Manhattan

While it’s not exactly what we’d call affordable housing, you don’t have to be as rich as Yoko Ono or as famous as Lauren Bacall (whose apartment recently sold for $21 million) to live in the iconic Dakota overlooking Central Park. This pint-sized top-floor aerie on the Upper West Side offers a seriously rare chance to rub elbows with venerable co-op’s celebrity residents–and the memories of notable residents past–for a relatively earthbound $1.85 million. Though there’s still the nearly $3,000 monthly co-op fee to contend with, it’s not often that a space here that isn’t a storage unit finds its way to the market for less than four or five million at the very least; there are currently three eight-figure units listed, including Roberta Flack's pad and Judy Garland's former home. And the one-bedroom apartment itself is just the bright and elegant pre-war gem you’d imagine it to be.
Have a look around this rare little gem

January 20, 2016

Units Come Online for 180 East 88th Street, Tallest Building Between 72nd Street and Albany

In spite of a bristling array of glass spires erupting into our man-made mountain range and a global high-rise boom remodeling world cities into alien, cutting-edge anonymity, Manhattan stubbornly manages to appear tellurian. But Joseph McMillan's integrated real estate investment and design company DDG has emerged as one firm genuinely committed to nurturing and progressing our architectural zoo of a city. Their past projects–345 Meatpacking, 41 Bond Street, XOCO 325, and 12 Warren– transcend common architectural styles, clad in a unique palette of materials and composed of an uncanny mashup of parts informed by context, nature, and technology. DDG's latest exotic specimen comes to the architecturally conservative Upper East Side 'hood of Yorkville, at 180 East 88th Street (1558-1556 Third Avenue). The 32-story, 521-foot development will not only be the team's first uptown building, but also their first high-rise. DDG purchased the three-lot parcel from Muss Development for $70 million in 2013, and groundwork earnestly began last spring.
Lots more details and renderings this way

January 20, 2016

POLL: Do Lower Income Residents of Extell’s ‘Poor Door’ Building Have a Right to Complain?

Lower income residents of Extell’s notorious “poor door” building at 50 Riverside Boulevard are not happy with what they’re considering glaring disparities between those like themselves who live in the affordable units and those in the luxury section of the building. Aside from having to use a separate entrance, the lower income tenants don’t have […]

Confirmed: Calatrava’s WTC Transportation Hub Will Open First Week of March!

Santiago Calatrava: WTC Transportation Hub , New York (Photo: Mega Projects and Skyscrapers, via YouTube)

January 19, 2016

Confirmed: Calatrava’s WTC Transportation Hub Will Open First Week of March!

The Port Authority has announced today in a press release that the World Trade Center Transportation Hub—anchored by architect Santiago Calatrava's Oculus–will open the first week of March. The hub will link the World Trade Center PATH station and "enable travelers to have a seamless connection with 11 New York City subway lines and the East River ferries in addition to access to PATH trains."
What about the mall?

January 19, 2016

Redtop Architects’ East Village Townhouse Is a Modern Interpretation of the Split-Level Home

By Rebecca Paul

This gorgeous four-story townhouse in the East Village was designed by Redtop Architects for a young, growing family. The firm's visionary design combines elements of mid-century modern appeal with contemporary style for a unique look and feel that radically transformed this townhouse from drab to fab. The foundation for the home's interior spaces is designed around an open central channel connected by a wide steel staircase that provides ample natural light and space–a modern interpretation of the split-level home.
See it all, right this way

January 19, 2016

The West Village In Springtime, Yours for $5,995 a Month in This Cozy Sublet

New York City is at its best in springtime, and we can't think of too many places that illustrate this better than the West Village. This furnished two bedroom co-op at 29 Perry Street is available for sublease from March through June, which is just about perfect, season-wise—as the listing gushes, "walking these blocks feels like being on a movie set." It's just a matter of whether the $5,995 monthly rent works, wallet-wise.
See what's here and what's missing

Distinctive Homes

January 18, 2016

Judy Garland’s Former Dakota Apartment, Now a Designer Pad, Asks $16.7M

Just last week, 6sqft featured a "girly-modern Tribeca triplex" that's asking $3.75 million. It belongs to buzzed-about young designer Sasha Bikoff, who was also featured in a 2014 NY Times lifestyle piece about NYC’s young contemporary millionaires. And as it turns out, she also designed a colorful yet glam apartment in the famed Dakota, the same unit that reportedly once belonged to Judy Garland. According to the Observer, the Central Park West residence is asking $16.75 million. But before you get too blown away as to how this 27-year-old designer got such a high-profile commission, public record shows that it was owned by her mother Jacqueline Bikoff, an Iranian pianist and ballerina (and Studio 54 regular) who passed away last September. Sasha undertook the renovation two years ago, earning her spreads in design publications such as MyDomaine and the Times. The latter is where the Judy Garland claim surfaced, but Douglas Elliman listing agent Katherine Gauthier is skeptical as to its validity. No matter, the apartment is definitely legendary.
See all around, here

