Manhattan

It’s worth noting that there aren't too many sixth-floor walk-ups in NYC, but this sunny pre-war co-op is one of them. If that’s not a problem for you, the lovely two-bedroom at 71 East 3rd Street in the East Village could be quite a steal for under a million. It's back on the market for $995,000 after changing hands for $975,000 in 2016. The floor plan’s a little odd (it appears that two smaller apartments have been combined), but it’s your space to configure any way you’d like and there are plenty of options–and the building has a gorgeous roof deck. The apartment's interior features stylish, modern updates to compliment exposed brick and classic details.
Hey, it's nice up here

Distinctive Homes

January 25, 2019

Beautifully restored Victorian townhouse with views of Morris Jumel Mansion asks $2.8M

Overlooking Highbridge Park and the historic Morris Jumel Mansion (Manhattan's oldest home), this impeccable High-Victorian townhouse at 427 West 162nd Street in Washington Heights is brimming with eye-catching details and artistry. Currently a two-family home with the potential for rental income, this is a one-of-a-kind property in a neighborhood that's been drawing a surge of new residents lately. Over four years ago, a townhouse sold on the same street for $2.4 million—a record-breaking sale for the neighborhood at that time. Now, offering six bedrooms and a combined total of 4,500 square feet, this fully restored stunner with a huge garden and amazing views is a catch for the asking price of $2,795,000.
Get the tour

January 25, 2019

Washington Heights co-op has river views, two bedrooms and a fresh reno, all for $800K

It's never easy to find a two-bedroom in Manhattan for under $1 million, and this lovely co-op at 25 Chittenden Avenue in Washington Heights has even more than its $800,000 price tag to offer. Its top-floor, corner location affords its spectacular Hudson River views. Plus, it's been newly renovated with tons of chic, Scandi-style built-ins. And if you're looking for a move-in ready option, the new kitchen and sweet paint job mean your decorating could be taken care of.
Look around

Distinctive Homes

See how the redevelopment of Union Square’s Tammany Hall is shaping up

Construction progressing on site; photo via 44 Union Square on Instagram with permission and Newmark Knight Frank

January 25, 2019

See how the redevelopment of Union Square’s Tammany Hall is shaping up

Construction of the glassy turtle shell-shaped dome on top of Union Square's landmarked Tammany Hall building is officially underway. The building at 44 Union Square, formerly home to NYC's Democratic party machine, is being transformed into modern office and retail space. New construction photos provided to 6sqft show the start of the unconventional dome's installation, with the diagonally intersecting glass and steel now visible from the street.
Construction shots this way

New Developments

Taylor Swift prevails in broker lawsuit over $18M townhouse

Google Street View of 153 Franklin Street; Taylor Swift via Wiki Commons

January 25, 2019

Taylor Swift prevails in broker lawsuit over $18M townhouse

By Andrew Berman of Village Preservation

Some good news for Taylor Swift: According to The Real Deal, Manhattan federal court judge Jesse Furman has dismissed the lawsuit that Douglas Elliman had leveled against the pop star/welcome ambassador/real estate investor claiming she'd stiffed a broker on the commission for an $18 million Tribeca townhouse at 153 Franklin Street that she bought in October of 2017. Swift's management company, Firefly Entertainment, filed a motion to have the brokerage’s $1 million suit dismissed, claiming the lawsuit was “the latest in a long line of lawsuits” by Elliman and that the real estate agency had little if any involvement in the townhouse deal.
Details, this way

Celebrities

January 25, 2019

15 things you didn’t know about the East Village

Earlier this month, GVSHP launched its East Village Preservation effort, releasing its new website “East Village Building Blocks,” which contains historic information and images for every one of the neighborhood’s 2,200 buildings. Of course, any neighborhood spanning five centuries of history and nearly 100 blocks will reveal some surprises when you scratch the surface. But the East Village’s story has some unique and unexpected twists and turns which are brought to light by this new online tool. From the birthplace of the shag haircut to four former homes of Allen Ginsberg to the first federally-subsidized public housing project in America, here are just a few of those you’ll encounter.
All this and more

History

January 24, 2019

One-bedroom in a rare Upper East Side clapboard house lists for $500K

A little over a year ago, 6sqft discovered a listing for one of three co-op units at 229 East 81st Street, a rare 19th-century white clapboard house. This duplex was listed for $695,000 and recently went into contract for $500,000. Now, the one-bedroom unit on the first floor has also hit the market, asking $499,000. In addition to the house's magical patio and prime Yorkville location, the apartment benefits from several skylights, modern appliances, and a spacious layout.
See inside

