Manhattan

August 18, 2016

Kim and Kanye try to snag $30M Airbnb pad for free

Airbnb certainly doesn't mind giving celebs free lodgings; Kardashian satellites Kylie and Kendall Jenner recently stayed gratis in a Turks and Caicos villa hosted by the home share site in return for posting bikini-ed beach shots on social media, and now according to a report by the Post, Kim K. and hubby Kanye West have been in negotiations with the company to stay for $0 in a big-ticket Manhattan penthouse for several months this fall. A source at Airbnb told Page Six: “The plan would be for Kimye to live there for a few months for free, and Kim will post on social media about the apartment," with Airbnb picking up the tab for the listing.
Find out where they're looking
August 17, 2016

Excavation Work Begins at One Vanderbilt, Follow Its Progress on Instagram

Last week, a $1.1 billion lawsuit against One Vanderbilt was settled, giving the green light to the 1,401-foot project. Investors at Grand Central Terminal led the suit, claiming that the tower would divest them of the value of their air rights if developer SL Green was was allowed to proceed with construction as it was cleared to do under the controversial Midtown East Rezoning. Now that it's been dismissed, NY Yimby reports that excavation work is underway at the site of Midtown's future tallest tower, at the corner of 42nd Street and Vanderbilt Avenue. And Curbed points out that architecture buffs can stay apprised of construction progress through the building's new Instagram page.
Check out some construction shots
August 16, 2016

Babe Ruth’s Former UWS Apartment Sells to ‘How I Met Your Mother’ Actress

Though this Upper West Side apartment doesn't look like much, it's certainly racking up the celebrity accolades. At the end of his career, from 1929 to 1940, Babe Ruth and his family owned the entire seventh floor at 345 West 88th Street. At the time it boasted 11 rooms, but it's since been divided into two units. One unit, 7B, hit the market for $1,595,000 last August; the other, 7F, listed in February for $1,175,000. According to the Observer, the latter has sold for $1,130,000 to former "How I Met Your Mother" actress Ashley Williams and her husband, producer Neal Dodson.
See the full apartment
August 16, 2016

City Says Yes to Bronx Complex, No to Flatiron Site for Affordable Housing Plan

The New York City Planning Commission has voted to approve a boutique condominium project on Manhattan's west side without the mayor's new Mandatory Inclusionary Housing plan in place, the New York Times reports; a much larger development in the Bronx also got the green light, and will be among the first to be included in the new affordable housing program. 6sqft reported previously on the controversy over whether a 17-story condominium slated to replace a parking lot and two low rise buildings at 6th Avenue at West 18th should be among the first recipients of the mayor’s new mandatory inclusionary housing (M.I.H.) program. Both the city and the project's developers, Acuity Capital Partners, made the argument that the proposed project is “more of a rejiggering of the zoning than an enlargement,” and therefore does not fall under the M.I.H. rules.
Find out more
August 16, 2016

Harriet the Spy’s $5M Upper East Side Townhouse Finds a Buyer

In May, the Queen Anne-style townhouse said to have inspired the fictional Upper East Side home of "Harriet the Spy" hit the market for the first time in 70 years, asking $4.95 million. And in less than three months it's already entered entered contract, reports Curbed. Author Louise Fitzhugh lived on 85th Street, so it's no surprise that this gorgeous 1880s property at 558 East 87th Street sparked her creative juices. Located on the corner of a quiet and leafy Yorkville block in the Henderson Place Historic District, the 3,000-square-foot stunner overlooks Gracie Mansion, Carl Schurz Park, and the East River, "the perfect setting to get into covert shenanigans, à la Harriet," as 6sqft previously quipped.
See the whole place
August 16, 2016

Flexible West Village Co-op Has Lots of Outdoor Space and a Bit of Mid-Century Charm

This furnished co-op at 256 West 10th Street offers flexible lease terms, but the attractive, understated West Village apartment is flexible in other ways–and even manages to throw a few curves. On the rental market for $12,500 a month, the unusual home's three bedrooms–one in an enclosed loft–are joined by a small office/study, and adventurous architectural details add more space for living between rooms. The 1,600-square-foot Hudson Mews apartment's steep rent is undoubtedly based on its location behind a gated courtyard on a block where the streets toss off their rigid grid and boast some of the city's finest restaurants, shops and historic buildings. The enviable landscaped private courtyard and lushly planted roof deck won't send anyone running, either.
See more of this off-the-grid co-op
August 15, 2016

