Manhattan

L train via Wiki Commons To mitigate the nightmare commuters will face during the 15-month L-train shutdown, the MTA and the Department of Transportation presented four possible alternatives that would make a portion of 14th Street a car-free busway. Streetsblog NYC reported that during a Manhattan Community Board 6 meeting on Monday, the agencies laid out the following options: a standard Select Bus Service (SBS) along 14th Street, enhanced SBS that includes turn and curb restrictions, a car-free busway in the middle lanes along 14th and a river-to-river car-free busway. Agency officials predict between 75 and 85 percent of the daily 275,000 daily L riders will use other subway lines, with bus service possibly absorbing between 5-15 percent of displaced trips.
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June 7, 2017

Macy’s may add public park to rooftop of Herald Square flagship

As part of a strategy to shore up its flagging retail business, Macy's is considering providing New York City with more public park space right on the rooftop of its Herald Square flagship store, the New York Post reports. Doug Sesler, EVP of Real Estate for the chain, said in an investor presentation Tuesday that the store was "Exploring ways to activate upper levels (e.g.rooftop) and overall property while retaining Macy’s store and presence." To attract shoppers and add more excitement to the shopping experience, Macy’s execs are looking at plans to develop the rooftop of the 2.2 million square-foot 34th Street store, including restaurants, green space, trees and benches.
Why a park?

Uncategorized

June 7, 2017

The MetLife Building’s letters are getting a makeover

While the Brutalist architecture of the MetLife Building, formerly the Pan Am Building, makes this 59-story skyscraper stand out among Midtown's many tall towers, its large sign touting its namesake makes it easy for all to identify. Beginning this week, the insurance company will replace the massive letters with a brand new typeface, as Crain’s reported. The installation of the new, more modern logo will be the first time the building’s sign has changed since 1993 when 15- and 18-foot-long letters spelling out MetLife replaced Pan Am’s sign. Additionally, the firm's new corporate logo--made more colorful in an attempt to shift their marketing strategy along with a new tagline "Navigating life together"--is being installed on the tower's east side.
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Architecture And Design

June 7, 2017

Sprawling five-bedroom loft in Soho offers style and plenty of space for $20K/month

It doesn't get more Soho than Prince Street, once home to big-name artists, now home to big-brand sneaker stores and...a few big name artists who bought their lofts way back when. This sprawling full floor loft at 131 Prince Street in the center of it all spans 3,600 square feet including five bedrooms; while it's all loft, it also feels like a big rambling estate that has been in the family for years. You can experience this level of space, convenience and comfort with renovations that have integrated substance and style, provided you've got $19,995 a month rent.
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Distinctive Homes

June 6, 2017

‘Today’ show host Savannah Guthrie lists Tribeca loft for $6M

By Annie Doge

"Today" show co-anchor Savannah Guthrie and husband Michael Feldman, a political consultant, have put their Tribeca apartment on the market at an asking price of $5.995 million. As LLYNC learned, Feldman bought the three-bedroom apartment in 2012 for $3.8 million. The 2,691-square-foot condominium was designed by BKSK Architects and boasts five floor-to-ceiling windows as well as a 200-square-foot storage unit.
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June 6, 2017

The National Debt Clock will move back to One Bryant Park

While the debt continues to grow, the ticker that estimates the current national figure is temporarily coming down this month. The National Debt Clock at 1133 Sixth Avenue will be moved on June 8 to make way for a new entrance at the Durst Organization’s building just one block away to One Bryant Park (aka the Bank of America Tower), the spot where the original clock first stood, as the Post reported. Real estate developer Seymour Durst first put up the ticker on the corner of Sixth Avenue and 42nd Street in 1989, when the debt was a mere $3 trillion. Today’s debt totals over $19 trillion, with each family’s average share more than $168,000, according to data from the US Treasury.
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Uncategorized

June 6, 2017

Sophisticated $16M Soho loft is part French farmhouse, part tropical palazzo

The listing calls this three-floor home atop a classic Soho loft building at 12 Greene Street a "reimagining of urban living" that "defies easy categorization," and we'd have to agree. But what's instantly recognizable is the design knowledge and creative eye that was behind the construction of each room's eclectic but beautiful balance of form and function, including layers of verdant garden-draped patios, decks and terraces. Records show that the current owner purchased this 4,500 square-foot co-op for $1.7 million in 2005, which in itself sounds like quite a feat; the triplex is now asking a far more 21st century $16 million.
Tour the enchanted spaces of this amazing home

