Manhattan

An 8,000-square-foot Tribeca triplex with a 45-square-foot entertaining space, an original Keith Haring mural, cast iron columns, soaring arched windows and 26+ foot coffered ceilings is not such a hard sell. So we were not surprised to see that this palatial pad sold for the asking price of $10 million according to city records. Located in the historic American Thread Building at 260 West Broadway, this regal home combines the privacy of townhouse living with the security and services of a fully staffed building. When it hit the market back in May we were seriously swooning over its museum-like feel and impressive art collection. But that's not all...
Take a look around the rest of the home here

January 6, 2015

Ultra-Modern NoMad Loft Returns to the Market with a $1M Price Increase

The unusual $3.84 million loft at 50 West 29th Street is sure to be a head-turner, but not necessarily for the reason you may be thinking. Oh, we know what you’re thinking. Just look at it: a 20th century industrial loft with a modern 21st century twist. Sprawling spaces that make you want to whip out your bowling shoes. Pipes for days. But what you won't see in the architecture is the mysterious $1 million added to the price tag since it disappeared from the market last year. We’ll cast aside all judgment for a moment as we take a look at this remarkable space, because, let’s be honest, it’s a looker.
Take a look around here

Distinctive Homes

January 2, 2015

Daphne Oz, Co-Host of ‘The Chew,’ Buys $1.6M Midtown East Apartment

By Annie Doge

Daphne Oz, daughter of the well-known Dr. Oz and co-host of the talk show "The Chew," has bought a $1,625,000 Midtown East apartment along with her husband John Jovanovic, according to city records. The three-bedroom unit at 140 East 40th Street offers plenty of space for the growing family, as the couple welcomed their first child last February. It's also much closer than the couple's previous New Jersey residence to the ABC Studio in Lincoln Center where "The Chew" is filmed.
Take a look around the Oz pad here

December 31, 2014

Soap Opera Star Wants $17M for Stunning Gramercy Townhouse Once Priced at $1.6M

Actress Noelle Beck and her husband Eric Petterson are looking to unload their stunning four-story townhouse on Stuyvesant Square for $17 million. To give that price tag some perspective, the couple purchased the home in 1997 for just $1.6 million. That’s right, if all goes according to plan, these two could walk away with close to 20 times the amount they paid for their Gramercy pad. Now, how’s that for a dramatic plot twist?
Take a look inside here

Distinctive Homes

December 31, 2014

Nomad Is a Portable Herb Planter Perfect for City Living

Apartment dwellers are famous for turning their fire escapes into extensions of the home. From serving as a relaxing spot to enjoy a morning cup of coffee to drying wet laundry, the fire escape does it all. One of its most common makeshift uses is as a garden, since many New Yorkers don't have a backyard. But growing plants and herbs out there can be a bit challenging, especially when your upstairs neighbor insists on dropping cigarette butts or when you have to climb over the couch and out the window just to get a piece of basil. That's where Nomad comes in. A clever creation of the Garden Apartment, the portable herb planter was designed with the urbanite in mind. It can hang indoors from the ceiling or on a wall and can even attach to bicycle handlebars.
More on Nomad ahead

December 31, 2014

West Village Townhouse by 1100 Architect Maximizes Natural Light in a Historic Structure

The West Village may be one of the toughest neighborhoods in which to undergo a complete renovation of one's home since a large portion of the area is landmarked and consists of historic rowhouses. For this overhaul, though, 1100 Architect masterfully blended the old with the new, all while maximizing natural light throughout the townhouse. The home combines original brick walls with and wood elements with exposed steel and glass, resulting in a structure that both blends with its neighbors and stands out as an eye-catching work of architecture.
Check out the house here

Vanity Addresses Like 432 Park Avenue Might Be the Reason You’re Getting Lost

Lost in NYC via Ed Yourdon via photopin cc

December 30, 2014

Vanity Addresses Like 432 Park Avenue Might Be the Reason You’re Getting Lost

When we get into heated debates about NYC being the greatest city on Earth, we like to cite the fact that our sophisticated, methodical street grid makes it impossible to get lost. But what happens when the entrance to 432 Park Avenue is not actually on Park Avenue? Our egos get a little bruised. Known as "vanity addresses," these luxury buildings choose to go by swanky street names like Park or Madison Avenues, but in reality their entrance is on a lowly side street. The front door for 432 Park, for example, will likely be on 56th Street, 150 feet from the Avenue. But how do developers skirt the traditional numbering system to create something that's more of a brand than an address?
Find out here (hint-it doesn't come cheap)

December 29, 2014

Eclectic Bond Street Apartment Stuns with Brilliant Colors and Texture

Nothing says Happy New Year quite like a zebra head mounted on a sleek black wall. And that’s just a taste of the whimsy you’ll find in this recently completed collaboration between James Dixon Architect and interior designer Carolina George. The eclectic apartment on Bond Street in Noho expertly combines a chic, modern look with subtle quirks dispersed throughout.
Take a look inside here

