Manhattan

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
April 9, 2015

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

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
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

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
April 7, 2015

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

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

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
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
April 7, 2015

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

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
April 7, 2015

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

There's a hot new rental available at 93 Crosby Street for anyone looking to enjoy the high life in Soho. This 1,300-square-foot full-floor loft is the perfect live/work space for any artist. Get inspired by the sunrise or the sunset with oversized windows on the east and west sides of the apartment. Plus there are all the classic loft essentials like exposed brick walls, high wood beam ceilings, and hardwood floors.
More pics inside
April 6, 2015

Interior Renderings for SHoP’s 111 West 57th Street Tower Revealed

Hot on the heels of last week's release of a new teaser site and rendering showing just how tall, slender and skyline-changing SHoP Architect's new tower at 111 West 57th Street will be, comes brand new renderings of the exterior and, for the first time, a look at the interiors. The images, uncovered by YIMBY, show the bronze and terra cotta supertall's elegant column-free spaces, as well as the incredible unobstructed views afforded by its 1,428 feet.
Inside the supertall here
April 6, 2015

EVENT: Here’s Your Chance to Get Inside 432 Park Avenue

We've all seen more than our fair share of 432 Park Avenue's facade around town, but finally here comes an opportunity to get inside the building. The Storefront for Art and Architecture has just announced that the Viñoly supertall will be the site of their 2015 spring benefit, TRANS. The gala, being held Tuesday, April 21st, 2015, will be the first public event hosted at the unopened building, and by the looks of the program, it also promises to be as starchitect-studded and "transcendent" as these things get.
Find out how to attend here
April 6, 2015

Mercer Street Loft by DHD Interiors Brings a Bit of Whimsy to a Classic Soho Space

After looking at a few projects from the talent over at DHD Interiors, we're realizing that what draws us to the firm's work is their ability to infuse an unexpected sense of whimsy into otherwise classic spaces, and their Mercer Street Loft is no exception. From the curious wall mural to the fanciful oversized chair in the living room, this Soho space surprises you when you least expect it. DHD was commissioned by the client to create a home that "celebrates both classic, historical elements and modern twists." They were also asked to incorporate art and the client's "adventurous, eclectic tastes," while maintaining original features like the hardwood floors, stripped cast iron columns, and tin ceilings.
See the end result here
April 6, 2015

Petite UWS Pad Features Big-and-Tall Storage for $449,000

Here's an adorable apartment at 327 West 85th Street that makes the most of its space. Nestled in the area between West End Avenue and Riverside Drive on the Upper West Side, this apartment boasts original details like exposed brick, a working fireplace, 10-foot ceilings, and maple hardwood floors. And while it may not be of loft proportions, the home offers enough storage to make even the most jaded New Yorker swoon.
Check it out here
April 6, 2015

Landmarked Religious Institutions in Midtown East Look to Change Air Rights Rules

With declining memberships, it has become a common issue among New York City religious institutions that they're land-rich but cash-poor. To solve the problem, religious leaders are turning to the sale of air rights, allowing developers to build on unused land or above the existing structure or altogether transferring the rights to an adjacent property. It's the latter trend that's become the center of debate with St. Patrick's Cathedral, along with other landmarked institutions, as they're looking to change the air rights rules to allow transfers to properties that are not directly adjacent. The Wall Street Journal takes a close look at this trend and a city plan that would allow East Midtown landmarks to sell their air rights to sites that are several blocks away.
More details ahead
April 5, 2015

This Lofty East Village Penthouse by Manifold Architecture Studio Used to Be a Synagogue

New York City is teeming with breathtaking penthouses–from multi-floored apartments atop soaring skyscrapers to picturesque flats inside landmarked townhouses–but few have the spiritual history of this East Village abode: The 1,600-square-foot triplex was once a local house of worship. Originally built in 1908, the the Beth Hamedrash Hagadol Anshe Ungarn synagogue was converted into a five-apartment condo in the 1980s. By the time current owners Dominique Camacho and Gary Hirschkron bought the penthouse in 2007, its design was terribly outdated, so they enlisted the team at DUMBO's Manifold Architecture Studio (MAS) to help bring it into the 21st century.
Click to see the entire space
April 3, 2015

Mad for Modern: NYC Homes That Are Cooler Than Don Draper’s Park Avenue Pad

We admit it: We’re a bit obsessed with mid-20th century modern design–its architecturally and socially advanced concepts so often result in a perfect mix of aesthetic appeal and livability. Sometimes met with suspicion and derision in its earlier days, modernist architecture has endured the test of time and is having an enormous resurgence in popularity and appreciation. How else could you explain fans' obsession with the award-winning and pitch-perfect mid-mod sets on Matthew Weiner’s “Mad Men.” It’s often said that the best ideas in home design are the ones that make the home a great place to live; the origins of modernist design had that idea at their heart. We've rounded up a few of the city’s mid-century architectural treasures and a handful of homes that embody modernist style.
More on the 'Mad Men'sets and NYC's Mid-Century Modern gems this way
April 3, 2015

$2.5M Hamilton Heights Musée Maison Mixes Historic Charm with a Myriad of Curious Artwork

Portuguese-born architect/artist Luis Da Cruz bought the run-down brownstone at 532 West 148th Street in 2006 for $995,000. He then embarked on a complete renovation, turning the three-family home into his own personal playground. Cruz beautifully restored original features of the 1920 house like carved wood stairways and railings, gorgeous moldings, five fireplaces, beamed ceilings, and exposed brick walls. But on that historic canvas he overlaid his signature art pieces made with repurposed objects and decorated the space in an industrial/Victorian mash up. Luis also used the townhouse, dubbed Musée Maison (aptly, Museum House), as his studio and workshop and often hosted art shows there (including trapeze shows in which he participated) where all of the work was for sale. He's now put the 3,500-square-foot Hamilton Heights house on the market, asking $2.5 million.
See the rest of this one-of-a-kind home
April 3, 2015

$7.25M Historic Alphabet City Townhouse Has Five Outdoor Spaces with a Few Surprises

Who would've thought there was a backyard like this hiding in Alphabet City? Built in the 1880s, this historic $7.25 million townhouse at 263 East 7th Street was masterfully redesigned by one of the architects behind the DIA Beacon Museum, and it comes with two layouts. The current floorplan is an owner's duplex, an income suite, and separate guest quarters. Option two is one giant, 4,900-square-foot single-family home with 2,400 square feet of exterior space. Plus, it's located on one of the most charming blocks in the neighborhood.
More pics inside
April 3, 2015

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

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
April 2, 2015

Zachary Quinto Nabs a Sprawling Noho Pad for $3.2 Million

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
April 2, 2015

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

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
April 2, 2015

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

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
April 2, 2015

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

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
April 2, 2015

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

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