Manhattan

June 21, 2016

The King of FiDi: Developer Nathan Berman Talks Transforming Downtown and 443 Greenwich

He’s been called the King of FiDi with over 2200 apartments under his management. The founder and principal of Metro Loft Management, Nathan Berman specializes in transforming landmark office buildings into luxury rentals. He recently acquired the leasehold for 20 Broad Street, the former New York Stock Exchange building, and plans to convert it to white-glove rental […]

June 21, 2016

Nate Berkus and Jeremiah Brent Sell Greenwich Village Penthouse for $9.8M

Interior design couple Nate Berkus and Jeremiah Brent listed their pristine Greenwich Village penthouse in November of last year for $10.5 million. Though they undertook a beautiful update (which was featured as the cover story in last September's issue of Architectural Digest), this was a steep increase, so it's not a total surprise that the selling price came in slightly lower at $9.8 million. According to the Observer, the buyer is "financier-slash-jewelry designer" Charles de Viel Castel.
Take a look around the designer digs
June 21, 2016

Tribeca Triplex Penthouse With Rooftop Hot Tub Swaps Astroturf for Ipe Wood and Asks $8M

When the tricked-out three-bedroom triplex atop 16 Warren Street sold in 2014 for $5.1 million after languishing on the market with a price that had unceremoniously tumbled from the then-brand-new condo's original 2008 ask of $9.175 million, “Million Dollar Listing New York” star Fredrik Eklund did the deal and shouted it from the (internet) rooftops. Fast forward a mere two years: The home's current owners have slid the sleek penthouse back onto the market for $7.995 million. That doesn’t seem out of line for a Tribeca penthouse, and it’s still lower than the 2008 ask, so perhaps the sellers want to be sure they don’t repeat the home’s last held-over performance. With 3,381 square feet of interior space (which looks like it's had a modernizing update), a terrace with views of the neighborhood's twinkling lights around every turn and a big hot tub a-bubbling on the fully-loaded rooftop deck (now with less astroturf, more ipe wood than in the earlier listing) we doubt they'll have to wait six years to make a sale.
Tour the triplex this way
June 20, 2016

Donald Trump’s Secret ‘Public’ Gardens Gave Him Extra Height at Trump Tower

In light of his media-circus presidential campaign, there seems to be endless exposes about Donald Trump's past real estate drama. From his failed attempt to own the Empire State Building to a lost battle with China over two bi-coastal skyscrapers, the Donald's development empire has very often skirted the rules. The latest saga dates back to 1979, when, as Crain's uncovers, Trump struck a deal with the city for a zoning variance to build an extra 200,000 square feet, or 20 stories, at Trump Tower. In return, he agreed to create a public atrium, as well as 15,000 square feet of public gardens. But these gardens, which yielded almost all of the 244,000 square feet of office and residential space that Trump still owns in the tower (worth roughly $530 million), are hidden, hard to access, and not maintained.
The full story, right this way
June 20, 2016

Ben Stiller Buys a $15M West Village Pad at Celeb-Favorite 150 Charles Street

Ben Stiller and wife Christine Taylor are the latest A-listers to pick up a pad at the West Village's luxury condominium 150 Charles Street. As the Observer reports, the couple paid $15.31 million for a 3,395-square-foot, full-floor spread with gorgeous Hudson River views. They'll be joining other big names at the address, including supermodel Irina Shayk, who bought a $6 million apartment in February, Jon Bon Jovi, who paid $12.88 million for a 10-room spread in September, and famed fashion photographer Steven Klein, who dropped $12.5 million on a unit in March.
More on their new digs
June 20, 2016

Chelsea Townhouse Has Lots of Wood, Brick and Sunshine and a Leafy Garden for $18K/Month

The term used in the listing to describe this renovated four-bedroom townhouse in the residential midst of bustling Chelsea is "intelligently modernized," and it fits. The 3,600-square-foot townhouse at 240 West 21st Street, built in 1840, has, like most of its kind, a long and storied history; constructed as a family home (in this case for the well-to-do Hanks family) it saw generations of residents through the best and worst of times. But unlike some, this particular residence has emerged once more as a spacious and comfortable single-family home with more perks than quirks and is now on the rental market for $18,000 a month. Summer is a fine time to enjoy its sun-dappled leafy back yard and private upper deck. A hip loft-style kitchen and lots of brick set the interiors apart from some of its historic counterparts, and a slightly unusual layout means the living room is in the back–where the sunshine is.
Check out the rest of the house
June 19, 2016

