Manhattan

This one-bedroom home in Turtle Bay Towers at 310 East 46th Street, asking $825,000, plays with creative design and dramatic custom construction to give it the feel of an industrial loft. Steel and tempered glass surround a floating staircase, and grand dimensions and open spaces make this condop stand out from the average full-service midtown Manhattan pack.
Take the tour

Distinctive Homes

Disney files plans for a 19-story headquarters in Hudson Square

304 Hudson Street via Google Street View

August 6, 2019

Disney files plans for a 19-story headquarters in Hudson Square

The Walt Disney Company has tapped Skidmore Owings & Merrill to design its new Hudson Square headquarters, according to a pre-filing application filed last week with the Department of Buildings. As first reported by the Real Deal, the building will rise 19 stories and include "East" and "West" towers. Last July, the media company purchased the rights to develop the property at 4 Hudson Square from Trinity Church, which owns a large percentage of buildings in the neighborhood, for $650 million under a 99-year agreement.
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Real Estate Trends

Fabled 242-square-foot West Village ‘Wee Cottage’ is back on the market for $429K

Photos by Zio and Sons courtesy of Halstead

August 6, 2019

Fabled 242-square-foot West Village ‘Wee Cottage’ is back on the market for $429K

6sqft previously featured this unique West Village studio for its clever design in 2014, when its owners, Jourdan Lawlor and Tobin Ludwig, who bought the charming co-op for a mere $270,000, transformed the 242-square-foot pied-a-terre at 352 West 12th Street into a marvel of brilliant design and space-optimizing solutions. The pair dubbed it “The Wee Cottage” and invested in a renovation that became the stuff of micro-apartment legend (Refinery29 named it the Coolest Tiny Apartment in NYC, and it’s an Instagram favorite). After a spin as a rental, they put their mini-masterpiece on the market last year for $500,000. Now its price has gotten a wee bit smaller, currently asking $429,000 (h/t Curbed).
Take another peek

Distinctive Homes

August 5, 2019

‘Friends’ pop-up in Soho will let fans experience the iconic (if unrealistic) interiors of the hit series

It’s been 25 years since the world met Ross, Rachel, Joey, Monica, Chandler, and Phoebe in the hit 90s sitcom Friends. But it wasn’t just the characters who became iconic—the interiors portrayed throughout the show, Monica and Joey’s (completely unrealistic) apartments, and of course, Central Perk, became influential “characters” in their own right. To celebrate this year’s big anniversary, New Yorkers will have a chance to experience those interiors first-hand in a new, immersive pop-up featuring set recreations that will bring you right into the center of the Friends universe.
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Events & Things To Do

August 5, 2019

Billionaires’ Row kosher deli fights high-rise developer over eviction

Cafe Classico, a kosher delicatessen that has occupied the storefront on West 57th Street next door to an 1891 French-style townhouse for 19 years has asked a judge to spare it from eviction, the New York Post reports. The LeFrak Organization and Vornado Realty have plans to build a high-rise tower on the next-door property at 29 West 57th Street, and the deli's landlord, 35 West Realty Co., has threatened to evict the longtime business over insufficient insurance coverage.
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New Developments

$11.5M Beekman Place duplex is a rare piece of Manhattan social history, Warhol connection included

Listing photos by Donna Dotan, courtesy of Compass

August 5, 2019

$11.5M Beekman Place duplex is a rare piece of Manhattan social history, Warhol connection included

This 5,200-square-foot duplex at 1 Beekman Place, on the market for the first time in 50 years, is a rare piece of NYC history. The seller is socialite and one-time Warhol muse Barbara Allen de Kwiatkowski. With 60 linear feet of windows overlooking the East River on each level, this palatial 12-room co-op offers five bedrooms, three fireplaces, a private balcony, two terraces overlooking the East River and a one-bedroom staff apartment on a separate floor.
More of the grand tour, this way

Distinctive Homes

Camp for free under the stars in The Battery

Photo courtesy of the Battery Conservancy

August 1, 2019

Camp for free under the stars in The Battery

It's your chance to have a free quintessential summer experience, albeit not typical a New York City one. The Battery Conservancy on Thursday will open a lottery for free tickets to camp at the historic 25-acre public park. As part of the Battery CampOut, families are provided with tents, campfire singalongs, s'mores, and a lightning bug show. But remember to bring your own sleeping bag.
Find out how to enter

Events & Things To Do

Katz’s iconic deli fare pops up at The Met this month

Image: City Foodsters via Flickr.

