Manhattan

This enormous and undeniably awe-inspiring condominium at 50 Wooster Street seems pretty straightforward: A huge Soho loft with a sleek and expensive-looking contemporary renovation. And you have a choice! You can rent this gleaming 4,800 square-foot downtown pleasure palace for $40k a month, or just buy it for a mere $23.3 million.
Find out more

December 11, 2015

Demolition Begins on 500-Foot UES Condo Replacing the Art & Design Building

Demolition has begun at the Lenox Hill site of a forthcoming 30-story condominium being developed by Orlando-based Inverlad Development and Steve Mills’ Third Palm Capital. The future 45-unit, 481-foot tower will replace the five-story Art & Design Building at 1059 Third Avenue and utilizes development rights from an adjacent apartment building at 1065 Third Avenue, which will also host an entryway for the Lexington/63rd Street station of the Second Avenue Subway. The developers paid an entity associated with the Battaglia family $31.5 million for the property in 2012. Building permits were approved in late October, granting the team the go-ahead to build a narrow, slab-shaped tower designed by Manuel Glas. According to DOB filings, the first three floors will contain office space and a healthcare facility, and above are 32 residential units. The amenity floor on level 12 will feature a fitness center, spa, swimming pool, tenants' lounge, and an outdoor terrace. Above level 13, seventeen full-floor residences will possess commanding views of the burgeoning Billionaires' Row skyline, East River and Central Park.
More details ahead

December 10, 2015

Amoeba-Like Floorplans for Herzog & de Meuron’s 160 Leroy Revealed

When you work in the real estate field, looking at floorplans can get a bit monotonous–rectangular box, square rooms, maybe a patio if you're lucky. But every once in a while, you'll see some schematics that cause pause, like these amoeba-shaped floorplans at Herzog & de Meuron's 160 Leroy (h/t Curbed). The 15-story, glassy West Village building has 49 condos, ranging from a $2.6 million one-bedroom unit to a $25 million penthouse. Depending where they're located along the undulating facade, the interior layouts can be long and windy or compact and curving.
See them all

December 10, 2015

‘Maximalist’ UES Townhouse of Designer Juan Pablo Molyneux Sells for Less Than Half Its First Ask

By Annie Doge

Back in 2012, Chilean interior designer Juan Pablo Molyneux placed his sprawling townhouse at 29 East 69th Street up for sale for a newsmaking $48 million. Unable to find an immediate buyer (or possibly anticipating seller's remorse), he took it off the market shortly after. But then earlier this year in January, he brought it back for a much lower $34 million. Now, it looks like Molyneux's day has come, and according to city records, he's finally parted ways with the gigantic spread—although for a relatively paltry $22.5 million.
go inside here

December 10, 2015

This Pint-Sized Penthouse Has Two Terraces and a Big View of the Hearst Tower

A mere block from where Midtown’s newest Billionaires’ Row continues to rise along 57th Street south of Central Park, you'll find a thriving example of the classic New York City streetscape that has long-defined Midtown West, in places a jumble of skyscrapers, low-lying brick and rows of standard-issue mid-(20th)-century apartment buildings, in one of which you'll find this cozy co-op studio at 310 West 56th Street, described aptly by its listing as “the perfect pied-a-terre penthouse.” The 1964 co-op building is in a spot that’s getting more prime by the decade, already steps from the park, Columbus Circle and the Time Warner Center and blocks from Lincoln Center; then there’s that glittering condo canyon to the east and Bjarke Ingels’ game-changing Via rising to the west. The iconoclastic Norman Foster-designed Hearst Tower was among the vanguard–and it’s right across the street. Whoever lives here should probably be a fan of its gleaming white-and-glass geometric grid frame. Because they’re going to be seeing a lot of it.
Take a look

Distinctive Homes

December 10, 2015

Revealed: Karl Fischer’s 12-Story East Harlem Residential Tower

Here's our first peek at a 12-story residential building designed by Karl Fischer Architects for the northwest corner of 110th Street and Park Avenue in East Harlem. The property was picked up last fall by Brooklyn-based Isaac Schwartz who has now placed the 7,000-square-foot property on the market for $13.9 million. According to the sales brochure prepared by Ariel Property Advisors, the lots 1516-1520 Park Avenue and 94 East 111th Street present a full block-front opportunity to construct a development up to 48,600 square feet. The property would be delivered with DOB-approved plans that call for the 12-story, 44-unit residential building shown above.
More details ahead

