Manhattan

"Some people wonder if Mr. Barnett will become a victim of the condo explosion he helped create," wrote the Wall Street Journal today in a rare expose of Extell's Gary Barnett, referring to the success he had with One57, considered the catalyst for the supertall, ultra-luxury condo boom, and the more challenging climate he's facing with the Central Park Tower. The latter, which will be the world's tallest residential building at 1,550 feet, launched sales in October, but in a soft luxury market, it's not a sure bet that the mega-developer will be able to achieve his projected $4 billion sellout and the title of the nation's most expensive condominium ever. In a likely noncoincidental move timed with the Journal story, Extell today launched the tower's new website (h/t Curbed), and it gives us mere mortals some of the first views inside the billionaire bunker.
See inside and hear from Barnett himself

January 18, 2019

After more than two years, Hudson Heights’ cliffside ‘Pumpkin House’ sells for $2M

Back in 2016, 6sqft reported that the iconic “Pumpkin House,” a 1920s townhouse cantilevered from a cliff in Hudson Heights, had hit the market for the first time since 2011 for $5.25 million. Still without a buyer the following summer, the 17-foot-wide, six-bedroom brick home at 16 Chittenden Avenue received a price chop to $4.25 million. The unusual home—standing 250 feet above the Henry Hudson Parkway—finally found its new owner this Thursday, when it sold for a deeply discounted $2 million, as reported by the New York Post.
Get the details

Harlem exhibit shows an intimate side of MLK on the civil rights hero’s 90th birthday

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and his wife Coretta being greeted by Rev. Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. (left) and labor leader A. Philip Randolph (right) at the Pan American World Airways terminal, in New York City: Image: Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Photographs and Prints Division, The New York Public Library. (1950 – 1959).

January 18, 2019

Harlem exhibit shows an intimate side of MLK on the civil rights hero’s 90th birthday

Open as of January 15, a new photography exhibit titled, "Crusader: Martin Luther King Jr." at the New York Public Library's Schomburg Center considers Reverend King as man, traveler and friend. The show offers an intimate travelogue of the civil rights leader’s visits to India, Nobel Peace Prize acceptance in Oslo, Norway, and work as a crusader for non-violent civil rights action, captured by noted photographers of the day.
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City pulls permits for Extell’s controversial Upper West Side tower

Rendering courtesy of Binyan Studios/Snøhetta

January 17, 2019

City pulls permits for Extell’s controversial Upper West Side tower

Less than two months after rejecting a challenge against the tallest tower planned for the Upper West Side, the Department of Buildings has decided to pull permits for Extell Development’s 775-foot tower at 50 West 66th Street, as NY1 first reported. In December, opponents argued that the Snøhetta-designed structure was misusing structural voids—where a building’s mechanical equipment is stored—to add height without increasing square footage. They said the 160-foot mechanical spaces were designed not out of necessity, but presumably to boost the overall height of the apartments—and their price tags. Now, the DOB has made a surprise reversal, ruling that these spaces do not meet the current standards of the New York City Zoning Resolution.
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January 17, 2019

World Trade Center developer Larry Silverstein sells Upper East Side apartment at a loss

By Annie Doge

He may have hit it big at the World Trade Center redevelopment, but super-developer Larry Silverstein lost nearly $5 million on the sale of his long-time Park Avenue apartment. He first put the residence at 500 Park Avenue on the market for $13.9 million a little over a year ago, not long after he and his wife Klara bought a $34 million penthouse at Silverstein Properties' own development 30 Park Place, which overlooks the WTC site. The Silversteins have now sold the Upper East Side home, according to the Post, but for only $9.3 million.
Have a look around

