Manhattan

There's definitely something dreamy about being perched on the top floor of a West Village townhouse, looking at the neighborhood's charming residential streets from above. At 226 West 11th Street, a 19th century townhouse, the top-floor co-op apartment is now for sale, priced just under $1 million. The one-bedroom pad is just as romantic as the neighborhood below it--the listing even goes so far as to call West 11th Street "the most romantic enclave in the West Village."
Take a look

Distinctive Homes

June 13, 2016

Fashion Designer’s Chelsea Townhouse Renovated by Winka Dubbeldam Asks $13.75M

By Michelle Cohen

When Tia Cibani, creative director of popular Canadian fashion brand Ports 1961, left the label after the birth of a new baby, she was far from abandoning her fashion career. The young international designer launched her eponymous label in 2013. Though a creative career and family life are a lot to balance, being able to call this four-story, 5,000-square-foot West Chelsea townhouse home certainly didn't hurt. When Cibani purchased the home for $4.4 million in 2007, it needed a total overhaul, and noted Dutch architect Winka Dubbeldam, designer of Tribeca's V33 and the Greenwich Street Project at 497 Greenwich Street, was just the innovative force the project needed. The 1910 townhouse–with colorful contemporary interiors that are anything but stodgy–is now on the market for $13.75 million.
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Distinctive Homes

June 12, 2016

First Look at New 10-Unit Rental Planned for Washington Heights

By Dejah Mcgibbon

Last fall, permits were filed to construct a six-story, 10-unit residential building at 563 West 170th Street in Washington Heights. The single-story garage building that occupied the mid-block site between Audubon and St. Nicholas Avenues has been removed and will soon be replaced by a sleek glass and metal building developed by Michael Reznik of Central Park Capital Group and designed by Charles Diehl.
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June 10, 2016

Archilier Architects Design Empire State Building-Sized Tower for Former Subway Inn Site

Earlier this year, 6sqft showed you new renderings of Archilier Architects' "Hudson Rise" mixed-use skyscraper planned for Manhattan's west side. Now the design firm has published their vision for a soaring, super-thin supertall at the former site of beloved dive bar Subway Inn at 151 East 60th Street. Kuafu Properties owns the 28,619-square-foot, six-building assemblage at 143-161 East 60th Street between Lexington and Third Avenues, which they acquired from the World Wide Group last year for $300 million, according to The Real Deal. Kuafu is one of the developers behind the Archilier-designed Hudson Rise development, thus these released renderings may indeed be working images of the planned project. The slender tower shown would encompass 411,700 gross square feet of area and rise 1,240 feet high, just 10 feet shy of the Empire State Building's height of 1,250 feet, despite containing just one-fifth of the floor space. The tower would technically be the tallest building on the Upper East Side (by far), but would be 158 feet shorter than nearby 432 Park Avenue in Midtown.
More details ahead

June 10, 2016

Grand Loft on Grand Street With Original Cast Iron Columns Asks $17,500/Month

This Lower East Side loft is so grand you need a wide-angled lens to capture all its lofty goodness in a photo. The apartment comes from 345 Grand Street, a cast iron building that is now a six-unit condo. It's just been listed for rent for a hefty $17,500 a month. With all that money comes excellent features—the original wood beamed joist ceilings, a wood-burning fireplace, a private terrace—as well as 2,500 square feet of space to spread out. Another bonus: this well-designed space will come fully furnished for the lucky renter.
Take a peek

June 10, 2016

VIDEO: Spend a Night in a 300-Square-Foot Micro-Apartment at Carmel Place

Just yesterday, 6sqft took a look at the available market-rate units at Carmel Place, the city's first micro-housing development. If you're debating submitting an application for one of these apartments--which at less than half the size of traditional studios are still asking from $2,570 to $3,200 per month--this video from the Times may help firm your decision. In it, reporter Penelope Green spends a night in a 302-square-foot unit that rents for $2,670 a month and features the building's host of space-saving furniture like a sofa-wall bed combo (which, though surprisingly comfortable, will give you your daily upper body workout) and a 17-inch deep desk that extends to a 10-person dining table.
Watch the full video here

New Developments

June 9, 2016

$2.8M Condo at Former Greenwich Village Horse Stable Boasts Great Windows and Exposed Brick