December 10, 2015

Art Nerd New York’s Top Event Picks for the Week – 12/10-12/13

By Lori Zimmer

In a city where hundreds of interesting happenings occur each week, it can be hard to pick and choose your way to a fulfilling life. Art Nerd‘s philosophy is a combination of observation, participation, education and of course a party to create the ultimate well-rounded week. Jump ahead for Art Nerd founder Lori Zimmer’s top picks for 6sqft readers! Ease back into real life after a super rainy Art Basel Miami by upping your experiential art intake. Take a journey across the Atlantic Ocean without leaving New York in this month's #MidnightMoment film taking over the screens in Times Square. Help fight Parkinson's disease while celebrating the work of two artists whom the disease has affected in an exhibition benefitting the Michael J. Fox Foundation at Waterhouse & Dodd, then head to the Bronx to check out emerging artist Eric Orr's first solo exhibition. Art on paper gets a new avenue with the introduction of Paper Crown Press, and Joseph Gross has rounded up their favorite artists for a new wintry group show. Kraftwerk is the focus at a night of art and music at the Morbid Anatomy Museum, and Yoko Ono opens one show in two Chelsea galleries on the same night (and claims she'll attend both openings). Finish off the weekend with a free jazzy brunch celebrating the art of Judy Rifka and Jay Milder.
All the best events to check out here

Events & Things To Do

December 9, 2015

VIDEO: Watch Ironworkers Set Panels on Bjarke Ingels’ Via Tetrahedron

Earlier today, 6sqft announced that Via, aka BIG’s 57th Street tetrahedron, is the winner of the 2015 Building of the Year competition. What likely made the starchitect-designed rental building such a frontrunner is its unusual shape, rising 460 feet from its site. Since progress has been right on track, it's easy to forget that the unconventional form yields some unique design and construction challenges. In this video from from Ironworkers Local 580, who set a Gopro up on the crane, we can see the skill required to set the shimmering panels on the slope wall. We also get a very vertigo-inducing view of the building from its apex looking down.
Watch the full video

December 9, 2015

This $14.8M UWS Townhouse Does Not Have a Pool in the Back Yard

But it almost did. In 2008, when Turkish millionaire and Mavi Jeans mogul Ragip Ersin Akarlilar and his wife bought this historic 1870 four-story Italianate home at 51 West 83rd Street among the brownstones of the Upper West Side for $4.3 million, it was in need of renovation. Plans were drawn for a gut overhaul, including a sleek wall of glass at the back that could open up to encompass an outdoor swimming pool (shown here in the Post). Neighbors balked at the proposed additions, and a kerfuffle ensued. Akarlilar eventually obtained permission from the Landmarks Preservation Commission, permits were granted, and work began. According to the Observer, the homeowners “unintentionally fell in love with another house,” and sold the home, mid-reno, for $6.8 million to a buyer/flipper who intended to finish the ambitious job–sans pool. Forward to now. The home recently hit the market for $14.8M. The renovation is not only quite attractive, but an additional lower level has made the home a whopping 6,300 square feet with a nifty bi-level backyard.
Take the tour

Distinctive Homes

December 9, 2015

The Penn Station Atlas Wants to Make the Awful Space Less Confusing

"The concept behind this project is simple but powerful: a user-centric atlas of a complex space – a unique set of maps designed to help anyone easily find the best way to their destination in Penn Station." Designer John Schettino realized that even though he traveled through Penn Station every day, he'd still find himself lost in the labyrinth that has become one of New Yorkers' most loathed destinations. So he studied maps of the underground station and observed how people interacted with the space to create the New York Penn Station Atlas. The project uses 2D and 3D models that make up a set of maps to show general layout, key locations, and routes for getting from one point to another. Schettino, with a boost from the Municipal Art Society, hopes all these resources will become available for electronic devices at no cost.
Plenty more details this way