Make way for the Women’s March on NYC: Street closings, maps and more

2017 Women’s March on NYC; image: mathiaswasik via Flickr.

January 17, 2019

Make way for the Women’s March on NYC: Street closings, maps and more

The streets of NYC will fill once again this Saturday, January 19 for the third annual Women's March on New York City. The first march took place in 2017, as a demonstration in support of women's rights and in resistance to a growing list of gender-related injustices during the inauguration of President Donald Trump. Last year's march drew an estimated 200,000 participants. As with any jubilant mass display of human resilience, there will be street closings. Read on for info on where to march, how to avoid traffic snarls and what makes this year's march different.
Find out more

Events & Things To Do

Campaign to save Westsider Books raises $27,000 in just one day

Via Google Street View

January 17, 2019

Campaign to save Westsider Books raises $27,000 in just one day

Editor's Note 1/22/19: Westsider Books has been saved after over 800 people contributed to the campaign, raising more than $52,000 in just four days. The campaign's organizer, Bobby Panza, told 6sqft: "It's beautiful to see the community, at large, come together like this. Sometimes you don't know what you have until the precipice of losing it. Most times you can't go back and do anything, but here we could. And we did. Thank you to everyone involved. I hope we cherish the great things we love, like Westsider Books and patronize them to keep them in business." News broke earlier this week that the beloved Westsider Books, the Upper West Side's last used book store, would be shutting its doors next month after 35 years at its home on Broadway between 80th and 81st Streets. Co-owner Dorian Thornley had told UWS blog West Side Rag that he would consider staying open if he could raise $50,000. And now a group of locals are trying to do just that, starting a Go Fund Me campaign and raising more than $27,000 in just one day! A tipster tells 6sqft that after hearing the news, a stunned Dorian said, "This renews my faith in humanity."
Get the whole scoop

Uncategorized

January 17, 2019

For $825K, this Hell’s Kitchen duplex is as efficient as it is charming

On a tree-lined block in Hell’s Kitchen, this two-bedroom co-op just hit the market for a cool $825,000. The cozy 800-square-foot duplex at 455 West 43rd Street offers a loft vibe filled with beautiful details—dramatic high ceilings, wood floors, exposed brick, a spiral staircase, and a fireplace—along with all the modern amenities you need to live in true comfort.
Get the tour

Distinctive Homes

Cuomo pledges $23M for Hudson River Park project in State of the State speech

Rendering by Pier55 Inc/Heatherwick Studio

January 17, 2019

Cuomo pledges $23M for Hudson River Park project in State of the State speech

Gov. Andrew Cuomo's State of the State speech Tuesday included a $23 million pledge to go toward the completion of Hudson River Park. That nearly-hidden line item in the state budget represents the governor's mediation efforts in a billionaire-vs.-billionaire feud involving Barry Diller's 2.7-acre park at Pier 55 on the water near West 14th street (often referred to as Diller Park), Crains reports.
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Architecture And Design

Where I Work: How design firm ICRAVE makes memorable experiences at its Nomad studio

6sqft’s series “Where I Work” takes us into the studios, offices, and businesses of New Yorkers across the city. In this installment, we’re going inside innovative design firm ICRAVE’s Nomad studio. Want to see your business featured here? Get in touch!

January 17, 2019

Where I Work: How design firm ICRAVE makes memorable experiences at its Nomad studio

By Devin Gannon

According to the founder of hospitality design firm ICRAVE, Lionel Ohayon, it’s not about the materials used in a project, but the memories created. “I always say, people may hate or like our spaces, but the most important thing is that they remember them,” the Toronto-native told us. Through design, the innovative studio focuses on creating memorable experiences for its clients, a long and varied list that includes the Dallas Cowboys and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. The firm’s mission is ingrained in the culture at ICRAVE, a 40-member team consisting of graphic designers, architects, and public relations pros, an office where creativity is fostered through a mixture of collaboration and independence. The open layout of the studio makes this work culture possible, with custom-designed doors and partitions to transform the space into however necessary. On a recent tour of ICRAVE’s studio near Madison Square Park, Ohayon told 6sqft about the firm's wide range of projects and how his team turns ideas into unforgettable adventures.
See iCRAVE's studio and meet Lionel

