Manhattan

The West Village mansion at 278 West 11th Street hit the market for $30 million in March of last year, which was a huge jump from the $8.2 million owner George Agiovlasitis paid for it in 2011. But he did buy the property when it was a purple bed and breakfast and transform the 6,500-square-foot Greek Revival townhouse into a single-family home, revealing its original brick façade and replacing the historic stoop. Agiovlasitis has now made quite the profit, unloading the house for $25 million, according to city records released today. The buyer is Paula Wardynski, senior vice president of finance at 21st Century Fox, according to The Real Deal.
Take a look around the stunning residence

Real Estate Trends

April 15, 2015

In the 1700s NYC Had an Official Location for Buying, Selling, and Renting Slaves

Behind all the banks, tall towers and tourists filling up FiDi is a dark past most of us know nothing about. Back in the 1700s, a corner of Wall Street at Pearl Street played host to the city's official slave market. Though no real recognition has been given to those that suffered in the construction of Manhattan in its earliest days—rather, the area's sordid past has for the better part been swept under the rug—WNYC reports that the city will finally pay tribute to these forgotten slaves, adding a historical marker to the site where the slave market once operated.
Find out more about the slave market here

History

April 15, 2015

This Sprawling Sun-Filled Noho Loft Will Make You Want to Dance

Calling all artists! This beautiful Noho loft at 35 Bond Street is literally begging to be the backdrop of your next masterpiece. Whether you want to paint in front of the giant arched windows or tango the entire length of the living room/studio, this massive $5.995 million AIR co-op is certainly an artist's dream.
More pics inside

Distinctive Homes

April 14, 2015

Lovely $11M Greenwich Village Pad Has Two Terraces and Two Master Suites

You know you've found "the one" when you find yourself searching online for artwork to hang on its gallery-sized walls. Our guess is this Greenwich Village co-op at 7 East 9th Street was combined from two units: unit 2R (a large $4.1 million duplex), and 2F (a smaller $900,000 unit). The end result is a massive, $11 million, two- or three-bedroom duplex with sky high 13-foot ceilings, exquisite finishes, and northern and southern light.
More pics inside

Distinctive Homes

April 13, 2015

$1,795 LES Rental Proudly Features a Shower in the Kitchen

If you're going to be that landlord who puts a shower in the kitchen, there's really no point in being subtle. This Lower East Side apartment located at 27 Orchard Street at Delancey has nothing to hide, prominently displaying its shower stall in all its glory front and center. While this type of living situation typically screams studio apartment, the "old world style" pad is actually a one-bedroom that's "better than your average studio!"
More on this apartment here

April 13, 2015

VIDEO: RuPaul Takes Us Around the 1980s Meatpacking District and the Jane Hotel

We know all about the Meatpacking District's beginnings as the Gansevoort Market and the epicenter of meat marketers, as well as its current status as a burgeoning office tower district, but in the 1980s, this neighborhood was one to which most people didn't pay much mind. It was fairly run down, with its industrial tenants having moved out, and became notorious for prostitution, sex clubs, and drug dealing. But there was much more to the area, including an accepting LGBT community and a downtown music and entertainment scene. In this video we found from 1986, a young RuPaul takes us into his penthouse suite at the Jane Hotel, then known as the Jane West Hotel and far seedier than it is today, as well as walks around the gritty streets of the Meatpacking District and into his friend's 9th Avenue rowhouse, which will undoubtedly look familiar to anyone who's walked these cobblestone streets.
Watch the video here

History

April 13, 2015

Norman Foster’s 2 World Trade Center Could Get a Jumpstart Thanks to Rupert Murdoch

Norman Foster's 88-story tower, destined for the last unoccupied site of the World Trade Center complex, could finally get the legs it needs to move forward. The New York Times reports that media giants News Corporation and 21st Century Fox, both headed by Rupert Murdoch, are in talks with the Port Authority and developer Larry Silverstein to make the long-stalled 1,349-foot skyscraper their next home. The move would relocate a number of News Corp. and Fox's top brands—which include the NY Post and the Wall Street Journal—and give 2 WTC what it needs to resume construction as required by the Port Authority; namely a solid anchor tenant. Ground was broken on the tower way back in 2008 and slated for completion in 2016, but in 2013 the Port Authority put a hold on construction until tenants could be found for occupancy.
More on the move forward here

