Manhattan

Opulent Steven Gambrel-Designed UES Co-Op Looks to Make $6M Flip
April 3, 2015

Opulent Steven Gambrel-Designed UES Co-Op Looks to Make $6M Flip

By
Before we get into this listing, we just have to point out that the owner of this lavish prewar co-op at 79 East 79th Street is a man named Timothy O'Hara from Savannah, Georgia. We wonder if he has a fictional ancestor named Scarlett. We also wonder if he hasn't heard that joke a million times in his life. O'Hara and his wife Dara purchased the Upper East Side home for $7.25 million back in 2012, and in a flip for the ages, it's back on the market for nearly double that price, at $13.5 million. However, this newly renovated home's custom millwork and bold lacquer paint finishes create a blend of subtle sophistication and vitality that just might be enough to lure buyers to drop some serious cash.
Tour the elegant abode here
Zachary Quinto Nabs a Sprawling Noho Pad for $3.2 Million
April 2, 2015

Zachary Quinto Nabs a Sprawling Noho Pad for $3.2 Million

By
Zachary Quinto–"Star Trek"'s new Spock who's also known for his roles in "Heroes" and HBO's "Girls"–just dropped $3.1625 million on a two-bedroom Noho pad with longtime boyfriend, model Miles McMillan. The 2,300-square-foot full-floor loft at 43 Great Jones Street was initially listed at $3.7 million in March 2014, but it suffered a few price chops before the LA transplants scooped it up. Their new home is the definition of a sleek and modern downtown pad, with walnut floors, oversized windows, and a stainless steel gourmet kitchen.
More pics inside
Revealed: East Harlem Rental Building by Gerald J. Caliendo Architects Rising at 2183 Third Avenue

Rendering of 2183 Third Avenue via Gerald J. Caliendo Architects (L); The project site prior to construction(R)

April 2, 2015

Revealed: East Harlem Rental Building by Gerald J. Caliendo Architects Rising at 2183 Third Avenue

By
Here's our first look at 2183 Third Avenue, an under-construction mixed-use project in East Harlem being developed by Sharon Kahen and Haim Levi's East 119th Street Development LLC. The parcel at the northeast corner of East 119th Street and Third Avenue is giving rise to a 12-story, 64,000-square-foot building designed by the prolific Gerald J. Caliendo Architects. The building will contain 59 rental units, retail space, and a medical facility at ground level. In 2003, East Harlem underwent a 57-block rezoning spearheaded by the Bloomberg administration's City Planning chair Amanda Burden. The revision, the neighborhood's first in 40 years, increased density allowances along First, Second, and Third Avenues, while preserving the human-scaled midblocks in between. Over the past decade, more than a dozen residential mid-rises, roughly 8-12 stories, have blossomed along the area's wide, well-trafficked corridors. Recent developments spurred by the rezoning include Barry Rice's 119th & Third, Hunter College's Silberman School of Social Work, and Kahen and Levi's own CL Tower at Third Avenue and East 121st Street, two blocks north of their current project site.
More details on the new project here
Innocad’s Ultra-Modern Chelsea Penthouse Pays Homage to Marilyn Monroe
April 2, 2015

Innocad’s Ultra-Modern Chelsea Penthouse Pays Homage to Marilyn Monroe

By
The super-modern, asymmetrical building at 459 West 18th Street undoubtedly makes a statement in the Chelsea streetscape, but all those angles present a very untraditional interior composition. So when designing the penthouse, the architects at Innocad made a conscious decision to embrace the building's angled individuality, mixing European design and New York lifestyle to create a fresh atmosphere. They also added a very unexpected and subtle art piece that pays homage to Marilyn Monroe (can you spot it?).
Take a look around
EVENT: Tour the Jewish Lower East Side and Enjoy a Passover Feast at the Museum at Eldridge Street

Image courtesy of OHNY

April 2, 2015

EVENT: Tour the Jewish Lower East Side and Enjoy a Passover Feast at the Museum at Eldridge Street

