Manhattan

When I first interviewed Edward Baquero, President of Corigin Real Estate Group, his art curator, Elizabeth Fiore, was furiously texting him images from the Armory Show with potential art for two remaining walls in the stately 20 East End’s octagonal lobby. Baquero is a perfectionist to the nth degree with an obsessive eye for detail, highly skilled research capabilities, a luxurious aesthetic sensibility and a ridiculously funny sense of humor. These two alcove walls were just as important to Baquero as every other detail in his building, no matter how big or small. Nothing in 20 East End was chosen without thorough research and reason followed by multiple iterations of tests and retests. What Baquero created in 20 East End evokes a time when the Astors, Vanderbilts, and Rockefellers dominated Manhattan and defined luxury. Baquero is bringing back the best of the past and melding it with the present to create a model many will replicate in the future. Ahead, 6sqft talks with him about how he achieved this, his inspirations, and what it was like working with Robert A.M. Stern.
Hear what Edward has to say

Empire State Building gets a new, nightly sparkling light show

Via Empire State Realty Trust

March 20, 2018

Empire State Building gets a new, nightly sparkling light show

Via Empire State Realty Trust If you're lucky enough to be blessed with Empire State Building sightlines, your views will, as of this week, include a five-minute sparkling light show every hour, on the hour, between sunset and 2 AM nightly. As Time Out New York reports, this latest addition to the iconic spire's light show repertoire joins a lighting tradition that began in 1932 and includes holiday flair–red, white, and blue lights on the Fourth of July, the green and orange of the Irish flag on St. Patrick’s Day–music-enhanced light shows, and color changes to salute occasions and organizations every night of the year.
See the skyline sparkle

City Living

March 20, 2018

$2.7M FiDi penthouse occupies the former attic of one of NYC’s earliest skyscrapers

This full-floor penthouse is located within the former attic of one of New York's early skyscrapers, the Liberty Tower. Built at 55 Liberty Street in 1909 by Chicago architect Henry Ives Cobb, the Gothic Revival-style office building was the tallest in the world when completed. It was home to FDR's law offices and, later, to German spies plotting to prevent American from joining WWI. Architect Joseph Pell Lombardi converted the tower to co-ops in 1979, with the attic unit retaining vaulted ceilings, exposed beams, and 29 windows offering views across the city. It's now listed for $2.695 million.
See it up close

Distinctive Homes

March 19, 2018

Noho’s Wormhole apartment brings ‘Batman’s cave’ to a Second Empire space

The multidisciplinary architecture/design firm Dash Marshall does it again. Before they evoked water with their “Raft Loft” in Tribeca, and now they turn to the soil with the “Wormhole” in Noho, which takes inspiration from dark tunnels underground that emerge into the bright sun. Inspired by science fiction, like "2001: Space Odyssey," and clients who were amenable to the stories they create, Ritchie Yao, one of the firms’ co-founders explained, “We built a Wormhole above Bond Street by invading a historic structure with futuristic bits to create a world within a world: new inside of old, dark inside of bright, minimal inside of maximal.”
See the whole place

March 19, 2018

Authentic Soho artist loft owned by fashion photographer Greg Kadel asks $4M

Behold, 2,700 glorious square feet of authentic artist loft, located in the middle of Soho on the corner of Crosby and Grand Streets. The open interior is decked out with soaring 14-foot ceilings, cast iron columns, exposed brick and six massive side-by-side wood framed factory windows. The fashion photographer and filmmaker Greg Kadel purchased the home in 2005 for $1.73 million, according to public records. And now the co-op has been listed for $3.895 million.
Explore inside

Distinctive Homes

March 19, 2018

Zayn Malik drops $10M on Soho penthouse after Gigi Hadid breakup

By Annie Doge

After supermodel Gigi Hadid bought a condo at Noho's trendy new building 10 Bond Street in July 2016, she was often seen leaving the building with then-new flame Zayn Malik. But the couple, dubbed ZiGi. Malik by their swarms of fans, announced their breakup last week, and it looks like the pop star was well prepared to begin his bachelor lifestyle, as the Post reports that just days after the news went public, Malik closed on a $10.69 million Soho penthouse at 63 Greene Street.
Check it out

