Manhattan

Last November, the owner of newly-landmarked buildings at 827-831 Broadway, noted for their cast-iron architecture and as the home of artist Willem de Kooning, submitted a proposal for a four-story prismatic glass addition and landscaped roof terrace that architects DXA Studio say was influenced by de Kooning's work. After sending the plan back to the drawing board twice, the Landmarks Preservation Commission on Monday finally approved the revised design, which reduces the height of the addition to three stories and places it more setback from the street. LPC recommends that DXA use a darker cladding material over 47 East 12th Street to give it a totally matte finish.
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New renderings and construction shots of Essex Street Market ahead of fall opening at Essex Crossing

Interior image via SHoP Architects; construction shot via NYCEDC

May 15, 2018

New renderings and construction shots of Essex Street Market ahead of fall opening at Essex Crossing

Construction of Essex Street Market's new home across Delancey Street continues to move along before its scheduled opening this fall. Designed by SHoP Architects, the market sits above the 150,000-square-foot Market Line, which will stretch two levels and connect three sites of the Essex Crossing development. The market's first phase is expected to wrap up in October, bringing 13 new vendors to the site in addition to the 24 vendors from the historic Essex Street Market. Additional renderings released by the city's Economic Development Corporation this week highlight the brightness of the space, courtesy of the huge windows, 60-foot ceilings and use of light-reflective material. "As we near completion on the project, we are excited to soon open a world-class public market for the local Lower East Side community,” NYCEDC President James Patchett said in a statement to 6sqft. “The new Essex Market will preserve the current community-based spirit while creating additional space to expand the market’s offerings, provide new jobs, and present a higher level of goods and services to visitors and area residents alike.”
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May 14, 2018

Proposal for NYSE district overhaul calls for curbless streets, greenery and enhanced lighting

In an effort to enhance the accessibility and the appearance of the New York Stock Exchange district, a new proposal is calling for curbless streets, enhanced lighting, multi-functional seating and simplified security structures. The Alliance for Downtown New York released on Monday a study that details ways to improve the historic area to make it more appealing and easier to navigate. While the corner of Wall and Broad Street has witnessed more than 400 years of Lower Manhattan history, starting when Dutch settlers built a wall as the city's northern border, the area is not living up to its potential as one of New York City's crown jewels, according to Jessica Lappin, the president of the Alliance. The study is the result of a nine-month process, with the Alliance working in tandem with local stakeholders, community members and design partners, WXY Architecture + Urban Design. "This report lays out a roadmap," Lappin said in a press release. "It is a grand yet achievable vision that could turn the Stock Exchange District into the jewel it should be." The group estimates the overhaul project will cost roughly $30 million.
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May 14, 2018

This $1.4M East Village co-op has a private terrace and sits on a magical block

This utterly charming "penthouse" on the third/top floor of a pale mint green townhouse at 262 East 7th Street has the good fortune of being on one of the neighborhood's most beloved blocks. This particular corner of Alphabet City–across from the Gaudi-esque Flowerbox Building condo and home to a landmarked row of rare historic townhomes–is one those New York City secrets hidden in plain sight. Asking $1.35 million, this two-bedroom co-op doesn't skimp on modern style or comfort. And there's the added bonus of a lovely private terrace.
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Distinctive Homes

FREE RENT: This week’s roundup of NYC rental news

Images (L to R): Hoyt + Horn, Court House Apartments, Hello Lenox and 606W57

May 12, 2018

FREE RENT: This week’s roundup of NYC rental news

By Ondel Hylton

Hoyt & Horn in Downtown Brooklyn Offers Up to 4 Months Free on a 25-Month Lease [link] Boerum Hill’s Court House Apartments Offers 1 Month Free on New 13-Month Leases [link] Hello Lenox is Now Renting; No Fee Apartments in Prospect Lefferts Gardens has 2-Beds Under $3K [link] TF Cornerstone Launches Rentals at 606W57 and […]

