may be assembling a mega-penthouse

A massive deal has entered contract at one of New York's most exclusive condos, the super-skinny skyscraper 432 Park. Mansion Global spotted three neighboring penthouses that all entered contract this Wednesday. There's #92B, which was asking $40 million; #93B was asking $40.25 million; and #92A was asking $40.5 million. One of the condos served as a model penthouse (pictured above), which was designed and furnished by Kelly Behun. The developers, CIM Group and Macklowe Properties, would not comment on sales, so, for now, it’s unclear if a single buyer is responsible for the same-day transactions over the two floors. If so, someone has nabbed a nearly 12,000-square-foot mansion in the sky for around $120 million.
The buyer-or buyers-are a mystery

Real Estate Trends

New renderings revealed for Extell’s Central Park Tower as it hits halfway mark

Rendering courtesy of Extell

December 7, 2017

New renderings revealed for Extell’s Central Park Tower as it hits halfway mark

By Devin Gannon

The 1,550-foot Central Park Tower, the soon-to-be tallest residential tower in New York City, has gotten some new renderings that reveal how it'll appear lit up at night, as well as how its interiors may look (h/t YIMBY). Extell Development's current plans for the Billionaires' Row tower call for 179 condominiums, spanning on average 5,000 square feet, with open layouts and oversized windows overlooking Central Park. With the construction of the supertall at 217 West 57th Street now hitting its halfway mark and rising to roughly 700 feet, Central Park Tower is expected to be completed in 2019.
See inside the supertall

Renderings revealed for the renovated Condé Nast cafeteria, Frank Gehry’s first NYC project

Renderings via the Durst Organization/Studios Architecture

December 6, 2017

Renderings revealed for the renovated Condé Nast cafeteria, Frank Gehry’s first NYC project

By Emily Nonko

The fabled Condé Nast cafeteria--starchitect Frank Gehry's first ever project in New York--is getting a revamp and will reopen to new tenants in the Four Times Square office tower. The Post reports that the titanium-wrapped, fourth-floor venue is going to be integrated into a $35 million, tenants-only space in the 1.2-million-square-foot tower. The building's owner, the Durst Organization, says that while the space will have more seats, Gehry's signature elements have been preserved, like the curved-glass “curtains,” undulating titanium walls, and banquette seating nooks. 6sqft received a first look at
It'll now be run as a food hall

Architecture And Design

Live like a star in Lady Gaga’s former Central Park South penthouse for $33K/month

Photo of Lady Gaga via Wikimedia

December 4, 2017

Live like a star in Lady Gaga’s former Central Park South penthouse for $33K/month

By Annie Doge

The former penthouse of singer-songwriter superstar, Lady Gaga, has hit the rental market for $33,000 per month. Located in prestigious 40 Central Park South, the two-bedroom, two-bathroom features a sunken living room, two wood-burning fireplaces and a whopping four terraces. As the New York Post first reported, the sprawling duplex has been home to other celebrities like Liza Minnelli and Lance Armstrong. The apartment was featured in Lady Gaga's recent documentary, "Gaga: Five Foot Two," which is currently streaming on Netflix.
Find out more

November 28, 2017

Landmarks votes to consider Philip Johnson’s postmodern AT&T Building for historic designation

By Emily Nonko

This morning the Landmarks Preservation Commission voted to calendar the postmodern skyscraper at 550 Madison Avenue, designed by Philip Johnson and completed in 1984. The world’s first skyscraper built in a postmodern style was originally known as the AT&T Building, as the tower served as the company headquarters. Sony moved in in the 1990s, giving it the nickname of the Sony Tower. Last year, the building sold to the Olayan Group and Chelsfield for a whopping $1.4 billion. Their resulting renovation plan, led by Snøhetta, has elicited protest from preservationists who do not want to see changes to the building's impressive arched entryway. Now that the tower's calendared, the developers' $300 million renovation will eventually come up for a landmarks vote by the LPC.
See renderings of Snøhetta's proposal

New 40th Street entrance. Credit: Mecanoo with Beyer Blinder Belle

November 16, 2017

NYPL unveils $317M master plan and renderings for iconic main branch

By Michelle Cohen

At a Board of Trustees meeting Wednesday evening, The New York Public Library revealed the $317 million master plan that will guide the renovation of the iconic Stephen A. Schwarzman Building on Fifth Avenue and 42nd Street. The plan was developed by Dutch architecture firm Mecanoo and the NYC-based Beyer Blinder Belle. The historic Midtown Beaux-Arts building is home to one of the nation’s leading research libraries as well as historic spaces like the landmarked Rose Main Reading Room, the Maps, Periodicals, and Genealogy reading rooms, and Astor Hall.
This way for more renderings and what's to come