Banksy unveils mural at historic Houston Bowery Wall protesting Turkish artist’s imprisonment

Photos courtesy of Goldman Properties

March 16, 2018

Banksy unveils mural at historic Houston Bowery Wall protesting Turkish artist’s imprisonment

The provocative and still anonymous artist Banksy has come back to New York after a five-year hiatus (he was last seen in New York selling his work for $60 a piece in Central Park). After a tease yesterday, his 70-foot mural on the Houston Bowery Wall, made famous by Keith Haring in 1982, depicts 365 hash marks and an image of the Turkish artist Zehra Dogan behind prison bars and the final prison bar transforms into a pencil. The image represents the amount of time Dogan has spent in jail for painting a picture of a war-torn town in Turkey.
Get the whole story and see more photos

March 16, 2018

Restaurateur Keith McNally gets $10M for his French-country Greenwich Village townhouse

After a long run on the market--renting at $25,000/month, $19,000/month, then listed for $13.95 million--restaurateur Keith McNally‘s 4,600 square-foot Greek Revival townhouse has sold. According to The Real Deal, an unknown buyer paid $10.3 million. McNally, behind buzzy establishments like Balthazar, Cherche Midi, Odeon, Café Luxembourg, Schiller’s and Minetta Tavern, bought the 1842 townhouse at 105 West 11th Street in 2000. The design is fit for a restaurateur, with a stunning kitchen, walk-in wine cellar and rustic French-country interiors.
Take one last look inside

New photos show Zaha Hadid’s stunning 520 West 28th Street in all its completed glory

Photo: © Hufton+Crow

March 16, 2018

New photos show Zaha Hadid’s stunning 520 West 28th Street in all its completed glory

6sqft last brought you photos of the amazing amenity spaces at Zaha Hadid's first New York City project, 520 West 28th Street. Now, Archinect reports that Zaha Hadid Architects have released new Hufton + Crow exterior facade images of the late starchitect's recently-completed High Line-adjacent condominium development.
More photos, this way

Crown Building penthouse may be in contract for $180M, beating NYC record by $80M

Penthouse rendering courtesy of Aman Resorts

March 16, 2018

Crown Building penthouse may be in contract for $180M, beating NYC record by $80M

Another Billionaire's Row sky mansion–this one with a piano lounge, two kitchens, a wraparound terrace, and two swimming pools spread out over five stories at 730 Fifth Avenue–is on its way to record-smashing glory, according to The Real Deal. Sources say an unknown buyer has spoken for the 12,536-square-foot residence in the actual crown of the Crown Building, to the tune of $180 million. If the sale closes, it will be the New York City's most expensive sale ever at $14,358 per foot (also a record), surpassing Michael Dell's $100.5 million penthouse atop Extell Development’s One57.
Check this place out

March 16, 2018

Former writing studio of poet Robert Lowell asks $1.2M in Lincoln Square

It doesn't get much more romantic than living in an apartment off Central Park once used by a famous poet as his writing studio. That's the case here at 15 West 67th Street, the historic Lincoln Square cooperative that poet Robert Lowell once used as his writing atelier. Lowell worked in here during his time in New York, prior to his 1972 move to England. As the years passed, of course, the one bedroom was mostly renovated, selling in 2012 for $712,000 and hitting the market again for $1.185 million. According to the listing, the current owner "fondly brought back the luster of the woodwork," while adding wine storage and other modern amenities.
See it all

March 15, 2018

In Tribeca’s ‘Raft Loft’ a hanging, architectural staircase joins two apartments

Stairs can be purely functional and totally uninspiring or they can be the stuff dreams are made of (just ask MC Escher). Dash Marshall, a multi-disciplinary architecture and design studio based on the Lower East Side, designed a stunning staircase made of brass and stainless and blackened steel, which rises from its brick foundation and is suspended from the second-floor ceiling in order to join two units in Tribeca (h/t Dezeen). By suspending the stairs from the second floor, that freed up a lot of space below in the living room, giving the firm even more space to work their renovation magic.
See the whole place and hear from the architects

March 15, 2018

Banksy returns to NYC after five years with new rat street art

A post shared by Banksy (@banksy) on Mar 15, 2018 at 5:01am PDT Elusive graffiti artist Banksy has graced the streets of New York City once again with a new bewhiskered art offering, this time a rat scurrying inside a clock on the side of a former bank at 101 West 14th Street; the building is slated for demolition in a few months. Banksy posted news of his newest addition via his Instagram account yesterday.
More to come?

