Manhattan

Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced on Friday that the New York State Board for Historic Preservation has recommended adding 18 properties, resources, and districts to the State and National Registers of Historic Places. The new nominations include the Upper West Side home of author and civil rights activist James Baldwin, the Dorrance Brooks Square Historic District and the former 32nd Precinct Station House complex in Harlem, and the Fourth Avenue Methodist Episcopal Church in Sunset Park, Brooklyn in addition to 14 other nominated places throughout the state.
Find out how New York continues to recognize varied historic places

City withdraws plan for mixed-income tower proposed for Upper East Side playground

Previous rendering of the original project; Via NYCHA

June 17, 2019

City withdraws plan for mixed-income tower proposed for Upper East Side playground

The New York City Housing Authority has ditched plans to build a private 47-story apartment building on top of a playground on the Upper East Side, agency officials said Friday. The original plan called for a 300-unit tower to replace the playground at the Holmes Tower public housing complex with half of the units affordable and the other half at market-rate, the latter meant to raise funds for repairs at the tower. The new plan for the site will increase the number of market-rate apartments in order to collect more money, NYCHA officials told THE CITY.
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Affordable Housing

“Harlem Street Scene Showing Local Businesses,” 1939, Photographer: Sid Grossman, Street Scenes Collection, Photographs and Prints Division, Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture courtesy of the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture

June 14, 2019

New Schomburg Center exhibit explores 20th-century Black placemaking in Harlem

By Lucie Levine

"A Ballad for Harlem," the new exhibit now on view at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, explores the history of the neighborhood and celebrates Black placemaking in 20th and 21st century America. The exhibit uses photographs, manuscripts, objects, art and sculpture from the Schomburg's collection to revisit "Harlem’s places, people, and moments—both known and underrepresented—that capture the realities of community and hardship experienced by Black Americans." Ahead, hear from curator Novella Ford to learn more about the show.
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June 14, 2019

This $17.5M historic Tribeca townhouse has a jazz club in the basement

The Bogardus Mansion at 75 Murray Street is an original cast iron treasure. Perfectly configured for conversion to a single family home, the 25-foot-wide Tribeca building, asking $17.5 million, is a true piece of New York City history, with original details and plenty of possibilities, from the noted 75 Club jazz venue in the building's basement to the owner's penthouse with a conservatory, roof deck and stunning lower Manhattan views.
Five floors, a penthouse and a unique speakeasy

Distinctive Homes

10 businesses including Tracks Bar will be shuttered in $600M Penn Station revamp

Photo of Tracks Bar by 6sqft

June 14, 2019

10 businesses including Tracks Bar will be shuttered in $600M Penn Station revamp

Recently-revealed renderings show the final design for the new main entrance to Penn Station. It's no surprise that, as the Wall Street Journal reports, the overhaul will mean the eviction of 10 businesses including popular commuter watering hole Tracks Bar. Real estate developer Vornado will be making the decision about which, if any, of the businesses–other than Tracks, mostly chain restaurants–can return when renovations are done.
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June 13, 2019

Chelsea condo once owned by NSYNC member Lance Bass is asking $2.5M

By Annie Doge

A two-bedroom condo in Chelsea once owned by boy band star Lance Bass hit the market this week for $2.5 million, as first reported by the New York Post. Located in celebrity-magnet Chelsea Mercantile, the renovated condo loft at 252 Seventh Avenue measures just over 1,300 square feet. The NSYNC member bought the apartment for $1.49 million in 2010; current owner Ellen Kroner picked it up in 2013 for $2.13 million.
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1,250-name waitlist opens for affordable co-ops at Chelsea’s Penn South, starting at $84,000

23rd Street subway station and Penn South, via Wiki Commons

June 13, 2019

1,250-name waitlist opens for affordable co-ops at Chelsea’s Penn South, starting at $84,000

By Dana Schulz

Though it's rare, the city does offer affordable apartments to purchase, and a new waiting list is now open for residences at Penn South, a limited-equity housing co-op (h/t Rachel Holliday Smith). The Chelsea development stretches between Eighth and Ninth Avenues from 23rd to 29th Streets and is comprised of 10 buildings and nearly 3,000 units. Though the complex was constructed almost 60 years ago, its location today is prime thanks to a booming Chelsea and proximity to Hudson Yards. Those who meet the income requirements can enter the 1,250-name waitlist for studios starting at $84,372, one-bedrooms from $101,247, and two-bedrooms from $151,870.
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Affordable Housing

The Urban Lens: Capturing the final days of the Lower East Side’s shuttered Streit’s Matzo Factory

Ramon, Streit’s Mazo; © Joseph O. Holmes

June 13, 2019

The Urban Lens: Capturing the final days of the Lower East Side’s shuttered Streit’s Matzo Factory