Lower Income Residents of Extell’s ‘Poor Door’ Building Find Glaring Disparities

Image via One Riverside Park

January 18, 2016

Lower Income Residents of Extell’s ‘Poor Door’ Building Find Glaring Disparities

After receiving 88,000 applications for 55 affordable apartments last February, the residents chosen from among them have been moving in to the rental side of the 33-story luxury building at Extell Development's 50 Riverside Boulevard in Lincoln Square. The lower-income/luxury split sparked the heated “poor door” controversy due to the significant amenity differences and efforts to physically separate the two parts of the building (the rental, low-income portion of the building actually has a separate address of 40 Riverside Boulevard). Now, according to the Post, low-income tenants have been discovering that the differences are indeed notable.
A lavish lobby and a forbidden courtyard

January 18, 2016

This $3M Chelsea Loft Condo Works Two Ways, Depending on Your Lifestyle

This 1,500 square-foot modern loft in the Chelsea Mercantile building at 252 Seventh Avenue, with interiors by popular decorator and current owner Anthony Baratta, has at its center a 600-square-foot living room, making it the perfect home if you entertain regularly; a wall of windows in said living room also makes for an easy upgrade if you'd prefer to add another bedroom instead. That, plus the popular building's impressive landscaped roof deck and celebrity cachet have undoubtedly figured into its $2.995 million ask.
Take a look

Distinctive Homes

January 15, 2016

Fox and News Corp. Ditch Plans to Move Into 2 World Trade Center

By Diane Pham

Big news on the 2 World Trade Center front. After several months of negotiation and hashing out design plans, News Corp. and 21st Century Fox Inc. have decided not to move into the new tower. The Post first broke the news, reporting that the media companies will remain at their Midtown headquarters at 1211 and 1185 Sixth Avenue where they currently have a lease in effect until 2020. "After much careful consideration we have decided to maintain our New York headquarters and other business operations. We have extension options that could continue our occupancy on Sixth Avenue through 2025,” the companies wrote in a joint statement. Sources added that the move would have been "a huge distraction for the companies' global operations."
FInd out more here

January 15, 2016

Why Does This East Village Building Have a Statue of Vladimir Lenin on Top?

In 1989, the same year as the fall of the Soviet Union, Red Square was erected as one of the first large-scale private developments in the East Village. Today, it blends in with the other big-box apartment buildings that dot this stretch of Houston Street. That is, until you look up and see the statue of Russian dictator Vladimir Lenin. The 18-foot bronze statue by Yuri Gerasimov was actually commissioned by the Soviet Union in the early '80s as a tribute to their leader's supposed commitment to the working class. When the USSR fell, however, it was never unveiled. But in 1994, when Red Square developers Michael Rosen (a former NYU professor of radical sociology) and Michael Shaoul came across the Lenin statue in a Moscow backyard, it made its way up to the top of their building.
The full history and the story behind that clock

History

January 15, 2016

With a Cool Renovation and a Sunroom, This Tiny East Village Home Transcends the Ordinary

It's probably a good idea to start off by saying that this quirky co-op at 228 East 13th Street is comprised of 300 square feet of interior space. That's about the same as the "large" model in most luggage sets. Ok, it's actually bigger than a suitcase, but not by much; that fact aside, there's a lot you can do with a small space. And if you're going to live in one, it might as well be a good one, in a great location–like a gorgeous brick-and-brownstone block of the East Village a few blocks from Union Square and actually near subways. With something special–like a sunroom.
Definitely worth further investigation

Distinctive Homes

January 14, 2016

World Reaches 100 Supertall Skyscrapers With Completion of 432 Park Avenue

As of December 23, when the slender 1,396-foot-tall 432 Park Avenue condominium tower was officially pronounced complete by the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) as the building was "partially habitable," it became the world’s 100th supertall skyscraper (h/t TRD), categorized as those at least 984 feet in height. In addition to being the world's tallest all-residential building, 432 Park Avenue is also the world's 14th-tallest building overall and the city’s seventh supertall skyscraper. In fact, New York has the second-highest number of supertalls on the planet.
Find out more about the world's tallest towers

