Manhattan

That's right. Live in this 1 Morton Square condo and you can brag to your friends that you'll always have a little piece of Amy Poehler and Will Arnett with you. In happier times, the former couple owned a portion of this condo combo before selling it for $2.2 million and, as the Jeffersons say, "movin' on up" to a higher and more expensive floor in the building. Now their unit, #5B has been combined with unit #5C for one exquisite four-bedroom $9.995 million pad.
More pics inside

May 4, 2015

Shoes Are the Star at This SoHo Loft Redesign by Aa Studio

By Emily Nonko

Anyone who appreciates good design as much as a good pair of shoes will love this project by Aa Studio. The New York-based architecture firm focuses on space, proportion and light in home design. So given the task of a bedroom redesign that would also accommodate a large designer shoe collection, it's no surprise that the result feels so spacious. The gorgeous, bright master bedroom, located inside of a Soho penthouse, comes with sleek, grown-up cubby spaces that show off the impressive footwear display.
See more interior photos here

Extell Looks to Religion to Build Its Next 57th Street Supertall Tower

The possible skyline in 2018, via CityRealty

May 4, 2015

Extell Looks to Religion to Build Its Next 57th Street Supertall Tower

In the past, it was street names like Park Avenue and Central Park West that signaled a building's wealth and prestige, but these days it's gotten confined to a much shorter thoroughfare, 57th Street. Appropriately dubbed Billionaires' Row, the stretch has gotten much heat lately for its influx of supertall towers casting shadows on Central Park just to the north. Three of the towers in this sky-high lineup belong to Extell Development: the under-construction Nordstrom Tower at 217 West 57th Street, which will be the tallest residential building in the world when completed; 111 West 57th Street; and everyone's favorite One57. But now, as Crain's reveals, Extell is looking to expand its 57th Street portfolio with the site of the current Calvary Baptist Church and the Salisbury Hotel at 123 West 57th Street, on the same block as 111 West 57th and One57. As the paper reports, the church "will soon decide whether it will sell its sanctuary and 197-room hotel" to the developer.
More on the possible project here

May 1, 2015

West Village Rowhouse Once Home to Photographer Diane Arbus Lists for $13.5M

If you've ever seen the work of legendary photographer Diane Arbus, you know her style is a little offbeat. Born into a rich NYC family in 1923, Arbus became famous for capturing "deviant and marginal people," those who would otherwise seem ugly to most, with her camera. Unfortunately, she's also remembered for taking her own life at the age of 48 while living at the Westbeth Artists Community. But before moving to the well-known artists' complex, Arbus lived in an appropriately "secret world," a West Village back house that was once a stable, hidden behind its classic, Federal-style rowhouse at 131 Charles Street. She moved into the rear carriage house in 1959 after separating from her husband Allan Arbus and lived there until around 1968. As the Wall Street Journal reports, both the front and back houses are now on the market for $13.5 million.
Look inside this magnificent, historic home

May 1, 2015

Live in Eleanor Roosevelt’s Historic Townhouse for $18M

Yes, one of history's favorite First Ladies once called this Upper East Side place home. In fact, she wrote about her apartment in a column she had, called "My Day," referring to it as her "new little apartment." Today the building, part of the landmarked Treadwell Farm Historic District, is a single-family townhouse owned by investor Charles Ueng. He purchased it for about $9 million in 2011, spent $2 million renovating it, and now has it on the market for $18 million.
Take a look around Eleanor Roosevelt's former home

April 30, 2015

Hell’s Kitchen, Once the ‘Wild West,’ Now Undergoing Rapid Gentrification

There's yet to be an exact agreed-upon theory as to where the name Hell's Kitchen came from, but most historians agree that it had something to do with the poor tenement conditions and general filth of the neighborhood in the 19th century. Its reputation didn't get any better in the 20th century, though. After the repeal of prohibition, the area became overrun with organized crime, and until the 1980s it was known as a home base for several gangs. Today, Hell's Kitchen is no longer the "Wild West," but rather a rapidly gentrifying community ripe for new development. A neighborhood profile today in the Times looks at the transformation of the neighborhood, also called Clinton or Midtown West, which is generally defined as the area from Eighth Avenue to the Hudson River between 34th to 59th Streets. Summed up, "New buildings are going up, and older ones are being converted to high-end residences. The development of Hudson Yards and the High Line just to its south and the addition of the Time Warner Center on its northeast border have spurred growth. Prices have gone up but are still generally lower than in surrounding neighborhoods."
Find out more ahead