49 Downing Street is a building of note in Greenwich Village for a number of reasons. The late 1800s horse stable is on the National Register of Historic Places. And as a 10-unit co-op, it has housed Yoko Ono, who bought an apartment in 1995 for her son Sean Lennon and sold in 2014 for $8.3 million. The latest apartment to hit the market here is this two-bedroom unit, asking $2.8 million, which boasts stunning windows that decorate the stable's historic facade.
See more of the interior

June 9, 2016

Micro-Apartments at Carmel Place Starting from $2,570 and Offering a Month Free

For you minimalist gurus who also relish on-site amenities, there is a now a building for you. Earlier this spring, leasing kicked off for the city's first micro-housing development, Carmel Place (formerly known as My Micro NY) at 335 East 27th Street. Developed by Monadnock Development and designed by nARCHITECTS, the newly finished no-fee building is a prototype meant to test compact and efficient living arrangements within the city's tight housing market, as well as accommodate the city’s growing population of one- and two-person households. Thee leasing team led by Citi-Habitats is offering one month free on all 12- and 24-month leases. According to CityRealty, there are seven micro-studios available ranging from 265 to 360 square feet. Though the units are nearly half the size of typical studio apartments, monthly rents are not analogously micro with current asking prices ranging from $2,570 to $2,920 per month. That's an average of $110 per square foot, significantly more than $83 per square foot median studio price in Murray Hill and $60 per square foot in Gramercy.
Find out more this way

June 9, 2016

Work Begins on Times Square ‘Activity Areas’ to Confine Characters and Performers

Mayor de Blasio first started pushing to corral the costumed characters and topless performers in Times Square last August, and now almost a year later work has begun on a reconfiguration of the area, reports the Daily News. A preliminary map that divided the plazas into three zones was released in September, but a new, final version was issued on Wednesday. Called "TSq Plaza Rules Cheat Sheet," it splits the tourist mecca into Chill Zones (places to "sit, nosh, meditate, take in the sites"), De$ignated Activity Zones ("commercial activities, street entertainment, posing for photos, vendors of expressive matter... in exchange for compensation, donation, or tips"), and Express Lanes ("pedestrian through lanes, NYC style"). After the City Council passed legislation eight weeks ago that gave the Department of Transportation the power to relocate the performers and ticket sellers, workers began painting the colored lines to delineate the zones on Wednesday night.
See the full map

Policy

June 8, 2016

Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick Pay $34.5M for Two West Village Townhouses

By Annie Doge

It looks like Sarah Jessica Parker and husband Matthew Broderick have just closed on two West Village townhouses for $34.5 million, according to The Real Deal. It was rumored in February that the actress was combining a pair of brick homes to create her own mega-mansion, working with power-broker Dolly Lenz to make a deal happen. The buy comes just over a year after the couple sold off their Greenwich Village townhouse for a hefty $18.25 million—although at a discount and a loss (they originally paid $18.995 million in 2011, and then asked $20 million) after letting it linger on the market for nearly three years. The two homes snagged the "Sex and The City" star are located at 273 and 275 West 11th Street, which together combine into a 50-foot-wide residence with 13,900 square feet of interior space, plus a massive yard measuring 2,100 square feet.
let the renovations begin!

‘Muhammad Ali Way’ Street Sign Appears Outside Madison Square Garden

Via DOT

June 8, 2016

‘Muhammad Ali Way’ Street Sign Appears Outside Madison Square Garden

If you walk by Madison Square Garden today, you'll likely notice a group of people snapping photos of the street sign at the southwest corner of 33rd Street and 7th Avenue. That's because yesterday a temporary honorary street name was added in memoriam of Muhammad Ali (h/t Untapped). The sign that reads "Muhammad Ali Way" is positioned in front of a digital billboard that features another tribute.
See more photos here

Celebrities

June 8, 2016

Video: Watch 400 Years of Change Play Out Along Just One Block of Soho

By Diane Pham

Before Soho was home to an Apple Store, Dior and a slew of other luxury retailers and multi-million dollar apartments, it was considered "land so unvaluable that the Dutch gave it to the slaves," says NYU economist William Easterly. In a new video project called "Greene Street," Easterly traces the history of just one block of Greene Street (between Houston and Prince Street) and distills 400 years of history into a fascinating and informative 1.5-minute film. In seconds you can see the incredible transformations that occurred along the tiny 486-foot stretch of the neighborhood, which includes reincarnations as the biggest red light district in NYC, the center of garment manufacturing in the U.S., a shantytown, an artists' hub, and finally the high-end retail corridor we know it as today.
Watch the short film here

