Manhattan

It's been almost 13 years since Frank Gehry initially designed the Performing Arts Center at the World Trade Center (PACWTC). After his plans got shelved in late 2014 due to fundraising issues and construction delays on the transit hub below, it seemed like the last vacant site at the complex would forever remain that way. That is until this past fall when a $75 million gift from billionaire businessman and philanthropist Ronald O. Perelman brought the $243 million project back to life and made it possible to proceed with new designs. Despite this new optimism, it looks like the Center will be delayed yet again, as Crain's reports that unresolved issues between the Lower Manhattan Development Corp. and the Port Authority are setting things behind schedule, which could cost the project $100 million in federal funds.
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Real Estate Trends

March 27, 2017

ODA’s slender-waisted ‘Orbit Tower’ wins the Metals in Construction 2017 Design Challenge

Metals in Construction magazine has just announced the winner and finalists in the magazine's 2017 Design Challenge, "Meeting the Architecture 2030 Challenge: Reimagine Structure." The competition invited architects, engineers, students and designers to submit their visions for combatting global warming in their design for a high-rise building. The winning design, "Orbit Tower," was created by architects and engineers from ODA Architecture and Werner Sobek New York. The building–though purely conceptual for the purposes of the competition–would be located in midtown Manhattan at 1114 Sixth Avenue on the north side of Bryant Park in place of the Grace Building.
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March 27, 2017

Gem of a two-bedroom in the East Village is both cute and cozy

We're guessing it's probably just coincidence, that there are so many charming, pre-war co-ops on this tranquil and lovely East Village street, but whatever the reason, here's another gem at 226 East 12th Street, with two bedrooms and space for a home office, now on the market for $1.2 million. Three exposures, high beamed ceilings, parquet floors and a cool dining alcove with a window to the neighborhood below definitely make this home "unique in today's plain vanilla box inventory."
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Distinctive Homes

Construction update: Extell’s Central Park Tower gets its fluted glass curtain wall

West 58th Street elevation of Nordstom’s podium; CityRealty

March 27, 2017

Construction update: Extell’s Central Park Tower gets its fluted glass curtain wall

By Devin Gannon

When it reaches its projected 1,550-foot height, Extell Development’s Central Park Tower will have the highest roof-line of any residential building in the Western Hemisphere, besting the current record holder 432 Park. Though the $2.98 billion project won't be complete until 2019, construction is moving ahead along Billionaires' Row, reports CityRealty. The 58th Street side, which will hold a 285,000-square-foot, seven-story Nordstrom store, is currently receiving its fluted-glass skin, a "Waveforms Facade."
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New Developments

March 24, 2017

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

By Ondel Hylton

Upper West Side Beaux Arts Beauty ‘The Willard’ Offering Two Months Free, 1-Bedrooms From $2,996/Month [link] Live at LIC’s Hayden: These Majestic Skyline Views Could be Yours from $2,284/Month [link] Grand Opening of 845 Grand Street in East Williamsburg, 1-Bedrooms From $2,675/Month [link] Chelsea Leasing Special: $1,000 Security Deposits at 32-Story 777 Sixth Avenue [link] […]

Real Estate Trends

March 24, 2017

City reveals garment district rezoning plans, citing incentives to move makers to Sunset Park

At a Manhattan community board meeting Wednesday evening, city officials told garment industry representatives of plans to remove Midtown's manufacturing preservation requirement, Crain's reports. The change to a 1987 zoning rule means that landlords will have the option to rent the formerly set-aside space to commercial office tenants. City officials cited the failure of the preservation effort to meet its goal, highlighted by a reported 83 percent decline the number of garment workers–from 30,000 to 5,100– since it was first implemented. As 6sqft recently reported, the rezoning is seen as "a clear push to drive these businesses toward lower cost space in Sunset Park."
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Policy

March 24, 2017

Behind the counter and into the caves at Murray’s Cheese

By James and Karla Murray

Murray's Cheese was founded in 1940 on Cornelia Street. When Rob Kaufelt bought the business in 1991, he grew the store into an internationally known food destination that now includes educational programs, a full-service restaurant, catering, and state-of-the-art cheese aging caves in Long Island City. Personally, our love affair with Murray’s Cheese began in 1994, when we were newlyweds on a budget, often buying cheese from the small Bleecker Street store to eat with some freshly baked bread purchased from the nearby Zito & Sons Bakery. Plus, with Murray’s being our namesake, we felt an immediate connection to the store. Just last month, the Kroger Company purchased the equity of Murray’s Cheese and its flagship Greenwich Village location to form a merger of the two companies. As this new era approaches, we decided to capture all the cheesy goodness of the store, restaurant, and caves, as well as chat with Rob, cavemaster PJ, and Murray's Cheese Bar's general manager Jake Goznikar to learn about Murray's history, unique contributions to local and world-wide food culture, and future.
Take the grand tour

