Manhattan

Producer Martin Bregman--most famous for his work on "Scarface," but also for "Dog Day Afternoon," "Serpico," and "Carlito’s Way,"--first listed his lavish, European-style Midtown East apartment a year ago, asking $8.9 million. The co-op at 417 Park Avenue has since gotten a price chop to $7.9 million in January and back up to an ambitious $9.9 million in August, and the Post now reports that it's back down to $7.9 million, as well as an $18,000/month rental. The flip-flopping residence is located in a stately, Emory Roth-designed co-op at 55th Street and features posh details like ornately carved fireplace mantles, a wood-paneled library with a built-in wet bar and hidden movie projection screen, and a television that comes down from the master bedroom ceiling.
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November 3, 2016

Live like a ‘Dreamgirl’ in Jennifer Hudson’s former Apthorp apartment for $21K a month

If anyone needs another reason to covet a home in the amenity-packed Apthorp, the apartment that was recently home to"Dreamgirls" Oscar winner and singer Jennifer Hudson is on the rental market for a suitably diva-esque $21,000 a month (h/t New York Post). The 3,000 square-foot 11th floor unit in the elegant Upper West Side residence at 2211 Broadway has plenty of star power on its own with four bedrooms, a marble entryway, a formal dining room, fireplaces and separate residential suites.
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November 2, 2016

Tommy Hilfiger chops more than $20M off lavish Plaza penthouse

All-American fashion designer Tommy Hilfiger bought three separate condos in the Plaza in 2008 for a combined $25 million. He and his wife Dee Ocleppo then embarked on a very internationally influenced, $20 million renovation that combined the units into one opulent, 5,600-square-foot duplex, complete with marble-clad rooms, vintage limestone fireplaces from England, and a domed room inside one of the building's iconic turrets that features a custom-designed "Eloise" mural by the books' illustrator Hilary Knight. The couple listed the apartment in 2013 for $80 million, but despite its lavish interiors, it's been on and off the market since then, its price dropping to $75 million in March 2015 and to $69 million a few months ago. The Wall Street Journal now reports that it's reappeared with even sharper discount, dropping 26 percent to $58.9 million.
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November 2, 2016

Daredevil climber scales Robert A.M. Stern’s 220 Central Park South to capture these insane shots

Robert A.M. Stern's 220 Central Park South will eventually rise 950 feet amongst the supertall and super-luxury towers of Billionaires' Row. As of August, the 66-story tower had risen 600 feet, and now that it's nearing the homestretch, urban explorer and photographer Viktor Thomas decided it was time to get past the construction zone and scale the limestone skyscraper. First shared by Untapped, he posted this vertigo-inducing set of photos on his Instagram account @vic.invades that show the truly insane views from the tower.
See all the photos right here

Uncategorized

November 2, 2016

14th Street and Williamsburg no-car zones proposed for L train shutdown

Transit advocacy groups and politicians who have been promoting the idea of ridding Manhattan’s 14th Street of private car traffic during planned L subway tunnel repairs, and only allowing bus, bike and pedestrian traffic, have also suggested that the no-auto plan would be good for Grand Street in Williamsburg, the New York Post reports. Grand Street is a major neighborhood thoroughfare similar to 14th Street, and advocates say giving the streets to bikes, pedestrians and shuttle buses would be one way to lessen the impact of the shutdown.
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Transit

November 2, 2016

‘Slumdog Millionaire’ director Danny Boyle lists sunny Chelsea penthouse for $2.15M

Eight-time Academy Award-winning director and producer Danny Boyle (his credits include "Slumdog Millionaire," "Trainspotting," "28 Days Later," and "Steve Jobs," and he was the artistic director for the 2012 Olympics) has put his sunny Chelsea co-op on the market for $2.15 million, according to LL NYC. The triplex penthouse at 334 West 19th Street looks a bit bland for such an A-lister, but as Luxury Listings explains, Boyle bought the apartment in 2010 for $1.7 million (in a reported all-cash transaction), and then transferred it to his daughter Caitlin in 2014.
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November 2, 2016