Photo via Le Travelist

April 29, 2015

The Four Seasons: An Iconic Interior Landmark Faces an Uncertain Future

As you probably already know, 2015 marks the 50th anniversary of the NYC landmarks law. And one of the ways the city is marking the historic event is with an exhibit at the New York School of Interior Design called Rescued, Restored, Reimagined: New York’s Landmark Interiors, which focuses on some of the 117 public spaces throughout the five boroughs that have been designated interior landmarks. In conjunction with this exhibit, Open House New York recently hosted an interior landmark scavenger hunt (for which 6sqft took eighth place out of 40 teams!), which brought participants to designated interior spaces in Manhattan, the Bronx, and Brooklyn over the course of seven hours. One of the spots we visited was the Four Seasons restaurant inside the famed Seagram Building. Through our scavenger hunt challenges here, we learned just how groundbreaking this restaurant was for its innovative design and role as the quintessential Midtown "power lunch" spot. But the Four Seasons, despite its landmark status, is facing an uncertain future.
Learn about the past, present, and future of the Four Seasons here

April 29, 2015

Rustic-Meets-Industrial Chelsea Pad Is Like a Parisian Atelier

If you value location and like exposed brick, wood beams and skylights, this $650,000 Chelsea pad at 127 West 15th Street just might be the answer to your prayers. The restored one-bedroom boasts all those features and more, including tall ceilings and a decorative fireplace. And if you want your own gym you can just forget a few items when you leave the house and run back up and down the three flights to this top-floor walk-up. We're only 50% joking.
More pics inside

Distinctive Homes

Andy Warhol’s 1960s Screen Tests to Be Played on Times Square Billboards

From a 1965 screen test of Edie Sedgwick, via Andy Warhol Museum

April 29, 2015

Andy Warhol’s 1960s Screen Tests to Be Played on Times Square Billboards

Plans for a New York City branch of the Andy Warhol Museum may have been scrapped, but starting Friday the pop artist will take over Times Square for three minutes every night of the month. As Gothamist reports, Times Square Arts will show Warhol's rarely-seen 1960s Screen Tests on the electronic billboards every night at 11:57 p.m. as part of their monthly Midnight Moment series. Warhol's 500 Screen Tests are "revealing portraits of hundreds of different individuals," both famous and not, frequent visitors to the Factory and newcomers. Those on the Times Square roster include Bob Dylan, Allen Ginsberg, Lou Reed, Twist Jim Rosenquist, Harry Smith, and Edie Sedgwick.
More info here

Events & Things To Do

April 29, 2015

POLL: Will Bjarke Ingels Take Over the Design for 2 World Trade Center?

Earlier this week, we reported that Bjarke Ingels was in talks to take over Norman Foster‘s design of 2 World Trade Center, noting that “if News Corporation and 21st Century Fox decide to move into 2 World Trade Center, as previously reported, developer Larry Silverstein may drop Foster’s design in favor of a new one […]

April 28, 2015

Is the Third Time a Charm for This $40M Penthouse with Glass Floors and a Seven-Car Garage?

All it takes is one glance at this head-turner to see that it's pretty special. The 11,000-square-foot duplex features glass floors, floor-to-ceiling windows offering 360 degree views of the Hudson River and the city, and 5,200 square feet of outdoor space in the form of several terraces. The stunning penthouse has had a time of it on the market, first popping up in 2012 with an $80,000 a month price tag, and then reappearing in October 2014 asking $95,000 a month. Now it's trying its hand at the sales market for $39.8 million.
More pics inside

Distinctive Homes

A Family of Four Squeezes into This Tiny 640-Square-Foot East Village Apartment

Image courtesy of Dwell

April 28, 2015

A Family of Four Squeezes into This Tiny 640-Square-Foot East Village Apartment

Couples shacking up in small spaces is nothing new, but this may be the first time we've seen more than two folks squeezing into a tiny pad. Featured on Dwell, this family of four in the East Village proves that home is where the heart is—not how big your house is. So how do they manage with a baby and a nine-year-old in just 640 square feet?
Have a look inside here

April 28, 2015

Yorkville Is NYC’s Most ‘Local’ Area; Meet the Woman Who Photographed Every Bodega in Manhattan

Chatting with a second generation steel casement window restoration craftsman. [Find Everything Historic] Using data from Yelp, this map shows the most local and touristy spots in 16 major cities. In NYC, Yorkville is the most local, and the Theater District is the most touristy. [Washington Post] On Friday night, for the first time, the Empire […]

Uncategorized

April 27, 2015

2 World Trade Center May Ditch Norman Foster’s Design for a Bjarke Ingels Skyscraper

Norman Foster may lose out on yet another major project in Manhattan. The Journal writes that if News Corporation and 21st Century Fox decide to move into 2 World Trade Center, as previously reported, developer Larry Silverstein may drop Foster's design in favor of a new one by none other than starchitect of the moment, Bjarke Ingels of BIG.
Find out more here

April 27, 2015

Have a Beer with Friends on the Patio of This Former Brewery

If you're looking for a fun loft with a unique layout and some old world touches, you are going to love this two-bedroom condo at the Gramercy Park Habitat. Like all the units in this seven-story building, this $1.85 million recently renovated loft has remnants of its former life as a brewery, including wood beam ceilings, exposed columns, and exposed brick walls.
More pics after the jump