Architecture And Design

Rockefeller Plaza to get open, circular cutout in proposed makeover

Rendering of plaza outside 1221 Sixth Avenue, via Rockefeller Group/Citterio-Viel & Partners

November 7, 2017

Rockefeller Plaza to get open, circular cutout in proposed makeover

By Devin Gannon

The Rockefeller Group will transform the indoor-outdoor plaza of 1221 Sixth Avenue, formerly the site of the McGraw-Hill tower, its biggest makeover since 1969. As the New York Post reported, the redesign calls for the current sunken plaza to be replaced with a sidewalk-level space. Designed by Italian architects Citterio-Viel & Partners, the plaza will also feature a large, circle-shaped cutout in its center, adding 35,000 square feet of retail space below-grade level.
Find out more

Architecture And Design

November 1, 2017

One Vanderbilt’s outdoor observation deck may tie for highest in NYC

By Dana Schulz

Nearly a year ago, developer SL Green confirmed that their 1,401-foot supertall One Vanderbilt, set to be the city's second tallest building behind One World Trade Center, would boast a 1,020-foot observation deck, which would have made it the third-highest indoor-outdoor observatory in the city after the forthcoming 1,100-foot deck at 30 Hudson Yards and the 1,050-foot deck at the Empire State Building (One World Observatory is at 1,250 feet, but it’s not outdoors). However, new details and diagrams uncovered by NY Yimby show that it may actually stand at 1,100 feet, tying for the city's highest.
READ MORE

October 27, 2017

Proposal for gap along East River greenway calls for two wave-like lanes and flexible outdoor rooms

By Devin Gannon

In April, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced that the city will spend $100 million on closing the gap that stretches from 53rd to 61st Street along the East River Greenway in Manhattan. Beginning in 2019, the city plans on connecting all 32-miles of the greenway's coastline with waterfront amenities for the public. As ArchDaily learned, an interdisciplinary design practice, wHY, has submitted a request for proposal to the New York City Development Corporation for the greenway’s 1.1 mile-long, undeveloped gap. The firm’s $70 million proposal calls for two lanes: a slow one for plants and pedestrians and a fast-lane for bikers and runners.
Find out more

Lord & Taylor’s iconic Fifth Avenue building will become WeWork’s global headquarters

Photo courtesy of Lord & Taylor

October 24, 2017

Lord & Taylor’s iconic Fifth Avenue building will become WeWork’s global headquarters

By Dana Schulz

With rising rents and a national shift towards e-commerce, retail vacancies in NYC have continued to rise, especially in affluent areas like the Fifth Avenue corridor. Old-school department stores, which once served as cultural destinations where shoppers would spend entire afternoons, have been hit especially hard since they occupy such large sites. One of Midtown's most iconic, the 103-year-old Lord & Taylor flagship at Fifth Avenue and 39th Street, has decided to stay afloat by selling its 676,000-square-foot Italian Renaissance building to WeWork for $850 million. The co-working company will relocate its global headquarters to the landmark, reports the Times, leaving less than a quarter of the space, roughly 150,000 square feet, to Lord & Taylor.
Get the whole scoop

Uncategorized

A previous rendering of 666 Fifth Avenue, courtesy of Kushner Companies/Zaha Hadid Architects

October 16, 2017

Kushner Companies’ plan for extensive renovations at 666 Fifth Avenue rejected by Vornado

By Devin Gannon

Instead of the 41-story Midtown tower becoming an 80-story office building with hotel rooms and luxury housing, 666 Fifth Avenue will now get a much more simple upgrade. According to Bloomberg, Vornado Realty Trust, the project’s partner alongside Kushner Companies, told brokers the property will remain an office building, with“mundane” renovations planned. As one of the most financially troubled developments for Kushner Cos., the Fifth Ave project has been losing money since its purchase was first coordinated by Jared Kushner, currently a senior advisor to President Donald Trump, in 2007.
More this way