April 12, 2015

Construction Update: SOM’s 252 East 57th Street Getting Its Glass Skin

By Ondel Hylton

With foundation work complete, the World Wide Group / Rose Associates' tower at 252 East 57th Street is rapidly making its climb into the Midtown East skyline. The 57-story development composed of 93 condos and 173 rentals is designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP (SOM), with SLCE serving as the architects of record. Despite the tower's location along the eastern fringe of cloud-busting billionaire's row, the 715-foot building won't be competing for any height records–for instance, 111 West 57th Street is double its height at 1,428 feet. Instead, the tower is shaping up to be more of a typical Midtown East affair, falling in line with its Second Avenue context by providing a broad 80-foot-high base along the avenue and a sheer 50-story rectangular slab rising above. Recent residential towers along Second Avenue such as The Milan, The Veneto, and The Three Ten share 252's massing, which planners prescribed to conform new skyscrapers to the rows of existing walk-up buildings.
More details on the project here

REVEALED: SL Green to Build Another Times Square Spectacular at 719 Seventh Avenue

Image courtesy of Akueous Design

April 10, 2015

REVEALED: SL Green to Build Another Times Square Spectacular at 719 Seventh Avenue

By Ondel Hylton

Here's our first look at what commercial heavyweights SL Green have in mind for a small Times Square corner at 719 Seventh Avenue and West 48th Street. Building permits filed earlier this month call for a four-story, 9,000 square-foot retail building designed by TPG Architecture. Demolition permits were filed back in December and the doomed three-story structure is already shrouded in construction netting and scaffolding. The site also shares its Seventh Avenue block-front with Witkoff's upcoming 40-story Marriott Edition Hotel that will flash one of the largest LED displays in the city.
Find out more on the project here

April 10, 2015

UWS Brownstone Duplex with Private Terrace Asks $1.8 Million

By Emily Nonko

If you can't afford the multi-millions it takes to buy a townhouse off Central Park West, this duplex at 132 West 78th Street may do the trick. Of course, the price is still significant with an ask of $1,795,000. But it's a smaller sum for a lovely, historic pad–the co-op takes up two floors of a brownstone, which is located on a block of even more gorgeous brownstones. And did we mention it's located less than a block away from the Museum of Natural History, and one block from Central Park?
Take a look around here

Distinctive Homes

April 10, 2015

VIDEO: Illegal ’60s Rooftop Concert in Midtown Shows the People and Architecture of Another NYC

It was the winter of 1968 when Jefferson Airplane took to the rooftop of the Schuyler Hotel in Manhattan. The band had just released their fourth album and had also just made the cover of LIFE magazine. High on life—and likely some other stuff—they blasted from their PA atop the nine-story hotel Midtown hotel: "Hello New York! New York, wake up you fuckers! Free music! Nice songs! Free love!" The band got a solid crowd going and at least one song in, but it didn't take very long for the NYPD to show up—the concert was causing traffic jams on the surrounding streets as New Yorkers crowded around the hotel to get a better look. Although the concert was quickly broken up, it was also captured on video by none other than Jean Luc Godard and D.A. Pennebaker. (Fun side fact: Many claim that the Beatles ripped off the band's performance with their show atop a London building about two months later.)
Watch the video here

History

April 10, 2015

Meticulously Renovated Jones Wood Garden Townhouse Looks to Nearly Double Its Price

How would you like to have a secret garden right outside your door? Wouldn’t it be nice to just step out of your dining room, onto your private brick terrace, and walk straight into a field of lush greenness so exclusive it makes Gramercy Park look like a public playground? We’re talking about this stunning five-story townhouse at 160 East 66th Street, right on Jones Wood Garden. Not only does this $11.9 million Upper East Side beauty have a stunning exterior, but the owners, who purchased it in 2008 for just $6.85 million, clearly left no stone unturned during the meticulous renovation.
More pics inside

Distinctive Homes

April 9, 2015

Bill Ackman Closes on One57 Penthouse for $91.5M, Second Most Expensive Condo Sale Ever

After reportedly sitting in contract for almost two years, hedge fund manager Bill Ackman’s planned $90 million flip at One57 has finally closed, according to city records released this afternoon, and for slightly more than expected at $91,541,053. This makes it the second most expensive condo sale ever, coming in only behind the $100 million penthouse also at One57, […]

Real Estate Trends

April 9, 2015

East Harlem: From Manhattan’s First Little Italy to El Barrio to a Neighborhood on the Cusp of Gentrification