Architect Paul Ochs Custom Designed Every Inch of His Soho Penthouse, Asking $2M

When architect and interior designer Paul Ochs purchased this penthouse at 2 Charlton Street in the '90s, the neighborhood, on the border of Soho and the West Village, was much different. But it doesn't seem like two decades of changes have made him any less fond of it, the same being true for his apartment, as 6sqft learned when he provided a tour of the space, currently on the market for $1,975,000. Ochs custom designed every element of the home, from the polished concrete floors to the hidden bed that was added when he and his wife welcomed their son.
See the rest of the space
June 17, 2016

Gwyneth Paltrow Shares Pictures of $13M Tribeca Penthouse on Her Blog Goop

When 6sqft wrote about Gwyneth Paltrow's $14.25 million Tribeca penthouse, listed in March, the only interior photos available were slightly blurry, outdated versions from the designer Roman and Williams. But now, perhaps in an attempt to unload the 4,400-square-foot loft (she also reduced the price to $12.85 million), Gwyneth herself has published beautiful images of the home on her blog Goop. First spotted by Time, they showcase the space's famous fuzzy nap zones, as well as "artisanal" details like a swing in the living room made of an antique Indian door and a master bed "so enormous that sheets had to be custom-made."
See all the photos
June 17, 2016

Shigeru Ban’s Cast Iron House Tops Out, Raises the Bar for Tribeca Penthouses

Few intersections of New York come close to perfection, but the corner of Shigeru Ban's latest New York endeavor at Franklin and Broadway sure comes close. Long anchored by the exquisite 134-year-old James White Building at 361 Broadway, one would assume that a modern penthouse addition could only diminish the neo-Grecian beauty. Not so here. A rehabilitation, conversion, and enlargement spearheaded by Knightsbridge Properties seeks to produce an end sum that will at least be neutral and surely harmonious. Named Cast Iron House by Ban himself, the 13-unit condominium development is a marriage of old, new and timeless, and it reminds us of the incredible sophistication and beauty our city can possess when the bottom line fades. As a sequel to his Metal Shutter Houses in West Chelsea, Ban and design partner Dean Maltz carve eleven airy residences within the sumptuously detailed and impeccably restored 1882 Tribeca cast iron building and float a pair of glass and steel penthouses above.
Get a look inside these magnificent penthouses
June 17, 2016

$13M Historic Greenwich Village Townhouse Might Keep You From Moving to the Suburbs

At 22 feet wide and situated in one of Manhattan's most coveted historic neighborhoods, this four-story 1910 Greek Revival townhouse at 34 West 11th Street has all the charm and turnkey convenience buyers battle over. With interiors that could be taken straight from a suburban estate or a Junior League show house, a back yard, and six bedrooms for the whole family, thoughts of a move to the genteel suburbs could end right here–assuming you've got the big-city bank account to cover the $13 million ask. For added bragging rights, the house was the official residence of the chancellor of New York University from 1966 to 1973.
Tour the house
June 17, 2016

Furnished Noho Rental Outfitted by Renowned Designer Asks $14K/Month

If you're dropping $14,000 a month on a furnished rental, it may as well be by a professional designer. That's what the listing promises for 27 Great Jones Street, a sprawling two-bedroom Noho loft that's on the market. The 2,000-square-foot apartment, it says, is owned by a renowned designer that has masterfully decorated it. And it's true, the furniture and decor certainly compliment lofty details like exposed brick and 16-foot beamed ceilings.
See more this way
June 16, 2016

New Renderings of Extell’s Central Park Tower Emphasize Design and Record Height

A new set of images of the world's upcoming tallest residential tower have been uncovered, these better revealing the cantilevering silhouette of the 1,550-foot supertall and how it will relate to the skyline of Central Park South. The images of the Central Park Tower (née Nordstrom Tower) were first spotted by NY Yimby and are part of official EB-5 Immigrant Investor program materials posted online and provided by developer Extell. As such, they confirm that the supertall will indeed no longer have the spire, a feature which would have brought the tower to 1,775 feet and just a foot shy of One World Trade. The materials also reveal that the tower is being marketed with a height of 133 floors (the actual count is just 95, though some units like the 17,000-square-foot three-story penthouse have ceilings that stretch well beyond the standard) and 179 luxury residential units.
more here
June 16, 2016