August 1, 2019

Katz’s iconic deli fare pops up at The Met this month

Starting August 2, visitors at Manhattan’s venerable Metropolitan Museum of Art will be able to indulge in a taste of the iconic Lower East Side deli in a pop-up within the museum's cafeteria, Food & Wine reports. Through the end of summer, hungry culture vultures can choose from turkey or pastrami sandwiches, potato salad, pickles and a selection of Dr. Brown's soda. “Expert cutters” will even be on-site to serve up the hand-carved platters. The pop-up will occupy a temporary version of the downtown delicatessen, complete with a mini Katz's lightbox on display. The pop-up will be open Thursday through Monday starting at 11:30 A.M.
Still hungry? find out more

Sting drops $66M on penthouse in millionaire-magnet 220 Central Park South

Photo of 220 CPS via CityRealty; photo of Sting via Wiki Commons

August 1, 2019

Sting drops $66M on penthouse in millionaire-magnet 220 Central Park South

By Dana Schulz

It's been three years since rumors surfaced that Sting and wife Trudie Styler were in negotiations to buy an apartment in ultra-exclusive 220 Central Park South. Since then, they sold their nearby 15 Central Park West penthouse for $50 million and reportedly rented a swanky pad at Zaha Hadid's High Line condo. But now The Real Deal has confirmed those early whispers and reports that the couple has purchased a $66 million penthouse at the Central Park South building, which has become a magnet for high-wealth house hunters after hedge funder Ken Griffin dropped $238 million on a residence there, becoming the most expensive home in the country.
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After local condo board sues, judge rules that Central Park West bike lane can go forward

Via Public Domain

August 1, 2019

After local condo board sues, judge rules that Central Park West bike lane can go forward

Earlier this week, a group of Upper West Side residents from the Century Condominium filed a suit against the city for its plans to install a protected bike lane on Central Park West, attempting to cease its construction immediately. As 6sqft previously reported, the bike lane plan consists of installing a northbound protected lane from 59th Street to 110th Street–eliminating 400 parking spots in the process (another point of contention for the plaintiffs). But yesterday, Supreme Court Justice Lynn Kotler ruled against their request for a “temporary restraining order” and expressed skepticism over their claims that the bike lane would bring “immediate and irreparable harm to the neighborhood,” as Streetsblog reported. Work crews will continue putting in the bike lane—which doesn’t actually involve any construction, just painting street markings—until city lawyers and plaintiffs reconvene in court on August 20.
More info

August 1, 2019

Spend six months perfecting your act in this $10K/month UWS rental with a rehearsal studio

This furnished six-month rental opportunity at 236 West 78th Street on the Upper West Side is not only perfectly located near Central Park and Lincoln Center, the gorgeous loft-like home features a soundproof rehearsal studio space complete with professional lighting and theater seats, two home office spaces–and a sunny landscaped private patio. Available from November 1st thru April 30th, the 2,240-square-foot one-bedroom home is asking $10,000 per month.
Get a closer look

Real estate investors buy $1.2B worth of NYC market-rate rentals with plan to make them affordable

The River Crossing building in Harlem; Photo by CTC Creative

July 31, 2019

Real estate investors buy $1.2B worth of NYC market-rate rentals with plan to make them affordable

A group of real estate investors is buying 2,800 New York City rental apartments for $1.2 billion. But instead of keeping with the industry's custom of converting affordable units into market-rate homes, L+M Development Partners and its partner Invesco Real Estate plan on returning a chunk of those units to long-term regulation. The venture involves the purchase of five former Mitchell-Lama buildings in Manhattan, with four in Harlem and one on Roosevelt Island.
Keep reading

Chelsea’s first passive house building launches affordable lottery with units from $1,169/month

Rendering via ZH Architects

July 31, 2019

Chelsea’s first passive house building launches affordable lottery with units from $1,169/month

As Cityrealty reported, construction topped out at Flow Chelsea at 211 West 29th Street last fall; the 24-story building's distinguished stone facade and framed windows are all the way up, and as work winds down, an affordable lottery has been announced for 17 of the building's 55 units. Individuals and households earning 70 to 130 percent of the area median income are eligible to apply for studio through three-bedroom apartments with rents that range from $1,169/month for studios to $3,051/month for a two-bedroom. As Chelsea's median rent ranges from $3,112/month for studios to $7,295/month for two-bedrooms (figures per CityRealty listings), this is quite a deal.
Find out how to apply