By
The Museum at Eldridge Street clearly knows that the best way to keep a crowd's attention is to offer a little something to eat. That's why their upcoming tour, Passover Nosh & Stroll – Jewish Landmarks of the Lower East Side, sounds like the best way to celebrate the Pesach holiday. Beginning at the landmarked synagogue "with a kosher-for-Passover 'feast' of matzo, cream cheese, jam, pickles and chocolate from Streit’s Matzo and The Pickle Guys," the tour will then visit the historic and culinary institutions of the old Jewish Lower East Side, including the Forward Newspaper Building, Jarmulowsky Bank, Loew’s Theatre, Bes Medrash Hagadol Synagogue and Economy Candy.
More details here
Soho Loft Featured in ‘Ghost’ Hits the Market for $10.5 Million
April 2, 2015

Soho Loft Featured in ‘Ghost’ Hits the Market for $10.5 Million

By
The incredible home that played host to Demi Moore and Patrick Swayze's sexy crime thriller "Ghost" has just hit the market. The Post reports that the loft located at 102 Prince Street is asking a respectable $10.5 million for its 4,341 square feet, which comes with a private key-lock elevator, double entry doors, cast iron columns, incredible downtown views and much more.
have a look inside
The High and Low: Two ‘Mad’ Pads Offer Modernist Details, Timeless Appeal

Butterfield House at 37 West 12th Street (l); 225 East 74th Street (r).

April 1, 2015

The High and Low: Two ‘Mad’ Pads Offer Modernist Details, Timeless Appeal

By
In honor of the final season of "Mad Men," we've found a pair of current listings with the modern appeal of the Draper apartment at (fictional) 783 Park Avenue. Accents that might come straight from the pages of a mid-century magazine—like a sunken living room, wood paneling and a Nelson hanging light–or 21st century perks like open kitchens, floor-to-ceiling windows, balconies and city views add up to just as much modern cool as they did in the "Mad Men" era. $2.8 million gets you a serious mid-century pedigree, an enclosed balcony and a prime Greenwich Village location, but for $925,000, a top-floor Upper East Side pre-war pad with a recent renovation, city views and a compellingly modernist vibe looks like a serious deal.
Check out these two 'Mad Men'-worthy pads here
Is the Meatpacking District the Next Midtown?

Rendering of 860 Washington Street, via James Carpenter Design Associates

April 1, 2015

Is the Meatpacking District the Next Midtown?

By
We tend to think of the Meatpacking District as more of an after-hours or weekend destination for cocktails and shopping, but a piece in the Times today looks at the "influx of office space and more" moving into the neighborhood. In addition to the much-anticipated opening on May 1st of Renzo Piano's new Whitney Museum along the High Line, a James Carpenter-designed 10-story glass commercial tower and Samsung's six-story flagship building are taking shape across from the Standard Hotel. And let's not forget about Pier 55, the $130 million futuristic floating park that is expected to break ground in 2016 off West 14th Street. With all of these new cultural attractions that will undoubtedly attract tourists, coupled with big-name companies joining the likes of Google in the area, is the Meatpacking District the new Midtown?
More ahead
West Village Townhouse is Formal and Fun with a Bold Palette, Eclectic Furnishings – and Penguins
April 1, 2015

West Village Townhouse is Formal and Fun with a Bold Palette, Eclectic Furnishings – and Penguins

By
New York City is rich with buildings from another time, each offering a unique blend of period details, classic lines, and historical features. As a result, the homes within, as beautiful as they are, can sometimes seem a little, well, stuffy. Faced with the challenge of bringing a more modern aesthetic to their client’s West Village townhouse while respecting the home’s time-honored elegance, Brooklyn-based design firm The New Design Project incorporated a bold palette, eclectic furnishings, and a whimsical family of penguins to instill a fun atmosphere and give the space a younger feel.
Those penguins and more this way
April 1, 2015

POLL: Is Chinatown the Next Hip ‘Hood?

By

Yesterday, we took a look at a Wall Street Journal article that reported on a new crop of shops, galleries, and condos popping up in Chinatown, attracting both a hipster crowd and real estate developers. While developments like Essex Crossing are definitely setting parts of the neighborhood on the gentrification track, other areas are still full of open-air […]

Live in Frank Lloyd Wright’s Former Plaza Apartment for $39.5M
March 31, 2015

Live in Frank Lloyd Wright’s Former Plaza Apartment for $39.5M

By
Did you know that Frank Lloyd Wright was once a resident of The Plaza? Neither did we! The Post reports that the 4,000-square-foot pad the prolific architect briefly called home has just hit the market for $39.5 million. Wright lived in the corner apartment of the storied building from 1954 to 1959 while he was working on the Guggenheim Museum. The location right by Central Park—and a 30-minute walk from the site of his iconic creation—must certainly have bode well for the architect's creative juices.
Inside Wright's former digs here
Chinatown, Once Unchanged, Now Attracting Hipsters–and Real Estate Developers