Architecture And Design

January 14, 2016

For $450K There’s a Lot to Love About This Sweet Cornelia Street Studio

It's not Valentine's Day yet, but for anyone who's dreamed of a lovely little garrett in the West Village, with plenty of whitewashed brick and an enchanted garden, we can see this impossibly charming studio co-op at 24 Cornelia Street tucked into a heart-shaped box. And the price, a fairly lovable $450,000, might set hearts aflutter, too; it's hard enough to find any apartment in New York City for under $500,000, let alone in the West Village.
See more of this sweet Village studio

Distinctive Homes

Extell Files Permits to Demolish Six Midtown Buildings for a New Mega Development

A Google street view of the six buildings set to be razed

January 14, 2016

Extell Files Permits to Demolish Six Midtown Buildings for a New Mega Development

Yesterday, Gary Barnett's Extell (the developer behind the Nordstrom Tower, One57, and the controversial 250 South Street, to name just a few) filed a string of demolition permits with the city's Department of Buildings to raze six buildings along West 46th Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. The doomed four- and five-story structures are at 3 West 46th Street, 5 West 46th Street, 7 West 46th Street, 9 West 46th Street, 11 West 46th Street and 13 West 46th Street. And on Monday, The Real Deal reported that Barnett has secured ownership of two neighboring properties at 562 and 564 Fifth Avenue from Thor Equities and SL Green Realty. The prolific developer also owns 2 and 10 West 47th Street on the northern side of the block in the heart of the Diamond District. Back in 2014, sources said that Extell was planning for a new hotel tower at the site, but given the large amount of land the savvy developer has assembled (more than 30,000 square feet by our count) it will likely yield the largest tower built on Fifth Avenue in more than a generation.
More details ahead

New Developments

January 14, 2016

Two-Bedroom East Village Co-op Asks Just $695,000, but There’s a Catch

By Emily Nonko

In normal circumstances, it would be easy-as-pie to find a buyer for this East Village co-op, located in the five-story building at 268 East 4th Street. The apartment isn't fancy, but it has two bedrooms and 700 square feet. The ask comes in at a very reasonable $695,000, and that's topped with a very reasonable monthly maintenance of $575. But like all things that sound too good to be true in New York City real estate, there's a catch, and it's not even that this is a fourth-floor walkup. The unit comes from an HDFC regulated cooperative, which means that a buyer must meet certain income guidelines to own it.
More details on the cap

January 14, 2016

Jonas Brothers Get Back Together to Check Out a $10M Chelsea Penthouse

By Annie Doge

Fans looking for a Jonas Brothers comeback will be happy to know that the trio was recently spotted checking out an apartment together, reports the Post. Though this doesn't come with news that Joe, Nick, and Kevin will be getting on stage together again, it does hint that they're working on something here in Manhattan. The musicians looked at a swanky penthouse unit at 560 West 24th Street in Chelsea. The $10.25 million duplex spread has three bedrooms (how appropriate), a glass-enclosed living area with soaring 13-foot ceilings, and a large terrace complete with an outdoor fireplace.
Check it out

January 13, 2016

See How Atelier & Co. Would Transform This 432 Park Unit Into a Palace in the Sky

432 Park Avenue recorded its first closing last week: a 4,000-square-foot, 35th-floor pad that sold for a cool $18.1 million. For the critics who find the supertower's minimalist exterior and Deborah Berke-designed interiors a bit too austere, take a peek at this layout designed by the classically-attuned firm of Atelier & Co. The unit's square footage and its north-, south-, and east-facing exposures are akin to the unit that closed last week. Raphel Viñoly/WSP Cantor Seinuk's structural tube design provides column-free layouts, allowing for flexible reconfiguration of interior spaces. For this 40th floor spread, Atelier nearly doubles the size of the master bedroom and removes the sitting room to create a vast living and dining area dissected by a grand and ornate bookcase.
See it all right here

Architecture And Design

January 13, 2016

All You Need to Bring to This Curated Noho Loft Is a Toothbrush and $6,500 a Month

This classic loft at 49 Bleecker Street comes completely furnished, all set up for a short-term rental at $6,500 a month. It may be suitable for corporate renters as the listing suggests, but the 950-square-foot co-op on a perfect Noho block looks like it would be just as much fun if you’re in town for play rather than work. Funky flea market-chic furniture, colorful wall art and cool design elements–throws, pillows, vintage lighting, culturally relevant non-fiction–have been carefully selected and casually distributed.
Have a look around

