Manhattan

Designed in 1887 for a wrapping paper manufacturer by architect Albert Wagner, who also designed the iconic Puck Building, 140 Franklin Street was converted to a 12-unit boutique residential condominium at the turn of the 21st century. Considered one of the city's most handsome Romanesque Revival-style buildings, it's a study in enviable contrasts; apartments have original cast iron columns, for example, and the building boasts a state-of-the-art water filtration system. Notable neighbors: J. Crew CEO Mickey Drexler has an apartment on the fifth floor that he put on the market earlier this year for $35 million. To help put this super-fancy loft–and its fancy price of $19.95 million–in context: Penthouse A was designed for the building conversion's developer; it's on the market for the first time since the building was converted. There are 5,000 square feet of interior space on two floors, plus a spectacular 2,200 square-foot roof terrace. The unit is listed as having only seven rooms, but many of them are the kind of oversized loft space to which the term "room" almost doesn't apply.
More penthouse this way

Distinctive Homes

October 5, 2015

Tradition Is Redefined in This Lovely Downtown Loft by J and G Design

By Rebecca Paul

The gorgeous interior of this downtown loft was made possible by the budding design team from J and G Design. Recently named “Five Under 30” and “Next Big Names” by Lonny Magazine, this dynamic duo describes their aesthetic as traditional design but strive to make each project equal parts tailored and eclectic, glamorous and relaxed, and bold and subtle. And as we move from room to room inside this particular loft interior, we can see how their selection of textures, colors and patterns have allowed them to be successful in achieving their goals.
see more inside

Distinctive Homes

October 5, 2015

$4.15M West Village Co-op Full of Brick Fireplaces Tries to Be a Townhouse

This apartment comes from the West Village co-op building 838 Greenwich Street, but it looks like it could be a townhouse. That's because it's a triplex–rare for a co-op–with seven rooms total, including two bedrooms and two bathrooms. The space even comes with its own private garden, and plenty of exposed brick to go around. The asking price for all that co-op space in one of the most charming neighborhoods on Manhattan is $4.15 million.
Take a tour

Distinctive Homes

October 5, 2015

You Can Live in Daniel Radcliffe’s Soho Apartment for $19,000 a Month

He's certainly come a long way since his "Harry Potter" days; there are no wands or wizards in sight at Daniel Radcliffe's Soho apartment, currently on the market for $19,000 a month, according to Curbed. The actor bought the two-bedroom condo at 40 Mercer Street in 2007 for $4.3 million, but has been using it mainly as a rental ever since, living instead at his townhouse at 339 West 12th Street in the West Village, which he bought in 2009 for $5.65 million. He also owns a three-bedroom apartment at 1 Morton Square, a celebrity hot spot that was once home to Amy Poehler and Will Arnett and is currently home to the Olson Twins.
See what it's like to live in this wizarding world

Affordable Housing Lottery Launched for Bjarke Ingels’ Epic Pyramid, VIA 57 West

Construction shot © 6sqft

October 3, 2015

Affordable Housing Lottery Launched for Bjarke Ingels’ Epic Pyramid, VIA 57 West

By Ondel Hylton

Applications are now being accepted for the 142 affordable apartments in Bjarke Ingels' tetrahedron-shaped rental building dubbed VIA 57 West, aka "the Pyramid Building." By downloading applications here, you and 141 other lucky families may have the chance to live in a future landmark that is already turning out to be the most audacious rental building ever built in the city. The massive, half-block-long development will contain a total of 709 units, of which 20 percent will be deemed affordable. Subsidized rents range from $565/month studios for single-person households making between $19,222 - $24,200 annually, to three-bedroom apartments going for $1,067/month for three- to six-person households.
More construction shots and the full pricing breakdown

October 2, 2015

Zaha Hadid Launches Sales at Her High Line Condos, Talks the Evolution of NY Architecture

By Ondel Hylton

Related Companies has officially launched sales for their highly-anticipated upcoming condominium, 520 West 28th Street. Designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architect and artist Zaha Hadid, the eleven-story building will be Hadid's first ground-up structure in New York and will offer 39 distinctive two- to five-bedroom homes priced from $4,950,000 to $50 million for the largest penthouse. The under construction building, now five-stories up, rises alongside the High Line elevated park from an L-shaped parcel between West 27th and 28th Streets in the center of West Chelsea's art gallery district. Related Companies purchased the site for $65 million in 2012 and soon after commissioned the Iraqi-British designer, who beat out the likes of fellow Brit, Norman Foster. Yesterday, at the development's launch, Hadid said she has "always been fascinated by the High Line and its possibilities for the city. "
More from the event here

October 2, 2015

Olson Kundig Architects Turn an Upper East Side Water Tower Into a Fantasy Penthouse

