Manhattan

First announced over a year ago and later approved by the city's Department of Buildings in September, Rafael Viñoly’s residential project planned for 249 East 62nd Street moved forward this week after the architect released a new rendering. As YIMBY reported, the 510-foot building will feature retail and a townhouse at its base, with apartments above it through the 12th floor. The uniqueness of this project's design lies with its 150-foot-tall octagonally-shaped core, aimed at raising the height of upper-level apartments without counting it toward usable square footage.
Details here

Frank Gehry and Santiago Calatrava to design Hudson Yards residential towers

Rendering of Hudson Yards. Image: Danny Forster Design Studio

February 20, 2018

Frank Gehry and Santiago Calatrava to design Hudson Yards residential towers

Though starchitect Frank Gehry threatened to flee to France after the 2016 election, he'll likely be sticking around to design new towers at the Hudson Yards mega-development on Manhattan's west side; Gehry and fellow controversial architect Santiago Calatrava are among those chosen to work on the residential western section of Related Cos. and Oxford Properties' 28-acre complex, according to a source close to the project who spoke with the Wall Street Journal.
Find out more

NYC RENTALS: This week’s roundup of rental news & offers

Images (Clockwise): 175 KENT APARTMENTS, LENOX TERRACE, RIVERBANK and 1629 PACIFIC ST.

February 17, 2018

NYC RENTALS: This week’s roundup of rental news & offers

By Ondel Hylton

Special Leasing Offers at 175 Kent Avenue in Williamsburg New Renderings of Lenox Terrace Expansion in Harlem, Plus Renovated Apartments from $1,650/Mo. New Listings at RIVERBANK in Hell's Kitchen: Sky-High Rentals from $2,879/Month 1629 Pacific Street: Luxury Crown Heights Rentals Start at $2,667/month Ready to Roll: Long Island City Rental The Silver Star Set for March Launch Live at Rocket Factory Lofts on Williamsburg's South 4th Street; 1- and 2-Beds Available Now Leasing Kicks Off on New Uptown Rentals at 531 West 159th Street
READ MORE

Real Estate Trends

February 16, 2018

This drool-worthy, lofty pad asks $1.4M inside a historic Chelsea townhouse

The Neo-Classical townhouse at 146 West 16th Street sits on a dreamy historic Chelsea side street, and one of the apartments inside is just as charming. The two-bedroom apartment spans the entire floor and has been renovated. It sold in 2010 for $899,000, in 2014 for $1.29 million, and now it's asking $1.399 million. Interior details like walnut stained oak floors, whitewashed exposed brick, an original decorative marble mantel, plus a wall of windows facing 16th Street are sure to impress.
So take a look

Distinctive Homes

The Urban Lens: Documenting 20 years of Harlem architecture

6sqft’s series The Urban Lens invites photographers to share work exploring a theme or a place within New York City. In this installment, Albert Vecerka shares some images from his “Harlem project.” Are you a photographer who’d like to see your work featured on The Urban Lens? Get in touch with us at [email protected].

February 16, 2018

The Urban Lens: Documenting 20 years of Harlem architecture

By Hannah Frishberg

After moving to New York in 1992 and earning a degree in architecture from City College, Yugoslavia-born photographer Albert Vecerka moved to Harlem and started documenting the neighborhood. Originally an attempt to dispel the notion that Harlem was "dangerous," his "Harlem project," also captures its architectural fabric and aesthetic changes over time. 6qft recently caught up with Vecerka to hear his thoughts on Harlem--what it was like 20 years ago and why he still calls it home.
See more photos and hear from Albert

Places

Plan for a performing arts space at the World Trade Center moves forward

Rendering via REX Architecture

February 16, 2018

Plan for a performing arts space at the World Trade Center moves forward

By Andrew Berman of Village Preservation

The project to bring a performing arts center to the World Trade Center is finally back on track, almost 15 years after the idea was included in the original vision for rebuilding the area post-9/11. Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced on Thursday an agreement for a 99-year lease between the Port Authority and the World Trade Center Performing Arts Center Inc. (PAC) for $1 per year, paving the way for construction to begin. Named for the billionaire who gifted $75 million to the project, the Ronald O. Perelman Performing Arts Center will include 200,000 square feet of space, three halls and a rehearsal space, a restaurant and a gift shop. If everything moves smoothly, the center could open as soon as the 2020 or 2021 season.
Find out more