Where I Work

Demolition permits filed for world’s tallest teardown at 270 Park Avenue

The existing 270 Park Avenue, MikePScott via Flickr

January 17, 2019

Demolition permits filed for world’s tallest teardown at 270 Park Avenue

Demolition permits were filed Tuesday for the JPMorgan Chase HQ at 270 Park Avenue, CityRealty reports. The building will be the tallest planned demolition in history. The filing is a significant step for the bank on the way to replacing the 1.5-million-square-foot Modernist tower previously known as the Union Carbide Building with a 2.5-million-square-foot skyscraper, to be designed by British Pritzker Prize winner Norman Foster/Foster + Partners architectural firm.
Down with the old, up with the new

New Developments

January 16, 2019

Architectural styles combine in this historic Greenwich Village townhouse, now asking $13.5M

This five bedroom townhouse at 37 West 11th Street is an impeccable property nestled within Greenwich Village’s “Gold Coast," the seven-block stretch of Fifth Avenue between 14th Street and Washington Square Park where you’ll find some of the most refined homes in the city. Originally built in 1848 in the Greek Revival style, it was given Italianate flourishes in the 1920s and now exemplifies both genres of New York City townhouse architecture. The home has only had five owners in its 170-year history, and it’s easy to see why nobody would want to let this gem go. Now on the market for $13.5 million, a chance to own this rare piece of New York architectural history in a prime location has opened up.
Take the tour

Distinctive Homes

January 16, 2019

Rustic and industrial touches mix at this $725K Chelsea co-op

Distressed whitewashed brick walls and country chic accessories come together with raw lighting and stainless accents at this Chelsea co-op, creating a vibe that is both rustic and industrial at the same time. The one-bedroom unit at 261 West 22nd Street has just hit the market for $725,000, and it's got plenty of perks like an in-unit washer-dryer, a renovated kitchen, and plenty of custom storage.
Have a look

Distinctive Homes

Upper West Side’s last used bookstore will close after 35 years

Inside Westsider Books, via Google Street View

January 15, 2019

Upper West Side’s last used bookstore will close after 35 years

The age of Amazon is now more in-your-face than ever for local bookstores. And though the Lower East Side's McNally Jackson and Midtown's Drama Book Shop were recently saved, it looks like the Upper West Side's beloved Westsider Books will not be so lucky. West Side Rag reports that the shop, which opened on Broadway between 80th and 81st Streets 35 years ago, will close next month amid decreasing sales.
What happened?

Uncategorized

My 500sqft: Author William Middleton trades Texas life for High Line views in Related’s Abington House

Our series “My sqft” checks out the homes of New Yorkers across all the boroughs. Our latest interior adventure brings us to author William Middleton’s West Chelsea apartment. Want to see your home featured here? Get in touch!

January 15, 2019

My 500sqft: Author William Middleton trades Texas life for High Line views in Related’s Abington House

Writer William Middleton is no stranger to cities, having spent five years in NYC, 10 years in Paris, and 10 years in Houston, where he moved to work on the biography "Double Vision," about French couple Dominique and John de Menil, who transformed the Houston art scene. But after 16 years researching and writing, William knew he wanted to move back to NYC. A little over a year ago, he moved into Related's Hudson Yards-adjacent rental Abington House, where his handsome one-bedroom boasts an incredible view right onto the final spur of the High Line. Using his favorite dark gray paint color and a wall of floating bookshelves, William transformed his one-bedroom into a "clean and modern" oasis for himself and his six-year-old French Bulldog, Hubert. Ahead, take a tour of William's home and hear about his urban experiences, why he chose this building and neighborhood, and what it's like to have one of the best people-watching perches in all of NYC.
Take the tour

January 15, 2019

A 20-foot wall of windows stuns in this romantic Gramercy Park townhouse, asking $15M

