Manhattan

Well, at least that's what one disgruntled Greenwich Village neighbor is hoping. Gary and Addie Tomei, parents of actress Marisa Tomei, have filed a lawsuit against next-door neighbor Sean Lennon, son of John and Yoko, alleging that a tree on his property (153 West 13th Street) has spread its roots onto their property (155 West 13th Street), cracking the stoop, breaking the railings, and coming through the basement floor of their townhouse. Sure, they want Lennon to chop the tree down, but they also want $10 million, according to the Post.
More details on the neighborly beef

February 4, 2015

Tiny East Village Treasure Is Huge on Charm and Priced Well Under $1M

In a city filled with space-challenged (okay, let’s just admit it, tiny) living spaces, one can only hope the expression “good things come in small packages” holds true. When we took one look at this adorable East Village co-op at 323 East 8th Street we felt compelled to take a little literary license with the well-known phrase because sometimes “great things come in small packages.”
Check out more of this East Village treasure

Distinctive Homes

February 3, 2015

Then and Now: From Luchow’s German Restaurant to NYU Dorm

For those of us who came to the city within the past decade, it's hard to imagine East 14th Street without its stretch of bulky NYU dorms, big-box supermarkets, and mini-chain restaurants. But of course this wasn't always what the area looked like. In the late 19th century, the area centered around Irving Place, was full of entertainment venues like the Academy of Music, the city's opera house, Steinway Hall, Tammany Hall, and the City Theatre movie house. And at the heart of it all was a restaurant that catered to both the theater crowd and the German population of the East Village–Luchow's. Luchow's was established in 1882 at 110 East 14th Street at Irving Place when German immigrant August Lüchow purchased the café/beer garden where he worked as a bartender and waiter. It remained in operation for a full century, becoming an unofficial neighborhood and city landmark, until it was replaced by NYU's University Hall dormitory.
Read the full history here

February 3, 2015

Bruce Willis Is Back at It, Buys $17M Duplex at 271 Central Park West

Maybe we haven't seen Bruce Willis in a new movie in a couple of years because he's been too busy unloading and buying real estate in New York. First there was the $12 million, 22-acre buy in Bedford, then the $13 million sale of his El Dorado co-op, and now he's purchased a $17 million six-bedroom duplex at 271 Central Park West, just a few blocks away from the El Dorado digs and not too far from the unit he owned before that at Trump Place on Riverside Drive. Clearly Willis likes the Upper West Side, and it looks to us like he's having some fun climbing up the luxury-listing ladder.
Check out Willis's new pad here

February 3, 2015

Luxe Penthouse at the Carlton House Sells at a Discounted $52 Million

It's been a couple weeks since we've seen a sale break the $50 million mark, but lo and behold, the penthouse at Extell Development's Carlton House has just sold for $52 million. According to city records filed today, the top unit sold at a markdown, originally listed for $65 million back when it first hit the market in October 2013. The price cut, however, shouldn't discount what's inside. The six-bedroom, six-plus-bathroom, 8,988-square-foot Upper East Side duplex features a private outdoor roof space (there's 5,261 square feet of outdoor space in total), en-suite bathrooms in all the bedrooms and wrap-around terraces. The building itself also boasts quite an interesting backstory. It was originally designed in 1940 by Kenneth B. Norton, but not completed until 1950 as construction was halted during World War II. After purchasing the building in 2010, Extell hired Beyer Blinder Belle to convert the structure into condos. The job cost a reported $350 million and Extell's President Gary Barnett told The New York Times that the decision to preserve the building was “actually more expensive than if we tore the damn building down and built it again.”
Check out the floor plan here

Real Estate Trends

February 2, 2015

Wake Up Over and Over Again in This $6M Yorkville Townhouse with Soaring Vaulted Ceiling

It’s Groundhog Day, and Punxsutawney Phil promises six more weeks of winter–not necessarily a bad thing if you’re viewing the latest snowfall through a picturesque wall of windows while cozying up to a roaring fire. And that’s exactly what you’ll find in this gorgeous townhouse at 343 East 84th Street in Yorkville.
More of this stunning home this way

Distinctive Homes

February 2, 2015

Charming Renovated Upper East Side Duplex Asks $2.5M

There’s a nice new Upper East Side duplex on the market, asking $2.5 million. This turn-of-the-century pad is on the fourth and fifth floors of 165 East 60th Street, and it has been “cautiously renovated,” making sure to maintain all of its old school charm such as beamed ceilings and hardwood floors even though it sports modern updates.
Take a look inside here