Hudson Heights’ Famed Cliffside ‘Pumpkin House’ Returns for $5.3M

So titled for its window pattern that resembles a jack-o'-lantern (especially when lit up at night), this funky home in Hudson Heights has long been a hot topic in the real estate scene thanks to its unusual location extending over a cliff near the highest point in Manhattan, just north of the George Washington Bridge. Built around 1925, the 17-foot-wide brick house was purchased in 2000 for $1.1 million by interior decorator William Spink. After doing a good deal of structural renovation, he listed it for $3.45 million in 2005, but after failing to sell, tried again in 2010 for $3.9 million. It sold the following year and is now back on the market asking $5.25 million.
Take a look around and learn more about the Pumpkin House's history
August 15, 2016

$700K Greenwich Village Studio Fits Maximum Storage Into 500 Square Feet

This studio loft at 23 Waverly Place in Greenwich Village may only be 500 square feet, but it's been designed for maximum storage potential. (This may be one of the few studios out there that boasts both a spacious kitchen and walk-in closet.) An architect has also modernized the prewar apartment, transforming it into a more modern and sleek space. Post renovation, it's now on the market for $699,000.
Take a look
August 15, 2016

Live on the High Line for $596/Month, Lottery Launching for 75 Units at New West Chelsea Tower

As 6sqft reported last summer, "To provide a gradual transition from mid-rise West Chelsea to the enormous skyscrapers planned for the Far West Side, the Bloomberg administration in 2005 allowed more generous zoning between West 28th and 30th Streets along Tenth and Eleventh avenues." One of the projects that took advantage of this upzoning was what's now being called Maestro West Chelsea, a 35-story, 220-unit, mixed-use tower at 323 Tenth Avenue (the tallest in the neighborhood) and its two adjoining 13-story buildings at 507 West 28th Street, which are providing an additional 155 units. The two portions are on either ends of the High Line and were designed by Avinash K. Malhotra Architects. Starting tomorrow, qualifying New Yorkers earning 40 or 50 percent of the area media income have the chance to apply for 75 affordable units in the buildings. They range from $596/month studios to $979/month two-bedrooms, and amenities include an attended lobby, recreation room, roof deck, fitness center, and parking (not to mention a much-sought-after location on one of the city's biggest outdoor attractions).
Find out if you qualify here
August 15, 2016

Food Network’s Ina Garten Buys Former House & Garden Editor’s Park Avenue Pad for $4.65M

In November 6sqft featured the Upper East Side co-op at 563 Park Avenue listed by Nancy Novogrod, former editor-in-chief of Travel + Leisure magazine and Condé Nast’s House & Garden, and her husband, John, noting the just-right decor and roll-up-your-sleeves renovated kitchen. The Observer reports that sleeves will indeed be rolled up in the marble-topped chef's paradise, as Food Network's Barefoot Contessa Ina Garten and her husband, Yale University dean emeritus, Jeffrey, have purchased the two-bedroom home for $4.65 million.
Take another look at the couple's new Park Avenue pied a terre
August 14, 2016

Design Firm Décor Aid Helps a Soho Couple Turn an Outdated Duplex Into a Modern Multitasking Home

While the company's name might sound like a designers' fund-raising rock concert, the method offered by design firm Décor Aid simplifies renovation and redecorating for clients like the Soho resident who needed to hit refresh on the downtown Manhattan apartment that serves so many functions for himself and his girlfriend–and their four-legged companion. The stale duplex emerged as a stylish and user-friendly home base, office and entertaining space with the help of these savvy and straight-shooting design pros.
See more of the striking results
August 12, 2016

Friday 5: Beat the Heat at These Poolside Aeries Offering Free Rent

As we sizzle in this uncomfortable pocket of August air, many of us yearn for a picturesque beach or pool-side locale to cool off, but when a swim in the East River starts to look inviting, you know things are dire. Not to worry; for those looking to stay close to home, these premier rental buildings are outfitted with resident-only swimming pools accompanied by sun decks, resort-style amenities, and killer views. And with months of free rent embedded into leases, and thousands of newly available apartments on the market, this season could be your best chance to snag a home in one of these coveted buildings.
See all the deal this way
August 12, 2016

Triarch Uses Lipstick Hues and Gallery Walls to Meld Two Downtown Apartments

At this Beekman Street residence, two small apartments had been combined into one large one by a previous owner. Architecture and design firm Triarch reworked the floor plan to better connect the apartment's series of separate rooms. The end result combines candy-coated pops of pink, red and purple, eye-popping art and contemporary finishes to make the home feel playful and creative, as well as livable.
See more of the interiors this way
August 11, 2016

