Manhattan

Biographers Edmund and Sylvia Jukes Morris have just listed their duplex apartment at the exclusive Gainsborough Studios for $6 million. The stunning space promises to be a treat for all seasons with gigantic windows offering indescribable views of Central Park that will take your breath away. Yes, a place like this is so inspiring it would turn anyone into an artist.
Take a look inside, here

December 11, 2014

Weather Anchor Sam Champion Sells Upper West Side Condo for $4.7M

Everyone’s favorite well-coiffed weatherman Sam Champion has sold his Upper West Side condo for $4.7 million, according to city records released today. Champion bought the 2,019-square-foot unit on the top floor of 45 West 67th Street in 1995 for $750,000, netting him an impressive $4 million profit on the sale. The 33-story building was erected in 1985 and […]

December 11, 2014

Telecom Mogul Michael Hirtenstein Combines Three Apartments into One Elegant Tribeca Triplex

By Rebecca Paul

Designer Amy Lau recently completed an impressive mid-century triplex in NYC's downtown neighborhood of Tribeca. The apartment belongs to Michael Hirtenstein, a high-rolling telecom mogul, who, upon seeing it, knew he had to make the massive space his own. The apartment was originally purchased by Mr. Hirtenstein for $16.5 million dollars as three separate units before he combined them into one massive apartment for an unknown amount of money. This gorgeously designed home spells luxury in every detail and features exquisite furnishings throughout. Combining pieces from bespoke, mid-century modern and contemporary designers, this space tells a unique story represented by many points of view.
Get a closer look inside

December 11, 2014

REVEALED: Interior Renderings for Robert A.M. Stern-Designed 520 Park Avenue

Robert A.M. Stern's 520 Park Avenue has already been called "the next 15 Central Park West," and like its Stern predecessor, 520 is an ultra-luxury development with a stately façade wrapped in stone. Set to be completed in 2016, it will rise 51 stories high, but contain just 31 units, one of which is the $130 million penthouse, the city's most expensive apartment. And though most of the attention has been on "the greatest apartment on the Upper East Side," the fanfare has now shifted to the first batch of interior renderings for the building. 520 Park's full website is now live, and not surprisingly, the residences have classic layouts, impressive Central Park views, and a host of high-end amenities.
Take the tour here

December 10, 2014

Penthouse at Cary Tamarkin-Designed 456 West 19th Street Returns with Same $12M Asking Price

If this duplex penthouse at 456 West 19th Street were a movie buff it would probably quote Rose Dawson from Titanic, saying, “I’ll never let go, Jack. I’ll never let go…of my $11.75 million price tag.” Okay, so maybe we took a few creative liberties, but you get the point. In 2011, Code and Theory founder Brandon Ralph spent $6.8 million on the pad before turning around and attempting the ambitious flip. For roughly a year and a half, the unit sat on the market before finally withdrawing this past summer. Yet it returns, completely undeterred by its apparent misfortune. This condo knows its worth… and that number is $11.75 million. Why? For starters, it sits on the top half of the building, where its fluid curves set the entire building apart from the rest. Add to that soaring windows and seamless indoor/outdoor living and you have a winner right in the heart of the West Chelsea Arts District. Now, does that make it worth almost $12 million? We’ll let you decide.
Let's take a look inside

Distinctive Homes

December 10, 2014

Diane von Furstenberg’s Daughter Sells Gramercy Park Co-op for $4.2M

Tatiana von Furstenberg, singer, filmmaker and daughter of fashion mogul Diane von Furstenberg, has sold her luxury co-op at 1 Gramercy Park for $4,240,000, according to city records. She purchased the home in 2006, and since her address of record is in Los Angeles, perhaps she’s becoming a permanent West Coaster–or moving to her mother’s beloved […]

December 10, 2014

Cooper Hewitt Design Museum Reopens This Week After a Three-Year High-Tech Renovation

It's been three years since the Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum was first cloaked in scaffolding, but the $91 million, LEED-certified renovation has finally come to a close. The museum, located in Andrew Carnegie's former Gilded Age mansion on Fifth Avenue, is set to reopen this Friday, December 12th. It now boasts 60% more exhibition space and a slew of new high-tech interactive features including downloadable 3D designs, multi-touch surfaces as large as pool tables and an interactive projection that allows guests to view 500 digital images of wallpaper right on the gallery walls.
More details on the revamped museum

O Christmas Tree: Where to See the Biggest Evergreens Around the City

New York Stock Exchange Christmas tree via Mille Fiori Favoriti

December 9, 2014

O Christmas Tree: Where to See the Biggest Evergreens Around the City

Last week, we took a look back at the history of the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree to mark the annual lighting celebration. Though this is probably the most famous Christmas tree in the world, many of us jaded New Yorkers would rather not deal with the crowds and traffic jams that come with visiting Rock Center. So as an equally festive alternative, we've rounded up some of the other huge trees illuminating the city this holiday season.
READ MORE

