Manhattan

Spanning an entire block, this sprawling penthouse at 5 East 17th Street boasts four bedrooms, two private elevators, a 25-foot glass atrium, and a 4,000-square-foot “private sky yard” with a swimming pool, fire pit, and gorgeous city views. No luxury has been spared in this fully-renovated, sleek, and abundantly sunny condo, centrally located on the border of Flatiron and Union Square. A previous sale fell through at the last moment, and now the $15,500,000 unit is back on the market.
Take a look inside

Distinctive Homes

Lottery opens for 38 affordable units in Hamilton Heights’ new Dance Theater of Harlem building

Rendering via BRP Companies

February 20, 2019

Lottery opens for 38 affordable units in Hamilton Heights’ new Dance Theater of Harlem building

This affordable housing at 847 Saint Nicholas Avenue lottery checks all the boxes. Most importantly, the units are actually affordable, available to low-income households earning 40, 50, or 60 percent of the area median income and ranging from $475/month studios to $1,166/month two-bedrooms. It's in the beautiful Hamilton Heights/Sugar Hill Northwest Historic District, is the new home to the Dance Theater of Harlem, and offers tenants a laundry room, fitness center, first-floor rear year, and seventh-floor terrace.
See the qualifications

Affordable Housing

February 20, 2019

The 11 best things to do on Roosevelt Island

By Ben Kharakh

Roosevelt Island: it's an opportunity to get away from New York while still being in New York. Whether you drive, bike, or take public transportation, this narrow strip of land sandwiched between Manhattan and Queens has much to offer in terms of a day's delight. You've got parks, the arts, and enough photo opportunities to make your Instagram friends totally jelly. From the famous abandoned Smallpox Hospital to the flashy new buildings of Cornell Tech, here's everything to do on your island excursion.
Our top 11 picks

Events & Things To Do

Photo via Wiki Commons

February 20, 2019

Strand bookstore owner offers a compromise in last-ditch attempt to avoid landmark status

In a heated second hearing before the Landmarks Preservation Commission, the owner of the iconic Strand Bookstore, Nancy Bass Wyden, continued her fight to keep the famed bookseller's building from being designated a city landmark along with seven buildings on Broadway between East 12th and 14th Streets. Instead, Wyden is offering to put in place a historic preservation easement on the storefront, Gothamist reports. The easement would be the result of an agreement between the property's owner and a nonprofit group that would serve as a steward for the building's preservation, ensuring that, in this case the building's facade, would be properly preserved. At a previous LPC hearing The Strand's owner voiced strong concerns that a historic designation would place crippling restrictions on the scrappy business and potentially threaten its future.
Find out more

Policy

February 20, 2019

$600K studio goes contemporary-zen in an Art Deco Gramercy co-op

This Gramercy Park studio at 102 East 22nd Street recently underwent a renovation inspired by the modern, airy, and space-efficient living solutions you would find in the pages of DWELL magazine. With a large sunny living area, custom storage solutions, hardwood floors throughout, and a prime location in an Art Deco building, this petite pad is now listed for $599,000.
Take a look inside

Distinctive Homes

February 19, 2019

This $2.3M Upper East Side penthouse has a wraparound terrace that’s a gardener’s heaven

This pretty two-bedroom penthouse co-op at 115 East 90th Street, asking $2,295 million, is the picture of classic pre-war charm. Its best feature: It's wrapped on every side with landscaped terraces surrounding the home with a garden paradise no matter where you look.
More greenery in every direction

Distinctive Homes

JPMorgan Chase will revise design of 270 Park Avenue tower to increase open public space

Image via Flickr

February 15, 2019

JPMorgan Chase will revise design of 270 Park Avenue tower to increase open public space

In response to pushback, JPMorgan Chase will be redesigning its planned 1,400-foot office tower at 270 Park Avenue with additional open public space, as Crain’s first reported. Under the East Midtown rezoning, new developments are required to provide 10,000 square feet of public space, but because two-thirds of the site sits above the Grand Central Terminal train shed, architects for the project argued they could only come up with 7,000 square feet. This notion was challenged by members of Manhattan Community Board 5 and elected officials. JPMorgan has now agreed to submit new designs increasing the size of the public space to 10,000 square feet and making it an open-air area instead of enclosed as it was in the initial design proposal.
Get the details

New Developments

Country-chic West Village ‘house within a house’ asks $3.25M

Listing photos by Brynne Levy Photography for Compass

February 15, 2019

Country-chic West Village ‘house within a house’ asks $3.25M

In the heart of the West Village at 53 Horatio Street, this three-bedroom home has just listed for $3.25 million. The 1834 Federal rowhouse was divided into six co-ops, but the units still retain their 19th-century charm. This residence spans an impressive four floors, hence why the listing describes it as a "house within a house." In addition to its spacious, vertical layout, the apartment is the perfect mix of country decor and contemporary amenities.
Have a look around

Distinctive Homes

NYPL marks 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots with new photo exhibition and events