There are many blocks in New York that leave us drooling, but the original “block beautiful” is 19th Street between Irving Place and Third Avenue, one block away from Gramercy Park. Most of the brick and brownstone rowhouses on the block were built in the 1850s but were considered dour by the turn of the century. After moving to New York in 1906, British architect Frederick Sterner bought the home at 139 East 19th Street and renovated it with what would become his playful signature touch: a coat of tinted stucco, shutters, decorative ironwork, and a projecting tile roof. Many—if not most—of the other homes on the block received Sterner makeovers, giving the street a distinctive charm. Now you can own the house right across the street from Sterner’s own, at 140 East 19th Street, for $15,250,000.
Take the tour

Distinctive Homes

Amazon could be the Chrysler Building’s new tenant

Via Creative Commons

January 14, 2019

Amazon could be the Chrysler Building’s new tenant

By Devin Gannon

Amazon is close to reaching a deal to lease 10,000 square feet at the Chrysler Building, the New York Post reported on Sunday. News of the impending lease comes less than a week after it was reported that the Art Deco landmark is up for sale. Amazon announced in November plans to open a massive office complex in Long Island City to serve as their "HQ2." The company will start moving to the neighborhood this year, temporarily leasing space at One Court Square, a 50-story building with incredible views of the Manhattan skyline.
More here

Real Estate Trends

Affordable housing wait list opens at the iconic Manhattan Plaza Mitchell-Lama apartments

Manhattan Plaza (photo via LIHC Investment Group)

January 14, 2019

Affordable housing wait list opens at the iconic Manhattan Plaza Mitchell-Lama apartments

A lottery to snag a waiting list spot for Mitchell-Lama rental apartments in Manhattan Plaza at 400 West 43rd Street–where, according to the Hollywood Reporter, Alicia Keys was born and Samuel L. Jackson was the first security guard–has just opened (h/t CityRealty). Senior citizens and residents of all ages in Community Board 4 are eligible to apply for studio to one-bedroom apartments. Rents aren't listed, but you can expect a significant discount from the neighborhood median of $3,000/month for studios and $3,600/month for one-bedrooms. There are four lists (community studio list, community studio elderly list, community one-bedroom list, community elderly one-bedroom list) with 500 spots available on each. The deadline to apply for all is January 31, 2019.
Get more info and see if you qualify, this way

Affordable Housing

January 14, 2019

Get a closer look at Snøhetta’s new designs for Phillip Johnson’s 550 Madison Avenue

In December, 6sqft reported that architecture firm Snøhetta had unveiled a preservationist-friendly revision to a controversial design for an updated AT&T building at 550 Madison Avenue. Now you can get a look at the full details of the Certificate of Appropriateness proposal that will be presented to the Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) tomorrow. The latest design is one of several revisions, each followed by controversy over being seen by preservationists as diverting too much from the building’s original design by Philip Johnson and John Burgee. In addition to comparisons to the original, new designs must consider the subsequent revamp that made it the Sony building in 1994, which replaced the building’s open Madison Avenue arcade with “Sony Experience” storefronts and covered a rear public arcade with a glass roof.
Compare the new with the old

January 14, 2019

At $700K, this cozy duplex is an Upper West Side treasure

Living on 73rd Street right off Columbus Avenue sounds like a seven-figure dream to many Manhattan real estate seekers. You're less than a block from Trader Joes and the 1, 2, 3 trains, just one block from the most classic part of Central Park near the Dakota and John Lennon memorial, and smack in the middle of all the new restaurants and shops popping up along the avenues. But this cozy co-op at 126 West 73rd Street is asking just $699,000. The 700-square-foot co-op not only gives you a coveted location but two floors of living space, a rare second half-bath, and three large street-facing windows.
Step inside

Distinctive Homes

City’s plans for Soho and Noho may include rezoning and removal of Artist In Residence law

Image: Steven Pisano via Flickr.