Marilyn Monroe’s Former Sutton Place Penthouse Is on the Market for $6.75M

The sprawling two-bedroom East Side penthouse that was once home to screen icon Marilyn Monroe and third husband Arthur Miller is for sale asking $6.75 million, the New York Post reports. This chic and elegant condo atop 444 East 57th Street, just off Sutton Place, was home to a star-studded list of 20th century residents, topped by the tempestuous Monroe and Miller when the latter was writing "The Misfits" (1961), the last play in which the troubled star would appear. The iconic pad definitely looks the part, with a recent total renovation within, postcard views of the 59th Street Bridge, East River and city skyline, and over 3,000 square feet of soiree-ready outdoor terrace space. Those same terraces have witnessed glittering parties that drew luminaries of the day from Cary Grant to the Duke and Duchess of Windsor; other celebrity residents included fashion designer Bill Blass, singer Bobby Short and Sweden's Princess Madeleine.
Elegant interiors and amazing views this way
June 16, 2016

The MTA Joins Forces With Arup Engineers to Build Quieter Subway Stations

While the New York City subway system has improved by leaps and bounds since the days of squealing graffiti-covered, crime-riddled trains, stations are still an unpleasant reality. Between the grime, stench, heat and noise of oncoming trains (which in turn makes it impossible to hear indecipherable, possibly important announcements), by the time the actual train shows up we've had our share of city cacophony. The good news is that an engineering firm is working with the MTA to create the amazing possibility of quieter subway stations, Wired reports. The challenge of quieting the din lies in the fact that a subway station has to be "incredibly strong, graffiti-proof, soot-resistant, human bodily waste-resistant,” according to Alex Case, an architectural acoustician with the University of Massachusetts Lowell. This indestructible infrastructure by nature creates an echo chamber that amplifies the racket. Engineering firm Arup has been hired by the MTA to improve the acoustics of the new Second Avenue line, the first phase of which–a stretch of track that lies 10 stories below the Upper East Side–is scheduled to open this December, with 8.5 miles and 16 new stations on the way when the line is complete.
Find out how they're doing it
June 16, 2016

POLL: Do You Prefer Bjarke Ingels’ Wave-Like Tower or the Free-Fall Ride for Penn Station?

While Governor Cuomo is busy trying to make his plans for $3 billion in renovations at Penn Station a reality, developers are hot to come up with a new design for 2 Penn Plaza, the tower directly above the station and Madison Square Garden. Vornado Realty Trust, who owns roughly nine million square feet around Penn Station including 2 Penn Plaza, released renderings in March for a glassy, wave-like tower by starchitect of the moment Bjarke Ingels. The concept is quite a departure from the current, stale state of the site, but yesterday an even more futuristic idea came to the table. Brooklyn Capital Partners tapped AE Superlab to create a plan for the world's tallest free-fall tower ride above the station. "Halo," as it would be called, would rise 1,200 feet from the roof, have 11 cars, and move as quickly as 100 miles per hour, giving it a top-to-base free fall of about six seconds. BIG's design wouldn't change much in the way of 2 Penn Plaza's current configuration, but it would create more retail space at the base. Halo, though it would cost $637 million to build, claims it would bring in up to $38 million a year for the state. Since Brooklyn Capital is contending with Vornado Realty Trust and Related Companies to upgrade the space, we want to know which of these ideas you think is a better fit.
Vote for your choice!
June 16, 2016

Barnard College Moves Ahead with New Teaching and Learning Center Designed by SOM

After much deliberation, Barnard College's administration announced plans last year to build a new teaching and learning center at the heart of its four-acre campus in Morningside Heights. Now with demolition of the former library nearly complete, groundwork and excavation for the new 11-story structure will soon begin. The upcoming 128,000-square-foot interdisciplinary building is being designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill and will incorporate several tiers of terraces to increase outdoor access for students and faculty. The 189-foot-tall structure aspires to become the college's hub of academic and intellectual life and will feature an updated and expanded library, a digital commons with five teaching labs, and a computational science center that will connect to the adjacent Altschul Hall. All three of the resources will utilize new media and digital technologies to enhance student learning methods.
More details ahead
June 16, 2016