Photo by Diana Davies, Gay Liberation Front marches on Times Square, New York, 1970. Courtesy of New York Public Library, Manuscripts and Archives Division

February 14, 2019

NYPL marks 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots with new photo exhibition and events

Beginning in the season so many associate with love, the New York Public Library is commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots through a major exhibition, a series of programs, book recommendations, and more. "Love & Resistance: Stonewall 50" chronicles the emergence of LGBTQ activism with over 150 photographs and ephemera. An opening celebration will kick off both the exhibition and the Library After Hours series on Friday, February 15 from 7-10 P.M.
'Tis the season

Facing poor sales, the partners behind Jean Nouvel’s 53W53 seek additional price chops

Rendering by Hayes Davidson

February 14, 2019

Facing poor sales, the partners behind Jean Nouvel’s 53W53 seek additional price chops

The partners behind the Jean Nouvel-designed tower at 53 West 53rd Street (also known as the MoMA Tower) will be serving even more price chops to the ultra-luxury project in the midst of lackluster sales, though they disagree on how much that should be. As Crain’s reported, Hines, Goldman Sachs, and Singapore’s Pontiac Land Group recently underwent an arbitration process to settle the matter, with Hines seeking aggressive discounts. The 1,050-foot condo building has already received $167 million in price cuts since hitting the market almost four years ago with a projection of $2.14 billion in sales. About 15 percent of the 145 units at 53W53 are under contract currently, with closings set to begin in the spring, a spokeswoman for the project said.
Get the details

Rendering of the new development at 705 10th Avenue. Image credit: CetraRuddy

February 14, 2019

City will build over 250 affordable homes on vacant land in Hell’s Kitchen

The New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) announced Wednesday that it will build approximately 260 units of affordable housing on two vacant city-owned sites in the Clinton/Hell’s Kitchen section of Midtown Manhattan, one at 806 9th Avenue and another located at 705 10th Avenue. According to a press release, HPD has selected two development teams who will partner with nonprofits to bring an array of services to the surrounding community.
Find out more

Affordable Housing

Pair of East Village townhouses with Mary-Kate Olsen history list for a combined $16M

Photo of 123 East 10th Street by Nina Poon for Sotheby’s International Realty; Photo of Mary-Kate Olsen via Wiki Commons

February 13, 2019

Pair of East Village townhouses with Mary-Kate Olsen history list for a combined $16M

By Annie Doge

The Olsen twins love real estate almost as much as they love smokey eye shadow. Before Mary-Kate married French banker Olivier Sarkozy in 2015, the couple spent some time in the East Village. Sarkozy purchased the Anglo-Italianate townhome at 123 East 10th Street in 2012 for $6.25 million. However, the lovebirds never moved in; instead, they rented the similar house next door at 125 East 10th Street from 2012 until they purchased and moved into an equally grand townhouse in Turtle Bay in 2014. The Post now reports that the neighboring East Village homes have once again come onto the market, this time with the option to combine them for one $16 million mansion.
Tour both houses

Extell’s affordable Yorkville building opens lottery for 28 units, starting at $1,018/month

Rendering via Curtis + Ginsberg

February 13, 2019

Extell’s affordable Yorkville building opens lottery for 28 units, starting at $1,018/month

At the corner of Second Avenue and 92nd Street, just a few short blocks from the Second Avenue Subway, Extell Development has completed their first all-affordable housing project. Located at 1768 Second Avenue and designed by Curtis + Ginsberg, the development is comprised of two separate buildings, one 11 stories and the other six stories, for a combined 28 units of below-market-rate housing. These units are reserved for households earning 70 or 80 percent of the area median income, ranging from $1,018/month studios to $1,740/month three-bedrooms.
Find out if you qualify

Affordable Housing

February 13, 2019

Landmarks approves 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; last month brought more details from the firm's proposal that was submitted to the Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC). The most recent 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. Yesterday LPC approved the new preservation-friendly designs–with some modifications. The office tower is now on track to reopen in 2020.
Find out more

February 13, 2019

New renderings for Kohn Pedersen Fox-designed redevelopment of One Madison Avenue

By Devin Gannon

Last December, SL Green announced plans to renovate its building at One Madison Avenue with an 18-floor addition and modern interiors. On Tuesday, CityRealty uncovered a few new renderings of the planned redevelopment, which is being designed by Kohn Pedersen Fox. The developer will reduce the 13-story building to its ninth floor and then add the 18 column-free floors above, as well as wraparound and rooftop terraces overlooking Madison Square Park.
See them here

Architecture And Design

McNally Jackson bookstore, safe in Soho, plans expansion to Downtown Brooklyn and Seaport

McNally Jackson bookstore on Prince Street. Image by Carl Mikoy via Flickr.