Events & Things To Do

December 9, 2014

Don’t Forget, One World Trade Was Supposed to Be the Greenest Building in America

By Diane Pham

Since the opening of One World Trade Center just a few weeks ago, the world has been in an uproar over the design and the incredible cost of making New York's tallest tower a reality. But one feature that we all seemed to have forgotten was the promise that the tower would be the greenest building in America. A recent City Lab article looks at what went wrong, and why, in a race to meet contractual obligations to its anchor tenant, Condé Nast, the development dumped a major part of its plans to go green, currently leaving the building in a state of noncompliance.
Find out more here

December 9, 2014

Rosie O’Donnell Sells Chic Greenwich Village Penthouse for $9M

After initially listing her Greenwich Village penthouse for $11 million in July 2013, Rosie O'Donnell has finally sold the chic four-bedroom home for the substantially lesser amount of $9 million, according to the Daily News. O'Donnell bought the duplex apartment at 130 West 12th Street, part of the former St. Vincent’s Hospital complex, for $8.09 million in the summer of 2012. She then redecorated it with a combination of artsy, modern, and elegant furnishings. In addition to benefitting from Rosie's design sense, the new owner will also get to take advantage of a 435-square-foot private terrace and views of both the Empire State Building and One World Trade Center.
Take a look around the penthouse here

December 9, 2014

Sleek $8.5M Central Park West Pad Returns Asking Twice the Price

About two years ago, this impeccable pad on Central Park West sold for $4.3 million. Today, after an extensive gut renovation, the apartment is back on the market asking $8.495 million—nearly twice its initial price. But that 50% increase includes a Workshop/APD redesign, complete with “museum quality finishes” and only the finest craftsmanship. The finished product evokes a sense of calm sophistication in a supreme duplex with partial views of the city and Central Park.
More pics right this way

Distinctive Homes

Soho Broadway BID Will Support Local Residents in Addition to Businesses

Soho via CityRealty

December 9, 2014

Soho Broadway BID Will Support Local Residents in Addition to Businesses

By definition, a Business Improvement District (BID) "is a public/private partnership in which property and business owners elect to make a collective contribution to the maintenance, development, and promotion of their commercial district." Typically, they're implemented in neighborhoods that need an economic boost, so Soho would seem like an unlikely candidate. Ever since the neighborhood's artist lofts were replaced with designer boutiques, residents have struggled to deal with the "mall-ification" of their home. And when the Soho Broadway BID was presented, local activists opposed it, citing that commercial activity was already bursting at the seams, and it was the residents who needed assistance. Now, after nearly four years of debate, the BID is moving forward, but with a decreased budget and an equal commitment to both residents and businesses.
More details ahead

Policy

December 8, 2014

Enjoy the High Life in This 11th-Floor Flatiron Loft Going for $3.95M

Every New Yorker wants two things: a great apartment and a convenient location. Well, there’s a new $3.95 million listing available at 9 West 20th Street, right off the Ladies’ Mile, which means you can shop and eat to your heart’s content, then head home to the comfort and luxury of this mint-condition loft.
Take a look inside, here

Distinctive Homes

December 8, 2014

Bruce Willis Lists Central Park West Apartment for $13M

Bruce Willis is really stepping up his New York real estate game. Just five weeks after buying a $12 million, 22-acre estate in Bedford, New York, he and his wife, actress Emma Heming Willis, have listed their three-bedroom Central Park West co-op at the El Dorado for $13 million. The Daily News reports that the couple is looking to trade up to a bigger unit now that they have a second child. Willis bought the apartment at 300 Central Park West less than two years ago for $8.85 million from U2 bassist Adam Clayton. And after a meticulous renovation, he's looking to make $4 million on the flip.
Take a tour of the Willis home

December 8, 2014

REVEALED: New Look for Hell’s Kitchen Radio City Lofts Built Atop Historic Post Office

Who can deny the cool factor of living in a space oozing with history? New Yorkers find themselves living in former schools, churches, banks, fire stations, and even insane asylums. Now coming to Hell's Kitchen are 44 condominiums dubbed Radio City Lofts, which will bring our space-deprived denizens a new form of living: life atop a functioning post office.
More on the new lofts here

New Developments

December 8, 2014

Nobutaka Ashihara-Designed Hotel Coming to the Garment District

A 22-story limited-service hotel is gearing up to rise in Midtown at 4-6 West 37th Street. According to new building permits filed this past weekend, a 120-key 60,000 square-foot development will go up at the 4,200 square-foot lot situated between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. Two charming six-story buildings, erected in 1920, will be be demolished for the 210-foot tall project designed by notable hotel designer Nobutaka Ashihara Architects. The firm recently opened the city's tallest hotel, the Marriott Residence Inn New York Manhattan/Central Park at 1717 Broadway.
FInd out more here