December 9, 2015

Landmarks Approves Collegiate School Redevelopment: 66 Condos and Garden Planned

The development team involved in the rehabilitation and redevelopment of the Collegiate School academic buildings adjacent to West End Collegiate Church announced yesterday that their two-building scheme has been unanimously approved by the Landmarks Preservation Commission. Situated in the West End Collegiate Historic District on the Upper West Side, the residential development at 260 West 78th Street and 378 West End Avenue is being developed by the Collegiate Churches of New York and designed by Rick Cook of COOKFOX Architects. Funds generated by the development will be used to support the Collegiate Church's charitable and housing programs, as well as maintain its landmarked Dutch-Flemish Renaissance Revival campus.
READ MORE

December 9, 2015

Cute Co-op Asks $489K at the Whitby, an Emery Roth-Designed Building in Midtown

By Emily Nonko

Architect Emery Roth was considered the master of apartment design back in his day. In the early 1900s, he masterminded an impressive number of buildings with sprawling floor plans and luxurious finishes. (That was a time when the rich still needed to be convinced to live in apartments, rather than mansions.) He finished the Whitby, at 325 West 45th Street in Midtown West, in 1923. Since then the building has been broken down into mostly small studio, one- and two-bedroom co-ops. This is a one-bedroom in the building that still has some pre-war details, although it's lacking the gracious floor plan that made Roth so famous. Still, it's a central location at a decent asking price, $489,000. And the apartment is pretty darn cute.
Take the tour

Distinctive Homes

December 9, 2015

Revealed: Crowne Plaza Hotel Rises South of Times Square, Boasts Streetwall-Friendly Atrium

Construction is getting vertical on Raber Enterprises' 251-room Crowne Plaza Times Square South. The expected four-star, 118,200-square-foot building at 320 West 36th Street will only be the second in Manhattan to carry the Crowne Plaza flag, whose larger, 795-room location at 1605 Broadway has been operational since 1989. Situated between Seventh and Eighth avenues, the 8,200 square-foot parcel formerly held a parking garage that the team purchased with two other lots in December 2012 for $33.5 million. The metal-clad 28-story tower is designed by Flatiron-based Stonehill & Taylor Architects & Planners and will feature an 85-foot tall base that will thankfully adhere to the consistent streetwall of the Garment District. The base will be clad in corrugated-aluminum and its interior will hold an 80-foot high, galvanized steel atrium containing a restaurant and the reception lobby. The architects note that the metallic aesthetic "celebrates the neighborhood’s manufacturing and transportation hub heritage and also produce a play of light and shadow on the building’s deeply modulated surfaces." Flintlock Construction are the builders, WSP Flack & Kurtz the mechanical engineers and GACE, the structural engineers.
more on the project here

December 8, 2015

Get a Look at the 900-Foot Views From Norman Foster’s Sutton Place Tower

Bauhouse Group received permits just a week ago to raze a string of buildings at 428-432 East 58th Street in Sutton Place, and as 6sqft previously reported, the developer had tapped starchitect Norman Foster to design the 900-foot luxury residential tower. New York Yimby now has a first look at the building's stunning views from 100 feet and up. From the top, "just some of the things you’ll be able to see are Central Park, the George Washington Bridge, 432 Park Avenue, the Empire State Building, the Chrysler Building, Sony Tower, the Citigroup Center, One World Trade Center, the Ed Koch Queensboro Bridge, Roosevelt Island, the RFK Bridge, the Hell Gate Bridge, the United Nations, and the Williamsburg Bridge."
More views and details

December 8, 2015

For $3.5M This Sweet Nolita Loft Doesn’t Give Up Condo Comforts

Named for its envy-inspiring spot in downtown Manhattan's chic Nolita neighborhood–where Soho and Little Italy meet the colorful edges of Chinatown, the Solita building at 161 Grand Street is a classic 1911 loft building that was converted to condos in 2001. Among its 18 rarely-available half- and full-floor units–one of which belonged to Sofia Coppola and hubby Thomas Mars until they sold it in 2012–is this updated and colorful 1,831 square-foot two-bedroom loft, which just arrived on the market for $3.5 million. With a private elevator, central air, package-fetching super, video intercom and rooftop terrace, there's no need to trade condo comfort for loft bones. But the price–about a million more than its (most recent) 2012 sale price–more likely reflects the tiny collection of impossibly cool boutique shopping, dining and residential blocks that have long been among the city's most coveted while retaining at least some of their charming, ever-so-slightly gritty old New York feel.
Look around the loft

Distinctive Homes

December 7, 2015

Could This Otherworldly 102-Story Tower Covered in Ornaments Be Coming to 57th Street?