Image via CityRealty

March 31, 2015

Chinatown, Once Unchanged, Now Attracting Hipsters–and Real Estate Developers

By
"Canal Street is a gantlet of billboards and signs; Courvoisier, Pearl Paint, Bally's Grand Hotel, Salem Cigarettes, Lincoln Savings Bank, Mc Donald's, and signs in Chinese impend on traffic, which is the covered with signs and graffiti itself." A New Yorker article published in 1990 paints a picture of Chinatown that isn’t all that different from the one we know today. Despite its prime location, few developers have eyed Chinatown as a destination for luxury living. As a largely self-sustaining community—many stores don’t even bother with English—it has preserved its cultural fabric even as the city has gone through transformation after transformation just streets away. But all of this is changing. A new crop of shops, galleries and condos is starting to find its way into the neighborhood's depths, the Wall Street Journal reports, and brokers are predicting rapid change for Chinatown over the next decade.
more on changes in chinatown
Jendretzki’s Spectacular Soho ‘Bubble Loft’ Available for Short-Term Rental at $40K/Month

Image courtesy of Jendretzki

March 31, 2015

Jendretzki’s Spectacular Soho ‘Bubble Loft’ Available for Short-Term Rental at $40K/Month

By
When we wrote last year about the “out of this world” design of the 6,000-square-foot loft located at 145 Sixth Avenue in Soho, we had no idea the owners would decide to share their incredible home for a few months, offering the lucky renter a one-of-a-kind June-through-October experience in the city. In addition to the sure-to-be-a-conversation-starter giant bubble structure housing two bedrooms in the southwest corner of the home, there are a myriad of design elements incorporated by the architectural firm Jendretzki that provide plenty to talk about.
See all the surprises ahead
Extension of NoMad Historic District Has Preservationists at Odds with Building Owners

Broadway between 26th and 27th Streets, part of the current Madison Square North Historic District, via Wiki Commons

March 31, 2015

Extension of NoMad Historic District Has Preservationists at Odds with Building Owners

By
Over the past few years, NoMad (north of Madison Square Park) has been the subject of countless articles looking at its rise to becoming a go-to place for culture, food, business, and residential opportunities. In fact, as we reported last June, since 2009 the neighborhood has seen price-per-square-foot averages rise by 40 percent. But not everyone looks at this neighborhood as the next frontier. Local residents and preservationists see the area as a relic of the late 19th century, when it was home to the city’s most opulent hotels and mansions and brownstones occupied by New York’s elite, as well as of the Roaring Twenties, when the community boomed as a commercial hub. For these cultural reasons and for NoMad's wealth of industrial and gilded architecture, a proposal will be heard tonight in front of the landmarks committee of Community Board No. 5 to extend the Madison Square North Historic District. NoMad property owners and developers don't agree with the proposal, citing that the area's building stock has been significantly altered over the years. As the Wall Street Journal reports, "The face-off is significant because it is centered in an area that has seen hundreds of millions of dollars of private investment, with new hotels and apartment buildings breaking ground, and new stores and restaurants opening almost weekly. In the eyes of real-estate executives, it would freeze growth in a rare section of Midtown Manhattan still ripe for development."
More details
Spend the Summer in a Furnished Bohemian Loft in the West Village for $7K/Month
March 31, 2015

Spend the Summer in a Furnished Bohemian Loft in the West Village for $7K/Month

By
We're pretty sure the definition of the best of both worlds is a rustic luxury loft in Manhattan. This spacious West Village studio at 289 Bleecker Street boasts original details and high ceilings, and this summer it can all be yours, fully furnished mind you, for $7000 a month. The loft has all the classic enviable details like whitewashed brick and refinished original wide plank hardwood floors. The double-height ceilings allow for two levels of giant windows with skylights to give the space an airy feel, while details like exposed wood beams add even more character to the space.
More pics inside
New Rendering and Teaser Site Released for 111 West 57th Street

