Manhattan

Located in Noho's nondescript-modernist Bleecker Court at 77 Bleecker Street, this unique home was designed in 2003 by architect and educator Diane Lewis for an art-world client who wanted, according to the listing, "a cross between Mies van der Rohe and Barbarella." She definitely achieved that goal, creating a downtown apartment that's perfect for anyone with collections to archive and display or who is seeking a sleek, pristine home that does a lot in a small space. It's asking $1,075,000.
More views of this modern architectural wonder

Distinctive Homes

Image by Leif Knutsen on Wikimedia Commons

November 12, 2019

More businesses to shutter in LIRR concourse amid Penn Station renovations

Beginning next April, at least 17 additional businesses in Penn Station's LIRR concourse will shutter to make way for the station's $600 million revamp. As the New York Post reports, the closings will impact the north-side of the concourse, which is operated by real estate developer Vornado. Commuter-favorites like Shake Shack, Pret a Manger, and two Starbucks locations are among the merchants who will close shop, leaving commuters with significantly fewer fast-food options. Papyrus, Godiva, and Le Bon Cafe are also on the list.
More info

November 11, 2019

For $807K, light, pattern, and color wake up this two-bedroom Morningside Heights co-op

Situated within the amenity-filled Morningside Gardens co-operative complex, this two-bedroom home at 70 La Salle Street in Morningside Heights was renovated less than a year ago. The result is a cheerful and chic mix of color, pattern, and well-configured space that's highlighted by an abundance of natural light. With ceilings of over nine feet tall and floor-to-ceiling windows, this corner unit, asking $807,000, maximizes space with plenty of closets in addition to large and livable rooms.
Take the tour

Distinctive Homes

The 9/11 Tribute Museum might be closing its doors

Google Street View of the 9/11 Tribute Museum in October 2017; Map data © Google

November 11, 2019

The 9/11 Tribute Museum might be closing its doors

Google Street View of the 9/11 Tribute Museum in October 2017; Map data © Google The 9/11 Tribute Museum—perhaps “overshadowed” by the better-known Memorial Museum just a few blocks away—might be closing its 92 Greenwich Street location, as Crain’s reports. Real estate investment firm Thor Equities has placed the museum's three-story space on the market for $30 million. It’s not yet clear whether the museum will close down completely or be able to relocate.
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Events & Things To Do

$90/night Chelsea listing on Airbnb turns the spotlight on NYCHA housing

Queensbridge Houses. Photo credit: Metro Centric via Wikimedia Commons

November 11, 2019

$90/night Chelsea listing on Airbnb turns the spotlight on NYCHA housing

The New York Times recently told of a pair of visitors from Boston who signed up for a sweet Airbnb deal on a Chelsea pad for $90 a night–and were surprised to have it turn out to be a seventh-floor unit in the neighborhood's 11-building NYCHA Fulton Houses complex. The would-be guests noticed that "something seemed off," starting with the roach trap next to the bed. The travelers tipped off the company, who refunded their money, and their story quickly became internet history as yet another way homestay platforms are being taken advantage of and another log on the fire of the debate that rages over what to do about it.
Airb-n-beware?

The city introduces a new branding initiative to unite NYC’s public markets

Photo of the Arthur Avenue Retail Market by Leonard J. DeFrancisci via Wikimedia Commons

November 11, 2019

The city introduces a new branding initiative to unite NYC’s public markets

The New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) last week unveiled a new brand strategy for the city's network of six public markets, which includes a multilingual ad campaign, a dynamic new website and social media presence, direct mail campaigns and more, all of which are designed to consolidate a network of historic markets under one city-wide brand. It's all part of the organization's comprehensive initiative to promote NYC's public markets--including Essex Market, the Bronx's Arthur Avenue Market, and Williamsburg's historic Moore Street Market--as "world class destinations for both local residents and tourists."
See what's in store

City Living

Essex Crossing’s Market Line food hall will open to the public before the end of the month

Images courtesy of QuallsBenson

November 11, 2019

Essex Crossing’s Market Line food hall will open to the public before the end of the month

A few months after it was initially expected, Essex Crossing’s expansive and bazaar-like food hall, The Market Line, finally has an opening date. Phase one of the rollout is set to open its doors to the public on November 22, offering an initial mix of 30+ local vendors and restaurants, including NYC institutions like Ukrainian diner Veselka, family-run German butcher shop and Grocer Schaller & Weber, and 1920s tea parlor and bakery turned hip dim sum eatery Nom Wah.
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Win tickets to a 6sqft and Untapped Cities’ tour of Woods Bagot’s architecture studio