Distinctive Homes

June 5, 2017

Restored Romanesque Revival townhouse asks $2.9M in Hamilton Heights

This Romanesque Revival townhouse was constructed at 103 Hamilton Place, in the historic Harlem neighborhood of Hamilton Heights, back in 1910. In more recent years it's been carefully restored and upgraded, with the goal to bring the home back to its original grandeur. Rooms still hold marble fireplaces as well as pine, mahogany and oak shutters, windows and doors. That's paired with a modern kitchen and bathrooms, although one still holds its original clawfoot tub.
This way for a look inside

Distinctive Homes

My 600sqft: Pastry chef Meredith Kurtzman in her colorful Soho apartment of 40 years

6sqft’s ongoing series “My sqft” checks out the homes of New Yorkers across all the boroughs. Our latest interior adventure brings us to the Soho apartment of pastry chef Meredith Kurtzman. Want to see your home featured here? Get in touch!

June 5, 2017

My 600sqft: Pastry chef Meredith Kurtzman in her colorful Soho apartment of 40 years

By Diane Pham

You may not know Meredith Kurtzman by name, but you can thank this spunky New Yorker for bringing great gelato to the city. A textile designer turned pastry chef, Kurtzman is lauded (at least within her industry) as "a trailblazer" in elevating ice-cream making in the U.S. Moreover she's wholly credited with introducing chaste New York palettes to once implausible flavors like olive oil gelato and, more simply, fresh fruit sorbetto; "genius" and "a true artisan" are just a few of words that have been used to describe her. However, while counterparts with her level of talent have catapulted themselves into the spotlight (see: Keith McNally and Bobby Flay), Meredith herself has opted for a more understated existence. She today—as she has for the last 40 years—lives in a modestly-sized but boldly colorful tenement apartment in Soho. Meredith is, in fact, one of those rare New York creatives whose real estate choices can be traced back to when Soho was a "last resort" for artists and storefronts were used as shelter. Stating the obvious, she's seen some things. Ahead, Meredith offers us a tour of her unique apartment, a 600-square-foot space filled with DIY projects, vintage charm, plants, and lots of color. She also shares stories of Soho in the 1970s, and where she still finds inspiration in a city that's so different from the one she knew as a youth.
inside meredith's apartment here

Some Trump Palace apartment owners want to remove the building’s name

Google Street View

June 5, 2017

Some Trump Palace apartment owners want to remove the building’s name

Google Street View Despite winning the presidential election last fall, Donald Trump’s New York City properties have hit a losing streak. Trump-branded hotels and condos throughout the city have seen a sharp decline in event bookings and property values. And at the 55-story Trump Palace at 200 East 69th Street, one of the tallest towers in the neighborhood, the average unit sits on the market for 107 days, 35 percent longer than the average luxury unit. To combat declining property values, an apartment owner at Trump Palace has written a letter asking neighbors to come together and remove the name “Trump” from the building, as the Hollywood Reporter discovered.
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Celebrities

June 5, 2017

A fireplace and balcony make this $675K Upper West Side co-op a cozy all-season home

On a particularly picturesque and leafy Upper West Side block within steps of Riverside Park, this one-bedroom co-op at 312 West 107th Street is, to paraphrase the listing, a certifiable charm-and-chill zone with 15-foot ceilings, exposed brick, a wood-burning fireplace and a private terrace.
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Distinctive Homes

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

Images (L to R): 325 Kent Avenue, Capitol at Chelsea, 82 South 6th Street and West 54th Apartments

June 2, 2017

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

By Emrys Fitzgerald

325 Kent to Open this July on the Former Domino Sugar Site; New Renderings & Pricing Revealed [link] Don’t Be Boxed-Up This Summer: Outdoor Amenities Reign at This Midtown Rental Just Two Blocks from the Greenway [link] South Williamsburg Has a New Boutique Rental – And It’s Sure to Fill-Up Fast [link] FRANK 57 WEST […]