Distinctive Homes

January 30, 2015

$1.25M Lower East Side Loft Offers a Beautiful Blank Slate and a Glass Bedroom Wall

The expansive living area of this rare-to-the-market designer loft in the former Garfield Building on the Lower East Side offers complete flexibility within its gorgeous exposed brick walls. Floor-to-ceiling double-paned windows, beamed ceilings, and white oak floors all artfully combine to present a beautiful blank slate easily configured to perfectly suit your needs.
More pics this way

Distinctive Homes

January 30, 2015

Gale Brewer Shows Support for One Vanderbilt, Negotiates Even More Public Improvements

Gale Brewer is no shrinking violet when it comes to city planning, and having her on your side is never a bad thing. The borough president of Manhattan has just come out as a full-fledged supporter of not only Midtown East's rezoning, but more notably, One Vanderbilt, the controversial 1,514-foot supertall slated to pop up right next door to Grand Central. Curbed reports that Brewer coupled her approval with an announcement that her office negotiated a slew of additional community benefits from developer SL Green—the developer that has already put up $210 million for the improvement of Grand Central’s subway station.
More on what's included in the plan

New Developments

January 30, 2015

Soho Pad with ‘Ghost’-ly Past Returns to the Market as a $32,500/Month Rental

This pristine full-floor condo at 102 Prince Street has a lot to brag about. For starters, it's newly renovated and stunning, landing a spot in Interiors magazine’s "Best of 2011" issue. But its biggest claim to fame is that the apartment above is where Demi Moore and Patrick Swayze shot their iconic pottery scene in Ghost. The only thing more brag-worthy would be if Whoopi Goldberg dropped by occasionally to tell the future tenants, “You in danger, girl!” The unit sold for an impressive $13.8 million just this past March, netting the seller a $4.9 million profit (they had purchased it in March of 2013 for $8.9 million). The 2014 sale was the highest price anyone had paid for a non-penthouse unit in Soho. And now, after just six months, it's back on the market as a $32,500/month rental.
More pics inside

January 29, 2015

Reduced! $125 Million Pierre Penthouse Now Asking Just $63 Million

Desperate times call for desperate measures? This dazzling former home to eccentric stock investor Martin Zweig has just received a near 50 percent price cut by the late investor's widow, Barbara Zweig, who is now asking a mere $63 million. The 41st floor co-op at the Pierre first hit the market in 2013 for what would have been a record-breaking $125 million, but the home didn't sell—even after being slashed to $95 million in December 2013. Now it looks like Zweig just wants to rid herself of the property which occupies the top three levels of the Pierre. The penthouse is the highest prewar co-op apartment in Manhattan, meaning not only do you have views of the skyline, but you're also part of the skyline. But that's not to discount the 360-degree vistas of the city, which include all of Central Park. So, will someone bite at $63 mill?
Let's take a look inside

Distinctive Homes

January 29, 2015

Actress Gina Gershon Sells Chelsea Duplex in Celeb-Favorite 200 11th Avenue for $8.2M

Just after Robert Pattinson checked out a $20 million penthouse with a private, drive-in elevator at 200 Eleventh Avenue, actress Gina Gershon sold her duplex unit in the building for $8.2 million, reports the Post. She and her partner Bobby Dekeyser, founder of outdoor furniture brand DEDON and subject of the biography Not for Sale!, purchased the $2,391-square-foot Chelsea pad in 2012 for $6.6 million, and after listing in June for $9.5 million, they've made the sale for a little more than a million under the asking price.
See inside here

January 28, 2015

The Storefront for Art and Architecture Gets Shrink Wrapped by SO-IL

We get frustrated every time we try to use Saran Wrap on the leftover half of a lemon, so we can't imagine shrink-wrapping the entire ground floor of a building. But that's exactly what design firm SO-IL did at the Storefront for Art and Architecture. The installation is part of Storefront's latest exhibit BLUEPRINT, which showcases 50 blueprints from various disciplines dating from 1961 to 2013. The show was also curated by SO-IL. By wrapping the exterior of the space, the gallery is "totally open, yet perpetually closed and fixed... wrapped in time and in space."
More on the exhibit and installation

January 28, 2015

POLL: Should Frank Gehry Design the New South Street Seaport?

