Manhattan

September 3, 2015

Miraculously Unscathed by Time, This Historic Wooden UES Townhouse Seeks Tenants

Townhouses available for rent have a way of seeming decadent and dreamy, the perfect home for a collective of friends or a lucky city family. Their monthly bill is often but a dream for many as well, and this Upper East Side home asking $18,500 a month is no exception; the house itself, however, is quite exceptional. The amazingly preserved home at 120 East 92nd Street, as well as its neighbor at number 122, and a third, a block over at number 160, comprise a trio of wooden houses built between 1859 and 1871, before the city sprung up on all sides. This collection of dainty wooden houses presents an utterly charming shock of nostalgia amid the brick, stone and steel of Manhattan's Upper East. One of the last wood-frame houses to be built in Manhattan, the city's Landmarks Preservation Commission called 120 East 92nd "...a delightful surprise. Time and change have passed it by." But change, in this case, has been good: The three-story, four-bedroom home's longtime owners have renovated it for comfort and livability–and preserved it with the utmost care; it boasts every modern convenience while keeping its historic beauty.
Take a look inside this rare historic home
September 3, 2015

Art Nerd New York’s Top Event Picks for the Week, 9/3-9/9

If you're staying in the city over this long Labor Day weekend, start September off right by giving in to your cultural lust. Head to Times Square to sample the newest art film for #MidnightMoment or kick off the reopening of galleries with DUMBO's first Thursday Gallery Walk of the season. Sample artist Boy Kong's museum-influenced show at Gitler and the Affordable Art Fair, or hit up one of the Metropolitan Opera's free screenings al fresco outside of Lincoln Center. You can also experience Washington Square Park as Jackson Pollock did with the annual outdoor art exhibition, and combine two things you never thought would mix at the Public Address Gallery: conceptual art and karaoke. And don't forget the long-standing multi-cultural tradition of the epic West Indian-American Day Carnival and Parade (bring feathers and glitter!).
All the best events to check out here
September 3, 2015

Village Green West, Alfa Development’s Chelsea Condominium, Nears Completion

The finishing touches are being applied to Alfa Development's environmentally sensitive and industrially evocative condominium Village Green West. According to CityRealty, only two if its 27 units are are currently up for grabs, with at least 18 already in contract. Alfa's 12-story mid-block building is centrally positioned at 245 West 14th Street, between Seventh and Eighth Avenues at the crossroads of Chelsea, the West Village, and the Meatpacking District. The Michael Namer-led development team purchased the 5,200-square-foot development site in 2012 for $14.65 million.
More details on the project here
September 2, 2015

Taylor Swift May Be the Reason Sir Ian McKellen Got Evicted From His Tribeca Apartment

Taylor Swift may have been named NYC's Global Welcome Ambassador, but she doesn't seem to be too welcoming to her neighbors at 155 Franklin Street in Tribeca. First, it was widely speculated that Orlando Bloom listed his apartment there just five months after moving in because of the pop princess's mobs of fans and "Girl Squad" activities (Bloom sold the apartment in less than a month). Now, actor Sir Ian McKellen is claiming that Swift had him evicted from the building, reports the Guardian.
Find out the whole story
September 2, 2015

Liza Minnelli Makes an $8.4M Sale on Her Upper East Side Apartment

And it is indeed all that jazz. Legendary actress and singer Liza Minnelli has just sold her co-op at the Imperial House at 150 East 69th Street, reports The Real Deal. City records filed yesterday afternoon show that the star struck an $8.372 million deal with New York socialites Robert Beyer and Loren Pack. The 21st floor showstopper was designed by Timothy Macdonald, who created a tranquil and versatile living environment for Minnelli that could easily be reconfigured for entertaining. The apartment's walls are also adorned with plenty of Broadway memorabilia and an incredible Andy Warhol tribute to her mother, Judy Garland.
more inside minnelli's home here
September 2, 2015