100 Barclay: Restoring and reinventing a historic Tribeca landmark

By Diane Pham

This post has been sponsored by 100 Barclay. To learn more about available condos or to schedule a tour, visit the official 100 Barclay website. Finished in 1927, 100 Barclay is one of New York City's most pivotal structures. Designed by one of our country's most esteemed architects, Ralph Walker, while he was an associate at McKenzie Voorhees & Gmelin, the tower began construction in 1923, during a time marked by a dramatic shift in architecture and the beginning of the Roaring Twenties. Originally known as the Barclay-Vesey Building, the 32-story building ascends to a height of nearly 500 feet, which made it one of the globe's tallest towers upon completion. The voluminous building was also built as the largest telephone company building in the world, encompassing more than 1.2 million square feet of office and telecommunication space. Its Hugh Ferris-inspired massing, and nature-influenced ornamentation stands as a monument to man's prowess and the machine age, and is widely recognized by architects and historians to be the first Art Deco skyscraper, a prototypical example of the style in its finest form.
hear from the architects who have worked on this project

November 2, 2016

East Village loft in the historic Christodora House has loads of charm, space and park views for $5,500/month

If you love classic prewar apartments but you also love the East Village, you might think you'll have to make some concessions when finding an apartment to rent among the neighborhood's tenement walk-ups and boxy new buildings. But don't give up until you've seen this unbelievably charming and spacious loft apartment in the venerable Christodora House at 143 Avenue B, on the rental market for $5,500.
Seeing is believing

Distinctive Homes

November 2, 2016

Sales launch for Extell’s Lower East Side tower One Manhattan Square

Despite community opposition against the surge of new development in the Two Bridges neighborhood, things are moving full steam ahead in the Chinatown-meets-Lower East Side area. Curbed reports that the project that started it all, One Manhattan Square, has officially launched sales for the first batch of its 815 condos, and they range from a $1.18 million one-bedroom to a $4.4 million three-bedroom. It's prices like these, as well as the 823-foot height, that have angered residents of the mostly low-rise and low-income neighborhood, but nevertheless, the huge luxury building at with an insane amenity package is well on its way to opening its doors.
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November 1, 2016

New renderings revealed for Essex Crossing’s 150,000 square-foot mega-market

The Essex Crossing megaproject is taking shape in the Lower East Side, most notably with the Market Line, the 150,000 square-foot retail area serving the project's buildings. Within will be the new home for the neighborhood's beloved 76-year-old Essex Street Market, upon which concept the modern retail destination was built. As 6sqft previously reported, the SHoP Architects-designed market will be among the largest in the nation. Principal Rohan Mehra of the project's retail development firm Prusik Group told Curbed that he compares the new market to Seattle’s Pike Place Market or Barcelona’s La Boqueria, “hubs of activity” all. The Market Line will stretch over 700 feet across three buildings, incorporating the new city-operated Essex Street Market and several new spaces.
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November 1, 2016

Brownstone rental on Katharine Hepburn’s old block asks $4,000/month in Turtle Bay

This charming top floor apartment is located in the townhouse at 247 East 49th Street, in Turtle Bay. It's just a few doors down from Katharine Hepburn's longtime New York home--she lived more than 60 years at 244 East 49th Street. If you're willing to endure the fourth floor walkup you can also call the block your home, as well as this $4,000/month rental apartment loaded with prewar details.
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Distinctive Homes

November 1, 2016

Uma Thurman makes a big profit on her Gramercy Park duplex

Uma Thurman's Gramercy Park duplex went into contract in May after hitting the market for $6.25 million less than two months prior. Considering the co-op at 1 Lexington Avenue came with five bedrooms, a classically elegant look, and a coveted key to the park, it's no shock that it actually closed for $6.61 million, more than five percent over ask, according to the Observer, and well over the $2.65 million the actress paid for it in 2006.
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Image via Wiki Commons

November 1, 2016

Hoteliers buy historic Hotel Chelsea for $250M, will redevelop as condos and hotel