Photo by James and Karla Murray exclusively for 6sqft

November 8, 2019

Win tickets to a 6sqft and Untapped Cities’ tour of Woods Bagot’s architecture studio

By 6sqft

When designing new workspace in the Financial District, architecture firm Woods Bagot knew they wanted to incorporate a sense of New York City grit. The studio's raw interiors, which look convincingly original, black and white palette, exposed pipes and cracked concrete floors help pull off this aesthetic, while the use of technology and communal space keep things modern. As part of a partnership between 6sqft and Untapped Cities, you can take a behind-the-scenes tour of Woods Bagot studios, the firm behind Union Crossing in the South Bronx and mixed-use tower The Amberly in Downtown Brooklyn. Led by architect Sorrel Anderson, the tour offers lovers of architecture and city planning a chance to learn about the studio's design, test out a virtual reality experience, and ask questions at the end of the evening. Below, enter our raffle for a chance to win two tickets to the tour.
Find out how to enter

Photo credit: Warburg Realty

November 8, 2019

A 15th-floor Gilded-Age classic in the San Remo’s north tower asks $25M

This combined two-unit co-op in the architectural gem that is the Emery Roth-designed San Remo at 145 Central Park West (where Demi Moore's former pad just hit the market for $50M), asking $25 million, has the Central Park and Manhattan skyline views you'd expect from the iconic building's north tower. Inside, the over-5,500-square-foot corner residence is just as impressive, with an architect-led renovation and interiors by renowned designer Bunny Williams that has preserved the home's Art Deco character while sparing no expense on modern convenience. The 14-room home, currently owned by money manager Peter W. May and his wife, Leni May (h/t New York Times), is configured as three bedrooms and a library with an additional study and a media room.
Sky mansion tour, this way

Distinctive Homes

Penthouse inside 111 West 57th Street’s landmarked Steinway Building hits the market for $21M

Renderings by Hayes Davidson and images by Peter Murdock; courtesy of Douglas Elliman

November 8, 2019

Penthouse inside 111 West 57th Street’s landmarked Steinway Building hits the market for $21M

Once home to the Steinway & Sons piano company, the landmarked building at 111 West 57th Street was acquired by developers JDS Development, Property Markets Group, and Spruce Capital Partners in 2013 for $217.5 million and has since become incorporated into SHoP Architects’ super-slender supertall tower rising next to it. Originally built in 1925, the Beaux-Arts building will house the lobby for the luxury tower and a small number of apartments, including this 5,200+ square-foot duplex penthouse that just listed for $21 million.
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Manhattan community board says no to Central Harlem developer’s rezoning plan

Aerial view of the developer’s planned updates. Credit: Davis Brody Bond

November 8, 2019

Manhattan community board says no to Central Harlem developer’s rezoning plan

Manhattan Community Board 10 voted Wednesday night against a developer’s plan that would substantially rezone the Lenox Terrace neighborhood in Central Harlem and pave the way for construction of five new 28-story luxury towers and big-box retail stores. The rezoning application, filed by the Olnick Organization, asked the city to rezone Lenox Terrace from its current residential status to the C6-2 designation found in "the central business district and regional commercial centers,” according to the city’s zoning resolution. The community board’s vote sided with the Lenox Terrace Association of Concerned Tenants (LT-ACT), which opposes the rezoning and has demanded the developer withdraw the application.
More on the resolution this way

Policy

Is Essex Crossing the ‘anti-Hudson Yards’?

Rendering of Essex Crossing via Moso Studio

November 7, 2019

Is Essex Crossing the ‘anti-Hudson Yards’?

The New York Times recently suggested that the boxy, ordinary-looking Essex Crossing, with its Trader Joe's, Target, movieplex, historic Essex Street Market and subsidized affordable housing was the "anti-Hudson Yards," a convincing foil to the buzzy midtown tourist magnet. The obvious contrast between the glittering far-west-side megaproject that in the right light resembles Dubai on the Hudson and the six-acre $1.9 billion development abutting the Williamsburg Bridge speaks to each one's intended audience, of course. But a diversity of options for both locals and visitors and a broad offering of affordable housing could make Essex Crossing more than just Liverpool on the Lower East Side.
Read on

For $3.85M, get perfectly framed views of the Empire State Building at this Nomad condo

Listing images by Etian Gamliely; courtesy of Sotheby’s International Realty

November 7, 2019

For $3.85M, get perfectly framed views of the Empire State Building at this Nomad condo