Distinctive Homes

January 13, 2016

WeWork’s Communal Living Concept on Wall Street Gets Its First Residents

By Ondel Hylton and Heather Cooper Vivares

Co-working space provider WeWork (which has 40,000 members in 19 US, European and Asian cities that share office space with perks like free coffee, cool furniture and a communal atmosphere) has launched their new "co-living" apartment concept, beginning with 45 units in a Wall Street building. FastCompany reports that last weekend, 80 new residents moved into furnished apartments at 110 Wall Street, where the company already runs a co-working space on the building’s first seven floors. They're part of what the company says is the first stage of beta testing for this community-driven concept, with New York City as the guinea pig. The concept is, according to a company spokesperson, "focused on enabling people to live more fulfilling lives. During this testing phase, we’ll be listening to feedback from our community." Plans are in the works to accommodate 600 people on 20 floors of the building.
Find out more about the latest co-living experiment

January 13, 2016

New Views of Robert A.M. Stern’s Limestone-Clad 70 Vestry Street

The Related Companies has launched the teaser website for its upcoming Tribeca condominium 70 Vestry Street. Related CEO Jeff Blau signed the purchase contract in December 2013 and closed on the six-parcel lot from Ponte Equities for $115.3 million in early 2014. Site excavation is already well underway, and new renderings of the Robert A.M. Stern-designed building have now surfaced. The project will pay homage to the neighborhood's distinctive warehouse architecture, and in true Stern fashion, will be clad in sumptuous French limestone.
More details ahead

January 12, 2016

Where I Work: Inside interior designer Ghislaine Viñas’ colorful, playful Tribeca loft

6sqft’s series “Where I Work” takes us into the studios, offices, and off-beat workspaces of New Yorkers across the city. In this installment, we take a tour of designer Ghislaine Viñas' colorful and Tribeca loft. Want to see your business featured here? Get in touch! The work of interior designer Ghislaine Viñas is unmistakable; the bright colors, bold prints, and fun and funky decor have made her the go-to firm for both local Tribeca residents and international clients looking to jazz up their homes. After 25 years and winning countless awards (many of which celebrate her use of color), appearing on television stations like HGTV, and gracing the pages of publications from The New York Times to Vogue, Ghislaine is showing no signs of slowing down. Long fans of her work, 6sqft recently toured Ghislaine's live/work space, which, not surprisingly is the perfect example of her playful, yet modern, aesthetic. We learned about what influences her designs, how her team works together, and new product collaborations. We also got some tips on how to incorporate color into our homes like a pro.
All this and more ahead

January 12, 2016

New Renderings, Shape Shifts for Bjarke Ingels-Designed High Line Towers

New renderings have appeared via YIMBY for 76 Eleventh Avenue, the Bjarke Ingels-designed High Line-adjacent towers first revealed this past November. The planned project, developed by HFZ Capital with the goal of creating a "self contained kind of city," was expected to include a hotel, retail space, and around 300 luxury condos with prices to start at just below $4 million. The most noticeable changes from the earlier renderings, which showed the towers fitting together at an angle, show more space between the buildings, which now appear as more of a pair than two complementary parts of a "jigsaw-like" whole.
See what else has changed

January 12, 2016

Asking $3.75M, Young Designer’s Tribeca Triplex Is a Perfect Girls’ Night In

This girly-modern Tribeca triplex belonging to young interior designer Sasha Bikoff was featured–along with its owner–in a buzzed-about 2014 NY Times story about how NYC's young contemporary millionaires live, illustrating a penchant for downtown glamour over uptown gilt. The then-26-year-old–who's designed her share of uptown interiors–is pictured in the stylish pad, which she purchased in 2011 for $2.3 million and bestowed with a total makeover. The article highlights architect Ben Hansen's dazzling glass-fronted boutique condo residence at 471 Washington Street as one of a handful favored by the iconoclastic (and well-heeled) under-40 set. Bikoff listed the apartment a year ago for an ambitious $4.5 million; it has since changed brokers and toned down its earlier ask to $3.75 million. The apartment's decor–and a bedroom-sized dream closet–make it clear that stylish singles' pads aren't just for the boys.
See more of the glamorous pad

Distinctive Homes

January 12, 2016

See How 6 Columbus Circle Could Change the Central Park Skyline