Distinctive Homes

Hudson Yards unveils new contemporary art by Jaume Plensa, Frank Stella, and Joel Shapiro

Unnamed by Frank Stella at 50 Hudson Yards; Rendering courtesy of Related-Oxford

January 24, 2019

Hudson Yards unveils new contemporary art by Jaume Plensa, Frank Stella, and Joel Shapiro

Just yesterday Hudson Yards announced that it would officially open on March 15th, and when visitors first visit the mega-development, they'll now have even more art to peruse. According to a press release from developer Related, the complex has unveiled large-scale contemporary art installations by three renowned artists--Jaume Plensa, Frank Stella, and Joel Shapiro. "I have always been passionate about the impact art, sculpture and design can have on our lives – the memorable experiences they create and the warmth they bring to the places we live and visit," said Related chairman Stephen Ross.
See all the artworks and hear from the artists

Events & Things To Do

January 24, 2019

Asking $15M, one of the last Gramercy Park townhouses comes with keys to the park

Here’s a rare opportunity to own one of only five remaining single-family townhouses with a Gramercy Park address and one of the city’s most coveted accessories: keys to the famous neighboring park. A former 19th-century boarding house with rooms “decorated with ferns, foliage, and Autumn flowers,” according to an 1895 article in The Times, 40 Gramercy Park North is one of the last survivors from the initial period of development around the park, now sandwiched between two large apartment buildings. For $14,950,000 the six-story home carries plenty of historic charm but has been updated for modern living, complete with an elevator.
Take a look inside

Billionaire Ken Griffin buys $240M NYC penthouse, the most expensive home sold in the U.S.

Via Vornado Realty Trust and Robert A.M. Stern Architects

January 23, 2019

Billionaire Ken Griffin buys $240M NYC penthouse, the most expensive home sold in the U.S.

Update 1/29/19: The penthouse officially closed on January 23, 2019, for $239,958,219, more than was originally reported. Billionaire Ken Griffin has closed on a penthouse at 220 Central Park South for $238 million, setting the record for the most expensive home ever sold in the United States, as the Wall Street Journal first reported. Griffin, who founded Citadel, first signed the contract to buy a 24,000-square-foot unit at the under-construction tower in 2015. The hedge fund mogul reportedly picked up the pricey digs as "a place to stay when he's in town," since his company is looking to expand its footprint in New York City.
More on record-breaking deal

Real Estate Trends

January 23, 2019

Late playwright Neil Simon’s three apartments at the Ritz Tower are for sale

A group of apartments in Midtown owned by late Broadway playwright Neil Simon are on the market, the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday. The three apartments are in the Ritz Tower, an Emery Roth-designed 42-story building in Midtown East and range in price from $1.5 million to $2.8 million. Simon, a Pulitzer Prize-winning writer who was best known for plays like "The Odd Couple," died at age 91 last August.
Take a look around

Rebranded WeWork opens an on-demand workspace and cafe in Flatiron

Images courtesy of The We Company; Photography by Dave Burk.

January 23, 2019

Rebranded WeWork opens an on-demand workspace and cafe in Flatiron

Recently re-branded as the We Company, the juggernaut formerly known as WeWork has introduced Made By We, an "on-demand workspace," event space, retail shop and cafe at 902 Broadway in the Flatiron district. Manhattan's largest private office tenant adds the new retail and no-membership-required co-working concept to a growing list of conquests that includes the landmarked Lord & Taylor building which they've tapped starchitect Bjarke Ingels to restore and co-living (WeLive) and childhood education (WeGrow) ventures as well as their better-known co-working brand.
More We this way

City Living

Second-tallest tower in the Western Hemisphere may rise across from St. Patrick’s Cathedral

Tower Fifth rendering by TMRW courtesy Gensler

January 23, 2019

Second-tallest tower in the Western Hemisphere may rise across from St. Patrick’s Cathedral

The developers behind the distinct supertall at 432 Park Avenue want to take a second shot at altering New York City's skyline. Harry Macklowe submitted a preliminary application to the city's planning department for a 1,551-foot-tall skyscraper between 51st and 52nd Streets in Midtown across from St. Patrick's Cathedral, the New York Times reported. If the city approves the project, Tower Fifth, the name given to the proposed tower by Macklowe Properties, would become the second-tallest building in the Western Hemisphere.
See inside the proposed supertall

Hudson Yards will ‘officially’ open on March 15

Rendering courtesy of Related/Oxford.