December 6, 2014

New Rendering of 190 Bowery Gives Us a Look at the Mysterious Building Graffiti-Free

By Diane Pham

One of the city's most mysterious buildings has become a whole lot less intriguing with this newly released rendering from Massey Knakal. The image, which was pulled from the marketing materials of the broker by Bowery Boogie, shows a very pristine 190 Bowery totally free of graffiti and all lit up. Formerly the Germania Bank Building—and formerly the home of photographer Jay Maisel—the massive 72-room building was reportedly recently purchased by Aby Rosen of RFR Realty for an undisclosed amount (the sale has yet to hit city records) and, to much surprise, was put back on the market just a couple of weeks ago as a flip.
Find out more here

Architecture And Design

14 Hip Holiday Markets and Indie Pop-Up Shops in NYC

Capsule Market Square.

December 5, 2014

14 Hip Holiday Markets and Indie Pop-Up Shops in NYC

By Michelle Cohen

As December dawns, the holiday gift markets roll in, and it’s harder than ever to turn around in NYC without encountering a pop-up shop or makeshift mall offering everything anyone could ever want–whether they know it yet or not–for the body, mind, soul and home. We've assembled a list of smaller, cooler pop-ups and holiday markets that mix music, food and fun freebies like haircuts, goodie bags and beer with this year’s selection of clever, crafty gifts.
Find out where to get the goods, this way

REVEALED: New Renderings for Christian de Portzamparc’s Riverside Center

L to R: Building 1, Building 2 (21 West End Avenue), Building 3, Building 4, Building 5 (1 West End Avenue)

December 5, 2014

REVEALED: New Renderings for Christian de Portzamparc’s Riverside Center

The final appearance of Christian de Portzamparc’s Riverside Center master plan is coming into full view. A bevy of images depicting three never-before-seen crystalline towers have been released by Goldstein Hill & West Architects, giving us a more complete look at what the two-block site will ultimately look like circa 2018. The city-approved plan will ultimately hold three acres of open space and five mixed-use buildings containing approximately 2,500 condo and rental units, a public school, a hotel, a movie theater and an auto showroom.
More details ahead

December 5, 2014

Chelsea’s Seymour Condominium Tops Out with More Than Half of the Units in Contract

The Naftali Group's 12-story condominium dubbed The Seymour has topped out just six months after breaking ground. Though we've yet to see the traditional topping-out tree, a flag can be seen pitched atop the concrete frame of the building's bulkhead–a sure sign of the completion. Sales have been just as speedy with more than half of the building's 67 units in contract. According to CityRealty, there are currently nine units available on the market with an average price of $1,882 per square foot, ranging from $1.3 million for a one-bedroom unit to $3.95 million for a three-bedroom home on the 10th floor.
More details here (plus learn the origins of

December 5, 2014

Upper West Side Duplex Rental Is a Crown Molding Lover’s Dream

By Rebecca Paul

Finding a place to rent in New York City can be a headache at best. But you can save some money on aspirin if you're interested in this two-bedroom Upper West Side duplex that is now available to rent for $6,925/month. Located at 313 West 75th Street, this charming, well-preserved, pre-war home boasts many of its original details, the most striking of which is its wealth of historic moldings, including crown and picture moldings throughout. You'll also find dentil moldings in the living room, and ornate floral moldings around the mirror. The decorated marble fireplaces aren't too shabby either.
Take a look around

Distinctive Homes

December 5, 2014

Former Padres Owner’s Ex-Wife Buys $55M Unit at One57, Second-Highest Condo Sale of the Year

Just yesterday, Bloomberg released a grim report that sales had come to a halt at One57, as only one condo unit was sold in the third quarter. But it looks like the fourth quarter might prove a bit more optimistic for the city's most expensive building. According to city records released today, Rebecca Moores, ex-wife of John Jay Moores, entrepreneur, philanthropist, and former owner of the San Diego Padres, dropped $55.5 million on unit 81 at the building, making it the second-highest condo sale of the year, according to CityRealty. The number one spot also goes to One57 for Bill Ackman's $90 million flip-happy purchase. The former couple also made real estate headlines in 2013 when they listed their Del Mar, California home for $23 million, making it one of the most expensive in the San Diego area and probably the only one with its own moat. Let's take a look, though, at Rebecca's latest property venture at One57.
Check out the floor plan

December 5, 2014

Landmark West End Avenue Townhouse Wants $11M

One of Lamb & Rich’s original townhouses in the West End-Collegiate Historic District is resolving to find a new owner in the New Year. The flexible 6,875-square-foot layout can either be a sprawling 6-8 bedroom single-family mansion, or a spacious quadruplex with a separate garden duplex rental. Add to that late 19th century original details and modern updates, and this could be the perfect home for anybody...with $10.9 million in their pocket.
Take a look inside here

December 4, 2014

Julia Louis-Dreyfus’s Billionaire Businessman Father Sells Central Park West Pad for $7M