A lot of attention is paid to West Harlem, or what many people traditionally consider THE Harlem, thanks to its rich history rooted in places like the Apollo and up-and-coming hot spots like the Studio Museum in Harlem and Marcus Samuelson's renowned restaurant, the Red Rooster. But east of Fifth Avenue, there's a history just as deep, and the neighborhood is at that fragile stage where it could easily be thrust into a wave of gentrification at any time. Defined as the area bound by Fifth Avenue and First Avenue from 96th to 125th Streets, East Harlem is commonly known as Spanish Harlem, or El Barrio by locals. What many people unfamiliar with the neighborhood don't know, though, is that this area got its start as Manhattan's first Little Italy. And if you're the type of New Yorker who doesn't venture above 86th Street, you're likely unaware of the slew of new developments sprouting up in East Harlem thanks to a 2003 57-block rezoning.
Learn about the neighborhood's transformation here

April 9, 2015

Beekman Residence with Elegant Sunken Living Room Asks $1.8M

Here’s an elegant prewar co-op at 434 East 52nd Street asking $1.749 million. The two-bedroom Beekman residence features northern and southern exposures and a stunning sunken living room. It would be interesting to see what the space would look like with less busy furniture and fewer pictures overshadowing the rich detail, but even with the distracting decor, you can see that this is a great place for a full-time residence or pied-a-terre.
More pics inside

Distinctive Homes

April 9, 2015

Real Estate Legend and ‘Shark Tank’ Star Barbara Corcoran Buys $10M UES Penthouse

By Annie Doge

Barbara Corcoran, founder of the Corcoran Group and investor on the popular television show "Shark Tank," has snatched up a fittingly glamorous Upper East Side penthouse for $10 million with her husband, former FBI agent William Higgins, according to a report yesterday by the Post and city records released today. When we ogled the listing at back in October, the 11-room duplex at 1158 Fifth Avenue had just dropped its price to $9.95 million, having originally gone on the market in 2013 for $14.5 million. The sellers are interior and landscape designer Pamela Scurry and her husband Richard. Though the home is currently filled with antique furnishings and old-world details, the real selling point was likely the massive terrace, conservatory, and solarium overlooking Central Park.
Take a look around the stunning home here

April 9, 2015

VIDEO: Meet the ‘Pimps and Hos’ of Seedy ’70s Times Square

Although Times Square has transformed into a commercial beast filled to the brim with advertising, its very sordid and seedy past is certainly not lost on us. One man who found himself in the midst of the area when it was considered the worst block in town was Sheldon Nadelman. From 1972 to 1980, Nadelman worked at Terminal Bar—the city's “roughest bar" by many accounts—directly across from the Port Authority. Between pouring drinks, Nadelman found himself snapping photos of the folks who passed through. Over his decade-long stint, he accumulated a collection of more than 1,500 photos. His subjects were diverse ranging from actors to cooks to business people to tourists to, of course, the pimps and prostitutes that roamed the surrounding streets.
Watch the video here

History

April 9, 2015

Renting a Studio in Manhattan Now Costs an Average of $2,691, Brooklyn Hardly Better

Remember the days when renting a studio was all about saving cash until you've really made it? That era is most definitely over as those looking to live humbly in small quarters should expect to shell out an average of $2,691 for a studio apartment in Manhattan, according to Douglas Elliman's latest rental market report.
Find out more here

Real Estate Trends

My 500sqft: Artist Hector Castaneda Invites Us into His Spanish Harlem One-Bedroom ‘Museum’

Our new 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 Spanish Harlem. Want your home to be featured here? Get in touch!

April 8, 2015

My 500sqft: Artist Hector Castaneda Invites Us into His Spanish Harlem One-Bedroom ‘Museum’

Located in an unassuming low-rise walk-up in Spanish Harlem is a tiny apartment with no views, a small living room, and thousands of pieces of one-of-a-kind art from around the world. Its owner, Hector Castaneda, is a world traveller who's visited more than 50 countries over the last 15 years. While most folks are happy simply snapping a few photos and heading home after a week or two, Hector is all about immersion and spends months at a time in some of the world's most exotic and extreme locales. As Hector travels the world he picks up art, tapestry, sculptures, furniture, and musical instruments from every country, which today magically fill every nook and cranny of his 500-square-foot apartment. "He is the only person I know who can turn a dingy walk-up building apartment into a work of art—it's really a private New York Museum and Hector is the curator," his friend Lisa Monroig told us. Once we heard that, we knew we had to pay him a visit.
Tour this miniature museum in the heart of Spanish Harlem here

April 8, 2015

POLL: Are You Planning to Spend $32 to Visit One World Observatory?