January 23, 2019

Hudson Yards will ‘officially’ open on March 15

Though it seems hardly a week can go by without a flurry of news from Manhattan's newest instant neighborhood, Hudson Yards, the west side mega-project–the largest private development in the nation's history–developed by Related Companies and Oxford Propertied Group now has announced that Friday, March 15th will be its official opening date. In addition to a grand opening celebration, the Public Square and Gardens and the neighborhood's centerpiece, Thomas Heatherwick's "Vessel," are set to open on that date; more importantly, The Shops and Restaurants at Hudson Yards will be officially open.
Off to quite a start

Real Estate Trends

January 23, 2019

Sweet Hamilton Heights living at this historic $3.85M brownstone on Convent Avenue

Homes along the coveted tree-lined Convent Avenue in Hamilton Heights rarely become available, but here's a chance to own a piece of NYC history. The five-bedroom brownstone at 325 Convent Avenue just hit the market with an asking price of $3,850,000. The last time this property sold was back in 2001 when it was snagged for a mere $585,000! This 4,500-square-foot brownstone is a fantastic investment filled with original details, a beautiful garden, and a manicured front lawn.
Get the full tour

Distinctive Homes

Huge food and music complex coming to FiDi’s 28 Liberty

Image: Wikimedia Commons

January 22, 2019

Huge food and music complex coming to FiDi’s 28 Liberty

A massive new venue will be serving up food and entertainment on the ground floor of 28 Liberty Street–originally named One Chase Manhattan Plaza–the New York Post reports. Legends Hospitality will be opening a 35,000-square-foot space, designed by noted architect Jeffrey Beers, that will feature live music and a restaurant. The property's historic Noguchi rock garden will be incorporated into the new venue.
Food, music, film, this way

Food & Dining

On the Upper East Side, Emery Roth’s First Hungarian Church of New York may become a landmark

Google Street View of the church

January 22, 2019

On the Upper East Side, Emery Roth’s First Hungarian Church of New York may become a landmark

The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) has voted in favor of giving a calendar spot in the landmark designation process to the First Hungarian Reformed Church of New York, one of few religious properties designed by the noted New York City architect Emery Roth–himself a Hungarian immigrant. The church is also significant for its importance to the Hungarian-American community that settled in the Upper East Side's Yorkville neighborhood.
Find out more

Policy

City’s new $1.45B East River Park flood protection plan leaves community groups high and dry

Image courtesy of David Shankbone via Flickr

January 22, 2019

City’s new $1.45B East River Park flood protection plan leaves community groups high and dry

Last July, Rebuild by Design, a collaborative organization formed to address the affects of climate change, released an RFP for a stewardship partner for the East Side Coastal Resiliency Project (ESCR), a reconstruction of the 64-acre, 1.5-mile East River Park. The project, a flood protection system conceived in the wake of Hurricane Sandy and budgeted at $760 million, was the first of three phases in a series of self-sufficient flood zones stretching from West 57th to East 42nd Streets. In October, the Mayor's Office announced an updated $1.45 billion design that would begin in spring of 2020. 70 percent of the original design was updated, ostensibly to allow flood protection to be in place a year earlier, by summer 2023. But, as the New York Times reports, the new plan, which basically calls for burying the park beneath 8-10 feet of landfill and starting over–has left community groups who participated in the original plan feeling like they've been hung out to dry.
Find out more

January 22, 2019

Legendary designer Halston’s former UES house and famed party spot is off the market after four years

After being on the market for four years, the iconic Halston House at 101 East 63rd Street finally sold to an anonymous buyer for an undisclosed amount last week. The modernist property, one of only three residences in Manhattan designed by famed architect and former Yale School of Architecture dean Paul Rudolph, is best known as the home of designer Halston in the 1970s where he hosted lavish parties attended by the likes of Andy Warhol, Liza Minnelli, Truman Capote, and Jacqueline Onassis. It first hit the market in 2015 for $40 million when it was rumored that art dealer Jeffrey Deitch was interested in making a deal. One year later, the listing received a significant price chop to $28 million. According to a press release, the buyer was taken with the home's rich cultural history and is an admirer of Rudolph's architecture.
Get the details

January 18, 2019

Former Broadway design warehouse is now a soaring Chelsea home asking $18.5M

A stunning converted warehouse in Chelsea hit the market this week for $18,500,000. A beautiful study of scale and proportion, the residence at 536 West 29th Street features a central atrium with 32-foot ceilings, a 700-square-foot private garden, and a Japanese white glass terrace. Exposed brick for days and custom woodwork throughout give the expansive, column-free space a distinctive character. And the original wood beams are from the building's early 20th-century days as a production and art studio for Broadway sets.
Take a closer look

Distinctive Homes

Rendering courtesy of Wordsearch

January 18, 2019

Can Extell make Central Park Tower the most expensive condo in U.S. history?

"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.
Find out more

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