Image via Wiki Commons

July 31, 2019

Chelsea Hotel owners have sent nearly $60,000 to de Blasio in attempt to gain favor for construction

It’s been several years since Ira Drukier and Richard Born took over as owners of the historic Chelsea Hotel with plans to turn it into a luxury hotel. The rent-stabilized tenants who remain in the hotel even as it’s been turned into a construction zone have filed multiple complaints with the city, hitting the new owners with violations and a lawsuit. But The City has uncovered a link between those complaints and Drukier and Born’s donations to Mayor de Blasio’s political funds. Over the course of less than a year—from August 2018 to June—18 checks totaling $57,400 were sent to de Blasio’s presidential campaign from either the owners or people associated with them. The checks started coming soon after city building inspectors began responding to tenant complaints about hazardous living conditions.
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Policy

July 30, 2019

My 1,400sqft: A bright Chelsea duplex does live-work duty for a hair stylist and her family

By Dana Schulz

When Cassie Harwood-Jacquet moved to NYC from Adelaide, Australia eight years ago, she thought she'd only stay for a few months. But after scoring a job in a salon (she'd worked as a hairstylist for a decade back home), meeting her husband Matt, and having him move to New York from Paris to continue his career as a menswear designer, she decided to put down roots. Cassie and Matt now have an adorable three-year-old daughter named Fanella Rose and a lovely, family-friendly duplex in Chelsea. To balance her life as a working mom, Cassie set up her own salon, Maison Jacquet, in their apartment. 6sqft recently paid the Jacquets a visit and got a tour of their contemporary, colorful, and comfortable home and chatted with Cassie about raising children in Chelsea, working from home, and how she and Matt decorated their space.
Take the tour and meet Cassie

Photo credit: Evan Joseph for Modlin Group.

July 30, 2019

This $20M West Village townhouse has a rear wall of glass and a 40-foot-high steel facade

This ultra-contemporary single-family townhouse a 829 Greenwich Street is immediately recognizable from the outside: Its entire facade is comprised of a single piece of 40-foot-high steel. The four-story house lives up to its public face, courtesy of celebrated architect Matthew Baird, offering a private parking garage, a landscaped roof deck, a rear facade of floor-to-ceiling glass and a basement wine cellar. The highly sought-after Manhattan neighborhood on the border of the West Village and Meatpacking District doesn't hurt–and is likely a big part of the reason this unique home is asking $19.750 million.
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Distinctive Homes

Monument honoring 19th century investigative journalist Nellie Bly coming to Roosevelt Island

Sketch of the madhouse on Blackwell’s Island via NYPL; Photo of Nellie Bly via Wikimedia

July 30, 2019

Monument honoring 19th century investigative journalist Nellie Bly coming to Roosevelt Island

An investigative journalist who exposed the horrible conditions of a New York City insane asylum will be honored with a memorial. In 1887, reporter Nellie Bly went undercover at the Blackwell's Island Insane Asylum, located on what is now Roosevelt Island, and documented the cruel treatment of women being held there. Her six-part investigative piece, "Ten Days in a Mad-House," led to major changes, including increased funding for the asylum and removal of abusive staff members. To recognize her achievements, a monument will be erected next year on Roosevelt Island.
Find out more

Photo credit: Evan Joseph for Empire State Realty Trust.

July 29, 2019

Empire State Building unveils second floor immersive observatory experience

The Empire State Building unveiled today the second phase of a freshly reimagined $165 million Observatory Experience. The new second-floor gallery treats visitors to a series of nine individual exhibits, taking them on a digitally enhanced, experiential journey from the building’s construction to its current iconic cultural status. The 10,000-square-foot gallery's redesign was led by experience designer Thinc along with team members IDEO, Squint Opera, Beneville Studios, Diversified, Intersection, Kubik Maltbie, Otis Elevator Company and Tenguerian Model.
Photos this way

Modernist must-see: Tour the Upper East Side’s Paul Rudolph-designed Modulightor Building

Photo © Joe Polowczuk (L) and © Annie Schlechter (R), Archives of the Paul Rudolph Heritage Foundation

July 29, 2019

Modernist must-see: Tour the Upper East Side’s Paul Rudolph-designed Modulightor Building

A must-see for modern design fans: The four-story Modulightor Building at 246 East 58th Street was designed by Paul Rudolph from 1989-1994 as a residential and commercial structure to house the lighting company by the same name which he founded with Ernst Wagner. The Paul Rudolph Heritage Foundation hosts monthly First Friday open house tours at the Rudolph-designed duplex apartment on floors three and four–NYC’s only Rudolph-designed residence regularly open to the public. Explore the space, furnished with unique furniture designed by Rudolph and items from his personal collections, on Friday, August 2 from 6-9 P.M.
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July 26, 2019

