Manhattan

Developer Ben Shaoul's new Lower East Side condos adjacent to Katz's famous deli at 196 Orchard Street have just hit the market. Definitely in line with the 21st century version of the storied neighborhood, the 96 newly-minted apartments have luxurious finishes, expansive views and enviable amenities, with units starting at $1.075 million for a studio.
This way for more details and lots of interior renderings

$7.75M penthouse with huge roof deck tops Tribeca’s Pearl Paint-replacing condos

Inside the penthouse (L); The former facade of the building still as Pearl Paint (R)

September 23, 2016

$7.75M penthouse with huge roof deck tops Tribeca’s Pearl Paint-replacing condos

Tribeca artists' mecca Pearl Paint--the 80-year-old art supply retailer at 308 Canal Street--closed just over two years ago, and in May, Trans World Equities filed permits to convert one of the buildings into four "bespoke full-floor lofts" and build a two-story addition above the 150-year-old cast-iron structure, now going by 42 Lispenard Street. Two are already in contract, but the newly-listed penthouse awaits, with a prospective winter 2016 occupancy date.
See more expensive sheetrock

September 23, 2016

Spotlight: The Museum of Math’s Cindy Lawrence on making math a fun and interactive endeavor

By Susan Cohen

In a city with a museum in an elevator shaft and another all about transit history, it should come as no surprise that there's a museum dedicated to math. Located across from Madison Square Park, the National Museum of Mathematics is an institution devoted to the numerous possibilities that numbers hold. Since opening in 2012, MoMath has been a place for visitors of all ages to gets hands on with the subject through interactive exhibits that explore conundrums like how it's possible for a square-wheeled tricycle to pedal on a circular, curved surface. And as of last week, the museum offers the chance to drive remote-controlled cars on either a Möbius strip or a trefoil track in the newly opened Twisted Thruway. 6sqft recently visited the museum to speak with Executive Director and CEO Cindy Lawrence about the importance of making math interactive and most importantly, fun.
Read the interview ahead

September 22, 2016

REVEALED: Port Authority releases five design proposals for new bus terminal

On Tuesday, an agreement was reached between West Side elected officials and the Port Authority that said the agency would expand the planning process for a new $10 billion bus terminal with more local input. And just today they've revealed the five proposals that were submitted to a design competition to replace the currently loathed site. Crain's brings us videos of the ideas, which come from big-name firms Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects, Arcadis, AECOM in partnership with Skidmore Owings & Merrill, Perkins Eastman, and Archilier Architecture Consortium. Though this seems counter to the agreement, John Degnan, the Port Authority's New Jersey-appointed chairman, said he doubts "any one of them will be the final design," since they either further complicate existing planning issues or cost billions over budget.
Take a look at them all here

September 22, 2016

Charming Hell’s Kitchen railroad apartment hits the market for $510K

By Emily Nonko

Not everyone will want to live just a block from Times Square, but this Midtown West apartment at 347 West 44th Street may be cute enough to convince buyers otherwise. It's located two flights up a brownstone building (yes, there are brownstones in Times Square!) and is asking $510,000. An open living room/kitchen fronts the railroad apartment, followed by a cozy bedroom and finally a bathroom.
Walk through the space

Distinctive Homes

September 22, 2016

Combine Gwyneth Paltrow’s Tribeca penthouse with downstairs loft for the ultimate duplex

The 4,400 square-foot penthouse at the River Lofts at 416 Washington Street in Tribeca that Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin kept as a Manhattan landing spot before their conscious uncoupling has yet to find a buyer. The New York Post reminds us that Gwynnie's loft is still available, along with the 1,900 square foot apartment downstairs owned by restaurateur Reika Yo Alexander (her EN Japanese Brasserie is a celebrity fave, and fashion luminaries like Karl Lagerfeld and Alexander Wang have hosted events at the chic Izakaya), and that the two units might be consciously coupled in a stellar package deal.
Have a look at the Tribeca loft possibilities