Policy

October 16, 2017

J.Lo and A-Rod go apartment hunting at 432 Park Avenue

By Annie Doge

When your relationship status gets its own acronym you know you're in another league of celebrity, so it comes as no surprise that J-Rod is said to be checking out apartments in 432 Park Avenue, the tallest residential building in the Western Hemisphere. According to the Page Six, a broker says they've been to the tower four times, while another broker claims they're looking at a "four-bedroom, half-floor unit on a high floor." The timing makes sense, as Jennifer Lopez put her enormous Nomad penthouse on the market for $27 million just 10 days ago.
READ MORE

Celebrities

Hill West design a modest, 19-story condo for Billionaires’ Row

Rendering of 7 West 57th Street found at its construction site, via CityRealty

October 9, 2017

Hill West design a modest, 19-story condo for Billionaires’ Row

By Devin Gannon

As Billionaires' Row on Manhattan's West 57th Street continues to grow with supertall towers, developer Sheldon Solow plans on constructing a more modest addition to the block. New renderings of the boutique condo at 7 West 57th Street, designed by Hill West, reveal a 19-floor building with an unassuming glass facade and a convex face, as CityRealty learned. The tower plays off of Solow's concave tower next door at 9 West 57th Street.
More this way

Construction of Norman Foster’s ritzy One Hundred East 53rd Street tower is complete!

One Hundred East 53rd Street, photo via CityRealty

October 5, 2017

Construction of Norman Foster’s ritzy One Hundred East 53rd Street tower is complete!

By Devin Gannon

The Midtown East tower designed by Norman Foster's Foster + Partners is finally finished. As CityRealty reported, the glassy design of One Hundred East 53rd Street takes into account the bronze hues of its historic neighbor, the Seagram Building, with a counter curtain wall. The luxurious residential building continues to be a magnet for celebrities, including couples like George and Amal Clooney and Cindy Crawford and Rande Gerber. The amenities are also of star quality: a wellness center, library lounge, swimming pool and a restaurant from the French chef Joël Robuchon who has earned 34 Michelin stars.
See inside

October 5, 2017

REVEALED: Central Park Tower’s ‘Village Green’ lawn and pool deck

By Devin Gannon

Central Park Tower, New York City's future tallest residential skyscraper, is getting a more down-to-earth design. As CityRealty learned, the supertall at 225 West 57th Street on Billionaires' Row will feature a sprawling landscaped space designed by HMWhite. The firm's terrace design includes both passive and active recreational areas, like a central open lawn and a sequence of complimentary garden rooms. Renderings of the projected 1,550-foot tall tower reveal a lap pool overlooking West 57th Street and a sun deck among pergolas and trellises.
More this way

Trump is claiming a $45K tax break by calling Trump Tower his primary residence

Photo of Trump Tower courtesy of Krystal T’s Flickr

September 18, 2017

Trump is claiming a $45K tax break by calling Trump Tower his primary residence

By Devin Gannon

While this week marks just the third time President Donald Trump has visited New York City since his January inauguration, property taxes he filed after the election designate Trump Tower as his primary residence. As the Real Deal reported, Trump will save $45,000 by calling his penthouse his main home, utilizing a tax credit known as the “coop condo abatement.” The credit can be used by owner-occupied co-ops and condos and takes off 28.1 percent of property taxes for the unit. Because of the tax abatement, the president has saved a little under $200,000 on his taxes over the last five years.
More this way

September 11, 2017

Tommy Hilfiger again drops price of his Plaza Hotel penthouse to $50M

By Annie Doge

After making several attempts to sell his pad, fashion designer Tommy Hilfiger is relisting his lavish penthouse apartment in the Plaza for $50 million. Hilfiger and his wife, Dee Ocleepo, first listed the apartment at 1 Central Park South in 2013 for $80 million. After dropping to $75 million in March 2015 and then $69 million, the most recent relisting had the property on the market for $58.9 million in April (h/t Mansion Global). The couple paid roughly $20 million in renovations for the 5,600-square-foot duplex, which features marble-clad rooms, vintage limestone fireplaces from England and a domed room that features a custom-designed “Elouise” mural designed by the children book’s illustrator Hilary Knight.
See inside

Proposal divides Columbus Circle into three zones: Conquest, Slavery, and Immigration

Photo via

September 1, 2017

Proposal divides Columbus Circle into three zones: Conquest, Slavery, and Immigration