Real Estate Trends

May 10, 2018

Inside the Ukrainian Institute of America, one of NYC’s best hidden architectural gems

Located on East 79th Street at the corner of Fifth Avenue and across from Central Park, sits one of New York City’s last turn-of-the-century, French-Gothic styled-structures. Designed by Gilded-Age architect Charles Pierrepont Henry Gilbert, the building was home to Isaac D. Fletcher and Harry F. Sinclair, giving it the fitting name of the Fletcher-Sinclair Mansion. Now, the mansion is occupied by the Ukrainian Institute of America, a nonprofit organization that has promoted Ukrainian art, music and literature since 1948. Ahead, join 6sqft on a tour of the landmarked building and check out some of the unique features within this hidden-in-plain sight New York City architectural gem.
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May 10, 2018

Fresh renderings for One Beekman, Richard Rogers’ first residential building in the U.S.

Rendering of One Beekman courtesy of Noë & Associates with The Boundary New renderings have been unveiled for One Beekman, a mixed-use development designed by Richard Rogers, and it has nearly reached its 25-story pinnacle in the Financial District. As the firm's first residential project in the United States, Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners have designed a tower that provides every single apartment with views of City Hall Park by shifting the circulation core to the south, according to the New York Times. The front of the building is open with oversized windows, allowing for half of the 31 total condo units to have outdoor terraces overlooking the park.
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May 10, 2018

Social media influencer and DJ’s ethereal East Village triplex hits the market for $2.65M

By Michelle Sinclair Colman

Social media influencer, model, and entrepreneur Hannah Bronfman and her DJ husband Brendan Fallis are selling their renovated East Village townhouse triplex, listed for $2.65 million. After purchasing the house at 214 East 9th Street for $1.6 in 2004, the couple undertook a massive gut renovation resulting in a gorgeous, light-filled airy home that was featured in Architectural Digest, complete with a rooftop garden deck and sleek, minimalist style.
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Tom Brady and Gisele Bundchen get serious about selling Flatiron pad with price drop to $14M

Tom Brady image via Wikimedia Commons; Gisele Bundchen image via Wikimedia Commons

May 10, 2018

Tom Brady and Gisele Bundchen get serious about selling Flatiron pad with price drop to $14M

Tom Brady and Gisele Bundchen have relisted their full-floor condo in the sleek One Madison tower at 23 East 22nd Street for $13.95 million, the New York Post reports. The New England Patriots quarterback and the Brazilian-born supermodel bought the 48th-floor unit for $11.7 million in 2014 and put it on the market for $17.25 million in 2016 when they headed further downtown to a $20 million five-bedroom spread at Robert A.M. Stern’s 70 Vestry.
Still looking good

May 10, 2018

18 chances to live in a new Kips Bay rental from just $580/month

Kips Bay may not be the most trendy 'hood, but it's just a few blocks away from bustling Nomad, all the bars in Murray Hill (if that's your thing) and a quick walk to Grand Central. And as of today, 18 units are up for grabs through the city's affordable housing lottery at 145 Madison Avenue, a new 21-story rental building between East 31st and 32nd Streets. The mixed-income units are reserved for those earning 30, 60, and 120 percent of the area median income and range from $580/month studios to $2,270/month one-bedrooms.
Find out if you qualify

Affordable Housing

Michael Cohen puts up $9M Trump Park Avenue apartment as collateral against bank debt

Photo of Michael Cohen via Wikimedia; image of Trump Park Avenue via Google Earth

May 9, 2018

Michael Cohen puts up $9M Trump Park Avenue apartment as collateral against bank debt

Michael Cohen, the longtime attorney for President Donald Trump, has put up his family's Park Avenue apartment as collateral against a bank loan worth millions of dollars. The bank valued Cohen's condo, fittingly at Trump Park Avenue in Lenox Hill, for $9 million. The financially troubled lawyer is putting his apartment against $12.8 million in loans he took out for his taxi business in 2014. Cohen secured these loans by New York City taxi medallions, which have dropped in value by 80 percent due to the growth of ride-sharing services, according to Bloomberg.
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Policy