It was big news yesterday that One World Observatory will open to the public on Friday, May 29th. But we can’t help but wonder if New Yorkers are feeling compelled to buy a $32 ticket to go to the viewing platform at 1,250 feet. Maybe it’s your fear of heights or the hefty admission fee that’s keeping […]

Real Estate Trends

April 8, 2015

Developer Vornado Plans to Spend Hundreds of Millions on Revitalizing Penn Station Area

Most New Yorkers only venture to the area around Penn Station when it's absolutely necessary–traveling to New Jersey or Long Island, going to a business meeting at Penn Plaza, or seeing a Rangers game. Otherwise, we avoid it like the plague. But Vornado Realty Trust, one of the country's largest office landlords–they own roughly nine million square feet around Penn Station worth $5.5 billion–is hoping to do a complete 180 on the area by "investing hundreds of millions of dollars in new retail space, public plazas and other infrastructure, according to real-estate executives briefed on the plans," according to the Wall Street Journal.
More details ahead

Real Estate Trends

REVEALED: 900-Foot Norman Foster-Designed Condo Tower Coming to Sutton Place

Rendering of the new tower (L); The four-building assemblage at 426-432 East 58th Street (R)

April 7, 2015

REVEALED: 900-Foot Norman Foster-Designed Condo Tower Coming to Sutton Place

By Ondel Hylton

First spotted by the eagle-eyes at SkyscraperPage, a New York Press article has given us our first look at a potential 900-foot skyscraper reportedly designed by Foster + Partners and developed by the Bauhouse Group. The New York City-based real estate development and investment firm had recently closed on the three-building $32 million rental portfolio in tony Sutton Place at 428-432 East 58th Street. In March, the firm acquired a fourth property at 426 East 58th Street. According to the New York Press story, "A sales brochure put together by Cushman and Wakefield dubs the project as the 'Sutton Place Development'... there are indications that Bauhouse is looking to offload the site to another developer, and that whoever winds up buying the lot could build even higher than 900 feet." Bauhouse is expected to release further details and renderings to the community this spring.
More details ahead

April 7, 2015

Tracing the Colorful History of Madison Square Park from the 1800s

By Lauren Price

Recent reports show that NoMad has taken over the top spot for priciest neighborhood in the city in which to rent, with a one-bedroom unit going for an average of $4,270/month. For most real estate aficionados this isn't shocking, as the neighborhood has been growing into one of the city's hottest spots for the past several years, but few know of the area's fascinating past. Named for our fourth president, James Madison, the 6.2-acre Madison Square Park was first used as a potter’s field, then an army arsenal, then a military parade ground and finally as the New York House of Refuge children’s shelter, until it was destroyed by a fire in 1839. After the fire, the land between 23rd and 26th Streets from Fifth to Madison Avenues was established as a public park enclosed by a cast-iron fence in 1847. The redesign included pedestrian walkways, lush shrubbery, open lawns, fountains, benches and monuments and is actually similar to the park that exists today.
Find out how our beloved madison square park came to be

History

April 7, 2015

One World Observatory Opens on Friday, May 29th!

Yesterday, an insider over at Curbed noticed entrance signage for One World Trade Center's observatory. And now, just a day later, it's been officially announced that One World Observatory will open on Friday, May 29. The press release also shares that tickets, which will cost $32 for an adult, will go on sale tomorrow at 10am. The three-floor observation deck will sit 1,250 feet above ground on floors 100, 101, and 102 and cover 125,000 square feet.
More details here

Real Estate Trends

April 7, 2015

Architects Tod Williams and Billie Tsien Buy $1M Co-op at Hotel des Artistes

By Annie Doge

If you've been following the controversy surrounding the American Folk Art Museum and its demolition by MoMA, you know of Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects, the husband-and-wife firm who designed the now-razed, but much-loved structure. In some less disparaging news, city records released today show that the couple has scooped up a $1,075,000 million co-op at the iconic Hotel des Artistes in Lincoln Square. Unit 415 is a one-bedroom duplex, and they already own unit 414, which they bought in 2008 for $1.6 million, so we can only assume they plan to work their architectural magic and combine the two adjacent apartments.
More here

Real Estate Trends

April 7, 2015

Exposed Brick Abounds in This Full Floor Soho Loft Renting for $10K/Month