Renderings Revealed for SHoP-Designed Interiors at the American Copper Buildings

Today is the day for big reveals at the American Copper Buildings. Earlier, 6sqft broke the news that the affordable housing lottery for the project's low-income units will begin Monday (with homes ranging from $833/month studios to $1,247/month three-bedrooms), and now Curbed has shared the first interior renderings of the 761 apartments, as well as some additional amenity details. SHoP Architects, who designed the pair of dancing towers for JDS Development, are also responsible for the interiors, an unusual occurrence for the firm. They've outfitted the residences with 10-foot ceilings and floor-to-ceiling windows, and custom-designed oak floors, kitchens, lighting, and shades.
Check out all the renderings
August 11, 2016

Live in SHoP’s American Copper Buildings for $833/Month, Lottery Launching for 160 Affordable Units

One of the flashiest new residential projects on the horizon is the American Copper Buildings, the SHoP Architects-designed dancing towers along the East River that have become best known for their three-story, amenity-filled skybridge, the highest such structure in the city at 300 feet above street level. As 6sqft previously reported, when completed early next year, the shimmering buildings will offer 761 rental units, 20 percent of which will be earmarked for low-income households. This latter group of 160 apartments has now officially come online through the city's affordable housing lottery, ranging from $833/month studios to $1,247/month three-bedrooms.
Find out if you qualify here
August 11, 2016

Sting and Trudie Styler Buying 220 Central Park South Triplex

The NY Post reports that Sting and Trudie Styler are in negotiations to purchase a condo in the Robert A.M. Stern-designed 220 Central Park South. The tantric twosome aren't new to the parkside circuit; they're currently among the significant celebrity contingent at the also-Stern-designed 15 Central Park West, where the pop star purchased a 5,413- square-foot penthouse for $26.5 million in 2008.
Find out more
August 11, 2016

$2.8M Tribeca Pad Will Remind You Why You Love Lofts

The big open rooms, tall ceilings, warm exposed brick and ductwork, private elevator entry and solid-walled prewar construction in this two-bedroom, 1,800-square-foot Tribeca co-op at 36 North Moore Street provide a refresher course in loft love. And while the loft details are hard to miss, the apartment, listed at $2.8 million, has been renovated for comfort and luxury with new fixtures, central A/C and new walnut floors.
Take the tour
August 10, 2016

New Renderings of Bjarke Ingels’ High Line Towers Show Crowns and Amenity Bridges

It was all the way back in November 2015 that 6sqft got a first look at Bjarke Ingels' pair of asymmetric, twisting towers along the High Line at 76 Eleventh Avenue. At the beginning of this year, the design changed to a simpler silhouette with more space in between the 28- and 38-story buildings, and now NY Yimby has revealed yet another group of renderings that reveal even more revisions. The fresh images reveal the glass crowns at the 300- and 400-foot tops, the retail podium and plaza fronting the High Line, and two amenity-filled podium bridges that will connect the towers (an idea perhaps borrowed from SHoP's American Cooper Buildings).
See all the renderings here
August 10, 2016

Art Nerd New York’s Top Event Picks for the Week- 8/11-8/17

In a city where hundreds of interesting happenings occur each week, it can be hard to pick and choose your way to a fulfilling life. Art Nerd‘s philosophy is a combination of observation, participation, education and of course a party to create the ultimate well-rounded week. Jump ahead for Art Nerd founder Lori Zimmer’s top picks for 6sqft readers! Get outdoors this week: Stay late with a date peeping stars on the High Line; experience a car-free Manhattan during Citi Streets; go back in time at the Jazz Age Lawn Festival on Governors Island; or rent a free kayak and watch a movie from the water at Socrates Sculpture Park. If you need a break from all that sun, check out Ataraxia, an evening of multi sensory art, or head to Booth Gallery for a group show about shattering the Fourth Wall.
More on all the best events this way
August 10, 2016

Revealed: Kenneth Park Architects Reimagine Penn Plaza as a Vibrant Public Space

The past decade has seen an increasing effort to transform New York City's under-utilized–and sometimes dismal–public spaces into pedestrian plazas and other vibrant and attractive public oases. From Columbus Circle and Times Square to Downtown Brooklyn's Willoughby Street, new car-free spaces encourage passersby to linger and enjoy their surroundings. Vornado Realty Trust (VNO), one of the city's biggest landlords, has been working on a similar transformation of the urban sprawl that surrounds Penn Station and Madison Square Garden by implementing kiosks, seating and attractive architecture. Now, CityRealty.com has revealed new renderings from Kenneth Park Architects (KPA) showing their ideas and recommendations for repositioning retail space and optimizing pedestrian and vehicular circulation.
Take a look at the reimagined Penn Plaza
August 10, 2016