After five years of ownership changes and tenant battles, a group of well-known hoteliers is betting on the future of the historic Hotel Chelsea. The Real Deal reports that a joint venture made up of BD Hotels’ Richard Born and Ira Drukier and Sean MacPherson (who owns, among others, the Bowery Hotel and Waverly Inn) has closed on the hotel for $250 million, and they plan to convert it to condos and a likely trendy hotel.
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Events & Things To Do

November 1, 2016

FiDi Birkinstock penthouse on the rental market for $20K, international antiquities included

This 3,500-square-foot penthouse atop the Setai Wall Street at 40 Broad Street in the Financial District is a stunning home by NYC standards, but the condominium also includes a world tour's worth of collected fixtures. The two-bedroom penthouse belongs to Alex Birkenstock–scion of the trendy-crunchy European sandal family–who bought the posh pad in 2011 for just under $6 million. An attempt was made in 2104 to sell the apartment for $13 million as 6sqft previously reported. But even after being eventually chopped to $9 million, the pad still doesn't appear to have changed hands. Now it's for rent for $19,995 a month, amazing spin-the-compass collections and all. For starters, there's a 1,000-pound steel and brass safe bought from the Bank of France...
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October 31, 2016

Amy Schumer drops $12.1M on glassy Riverside Drive penthouse

Earlier this month, 6sqft shared reports that Amy Schumer toured a $15 million, historic Beaux Arts mansion at 352 Riverside Drive. But just two weeks later, the comedian closed on a more contemporary penthouse farther south along the river. Sources told the Post that she dropped $12.1 million on a 4,500-square-foot duplex at 91st Street, and after some sleuthing, 6sqft has uncovered that it's the top-floor spread at 190 Riverside Drive. The five-bedroom Upper West Side home is described as "a Malibu beach house, with the sophistication of Manhattan architecture," which is fitting considering the wrap-around terrace surrounded by glass walls and the recent renovation by Spivak Architects.
Take a virtual tour of the penthouse

October 31, 2016

A historic stable house with completely modern interior asks $8.35M in Murray Hill

The interior of 149 East 38th Street in Murray Hill looks insanely modern--but just wait until you see the exterior. This home was carved out of the Bowdoin Stables, an imposing carriage house built in 1902 for the real estate developer and clothing executive William R. H. Martin. According to Daytonian in Manhattan, the structure sold to financier George S. Bowdoin in 1907 (hence the stable's name), and Bowdoin’s horses lived on the first floor while his coachmen lived upstairs. The building has served as everything from a home to art gallery to cultural center since then; now it's on the market as an impressive residence asking $8.35 million.
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October 31, 2016

René Lalique’s windows saved this Fifth Avenue building from destruction in the 1980s

By Tracy A. Marciano

In 1984, a series of grime-covered windows at 714 Fifth Avenue caught the attention of an architectural historian by the name of Andrew Dolkart. Seemingly innocuous, and almost industrial in aesthetic—at least from afar—the glass panes would later become the foundation for a preservation victory.
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October 31, 2016

Bobby Flay finds a renter for his $22,500/month Chelsea duplex

Famed chef and Food Network personality Bobby Flay has had a tough time unloading his Chelsea Mercantile duplex since splitting with his ex-wife, "Law & Order: SVU" actress Stephanie March. He originally listed the sprawling home a year ago for $7.95 million, then added the option to rent it for $22,500/month in January, followed by a $1 million price chop in May. But the Post reports today that the Iron Chef has finally found a renter to take the pad off his hands.
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October 31, 2016

Maya Angelou’s second Harlem townhouse sells for $2M

Over the summer, 6sqft shared the sale of the late Maya Angelou's historic Harlem brownstone. After listing last February for $5.1 million, the beautifully preserved home in the Mount Morris Park Historic District finally sold for $4 million in July. But as it turns 0ut, this wasn't the only property she owned that hit the market at the beginning of the year. The Post reports that the author and activist also owned a property for which she was the landlord, just about ten blocks away at 29 East 129th Street, and after hitting the market for $2.6 million and going through two price chops, it's now found a buyer for $1.98 million.
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October 31, 2016

