Manhattan

Of-the-moment firm Snøhetta has revealed their design for a 775-foot condominium tower at 50 West 66th Street, set to be the tallest on the Upper West Side (h/t Wallpaper) The Extell-developed building will feature 127 units and a series of "sculptural excavations" that the architects say are "evocative of the chiseled stone of Manhattan’s geologic legacy." On the lower levels, the tower will be clad in textured limestone with bronze window frames; its narrower upper portion will have a glassy facade and chamfered corners that create a series of open-air loggias.
More renderings and details

Trump dumps Soho hotel after glitzy launch and 11-year slump

Image: Trump Soho; Donald Trump via Wikimedia Commons.

November 27, 2017

Trump dumps Soho hotel after glitzy launch and 11-year slump

New York City has never, barring perhaps a short stretch of the go-go '80s, been Trump country. But the Trump Organization's high-profile Midtown properties blend with the area's flow of international money and glamour-seeking tourists. Much further downtown, the Trump Soho condominium/hotel at 246 Spring Street has been at best a minor embarrassment in the neighborhood since the ambitious announcement of its birth on Donald J. Trump's TV show "The Apprentice" 11 years ago. Now, what was launched as "an awe-inspiring masterpiece," is being severed from the Trump fold, the New York Times reports. In addition to poor economic performance, the 46-story luxury hotel has attracted opposition from locals since its arrival, protests during Trump's candidacy and scrutiny after the election due to its ties to a Russian dealmaker.
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Apply for a middle-income apartment in Alphabet City, from $2,116/month

Photo of 101 Avenue D courtesy of Arabella 101

November 27, 2017

Apply for a middle-income apartment in Alphabet City, from $2,116/month

Applications are currently being accepted for middle-income studio and one-bedroom apartments at 101 Avenue D in the Alphabet City section of the East Village. The 78-unit building, known as Arabella 101, is a post-war rental located between East 7th Street and East 8th Street. In addition to its prime downtown Manhattan location, residents can enjoy a roof deck, laundry room, bike room and fitness center. Qualifying New Yorkers earning between $74, 435 and $116,900 can apply for a $2,116 per month studio and those earning between $74-435 and $133, 700 can apply for $2,270 per month one-bedroom.
Find out if you qualify

Affordable Housing

Did Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban buy Michael Jackson’s former UES mansion?

Photo of Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban courtesy of UN Women

November 27, 2017

Did Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban buy Michael Jackson’s former UES mansion?

Adding to the mansion’s celebrity lineage, country music star Keith Urban might be buying the 16-room Upper East Side townhouse at 4 East 74th Street for $39 million as a gift for his wife, Oscar-winner Nicole Kidman. According to Woman's Day, Kidman will take her acting career to Broadway, making the townhouse on Central Park the perfect nesting spot, although a deal has not been made official. "While there are several interested parties in the house, no deal has been made yet and a contract has not been signed," said the listing's agent, Adam Modlin. "The house is available." Constructed in 1898, past residents have included artist Marc Chagall and Michael Jackson. The sprawling six-story home features seven bedrooms, eight bathrooms and an original detailed oak staircase, 10 wood burning fireplaces and a private roof deck. As 6sqft previously covered, the building's current owner, billionaire hedge fund manager and Milwaukee Bucks co-owner Marc Lasry, listed the property earlier this month.
See inside

Rent Bethenny Frankel’s chic Soho condo for $13K/month

Photo of Bethenny Frankel via Wikimedia

November 22, 2017

Rent Bethenny Frankel’s chic Soho condo for $13K/month

After an unsuccessful stint on the sales market, Bethenny Frankel’s condo in Soho is now a $13,000 per month rental. Frankel, star of Real Housewives of New York City and founder of the Skinnygirl empire, first tried to sell the two-bedroom apartment at 22 Mercer Street for $5.25 million in February but to no avail. While it's now listed as a rental, the apartment is still available for purchase at a slightly lower price of $4.95 million, Curbed reports. The loft spans 2,392 square feet and boasts a working wood-burning fireplace, a balcony and 14-foot ceilings.
Have a look around