January 11, 2019

City’s plans for Soho and Noho may include rezoning and removal of Artist In Residence law

The Department of City Planning, Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer and City Council Member Margaret Chin announced today the launch of a six-month public engagement process addressing the future of NYC's Soho and Noho neighborhoods. The series of public meetings and consultation with local stakeholders are an early phase in outlining a vision for the future of those neighborhoods; the city's plans include updating what many consider outdated zoning laws, including the removal of rarely-enforced restrictions on ground floor retail tenancy and Soho's Artist In Residence law.
Find out more

Policy

After less than a year, J.Lo and A-Rod put 432 Park apartment on the market for $17.5M

432 via DBOX; Alex Rodriguez via Wiki Commons; Jennifer Lopez via Wiki Commons

January 11, 2019

After less than a year, J.Lo and A-Rod put 432 Park apartment on the market for $17.5M

By Annie Doge

Less than a year after dropping $15.3 million on a trophy pad at 432 Park Avenue, J-Rod (J.Lo + A-Rod) has decided to put the sprawling, apartment back on the market. First spotted by the Post, the place is now asking $17.5 million. The news comes just five months after the couple put their considerably smaller apartment at 15 Central Park West on the rental market for $11,500 a month. Why are they selling so soon? Though three bedrooms and 4,000 square feet sounds large to most, a source told the Post that "They love the building, but when their kids are all together, it’s too small. They need something bigger for the family."
On to bigger and better

January 11, 2019

Billionaire’s Midtown penthouse got the biggest price chop in NYC history, now $70M off

Everything goes on sale after Christmas, and that’s certainly true of hedge fund billionaire Steve Cohen’s Beacon Court penthouse at 151 East 58th Street. The SAC Capital Advisors founder bought the 9,000-square-foot duplex for $24 million in 2005 and hired noted architect Charles Gwathmey to give it a once-over. The condo hit the market again in April of 2013 for a whopping $115M (around the time Cohen received a wrist-slap to the tune of $1.2 billion for insider trading). No takers at that price. Or the next one ($82M). Or the one after that ($79M)–you probably get where this is going. Where the five-bedroom aerie on the building's 51st and 52nd floors ended up today: Deeply discounted to $45 million after eight price cuts adding up to a $70 million drop, making it the heftiest haircut to happen in New York City history according to The Real Deal.
Take a closer look

Distinctive Homes

Illuminated Garment District installation ‘Iceberg’ wants you to think about climate change

Photos courtesy of Alex Ayer/Diversity Pics

January 11, 2019

Illuminated Garment District installation ‘Iceberg’ wants you to think about climate change

Earlier this week The Garment District Alliance unveiled "Iceberg," an immersive art installation on the Broadway pedestrian plazas along Broadway from West 37th to 38th Streets. Created by ATOMIC3 & Appareil Architecture, in collaboration with Jean-Sébastien Côté and Philippe Jean, the installation allows the public to generate a light and sound show as they pass through the metal arches of the installation, which react to the pace of each participant by turning different colors. But there’s more to it than pretty lights—the installation also carries an environmental message.
See the lights

Events & Things To Do

January 10, 2019

Historic Harlem townhouse combo seeks record-breaking $27M

A record-shattering listing just hit the market: twin adjacent townhomes in Harlem are seeking a whopping $27,000,000 for both properties. The homes are currently independent but could be combined into a rather impressive megamansion. The price is unparalleled in the area and five times the record selling price of a Harlem townhouse, which sold last February for $5.1 million. As Mansion Global reported, listing agent Siddiq Patterson of the Corcoran Group said he believed the price was justified by the property’s scale and storied past. "The bones and the history is something you just don’t get" with other homes in the area, he stated.
See it all

Distinctive Homes

Via Wikimedia

January 10, 2019

$60M contract will finally bring East Side Access to Grand Central