This two-bedroom condo at 225 Fifth Avenue features an efficient layout and comes in mint condition, but what really sets it apart is its central Nomad location and the enviable views that come with it. Across the street from Madison Square Park, the corner living room overlooks Fifth Avenue with direct views of the Empire State Building and the vibrant new “Gilded Lady” mural painted by artist Tristan Eaton as an homage to the neighborhood’s history. The unit last sold in 2011 for $2.4 million and is now on the market seeking $3.85 million.
Get the full tour

Sprawling residence inside Central Park West’s historic ‘castle’ seeks $6.5M

Listing images by Travis Mark; courtesy of Sotheby’s International Realty

November 7, 2019

Sprawling residence inside Central Park West’s historic ‘castle’ seeks $6.5M

This 120-year-old turreted brick-and-brownstone castle has a fascinating (and somewhat grim) history as the city’s first cancer hospital. Designed by Charles C. Haight in 1887 in the French Renaissance style, it later became a nursing home before it was converted to a very unique residential condominium in 2005. Units don’t often come on the market but when they do, they offer a scale that’s hard to match in the city, with 13-foot ceilings throughout, massive interior spaces, and Central Park a stone’s throw away. This three-bedroom residence at 445 Central Park West is now on the market for a relatively cool $6.445 million, considering the living room alone is larger than most NYC apartments.
Take a look around

First major exhibition to highlight African American culinary history coming to Harlem next year

Exhibition renderings courtesy of the Museum of Food and Drink

November 6, 2019

First major exhibition to highlight African American culinary history coming to Harlem next year

Next February the Museum of Food and Drink (MOFAD) will bring together the country’s first exhibition celebrating the countless ways in which African Americans have shaped American cuisine. Curated by Dr. Jessica B. Harris, a leading expert on the foods of the African Diaspora, African/American: Making the Nation’s Table will take place at The Africa Center in Harlem and feature musical selections by Questlove, tastings by Chef Carla Hall, and a restoration of the historic Ebony Magazine Test Kitchen.
More details

This holiday season, you can book a toy-filled FAO Schwarz hotel suite for $3,000/night

Photo courtesy of Conrad New York Midtown

November 6, 2019

This holiday season, you can book a toy-filled FAO Schwarz hotel suite for $3,000/night

A new hotel in Midtown is offering the ultimate New York City holiday experience. Conrad New York Midtown has partnered with iconic toy store FAO Schwarz to bring a 1,800-square-foot one-bedroom suite full of toys, including 10-foot stuffed animals, train sets, and of course, the famous dance-on piano. The playful stay does not come cheap; the holiday suite package starts at $3,000 per night.
How to book

Events & Things To Do

Plan to expand Hudson River Park at Pier 76 tow pound site moves forward

Photo by Beyond My Ken on Wikimedia

November 6, 2019

Plan to expand Hudson River Park at Pier 76 tow pound site moves forward

The waterfront park on Manhattan's West Side is set to grow again. City officials are in talks with the New York Police Department to relocate a tow pound at Pier 76 to make way for a new section of Hudson River Park. THE CITY reported on Wednesday that while nothing has been approved yet for the site, which sits adjacent to the Javits Center, officials last month presented a preliminary proposal to Manhattan Community Board 4, signaling the beginning of the long-awaited plan to incorporate the pier into the park.
More here

Policy

Photos courtesy of Douglas Elliman.

November 6, 2019

On-trend hues, a stylish renovation, and handy storage define this $429K Hell’s Kitchen studio

On midtown Manhattan's west side, next door to the Theater District and near Hudson Yards, this compact, stylish, cozy co-op in the heart of Hell's Kitchen at 349 West 44th Street would make a charming and convenient pied-a-terre. At a (relatively) compact asking price of $429,000, all the basics are present in a pristine renovation, with enough artfully created closet and storage space to keep things as elegant and tidy as they look in the listing.
Get a closer look

Distinctive Homes

Starbucks opens its first pickup-only store in Midtown

Photo by Eric Soltan for Starbucks

November 5, 2019

Starbucks opens its first pickup-only store in Midtown

Last year, Starbucks opened a massive roastery in Chelsea with two coffee bars, a cocktail bar, and a bakery, inviting java drinkers to stay awhile. On Tuesday, the company will offer a different option for on-the-go customers in Manhattan with a new store that primarily accepts to-go orders from the Starbucks mobile app. Located in Penn Plaza at 242 West 34th Street above the busy transit hub, the Starbucks "pickup" store is the first of its kind.
More here

