Manhattan

Melba's, a beloved Harlem eatery that has been serving comfort food to New Yorkers for nearly two decades, is coming to Grand Central Terminal. The new outpost, expected to open in the transit hub's dining concourse in June, will feature some of the restaurant's most popular items, like chicken and waffles, fried catfish, and collards, according to Eater NY.
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Food & Dining

MTA reveals congestion pricing exemptions for people with disabilities

Image courtesy of Strolicfurlan on Flickr

February 27, 2024

MTA reveals congestion pricing exemptions for people with disabilities

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority on Monday announced two plans to provide people with disabilities exemptions from the new congestion pricing toll, which could take effect as early as June. The Individual Disability Exemption Plan (IDEP) allows New Yorkers with disabilities to register one vehicle to be exempt from the Central Business District (CBD) tolling program. The second program, the Organizational Disability Exemption Plan (ODEP), permits organizations transporting people with disabilities, such as Access-A-Ride, to apply for the exemption.
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Stunning nine-story atrium at The Beekman Hotel is up for landmark status

Photo by James and Karla Murray exclusively for 6sqft

February 27, 2024

Stunning nine-story atrium at The Beekman Hotel is up for landmark status

Once part of New York City architectural lore, the nine-story Victorian atrium at The Beekman Hotel may soon be formally recognized. The Landmarks Preservation Commission on Tuesday voted to calendar the central atrium of 5 Beekman Street for consideration as an interior landmark. Built as part of the 19th-century commercial building Temple Court, the space consists of eight tiers of galleries topped by a cast-iron pyramid-shaped skylight. For decades, the atrium was walled in and off-limits to the public, until work began in 2014 to restore and transform the historic building into a hotel. Now a decade after the project began, the stunning atrium, restored to its former glory and the centerpiece of the luxury Beekman Hotel, is up for landmark status.
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In win for Stuy Town tenants, Blackstone drops challenge to rent stabilization

Image courtesy of Billie Grace Ward on Flickr

February 26, 2024

In win for Stuy Town tenants, Blackstone drops challenge to rent stabilization

Every apartment in Stuyvesant Town-Peter Cooper Village is now permanently rent-stabilized. Owner Blackstone Group on Saturday withdrew its appeal of a court ruling last year that found deregulating apartments within Manhattan's largest apartment complex was unlawful. Blackstone, which purchased the 11,200-unit complex in 2015 with plans to charge market-rate rents for half of the apartments, cited its "unwavering commitment" to Stuy Town tenants as the reason for its withdrawal, according to Gothamist.
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Affordable Housing

Westfield sued over plans to ditch Fulton Center

Image courtesy of Lerone Pieters on Unsplash

February 22, 2024

Westfield sued over plans to ditch Fulton Center

A plan from the Westfield Corporation to exit its 20-year retail lease at Fulton Center early is being met with a lawsuit from the New York City Transit Authority. As first reported by Bloomberg, the NYCTA sued Westfield after the mall operator announced it wanted to terminate its lease 10 years in. The suit, which aims to keep Westfield as the mall's operator, claims the transit agency would suffer major financial losses that could impact commuters if Westfield pulled out of the lease.
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This $3.25M Gramercy two-bedroom comes with expansion potential–and a key to the park

Photo courtesy of Douglas Elliman

February 22, 2024

This $3.25M Gramercy two-bedroom comes with expansion potential–and a key to the park

This two-bedroom apartment on a high floor at 50 Gramercy Park North, asking $3,250,000, is spacious enough in its current form. Making use of a sprawling great room, a third large bedroom can be created, adding value and livability. Floor-to-ceiling windows look out over the classic Manhattan neighborhood. Even better: Proximity to Gramercy Park means lucky residents get coveted keys to the private park.
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Distinctive Homes

Google opens new NYC office at historic St. John’s Terminal

All photos courtesy of Google.

February 21, 2024

Google opens new NYC office at historic St. John’s Terminal

Google on Wednesday officially opened its newest New York City office. What once was a freight terminal in an industrial section of lower Manhattan is now a high-performing modern workplace for thousands of employees. Anchoring Google's larger campus in Hudson Square, the historic St. John's Terminal building at 550 Washington Street has been reimagined by COOKFOX Architects with a nine-floor addition atop three existing floors, a sustainable and biophilic design, diverse work areas, and outdoor communal spaces with Hudson River views.
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Real Estate Trends

Lottery opens for 83 mixed-income luxury apartments near Times Square, from $934/month

Rendering courtesy of the NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development

February 21, 2024

Lottery opens for 83 mixed-income luxury apartments near Times Square, from $934/month

A housing lottery opened this week for 83 mixed-income apartments at a new rental in Midtown West. Located at 312 West 43rd Street on the border of Times Square and Hell's Kitchen, the 33-story building offers 330 luxury apartments with high-end finishes, state-of-the-art amenities, and a central location. New Yorkers earning 40, 60, and 120 percent of the area median income, or between $32,023 for a single person and $183,000 for a household of five, can apply for the apartments, which range from $934/month studios to $3,813/month two bedrooms.
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Affordable Housing