By Rebecca Paul

By U.S. standards New York is a pretty old city, and over the years New Yorkers have been pretty diligent about preserving its historic architecture. As we head into the future, we're seeing more and more old industrial buildings being transformed into beautiful homes. A great example is this Upper East Side penthouse built inside a water tower that is not only awesome in concept, but is also stunning to look at. Lili and Lee Siegelson, the couple who own the immaculate home, worked with Olson Kundig Architects, and together they transformed two floors of the building into an apartment big enough for their happy family.
Go inside this stunning penthouse

October 2, 2015

New Yorker Spotlight: John Philis Serves Up Luncheonette History at Lexington Candy Shop

By Susan Cohen

On the corner of 83rd Street and Lexington Avenue sits a luncheonette with a lot of history. Lexington Candy Shop was opened in 1925 by third-generation owner John Philis’ grandfather, and for nine decades the shop has served American classics to Upper East Siders. In a city that was once full of luncheonettes, this is believed to be the only one left in Manhattan. Perhaps it's because John is carrying on two traditions–keeping a family business alive and preserving a piece of American culture. He takes great pride in Lexington Candy Shop’s rich personal and national histories, especially since 2015 marked the shop's 90th year in business. We recently spoke with John to learn about the shop’s history and find out how the local gem mixes the past and present in every milkshake.
Get John's story this way

October 2, 2015

Unleash Your Inner Iron Chef at Bobby Flay’s $8M Chelsea Duplex

After a very public divorce from "Law & Order: SVU" star Stephanie March, famed chef and television personality Bobby Flay is unloading his duplex at the Chelsea Mercantile, which very appropriately has a Whole Foods in the building (you might remember Katie Holmes getting her own private entrance to the store when she lived here). As Curbed notes, the $7.95 million sprawling duplex's listing touts its "spectacular open kitchen designed with and for a PROFESSIONAL CHEF." Flay reportedly got the apartment, as well as the former couple's Amangansett home, as part of the divorce settlement, but now it's time for another chef to sharpen their knives in the pad.
Look around the place here

October 2, 2015

A Major Renovation Brought This Soho Loft From a Cheesy Bachelor Pad to an Historic Chic Crib

It's rare that a listing gives you a backstory to the apartment it's trying to sell, but that's the case with this unit at 426 West Broadway, a condo building in Soho. Here it goes: "It literally took a year of demolition, permit wrangling, and construction to finalize this $600,000.00 renovation that saw a Pop Art-inspired bachelor pad stripped down to its 19th-century shell." The result is a two-bedroom, two-bathroom loft apartment that now relishes its "original industrial charms," as the listing calls it. Our opinion? It's a big step up from a bachelor pad. The asking price comes in at $3.5 million.
See the rest of the reno

October 2, 2015

What’s Big and Hairy and Costs $2.4 Million? This Pretty Gramercy Co-op!

This almost-2,000 square-foot co-op at 235 East 22nd Street in Manhattan's elegant Gramercy neighborhood is one of those classic pre-war apartments–created by combining two units–that, when you look at the floor plan, is startlingly spacious. There are room-sized closets, areas for eating and dining, foyers, galleries and office nooks–the antithesis of the tiny NYC apartment. This three-bedroom home also has those charming and sophisticated pre-war details–nine-foot-high beamed ceilings, big rooms, inlaid floors, restored moldings, built-in cabinetry and massive casement windows. We all know the space itself is what counts in NYC real estate. Quirky objets and freaky art will almost assuredly be bundled out with the departing resident, never to show hide nor hair (literally, in this case) once the van pulls away. On the other hand, though it's sometimes fun to see what you're not getting for your $2.4 million, any real estate agent will tell you that staging is no small matter.
Explore this sprawling co-op

Distinctive Homes

October 1, 2015

New Photos Inside Billionaire Carlos Slim’s UES Mansion Asking a Record $80 Million

Back in May, 6sqft learned that Mexican business magnate Carlos Slim had put his Upper East Side mansion at 1009 Fifth Avenue on the market for a record $80 million. While coverage at the time was mainly focused on the insane asking price and the location, at the end of the day, what we all really wanted to know was what exactly was inside this 20,000-square-foot behemoth that warranted a high eight-figure price tag. Now, lo and behold, Curbed has just spotted the updated listing for the limestone and red-brick stunner, and as one would anticipate, it boasts all the ornate details and grandiose spaces you'd expect from such a historic home—although far less flash that what you'd dream up for one of the world's richest men.
Get a closer look inside here

Distinctive Homes

October 1, 2015

Upper East Side Triplex, Asking $1.795 Million, Looks Like a Medieval Castle

There are some apartments in New York that leave you at a loss of words. This one, a triplex co-op at 403 East 87th Street in the Upper East Side, has a decor that definitely stands out. The best we could come up with in describing it was "medieval castle," with its wood detailing, dark red furniture, and antique collection of books. Even the backyard space has some distinctive lighting and decor. If that's your thing, it is now on the market for $1.795 million.
Take a look