Uncategorized

Urbanspace will open two new Midtown food halls

Urbanspace Vanderbilt, photo by Shinya Suzuki / Flickr

November 5, 2019

Urbanspace will open two new Midtown food halls

By Dana Schulz

Though most New Yorkers know the company Urbanspace for its food halls, it actually started out when founder Eldon Scott set up the Grand Central and Union Square holiday markets in 1993. Now, the company has holiday markets in Columbus Circle and Bryant Park, runs seasonal pop-up food markets like those at Madison Square and the Garment District, and has expanded to DC and Chicago. Scott smartly opened his first permanent food market, Urbanspace Vanderbilt, in 2015 adjacent to Grand Central, and in 2017, opened another at Lexington Avenue and 51st Street. Back in January, Urbanspace announced another Midtown location on 52nd Street between 6th and 7th Avenues, and just yesterday, Commercial Observer reported that they'd open their fourth location just two blocks away on 50th Street.
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Food & Dining

Beautiful brick archways frame this huge Tribeca loft, asking $6.5M

Listing photos by Evan Joseph, courtesy of NestSeekers International

November 5, 2019

Beautiful brick archways frame this huge Tribeca loft, asking $6.5M

By Dana Schulz

When 108-10 Franklin Street was built in Tribeca in 1861, it was two separate structures with a central party wall. Today, the building has been opened up, and what's left is a unique co-op whose lofts display this party wall in a series of oversized brick archways. A sprawling four-bedroom unit at the address is currently on the market for $6.5 million, and in addition to this incredible architectural feature, the home has an outdoor terrace, a massive open living/dining space, a home gym/yoga studio, and an entire lower level that can be configured to the new owners' needs.
Take a tour around

Distinctive Homes

Barneys’ Madison Avenue flagship to stay open as a temporary pop-up

Photo by Jim.henderson on Wikimedia

November 4, 2019

Barneys’ Madison Avenue flagship to stay open as a temporary pop-up

Barneys New York was officially sold for roughly $270 million on Friday after filing for bankruptcy just three months prior. The new owners of the luxury retailer, Authentic Brands Group and B. Riley Financial Inc., will license the Barneys name to other companies and likely close most of its locations across the country. But the store's beloved flagship location at 660 Madison Avenue will stay open for at least the next year, according to the Real Deal.
Learn more

Real Estate Trends

November 4, 2019

Three years after promising $5M West Village house to the Lenape, Louise Bourgeois’ son backtracks

Three years after Jean-Louis Goldwater Bourgeois announced plans to transfer the deed of his West Village townhouse to a nonprofit organization run by a former chief of the Ramapough Indians—part of the Lenape Nation, the original Manhattanites—the millionaire activist (and artist Louise Bourgeois' son) has decided to hold onto it after all. Bourgeois was working on plans to transform the historic wood-frame home into a patahmaniikan, or a prayer house, when he decided that he was in fact "married to this building" and no longer eager to give it away, as the New York Post reports.
More details

History

$899K Nolita co-op is newly renovated with warmth, color, and a backsplash made of Legos

Photo credit: Donna Dotan Photography, courtesy of The Corcoran Group.

November 4, 2019

$899K Nolita co-op is newly renovated with warmth, color, and a backsplash made of Legos

Under $1 million in Nolita sounds nearly impossible, but this one-bedroom co-op at 243 Mulberry Street, asking $899,000 (and a low maintenance fee) is as legit as it is cute. The gut-renovated three-flight walk-up has classic downtown charm and a mint renovation that incorporates modern convenience, contemporary flair, and colorful details.
Get a closer look

Distinctive Homes

Sales still in a slump at post-2016 Trump Tower

Photo by Krystal T via Flickr

November 4, 2019

Sales still in a slump at post-2016 Trump Tower

Living under the shadow of having President Trump as an occasional neighbor–and as a sign on the front of your building–doesn't do much for condo property values in midtown Manhattan, if commercial leasing and residential sales at Trump Tower are any indication. CityRealty reports that vacancies persist in the commercial podium of 721 Fifth Avenue, and residential condo sales in the mixed-use tower have yet to recover from recent stagnation: Almost one half of the units up for sale have cut their initial asking prices, and all but two of the 11 condos whose sales closed this year have sold at an often-considerable–more than 10 percent–discount.
More on the Trump slump

Real Estate Trends

New York Public Library’s iconic lions are back on guard and better than ever

Photo from this afternoon, by 6sqft

November 1, 2019

New York Public Library’s iconic lions are back on guard and better than ever