Black history in Greenwich Village: 15 sites related to pioneering African-Americans

Image via Wikimedia

February 16, 2018

Black history in Greenwich Village: 15 sites related to pioneering African-Americans

Greenwich Village has been known throughout its existence for breaking new ground and embracing outsiders. One often-forgotten but important element of that trailblazing narrative is the extraordinary role the Village played in relation to African American history. The neighborhood was home to North America’s earliest free Black settlement in the 17th century, to some of America’s first black churches in the 19th century, and many pioneering African-American artists, civil rights leaders, and organizations in the 20th century. This Black History Month, here are just a few of the exceptional Greenwich Village sites connected to African-American history.
Learn about all 15 sites here

History

Bruce Willis ‘downsizes’ to a new four-bedroom Riverside Center condo

Photo: Evan Joseph Photography; Bruce Willis photo: Gage Skidmore via Flickr

February 16, 2018

Bruce Willis ‘downsizes’ to a new four-bedroom Riverside Center condo

Bruce Willis and his wife Emma Heming Willis found a buyer for their home at 271 Central Park West for $17.75 million within a week of listing the six-bedroom co-op after deciding to downsize a bit. According to reports the pair have just bought a new Upper West Side aerie at One West End at 1 West End Avenue. The four-bedroom condominium in the 41-story tower, part of the in the massive Riverside Center project designed by Pelli Clarke Pelli and Hill West Architects, spans over 3,000 square feet and was last listed for $7.9 million.
Take a look

February 15, 2018

The new nomadic lifestyle: Luxury real estate and restaurants take over Nomad

By Michelle Sinclair Colman

A nomad is defined as “a member of a community of people who live in different locations, moving from one place to another in search of grasslands for their animals.” But it would be hard to imagine any Nomad resident ever straying for grasslands beyond Madison Square Park. After a series of incarnations over the years, Nomad is now a super hip, bustling neighborhood from morning through night with residents, technology businesses (it’s now being referred to as “Silicon Alley”), loads of retail (leaning heavily toward design), great architecture, hot hotels, and tons and tons of food. Named for its location north of Madison Square Park, Nomad's borders are a bit fuzzy but generally, they run east-west from Lexington Avenue to Sixth Avenue and north-south from 23rd to 33rd Streets. Douglas Elliman's Bruce Ehrmann says, “Nomad is the great link between Madison Square Park, Midtown South, Murray Hill and 5th Avenue.”
READ MORE

Fearless Girl and Charging Bull statues might relocate from Wall Street

Fearless Girl and Charging Bull statues on Wall Street; via Anthony Quintano’s Flickr

February 15, 2018

Fearless Girl and Charging Bull statues might relocate from Wall Street

The temporary bronze sculpture that has attracted millions of tourists and locals could become a permanent fixture in New York City, according to Adweek. Commissioned by State Street Global Advisors, the Fearless Girl statue was installed last March, a day before International Women's Day, sending a message to Wall Street for the need of gender equality in the financial world. With her chin up and hands firmly on her hips, the 250-pound statue defiantly faces the iconic Charging Bull statue, which has stood in the same spot since 1989. And now the city might relocate the pair of statues from Bowling Green Park in lower Manhattan to another, more pedestrian-friendly home to ease safety concerns.
Find out more

Events & Things To Do

February 15, 2018

New York City’s priciest townhouse sets another record after $90M sale

Billionaire Len Blavatnik has broken the city's record for the most expensive townhouse after paying $90 million for an Upper East Side mansion, according to the New York Post. The seller, HNA Group, sold the home at 19 East 64th Street after recently picking it up in April for $79.5 million, a record at the time. Blavatnik, a music executive who already owns a home on 64th Street and paid $80 million for a home at 834 Fifth Avenue, has an estimated net worth of around $20.5 billion.
More this way