History

June 8, 2016

$19.75M for the Former Gramercy Home of the Catholic Sisters of the Immaculate Heart

Yet another religious property has hit the market, although this is no typical church. These two townhouses, at 238 East 15th Street in Gramercy, have long served as the home for the Catholic Sisters of the Immaculate Heart. The sisters bought the first townhouse in 1948 and the second in 1952, combining them with a doorway on each floor. In the years that followed, according to the NY Times, hundreds of the sisters of the Immaculati Cordis Mariae (which began in Belgian) have passed through, decorating the townhouse interiors with souvenirs from missions around the world. Only one sister now lives in the 15,600-square-foot property, which has just hit the market for nearly $20 million.
See the interior

June 7, 2016

One Vanderbilt Will Cost a Whopping $3.14 Billion

Another supertall tower will join the $3 billion+ club. The Real Deal reports that SL Green Realty has pegged the cost of One Vanderbilt, Midtown's future tallest tower, at $3.14 billion. The city's largest office landlord also said it hopes to close on a $1.5 billion construction loan by the end of the summer, leaving $1.64 in equity needed to complete the 1,401-foot tower designed by Kohn Pedersen Fox. As TRD notes, One World Trade Center became the world's most expensive office tower in 2014 when it opened with a final cost of around $3.8 billion. Bjarke Ingels' planned High Line tower known as the Spiral is also expected to run over $3 billion.
More details this way

June 7, 2016

Another Luxury Development May Rise on Billionaires’ Row

By Diane Pham

Crain's reports that another prime piece of property will soon be changing hands, putting 126,000 square feet of development rights in play. The Steinberg family last month made an agreement with commercial developers Thor Equities and General Growth Properties to sell neighborhood fixture Lee's Art Shop's four-story structure at 220 West 57th Street for $85 million, a deal that is expected to close this month. It is not yet clear what the developers plan to do with the landmarked building, but what is known is that the property comes with the right to build atop the historic structure—itself boasting 21,837 square feet on a sizable 8,400-square-foot lot.
find out more here

New Developments

June 7, 2016

Rendering Revealed of Midtown’s $20,000/Month Assisted Living Facility

It's being called the "One57 of Assisted Living," and though the location near Billionaires' Row and the exorbitant price points (rooms are expected to start at $20,000 a month, not covered by insurance) back up that claim, the team behind the project describes the building's design as being inspired "by classic Park Avenue apartment houses." The Wall Street Journal brings the first official rendering of the 15-story structure that will rise at the northeast corner of East 56th Street and Lexington Avenue, replacing a T.G.I. Friday’s restaurant to offer assisted-living and memory-care services to wealthy Manhattanites. Designed by SLCE Architects, it will feature private apartments, some of which will have terraces. "This is a place where these people can be reminded of things in their past, potentially by the design of the building and by the location of the building and have a significantly better quality of life," said Thomas DeRosa of co-developer Welltower Inc., clearly referring to nearby Park Avenue dwellers.
Find out more here

New Developments

June 6, 2016

Condo/Cultural Building Designed by the Late Zaha Hadid Will Rise in West Chelsea

When the architecture community learned of the passing of Zaha Hadid in late March, it came as a bit of consolation that her first and only building in New York, 520 West 28th Street, had already begun to take shape along the High Line, ensuring that her legacy would last in our skyline. In much welcome news, 6sqft learns today that yet another design of hers will rise just three blocks away in Chelsea. A press release from The Moinian Group reveals that more than a year ago they worked with Hadid and her team to explore possibilities for 220 Eleventh Avenue, one of her final creations. The developer announced that the new building will be "a collection of signature loft-like condominium residences, a collection of penthouses and a cultural institution to establish itself as the hub of the world renowned art district that is West Chelsea."
More details this way

June 6, 2016

$1.5M 10th Floor Co-Op Comes With Fantastic Views of Upper West Side Landmarks

Views are king at this one-bedroom apartment from the Sexton co-op, located at 530 West End Avenue on the Upper West Side. From its 10th floor perch, this corner apartment looks out to the north and west with views of a historic church, the Hudson River and fellow apartment buildings along West End Avenue and Riverside Drive. The interior is charming, too, with high beamed ceilings and a decorative fireplace.
Take a tour

Distinctive Homes

June 6, 2016

A Giant Musical Swing Set Is Coming to Brookfield Place This Friday!