May 9, 2018

Three gorgeous Osborne co-ops of the late Hollywood personality Robert Osborne hit the market

The building name might be coincidental, but it's certainly no fluke that the late Robert Osborne's historic apartments at the Osborne co-op are perfectly preserved and decorated impeccably. Best known for his 20+ year run as the host of Turner Classic Movies and as the author of the official history of the Academy Awards, Robert moved into the Midtown West building in 1988 after Carol Burnett mentioned a friend was selling a residence there. He told the Times in 2006, "I was interested that there was a building called the Osborne spelled the same way I spell my name," and so he toured that unit with Bette Davis. This became the first of three homes he'd purchase in the co-op, and as of today, all three of these are on the market--a one-bedroom unit on the third-floor asking $1.25 million, a second-floor one-bedroom asking $725,000, and a much smaller one-bedroom on the first floor asking $575,000.
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Antonio Banderas lists sultry Central Park West Prasada pad for $8M

Image of Antonio Banderas: Wikimedia Commons

May 9, 2018

Antonio Banderas lists sultry Central Park West Prasada pad for $8M

Antonio Banderas has just listed his park-front co-op in the Prasada at 50 Central Park West for $7.95 million. The actor purchased the nine-room co-op for $3.995 million in 2005, with his wife, Melanie Griffith, according to the Wall Street Journal. The couple divorced in 2016 and Banderas, who is starring in the upcoming “Life Itself” with Olivia Wilde and Oscar Isaac, kept the stylish Upper West Side home.
More sexy apartment pics, this way

My 600sqft: A nonprofit fundraiser decorates her Turtle Bay studio with funky, feminine finds

6sqft’s series “My sqft” checks out the homes of New Yorkers across all the boroughs. Our latest interior adventure brings us to the Turtle Bay studio of Erica Greenblatt, director of development for the Anti-Defamation League. Want to see your home featured here? Get in touch!

May 8, 2018

My 600sqft: A nonprofit fundraiser decorates her Turtle Bay studio with funky, feminine finds

Erica Greenblatt never seems to stay in one place for long. In addition to her love of travel (she has visited 30 countries across 6 continents so far), she has moved 12 times in the last 14 years all over New York City. Most recently, Erica landed on a surprisingly spacious Turtle Bay studio on 54th Street and 2nd Avenue, her first apartment without any roommates. As the director of development for the Anti-Defamation League, a civil rights organization tasked with fighting bigotry, Erica raises funds needed for the group’s education and advocacy programs. And because of her job, she’s on the move again, headed outside of the five boroughs for the first time in over a decade. Erica moved to Atlanta, Georgia at the end of April, pledging to bring her feminine, eclectic style with her to her new southern pad. Before she left NYC to start a new adventure in the ATL, 6sqft visited Erica and learned about how her love of travel influences her worldly aesthetic, what she describes as her "signature style."
See inside Erica's studio

May 8, 2018

TV news anchor Dan Abrams lists 1830s West Village townhouse triplex for $8.8M

ABC news anchor and media entrepreneur Dan Abrams is selling his 3,300-square-foot home in the Village. The three-story property at 150 Waverly Place is part of a seven-unit condo made up of two neighboring 1830s-era Greek Revival townhouses. According to the Wall Street Journal, Abrams, who is chief legal analyst for ABC News, host of A&E’s “Live PD” and the publisher of Mediaite and its sibling sites, first lived in the building in 2004 as a renter, then bought a three-bedroom duplex for $2.175 million. He purchased the adjacent duplex–which included a private garden—in 2009 for $1.645 million.
Imagine the possibilities

Wall Street’s historic Trinity Church will partially close during a two-year, $99M renovation

Rendering of the canopy at the graveyard via Trinity Wall Street

May 7, 2018

Wall Street’s historic Trinity Church will partially close during a two-year, $99M renovation