After 14 Months, Demi Moore Reduces Price of San Remo Penthouse by $16M

Last April, Demi Moore listed her triplex penthouse at celeb-favorite the San Remo for a jaw-dropping $75 million. She bought the 7,000-square-foot, 17-room Central Park West residence in 1990 with ex-husband Bruce Willis and then proceeded to update it in a "Southwestern Mission motif dominated by cherry wood." But after 14 months on the market, The Real Deal reports that the actress has slashed the asking price by $16 million, bringing it down to $59 million.
Take a look around
June 15, 2016

Developer Wants to Erect the World’s Tallest Free-Fall Ride Atop Penn Station

Observation decks boasting panoramic city views have been to date the way to add a "thrill-seeking" element to new developments, but here's a new proposal that really wants visitors to throw their arms up in excitement. As the Daily News first reports, two Brooklyn developers want to turn the top of Penn Station into the world's tallest free-fall tower ride, an idea that would be developed alongside all the renovations planned for the outdated transit hub. "Halo," as it would be called, is the work of AE Superlab and would rise an incredible 1,200 feet from the roof of Madison Square, or be tacked onto the back of the adjacent Farley Post Office, which is slated to be converted into a waiting hall to support expanding station. And in addition to Halo's towering height (to put that 1,200 feet in perspective, the Empire State Building is 1,250 feet at its parapet), the ride's 11 cars would boast adjustable speeds. 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.
find out more here
June 15, 2016

Modernist Treasures From Iconic Four Seasons Restaurant Headed for Auction

News of the iconic restaurant's impending demise surfaced last summer, as 6sqft previously reported, when Seagram Building owner Aby Rosen did not renew the lease for what has been seen as the quintessential Midtown “power lunch” spot for the last decades of the 20th century since it opened in 1959. The restaurant's interiors feature designs by Pritzker Prize-winner Philip Johnson, furniture, tableware and other items by Seagram Building designer Mies Van der Rohe, Hans J. Wegner and others and custom-made Knoll furniture. Those items will be included in the 500 lots headed for auction on July 26. Dezeen highlights critics' frustration at what Aaron Betsky, leading US architecture critic and dean of the Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture rues as the dispersal of  "one of the rarest phenomena in Modernism: a place where the architecture, the furniture, the table settings, the service, the food, and even the clientele was of a piece."
Find out more about why critics are so upset by the auction of the iconic restaurant's interiors
June 15, 2016

242-Square-Foot West Village Love Nest Asks $3K/Month

6sqft previously featured this 242-square-foot love nest at 352 West 12th Street, tucked into a dreamy cobblestoned corner of the West Village, as a fine example of brilliant interior design and creative small-space living. The apartment has served as home sweet home for newlywed couple Jourdan and Tobin Ludwig–she works in business development and he's a purveyor of artisanal bitters–who have lived in what they call their "wee cottage" since moving in together six years ago. Jourdan bought the co-op in 2011 for $270,000, and the couple invested $300,000 in a sanity-saving renovation. After spending their "best years in in the city" here, the owners have listed the home for $3,000 a month, reports the Post.
Take a look at how cool small can be
June 15, 2016

First Look at BKSK Architect’s Upcoming Condo Tower Planned For 200 East 21st Street

It seems every major intersection in Gramercy between East 20th and 23rd Streets is being redeveloped these days. Last fall, 6sqft reported that a humble set of walk-up buildings at the southeast corner of East 21st Street and Third Avenue were hitting the chopping block. Since then, a new building application has been filed to construct a 20-story condominium designed by BKSK Architects with Alfa Development at the helm. A new rendering of the structure, addressed officially as 200 East 21st Street, was published on the project's EB-5 investors page and shows a two-tiered metal and glass building. There will be 29 one-bedroom units, 24 two-bedrooms, seven three-bedrooms, and three four-bedrooms, for a total of 63 apartments spread across 80,000 square feet. The ground level will host retail spaces and a shortlist of residential amenities includes a 24-hour doorman, concierge, tenants' storage, a bike room, fitness center, and residents' lounge.
Find out more
June 14, 2016

Lottery Launches for 10 Brand New Theater District Apartments, Two-Bedrooms from $1,486