Asking $20M, a university president’s Greenwich Village residence enters a new chapter

Photo credit: Eitan Gamliely for Sotheby’s International Realty

February 20, 2024

Asking $20M, a university president’s Greenwich Village residence enters a new chapter

This circa 1850 Greek Revival Federal Style townhouse at 21 West 11th Street on a postcard-perfect Greenwich Village block has the distinction of having been the official president's residence at the New School in Manhattan for four decades. As mentioned in a recent New York Times feature highlighting the listing, the elegant home, like many similar university residences, is considered by some to be an incongruous symbol of opulence–and smaller schools throughout the nation are growing more mindful of their bottom line. The home is now on the market for $20,000,000.
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Distinctive Homes

Photos courtesy of Evan Joseph for The Corcoran Group

February 20, 2024

Annie Leibovitz sells UWS home for $2M over asking price

Annie Leibovitz has sold her Upper West Side co-op for nearly 24 percent over the asking price. The duplex, located in the star-studded Brentmore building at 88 Central Park West, fetched $10,625,000, roughly $2,000,000 more than what it listed for in October. But the sale was still a loss for Leibovitz, who paid about $11,250,000 for the home in 2014. The Brentmore is known for its high-profile residents, including Robert DeNiro, Paul Simon, and Sting. Kim Cooper, a general counsel at Apple, and Gregg Zehr, the creator of the Kindle, are listed as buyers of the residence, as Curbed first reported.
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Vornado floats temporary outdoor event space at site of demolished Hotel Pennsylvania

All renderings are conceptual. Courtesy of Vornado

February 16, 2024

Vornado floats temporary outdoor event space at site of demolished Hotel Pennsylvania

Vornado Realty Trust may bring an outdoor event space to the site of the former Hotel Pennsylvania as it delays constructing a 56-story office tower there. As first reported by Crain's, the developer has floated the idea of "Penn Platform," an 80,000-square-foot space for U.S. Open tennis matches, New York Fashion Week shows, concerts, soccer matches, and other events, in addition to giant billboards, as seen in conceptual renderings published in a marketing brochure. Located on 7th Avenue between 32nd and 33rd Streets, the site sits across from Penn Station and was once home to a 100-year-old hotel, which was demolished last year.
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Architecture And Design

Daring details add a spark of personality to a classic $2.35M Village co-op

Photo credit: Tim Waltman with Evan Joseph Photography

February 16, 2024

Daring details add a spark of personality to a classic $2.35M Village co-op

On a Gold Coast block, this vibrant Village apartment at 2 Fifth Avenue stands out against a classic co-op setting. A thorough renovation by interior designer Sasha Bikoff leaves no corner untouched by creative detail and adventurous design. Asking $2,350,000, the two-bedroom home has a private balcony and unrivaled views down the Avenue.
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Distinctive Homes

Gaze at the sun, moon, and stars above from this $5.45M Tribeca penthouse

Photo courtesy of SERHANT. Studios

February 15, 2024

Gaze at the sun, moon, and stars above from this $5.45M Tribeca penthouse

With a private terrace, fireplaces, open city views, and a front-row seat to the sky above, you could definitely call this sprawling three-bedroom condo at 459 Washington Street a trophy pad. Asking $5,450,000, this downtown Manhattan home boasts plenty of living and entertaining space along with modern design details and amenities exactly where you need them.
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Distinctive Homes

Rendering of Freedom Plaza courtesy of Negativ

February 14, 2024

Bjarke Ingels unveils design for Freedom Plaza casino development next to the U.N.

As the state's process for choosing a site for a New York City gaming facility continues to slowly move forward, new renderings released this week offer a closer look at one proposed casino in Manhattan. Renowned architecture firm Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) on Monday unveiled new images of Freedom Plaza, a mixed-use development with apartments, a hotel, a museum, a 4.77-acre public park, and an underground casino just south of the United Nations.
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Photo of the Wegmans at Astor Place. Courtesy of Wegmans

February 14, 2024

Wegmans may open on the Upper West Side

Wegmans may be continuing its foray into Manhattan with a new space on the Upper West Side. As first reported by the New York Post, Danny Wegman, chairman of the Rochester-based grocery store, recently signed a long-term lease for the former 58,900 square foot space of Bed Bath & Beyond at 1932 Broadway between 64th and 65th Streets. While the exact amount Wegman paid for the space isn't known publicly, sources told the Post that it was a "blended $3.5 million."
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Food & Dining

Love is a large, lovely $2.9M Lispenard Street loft

Photo credit: Hayley Ellen Day/DDReps

February 14, 2024

Love is a large, lovely $2.9M Lispenard Street loft

Love takes many forms, and the perfect lower Manhattan home base will warm your heart for years to come. This two-bedroom co-op at 45 Lispenard Street in the heart of Tribeca, asking $2,900,000, is a chance to live the loft life, overlooking the iconic neighborhood while entertaining on the building's landscaped roof deck.
Love, loft style, this way