March 24, 2017

Judge once again stops work at Pier 55 over environmental concerns

If you thought the roller coaster that is Pier 55 was over since construction began in November, you may not want to step off the ride just yet. Just yesterday, a federal judge ruled in favor of the City Club of New York, who took legal action against the $200 million Barry Diller-funded offshore park way back in the summer of 2015. As reported by the Times, Judge Lorna G. Schofield agreed with the group's claim that the Army Corps of Engineers had not conducted a sufficient environmental review on how the 2.4-acre park would affect fish and wildlife. She ordered that work stop at the site and called for a review of alternatives for building along Hudson River Park, a maritime sanctuary.
Get the whole legal saga

Philip Johnson’s Rockefeller Guest House, a ‘secret’ modernist gem on Manhattan’s east side

Screen cap via NYT

March 23, 2017

Philip Johnson’s Rockefeller Guest House, a ‘secret’ modernist gem on Manhattan’s east side

Just down the street from the now-closed modernist treasure trove and icon that was the Four Seasons in Manhattan's east 50s is a lesser-known architectural treasure. Philip Johnson’s 1950 Rockefeller Guest House is one of a handful of private residences the architect designed for New York City clients. The house is a designated historic and architectural landmark, but a subtle one that's easily missed on the quiet street–as the New York Times puts it, "the house doesn’t give up its secrets easily." Once you spot the home's brick-and-glass facade, though, it's hard not to be enthralled.
Find out more and take a video tour

Architecture And Design

March 23, 2017

David Bowie’s former Central Park South condo lists for $6.5M with his personal piano included

Sure, a piano is always a nice touch, especially in a classic Central Park South condo like this. But when that piano belonged to none other than the late David Bowie, that certainly changes things. First spotted by the Post, the Essex House apartment that he and wife Iman lived in from 1992 to 2002 (before moving to Soho, where she still lives) has hit the market for $6,495,000, which includes Bowie's Yamaha.
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March 23, 2017

Former Citicorp Center might lose Sasaki fountain as part of plaza redesign

Earlier this month, 6sqft revealed renderings of 601 Lexington Avenue's (the Midtown East skyscraper formerly known as the Citicorp Center) new "Market Building," comprised of an interior atrium to hold dining/retail space and a new outdoor plaza and terraces. Though the LPC landmarked the building this past December, the Architect's Newspaper has learned of a loophole in the designation regarding the privately owned public space, which could mean that amid the renovation, the sunken plaza and cascading fountain designed by Hideo Sasaki's firm--one of the iconic landscape architect's few remaining works--may be demolished.
The full story ahead

Architecture And Design

March 23, 2017

Iconic ballet dancer Mikhail Baryshnikov buys Harlem condo for $1.4 million

Mikhail Baryshnikov, who fled the Soviet Union in 1974 and landed in Canada is today considered one of the greatest ballet dancers in history (closer to home, he also starred in "Sex and the City" as Sarah Jessica Parker's penultimate love interest). Nearly six years ago, he and his wife, former ballerina Lisa Rinehart, relocated to Harlem from the posh upstate enclave Snedens Landing, and they're clearly happy with this move, as they also recently bought a $1.4 million condo at the Strathmore, located at 1890 Adam Clayton Powell Boulevard (h/t NY Post). Their new prewar abode, originally listed for $1.32 million, boasts three bedrooms, a cozy layout, and high ceilings.
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March 23, 2017

Greta Garbo’s exclusive East Side co-op hits the market for the first time in 64 years, asking $6M

For the first time in decades, an apartment in The Campanile, an exclusive co-op building in the Beekman/Sutton Place neighborhood, is for sale. As the New York Times reports, the sprawling fifth-floor home belonged to Greta Garbo, the late Hollywood screen icon, and hit the market this week at an asking price of $5.95 million, in an all-cash offer. Garbo bought 2,855-square-foot, three-bedroom residence in 1953 and lived there until her death in 1990, enjoying its private location and the fact that it was "very reminiscent of where she grew up in Stockholm — close to the water and with lots of sunlight," said her great-nephew Derek Reisfield. But with the apartment now largely vacant, her family has decided to sell.
See the high-end apartment here

March 23, 2017

For $675K this tiny West Village studio is big on rustic loft style

This completely renovated loft-style studio co-op at 9 Barrow Street may be tiny with little more than 300 square feet of living space, but it definitely has an artistic side and plenty of warmth provided by details like exposede brick and hefty wood beams. Situated in a heavenly, tree-lined stretch of the heavenly, tree-lined Village, the doorman/elevator building is a top choice for location as well–and we're guessing it's the reason for the $675,000 ask.
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Distinctive Homes

March 22, 2017

Dreamy furnished studio with lots of greenery asks $3,200/month in the East Village

By Emily Nonko

This furnished rental at 527 East 12th Street in the East Village is downright dreamy. The exposed brick has been painted white and the walls are lined with greenery. It's a studio but has enough space to fit a large bed, couch and office nook. And if you like the decor you're in luck--this apartment comes fully furnished and it's now asking $3,200 a month.
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Distinctive Homes

March 22, 2017

National Academy’s trio of palatial UES buildings drops price to $79M, gets new pics