Distinctive Homes

September 30, 2015

A Flatiron Loft That’s Rocking Exposed Brick Asks $3.85 Million

All New York City loft lovers should check out this apartment for sale at 11 West 20th Street, a prewar Flatiron condo building. It's a big space with two bedrooms, a den, home office, and three full bathrooms, plus plenty of those lofty prewar details. High ceilings and big windows, of course, are a given, and then there's tons of exposed brick to go around. You'll find it in most every room, some natural and some of it whitewashed. Now on the market, this apartment is asking $3.85 million.
See inside

Distinctive Homes

September 29, 2015

Owner of Grand Central Sues City and One Vanderbilt Developer for $1.1 Billion

By Diane Pham

Grand Central owner Andrew Penson is back in the news again, this time suing the city and One Vanderbilt developer SL Green for a princely sum of $1.1 billion. As the NY Times reports, Penson is claiming that the 65-story behemoth slated to rise next door to the historic structure has led to the devaluation of his air rights atop the terminal. Penson claims that the de Blasio administration, the City Council and SL Green "deprived him of his property rights when the city gave SL Green permission to build a 1,501-foot tall office tower, without having to buy any air rights from him." By allowing for a tower twice the size of what was zoned for the block "for free" (but really, in exchange for a $220M investment into the subway infrastructure beneath Grand Central), his air rights have been rendered "worthless."
More on the lawsuit here

Real Estate Trends

September 29, 2015

Supermodel Gigi Hadid Sells $2.45M Nolita Apartment

By Dana Schulz

The model of the moment Gigi Hadid has sold her Nolita apartment at 250 Bowery, which was last listed for $2.45 million, according to the Post. The supermodel, who made national headlines yesterday for shutting down online body shamers, bought the ultra-modern pad in 2014 for $1.92 million after moving from LA to NYC to attend the New School, but decided to unload it when a stalker almost broke in. The two-bedroom condo is full of floor-to-ceiling windows and has a custom Carrara marble kitchen, along with white oak flooring and imported Italian white matte lacquer Lualdi pivot-hinge doors.
See more of Gigi's former digs

September 29, 2015

Epic Outdoor Space for This East Harlem Condo, Asking $875K

We're not exaggerating when we say this is one of the most epic backyards we've ever seen on a New York City condo. The apartment in question is #1A at 440 East 117th Street, a 10-unit condo out in East Harlem that was built in 2004. What you're looking at (and likely drooling over) is two levels and 915 square feet of backyard enclosed in bamboo walls. The two-bedroom, two-bathroom interior is pretty comfortable as well, with a total of 1,286 square feet. So what does it cost for all of that indoor and outdoor space? The asking price comes in at $875,000.
See more of the backyard

September 28, 2015

Vishaan Chakrabarti, Principal at SHoP Architects, Sells Flatiron Loft for $5M

SHoP Architects is known for its cutting-edge designs, from supertall towers like 111 West 57th Street to massive schemes like the Domino Sugar Factory. So it comes as a bit of a surprise that one of the firm's principals, Vishaan Chakrabarti, chose to settle down in a rather traditional Flatiron loft. But perhaps he's looking to get in on the luxury condo trend that SHoP is such a part of, as he and his wife Maria Altaris (also an architect) have unloaded their massive pad at 12 West 17th Street for $4,995,000, according to city records released today. Chakrabarti previously served as the director of the Manhattan office for the Department of City Planning, as well as a senior executive at the Related Companies. In addition to his current role at SHoP, he is a professor at the Center for Urban Real Estate at Columbia. The architect couple bought the full-floor, three-bedroom unit in 2012 for a significantly lower price of $2,725,000 after moving from a duplex in Tribeca with their young son and daughter. Chakrabarti told the Times at the time, "When I decided to become an architect and a professor instead of a real estate developer, it required a little lifestyle shift. More work for less pay." Not deterred, however, they undertook a gut renovation, clearly referencing their design history books and outfitting the 2,500-square-foot space with modern Chesterfield sofas, a Saarinen dining table, Eames chair, and Barcelona bench.
Look around the loft here

Rendering of 45 Park Place via Williams New York (L); Aerial view of 45 Park Place in the downtown skyline via CityRealty

September 28, 2015

New Details and Final Rendering for 45 Park Place, Condo Tower at ‘Ground Zero Mosque’ Site