Real Estate Trends

February 15, 2018

In a former Harlem school building, this rococo-inspired studio asks $695K

There's no overlooking this studio apartment from the former Harlem public school at 220 West 148th Street. Carved from the early 1900s school building, this is a 750-square-foot pad with 12-foot ceilings and light through three exposures. In this bright space, the current owner has packed every corner with a rococo-inspired design. Plenty of elaborate touches make this feel less like a tight studio and rather a lofty apartment with plenty to look at.
Head right in

Distinctive Homes

February 14, 2018

The Obamas are not moving to the Upper East Side

By Annie Doge

Barack and Michelle Obama via Wiki Commons; One of 10 Gracie Square’s terraces overlooking the East River, via CityRealty Dreams of having Barack and Michelle Obama in New York City were dashed this week after a report dispelled any and all rumors about the presidential couple moving to Manhattan. According to New York Magazine, the Obamas are not purchasing the five-bedroom duplex at 10 Gracie Square that went into contract for $10 million last month. On background, a source told the magazine: "It's not happening. They certainly did not submit an application, and this never got to the point where a deal was even being floated."
More here

Celebrities

Six things you didn’t know about the Lower West Side

59-81-Washington-Street ca. 1935, via NYPL

February 14, 2018

Six things you didn’t know about the Lower West Side

By Historic Districts Council

This post is part of a series by the Historic Districts Council, exploring the groups selected for their Six to Celebrate program, New York’s only targeted citywide list of preservation priorities. The Lower West Side may not be a neighborhood name used by brokers, but for those involved with preservation efforts in the area, it's a neighborhood very much unique from the surrounding Financial District. Encompassing the area west of Broadway from Liberty Street to Battery Place, it was originally home to Irish and German immigrants, followed by Little Syria, the nation’s first and largest Arabic settlement, from roughly the 1880s to 1940s. But the construction of the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel and World Trade Center "nearly wiped the neighborhood off the map." There are still several buildings remaining that serve as a connection to the past, however, and Friends of the Lower West Side is working diligently to make sure this history is not lost, expanding its oral history program, offering walking tours of the area, and appealing to the Landmarks Commission to designate a small historic district.
Find out six little-known facts about this amazing district

History

February 14, 2018

$9.5M tricked-out Soho bachelor pad is a townhouse with condo benefits

The name is as flashy as its leather-wrapped walls and furnishings and smoked-glass kitchen: Townhouse One at Soho Mews spans 3,855 square feet on two floors and offers five bedrooms and a discreet private entrance on Soho's bustling Wooster Street. Asking $9.5 million, this palatial "townhouse" gets access to the amenities of the stylish Soho Mews condominium at 311 West Broadway including a concierge, a gym and parking.
Get a closer look

Distinctive Homes

February 14, 2018

Fall in love with this elegant two-bedroom co-op, asking $1.85M in the Village

In New York we don't just fall madly in love with people--we fall just as hard for real estate. So here's a charming two-bedroom apartment to love from the Greenwich Village cooperative 171 West 12th Street. The listing boasts plenty of pre-war elegance in the form of original casement windows with double-paned glass, a wood-burning fireplace surrounded by exposed brick, and built-in bookshelves. And exposures to the south, west, and north--plus access to a balcony--bring in plenty of light. It's just been listed for $1.85 million.
Take a look

Distinctive Homes

The city will produce 500 affordable apartments across 87 hard-to-fill vacant lots

Image: Ed Reed/Mayoral Photography Office

February 14, 2018

The city will produce 500 affordable apartments across 87 hard-to-fill vacant lots

An announcement Tuesday by the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) gave lower-income New Yorkers lots to look forward to–literally. HPD Commissioner Maria Torres-Springer announced that nine development teams would be creating 490 affordable apartments and homeownership opportunities on 87 vacant lots through the department's New Infill Homeownership Opportunities Program (NIHOP) and Neighborhood Construction Program (NCP). The programs were designed specifically to unlock the potential of vacant lots long considered too small or irregular for traditional housing with innovative smaller homes, and develop more affordable housing on lots long used for parking at existing housing complexes. This latest round of development is the third and final in a series: The program has already seen the construction of over 600 affordable homes on 81 lots.
'No site has gone overlooked'

