Manhattan

November 10, 2016

East River Skyway endorsed by local politicians as L train alternative

It looks like the East River Skyway is getting a big boost from local elected officials. Three politicians have jumped on the idea, including U.S. Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney, City Councilman Stephen Levin, and State Assemblyman Joseph Lentol. The trio together drafted a letter to Mayor de Blasio, encouraging him to back the transit initiative as a solution to impending L train closure. "This is the coolest thing we could do for the neighborhood," Lentol, told DNA Info. "I don’t want to denigrate the BQX but this is even a greater plan to have a gondola going from Brooklyn to Manhattan forever."
find out more here
November 10, 2016

Studio Seilern designs boxy, mixed-use tower for West Chelsea’s ‘starchitects row’

The stretch of Eleventh Avenue that winds through Chelsea in the 20s has become a hotbed of starchitecture activity ever since plans were announced for the High Line. ArchDaily brings us the latest project that may rise along the corridor, and though it doesn't have the name recognition of its neighbors, its interesting design, inspired by MoMA's famed sculpture garden, fits right in. The 24-story glass tower from London's Studio Seilern Architects will have commercial space for a gallery on the lower levels with residential units above. Judging from the views, the project site appears to be near the corner of West 21st Street and Eleventh Avenue, directly across from Norman Foster's 551W21 and a block north of Jean Nouvel's 100 Eleventh Avenue and Frank Gehry's IAC Building.
More renderings and details this way
November 10, 2016

Sports Illustrated model Kate Bock picks up sleek, $1.35M Greenwich Village duplex

Things have been heating up between Cleveland Cavaliers basketball player Kevin Love and Canadian supermodel Kate Bock, but the Sports Illustrated beauty doesn't seem to be settling down in Ohio anytime soon. The Post reports that she's the lucky new owner of this sleek Greenwich Village duplex, last listed for $1.35 million. Located in the Cast Iron Building at 67 East 11th Street, the one-bedroom loft boasts a mod, all-white interior highlighted by two enormous ten-foot windows and a contemporary floating staircase.
Take a look around
November 9, 2016

Spectacular Upper East Side apartment is enlivened with vivid colors and uncommon shapes

The Upper East Side is home to a plethora of elegant residencies, and the interior of this 79th Street apartment from the design firm S.R. Gambrel is luxury at its best. Each room is impeccably outfitted to tell its own story, individual in point of view, but still fits together into one cohesive aesthetic. From the vivid color palette and wall decor to the ornate light fixtures and floor textiles, everything in this home is vibrant, lively and not to be missed.
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November 9, 2016

Historic church near Penn Station to be converted to modern retail space

The Church of St. John the Baptist, located at 213 West 30th Street between 7th and 8th Avenues, has stood in Midtown since 1872. Designed in the French Gothic-style by architect Napoleon LeBrun, it first served New York City's German population and was later assumed by the Capuchin Friars. In 1974, a brown brick Brutalist structure was added on the other side of the site at 210 West 31st Street, facing Penn Station, to serve as the Capuchin Monastery of St. John the Baptist. This two-story building was recently acquired by KBS Capital and Onyx Equities, who plan to spend $14.2 million converting the property into a 30,000-square-foot retail space, reports The Real Deal. Though initial plans don't seem to touch the 144-year-old church, a rendering of the 31st Street project shows a glassy, neon-laden facade.
More details ahead
November 9, 2016

Lincoln Center: From Dutch enclave and notorious San Juan Hill to a thriving cultural center

The glossy cultured patina of Lincoln Center reveals nearly nothing of what the neighborhood once was, and New Yorkers, accustomed to the on-going cycle of building and demolition, have likely forgotten (or never knew) about the lively San Juan Hill neighborhood that was demolished to make way for the famous cultural center. Any such development dating from the 1960s wouldn't be without the fingerprints of the now-vilified Robert Moses, who was more than willing to cut up neighborhoods both poor and wealthy in the eye of progress.
Learn more about Lincoln Center's incredible past here
November 9, 2016