By Dana Schulz

Just two days after Mayor de Blasio spoke publicly of his idea to add contextual plaques to controversial statues around the city instead of razing them, Public Advocate candidate and Columbia University history professor David Eisenbach has proposed a completely different plan. In reference to City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito's call to remove Central Park’s Columbus statue based on accounts that the explorer enslaved and killed indigenous people, Eisenbach suggested an alternative where Columbus Circle would be divided into public educational "plazas." As reported by DNAinfo, these would include three parts of the Circle for "Conquest, Slavery, and Immigration." Instead of taking down the monument, he believes this would "tell the story of Columbus’ legacy, the good, the bad, and the ugly."
READ MORE

Policy

August 30, 2017

Foreclosure moves ahead at Billionaires’ Row supertall 111 West 57th Street

By Dana Schulz

Things have been shaky for 111 West 57th Street since it came to light last month that construction on the world's will-be skinniest skyscraper was stalled at just 20 stories after Property Markets Group's Kevin Maloney and JDS Development’s Michael Stern were sued by real estate investment corporation and owner AmBase. Trying to salvage their $66 million investment, Ambase filed an injunction to stop lender Spruce Capital from seizing the $1 billion project, but yesterday a Supreme Court judge ruled that a strict foreclosure could move forward, meaning AmBase will likely lose its majority ownership, according to Crain's. On the flip side, the developers will now be able to proceed with construction on the 1,421-foot Billionaires' Row tower, whose units started going into contract earlier this month.
The full story

The Urban Lens: ‘Fifth Avenuers’ is a visual registry of the iconic street’s vibrancy and diversity

Photos © Nei Valente

August 25, 2017

The Urban Lens: ‘Fifth Avenuers’ is a visual registry of the iconic street’s vibrancy and diversity

By Dana Schulz

6sqft’s series The Urban Lens invites photographers to share work exploring a theme or a place within New York City. In this installment Brazilian designer and street photographer Nei Valente presents his series "Fifth Avenuers." Are you a photographer who’d like to see your work featured on The Urban Lens? Get in touch with us at [email protected]. Fifth Avenue: the street that divides Manhattan east to west; home to many of the world's most prestigious museums and famous buildings; high-end shopping destination; the road to Central Park; office district. There's no one way to describe the thoroughfare, nor is there one type of person associated with it. It's this vibrancy that branding designer and street photographer Nei Valente set out to capture in his new series "Fifth Avenuers." Over several months, Nei used his lunch breaks to capture "the unusual mix of tourists, blue- and white-collar professionals, and shoppers," creating "a visual registry of people and moments from one of the most iconic avenues in the world." His editorial style and candid technique is not dissimilar from that in "Newsstands," in which he documented the changing face of newsstands around the city. Ahead, Nei shares all his photos from "Fifth Avenuers" and fills us in on what went on behind the scenes.
Get it all right here

$2B redevelopment of Times Square’s Palace Theater gets new renderings

Rendering of the Palace Theatre entrance via Maefield Development

August 24, 2017

$2B redevelopment of Times Square’s Palace Theater gets new renderings

By Devin Gannon

Two years since the plan’s approval by the LPC, the redevelopment of the historic Palace Theatre at 1568 Broadway is nearly ready to take off. The theater will be raised 29 feet above its current level, making room for 70,000 square feet of new retail and entertainment space. With help earlier this month from L&L Holding Company, who became an equity and development partner, the ambitious project continues to progress; as CityRealty discovered, new renderings show the theater enveloped by an expanded Doubletree Guest Suites hotel, a new glass facade, and a sweeping LED screen at its podium. And though the gilded Beaux-Arts interiors will be preserved (they're interior landmarks), some preservationists have expressed concerns that moving the actual structure is a bit too aggressive.
Find out more

De Blasio considering removal of Christopher Columbus statue near Central Park

Photo via

August 23, 2017

De Blasio considering removal of Christopher Columbus statue near Central Park

By Dana Schulz

"Christopher Columbus is a controversial figure for many of us, particularly those that come from the Caribbean," said Puerto Rican-born City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito. According to DNAinfo, Viverito is calling on the city to consider removing the Columbus Circle statue of the Italian explorer as part of their larger 90-day review of "symbols of hate." She first introduced the proposal on Monday at a rally in East Harlem to remove another controversial statue, that of Dr. James Marion Sims, who achieved his title as the father of modern gynecology by performing experiments on slaves without consent and without anesthesia. Columbus, honored for discovering the Americas, is also believed to have enslaved and killed many of the indigenous people he encountered. In response, the Mayor's office said the proposal will receive "immediate attention." But of course, not everyone is happy about it.
Both sides of the debate

Policy

To avoid the PATH, will Hoboken commuters pay for pricey ferry service?