February 12, 2019

McNally Jackson bookstore, safe in Soho, plans expansion to Downtown Brooklyn and Seaport

Bad news took a U-turn at the start of this year when beloved independent bookstore McNally Jackson announced that it would not be closing its doors on Prince Street in Soho after all. The news came a few months after after owner Sarah McNally, who opened the store in 2004, announced the store would be moving out of the neighborhood due to a 136 percent rent increase (from $350,000 to $850,000). The flagship location of the bookstore is not merely staying open; it will be launching new branches in Williamsburg and Laguardia Airport, and as New York Magazine reports, is on an expansion binge of sorts with stores planned for South Street Seaport and Downtown Brooklyn's new City Point complex.
More books for everyone

Uncategorized

10 things you might not know about Riverside Park

Irma and Paul Milstein Division of United States History, Local History and Genealogy, The New York Public Library. (1887 – 1964). Parks – Riverside Park – West 122nd Street; Via NYPL Digital Collections

February 12, 2019

10 things you might not know about Riverside Park

By Lucie Levine

Riverside Park is the place to be whether you want to bask in the sun at the 79th Street Boat Basin, pay respects at Grant's Tomb, or do your best T. Rex at Dinosaur Playground. Did you know that the park's history is as varied as its charms? From yachts to goats to cowboys, check out 10 things you might not know about Riverside Park!
Get all the details!

History

See new photos and renderings of Bjarke Ingels’ The Spiral as it rises in Hudson Yards

Skyline rendering with The Spiral via Tishman Speyer

February 12, 2019

See new photos and renderings of Bjarke Ingels’ The Spiral as it rises in Hudson Yards

The Hudson Yards mega-development on Manhattan's far west side is fast becoming a collection of notable new skyscrapers; construction is underway on what may be the most recognizable of the bunch, the office tower known as The Spiral that will occupy full-block site at 66 Hudson Boulevard between West 34th and 35th Streets. Bjarke Ingels Group's design features setbacks that wind their way up the building's exterior, hosting landscaped terraces for tower-level floors along the way.
Many more renderings, this way

February 12, 2019

Mariska Hargitay finds a buyer for her $9.75M Upper West Side brownstone

The "Law & Order: SVU" star and her husband, actor Peter Hermann, who bought the stunning Upper West Side brownstone for $10.7 million in 2012, had hoped to make it a $10.75 million brownstone when they put it on the market last fall. After a price cut to an unprofitable $9.75 million, the six-story, 6,000+ square-foot home at 45 West 84th Street is in contract, the New York Post reports. The couple reportedly decided to sell because their family needs have changed, though they've said they plan on staying in their beloved neighborhood.
Get a last look

Designs sought for two new waterfront parks in Inwood

Inwood Hill Park via Flickr

February 11, 2019

Designs sought for two new waterfront parks in Inwood

By Devin Gannon

Mayor Bill de Blasio's administration is seeking ideas for two new waterfront parks in Inwood, as first reported by Curbed. The city's Economic Development Corporation released a request for proposals on Monday for a consultant or team to design a pair of parks along the Harlem River in the Manhattan neighborhood. The plan falls under the Inwood rezoning, which was approved last August and intends to deliver $200 million in public investments. During the process, stakeholders pushed for new open space and upgraded parks to be included in the rezoning, as the waterfront remains inaccessible to many in the community.
More here

Architecture And Design

The hidden loft buildings of the Upper West Side

Via Wiki Commons

February 11, 2019

The hidden loft buildings of the Upper West Side

By Mike Mishkin

When most of us think of “lofts” in relation to Upper West Side apartments, our first thought is probably the commonplace storage or sleeping loft found in converted brownstones and townhouses. While we tend to associate actual loft apartments with downtown neighborhoods like Tribeca and Soho, there are a handful of Upper West Side condos and co-ops where you can find the same soaring ceilings and open floor plans. Ahead, we've rounded up the five loftiest options you'll find north of Columbus Circle.
Learn all about them

Architecture And Design

Bjarke Ingels-designed 2 WTC may move forward without anchor tenant

Rendering of 2 World Center via DBOX, courtesy of Bjarke Ingels Group

February 11, 2019

Bjarke Ingels-designed 2 WTC may move forward without anchor tenant

Silverstein Properties, Inc. chairman Larry Silverstein has said construction may begin on the final World Trade Center tower before a committed tenant signs a lease, Bloomberg reports. Following work on the building's foundation, the developer was waiting to progress with further work until a lease was signed. But optimism about the economy and strong leasing progress at neighboring towers may mean the building might rise "on spec." The 2.8 million-square-foot office tower, designed by Bjarke Ingels Group, will be the last of Silverstein’s four skyscrapers to occupy the site.
Find out more

February 11, 2019

$419K Upper East Side co-op packs pre-war charm and plenty of character into its studio layout

A foyer, sunken living room, original parquet floors, and a separate modern kitchen are not attributes commonly associated with studios, but this alcove studio on the Upper East Side offers all that and more for just $419,000. Located in the 1930s Eastgate co-ops at 235 East 73rd Street, the apartment is bright and sunny and surprisingly spacious with a separate sleeping alcove and roughly 400 square feet of space to work with.
See some more

Distinctive Homes

February 8, 2019

For $4M, a former Upper West Side sculptor’s studio is now an art-filled haven