Find Historic Brownstone Warmth and Manhattan Convenience at This Chelsea Duplex Rental

It's hard to resist historic brownstone interiors with their high ceilings, graceful plaster molding and tall townhouse windows. Living on two floors of a townhouse feels pretty much like you've got a whole house to yourselves. Throw in a wood-burning fireplace–and, even better, a tasteful renovation–and we can't imagine a better place to settle in and get ready for winter. Just one flight up, this gorgeous three-bedroom duplex at 322 West 20th Street is on the rental market for $9,800 a month; at 1,800 square feet, it's not house-sized, but it beats the average Manhattan apartment by a city mile–and many a sleek downtown duplex rents for as much or more.
Take a look inside this pretty brownstone apartment
September 2, 2015

POLL: Would You Apply for an ‘Affordable’ $1,500/Month Studio in My Micro NY?

Yesterday, we reported that My Micro NY, the city’s first micro apartment complex, was accepting applications for its affordable units, which account for 22 of the building’s 55 studios. Located at 335 East 27th Street on the border of Gramercy and Kips Bay, the building has units that range in size from 260 to 360 square feet. One person […]

September 2, 2015

Karl Fischer-Designed Tower to Replace Beekman Place’s Piscane Seafood Building

Piscane Seafood, one of the oldest remaining fish markets in the city, closed this spring, and its humble 19th-century home at 940 First Avenue will be replaced by a 14-story residential building. According to permits filed with the city's Department of Buildings yesterday, the narrow 25-foot-wide lot will give rise to a 141-foot-tall tower developed by Brooklyn-based CS Real Estate Group and designed by the often-maligned architect Karl Fischer. The building will provide a commercial storefront at ground level and thirteen floor-through units above, likely condominiums.
More details ahead
September 1, 2015

NYC’s First Micro Apartment Complex Now Accepting Applications, Units $950/Month

We knew this day was quickly approaching; just a couple of months ago, we reported that My Micro NY (also known as Carmel Place), the city's first micro apartment complex, was fully stacked, reaching its 120-foot height at 335 East 27th Street on the border of Gramercy and Kips Bay. Now, Brick Underground reports that the $17 million development began accepting applications this morning for its 260- to 360-square-foot affordable studios. According to the site, the available units are "11 $950/month studios for one person earning between $34,526 and $48,350, or two people making between $34,526 and $55,250; and three $1,492/month studios for one person making between $53,109 and $78,650, or two people making between $53,109 and $89,830."
Find out how to apply here
September 1, 2015

For $725K This One-Bedroom Chelsea Jewel-Box Is a Just-Right Downtown Dream

On a postcard-perfect tree-lined West Chelsea street, tucked among elegant, historic apartment buildings, this one-bedroom garden co-op at 433 West 24th Street has just what it takes to recharge and take refuge from the surrounding kaleidoscope of New York City life. The listing for this funky and fabulous flat offers no floor plan or square footage, but rooms appear well-designed to take advantage of the available living space–and look good doing it.
Tour the apartment here
August 31, 2015

The UWS Apartment Babe Ruth Once Called Home Is Selling for $1.595M

This apartment may not look like much, but baseball greatness once slept within its walls. The Upper West Side abode Babe Ruth called home at the end of his epic career is now on the market for $1.595 million. According to the Post, an open house held this weekend at the 345 West 88th Street address drew in over 50 people—a mix of folks looking buy, and surely those simply hoping for a glimpse into The Bambino's former digs.
More inside the Sultan of Swat's former home
August 31, 2015