November 22, 2017

$980K Village co-op maximizes space with smart storage and a bonus outdoor patio

This Greenwich Village apartment, at the cooperative 175 Bleecker Street, is within cozy quarters. But the ground-floor, one-bedroom unit is more than meets the eye post-renovation. It's packed with some ingenious storage, a lofted second bedroom space, and a dreamy private patio. After last selling in 2015 for $849,000, it's back on the market with a steeper ask of $980,000. Will someone be willing to spend close to $1 million on a well-designed but modest apartment, right in the heart of the Village?
Take a look around

Distinctive Homes

November 21, 2017

$1.4M mod duplex is part of a rare Upper East Side enclave

In a city that seems to be growing more homogenous each day, this listing is one of the exceptions. Tucked away in plain sight on an Upper East Side street that ends in a cul-de-sac overlooking the East River, this floor-through duplex at 527 East 72nd Street is a rare oasis. Bookended by two petite public parks, the co-op complex consists of four wood-clad 1894 townhouses painted black and white. Within, the two-bedroom apartment is just as dreamy and beautifully renovated with clean, modern finishes that continue the feeling of having escaped the bustle of Manhattan. Asking $1.395 million, the home spans two levels and has a laundry room, a separate office, two baths and a powder room–and there's plenty of living space left over.
Get a closer look

Distinctive Homes

Preservation unbound: Is a plan to re-build the original Penn Station a viable option?

Drawing of the original Penn Station, re-created. Credit: Jeff Stikeman for Rebuild Penn Station

November 20, 2017

Preservation unbound: Is a plan to re-build the original Penn Station a viable option?

In August 6sqft reported that major work was underway in the $1.6 billion transformation of Penn Station's James A. Farley Building into a state-of-the-art, 225,000-square-foot “world-class 21st century transportation hub” called Moynihan Train Hall. That hasn't stopped the flow of suggestions for how to best make use of New Yorkers' un-favorite transport hub, which have included Practice for Architecture and Urbanism founder Vishaan Chakrabarti's proposal to repurpose, then move the old building to create a neighborhood gathering spot and a plan by Columbia University’s DeathLab to turn the the station into a landscaped cemetery. Among those voices-with-a-vision is Rebuild Penn Station, a group of architects and preservationists whose intent is to recreate the original McKim, Mead and White-designed Penn Station, and a new ad campaign aims to get commuters on board (h/t Curbed).
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November 20, 2017

NYC’s best art installations and exhibits to get you in the holiday spirit

By Lori Zimmer

The holiday season in New York is one of the most magical times, packed with lots of events to perpetuate the experience. Aside from ice skating, holiday-themed bars, and the tree at Rockefeller Center, be sure to tuck into these art exhibitions and events to get you into the spirit! From old standbys like the New York Botanical Garden's Holiday Train Show to contemporary offerings like Yayoi Kusama's glittering installations in Chelsea and Erwin Redl's haunting field of glowing orbs at Madison Square Park, we've rounded up the 14 best must-see artsy exhibits this year.
Our top picks right this way

Events & Things To Do

November 20, 2017

Townhouse charm, modern design, and a prime location add up to this $825K West Village co-op

This one-bedroom co-op at 352 West 12th Street has exactly the kind of West Village charm–inside and out–that makes the neighborhood one of the city's most sought-after–and makes even its tiniest spaces among the most fought-over. Asking $825,000–in keeping with the neighborhood's complete lack of perspective in the area of real estate value–what's essentially an alcove studio with a privacy-enhancing wall has been blessed with interior design and finishes that make every square foot a joy to behold. It may not "astound with surprises," as the listing offers, but it's a surprisingly chic little flat, two flights up, with a lovely common garden shared the trio of 19th-century townhouses that comprise the co-op.
Take a look, this way

Distinctive Homes

November 17, 2017

The penthouse at Shigeru Ban’s Metal Shutter Houses tries its hand as a $25K/month rental