6sqft’s series The Urban Lens invites photographers to share work exploring a theme or a place within New York City. In this installment, Joseph O. Holmes shares his photo series of Streit's Matzo Factory, the now-shuttered LES institution. Are you a photographer who’d like to see your work featured on The Urban Lens? Get in touch with us at [email protected]. In 2015, after nearly 90 years in operation, Streit's Matzo Factory on the Lower East Side closed its doors. But before the property's new owners demolished the site to make way for luxury condos, the Streit family let photographer Joseph O. Holmes tour the space. Through photos of the four-building factory, its old-school machinery, and its workers, Joseph captured the final days of this neighborhood icon. "If I hadn't shot it, most of it would be forgotten," Joseph told 6sqft. Although Streit's closed more than four years ago and condo building 150 Rivington has since risen in its place, Joseph's poignant photos were given new life this month. The developer purchased some of the photos to hang permanently in the lobby of 150 Rivington as an ode to the building's industrial roots. Ahead, hear from Joseph about what it was like to photograph the maze-like factory and why he finds old machines so beautiful.
See inside and meet Joseph

Places

Essex Crossing’s public park is now open on the Lower East Side

Images by QuallsBenson

June 13, 2019

Essex Crossing’s public park is now open on the Lower East Side

A 15,000-square-foot park—the latest component of Essex Crossing to open to the public—is now complete on the Lower East Side, right in time for summer. Designed by landscape architecture firm West 8 (best known for designing the Hills at Governors Island), the park is a welcome addition to the neighborhood, where the ambitious Essex Crossing project is still in full swing, with seven of its nine sites now open or under construction.
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Six restaurants to open this fall in Nordstrom’s flagship store at Central Park Tower

Rendering courtesy of Nordstrom

June 12, 2019

Six restaurants to open this fall in Nordstrom’s flagship store at Central Park Tower

Six unique restaurants and bars will set up shop at Nordstrom's flagship store in New York City when it opens in October. Located in the base of the supertall at 225 West 57th Street, known as the Central Park Tower, the 285,000-square-foot Nordstrom takes up seven floors of the building. As Eater NY first reported, the restaurants will be run by two chefs from Seattle: Ethan Stowell and Tom Douglas.
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Seven years in the works, Jeanne Gang’s $383M Museum of Natural History expansion breaks ground

A rendering of the front façade of the Gilder Center (L) by Studio Gang, 2019; Center interior (R) by MIR and Studio Gang, 2019.

June 12, 2019

Seven years in the works, Jeanne Gang’s $383M Museum of Natural History expansion breaks ground

Following delays caused by a lawsuit aimed at protecting the adjacent, city-owned Theodore Roosevelt Park, a groundbreaking ceremony on June 12 officially kicked off construction of the American Museum of Natural History’s new Richard Gilder Center for Science, Education, and Innovation. Designed by architect Jeanne Gang—who was initially brought on board the project seven years ago—the $383 million Center will add new galleries, classrooms, a theatre, and an expanded library while linking 10 museum buildings for better circulation throughout the campus. Originally slated to open in 2020, the construction process is expected to last three years.
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In Yorkville, Emery Roth-designed church and Colonial Dames mansion get landmark status

Photos courtesy of the LPC

June 11, 2019

In Yorkville, Emery Roth-designed church and Colonial Dames mansion get landmark status

By Nicole Mondrus

Members of the Landmarks Preservation Commission voted Tuesday in favor of landmarking two historic sites in Yorkville--the First Hungarian Reformed Church of New York at 344 East 69th Street and the National Society of Colonial Dames in the State of New York at 215 East 71st Street. As 6sqft previously reported, the Hungarian Reformed Church was designed in 1916 by esteemed architect Emery Roth as one of his few religious buildings and his only Christian structure. The Colonial Dames headquarters is housed in an intact Georgian Revival-style mansion built in 1929.
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Policy

Renderings reveal Madison Place, new 800-foot condo tower in Nomad

Rendering courtesy of DBOX

June 11, 2019

Renderings reveal Madison Place, new 800-foot condo tower in Nomad

The anticipated 805-foot condo tower currently rising in Nomad at 15 East 30th Street—dubbed Madison House—has just unveiled a teaser website and new renderings to give us a peek of the project, inside and out. The 62-story building was designed by Handel Architects, and Gachot Studios will be helming the interior design. Having already topped out, sales are expected to launch in September, including a range of one-, two-, three- and four-bedroom residences and an expansive duplex penthouse with a private terrace and elevator entry.
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Via Wikimedia

June 11, 2019

The Strand bookstore gets landmarked, despite opposition from owner and community

The Landmarks Preservation Commission voted on Tuesday to designate The Strand bookstore as an individual landmark, despite opposition from the store's owner and local community members. Nancy Bass Wyden, who owns the Strand building, did not support designation because she worried that restrictions placed on landmarked buildings would prevent timely construction or renovation of the store in the future. While more than 11,000 people signed a petition opposing the designation, according to Wyden's attorney, the commission voted unanimously in favor of landmarking. "Although this is not the outcome we hoped for, we'll continue to serve our customers as we have done robustly for 92 years," the Strand wrote in a tweet Tuesday.
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Policy

Photo by Timothy Schenck, courtesy of the High Line.