The Trinity Church, whose history in New York City dates back 300 years, will partially close beginning Monday for a two-year, $98.6 million renovation of its nave, the main part of the church. As its first major revitalization in over 70 years, the landmarked church's project will restore parts of the original 1846 Gothic Revival style designed by Richard Upjohn. This includes rebuilding the chancel to its original size, increasing capacity by 140 seats and painting the interior walls and ceilings to reflect the original stone design. The reconstruction will move services and events at the Episcopal parish to nearby St. Paul's Chapel, but the Chapel of All Saints and the churchyard, where Alexander Hamilton is buried, will remain open throughout the project.
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Architecture And Design

‘Sex’-y NYC cupcake shop Magnolia Bakery to open 200 franchise locations across the U.S.

Image: Shiny Things via Flickr

May 7, 2018

‘Sex’-y NYC cupcake shop Magnolia Bakery to open 200 franchise locations across the U.S.

We know “Sex and the City” did wonders for pink martinis, Manolos and Cynthia Nixon’s political career. And we’re pretty sure the cupcakes at Magnolia Bakery have the NYC-centric series to thank for its ability to expand worldwide. The popular pastries are, we're told, gobbling up the market in Dubai, Kuwait, Tokyo, Mexico City and Seoul, and closer to home in (besides New York City) Los Angeles, Chicago and now Boston. But like Ms. Nixon, the company isn't content to rest on its laurels. The Wall Street Journal reports that the Bleecker Street original will be plying its sweet treats in as many as 200 new franchises in the U.S. in the next five years
How many cupcakes is too many?

May 7, 2018

A sunroom turns the private roof deck atop this $3.4M Tribeca loft into an all-season paradise

This beautifully-designed penthouse loft at 50 Walker Street in Tribeca has a few secrets hidden within its classic loft proportions. The most impressive of the $3.35 million co-op's features is a massive 1,500-square-foot landscaped roof terrace accessed through a window-wrapped solarium, all with jaw-dropping lower Manhattan views.
Take the tour

Distinctive Homes

Images (L to R): EVGB, ELLIPSE, THE ALEXANDER and SALTMEADOW

May 5, 2018

FREE RENT: This week’s roundup of NYC rental news

By Ondel Hylton

Save Thousands in Rent with these Incredible Deals in Manhattan, Brooklyn & Queens [link] EVGB Perks You’ll Love: 2 Months Free Rent, Integrated Alexa + More [link] Ellipse, Record-Setting Jersey City Rental Tower is Now 100% Leased [link] The Alexander, Rego Park’s 27-Story Rental Tower, Offers 1 Month Free [link] Beachfront Living at Saltmeadow, No […]

Real Estate Trends

A Saudi prince and NYC real estate company will buy iconic Plaza Hotel for $600M

Photo via Creative Commons

May 4, 2018

A Saudi prince and NYC real estate company will buy iconic Plaza Hotel for $600M

Update 5/8/18: Saudi Prince Al-Waleed Bin Talal and Ashkenazy Acquisition Corp. will buy the Plaza Hotel for $600 million, besting a previous offer made less than a week ago, according to the New York Post. While it was reported White City Ventures and the Kamran Organization were in contract to buy the iconic building, the prince and Ashkenazy, as the minority owner, had the option to acquire the hotel if they matched the $600 million offer. The deal is expected to close this summer. A deal to sell the historic, 111-year-old Plaza Hotel has finally been reached, after the New York City landmark sat on and off the market for years and changed hands numerous times. As the Real Deal reported, a group of investors including Shahal Kahan of White City Ventures and Kamran Hakim of the Hakim Organization, are in contract to buy a majority share of the hotel for $600 million. While reports in March said the group was considering paying for part of the purchase with cryptocurrency, the deal instead is being made up of equity from investors and a $415 million loan from a pair of British billionaires, David and Simon Reuben.
More details here