Real Estate Trends

U.S. officials argue 650 Fifth Avenue is a secret front for the Iranian government

Image via Google Street View

June 2, 2017

U.S. officials argue 650 Fifth Avenue is a secret front for the Iranian government

Image via Google Street View For the past few years, the federal government has claimed that the tower at 650 Fifth Avenue, owned by nonprofit the Alavi Foundation, is controlled by the Iranian government, which would violate U.S. sanctions. Since the court decision that allowed the government to seize the 36-story building was overruled last year, a trial has kicked off again this week to determine if the organization was funneling money to Iran. As reported by amNY, the government must prove the office tower, worth just under $1 billion, is a front for the Iranian government and will do so using emails, letters and journal entries from an Alavi board member.
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Policy

June 2, 2017

$2.7M Soho co-op shows off its 14-foot exposed wood beams

This deliciously lofty two-bedroom apartment comes from the West Broadway Arches, a Soho co-op at 140 Thompson Street. The building boasts a historic brick facade, while the interior's decked out with 14-foot ceilings, oversized arched windows, white oak floors, and exposed wood beams. A modernized, open floorplan also makes this a nice apartment for entertaining--or at least that's what the listing suggests.
See it for yourself

Distinctive Homes

June 2, 2017

Google’s Pier 57 tops out ahead of summer 2018 opening

By Dana Schulz

Last we checked in at the beginning of the year, the $350 million transformation of Pier 57, aka “SuperPier,” was making progress with its canted glass panels fully installed. Wednesday, co-developers RXR Realty and Young Woo & Associates held an event to mark the 450,000-square-foot development's topping out, which came after 2,600 tons of structural steel were installed, 4,000 yards of concrete poured, and a 60,000-square-foot curtain wall built. The project will include 250,000 square feet of offices for Google, a 100,000-square-foot food market from Anthony Bourdain, and an elevated two-acre park with a rooftop movie and performance amphitheater to be used for Tribeca Film Festival screenings. This construction milestone comes ahead of an anticipated summer 2018 opening.
See more construction shots and get more details

June 1, 2017

REVEALED: Morris Adjmi’s Gothic-inspired condo tower coming to Nomad

By Dana Schulz

Just yesterday, 6sqft shared renderings of Moscow-based firm Meganom's super-skinny, 1,001-foot-tall tower headed for 262 Fifth Avenue in Nomad. Now, CityRealty has uncovered another slender contender for the neighborhood, this svelte 40-story condo tower designed by Morris Adjmi for 30 East 31st Street. The site formerly held the ornate Romanesque Revival parish house of the Madison Avenue Baptist Church, which, to the dismay of preservationists, was demolished in 2015 by Elkstein Development Group. However, Adjmi, known for his contextual sensitivity, will reference the church's Gothic details, with six hefty columns that emphasize its 469-foot height and assume a diagrid pattern on the upper floors resembling the barrel-vaulted ceilings of a cathedral.
More details and renderings ahead

June 1, 2017

Large and lovely income-restricted co-op asks just $375K in Hamilton Heights

If you're curious--and qualified--to take the leap and start shopping for an affordable HDFC co-op, don't miss this Hamilton Heights listing at 409 Edgecombe Avenue. As an HDFC apartment, there are income restrictions that limit who can buy this $375,000 one bedroom. But for that reasonable price you get 945 square feet of lovely prewar space, including a spacious foyer and formal living and dining rooms. Best yet, the top-floor, corner apartment comes with views out over the Harlem River and out toward Yankee Stadium.
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The Little Red Lighthouse found at Fort Washington, via Wiki Commons

June 1, 2017

Tour Manhattan’s only lighthouse at Fort Washington Park this Saturday

If looking to learn more about historic New York City this weekend, head over to Fort Washington Park and check out the Little Red Lighthouse, Manhattan’s only remaining lighthouse. The city’s Urban Park Rangers are hosting a tour this Saturday, June 3, from 1 to 4 p.m. and will be on hand to provide information about this unique landmark (h/t Time Out).
Learn the interesting history of the lighthouse

June 1, 2017

Gloria Steinem scoops up another floor in her Upper East Side brownstone for $1.1M