Distinctive Homes

Cronut creator Dominique Ansel opening bakery in Greenwich Village condo

Rendering of 64 University Place courtesy of Argo Real Estate and Bsafal, Inc

February 13, 2024

Cronut creator Dominique Ansel opening bakery in Greenwich Village condo

At a brand new condominium in the Greenwich Village, Cronuts will be one of its selling points. Dominique Ansel, inventor of the iconic pastry, will operate a 2,000-square-foot bakery at 64 University Place, an under-construction 28-unit residential tower designed by Kohn Pedersen Fox. The new bakery will be the third Dominique Ansel location in Manhattan.
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Food & Dining

$19.5M Tribeca townhouse of late designer Thierry Despont sells after three years

Photos courtesy of Douglas Elliman

February 13, 2024

$19.5M Tribeca townhouse of late designer Thierry Despont sells after three years

The Tribeca townhouse of late French architect Thierry Despont, best known for renovating New York City landmarks like the Statue of Liberty and the Carlyle Hotel, has finally sold after three years on the market. The five-bedroom townhouse at 182 Franklin Street entered contract with an asking price of 19.5 million, according to CityRealty. Despont, who died in August at the age of 75, listed the property in 2021 for $25 million.
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Real Estate Trends

Village Cigars in Greenwich Village closes amid rent dispute

Photo by Eden, Janine and Jim via Flickr cc

February 12, 2024

Village Cigars in Greenwich Village closes amid rent dispute

Village Cigars, the iconic Greenwich Village smoke shop in front of Hess Triangle, New York City's smallest piece of private land, has closed after over a century in business. The shop, located at 110 Seventh Avenue and Christopher Street within a distinctive red triangle-shaped building, shut its doors amid an alleged rent dispute between owner Andy Singh and landlord Jon Posner, as reported by Curbed. Posner claims that he signed a separation agreement with Singh, which required him to vacate the store by February 7.
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Photo courtesy of QuallsBenson

February 9, 2024

Essex Crossing’s Market Line food hall to close in April

The Market Line, the food hall located inside the Lower East Side's Essex Crossing development, is closing its doors on April 1. A spokesperson for developer Delancey Street Associates on Friday announced that the subterranean food hall will close this spring due to pandemic-related difficulties. A majority of the food hall's vendors, including its anchor beer spot the Grand Delancey, have announced their exodus from the space over the last month, as Eater New York reported. Delancey Street Associates said that they're looking at other uses for the space.
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Food & Dining

NYC real estate developer arrested in $86M+ fraud scheme

Photo courtesy of Nicole Franzen

February 8, 2024

NYC real estate developer arrested in $86M+ fraud scheme

The former executive of a luxury New York City development firm has been arrested for his connection to an $86 million fraud scheme. Nir Meir, the former managing director of HFZ Capital, was taken into custody on Monday along with other high-ranking industry officials, for stealing money from investors, subcontractors, and the city of New York, according to the indictment. Prosecutors claim Meir, who managed the firm's largest projects, specifically The XI (now One High Line), directed more than $253 million of the project's funding to LLCs controlled by HFZ despite being legally required to use the money for the development.
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February 8, 2024

Fotografiska New York to offer discounted museum admission on second Sundays

The photography museum Fotografiska New York will soon offer discounted admission on the second Sunday of every month. Starting on February 11, the contemporary museum is offering $10 admission on second Sundays; tickets normally cost $31 for adults. Located at 281 Park Avenue South in Gramercy, the museum offers visitors engaging photography exhibitions, coffee and pastries at its cafe, and a curated retail shop.
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Events & Things To Do

A millwork-wrapped co-op in FiDi’s iconic Morse Building asks $2.25M

Photos courtesy of DD Reps for The Corcoran Group

February 7, 2024

A millwork-wrapped co-op in FiDi’s iconic Morse Building asks $2.25M

This co-op in the Financial District offers a designer-crafted residence at a historic address. On a high floor within the 19th-century landmarked Morse Building, the home was designed by architect David Hotson, known for his work on the SkyHouse penthouse at 150 Nassau Street and the Pinnacle of the Woolworth Building. On a slightly smaller scale than those projects but sophisticated nonetheless, the available two-bedroom home, asking $2,250,000, is wrapped in white oak millwork and features two clever lofted spaces.
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Distinctive Homes

All images courtesy of Aman New York

February 6, 2024

Aman New York condo sells for $61.58M

An apartment on Fifth Avenue has sold for $61.58 million, according to city records. Terence Chan, chair of Hong Kong-based private equity firm Bay Area Capital Partners, closed on the four-bedroom apartment at Aman New York, an ultra-luxe hotel-condo with 83 hotel rooms and 22 residences inside the iconic Crown Building, Crain's reported.
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Real Estate Trends

Visit the Frick Collection at the Breuer Building before it closes in March

All photos courtesy of Joseph Coscia Jr.

February 2, 2024

Visit the Frick Collection at the Breuer Building before it closes in March