Events & Things To Do

Our 900sqft: Native New Yorkers Aria and John open up their retro, colorful Harlem home

6sqft’s series “My sqft” checks out the homes of New Yorkers across all the boroughs. Our latest interior adventure brings us to the Harlem apartment of Aria and John Chiaraviglio. Want to see your home featured here? Get in touch!

March 14, 2018

Our 900sqft: Native New Yorkers Aria and John open up their retro, colorful Harlem home

By Dana Schulz

When asked to sum up the aesthetic of their Harlem apartment in a few words, Aria and John Chiaraviglio chose "inviting, unique, open, retro and fun," and after a recent visit to the full-floor brownstone home, we couldn't agree more. Aria, a Doctoral student in Child Psychology, and John, Vice President of the Financial Intelligence Unit of a major bank, both grew up in NYC--she in Tribeca and he on the Upper East Side. The old-school, quirky vibes reminiscent of artist-loft Tribeca are seen everywhere, from Aria's Elvis collection to the couple's countless vintage finds, yet the traditional style one would associate with uptown are brought out through mid-century modern furnishings and an attention to entertaining. Ahead, take a tour of this spunky couple's colorful, comfy, and classy home and learn about their best thrifted pieces, the theme parties they host, their Derby collection, and why they love living in Harlem.
Get an inside look!

Design contest winner would turn Park Avenue into a concert venue and basketball court

Rendering of “Park Park” courtesy of Maison

March 14, 2018

Design contest winner would turn Park Avenue into a concert venue and basketball court

By Dana Schulz

Last month, Fisher Brothers unveiled the 17 finalists for its “Beyond the Centerline” design competition, a call for creative and ambitious ideas for how to transform Park Avenue's traffic medians between 46th and 57th Streets. Proposals called for everything from an Alpine mountain to a High Line-esque walkway to a massive aquarium, but in the end, it was the "Park Park" entry that the jury selected as the winner. This proposal, courtesy of Ben Meade, Anthony Stahl, and Alexia Beghi of design firm Maison, transforms the iconic thoroughfare via a series of raised platforms that hold a concert space, art galleries, gardens, a restaurant, and a basketball court, "intended to inject new energy into the currently staid Park Avenue landscape."
More details and the runner up

Architecture And Design

March 13, 2018

Nomad’s current tallest tower tops out: See new photos

We’ve watched the tower-to-be at 277 Fifth Avenue rising skyward over the past year on its way to a heady– though brief–moment as the tallest spire in Nomad, and now, CityRealty reports, the 55-story building is now topped out at 663 feet. Designed by Rafael Viñoly, the building's understated façade consists of striped masonry bands with four open-air clerestories offering some of the loftiest private outdoor spaces in Manhattan. Though the new tower may only be the 79th tallest in the city, its central Fifth Avenue location will grant its residents singular wide-angle views across the Manhattan skyline and beyond. Photoblogger Field Condition helped to celebrate the topping-out by capturing these impressive views from within the tower's frame.
See new photos and find out what's to come

March 13, 2018

For $3M, live in a historic Carnegie Hill townhouse with all the perks of a condo

By Hannah Frishberg

Located within the posh Upper East Side enclave of Carnegie Hill at 1281 Madison Avenue, this gracefully restored 1,712-square-foot townhouse-style duplex is stunning inside and out, and asking an even $3 million. The lofty 11-foot ceilings and generously-sized West-facing windows allow for plenty of air and light throughout the apartment, but perhaps the best part is that it's connected to an adjacent condominium and is afforded all the perks of that property.
Take a tour