Before 9/11, the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum planned a new outpost on the East River in Lower Manhattan, sculpted by none other than starchitect Frank Gehry. But after the tragedy, the project was scratched. Now, the planned South Street Seaport project would replace the area’s main pier with a lower, glass structure that looks like a surburban mall […]

January 28, 2015

Striking Duplex Penthouse in North Tribeca Asks $7.5 Million

If you’re looking to drop $7.5 million on a showstopper in a prime location, you’re going to love this North Tribeca duplex penthouse at 39 Vestry Street. The Jessica Shaw-designed home sets the bar high with a northern skylight climbing from 11 feet to 22 feet and covering the entire living and dining areas. And it only gets better from there.
More inside

Distinctive Homes

As Younger Renters Move to the UES, Trendy Commercial Tenants Follow

Say goodbye to afternoon tea and hello to happy hour, via roboppy via photopin cc

January 27, 2015

As Younger Renters Move to the UES, Trendy Commercial Tenants Follow

You don't have to tell us twice that the Upper East Side is trading its reputation as a stodgy, ladies-who-lunch spot for a younger, more hip vibe. Not only do we think it's a hidden hot spot for artists, but we recently profiled the unofficial "new" Upper East Side, the high 80s and 90s, clustered between Park and 1st Avenues. And let's not forget how the Second Avenue subway is already shaking things up. But with a new generation of Upper East Siders gobbling up the surprisingly affordable real estate offerings, it's no surprise that trendy commercial spots are also getting in on the action. Small, local shops and restaurants create little communities that you might expect to find in brownstone Brooklyn, and larger, big-name businesses like Warby Parker and Whole Foods promise to make it a neighborhood to rival Union Square or Chelsea.
More on the real estate trend ahead

Park Here: Eyeing the Real Estate Surrounding Two of NYC’s Most Splendid State Parks

Riverbank State Park. Image via Dattner Architects

January 27, 2015

Park Here: Eyeing the Real Estate Surrounding Two of NYC’s Most Splendid State Parks

By Lauren Price

In a city that moves so fast that the Sunday edition of the New York Times comes out on Saturday, it is not surprising that New Yorkers might overlook some interesting factoids. For instance, New York City is home seven state parks! So, instead of enjoying a day inside other state parks filled with the ubiquitous lush greenery and a plethora of activities that might surely mean a couple of hours of driving—cityside state parks are but a subway ride away or possibly a short walk to the likes of the East River State Park on Kent Avenue in Williamsburg, the Clay Pit Ponds State Park in Staten Island and the Roberto Clemente State Park in the Bronx. One of the most popular, with its grassy stretches of pastoral idyll against a spectacular backdrop, is the 28-acre Riverbank State Park near 143rd Street (seen in the two images above). A multi-level facility set 69 feet above the Hudson River on Riverside Drive, it opened in 1993. What’s more, this park is the only one of its kind in the Western Hemisphere. Inspired by Japan’s urban rooftop designs, it was created on top of a now-odorless sewage treatment facility on the Hudson.
READ MORE

January 27, 2015

Photographer Jaka Vinsek Captures the Desolate Streets of New York During Last Night’s Blizzard

While the rest of us were bundled up indoors last night in anticipation of Snor'easter Juno, Brooklyn photographer Jaka Vinsek set out on a journey to capture New York's streets covered in snow. "I started at 10pm and got home at 7am," he says. "I walked on foot around nine miles." With transit shuttered at 7pm Monday, and a city-wide ban on vehicles (except emergency) beginning at 11pm, what Vinsek captures on camera is a desolate but eerily beautiful city. His photos feature unlikely scenes, including a completely empty Grand Central, as well as some wonderful moments of lone souls roaming amidst the city's dedicated workers pounding the pavement. Vinsek's photos show another, more peaceful side to our city that we often forget exists.
See more of the photos here

Events & Things To Do

January 27, 2015

Let Your Imagination Run Wild in This Wacky $8.3M East Village Home

Located just a few steps off the Bowery, this five-story home at 4 East 2nd Street in the East Village, currently functioning as four separate units, offers a multitude of options. Looking to stretch out and have nearly 6,000 square feet all to yourself? Go right ahead, as the house will be delivered vacant and is ready for your personal touch. Or perhaps you’d prefer to keep the parlor floor as a gallery space and make do with the remaining few thousand square feet to accommodate your humble abode. The possibilities are only limited by your imagination.
See more of this imaginative home