Target opening a store in new Hell’s Kitchen condo

Over the summer, Chinese developer Xinyuan Real Estate filed plans to build a seven-story, 105,305- square-foot condominium at 615 Tenth Avenue in Hell's Kitchen, their second NYC project after the Oosten in Williamsburg. The address had formerly been home to a Hess gas station until Xinyuan bought the site last January for $57.5 million. Their new 82-unit project, dubbed Hudson Garden, will also have a 29,000-square-foot retail base along the western blockfront between West 44th and 45th Streets, for which the Post reports Target has signed a lease.
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November 9, 2016

Soori High Line penthouse with its own private pool hits the market for $22.5M

The new Chelsea condo Soori High Line, at 522 West 29th Street, has made headlines for apartments that come with their own private pools. And now one of the building's most luxurious condos has hit the market—a penthouse triplex asking $22.5 million. This pad boasts nearly 20 foot ceilings and one incredible, 25-foot-long, four-foot-deep heated rooftop pool.
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November 8, 2016

Bleecker Street co-op with a custom wall unit and built-in bar asks $895K

This one-bedroom co-op at 77 Bleecker Street--also known as Bleecker Court--has been totally re-imagined by the architecture and interior design firm Mancini. They added a custom wall unit to the living room (with its own built-in bar!), upgraded all the finishes and fancied up a lofted office space. This smartly designed pad in Greenwich Village is now up for sale, asking $895,000.
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November 8, 2016

Photographer Danica O. Kus provides new interior views of Bjarke Ingels’ Via 57 West

Photograph © Danica O. Kus For architectural photographers, Bjarke Ingels' self-described "courtscraper" Via 57 West is a dream. From its sharp angles and unique tetrahedron design to its winding courtyards and geometric interiors, the 32-story rental offers plenty of artistic shots. A couple months ago, just as the Midtown West project wrapped up construction, Iwan Baan released a set of images that showed new vantages of the central outdoor space and views of how the building fits in with the skyline. Now, ArchDaily shares a collection of photos from Danica O. Kus, these providing never-before-seen looks at Via's interior spaces--including the lobby, pool, and balconies--as well views of the the building's public art piece and highly artistic shots of its facade.
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November 8, 2016

Even more pricey condos are coming to Billionaires’ Row

Back in September, there were murmurs that the Feil Organization had plans to convert a 57th Street office building into residences. As it turns out, Billionaires' Row will indeed soon find itself with another 34 high-end condos in tow. As Yimby first reports, plans were filed last week to convert a 14-story, 1907 commercial tower at 140 West 57th Street into a mixed-use property that would keep an existing grocery story at its base, but transform the building's upper 12 floors into 70,885 square feet of upscale living space.
more details here
November 8, 2016

Don’t miss your $23M chance to be Donald Trump’s downstairs neighbor

This "yuge" Trump Tower penthouse hit the market back in October 2015, but its $23 million price tag and location just a few floors below Donald Trump's personal residence have apparently not been the biggest selling points. As 6sqft previously noted, the sprawling (albeit gaudy) condo was once owned by the Donald himself, back when his parents lived there and when he reportedly rented it out for $110,000 a month to buddy Michael Jackson and then-wife Lisa Marie Presley. But if you're still itching to be neighbors with the presidential candidate, it's not too late.
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November 8, 2016

$975K for a flexible East Village co-op with lots of exposed brick

Here's an East Village co-op with a little room to grow. Located at 71 East 3rd Street, this is a two-bedroom apartment in which a third bedroom could be carved out of the large living room. Otherwise, it's a charming pre-war apartment with exposed brick in nearly every room, a cast iron tub and four exposures with views out toward the Empire State Building and One World Trade Center. And it's just hit the market for $975,000.
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November 7, 2016

Proposed Penn Station-topping free-fall ride gets new video, details

When developers at Brooklyn Capital Partners and designers at AE Superlab revealed their proposal to erect the world's tallest free-fall ride atop Penn Station, it seemed like perhaps a commentary on Governor Cuomo's big-ticket overhaul of the station. But in fact, the team hoped their 1,200-foot Halo, as it's being called, would rise along with the renovations, serving as "an interactive beacon for the city." As 6sqft reported, "the ride’s 11 cars... could be modified to move as quickly as 100 miles per hour giving it a top-to-base free fall of about six seconds." A freshly uncovered video shows this in action, and a new project website provides more details on the logistical components, 20-month construction time period, and $130 million in annual projected revenue.
Plenty more details this way
November 7, 2016