This $7.5M West Village townhouse was once home to Derek Jeter and A-Rod

According to the listing for this otherwise nondescript brick townhouse on a pretty West Village street, both Derek Jeter and fellow former Yankee Alex Rodriguez were one-time residents. Jeter was renting the 2,800 square-foot home until last spring, and Curbed tells us that while Courtney Love took a look but didn't bite, the four-story home at 56 Bank Street has been on the market for quite some time, most recently asking $7.495 million.
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October 30, 2016

Join the Society of Magicians on Halloween for a séance at Harry Houdini’s former Upper East Side home

Last week, a commemorative plaque was installed on the facade of the former Upper East Side home of Harry Houdini at 244 East 79th Street, marking the 90th anniversary of his death and celebrating National Magic Week. To coincide with this, the Society of American Magicians will meet tomorrow for a séance at the building's Sojourn restaurant in hopes of contacting the great illusionist. As the Wall Street Journal notes, when he and his family moved into the top-floor studio of the boardinghouse in 1887, a young Houdini practiced his tricks and escapes in the space that now holds the eatery.
The rest of the story here

October 29, 2016

20-foot-wide townhouse with unused air rights asks $7.9M in the West Village

Calling all buyers who have dreams of a designing their own mega-mansion. This West Village townhouse, at 541 Hudson Street, already has tons of living space over four floors, and comes with an additional 1,400 square feet of unused air rights. It's an opportunity, as the listing puts it, for "the purchaser to increase the size of this extraordinary home"--but you'll have to cough up $7.995 million first. Currently, the townhouse is broken up into an income-producing commercial space and two separate, impressive apartments.
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Distinctive Homes

October 28, 2016

Church details adorn this $6.35M triplex condo in Gramercy

The St. George’s Church conversion, at 205 East 16th Street in Gramercy, did an amazing job of preserving church details as well as integrating them into residential units. Now known as the Abbey Condominium, it's not unusual for these luxury units to boast stained glass, pews or wrought iron lantern lights. This triplex, which has just hit the market, is decked out with remnants from the church--even in the apartment's solarium--and it's asking $6.35 million.
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Distinctive Homes

October 28, 2016

The Urban Lens: A walk through the wild and wonderful Village Halloween Parade

By James and Karla Murray

6sqft’s ongoing series The Urban Lens invites photographers to share work exploring a theme or a place within New York City. In this installment, award-winning photographers James and Karla Murray return with a series of snapshots from last year's debaucherous Village Halloween Parade. Are you a photographer who’d like to see your work featured on The Urban Lens? Get in touch with us at [email protected]. Started by Greenwich Village mask maker and puppeteer Ralph Lee in 1973, the Village Halloween Parade began as a “wandering neighborhood puppet show.” The event was a walk from house to house in Lee's neighborhood, created for his children and their friends to enjoy. In the three years that followed, the parade took on new shapes and sizes, propelled first by George Bartenieff and Crystal Field of the Theater for the New City, who staged the production in its second year as part of their City in the Streets program; and then two years later when the parade became a non-profit with its own resources to put on a major show. By 1985, the parade morphed into an extravaganza that marched down Sixth Avenue, attracting 250,000 participants and onlookers. Today, the Village Halloween Parade is the largest celebration of its kind, considered by Festivals International to be "The Best Event in the World" for October 31st.
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October 28, 2016

Elton John’s former Soho loft, complete with hidden cat tunnel, gets a price chop to $16M

When this enormous Soho loft at 50 Wooster Street hit the market for $23.3 million last December, 6sqft ogled its sleek renovation, complete with a motorized headboard, twin beds that slide together to form a king, copper tub, color-changing walls, and a secret cat tunnel that goes from the kitchen to the litter box in the pantry. But this wasn't enough to entice a buyer, as it's now gotten a pretty major price chop down to $15.95 million. If saving $7 million doesn't do the trick, though, LL NYC has uncovered that the 4,800-square-foot pad once belonged to none other than Sir Elton John. He sold the loft in 2010 for $7.45 million to its current owner, art consultant Sara Tecchia, who enlisted Jeff Goldberger at Urban Edition Architecture to complete the uber-contemporary and tech-forward renovation.
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October 27, 2016

Julianne Moore’s onetime West Village loft asks $4.3M