Dattner Architects’ Prismatic, Concrete Salt Shed Reveals Itself

Summer is coming to a close, and in a few months we'll be navigating the city's treacherous streets perfecting our penguin waddles and fine-tuning our black ice magna-vision. This winter season, downtown Manhattan residents may find a sliver of comfort knowing that the rock salt used to mitigate slippery streets will be stored in one of the most grandiose salt sheds on Earth. Recently unshrouded, the Department of Sanitation's 67-foot-tall Spring Street Salt Shed flaunts a prismatic concrete facade evoking the intriguing faceted forms of salt crystals. The award-winning design, crafted by the public works masters at Dattner Architects and WXY Architecture + Urban Design, comes with a sizable price tag of $10 million. The structure was crowned the "Taj Mahal of Salt" back in 2010, noting that it cost more than nine recently constructed city salt sheds combined. Nevertheless, even in its unpolished state, we have to admit this riverfront iceberg is pretty captivating. And despite its utilitarian use, its form is well-worthy of its prime Hudson Square locale.
More renderings and info right this way
August 31, 2015

Revealed: Floor Plans and Pricing for Jean Nouvel’s MoMA Tower

After progress crept along for nearly ten years, Jean Nouvel's highly anticipated MoMA Tower, officially known as 53W53, is now inching closer to the finish line. A year ago we got a peak at unofficial penthouse floorplans, and the first interior renderings were revealed in February, followed by a pre-sales-launch video of the interiors in May. Now, the Post has uncovered floorplans and pricing for three of the units in the 1,050-foot, 82-story asymmetrical tower. They include a 3,846-square-foot, 55th-floor three-bedroom asking $21.7 million; a smaller 55th-floor three-bedroom for $14.42 million; and a 4,362-square-foot, 72nd-floor three-bedroom duplex going for $39.2 million.
More floorplans and pricing
August 28, 2015

New Yorker Spotlight: Courtside at the Century-Old West Side Tennis Club With Roland Meier and Bob Ingersole

With the U.S. Open starting on Monday, tennis fever is once again sweeping across the city. Over the next two weeks, thousands of New Yorkers will hop on the 7 train or the Long Island Rail Road to watch the likes of Roger Federer and Serena Williams play in Flushing Meadows at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. However, prior to 1978, tennis players and fans found themselves playing and cheering at a different venue: The West Side Tennis Club in Forest Hills. The West Side Tennis Club was the former home of the U.S. Open. Founded in 1892 in Manhattan, the club moved to Forest Hills in 1913, where it played host to many great moments in tennis history. Following the U.S. Open's relocation, The West Side Tennis Club faced a number of challenges and retreated from the spotlight. But after years under the radar, the club's president Roland Meier and tennis director Bob Ingersole are helping The West Side Tennis Club re-emerge as a major player on the tennis scene. We recently spoke with Roland and Bob to learn how history and modernity mix in Forest Hills.
Read our interview with the pair here
August 28, 2015

New Renderings of Fisher Brothers’ Curvy Murray Hill Rental at 225 East 39th Street

It's always a pleasure when a hulking above-ground parking garage bites the dust; this is not Miami after all, take the subway! And thanks to the legendary real estate firm Fisher Brothers, a soul-crushing 705-car parking garage at 225 East 39th Street was razed last year in preparation for an elegant 36-story rental tower. New renderings posted on the development firm's website illustrate how the tower may bring a bit of pizzazz to a rather un-glamorous section of Murray Hill. With completion scheduled for spring 2017, groundwork is well underway with sections of the foundation slab poured and steel rebar projecting skyward.
More on the project ahead
August 28, 2015

This Tiny Upper West Side Studio Knows How to Maximize Its Space

If you've got very little living space to work with, you have to be smart. That's the situation at this tiny studio apartment, located inside the Upper West Side co-op building at 327 West 85th Street. There's no square footage listed–probably because there isn't much to list–but it's basically an open living area and kitchen, with one closet and a bathroom. The current owner, however, has created a space that seems liveable and downright cute. It's currently asking $398,000.
See more
August 28, 2015

Hudson Yards 7 Train Station Will Officially Open on September 13th

We once had a friend who lived in midtown all the way over on 12th Avenue...and let's just say we rarely visited. But what was once a subway wasteland is finally getting its very own subway station. After years of delays, the new 7 train stop at 34th Street-Hudson Yards will officially open on September 13th, at 1:00pm to be exact. The extension from its current endpoint at Times Square has cost the city $2.4 billion since construction commenced in 2007.
More details
August 27, 2015