$9,500/Month West Village Duplex Is a History Buff’s Dream

With its wide-plank wood floors, three fireplaces and stained glass skylight, this upper duplex in a 19th century brick townhouse on a gorgeous West Village street embodies the neighborhood's historic charm. The three-bedroom rental home at 180 Waverly Place, asking $9,500 a month, doesn't leave modern comfort behind; updates like zoned central A/C and a washer-dryer keep daily life charmed as well.
See more of this treetop treasure
August 9, 2016

Apartment in Miles Davis’ Old Upper West Side Townhouse Sells for $500K

Just a couple months ago, an apartment in Miles Davis' old Upper West Side townhouse hit the market for $495,000, and the Post now reports that the charming one-bedroom has sold for $500,000 to "a woman who 'loves' the building’s jazz-music history." The jazz legend lived in the Renaissance Revival brownstone at 312 West 77th Street from roughly 1960 until he moved to LA in the mid '80s, often hanging out on the stoop with his neighbors and hosting other jazz greats like Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter, and Dizzy Gillespie. And it was here that he wrote the music for his albums "Kind of Blue" and "Bitches Brew." After he headed west, the home was divided into six apartments.
See more of the apartment
August 9, 2016

Sixth Avenue Adorama Site May Be the First Battle Over Mayor’s New Housing Program

The New York Times reports on what is looking like the first of many fights involving the mayor’s new mandatory inclusionary housing (M.I.H.) program which went into effect earlier this year. While the project, a 17-story condominium slated to replace a Manhattan parking lot and two low-rise buildings–one of which houses the venerable Adorama camera store–may not be especially noteworthy, as one of the first developments that may use the new zoning/housing rules, the outcome has the potential to affect thousands of lower-income units in the future. So it's worth following the outcome, even though, as City Planning Commissioner Carl Weisbrod puts it, "like any legislative action, it will take time for every scenario to play out.”
What's the battle all about?
August 9, 2016

Live the Upper West Side Dream in a Brownstone Apartment off Central Park for $4,800/Month

This two-bedroom apartment for rent at 46 West 85th Street pretty much embodies the vision of a perfect Upper West Side life; $4,800 per month gets you a duplex with a big, furnished private patio in an old stone townhouse on a tree-lined street in coveted Central Park West, half a block from the park. There are extra goodies like exposed brick accents and a working fireplace in the living room, a modern renovated kitchen and a full bathroom on each level–there's even an elevator, rare for a townhouse.
Take a look around
August 8, 2016

79 Affordable Units Up For Grabs in New Luxury Hell’s Kitchen Project, Starting at $913/Month

Last June, Mitsui Fudosan, one of the largest real estate companies in Japan, bought a majority stake in Taconic Investment Partners' 525 West 52nd Street, a $330 million rental development between 10th and 11th Avenues. As the Journal reported at the time, the two-towered Hell's Kitchen project (one is 22 stories, the other 14) will offer 392 apartments with 80 set aside for low-income residents, as it was developed through the city's 421-a program. Now, those affordable units have come online through the city's housing lottery, and they range from $913/month studios to $1,183/month two-bedrooms.
Find out what luxury perks the building offers
August 8, 2016

27,000 Tons of Floating Concrete and Fabulous Feats of Engineering Make Pier 57 Peerless

In the summer of 1952, when the American economy was emerging with a roar from the stagnation of the Great Depression and World War II, engineer Emil H. Praeger was chosen to create a replacement for the Grace Line’s old Pier 57 which had been destroyed by fire. Described by the New York Times, the key to what makes the resulting replacement pier so special lies hidden below the pier shed in the Hudson River at the foot of West 15th Street; Rather than resting on a conventional pile field, the bulk of its weight is held up by three floating concrete boxes known as caissons, which are permanently anchored underwater. The unique foundation of the abandoned pier is the same foundation that will host a $350 million renovation of what is being called the SuperPier by RXR Realty and Youngwoo and Associates, thanks to a lease from the Hudson River Park Trust, with new tenants to include Google offices and Anthony Bourdain's new food market.
Find out more about how enormous blocks of concrete can float