By Diane Pham

Trailblazer and feminist icon Gloria Steinem appears to be expanding her Upper East Side digs. The Post reports that Steinem has just purchased a $1.1M floor-through on the third floor of 118 East 73rd Street, a brownstone where according to property records—and this Oprah video—she already owns two floors.
see more inside here

June 1, 2017

MoMA reveals final design for $400M expansion

The Museum of Modern Art revealed on Thursday its final design for its $400 million renovation project, which calls for more space and a chronological and thematic approach to its exhibitions. In addition to the expansion of gallery and public spaces, the museum plans to feature more work of minority and female artists. Architecture firms Diller Scofidio + Renfro and Gensler have collaborated on the design, and the overall expansion will provide 50,000 square feet of new gallery space. The renovation is expected to wrap in 2019.
Check out MoMA's makeover

June 1, 2017

Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel get $7M discount on Tribeca penthouse

By Annie Doge

Back in March, 6sqft reported that Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel signed a deal for a penthouse at 443 Greenwich Street in Tribeca. At the time, the exact apartment wasn't known, though it was assumed it may have been Penthouse G, then under contract for $27.5 million. This was correct, though the power couple ended up paying only $20.2 million for the 5,375-square foot home, according to The Real Deal. The "paparazzi-proof" building--it boasts privacy-focused amenities like an interior courtyard, underground garage, and a porte-cochere--has attracted former tenants including Mike Myers, Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively, Jennifer Lawrence, and Formula One driver Lewis Hamilton.
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June 1, 2017

Two-bedroom Harlem co-op asks a very reasonable $389K

This two-bedroom co-op at 214 Bradhurst Avenue in (pretty far) north central Harlem is sunny and sweet. It's a fourth-floor walkup, but it's competitively priced at $389,000, which might just make that trip worth it. The home overlooks Jackie Robinson Park, and it's about five blocks to the nearest subway, which is the 3.
Find out more and take a tour

Distinctive Homes

Help bring the world’s largest rhino sculpture to Astor Place

Rendering of the rhino sculpture in Astor Place

May 31, 2017

Help bring the world’s largest rhino sculpture to Astor Place

The Northern White Rhino species faces imminent extinction as only three remain on Earth. To raise awareness, a husband-and-wife sculpting duo are creating the largest rhino sculpture in the world and installing it in Astor Place (h/t Time Out). Gillie and Marc plan on putting $150,000 of their own money behind the project and created a Kickstarter page to raise the additional $50,000 needed to complete it. If all goes according to plan, the sculpture, titled "The Last Three," will be installed in January 2018.
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Events & Things To Do

May 31, 2017

Moscow-based Meganom reveals designs for 1,001-foot skinny supertall in Nomad

By Dana Schulz

Joining the ranks of supertall, super-skinny skyscrapers like 432 Park, 111 West 57th Street, and 125 Greenwich Street comes 262 Fifth Avenue in Nomad (h/t Dezeen). The first U.S. project by Moscow-based firm Meganom, the residential tower will soar to 1,001 feet, which will make it the tallest structure between the Empire State Building and One WTC, stealing the title by a longshot from the 777-foot 45 East 22nd Street. The architects say the project "will include several 'firsts' in terms of its design and environmental sustainability features," and that it will boast "a striking arched observation deck" at its top.
More renderings and details ahead

May 30, 2017

$3.4M Hell’s Kitchen penthouse boasts the city’s only private rooftop bocce court

Roof decks don't get much better than this one atop the penthouse at 454 West 46th Street, also known as the Piano Factory. The $3.395 million two-bedroom co-op, with two bedrooms and two bathrooms, boasts a 3,000-square-foot private terrace, the only one in the city with its own bocce ball court. The court--which also functions as a golf putting green--is joined by a spacious sitting and dining area with a gas barbecue grill, as well as panoramic views of Midtown West. The apartment isn't too bad either, which a glass atrium over the living and dining areas. This penthouse pad last sold in 2009 for $2.9 million and has been on and off the market asking as much as $4.1 million.
Take a look

Distinctive Homes

May 30, 2017

Artist installs ‘Pissing Pug’ next to controversial ‘Fearless Girl’ statue in Wall Street standoff