Distinctive Homes

March 12, 2018

Elegant $6M spread is dripping with ‘original Dakota details’

It's hard to be disappointed by an apartment at The Dakota, the famed, historic cooperative off Central Park West. This one, now on the market for $5.85 million, lives up to its elegant address with interior features the include carved mahogany doors, wood-burning fireplaces, tin ceilings and a mural painted in the master bathroom. The highly refined spread covers 2,700 square feet--spacious enough for at least one baby grand piano--and includes three bedrooms and two bathrooms.
Head on in

Distinctive Homes

March 12, 2018

Open staircases and angular ceilings add drama to this $4M Flatiron penthouse

This Flatiron duplex has it all: a dramatic double-height living room, open staircases, angular ceilings, big windows, a balcony, sky bridge and private roof deck. Over a sprawling 2,300 square feet it holds two bedrooms and two-and-a-half baths. And it comes from 131 Fifth Avenue, a 23-unit cooperative built in 1904 that was once part of the original Lord & Taylor department store. All signs of retail are now gone, and you've got this ultra-hip penthouse asking $3.95 million in its place.
Take a peek

Distinctive Homes

NYC RENTALS: New Listings at American Copper Buildings, VIA 57 WEST + More

Images (L to R): VIA 57 WEST, 33 BOND STREET, THE VOGUE and GRAFFITI HOUSE

March 10, 2018

NYC RENTALS: New Listings at American Copper Buildings, VIA 57 WEST + More

By Ondel Hylton

Images (L to R): VIA 57 WEST, 33 BOND STREET, THE VOGUE and GRAFFITI HOUSE See New Listings at VIA 57 West – Breakthrough Rental by Bjarke Ingles American Copper Buildings Now Leasing with 2 Months Free Jersey City’s Newly Opened 3 Journal Square Leasing from $1,770/Month The Silver Star: Long Island City Rentals Launch […]

Real Estate Trends

March 9, 2018

Waiting list opens for 840 more affordable units in Hudson Yards rental complex

Adding to yesterday's announcement of the waitlist launch for affordable apartments at TF Cornerstone's 455 West 37th Street, a waiting list is now open for 840 more units in the Hudson Yards/Midtown West development just across the avenue at 505 West 37th Street. Similarly, the affordable units are available for households earning 40 percent of the area median income or between $22,903 and $38,160, and range from $613/month studios to $801/month two-bedrooms. Residents can enjoy amenities like a 24-hour attended lobby, an on-site resident manager, a sun terrace, a fitness center, party rooms and a laundry room (additional fees may apply in some cases).
Find out whether you qualify

Affordable Housing

East Village’s landmarked Bathhouse Studios building is up for sale for $20M

Photo via Cushman & Wakefield

March 9, 2018

East Village’s landmarked Bathhouse Studios building is up for sale for $20M

Once a free public bathhouse, now transformed into studio space, the Bathhouse Studios in the East Village has been listed for sale. The landmarked Neo-Italian Renaissance style building opened in 1905, offering public baths to the nearby crowded tenements. (Back then, bathing facilities were non-existent in apartments.) People used the seven bathtubs and 94 showers up until 1958, when the building shuttered and fell into disrepair. In 1995, Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer Eddie Adams and his wife Alyssa Adams bought and converted it into a high-end studio and work space. And now, it's a professional studio space you're able to rent out, or outright buy for a hefty $19.95 million (h/t EV Grieve).
It comes with air rights

March 9, 2018

Can giant zoo animals sell a luxury condo in NYC?

After watching 200 East 59th Street’s most recent promotional video, the 35-story midtown building seems insanely voluminous and sturdy— with a whiff of hay? Developer Macklowe Properties just released this DBOX video showing giraffes, elephants, and rhinos (oh my!) galavanting around the city and in their new building. This video builds on the fiberglass 18-foot giraffes, elephants, and rhinos Macklowe found in Southampton and installed at the property last year.
Watch the whole video

New Developments

March 8, 2018

Waitlist opens for affordable units at Hudson Yards district rental, from $613/month