The penthouse that tops the Metal Shutter Houses, a Chelsea condo designed by Pritzker Prize winner Shigeru Ban, boasts almost as much outdoor space as it does within. The four-bedroom, four-bathroom duplex penthouse spans 3,319 square feet, with almost 2,000 square feet of landscaped terraces surrounding it and offering incredible views. The pad originally sold for $11.4 million, according to Curbed, then hit the market in 2011 for $12.95 million. After no takers, it was listed this summer for $12.9 million. And now it's trying its hand as a rental, at a hefty monthly cost of $25,000.
You have to see the outdoor space

Distinctive Homes

5 Manhattan West. Photo: Laurian Ghinitoiu via REX Architecture

November 17, 2017

First look at REX’s pleated-glass transformation of Brutalist 5 Manhattan West office tower

By Andrew Berman of Village Preservation

Brookfield Office Properties offered a look at the second building in the nearly-six-million-square-foot, six-building Manhattan West project to be completed. The 16-story office building known as 5 Manhattan West, where Amazon signed a lease for a 360,000-square-foot space, is approaching completion on Tenth Avenue between West 31st and 33rd Streets across from Hudson Yards. Archpaper shares images of the building's sparkling new look and interiors, the result of some fancy architectural footwork by REX. The 1969 Brutalist office building was nearly everyone's example of ugly since a 1980s renovation left it clad in brown metal and beige paint. The rechristened building's new facade wraps it in sleek, form-fitting pleated glass that does more than just look pretty.
More images of the 21st century transformation, this way

Jewish gangsters, jazz legends, and Joy Division: The evolution of the Ukrainian National Home

The Stuyvesant Casino in 1945, via the Swedish Buck Johnson Society (L); The Ukrainian National Home Today, via Wally Gobetz/Flickr (R)

November 16, 2017

Jewish gangsters, jazz legends, and Joy Division: The evolution of the Ukrainian National Home

On 2nd Avenue, just south of 9th Street at No. 140-142, sits one of the East Village's oddest structures. Clad in metal and adorned with Cyrillic lettering, the building sports a slightly downtrodden and forbidding look, seeming dropped into the neighborhood from some dystopian sci-fi thriller. In reality, for the last half century the building has housed the Ukrainian National Home, best known as a great place to get some good food or drink. But scratch the surface of this architectural oddity and you'll find a winding history replete with Jewish gangsters, German teetotalers, jazz-playing hipsters, and the American debut of one of Britain's premier post-punk bands, all in a building which, under its metallic veneer, dates back nearly two centuries.
Learn this fascinating history

History

November 16, 2017

‘The View’ co-host Joy Behar drops $2.4M on a mod Upper West Side condo

According to city property records, "The View" co-host Joy Behar just dropped $2.4 million on a contemporary apartment at the Lincoln Square condo 62 West 62nd Street. Not only is the place a block away from both Central Park and Lincoln Center, but it's just four blocks from the talk show's ABC filming location on 66th Street. Ironically, it's also just a few blocks from the Trump International; Behar has been extremely vocal on her disdain for the building's namesake, even writing an entire Trump-bashing book.
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Crown Building’s $100M penthouse will have two indoor pools and a piano lounge

Penthouse rendering courtesy of Aman Resorts

November 16, 2017

Crown Building’s $100M penthouse will have two indoor pools and a piano lounge

Floor plans of the Crown Building's crown jewel, its five-story penthouse, have revealed what $100 million will buy you at one of the city's most desirable locations for the super-rich. As the Real Deal learned, the penthouse features two swimming pools, a piano lounge and a full-floor master suite. The 14,000-square-foot pad sits in the actual crown of the building, spanning floors 22-26. The rest of the Billionaires' Row building at 730 Fifth Avenue isn't too shabby either; the building includes an 83-key luxury Aman Resorts hotel with a three-story spa, a jazz and cigar club, a few restaurants and 20 luxury condos.
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Foreclosures and flopped flips pile up at One57, sending grim message to big ticket investors

Image © Wade Zimmerman courtesy of Agence Christian de Portzamparc (ACDP)

November 16, 2017

Foreclosures and flopped flips pile up at One57, sending grim message to big ticket investors