September 22, 2016

Alec and Hilaria Baldwin continue house hunt with $16.6M Nomad condo

It's been just 10 days since Alec and Hilaria Baldwin welcomed their third child together into the world, but they're wasting no time continuing the hunt for a larger home to accommodate their growing brood. After touring a $16.5 million Chelsea penthouse at the beginning of the month, they've now set their sites on a similarly-sized, $16.6 million spread at Nomad's 212 Fifth Avenue, reports the Post. The 1912 neo-Gothic buiding sits at the northwest corner of Madison Square Park, and the four-bedroom unit that caught the couple's eyes boasts soaring ceilings, three exposures with views south to the Flatiron building and Freedom Tower, a marble-floored entry foyer, and a twelve-foot-long Calacatta gold marble kitchen island.
Check it out

September 22, 2016

Adele might be saying ‘Hello’ to swanky Gramercy duplex

Between performing this week at Madison Square Garden, Adele has been keeping herself busy checking out real estate around the city. The Post reports that she inquired about a five-and-half bedroom duplex at the new Gramercy condominium 234 East 23rd Street. Her people had supposedly asked about short-term rentals, but the "sky duplex" is about to hit the market for $12 million.
See more

Celebrities

September 22, 2016

It may be small, but this $445K Chelsea studio is cute as a button and a block from the High Line

Chelsea may not be the first place anyone looks for bargains, but this sunny pre-war studio with 10-foot ceilings, exposed brick walls and a huge overhead loft space for storage or sleep is as cute as the neighborhood is pricey. Tucked into a turn-of-the-century townhouse at 356 West 23rd Street in the heart of the popular gallery-, food market- and shop-filled neighborhood, this tranquil studio overlooks charming brownstone gardens for peace and quiet, and it's near a collection of subway lines for convenience and a block from the High Line for High Line awesomeness.
Take a peek inside

Distinctive Homes

September 21, 2016

Sales launch at Renzo Piano’s first residential project in NYC

Last we heard from starchitect Renzo Piano's 565 Broome SoHo, his first residential project in the city, it was March and with construction underway, a slew of new renderings came online of the Soho condominium. Now Curbed reports that sales have finally launched at the pair of glassy, 30-story structures, with currently available units ranging from a $990,000 studio to a $6,135,000 two-bedroom (the penthouses and duplexes will top $20 million). Perhaps the most noteworthy tidbit from the press release is that some residences will feature "enormous private terraces with 25-foot private, saltwater pools," which seems to be a growing trend in the luxury market.
More details and new views

September 21, 2016

The Urban Lens: A walk through the 90th annual Feast of San Gennaro in Little Italy

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 authors and photographers James and Karla Murray introduce us to the faces and food vendors that make up the 2016 Feast of San Gennaro in Little Italy. Are you a photographer who’d like to see your work featured on The Urban Lens? Get in touch with us at [email protected]. 2016 marks the 90th anniversary of the Feast of San Gennaro, which is held in the "Little Italy" neighborhood of lower Manhattan from Thursday, September 15 through Sunday, September 25th. The Feast is an 11-day salute to the Patron Saint of Naples, Saint Januaries, and it is the longest and most popular street fair in New York City (anticipated to bring in one million tourists and New Yorkers this year). Little Italy was once known for its large population of Italian immigrants and is now centered on Mulberry Street between Broome and Canal Streets. Italians first began to settle in the area during the 1850s, but by the 1960s, wealthy Italians began to move out and Chinese merchants for the first time began to move north of Canal Street—the traditional boundary between Chinatown and Little Italy. Observing the changes in the neighborhood, Italian merchants and restaurateurs formed an association dedicated to maintaining Mulberry Street north of Canal as an all-Italian enclave, which it still largely remains. Ahead we document some of the longtime New Yorkers, tourists, and decades-old Italian vendors who've added their own flavor to this year's festivities.
our account and more photos here

September 21, 2016

Debt-beleaguered site of Norman Foster’s 3 Sutton Place condo tower is cleared for sale

A US Bankruptcy Court judge has approved a plan to sell the 3 Sutton Place site at at 426-432 East 58th Street, one of the city's most luxurious old enclaves, reports the New York Post. Brokers have been selected to conduct the marketing of the 262,000-square-foot project that includes plans for a 900-foot-tall condominium tower drawn up by British architect Sir Norman Foster of Foster + Partners.
Find out more

September 21, 2016

UWS duplex is both a ‘Tuscan villa’ and ‘Swiss chalet’ with three fireplaces and roof garden