December 29, 2014

Sandy-Ravaged Chelsea Building to Sprout New Apartments

A four-floor Chelsea building ravaged by Superstorm Sandy will be reborn as a new nine-unit residential building. The walk-up building at 92 Eighth Avenue near 14th street has sat vacant and shrouded since the storm triggered the collapse of its front facade, revealing its interiors "like an open doll house." With all of its similarly furnished rooms exposed to onlookers, it was soon discovered the building operated as an illegal hotel catering to European travelers.
More details here

New Developments

December 26, 2014

TRA Founders Transform Soho Loft into Bright, Sophisticated Space

Kids change everything. And that’s exactly what happened when architect Caterina Roiatti and designer/artist Bob Traboscia of TRA Studio welcomed their son into the world. Shortly afterwards, their apartment of 20 years—a 2,000-square-foot semi-raw “shoebox” loft in Soho—would be transformed from an open live/work space with few windows and doors and no storage to a more grown-up, light-filled home suited for a sophisticated New York family.
More photos inside

December 26, 2014

As the Met Prepares to Move into the Whitney’s Old Building, A Madison Avenue Block Is Transformed

All eyes have been on the construction of Renzo Piano's new downtown home for the Whitney Museum, set to open in May. But let's not forget about what's happening to the Whitney's old Marcel Breuer-designed building on Madison Avenue and 75th Street. The Brutalist building opened in 1966 and has since dominated its Upper East Side surroundings. It's set to be taken over as a satellite location for the Metropolitan Museum of Art to showcase their contemporary and modern art collections when it reopens in March 2016. And though the Met will not alter the façade of the landmarked museum building, its surroundings will certainly look different than in the Whitney's days. The biggest changes are happening right next door, where the row of six 19th-century Italianate and Greek Revival brownstones on Madison Avenue and two townhouses on East 74th Street are being reimagined as condos and retail space by developer and healthcare entrepreneur Daniel Straus, who bought the properties from the Whitney in 2010 for $95 million and subsequently was granted approval by the Landmarks Preservation Commission for their new design by Beyer Blinder Belle. According to the Times, who profiled the development, the flurry of construction could be considered "the Met effect."
More on the development here

December 26, 2014

Steven Harris-Designed West Village Townhouse Sells for $15M

We're big fans of the work of Steven Harris Architects here at 6sqft, so it came as no surprise that this West Village townhouse that features the firm's lovely designs sold for $15 million. According to city records released today, the seller of the home located at 156 West 13th Street is Candida Smith, curator and daughter of the late celebrated artist and sculptor David Smith. The Greek Revival townhouse was built in 1846 for the estate of Peter Remsen, a member of a prominent Knickerbocker family. Steven Harris updated the home to include modern conveniences like an elevator and an industrial-sized kitchen, while retaining its historic charm and grandeur.
Take a look around here

December 24, 2014

Skating Through Time: A Look Back at NYC’s Ice Rinks

One of the most festive holiday activities doesn't end at New Year's, but rather lasts through the winter. Ice skating in NYC is a hot activity, with lines easily wrapping around the block at the Bryant Park Winter Village and Rockefeller Center's ice rink. But this isn't a new trend. Ice skating has long been a popular social pastime for New Yorkers, whether on a frozen pond in Central Park or at the Biltmore Ice Garden at the Biltmore Hotel. Plenty of historic photographs exist, documenting the transformation of the New York ice skater; so we've put together a timeline of this winter activity.
All the photos ahead

December 24, 2014

Classic Loft in Chelsea’s Kheel Tower Features Bright Light and Flexible Floor Plan

A new fully-renovated Chelsea loft recently popped up on the market asking $839,000. This one-bedroom condo in the much sought-after Kheel Tower Condominium is bound to attract apartment hunters looking to enjoy classic loft living.
More pics inside

Distinctive Homes

December 23, 2014

Get Your Chef On in Restaurateur Keith McNally’s Greenwich Village Townhouse for $25K/Month

Restaurateur Keith McNally is offering up his Greenwich Village townhouse again, fully furnished, for $25,000 per month. The four-story, 3,600-square-foot space is brimming with charm and features four bedrooms and a separate studio. Best of all, it’s the place to bring your foodie friends to dine in the house that celebrated restaurants like Balthazar, Odeon, Café Luxembourg, Schiller’s, and Minetta Tavern built.
Take a closer look, here

Distinctive Homes

December 23, 2014

Real Estate Wire: Community Boards Not Happy with One Vanderbilt; Condos on the Rise in Long Island City

Manhattan Community Boards 5 and 6 want to redesign SL Green’s 67-story One Vanderbilt tower. [NYP] Fresh Direct breaks ground for its South Bronx headquarters, but locals protest that it will further damage the area’s air quality. [NYT] An opinion on why the proposed megatower on the pier would ruin the South Street Seaport. [NY Mag] Long Island […]