Real Estate Trends

May 4, 2018

Quaint Tudor house in the Upper West Side’s ‘hidden’ Pomander Walk asks $2.5M

By Andrew Berman of Village Preservation

As one of New York City's many hidden-in-plain-sight secret addresses, Pomander Walk is a gated 1920s community of Tudor-style mini-homes resembling an English village nestled right in the middle of Manhattan's Upper West Side. The brightly-painted home at 265 West 94th Street, asking $2.5 million, is a rarely-available opportunity to live in this unique village-in-the-city community.
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Jane Jacobs’ NYC: The sites that inspired her work and preservation legacy

Washington Square Park via Wiki Commons; Jane Jacobs via Wiki Commons

May 4, 2018

Jane Jacobs’ NYC: The sites that inspired her work and preservation legacy

Jane Jacobs’ birthday on May 4 is marked throughout the world as an occasion to celebrate one’s own city -- its history, diversity, and continued vitality. “Jane’s Walks” are conducted across the country to encourage average citizens to appreciate and engage the complex and dazzling ecosystems which make up our cityscapes (Here in NYC, MAS is hosting 200+ free walks throughout the city from today through Sunday). But there’s no place better to appreciate all things Jane Jacobs than Greenwich Village, the neighborhood in which she lived and which so informed and inspired her writings and activism, in turn helping to save it from destruction.
Tour Jane Jacobs' NYC

Live in Manhattan West’s massive Eugene rental for just $613 month, lottery opens for 103 units

Renderings via The Eugene

May 3, 2018

Live in Manhattan West’s massive Eugene rental for just $613 month, lottery opens for 103 units

Between the adjacent mega-developments Hudson Yards and Manhattan West, the far west side is banking on becoming a city within a city. And if this amenity-rich lifestyle appeals to you, here's a chance to get in on the action for less. Starting tomorrow, the second phase of the affordable housing lottery at Manhattan West's massive rental the Eugene will be open for 103 low- and middle-income apartments, ranging from $613/month studios to $2,519/month two-bedrooms. Designed by Skidmore Owings & Merill (SOM), the 62-story glass tower at 435 West 31st Street offers amenities like a rock climbing wall, "sky lounge," pet spa, and fitness center. These are in addition to Manhattan West's two-acre public park and 240,000 square feet of curated food, retail and other pop-up events
Find out if you qualify

Affordable Housing

May 3, 2018

Judge rules Upper West Side condo can remove Trump’s name from its building

Photo via Nick Normal’s Flickr Following year-long resistance from the Trump Organization, a judge ruled on Thursday that an Upper West Side condo could remove the president's name from the exterior of the 46-story building, according to the New York Times. Condo owners at 200 Riverside Boulevard will now be able to vote on whether to keep or remove the bronze letters spelling "TRUMP" on the building, where they have hung for nearly two decades. The ruling comes after board members at Trump Place asked a judge in January to issue a declaratory judgment that the condo has the right to either keep or remove the letters without violating its licensing agreement. On Thursday, Justice Eileen Bransten said removing letters does not violate the agreement.
More details here

Policy

May 3, 2018

$4M Flatiron duplex was 19th century starchitect Richard Morris Hunt’s studio

This $3.925 million combined sale in an historic Flatiron building is a unique opportunity for more than one reason. The 1870s Italianate townhouse at 28 East 21st Street, now a co-op, served as the studio of architect Richard Morris Hunt, whose designs include the Met as well as the Biltmore estate, The Breakers and other notable Gilded Age properties. It's also a chance to acquire an 1,850-square-foot duplex with three bedrooms plus a dreamy townhouse backyard complete with flowering dogwood and magnolia trees and a 250-square-foot artists' studio in the heart of the Flatiron district.
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My 480sqft: Real estate publicist Kelly Kreth lives in a red, black, and white wonderland in Yorkville

6sqft’s series “My sqft” checks out the homes of New Yorkers across all the boroughs. Our latest interior adventure brings us to real estate publicist Kelly Kreth’s Yorkville apartment. Want to see your home featured here? Get in touch!

May 2, 2018

My 480sqft: Real estate publicist Kelly Kreth lives in a red, black, and white wonderland in Yorkville