Jaded by glass boxes and architectural imitations of styles gone by? Well this fascinating design by Mark Foster Gage Architects is sure to turn your architectural world upside down. Here's our first look at their 102-story residential supertower seemingly flown in from some advanced airborne civilization in a galaxy far, far away. While details are scarce, this eagle lands in the heart of Midtown's Billionaires' Row along West 57th Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. The whimsical design is a habitable sculpture of sorts, adorned from top to bottom in ornaments ranging from gears and propellers to an abstracted pair of birds diving in for a landing on two wing-supported balconies. The tower is topped by a temple-like observational platform which is then crowned by a golden wreath-like structure fit for any victorious Roman general.
more eye-popping visuals this way

December 7, 2015

VOTE for 6sqft’s 2015 Building of the Year!

By 6sqft

If you thought 2014 was an outstanding year that gave way to great new developments, 2015 could easily be considered epic. In the last 12 months, we've seen the rise of the supertalls along Billionaires' Row, a few groundbreaking structures that challenge traditional architectural geometry, and starchitect-designed towers with absurd asking prices. Here we've vetted 12 of the hottest buildings in NYC, noteworthy for their envelope-pushing design, record-breaking prices, or unprecedented height. So, in our second annual poll, we want to know what you think: Out of the dozen, which deserves the title of “2015 Building of the Year?” To help you make an informed decision, we've provided an overview of each contender, along with news highlights from the year. We're taking votes up until 11:59 p.m., Monday, December 7th, and we will announce the winner on Wednesday, December 9th. Happy voting, 6sqft readers!
Learn more about all the buildings in the running ahead

December 7, 2015

This $8.5M Turtle Bay Townhouse Is a Timeless Classic With Pops of Modern

Without hype or hyperbole—though certainly compliment-worthy—this 1890s townhouse on a classic and lovely East Side block has all the modern upgrades you'd need, thanks to complete renovation in 2006. And for traditional brownstone buffs, 327 East 51st Street’s refined facade, gated courtyard, interior details and traditional stoop all add up to a quintessential New York City townhouse. Mechanicals, plumbing, lighting and electrical systems have all been updated and now include a new Crestron home audio system, a four-zone HVAC system, four automatic gas fireplaces, a state-of-the-art security system and lots of well-planned storage space.
READ MORE

Distinctive Homes

December 7, 2015

Soho Loft by SMH Architects Features a Modern Wrap-Around Library

By Rebecca Paul

Loft living is a dream come true for many lucky New Yorkers, but more often than not these sought after open spaces require some custom design work. The residents of this Soho loft wanted to add custom work to showcase their spectacular book collection, and they now share their home with this exquisite library. Designed by the New York firm Smith-Miller and Hawkinson Architects (SMH), the space features shelving with clean, modern lines and dramatic lights that transform the standard bookshelf into a work of art.
READ MORE

December 7, 2015

Skyline Wars: One Vanderbilt and East Midtown Upzoning Are Raising the Roof…Height!