April 27, 2015

The High and Low: Two Classic Central Park West Co-ops in the Celeb-Filled El Dorado

By Michelle Cohen

Inspired by all the talk of Demi Moore listing her San Remo penthouse for a potentially record-breaking $75 million, we found some even more fabulously grand Central Park West, Emery-Roth-designed, graciously pre-war detailed listings at the San Remo’s equally fabulous and celebrity-favored cousin, the El Dorado at 300 Central Park West. The "high" listing is exactly that: Not only a penthouse, but a rare offering that spans two floors of one of the iconic building's skyline-defining twin towers. And of course there's the view from your double-decker tower perch, which is the one that really counts. But before you lunge for your wallet (or if you're thinking you don't really need the square footage of a small walled city), the “low” listing is in the same famous and fabulous iconic building, and it’s even on a high floor. While it’s technically a one-bedroom, it has that classic pre-war co-op's gracious layout. And it’s asking $1.4 million, which, a few caveats aside, sounds astonishingly reasonable. And you still get to be neighbors with Meredith Viera and the lingering spirit of Bruce Willis, Alec Baldwin, Moby, Bono and many more past residents.
The El Dorado for $29 million and $1.4 million, this way...

Distinctive Homes

April 27, 2015

Secrets of Carnegie Hall; Bronx Residents Call 911 to Report UFO

Friday night’s VIP grand opening of the new Whitney was so packed with 3,000 people that the museum was worried about the art. [NYP] Inside the World Trade Center showroom. [Tribeca Citizen] Rats take at least 2,800 steps a day, but rarely go more than 600 feet from their birthplace. Find out how NYC’s rats get where they’re […]

Uncategorized

April 27, 2015

DHD Interiors’ Modern Loft Peacefully Coexists Among Gramercy Park’s 19th Century Homes

By Stephanie Hoina

When we think of Gramercy Park it calls to mind stately 19th-century mansions, brownstones and carriage houses—and of course, the elusive crown jewel in the middle of it all, the park itself. But sharing the stage with the neighborhood's turn-of-the-century aesthetic are a number of newer developments that have an elegance all their own.
Have a look inside

Distinctive Homes

April 27, 2015

WSP Eco Map Tracks the Hidden Minetta Creek and Trees of Washington Square Park

It's easy to get distracted in Washington Square Park by all the NYU students and street performers, but there's a lot more than meets the eye in this historic public space. For instance, did you know the Minetta Creek runs under the park and through the surrounding neighborhood? Or what about all those beautiful trees, wouldn't it be fun to know a little more about them? With a new mobile map called the WSP Eco Map, you can identify the species of many trees in the park, locate other environmental park components like nesting boxes, and see exactly where the Minetta Brook/Creek is hiding.
Find out more here

Architecture And Design

April 24, 2015

Soho’s MoMA Store May Shutter Because It Can’t Afford the Rent

Soho's rapidly rising rents have just taken another victim, this time the neighborhood institution potentially being booted is the area's beloved MoMA Design store at 81 Spring Street. Crain's reports that the owner of the three-level, 14,500-square-foot space wants an annual rent of $2.5 million—that's three times more than what the area was asking when MoMA took up residency over 13 years ago.
Find out more here

April 24, 2015

Imagine the Possibilities in This $2.5M Central Park West Triplex with Verdant Garden

It's build-your-own-dream-home time! Here's a look at a completely gutted brownstone triplex right off Central Park. This 2,100-square-foot pad provides the perfect excuse to grab your interior designer and unleash your imagination. The space includes the parlor, garden level, and basement of a prewar co-op, with a 750-square-foot backyard. And it can be yours for $2.495 million.
More pics inside

Distinctive Homes

April 24, 2015

Vasily Klyukin’s ‘Top Sexy’ Skyscraper Concept Shows Some Serious Leg

Just when you thought skyscraper design couldn't get any more out there, Vasily Klyukin's vision for a FiDi tower blows even the tallest of towers out of the water. Unquestionably a very eye-catching and provocative—if not downright weird—design, Klyukin's "Top Sexy Tower" concept is inspired by the stems of fashion models who can be found stomping across the streets of Manhattan.
Find out more, plus other photos here

Architecture And Design

April 24, 2015

Lofty Greenwich Village Condo Offers Plenty of Space to Show Off Your Art

By Emily Nonko

This is not your artsy Greenwich Village apartment of the beatnik era. The condo at 29 East 10th Street, which takes up the entire second floor, is more along the lines of "luxury loft living." It has been renovated with custom lighting and exposed brickwork to accommodate the seller's impressive, sometimes kooky, art collection. And it seems like unique design is a trend of the building, which is a former 19th century feather factory. Last year an impressive condo hit the market here asking $14.995 million. This new apartment is asking significantly less, priced at $3.95 million.
See more of the interior photos here

April 23, 2015

EXCLUSIVE PHOTOS: Take a Tour Inside the Brand New Whitney Museum!