Ten affordable apartments, literally steps away from Times Square, will be up for grabs starting tomorrow for qualifying applicants. Located at 301 West 46th Street, the units are part of the newly-opened Riu Times Square, a $106 million luxury hotel development that includes eight condos and an HPD housing component that distributes the ten aforementioned below-market units across seven floors of the 29-story tower. Rents start at $1,486/month for two-bedrooms, and $1,709/month for three-bedrooms. Apartments have been priced for households of two to six people earning between $52,355 and $84,100. 
More info here
June 14, 2016

Landmarks Approves Roman Abramovich’s $80M UES Makeshift Mansion

Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich started assembling his $78 million trio of Upper East Side townhouses at 11-15 East 75th Street back in January of 2015, but it wasn't until this past March that he first released his proposal to combine the townhouses into a giant mansion. The Department of Buildings rejected his initial, $6 million proposal, which called for "an 18,255-square-foot mansion with a six-foot front yard, 30-foot backyard, and pool in the cellar," as 6sqft previously reported. But since the homes are located within the Upper East Side Historic District, it's the Landmarks Preservation Commission who has the final say. The LPC also rejected Abramovich's first proposal in April, but today they reviewed and approved a revised plan from his architect Steven Wang, along with big-name firm Herzog & de Meuron as design consultant. It calls for a modified restoration of the current facades and the removal of the rear yard building elements to be replaced with a garden and new glass facade that unites the three homes.
More details this way
June 14, 2016

Alan Cumming Sells $2.2M East Village Co-op in a Month

Star of "The Good Wife" Alan Cumming has sold his four-bedroom East Village co-op at 297 East 10th Street in just a month's time, the Observer tells us. After reports that he and his husband, graphic designer Grant Shaffer, were renovating a nearby 19th century townhouse they bought in 2013 for or $4.65 million, the couple listed the charming East Village apartment for $2.2 million last month. They bought the home on the third floor of a brick rowhouse in 2005 for $1.7 million and undertook some renovations, but were sure to maintain the historic details like an original wood-burning fireplace with a carved wooden mantel, wide-plank hardwood floors, architectural moldings, and beautiful built-ins.
See the whole apartment
June 14, 2016

$1.6M Floor-Through Loft Is All About Minimalism in the East Village

When an apartment has really good bones, there's no need to crowd it with stuff. Or at least that's the thinking behind the interiors at this floor-through loft in the East Village at 432 East 10th Street. Now on the market for $1.595 million, the two-bedroom, 1,400-square-foot pad basks in details like high ceilings, big windows, and exposed brick. (Even the brick's been painted white to minimize its appearance.) Top that off with smart, if sparse, design, and it makes for an impressive space.
See more of the interior
June 14, 2016

EŌS, The City’s Shortest Skyscraper, Now Renting From $4,705/Month in Midtown West

EŌS, the mixed-use tower in Midtown West that 6sqft knighted as the shortest skyscraper in the city, is approaching its construction finish line and after a decade in the making, its 300 rental units are coming online. Countering our superlative, the fully launched website leads with an image of a bath-robed woman perched high above the city looking to the east - the building is named after the Greek winged goddess of the dawn afterall. The site also publishes new renderings of apartment interiors, some of the building's many amenities, and its far-reaching views across the city. The 500-foot-tall sleek glass slab was designed by COOKFOX Architects and developed by the Durst Organization. Though quite anonymous from the outside, across its 47 stories are an array of uses that include 122,000 square feet of commercial space that Nike is reportedly anchoring, 70,000 square feet of retail, and 375 residential units above (20 percent of which are designated as affordable).
Get more details
June 13, 2016

Live in Molly Ringwald’s Stylish East Village Duplex for $1.8M

Molly Ringwald has come a long way since her Brat Pack days of awkward teenage angst, evidenced by her super stylish and grown-up East Village pied-a-terre, which she's listed for $1.8 million, according to the Observer. The duplex co-op at 122 East 10th Street is located in an historic townhouse along the Renwick Triangle in the St. Marks Historic District. These Anglo-Italianate houses were designed by famed architect James Renwick, Jr. in 1861, and historic details like ten-foot exposed beam ceilings, antique wood windows, and two wood-burning fireplaces still exist.
Take a look around