Construction Update: Loggia-Crowned Condominium Finally Rises Next to Bryant Park

Bryant Park is one of the city's most cherished spaces, providing a much-needed oasis from the stone and glass canyons of Midtown. But debuting in 2017, a mixed-use tower will grant home buyers their first opportunity to purchase condos directly alongside the ten-acre respite. Simply named the Bryant, the 200,000-square-foot building at 16 West 40th Street will house 57 condo units perched 200 feet above a five-star boutique hotel within the tower's lower levels. The 32-story, 361-foot-high building is being developed by the very-active HFZ Capital, led by Ziel Friedman, and is designed by renowned British architect David Chipperfield, with Stonehill & Taylor serving as the architects of record.
More details ahead
August 27, 2015

Soccer Star Andrea Pirlo Checks Out $30K/Month Lenox Hill Penthouse

Just a week after international soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo bought an $18.5 million loft at the Trump Tower, another big-name footballer is looking to score some NYC real estate. The Post reports that Italian player Andrea Pirlo has checked out a $29,995/month penthouse at 205 East 59th Street, which makes sense as the midfielder joined the New York City Football Club just last month. The 2,700-square-foot Lenox Hill pad takes up the entire top floor of the luxury building and offers five outdoor spaces, massive windows, and 13-foot ceilings.
Take a look around the penthouse
August 26, 2015

Saudi Prince Is New Owner of Joan Rivers’ Lavish Penthouse, Will Undertake a Gut Renovation

Initial reports told us that Joan Rivers' opulent Upper East Side penthouse had sold for its asking price of $28 million to a Middle Eastern buyer. And now the Post confirms that the new owner is 65-year-old Saudi prince Muhammad bin Fahd. More newsworthy, though, is the fact that the prince plans to completely gut the 5,100-square-foot triplex, meaning it will lose its legendary gilded details that Rivers once called "Louis XIV meets Fred and Ginger."
Find out more
August 26, 2015

This Dramatic Downtown Triplex Loft Tells the Story of a Neighborhood’s Creative Past 

Even from a glance at its facade, you could guess that 508 LaGuardia Place is a unique and historic structure. Located within the South Village Historic District, the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation called it "perhaps the finest example of industrial architecture of the late 19th Century in the South Village." The available 5,000 square-foot, four bedroom upper triplex would be well-utilized as a live/work space, suitable for "tech or fashion companies to use as a work space that impresses." And you may indeed need startup funding to swing the $30K per month rent. The Romanesque Revival-style building has a history of creative residents that parallels the neighborhood's evolution through the second half of the 20th century. Built in 1891 as the H. H. Upham Company sign factory, the story of 508 LaGuardia Place is the story of Soho and Tribeca through the years when artists and photographers worked and lived in cavernous former factories and warehouses and did the heavy lifting required to carve out amazing spaces for themselves.
Find out how this former industrial building tells the story of the surrounding neighborhoods
August 26, 2015

Art Nerd New York’s Top Event Picks for the Week, 8/27-9/2

Love art but can't afford to be a collector? This week, head over to Amy Li Projects on Mott Street with five bucks and something to screen print your very own Brian Leo piece on. I'm also sure you've seen a handful of European artists working hard on murals around the city, now check out this foreign collective's gallery show and party at Exit Room. In just a few days, you can get to know the New Museum's artist in residence Chelsea Knight as she shows off the fruits of her labor. And be sure to head to Governors Island on Friday to learn about the secret secrets of New York with urban explorer Moses Gates. For a blast from the past, end August in neon and spandex by celebrating the '80s with a week of films at Central Park and a special Michael Jackson-themed roller disco night in Brooklyn.
All the best events to check out here
August 26, 2015