According to the listing, this brownstone duplex at 316 West 90th Street on the Upper West Side is "a Tuscan villa in the warmer months and a romantic Swiss chalet in the winter." That sounds like a pretty tall order for a two-bedroom co-op, even for $1.8 million. But upon closer inspection, three toasty fireplaces definitely have fall and winter dialed in, and two decidedly Tuscan villa-esque decks await once al fresco season arrives.
Pick a room, pick a season, this way

Distinctive Homes

September 20, 2016

Look inside Roberta Flack’s mirror-covered Dakota apartment, now $2M cheaper

Roberta Flack first listed her Dakota apartment in June 2015 for $9.5 million, and it's now come back on the market for $7.5 million with rare interior photos, reports LL NYC. We can't imagine all those wall-to-wall mirrors will help her case, but it's always a treat to get a look inside the storied address, especially when the unit is next door to none other than Yoko Ono.
Take a look around

September 20, 2016

Massive skylights drench this $2.2M Greenwich Village co-op in light

By Emily Nonko

What's better than 19-foot, wood-beamed ceilings? Those same ceilings lined with two giant skylights. This apartment, also decorated with red brick walls and a wood-burning fireplace, is located within the 16-unit Greenwich Village co-op 66 West 11th Street. The co-op is a collection of 1853 Italianate townhouses with apartments that've been uniquely renovated. This two- bedroom, two-bathroom pad (in which the bedrooms and a bathroom also boast skylights) occupies the entire top floor of one of the townhouses.
See more of the interior

Distinctive Homes

September 20, 2016

Sales begin at Annabelle Selldorf’s 42 Crosby Street, Soho condo with $1M parking spots

Sales officially launched today at 42 Crosby Street, Atlas Capital Group's 50,000-square-foot Soho condominium designed by Annabelle Selldorf of Selldorf Architects. Nine three-bedroom residences and a penthouse at the seven-story luxury residence will start at $8,250,000 (the penthouse is going for $25 million). According to the press release, the building's design offers "a contemporary interpretation of the Soho neighborhood’s cast iron architecture," and of course, there's those $1 million parking spots.
Find out more and see renderings

Lowline team releases official proposal for $83M underground park

Lowline Lab via 6sqft

September 20, 2016

Lowline team releases official proposal for $83M underground park

Just a couple months ago, the NYC Economic Development Corporation granted preliminary approvals to the Lowline, the world's first underground park. This came after the city put out a Request for Expressions of Interest (RFEI) late last year for the 60,000-square-foot abandoned trolley terminal below Delancey Street. The Lowline proposal was the only one received, and initially the 154-page document was only to be publicly available through a Freedom of Information Law request, but the group worked with the EDC to release it to the community. The Lo-Down got a look at the document, which reveals everything from the projected cost of the project ($83 million) and operating hours (6am to 9pm, five days a week) to specific design elements like a "ramble" and 1,600-square-foot cafe/bar.
Lots more details this way

The ‘empty mansions’ of Huguette Clark: Luxury and mystery of an era past

Photo courtesy of Emptymansionsbook.com.

September 19, 2016

The ‘empty mansions’ of Huguette Clark: Luxury and mystery of an era past

Reclusive copper heiress Huguette M. Clark died in 2011 at the age of 104; in the years preceding and after her demise, obsessive followers of her story puzzled over her decision to remain in a small hospital room for the last 20 years of her life after having rarely left her apartment in the decades before. In this day of heiresses who run fashion companies and give house tours, Huguette Clark’s wealth and her retreat from the public eye—despite being by all accounts entirely lucid—have made her the target of endless fascination. But almost as fascinating are the storybook-grand properties that still stand as remnants of a gilded age long past and what remains of one of its biggest fortunes, barely touched and preserved as if in aspic until their recent acquisition by a new generation of magnates and heirs.
See more of Huguette Clark's abandoned Gilded Age opulence

UES residents not happy about plan to turn their playground into high-end housing

Google Street View of the Holmes Towers with the playground in question in the foreground

September 19, 2016

UES residents not happy about plan to turn their playground into high-end housing

