Manhattan

June 22, 2016

Massive Maya Lin-Designed Tribeca Townhouse Gets Thumbs Up From Landmarks

While better known for its manufacturing buildings converted to retreats of discreet loft living, Tribeca is ushering in a mini-Gilded Age of mega-modern townhouses that are rising from the neighborhood's modicum of narrow lots. Yesterday, the Landmarks Preservation Commission approved Maya Lin Studio's design of a five-story, 20,000-square-foot single-family mansion at 11 Hubert Street that will use the structural bones of an existing three-floor commercial building and add more than 6,000 square feet of floor area throughout. The nondescript commercial structure is a vestige of a never-finished 1980's residential project that Lin, in collaboration with architects Bialosky + Partners, hope to rectify.
More details this way

June 22, 2016

City Will Allow Landlords to Convert Lower Manhattan Public Spaces to Retail

By Michelle Cohen

6sqft recently covered the controversial proposal by the Alliance for Downtown New York (ADNY), the Department of City Planning (DCP), and the New York City Economic Development Corporation (EDC), to change zoning laws to allow property owners in the Water Street Subdistrict of lower Manhattan–at One New York Plaza, for example–to bring in retail tenants like restaurants and clothing stores in exchange for making improvements and upgrades to the public plazas and arcades adjacent to their buildings. Crains reports that the City Council passed a bill Tuesday that would allow the Financial District landlords to convert the public corridors in front of 20 buildings in the Water Street corridor to retail shops. The public corridors, which cover ten blocks, were created when the Water Street buildings that abut them were built. Building developers agreed to create the public arcades and walkways in exchange for more buildable square footage.
Read more

June 22, 2016

Parlor-Floor Apartment With Four Palladian Windows Asks $1.2 Million Off Central Park

By Emily Nonko

If you're going to live on any floor of a New York City townhouse, it may as well be the parlor floor as it's usually considered the crown jewel of the home. This $1.2 million co-op occupies 1,000 square feet of an historic brownstone building at 61 West 68th Street. The exposed brick interior takes full advantage of the massive Palladian windows that line the apartment. The location, right off Central Park West, is nothing to scoff about either.
Check out the interior

Distinctive Homes

June 22, 2016

Britney Spears’ Former Noho Penthouse Returns As a $24K/Month Rental

By Annie Doge

Britney Spears' old Noho penthouse at 14 East 4th Street (the Silk Building) is making a go on the market "one more time." The Observer noticed that the 4,400-square-foot apartment, which hit the market for $7.6 million at the beginning of the year, has returned as a $24,000 a month rental. Though the four-floor spread is large and lovely, it's had quite a "toxic" sales history.
Take a look around

June 22, 2016

Dapper Duplex Loft in an Iconic Noho Cast Iron Building Asks $6.2M

By Michelle Cohen

The Robbins & Appleton Building at 1 Bond Street in Noho is considered by some to be among the most attractive cast-iron buildings in the city and definitely one of the neighborhood's handsomest. Built in 1877 and designed by architect Stephen Decatur Hatch in the Second Empire style, the iconic structure with the tall, slanted blue mansard roof was first used to manufacture watch cases. Designated a city landmark in 1979 and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1982, the building was converted to residential loft condominiums in 1988. A while back, 6sqft offered a peek inside one of those covetable lofts, an eclectic collaboration between James Dixon Architect and interior designer Carolina George that combines a chic, modern look with luxurious touches and quirky highlights. That top-floor duplex is now on the market asking $6.2 million. The interiors of this two-bedroom, 2,500-square-foot condo aren't what you might expect to see in an historic Noho loft. Though there are 17-foot ceilings, big loft widows and a massive skylight, the renovation filled the space with bold and colorful decorative highlights along with modern conveniences. Though not pictured, this sixth-floor penthouse also comes with unconnected private roof space.
More bold and colorful interiors this way

Distinctive Homes

‘House of Cards’ Star Robin Wright Snags a West Village Penthouse for $3.025M

Update 6/23: 6sqft incorrectly reported that actress Robin Wright purchased this co-op. The actual buyer is a homonymous (and similarly wealthy) woman. An insider tells us that the actress owns a home in the Soho/Nolita area

June 21, 2016

‘House of Cards’ Star Robin Wright Snags a West Village Penthouse for $3.025M

By Annie Doge

In addition to being able to boast about her leading role on the hit Netflix series "House of Cards," actress Robin Wright may soon be bragging about her latest real estate purchase, a five-room penthouse stunner located at 171 West 12th Street. According to city records released today, it appears that Wright has paid $3.025 million for a newly renovated pad inside a classic prewar in the heart of the West Village. Listing records show that the co-op was last priced at $2.495 million in March, which is considerably lower than the closing price. So is this penthouse really worth its premium? You be the judge...
Have a closer look inside here

June 21, 2016

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

By Annie Doge

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

By Annie Doge

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

By Michelle Cohen

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

Distinctive Homes

June 20, 2016

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

By Dana Schulz

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

By Annie Doge

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

By Michelle Cohen

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

Distinctive Homes

June 19, 2016

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

By Annie Doge

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

Distinctive Homes

June 17, 2016

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

By Annie Doge

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

By Ondel Hylton

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

By Michelle Cohen

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

Distinctive Homes

June 17, 2016

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

By Emily Nonko

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

Distinctive Homes

June 16, 2016

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

By Annie Doge

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

By Michelle Cohen

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

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

Artist’s impression of one of the Second Avenue subway’s 16 new stations

June 16, 2016

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

By Michelle Cohen

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?

By Dana Schulz

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!

Real Estate Trends

June 16, 2016

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

By Dejah Mcgibbon

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

By Annie Doge

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

By Diane Pham

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

The Four Seasons: Photo via Le Travelist

June 15, 2016

Modernist Treasures From Iconic Four Seasons Restaurant Headed for Auction

By Michelle Cohen

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

By Michelle Cohen

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

Distinctive Homes

June 15, 2016

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

By Ondel Hylton

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

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One Domino Square

8 South 4th Street

Williamsburg

Spectacular living on the Williamsburg waterfront

1 beds starting at $1,925,000
2 beds starting at $2,055,000
3 beds starting at $3,030,000

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