Real Estate Trends

December 23, 2014

170 Amsterdam Avenue: NYC’s First Concrete Diagrid Nears Completion

By Ondel Hylton and Adam Rothstein

Final touches are being added to the Upper West Side's exoskeletal rental building at 170 Amsterdam Avenue. The 20-story mid-rise between 67th and 68th Streets will be the first residential building in the city to feature a concrete "diagrid" structural system. Developed by Chicago-based Equity Residential, the tower will house 239 luxury rental units and is slated to begin leasing early next year. Rental pricing may be similar to the Aire next door, where available units range from $3,375 for a 25th floor studio to $15,000 for a three-bedroom penthouse. According to the New York Post, Equity signed a 99-year lease for the site from the American Properties Group for $76.5 million back in 2011.
More details here

December 22, 2014

So You Think You Know Everything About One57?

Well, you might want to think twice. Even though the city's most expensive condo building is also perhaps the most written-about (even the Times has run out of ways to describe it), there are still plenty of little-known facts about the 1,005-foot-tall tower. One57 is considered the crown jewel of what's been dubbed "Billionaire's Row," and can also be credited with launching the ultra-luxury building boom. Developed by Extell's Gary Barnett and designed by Pritzker-winning architect Christian de Portzamparc, the sleek tower is currently the second tallest structure in the city. And that's just the beginning.
Bone up on your One57 factoids here

Architecture And Design

December 22, 2014

Quintessential Soho Loft in the West Broadway Arches Asks $2M

There’s a new loft available in one of Soho’s most prized co-ops. 140 Thompson Street, otherwise known as the West Broadway Arches, is a beautiful early 20th century brick building with large arched windows, right on the cusp of Soho and Greenwich Village. In addition to its great location, this flexible one-bedroom unit has every detail a prospective buyer could want in a quintessential loft, all for $1.95 million.
More photos after the jump

Distinctive Homes

December 19, 2014

REVEALED: 290-Foot Cantilevering Condo Coming to Hudson Square/West Soho

A development site at Greenwich and Charlton Streets promises to be among the first to bear fruit from Hudson Square's 2013 rezoning. Images uncovered on the website of Fernando Romero EnterprisE (FR-EE) detail a 26-floor, 116-unit condominium along the quiet commercial edge of the neighborhood. The L-shaped lot is owned by the developer Cape Advisors, whose forward-thinking projects include 100 Eleventh Avenue and One Kenmare Square.
More details ahead

December 19, 2014

MAD-Designed West Village Duplex Gets a Modern Update with a Cantilevered Staircase

By Rebecca Paul

Originally built in 1817, this West Village townhouse recently underwent a complete renovation by Matiz Architecture & Design (MAD). The transformation of this historic Bleecker Street duplex introduced custom millwork and a cantilevered wood stair as the focal point of the design. It also mixed the home's original features, like exposed brick, ceiling beams and wide-plank flooring with modern updates such as sleek countertops, whitewashed woodwork and contemporary art. By eliminating all full-height partitions and creating an open floor plan, the firm was able to make this space feel twice its size.
See what else this duplex has in store

December 19, 2014

REVEALED: NoMad Tower by FR-EE; Is It a Cowbell, Exclamation Point, or Cheese Grater?

Another exclamation point in a year of seemingly endless skyscraper unveilings has appeared on the city's "to-build list" with a possible rendering of a long-proposed mixed-use tower slated for the heart of NoMad. This exclamatory statement comes from the Mexico-based office of Fernando Romero EnterprisE (FR-EE). Never heard of them? Then check out their website and browse the bold work we New Yorkers too often miss out on. If the selection of FR-EE is official, Ziel Feldman’s HFZ Capital would join a growing list of New York developers bitten by the design bug. Developers like Hines, Rosen, Related, and Extell have led the way in commissioning big name, often foreign, architects to pen skyline-shifting projects aimed at the top of the market. HFZ also commissioned British-based David Chipperfield Architects to design a dignified 30-story tower along the southern edge of Bryant Park.
More details on the 50-story tower here

December 19, 2014

Announcing 6sqft’s 2014 Building of the Year!

By Diane Pham

DRUMROLL PLEASE… You came, you voted, and now we’re pleased to announce the winner of our first-ever Building of the Year competition! Congratulations to the Kohn Pedersen Fox-designed, Continuum Company-developed 45 East 22nd Street tower which won the hearts of 29 percent of over 3,500 readers who came to cast a vote. We’re not sure if it was the champagne flute-like design that sold […]

December 19, 2014

Beautiful $2.9M Carnegie Hill Duplex Sports a Sweeping Staircase

A charming duplex at 64 East 86th Street is available for a recently discounted $2.85 million. This 2,100-square-foot pad boasts all the offerings of a chic suburban home all within arms' reach of Central Park, the Met and the Guggenheim. And to top it all off, that gorgeous staircase…
More on that, here

Distinctive Homes

December 18, 2014

Unique “Stone” House Struggles on the Market, Asking $7.5 Million