Interior renderings, more details revealed for Richard Meier’s Turtle Bay tower

The largest and tallest building in NYC from Pritzker Prize-winning architect Richard Meier is rising at 685 First Avenue, just south of the United Nations at 39th Street and First Avenue along the East River. Though developer Sheldon Solow bought the 30,000-square-foot site as part of his Turtle Bay South master plan 16 years ago, construction only kicked off in March. A couple months later, renderings were revealed of the 42-story slab tower's dark glass facade--a departure from Meier's typical beige designs and his first ever black building--and now the Times has shared the first interior renderings, along with new details about the residential breakdown (there will be 408 rentals and 148 condominiums) architectural specifics, and amenities.
More details and renderings this way
November 7, 2016

$18M Upper East Side townhouse duo hides rear boulder wall with a storied history

This almost-matched pair of townhouse apartment buildings at 316-318 East 77th Street on the Upper East Side is fronted by nondescript, fairly utilitarian facades, but the rear courtyard "rocks" an historic secret in the form of a massive chunk of Manhattan bedrock known as Lion’s Rock. In recent times the property was the site of a restaurant by the same name. The big boulder was part of the establishment’s rear garden, complete with water trickling from a spring that was a part of the old Saw Mill Creek. Lion’s Rock restaurant closed in the 1990s, but the rock remains (and probably will for the foreseeable future). But more interestingly, the rock is all that remains of a very different Manhattan.
A woods, and maybe a park
November 7, 2016

Spend 28 days a year in a ‘glamorous’ studio timeshare at the St. Regis for $165,000

A six-digit figure that starts with the number one seems like a steal when it comes to anything Manhattan real estate related, but in this case it'll only get you 28 days a year, which factors out to roughly $5,900 per day. Curbed shares this fractional timeshare listing at the historic St. Regis hotel, an offer to stay in what's described as a "glamorous studio" and have access to the property's amenities.
Get the scoop
November 4, 2016

$1.45M Harlem duplex comes with an enormous private backyard

Outdoor space is the star at this Harlem apartment at 239 West 135th Street. This 1,308-square-foot, two-bedroom duplex comes with a 625-square-foot private garden, boasting enough room to fit an outdoor couch, dining table, barbecue and more. Too bad the weather's just getting cold! The interior also takes advantage of the outdoor space, with massive windows that look out onto the greenery.
Check out the inside of the apartment
November 4, 2016

The Urban Lens: Ira Fox travels back to the ’90s for the East Village’s Wigstock drag festival

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, Ira Fox takes us back in time to the East Village of the '90s. Are you a photographer who’d like to see your work featured on The Urban Lens? Get in touch with us at [email protected]. Ira Fox is best known for his use of black-and-white photography and cinematic approach, credited to his background in theater. He focuses on urban New York scenes and portraits, one example of which is his series "Wigstock at the Palladium." Wigstock was the annual Labor Day drag music festival in the East Village that was co-founded by Lady Bunny and hosted the likes of Crystal Waters, RuPaul, and Leigh Bowery in the '80s and '90s. In his shots, which were taken outside the famed Palladium nightclub, Ira captures the diverse characters who partook in the jubilant event during the '90s.
See all the photos here and find out about a special promotional offer for 6sqft readers
November 4, 2016

$500K designer-outfitted East Village co-op is kitty-approved, complete with built-in litter box

Even if you're cat-free there's still plenty to love about this stylish designer-renovated (junior) one bedroom co-op at 633 East 11th street in the charming heart of Alphabet City. The apartment, though petite, is a perfect mix of classic pre-war quality and modern, luxurious fixtures and finishes, including white painted brick, dark wood floors and a sleek European-style kitchen and bathroom. And, yes, according to the floor plan there's a built-in litter box tucked out of sight in the bath.
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November 3, 2016

‘Scarface’ producer Martin Bregman cuts price of ornate Park Avenue pad by $2M

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.
Check out the whole place
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.
Take a tour of the incredible home
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
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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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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