A full-floor, 6,240-square-foot penthouse at Midtown billionaires' bunker One57 recently sold to an unidentified high bidder–one of five contenders–at a foreclosure auction for $36 million. That number is 29 percent lower than the original $50.9 million price shelled out by Nigerian businessman Kolawole Akanni Aluko for the newly-minted condo in 2014. The fire sale was the fourth resale in the 1,004-foot-tall Billionaire's Row flagship trophy tower to trade at a loss, according to data from appraiser Miller Samuel Inc., reports Bloomberg. The latest example is the largest discount to date on one of the pricey properties, all of which sends a message to buyers with plans to cash in on the ultra-luxury units in short order. And there are currently 16 apartments at the building listed for sale, most of them by the developer.
Read on

Real Estate Trends

City Planning gives the go ahead for controversial 800-foot Sutton Place tower

The original rendering of 3 Sutton Place by Foster + Partners

November 16, 2017

City Planning gives the go ahead for controversial 800-foot Sutton Place tower

The City Planning Commission approved a resident-proposed plan to curb the development of supertall, skinny towers in Sutton Place on Wednesday, capping the height of future buildings. However, because of a clause inserted by the commission, projects already under construction will be grandfathered into the current zoning rules. This comes as good news for Gamma Real Estate, the developer currently constructing an 800-foot-tall residential tower, now called Sutton 58, at 3 Sutton Place. Gamma needs to finish the foundation planned for their luxury condominium tower before the city votes on the rezoning proposal, to be immune from new height restrictions (h/t Crain's).
More this way

November 16, 2017

Chelsea townhouse with modern Danish design asks a cool $11M

This Chelsea townhouse at 449 West 24th Street has some bragging rights both inside and out. Exterior-wise, the 21-foot-wide home is surrounded by greenery and outdoor space on a block of other historic townhouses. Inside, over 4,073 square feet, mid-century and Danish interior design has added a unique and modern touch. Big walls of glass, finally, connect the indoor and outdoor elements. If you're digging the connection, the property has just hit the market for a cool $11 million.
Explore each floor

Distinctive Homes

New 40th Street entrance. Credit: Mecanoo with Beyer Blinder Belle

November 16, 2017

NYPL unveils $317M master plan and renderings for iconic main branch

At a Board of Trustees meeting Wednesday evening, The New York Public Library revealed the $317 million master plan that will guide the renovation of the iconic Stephen A. Schwarzman Building on Fifth Avenue and 42nd Street. The plan was developed by Dutch architecture firm Mecanoo and the NYC-based Beyer Blinder Belle. The historic Midtown Beaux-Arts building is home to one of the nation’s leading research libraries as well as historic spaces like the landmarked Rose Main Reading Room, the Maps, Periodicals, and Genealogy reading rooms, and Astor Hall.
This way for more renderings and what's to come

Architecture And Design

November 15, 2017

Historic UES mansion with Michael Jackson and ‘Gossip Girl’ ties asks $39M

By Dana Schulz

The celebrity connections at 4 East 74th Street date all the way back to its construction in 1898 when architect Alexander Welch was commissioned to design the Beaux-Arts townhouse. Welch served as the consulting architect on the restorations of Alexander Hamilton's Harlem home Hamilton Grange and George Washington's headquarters in White Plains. The Upper East Side home was bought by Francis Lynde Stetson and his wife. Corporate attorney Stetson was at one time the law partner of Grover Cleveland. According to Curbed, who first spotted the listing, in more recent years, the 16-room mansion has counted among its residents artist Marc Chagall and Michael Jackson, who rented it in the 90s. The house also stood in as the exterior of Nate Archibald’s residence in "Gossip Girl." It's now owned by billionaire Moroccan-born American hedge fund manager and Milwaukee Bucks co-owner Marc Lasry, who's just listed it for $39 million.
Take a tour