By Dana Schulz

In July, 6sqft revealed that 12,000-square-foot lot at 45 Park Place in Tribeca (the former site of the controversial Ground Zero Mosque that was shelved four years ago by developer Sharif El-Gamal) was cleared to make way for a huge new condo. The lot is owned by El-Gamal’s SoHo Properties, who, just today, unveiled the final design for the slender, SOMA Architects-designed tower, along with new details, including its 665-foot height and sky-high pricing. As Bloomberg reports, the 70-story glass tower "will include at least 15 full-floor units of 3,200 to 3,700 square feet, and average prices higher than $3,000 a square foot... Prices at that level would be at least 13 percent more than the second-quarter average for new-development listings in the borough."
More details ahead

September 28, 2015

This Sweet and Sunny East Village Co-op With a Terrace Asks $635K

The East Village–particularly the far-eastern, garden-filled Alphabet City part of it–may be the poster child for change in New York City. For better or worse, there are things we miss, and things we adore. But the neighborhood retains its small-village vibe while being in one of the city's most exciting locations. This second-floor one-bedroom walk-up at 317 East 3rd Street, tucked into a little-of-everything street between Avenues C and D looks the part of the perfect East Village nest, with its exposed brick, small but fun and functional outdoor space, multi-tasking modern kitchen and bright, sunny bedroom. For $635,000 it doesn't break the bank, and you'll really save on the monthly co-op fees if you meet the HDFC guidelines.
See more of this cute, sunny East Village home

Distinctive Homes

September 28, 2015

Upper West Side Brownstone Co-op Packs In the Charm for $649K

It isn't easy to find a charming Upper West Side apartment, a block from the Museum of Natural History and Central Park, for less than $1 million. But here's apartment #3R at 118 West 81st Street, a historic four-story brownstone. The co-op isn't huge, but it's still a lovely one bedroom that's asking $649,000. For a (relatively) affordable price, you can enjoy all the perks of Upper West Side living–historic pad, beautiful block, close proximity to Central Park, even private outdoor space.
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Distinctive Homes

September 28, 2015

Funnyman Aziz Ansari Scopes Out a $4.9M Triplex Penthouse in the East Village

As Tommy Haverford would say: Treat yo self! And it looks like comedian Aziz Ansari of "Parks and Rec" fame is doing just that. The NYDN reports that Ansari and his long-time girlfriend, Momofuku Milk Bar chef Courtney McBroom, have been spotted checking out a triplex penthouse at the LEED Gold certified Village Green, located at 311 East 11th Street, not once, but twice, drawn in by the home's gigantic 2,000-square-foot outdoor space. The listing describes the ultra-swank pad as "The ultimate in eco-indulgence and luxury."
get a closer look inside the home here

September 27, 2015

This $6,500/Month Murray Hill Rental Says City Apartment in Front, Suburban House in Back

Here's a NYC apartment that's thoroughly Manhattan, but, if you're standing in the right spot, could be any suburban home. Located in a bustling East Side spot that's either Gramercy, Kips Bay, Murray Hill or Midtown South, depending on whom you talk to, this two-bedroom garden condop at 242 East 25th Street just hit the rental market for $6,500/month. And if you can't bear to part with it, you're in luck, it's also for sale (asking $1.995 million). The apartment is only 939 square feet, but it's well-configured, with bedrooms on either side of spacious common areas–and, more importantly, one of those areas is a glass-walled solarium that overlooks a 785-square-foot private deck and backyard that extends your space in a way most New Yorkers envy.
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Distinctive Homes

September 25, 2015

Watch Videos of Morgan Stanley’s New Times Square LED Screens That Replaced Its Iconic Zipper

By Ondel Hylton

Last week, Morgan Stanley unveiled a set of seven modernized LED signs at the base of its headquarters building at 1585 Broadway in Times Square. The digital billboards, which took five months to replace, feature six million LED pixels that can display up to 281 trillion colors. The screens replace the iconic amber ticker that stood at the lower three floors of the Gwathmey, Siegel & Associates-designed building for more than 20 years. Since the sign was inspired by similar signage at Bloomberg's 731 Lexington Avenue, the bank spent nine months working with Bloomberg's internal creative agency to develop its content. With custom-built technology by British-based Framestore, the screens can display updated imagery and data at all times. The sign's fact sheet (PDF) notes that the displays will be operational 19 hours a day and will display 2,100 pieces of distinct content, including 855 news headlines and real-time data of eight global indices.
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September 25, 2015

Noho Apartment Boasts Vintage Detailing and Doubles as a Performance Venue

By Rebecca Paul

New York City is known for its multi-functional spaces, but seeing how the concept is incorporated into homes on an individual basis is always an exciting venture, and this transitional space in Noho is no exception. Designed by Wettling Architects, the very cool apartment was renovated to be both a home and a gathering hall for performances and benefits. Plus, it's full of vintage accessories reminiscent of an an old school New York many of us have only seen on TV, an interesting fact considering it was once home to "Law & Order: SVU" star B.D. Wong.
See more of this fun space

September 25, 2015

Soap Star’s Renovated, Family-Friendly Harlem Brownstone Back on the Market for $2.9M