Handel Architects’ Luxurious ‘Amalfi’ Condo Tower Will Now Be Swanky Senior Living Pads

Here's a closer look at Handel Architects' design of a would-have-been condominium tower at 305 East 93rd Street, named The Amalfi. The five-parcel site located at the northeast corner of Second Avenue and East 93rd Street in Yorkville was slated to be developed by Merchants Hospitality until they recently bowed out to a senior living developer, Maplewood. Handel Architects' energetic design of staggering double-height windows, deeply set within a concrete frame was planned to rise a sheer 29-stories above Second Avenue. A lower four-story wing along 93rd Street would have been topped by an outdoor swimming pool. The tower's structural dynamism recalls the firm's recently finished rental tower, 170 Amsterdam on the Upper West Side, that flaunts a diagrid concrete exoskeleton. While the firm will remain the building's designers, it is unclear how much of the shown condominium design will be retained. Considering the project will now be re-tinkered for senior living, we're expecting a little less Amalfi and a bit more Fort Myers.
Find out more here
August 26, 2015

Construction Update: Perch Harlem, Manhattan’s First Passive House Rental Building, Rises

A tipster has alerted us that Manhattan's first market-rate rental building built to passive house standards has reached street level. Dubbed Perch Harlem, the soon-to-be-seven-story structure is located in the uppermost reaches of Harlem's Hamilton Heights section at 542 West 153rd Street, between Broadway and Amsterdam Avenues. "Perched"on a ridge 150 feet above sea level, the site overlooks the bucolic grounds of Trinity Cemetery, which is the only active burial ground on the island. The project's forward-thinking developers, the Synapse Development Group with its investment partner Taurus Investment Holdings, purchased the 10,000-square-foot former parking lot back in December of 2013 and have since been growing their Perch brand of passive house buildings that focus on low-impact living and community-oriented design. A second Perch building is slated for Williamsburg at 646 Lorimer Street.
Find out more about Perch Harlem
August 25, 2015

My 770sqft: Tour a Media Executive’s Urban Zen Upper West Side Apartment

Our ongoing series “My sqft” checks out the homes of 6sqft’s friends, family and fellow New Yorkers across all the boroughs. Our latest interior adventure brings us to the Upper West Side. Want to see your home featured here? Get in touch! Carlos Alimurung has been calling Manhattan home for nearly all of his life; he's lived in Midtown East, the West Village, and today he can be found in the Upper West Side. But for Carlos, the neighborhood is more than just a place to lay his head. Rather, he feels a very special connection with it: his parents met at a party there in the 1970s and he has fond memories of eating freshly sliced hot pastrami at Zabar's as a kid. As such, in 2007, while hunting for a new home to settle into, Carlos decided to replant his roots along 88th Street in a one-bedroom apartment in a pre-war condo conversion. As a media executive and a passionate traveler, Carlos has been around the globe and back, collecting art, baubles and all sorts of worldly items along the way. But while world travelers are often susceptible to hoarding goods, Carlos has created an ultra-zen space in the city that feels like a museum without all the "do not touch" signs. From the South American and Asian artifacts he's collected during his expat days to mementos from his parents' time living in NYC to gifts from the friends he's met on his journeys, see how this cultured minimalist has outfitted his 770-square-foot Upper West Side pad.
Tour this well-traveled residence
August 25, 2015

Construction Ramps Up on Far West Side Mega-Rental at the Foot of Bjarke’s Ski Slope

Site excavation continues on TF Cornerstone's (TFC) mammoth 42-story rental development at 606 West 57th Street between Eleventh Avenue and the West Side Highway. Midtown's 57th Street has become synonymous with superlative titles, with the tallest, the thinnest, most expensive, and, arguably, some of the most exciting high-rises the city has seen in decades. At the far west end of the two-mile thoroughfare, TFC has joined in on the megalomania with a 1,028-unit, 1.2 million-square-foot rental building that will become the second largest apartment building in the city after Moinian's SKY project a few blocks south.
More details ahead