LPC approves Roman Abramovich’s revised Upper East Side mega-mansion proposal

Image: Landmarks Preservation Commission

November 14, 2017

LPC approves Roman Abramovich’s revised Upper East Side mega-mansion proposal

Shortly after Roman Abramovich added a fourth Upper East Side townhouse to his now-$96-million assemblage on East 75th Street, the Russian billionaire's three-house, 18,000-square-foot mega-mansion plans changed ever so slightly, with renovation efforts to be concentrated on numbers 9, 11 and 13, leaving number 15 out of the running for the mega-combo. As 6sqft previously reported, the steel magnate and owner of the Chelsea Football Club has been working with architect Steven Wang with big-name firm Herzog & de Meuron as a design consultant. The first proposal for the project, “an 18,255-square-foot mansion with a six-foot front yard, 30-foot backyard, and pool in the cellar" was rejected by the Landmarks Preservation Commission and the DOB in April 2016, but a revised plan was approved two months later. Tweaked again to include the new property, the revised plan has been officially approved on Tuesday by the Landmarks Preservation Commission.
Find out more

November 14, 2017

Cracking open the stories of NYC’s most historic bars

With rising rents and ever-changing commercial drags, New Yorkers can take comfort that the city still holds classic bar haunts, some of which have been serving booze for over 100 years. Some watering holes, like the Financial District's Fraunces Tavern, played a crucial role in major historic events. Others, like Midtown's 21 Club and the West Village's White Horse Tavern, hosted the most notable New Yorkers of the time. These institutions all survived Prohibition--managing to serve alcohol in both unique and secretive ways--and figured out ways to serve a diverse, ever-changing clientele of New Yorkers up to this day. 6sqft rounded up the seven most impressive bars when it comes to New York City history--and they've got the legends, stories, and ghosts to prove it. From longshoreman bars to underground speakeasies to Upper East Side institutions, these are the watering holes that have truly withstood New York's test of time.
This way for the roundup

Waldorf Astoria will lose 1,000 hotel rooms in renovation

Photo via Wiki Commons

November 13, 2017

Waldorf Astoria will lose 1,000 hotel rooms in renovation

In the coming weeks, the renovation of the Waldorf Astoria Hotel will finally begin--a three-year process to convert much of the building to luxury condos. Hilton Worldwide Holdings, who had owned the landmark since 1972, agreed in 2014 to sell the 1,413-room hotel to Beijing-based financial and insurance company Anbang Insurance Group for $1.95 billion. Since then, the interior was landmarked, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill was tapped to design the project, and the building closed to begin work. Now the New York Post reports that post reno, the Waldorf will only hold 350 hotel rooms--a number that's "at the low end of recent estimates and much smaller than the number former Waldorf owner Hilton had expected," according to the paper.
It's caused some tension

November 12, 2017

Courtney Love’s one-time West Village townhouse rental lists for $11.25M after a stylish makeover

After struggling on and off the market for six years, the historic Greenwich Village townhouse made infamous when Courtney Love rented it for $27,000/month is trying again after a super-stylish makeover. Back in 2011, the owner of 250 West 10th Street, Donna Lyon, took Love to court on the grounds that she had done more than $100,000 worth of interior damages, including decorating it in a style not to the owner's liking and setting a minor fire, as well as owed $54,000 in back rent. Love ended up winning the eviction battle, but soon thereafter moved out, from which time the place has been trying to find a buyer, first listing for $8.4 million, then jumping up to $11.5 and back down to $9. But it's now received a super-stylish makeover more akin to its pre-Love look, which he been done by previous owner and architect/designer Steven Gambrel. With lacquered walls, six original marble fireplaces, and a newly renovated French-bistro outdoor patio, the home is now asking $11.25 million.
Get a look around

November 12, 2017

A top-floor apartment at Trump International, awash in marble, has been price chopped down to $27.5M

Extravagant is the word to describe this 47th-floor apartment at Trump International, the 52-floor hotel/condo hybrid on the corner of Central Park West. The owner snatched up the 6,360-square-foot home in 2008 and has been recently delivering a number of price cuts to unload it. In 2016, the pad was asking $40 million. That number went down to $34.5 million this April, and now it's finally landed at $27.5 million--a 31.5 percent markdown from its original ask. For all that money, however, you're getting Central Park views, four distinct types of marble flooring, and a master bathroom decked out in Lapis Lazuli stone hand-picked by European craftsman.
See all the lavish details

Distinctive Homes

Photo of Trump Tower via Krystal T’s Flickr

November 10, 2017

Trump Tower prices slide since 2015 presidential campaign