Rendering via Hayes Davidson and SHoP Architects

March 30, 2015

New Rendering and Teaser Site Released for 111 West 57th Street

By
"111 West 57th Street defines the idea of a modern classic: a residence whose timeless design evokes the prewar Golden Age of Manhattan skyscrapers, while also delivering high-technology performance, 21st century engineering, and contemporary comfort without compromise." This is the text from 111 West 57th Street's new teaser site. The webpage for the will-be world's skinniest tower is accompanied by a new rendering, which makes the SHoP-designed supertall appear even more dominant in the skyline than previously envisioned and tacks an additional seven feet onto its height, bringing it to 1,428 feet.
More details and a new height comparison ahead
New Yorker Spotlight: Gil Shapiro of Urban Archaeology Re-Imagines Beautiful Old Things
March 27, 2015

New Yorker Spotlight: Gil Shapiro of Urban Archaeology Re-Imagines Beautiful Old Things

By
Native New Yorker Gil Shapiro founded Urban Archaeology in the early 1970s, when the salvaging movement was just catching on. With a collector’s–and creator's–eye and an entrepreneurial spirit, he began re-imagining architectural remnants as treasured additions to the home environment. This month the company has been preparing for an auction taking place on March 27th and 28th, handled by Guernsey’s auction house, when nearly 1,000 of their long-treasured pieces of history will be sold to prepare for a move to a new location. First opened in Soho in 1978, the store's early customers–including Andy Warhol and other denizens of what was undisputedly the epicenter of the art world–adored the unique and time-treasured aspects of Shapiro's restored architectural salvage pieces, yet they would always find ways they wished they could customize their favorite items. Finding that he excelled at bringing a fresh perspective to pieces of historical and architectural importance, he started reproducing individual pieces as well as creating new lines of bath fixtures and lighting, many of which originated in places like the Plaza Hotel, New York’s Yale Club and the St. Regis Hotel.
Read our interview with Gil here
New Renderings Revealed for Tadao Ando’s ‘Glass Jewel Box’ Condo in Nolita
March 27, 2015

New Renderings Revealed for Tadao Ando’s ‘Glass Jewel Box’ Condo in Nolita

By
Over the summer we got a couple of teaser renderings for Pritzker Prize-winning architect Tadao Ando's forthcoming Nolita condo at 152 Elizabeth Street. But now the Times has released the entire batch of starchitecture porn, including a full building shot and interior details. Ando's first-ever standalone building in New York is a seven-story condominium with just seven units, and its design is completely representative of his signature style. Described as a "glass jewel box" by the Times, it's made of in-situ concrete, galvanized steel and glass, combining to create a simplistic, modern esthetic that blends with the area's industrial character. The Japanese self-taught starchitect wanted to create "a space which no one has created before with a very common material which anyone is familiar with and has access to. Concrete can be made anywhere on earth."
Pricing info and renderings this way
$12M Duplex Designed by Robert Couturier Brings a Bit of Versailles to the Upper East Side
March 27, 2015

$12M Duplex Designed by Robert Couturier Brings a Bit of Versailles to the Upper East Side

By
There's a beautiful four-bedroom duplex available at 953 Fifth Avenue on the Upper East Side, asking $12 million. The Robert Couturier-designed apartment seamlessly incorporates classic and contemporary styles while offering great views of the park. And it all starts with a private elevator entrance and a foyer with beautiful wood floor details.
More pics inside
The Knickerbocker: Times Square’s First Luxury Hotel Is Reborn as a Modern Landmark
March 26, 2015

The Knickerbocker: Times Square’s First Luxury Hotel Is Reborn as a Modern Landmark

By
When John Jacob Astor IV built the Knickerbocker Hotel in 1906, he launched a generation of luxury Times Square hotels. The Beaux Arts masterpiece attracted the likes of F. Scott Fitzgerald, John D. Rockefeller, and Italian tenor Enrico Caruso. It was the birthplace of the martini and the site where the sale of Babe Ruth from the Red Sox to the Yankees took place. But after just 15 years, the hotel's success declined just as fast as it emerged and it was repurposed as an office space, later becoming the Newsweek Building. Today, though, the landmark is reclaiming its title of ultimate luxury hotel under its original moniker. After a two-year, $240 million modern renovation, the Knickerbocker offers 330 guest rooms, a rooftop bar and lounge with the ultimate view of the Times Square ball drop, and a foodie destination restaurant from chef Charlie Palmer.
Uncover the history and future of the Knickerbocker
Woody Johnson’s Co-op Sale Still Sets Record, but Comes In Lower Than Expected at $77.5M
March 26, 2015