Asking $6.9M, Renee Fleming’s terrace-wrapped UWS penthouse is fit for a diva

Grammy-winning opera star Renee Fleming has put her sprawling four-bedroom Upper West Side penthouse on the market; the 3,000-square-foot co-op at 200 West 86th Street, asking $6.895 million, is a diva-worthy pad, the result of combining two large units. In addition to the penthouse perk of river and city views, the apartment is a veritable sky garden, wrapped on three sides by landscaped terraces.
Take a peek

How much do you need to earn to afford a two-bedroom in NYC?

Via Pexels

July 26, 2019

How much do you need to earn to afford a two-bedroom in NYC?

Manhattan requires the second-highest income in the country to afford an average two-bedroom apartment. A new report from SmartAsset analyzed how much a household needs to make in order to afford rent in the 25 largest cities in the United States. In Manhattan, New Yorkers would need to earn an annual salary of at least $162,857 to afford the average two-bedroom rent in the borough, currently around $3,800 per month.
Dig into the data

Amazon considers leasing historic former Lord & Taylor flagship from WeWork

Photo courtesy of Lord & Taylor

July 26, 2019

Amazon considers leasing historic former Lord & Taylor flagship from WeWork

Earlier this week reports circulated that Amazon might be eyeing Industry City for new office space in Brooklyn, but the company’s search isn’t limited to one borough. As the Wall Street Journal reported, Amazon is searching throughout New York City for a space large enough to accommodate its growing workforce and is in talks with WeWork to lease space in the historic Lord & Taylor flagship store, which WeWork bought earlier this year. Spokespeople for both companies declined to comment, but sources say Amazon is considering leasing a part of the building or the entire 12 stories. The Journal also noted that Amazon is looking into other locations, including the Farley Post Office across from Penn Station.
More details

Uncategorized

Renderings revealed for Manhattan’s first public ‘beach’

Credit: James Corner Field Operations, courtesy of the Hudson River Park Trust

July 25, 2019

Renderings revealed for Manhattan’s first public ‘beach’

By Andrew Berman of Village Preservation

The Hudson River Park Trust unveiled on Wednesday a preliminary concept for its plan to bring a public beach to Manhattan. The Meatpacking District site, known as the Gansevoort Peninsula, measures about 5.5 acres on the waterfront and formerly served as a parking lot for the city's sanitation department. The new park will feature a beach area with kayak access, a sports field, a salt marsh, and areas to picnic and lounge.
See the park

Architecture And Design

The social and cultural Puerto Rican history of the East Village

Photo via Flickr cc

July 25, 2019

The social and cultural Puerto Rican history of the East Village

The tumult and unrest in the streets of Puerto Rico right now harken back to a time when many Puerto Rican New Yorkers were also agitating in the streets for long-overdue reform and change. One milestone in that history took place 50 years ago when several Puerto Rican activists gathered in the East Village to found the New York Chapter of the Young Lords. This began a flowering of Puerto Rican cultural and social ferment in the East Village, the legacy of which can still be seen and experienced in the neighborhood today. From Tompkins Square Park to the Nuyorican Poets Café, here are six of the most significant spots.
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History

Maya Angelou’s former Harlem brownstone sells after spending a year and a half on the market

Image of Maya Angelou via Wiki Commons; listing images courtesy of Warburg Realty

July 25, 2019

Maya Angelou’s former Harlem brownstone sells after spending a year and a half on the market

In 2001, one year before Maya Angelou purchased her personal residence—an elegant brownstone in the Mount Morris Park Historic District—the late author and activist bought an investment property about 10 blocks away at 29 East 129th Street for only $275,000. During the years in which she resided in New York, she served as landlord of the three-family East Harlem property, comprised of a garden level duplex and two full-floor one-bedroom apartments. Angelou’s estate maintained the property following her death in 2014 and sold the residence to the current owner in 2016 for $1.98 million. The townhouse was most recently listed for $2.65 million in February 2018. A few price chops later, it finally found a new owner and closed for $2.3 million, as the New York Post reported.
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Classic East Village brownstone apartment with private outdoor space seeks $6.8K/month

Listing images by Rise Media; courtesy of Compass

July 24, 2019

Classic East Village brownstone apartment with private outdoor space seeks $6.8K/month