By Diane Pham

If you work downtown or are just looking for a break from the weekday hustle, head to Brookfield Place starting this Friday and channel your inner-child by hopping on one of the many swings of "The Swings: An Exercise in Musical Cooperation" installation. The traveling public artwork is debuting in Manhattan for the first time ever and will be on display for a month for New Yorkers to play on. Designed by studio Daily tous les jours, this interactive work consists of 21 swings, each representing a musical instrument (a harp, vibraphone, guitar or piano) and different notes. The cooperative element of the work requires that participants adjust their movements with respect to one another in order to unlock the perfect melody—a musical work that has been pre-composed by Radwan Ghazi Moumneh.
more on the swings here

June 6, 2016

Flexible Floor Plan at This Bright Greenwich Village Apartment, Asking $4,500/Month

This Greenwich Village rental apartment at 101 West 11th Street can wear several hats. One on hand, this could be a one bedroom with a living room and a separate dining room. On the other, it could be used as a two-bedroom apartment. Either way, it's a nice bright apartment with all the New York essentials: big windows, high ceilings, wood floors and a fireplace.
See the space

June 5, 2016

Art-Deco Masterpiece 70 Pine Street Opens, Offering Two Months Free Rent

It's not everyday that one has the chance to live in one of the world's finest skyscrapers. Details of The Pinnacle at The Woolworth Tower Residences have yet to be revealed, but for those of us still saving to buy a piece of history, the rentals at 70 Pine Street await. Soaring to a cloud-popping height of 66 stories and 952 feet, the building is essentially downtown's Empire State Building and was the world's third tallest building upon completion in 1932. Designed by Clinton & Russell, Holton & George for the utilities conglomerate Cities Service company (later known as CITGO), the tower was sold to the American International Group (AIG) in 1976, where they held their offices until the last recession. Breathing new life into the landmarked building, Rose Associates is re-conceiving the commercial icon into 644 rental apartments, a 137-room extended stay hotel, and 35,000 square feet of retail space. And for a limited time, Rose is offering two months free rent or one month free rent and paid broker's fee for newly-signed leases. The homes are divided into the city, tower, and penthouse collections and as we await construction to fully wrap up, 17 apartments are currently available throughout its mid-level city collection floors.
Find out more this way

June 3, 2016

Live Off Columbus Circle for $1,146/Month, Lottery Launching for 17 Affordable Units

Two years ago, work began on a seven-story, 17-unit building at 424 West 55th Street, on the fringes of Hell's Kitchen and just south of Columbus Circle. The red brick structure known as West of Ninth was designed by Aufgang Architects and replaced a white brick church with a 3,000-square-foot theater that Arker Companies purchased in 2012 for $8.16 million. Initial reports thought the development would be only partly affordable, but a new posting on the city's affordable housing list shows that all 17 of the units will be reserved for low- to middle-income tenants. The apartments will range from $1,146/month studios to $1,709/month three-bedrooms.
Find out if you qualify

Affordable Housing

June 3, 2016

45 East 22nd Street Tops Out, Officially Tallest Skyscraper Between Midtown and Downtown

Who would have thought the most alluring residential skyscraper addition to the city's post-recession boom would not rise in Midtown, near its overly-discussed Billionaires' Row, or near the city's historical skyscraper center, the Financial District, but rather smack dab between the two at 45 East 22nd Street in the Flatiron. Overlooking Madison Square Park and its turn-of-the-century engineering marvels--the Flatiron Building and Metropolitan Life Building--the svelte glass spire has fully ascended to its full 65-story, 777-foot peak. A malnourished baby on the world stage, the building's height is less than a third of the world's tallest building and will contain a paltry 83 condominium units priced from $2.5 million for a one-bedroom to $38 million for one of its two penthouses.
More on the building this way

June 3, 2016

$17.5M Tribeca Triplex Has an Insane Roof Deck With Outdoor TV

"Go big or go home" may as well be the motto of this Tribeca penthouse apartment, located at the newish condo building 137 Franklin Street. The development only holds three units, and this one has hit the market for an impressive price tag of $17.5 million. With four bedrooms, four bathrooms, 4,000 interior square feet and 1,400 square feet outside, this apartment is dripping with luxury details from the automatic shades (outfitted on all 45 windows!) to the outdoor television set. It was designed by Julie Hillman, who is known, according to the listing, for her "modern eclectic signature look."
Take the grand tour

Distinctive Homes

June 3, 2016

Revealed: Morris Adjmi Pens Coffered Facade For Condos Next to Bowlmor Lanes Site