Nearly a year ago, the National Academy Museum & School listed their three stunning Carnegie Hill properties for $120 million--two interconnected townhouses at 1083 Fifth Avenue and 3 East 89th Street and a 65-foot-wide school building on East 89th Street. Though the original listing touted the possibility to create an epic, single-family mega-mansion, there have been no takers, and the buildings are now asking a reduced $78.5 million (h/t WSJ). Along with the price chop comes fresh interior images of the townhouses and their palatial layouts, intricate moldings, dripping chandeliers, and regal spiral staircase.
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March 22, 2017

Rent in the Greenwich Village building where Alexander Hamilton purportedly spent his final day

Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr may have dueled in Weehawken, New Jersey, but they also both left their mark on Greenwich Village. At the end of the 18th century, Burr began buying up land around Bedford and Downing Streets for his Richmond Hill country estate (a Federal rowhouse here recently hit the market for $5.75 million). Hamilton's connection is much less glamorous: On July 12, 1804, the day after the duel, he died in the home of his friend William Bayard. According to a plaque on the building, this took place at 82 Jane Street, where a listing for a $3,495/month one-bedroom also backs up the claim. But historians say Bayard actually lived a block north on Horatio Street.
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A rendering of 666 Fifth Avenue. Credit: Kushner Companies/Zaha Hadid Architects

March 22, 2017

Kushner Cos. vision for 666 Fifth Avenue has Zaha Hadid design and $12B ambitions

As 6sqft previously reported, 666 Fifth Avenue owners Kushner Companies and Vornado Realty Trust have been seeking financing for a new skyscraper planned for the site of the Midtown office tower that Kushner purchased for $1.8 billion in 2007; Chinese company Anbang Insurance Group is said to have been considering a substantial stake in the tower. Though it was reported that the redevelopment could be valued at $7.5 billion, the Wall Street Journal now cites sources who say the value could be as much as $12 billion, and that a reported deal with Anbang may be far from a sure thing. That huge number represents the projected value of what Kushner envisions as a 1,400-foot-tall mixed-use luxury tower with a design provided by the late Zaha Hadid in 2015, nine floors of retail, a hotel and big-ticket luxury condos on its upper floors.
Find out more about the possibly maybe very big deal

Architecture And Design

March 21, 2017

Music exec Sylvia Rhone looks to unload her Tribeca condo for $6.695M

By Emily Nonko

This three-bedroom Tribeca condo at 250 West Street definitely looks fit for a music producer, so it's no surprise this is the home of famous music industry executive Sylvia Rhone. Born and raised in Harlem, Rhone moved downtown after making her name in the business and purchased this pad for $4.3 million in 2013. The apartment boasts 2,500 square feet of space, with a joint living and dining room that looks out onto the Hudson River, and it can now be yours for $6.695 million.
Take a peek

My 150sqft: Architect-turned-actor Anthony Triolo shows us his custom-designed tiny apartment

Our ongoing series “My sqft” checks out the homes of 6sqft’s friends and fellow New Yorkers across all the boroughs. Our latest interior adventure brings us to an Upper West Side brownstone where Anthony Triolo lives in just 150 square feet. Want to see your home featured here? Get in touch!

March 21, 2017

My 150sqft: Architect-turned-actor Anthony Triolo shows us his custom-designed tiny apartment

When Anthony Triolo moved into a 150-square-foot studio on the Upper West Side in 2010, he thought it would be a temporary money-saving move. Seven years later, he's changed careers from the architecture field to acting (you've seen him in "How I Met Your Mother" and "How to be Single" and he's currently filming the upcoming show "Bull") and transformed his tiny home into a custom-designed, multi-functional retreat. Anthony describes his style as "casual elegance" and believes smart shopping and mixing affordable finds with some more high-end buys is the key to creating a comfortable home no matter what the size.
Take the tiny tour and get some tips from Anthony

March 21, 2017

Artist who created Wall Street’s ‘Charging Bull’ angered by ‘Fearless Girl’ statue

A post shared by Melanie Hunt (@melaniehunt1331) on Mar 7, 2017 at 4:50am PST The creator of the iconic Wall Street "Charging Bull” is snorting mad over the appearance of the bull's new companion, artist Kristen Visbal’s bronze "Fearless Girl” statue. 76-year-old Arturo di Modica, the artist who made the iconic sculpture that, like its young challenger, was installed in the wee hours, says the girl is “an advertising trick,” reports MarketWatch.
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Events & Things To Do

March 21, 2017

Gwyneth Paltrow’s former Tribeca townhouse hits the market for $25M

Coincidentally, just a few days after Gwyneth Paltrow and ex-husband Chris Martin sold their $10 million Tribeca penthouse at 416 Washington Street (where Gwynie has been currently living), the couple's former townhouse at 13 Harrison Street has hit the market for $24,995,000 (h/t LLNYC). The five-story, loft-style residence boasts seven bedrooms, ten bathrooms, an elevator, three wood-burning fireplaces, three laundry facilities, large skylights, and a lovely solarium. It's currently configured as two condos-- a six-bedroom owner's quadruplex and a mixed-use ground floor apartment--but will be delivered vacant.
See the five story Tribeca townhouse here

March 21, 2017

$5.5M ask for renovated Hamilton Heights mansion is a new Harlem record