Woody Johnson’s Co-op Sale Still Sets Record, but Comes In Lower Than Expected at $77.5M

By

The real estate world was abuzz last fall when the news hit that Jets owner Woody Johnson had sold his Upper East Side apartment to billionaire Leonard Blavatnik for $80 million, setting the record for most expensive co-op sale ever. The official city documents have hit, though, and the sale price came in lower than expected at $77.5 million. But […]

Sprawling Soho Loft Featured in ‘Sex and the City’ Lists for $18K/Month
March 26, 2015

Sprawling Soho Loft Featured in ‘Sex and the City’ Lists for $18K/Month

By
If this incredible Soho loft looks familiar, it's likely because it's been used as a location on "Sex and the City," "Ugly Betty," and the Will Smith movie "Hitch," to name a few. It's also been featured in numerous architectural books and commercials. We're not surprised as to why location scouts and interior design publications flock to the sprawling, full-floor residence at 55 Greene Street, as it has all the quintessential and historic loft details one would hope for, like 15-foot pressed-tin ceilings, classic Corinthian cast-iron columns and wrap-around 10-foot-high windows. The famous three-bedroom pad is now listed as an $18,000/month rental.
Take a look around
Construction Update: ODA Architects’ 155W 18th Gets Its Skin

155W 18th Street under construction © 6sqft

March 26, 2015

Construction Update: ODA Architects’ 155W 18th Gets Its Skin

By
Flying under the radar, an 11-story, 30-unit condominium at 155 West 18th Street has topped off and is applying a dignified bluestone facade to its concrete structural frame. Developed by Eldad Blaustein's Izaki Group and designed by ODA Architects, 155W 18th joins a list of recent and upcoming downtown residential buildings sensitive to the rhythms and proportions of their neighbors, while still introducing fresh forms and rich materials to excite our senses and enhance our surroundings. With young design firms such as ODA, SHoP, and DDG leading the way, a cool and confident downtown vernacular has emerged, trading cookie-cutter layouts, flat glass skins, and pastiche styling for spacious light-filled floor plans and exteriors composed of sumptuous materials that provide a kind of weight and timelessness to the structures.
More details on 155 West 18th Street's progress
Fashion Stylist Joe Zee Sells Chelsea Pad to Famed Designer Narciso Rodriguez for $2M
March 26, 2015

Fashion Stylist Joe Zee Sells Chelsea Pad to Famed Designer Narciso Rodriguez for $2M

By

In a very fashion-friendly transaction, stylist and journalist Joe Zee–creative director of Elle for seven years and currently the editor-in-chief and executive creative officer of Yahoo Fashion and host of a fashion-based television show called “All on the Line”–has sold his Chelsea apartment at 300 West 23rd Street to clothing designer Narciso Rodriguez for $2 million, according to city […]

Pitch a story icon

Pitch a Story

We love to hear from you!

"*" indicates required fields

Interested in seeing the property in person?

It’s free, with no obligation.

CityRealty Logo

"*" indicates required fields

or Call (212) 755-5544

Interested in seeing the property in person?

It’s free, with no obligation.

CityRealty Logo

Distinctive Post Form

"*" indicates required fields

or Call (212) 755-5544
Contact us image

Get in Touch

We love to hear from you!

"*" indicates required fields

Send us a tip image
Delivering New York stories focused on design, lifestyle & real estate.

Send us a Tip

We love to hear from you!

"*" indicates required fields

Interesting in learning more about purchasing a new home?

Let us know what you are looking for and we’ll help you find the home of your dreams. It’s free, with no obligation.

CityRealty Logo
or Call (212) 755-5544

Thinking about selling your home?

We’ll provide current market comps and connect you with a trusted expert.

CityRealty Logo

Sell a Home (Footer)

"*" indicates required fields

or Call (212) 755-5544

Before You Move On
from this Page.

Subscribe for NYC's Lastest Design, Lifestyle,
and Real Estate Trends!

No Worries. We Don’t Spam.

By providing your email address, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
You can unsubscribe at any time.

Your Passport to NYC:
Subscribe for Local Insights and Stories!

No Worries. We Don’t Spam.

By providing your email address, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
You can unsubscribe at any time.