June 11, 2019

The High Line’s final section, the Spur, is open

The High Line's newest section, the Spur, opened to the public last week following a ribbon-cutting celebration on Tuesday. Elected officials, artists, advocates, supporters, community members, and architects involved in the project were on hand for a speaking program that welcomed visitors to the new space. The Spur–the last section of the original elevated rail to be converted into public space–extends east along West 30th Street and ends above 10th Avenue; it's also home to the High Line Plinth, the first site on the High Line dedicated to a rotating series of contemporary art commissions. Simone Leigh’s "Brick House" is the first Plinth commission.
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Waldorf Astoria condos will launch sales in the fall

Photo by James and Karla Murray exclusively for 6sqft.

June 11, 2019

Waldorf Astoria condos will launch sales in the fall

The redeveloped Waldorf Astoria residences have a new teaser website, and according to an announcement by the historic hotel's owner, Beijing-based Anbang Insurance Group Co., the new condos will be called The Towers of the Waldorf Astoria. The Wall Street Journal reports that sales of 375 private residences at the storied hotel will begin in the fall.
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Via Wikimedia

June 10, 2019

Leaking skylight of World Trade Center’s Oculus may not be fixed for 9/11 anniversary

Since 2016, the skylight of the World Trade Center's Oculus has reopened on each anniversary of September 11 as part of the "Way of Light" ceremony. But the annual event may not happen this year. The skylight, which has been leaking since last fall, may not be repaired in time for this year's anniversary, the Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday.
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Uncategorized

The Four Seasons is closing this week, less than a year after $40M reopening

Photo via Wikimedia

June 10, 2019

The Four Seasons is closing this week, less than a year after $40M reopening

Less than a year after moving out of the historic Seagram Building and reopening a new space, the famed Four Seasons Restaurant will close Tuesday, the New York Times reported. The news comes after the restaurant reopened last year on East 52nd Street with a $40 million renovation. And last December, former managing partner Julian Niccolini resigned after pleading guilty to sexual assault in 2016.
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Food & Dining

Image via Wikimedia cc.

June 10, 2019

Hell’s Angels East Village HQ to become rental apartments

Another touchstone of colorful East Village lore is becoming apartments: The Hell's Angels headquarters at 77 East 3rd Street, formerly the New York City home of the notorious motorcycle clan, was purchased for $10 million this week by Lower East Side property management company Better Living, the New York Post reports; Real estate investor Nathan Blatter had bought the building from the bikers back in February. After a year-long $2 million renovation, the developer plans to offer “standard, regular East Village apartments.” The six-story building will have retail spaces on the ground floor that formerly housed the biker clubhouse bar.
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Uncategorized

June 10, 2019

Asking $1.7M, this unusual West Village co-op is three studios combined

Located on a picture-perfect West Village street a block from the Hudson River, this loft-like co-op at 92 Horatio Street is made up of three studio apartments that have been combined. The fortunate result, asking $1.7 million, is a unique two-bedroom home with spacious rooms, two baths and lots of living and entertaining space.
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Distinctive Homes

June 10, 2019

You can buy a Gramercy Park penthouse with a private roof deck for only $760K

A Manhattan penthouse doesn’t always have to equal a pricy, seven-figure price tag. For a cool $759,000, this rare Gramercy Park find offers a top-floor one-bedroom residence with a private roof terrace, just steps away from Madison Square Park. A wood-burning fireplace, a compact, triplex layout, and modern upgrades throughout round out the package and make this unit at 160 East 26th Street a total steal.
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Distinctive Homes

Federal government puts Paul Manafort’s Soho loft on the market for $3.6M

29 Howard Street via Google Street View

June 7, 2019

Federal government puts Paul Manafort’s Soho loft on the market for $3.6M

The federal government is selling former Donald Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort's Soho apartment for $3.663 million. As first reported by the New York Post, the loft at 29 Howard Street is one of five properties in New York City seized by the government after Manafort pleaded guilty to conspiracy charges last September. The listing, posted by the United States Marshals, describes the pad as being a "classic full-floor Soho loft" with "remarkable open sky and city views."
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Uncategorized

How to get around NYC when the Puerto Rican Day Parade hits the streets this weekend

Via Flickr

June 7, 2019

How to get around NYC when the Puerto Rican Day Parade hits the streets this weekend

More than two million people are expected to attend this weekend’s National Puerto Rican Day Parade, celebrating its 62nd anniversary this year. The popular event will feature a host of colorful floats and notable marchers, all celebrating the rich culture of Puerto Rico. The parade will begin at 11 a.m. but the festivities are expected to last well into the evening. Read on for more information about the event and everything you need to know about getting around town.
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Architectural artifacts from two demolished 1909 Upper East Side mansions will be for sale

Via Google Street View

June 6, 2019

Architectural artifacts from two demolished 1909 Upper East Side mansions will be for sale