This past spring, the de Blasio administration revealed plans to lease "empty" NYCHA land--parking lots and grassy areas--for the creation of market-rate housing, which certainly ruffled the feathers of affordable housing advocates. Though the proposal hasn't been set into motion city-wide, it is taking shape at one housing project on the Upper East Side, the Holmes Towers on 92nd to 93rd Streets and 1st to York Avenues. As the Daily News reports, NYCHA recently "described tenant support for the plan to let a developer build 300 units — half market rate, half affordable — where the Holmes playground now sits." But this "tenant stakeholder committee" says they feel very differently.
READ MORE

September 19, 2016

Video: Visit designer Kate Spade in her art-filled, unfussy Upper East Side home

Ultra-popular clothing and accessories designer Kate Valentine Spade invites us into the Upper East Side apartment she shares with her husband/business partner Andy Spade and young daughter, courtesy of People magazine. She's managed to snatch a free moment away from her new accessories line Frances Valentine to give us a whirlwind tour of her two favorite rooms.
Step inside and have a look

September 18, 2016

$900K brownstone condo is proof that your money still goes a little farther in Harlem

While the $899,000 ask on this two-bedroom, floor-through apartment at 30 West 126th Street in Harlem may not be a total steal, an apartment of this size with well-designed custom renovations, central heat and air, closet space, and a cozy balcony would likely be much more costly in many other Manhattan neighborhoods. And certainly a pretty brownstone block steps from shopping (a Whole Foods is on the way) and subways would up the price even more. Yet this brick-lined, light-filled home has every bit as much townhouse appeal as its West Village counterparts.
Get a closer look

Distinctive Homes

September 16, 2016

Free People art director lists boho-chic loft in Greenwich Village for $999K

By Emily Nonko

This gorgeous loft at 77 Bleecker Street in Greenwich Village has undergone a big renovation and hit the market for a hair under $1 million. The seller is Lauren Cohan, an art director at Free People, who purchased it in 2015 for $635,000. Post reno, the space has a decidedly Free People vibe, with quirky interior design complimented by lofty features like high ceilings and exposed brick.
Take a look

Distinctive Homes

September 16, 2016

Skyline blights: New York’s ugliest building finally gets its glassy update

By Diane Pham

The former Verizon Building at 375 Pearl Street has long been considered one of New York City's ugliest buildings. The oppressive structure was erected in 1975 and climbs 540 feet into the sky. While the height is almost negligible compared to some of the supertalls rising today, the tower's prime skyline positioning amongst some of the world's most celebrated architectural creations has done nothing to help shroud its banal facade. In fact, when the telephone switching center opened its doors for the first time more than 40 years ago, New York Times architecture critic Paul Goldberger described it as the Verizon's "most disturbing" addition to the city (though in defense of the architects Rose, Beaton & Rose, it was built to withstand severe weather and attacks and protect the critical telecommunications infrastructure within). But all of that is changing now, as the building's fortress-like facade is in the midst of receiving a long due makeover.
More photos of the progress that's been made here

September 16, 2016

One World Trade Center not for sale after all (at least not yet)

Last week, 6sqft reported that the Port Authority would sell One World Trade Center for up to $5 billion due in part to vacancy issues and the fact that the tower only brought in $13 million in revenue last year, a mere 0.35 percent return on the agency's investment. But Authority chairman John Degnan said yesterday to Politico that "It’s certainly not on the block. We’re not talking to any brokers about it." This doesn't however, mean that the agency has changed its stance that it will one day "divest and monetize in non-transportation-related holdings."
Find out more

Uncategorized

September 16, 2016

Saudi billionaire seals the deal on the city’s highest home for record $88M

The most expensive apartment closing in New York City this year and one of the priciest sales ever is finally a done deal, reports The Real Deal. The apartment, the top penthouse at Rafael Viñoly-designed billionaire’s bunker 432 Park Avenue, is the priciest unit in the big-ticket building as well as being literally the city’s highest. As 6sqft previously reported, the buyer is Saudi retail magnate Fawaz Al Hokair. The sale price was $87.7 million—a skyscraping $10,623 per square foot.
More jumbo numbers, this way

Real Estate Trends

September 15, 2016

‘Humans of New York’ creator picks up $2.45M Chelsea duplex