February 13, 2018

This white and bright studio asks $549K in Soho

This Soho studio was renovated five years ago, bringing a stark modern aesthetic to a unit already boasting high ceilings, hardwood floors, exposed brick, and a decorative fireplace. Though the studio isn't huge, white walls and cabinetry, plus a line of windows that face Sullivan Street, keep things nice and bright. The pad, located at 145 Sullivan Street, sold in 2012 for $346,000 before being listed at an ask of $549,000.
Check out the reno

Distinctive Homes

February 13, 2018

‘Silence of the Lambs’ director Jonathan Demme’s longtime Central Park West co-op sells for $2.4M

By Annie Doge

Acclaimed filmmaker Jonathan Demme, who won an Academy Award for directing "The Silence of the Lambs," passed away in April. For at least 30 years prior, he resided at the grand Emery Roth-designed Central Park West co-op the Alden. According to city records, his longtime Upper West Side home has now sold for $2.4 million, after just 13 days on the market.
READ MORE

February 13, 2018

Historic Kips Bay townhouse with room to grow asks $4.3M

This mid-19th century townhouse in Manhattan's often overlooked neighborhood of Kips Bay might be a dime a dozen in a Brooklyn neighborhood like Cobble Hill. But in Midtown it's asking $4.3 million and it looks as cute as a button somehow. This four-story-plus-cellar Greek Revival-style (officially) three-family home sits on a pretty tree-lined residential street. At 18-inches wide its well-maintained and fetching façade is highlighted by custom contrasting shutters.
Tour the townhouse

February 12, 2018

Enjoy zen vibes from this lofty condo asking $775K in Hamilton Heights

This two-bedroom pad comes from the prewar condo at 706 Riverside Drive, in Hamilton Heights. Though the building is classic the apartment's been renovated to look more like a zen loft downtown. A "double loft wonderland" was added to the second bedroom, alongside reclaimed wood shelving and unique decor. After last selling in 2007 for $349,830, it is now asking $775,000.
Look around

Distinctive Homes

February 12, 2018

Work for Google? Get a $1M discount on this $13M 7-story Chelsea townhouse

In the heart of bustling and ever-expanding Chelsea, a seven-story, 6,500 square-foot new-construction townhouse stands seductively for sale at 338 West 15th Street. Listed for $13.395 million, the home represents a new kind of opportunity in more ways than one. In addition to being meticulously finished with the most luxurious materials available and possessed of endless space both indoors and outdoors, a $1 million discount is offered to a buyer who is an employee of Google. And that (not-so-) little extra perk for a potential Google buyer is intended as a celebration of the company's exciting expansion within the Chelsea neighborhood. And with more Google ownership in the neighborhood in the form of the just-purchased Chelsea Market (a $2.5 billion deal), there could be a daily bonus of a seven-minute walk to work.
Get a look around

Distinctive Homes

February 12, 2018

Pier 40 concept envisions an offshore apartment complex that allows for sea-level rise

Local multidisciplinary creative firm DFA has come up with a concept for the rehabilitation of Manhattan's rapidly disintegrating Pier 40 that would provide housing and other services, but would also adapt to the predicted rising sea levels of future New York City. Dezeen reports on the firm's fascinating idea for a future-proof housing, commercial and recreation complex that rises from the Hudson River in the West Village and would be able to remain above water in the event of rising sea levels, while addressing the city's dire need for affordable housing and the ability to resist flooding as a result of climate change.
Find out more about the future-proof floating pier

Architecture And Design

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

Images (L to R): 606W57, The Delmar, Aurora and 88 Leonard Street

February 10, 2018

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

By Ondel Hylton

Images (L to R): 606W57, The Delmar, Aurora and 88 Leonard Street Little Italy Rental Debuts; Rumored to have Housed Debbie Harry & Robert De Niro Lenox Terrace Offers Renovated Harlem Apartments from $1,650/Mo. Pre-War Grandeur at The Wyoming; Amazing Midtown Rental Near Central Park Bronx Rentals Debut at Port133 at 751 East 133rd Street […]

Real Estate Trends

February 9, 2018

This colorful Gramercy co-op is a $925K cure for the winter blahs