NY Waterway Ferry via Wikimedia

August 22, 2017

To avoid the PATH, will Hoboken commuters pay for pricey ferry service?

By Devin Gannon

As 6sqft reported in April, NY Waterway launched an additional ferry route running from Hoboken to Midtown Manhattan in response to a train derailment and delays at Penn Station. And since Amtrak closed a few tracks for repairs, more commuters have opted to take the scenic ferry as an alternative. While the eight-minute ride was normally only available during transit crisis, it will become a permanent transit option on Sept. 5. And although the ferry is perhaps a quicker and more scenic alternative, it comes with a steep price of $274.50 per month, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Find out more

Transit

MTA will ‘modify’ Times Square subway mosaics that resemble the Confederate flag

Image via Wiki Commons

August 18, 2017

MTA will ‘modify’ Times Square subway mosaics that resemble the Confederate flag

By Dana Schulz

The day after Mayor de Blasio and Governor Cuomo announced plans to review and remove controversial public Confederate structures and markers throughout the city, the MTA says it will do the same. Well, sort of. Over 90 years ago, station architect Squire J. Vickers installed mosaics resembling the Confederate flag at the 40th Street entrance for the 1, 2, 3 trains to honor early New York Times owner and publisher Adolph S. Ochs, who had "strong ties to the Confederacy" and was buried with a Confederate flag when he died in 1935. But yesterday, MTA spokesperson Kevin Ortiz told Gothamist, "These are not confederate flags, it is a design based on geometric forms that represent the 'Crossroads of the World' and to avoid absolutely any confusion we will modify them to make that absolutely crystal clear."
READ MORE

New rendering of Extell’s Central Park Tower shows sparkling all-glass facade

Rendering of Central Park Tower via Extell Development

August 15, 2017

New rendering of Extell’s Central Park Tower shows sparkling all-glass facade

By Devin Gannon

A new rendering of Central Park Tower, slated to be the tallest residential tower on Earth, shows the most sparkling image of the residential building yet. Construction for Extell Development’s supertall, located at 225 West 57th Street on Billionaires’ Row, is underway and when completed, the tower is projected to be 1,550-feet tall. As CityRealty reported, the all-glass rendering appears to be taken about 900-feet above Central Park and leaves out rivaling towers, 432 Park Avenue and 111 West 57th Street. The $2.98 billion project is expected to be completed in 2019.
Find out more

August 8, 2017

NYPL’s historic Rose Main Reading Room is officially an interior landmark!

By Dana Schulz

In May, State Senators Brad Hoylman and Liz Krueger drafted a letter to the Landmarks Preservation Commission asking them to designate the Rose Main Reading Room (one of the largest uncolumned interior spaces in the world) and the Bill Blass Public Catalog Room at the iconic Stephen A. Schwarzman Building on 5th Avenue as interior landmarks. Though the LPC has been criticized in the past for their backlog of potential landmarks, they quickly put the request on their schedule and just this morning voted unanimously in favor of the designations, which protect the spaces' murals, decorative plasterwork, metal and woodwork, light fixtures, windows, doors, balconies, built-in bookcases, and decorative elements.
Get the full scoop

Policy

After lease dispute, Secret Service vacates Trump Tower for trailer outside

Photo of Trump Tower via Krystal T’s Flickr

August 4, 2017

After lease dispute, Secret Service vacates Trump Tower for trailer outside

By Devin Gannon

The Secret Service has left its central command post inside Trump Tower after an argument between the agency and the Trump Organization over the lease agreement for the space. While the Secret Service previously placed its supervisors and backup agents one floor below the president's apartment, the Washington Post reported that in early July, the agents were relegated to a trailer on the sidewalk. Although President Trump has not been to his eponymous tower since he was inaugurated in January, the Secret Service still treats Trump Tower as the president’s permanent residence.
Find out more

Celebrities

The Greenwich by Rafael Vinoly

125 Greenwich Street

Financial District

The new altitude of downtown living

studios starting at $1,110,000
1 beds starting at $1,495,000
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