January 27, 2015

Actor Vincent Gallo Asks $2.95M for His Chelsea Pad at Jean Nouvel Building

Actor and filmmaker Vincent Gallo is ready to bid adieu to his Chelsea pad. According to the NYDN, Gallo has listed his apartment for $2.95 million—about a $1 million more than what he paid for it two years ago. The one-bedroom home is located on the fifth floor of starchitect Jean Nouvel's glassy creation at 100 Eleventh Avenue. A few highlights of Gallo's space include a curved wall of glass and a floor-to-ceiling pivoting glass door that opens to a den with a private terrace.
Have a look inside this Nouvel gem

January 26, 2015

Tribeca Townhouse with Wild and Fiery Facade by System Architects Will Soon Come to Life

This isn't the sort of design we'd expect to see in Tribeca, but lo and behold, this bold statement by architect Jeremy Edmiston is about to become a reality along its brick and mortar block. The Tribeca Citizen reports that the single-family residence located at 187 Franklin Street is moving forward with construction on the kooky design which was first proposed in 2010. The project will see the building's facade removed and replaced with an undulating red facade complemented by silvery, net-like balconies.
READ MORE

Architecture And Design

January 26, 2015

This Awesome $10.8M Soho Pad Will Make Your Head Swim

There’s an impressive new listing at 45 Greene Street in Soho’s Cast Iron District, asking $10.8 million. For that sum, you can get a two-bedroom duplex penthouse loft with 5,400 square feet of space, two terraces, and one of New York’s rarest and most treasured gems: a swimming pool. Do we have your attention now?
More pics here

Distinctive Homes

January 23, 2015

New Yorker Spotlight: Maya Jankelowitz of Jack’s Wife Freda on Creating Restaurants That Feel Like Home

By Susan Cohen

If you're an Instagram-loving New Yorker, then you've likely seen, or maybe even posted, photos of the salads, egg dishes, and even the menus at the downtown restaurant Jack's Wife Freda. Through the app, diners at Jack's Wife Freda have been spreading the word about the establishment's food and polished-yet-relaxed atmosphere. These sepia-toned photos certainly caught our attention, especially the beautiful meals plated on crisp white dishes. The visionaries behind the restaurant are husband-and-wife team Dean and Maya Jankelowitz. The pair opened Jack's Wife Freda three years ago on Lafayette Street in Soho, and just opened a second location on Carmine Street in the West Village. Together, the two restaurants are designed for New Yorkers to sit down and enjoy simple dishes that remind Dean and Maya of their families and respective countries, South Africa and Israel. For the couple, it's only a perk that they are getting so much attention on social media, as their primary goal has always been the two H's: hospitality and happiness. We recently spoke with Maya at the new Carmine location to find out about running two restaurants in the city with her husband and what it means to give New Yorkers a restaurant to call "their spot."
Read the full interview here

January 23, 2015

Churchill’s Granddaughter, Sculptor Edwina Sandys, Relists One-of-a-Kind Soho Loft for $10M

You know an apartment is exceptional when Philip Johnson once referred to it as "the most beautiful loft in Soho." Home to sculptor Edwina Sandys, the granddaughter of Sir Winston Churchill, and her husband, architect Richard Kaplan, this one-of-a-kind space at 565 Broadway was also the location for the original season of "The Real World" in 1992 and has since seen the likes of architects Richard Meier and Rafael Vinoly, Barbara Taylor Bradford, Massimo Vignelli and Christine Ebersole pass through its doors for high-society parties hosted by Sandys and Kaplan. But the real draw here is the simply stunning historic architecture. Originally home to Ball Black & Co., the top 19th century jeweler before Tiffany's, the five-bedroom duplex boasts a double-height, 17-foot, exposed-brick vault ceiling, stately Corinthian columns, and a Carrara marble floor, which certainly justifies the $10 million price tag.
READ MORE

January 23, 2015

VIDEO: Visit the Wonderfully Weird Lower East Side of 1995

It's hard to imagine the Lower East Side without all of its barflies and bros, but get ready for a blast from the past. Bowery Boogie has found an amazing video that gives us a glimpse into the neighborhood's quirky past—well before it became a nightlife mecca for New York's downtown set. The four-minute film, aptly titled "Planet Ludlow," takes us through the block via Ludlow Street circa 1995.
Watch the video here

History

January 23, 2015

Grab Your Architect and Race to This $4M Chelsea Loft