By Carter B. Horsley

Carter Uncut brings New York City’s breaking development news under the critical eye of resident architecture critic Carter B. Horsley. This week Carter brings us the second installment of nine-part series, "Skyline Wars," which examines the explosive and unprecedented supertall phenomenon that is transforming the city's silhouette. In this post Carter zooms in on Midtown East and the design of One Vanderbilt, the controversial tower that is being pinned as the catalyst for change in an area that has fallen behind in recent decades. Despite some objections from community boards and local politicians, New York City is moving ahead with the rezoning of East Midtown between Fifth and Third avenues, and 39th and 59th Streets; and earlier this year, the de Blasio administration enacted an important part of the plan, a rezoning of the Vanderbilt Avenue corridor just to the west of Grand Central Terminal. The Vanderbilt Avenue rezoning included approval of a 1,501-foot-high tower at 1 Vanderbilt Avenue on the block bounded by Madison Avenue, 42nd and 43rd Streets. The tapered, glass-clad tower, topped by a spire, is being designed by Kohn Pedersen Fox for SL Green. Mayors Bloomberg and de Blasio have championed the 1 Vanderbilt proposal despite serious concerns voiced by numerous civic organizations over the rezoning scheme that some see as “spot zoning” and the fact that the city has still not finalized nor published its complete rezoning package. Using air-rights transfers from the Grand Central Terminal area and zoning bonuses for providing $210 million for infrastructure improvements in the area, the tower will significantly alter the midtown skyline, rising several hundred feet above the nearby Chrysler Building and the huge and bulky but lower MetLife Tower straddling Park Avenue just north of Grand Central Terminal. Its 63 stories are several less than the Chrysler Building and just a few more than the MetLife Tower, which might be interpreted by some observers as indicated that it was in “context” with such prominent neighbors, but they are wrong.
READ MORE

December 7, 2015

Lofty Lower East Side Condo Boasts 14 Windows and Four Exposures

By Emily Nonko

This lofty condo apartment at 241 Eldridge Street on the Lower East Side is all about the light. With 14 big windows through the apartment and four different exposures, there's plenty of it coming in. That's paired with three bedrooms, high ceilings, and a flexible layout. Not a bad combination when it comes to a living space. The apartment, located on the top floor of a ten-unit, 1904 pre-war building, is now on the market asking $1.477 million.
Take a look

Distinctive Homes

December 4, 2015

Cute Chelsea Studio Maximizes Space With Casement Windows and Private Terrace

By Emily Nonko

This is not your average studio apartment. For starters, it's located inside a brownstone at 405 West 21st Street, in Chelsea. (The five-story property has actually been split into 12 different apartments.) It is also lofted, to create some more space in the otherwise cozy apartment. And a beautiful wall of casement windows brings in tons of light. But the big perk of this studio is that those windows look out onto private outdoor space, which is definitely not a typical offering of a tiny pad. This lovely private patio, which looks out onto the surrounding townhouses, adds an extra 400 square feet. All this—including the fact that it's furnished—makes for quite the pricy studio apartment, at $4,500 a month.
Take a look

Distinctive Homes

December 4, 2015

Celeb Photographer David LaChapelle Makes a Sale on His Charming Chelsea Abode

By Annie Doge

After placing his West Chelsea home on the market just five months ago, it looks like famed photographer David LaChapelle (he's shot everyone from Madonna to MJ to Leo and Lady Gaga) has made a sale. LaChapelle's bright beauty at 427 West 21st Street sold for its $2.46 million asking price, providing a pretty tidy profit for the artist who paid just $1.74 million for the space in 2011. According to the Observer, LaChapelle decided to shed the apartment because he now spends most of his time in LA and Hawaii—the latter where he owns a remote 18-acre forest on the island of Maui. But while LaChapelle enjoys warmer West Coast and island climates, the new buyer of his Chelsea pad should find themselves just as comfortable in his former residence. The one-bedroom home is quite a unique space with plenty of historic details highlighted by lots of light.
Have a look inside the photographer's former home

December 4, 2015

Truffles Privé Redefines the Meaning of Eclectic With an Opium Bed and Lockers for Booze

By Rebecca Paul

Located in northern Tribeca, just across from Hudson River Park on the border of Soho, the Truffles Privé is a 7,000-square-foot private club attached to two large full-service apartment buildings. Back in 2009, this exclusive and beautifully decorated club helped to rent 90 of the 291 apartments in just six weeks after being on the market with no advertising. The interior design was the result of a collaboration between interior architecture firm Povero & Company and the design team lead by David Cafiero. The details that make up this interior are an eclectic combination of intelligent curation and out-of-the-box creativity.
Take a look around

December 4, 2015

First Look at Private Chelsea Residence Designed by TEN Arquitectos