Upper East Side

If you're a painter, a sculptor or a writer–or you just like to be in close proximity to their kind–you'd be in good company with this 7,200-square-foot townhouse at 167 East 69th Street in the Upper East Side. The 25-foot-wide Neo-Georgian former carriage house is currently owned by Ann Brashares, the author of young adult series "The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants" and her husband, painter Jacob Collins. The property itself was used by the Sculpture Center for "close to half a century," according to the listing, and neighbors have included Mark Rothko and art dealer Larry Gagosian. It's asking $18.95 million–curb cut and garage included.
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Distinctive Homes

April 12, 2018

Upper East Side townhouse asks $30M in U.S. dollars or $45M in Bitcoin

Last month, New York City had its first cryptocurrency real estate closing. The next week, an owner of the Plaza floated the idea of selling a "Plaza Token" to a group of foreign investors. Now, hedge fund founder and tech investor Claudio Guazzoni de Zanett, the owner of the landmarked townhouse at 10 East 76th Street, is asking one price in US dollars and a higher value in digital currencies due to their volatility. He is willing to accept bitcoin, Ethereum or Ripple. "I’m a true believer in these networks, but it’s very volatile," Zanett told the Wall Street Journal. "They could be down 60% in two weeks."
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Distinctive Homes

‘Private school bump’ sends parents hunting for second homes on the Upper East Side

Photo via Ed Yourdon/Flickr

April 9, 2018

‘Private school bump’ sends parents hunting for second homes on the Upper East Side

‘Tis the time of year for private school acceptance letters to arrive. Nervous teens and parents race to their inboxes and find out if they are given the honor of spending upwards of 50k a year on their children’s education, often at one of the Upper East Side's highly prestigious institutions. At the same time, the starting gun sounds on the race to find an Upper East Side home to move to near school. amNY reported that with the “private school bump,” not only do buildings see a jump in families moving their primary residences to the area but many see NYC residents buying “little studios for them and their kids for Monday through Friday just to be closer to the school so they don’t have to commute from Tribeca, the Lower East Side, or Chelsea.”
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Real Estate Trends

April 6, 2018

John Steinbeck’s former Upper East Side home, complete with his original writing desk, asks $5M

On the 34th floor at the Tower East on 72nd and 3rd Avenue is the former home of Nobel Laureate John Steinbeck. "The Grapes of Wrath" and "Of Mice and Men" author lived here with his third wife, Elaine Anderson Steinbeck, until his death in 1968. She stayed in the apartment until her death in 2003, after which time it was completely renovated with new windows, floors, plumbing, electric and an expanded entrance with the addition of an adjacent three-bedroom apartment. But the new owners left a few nods to the literary great, including keeping his study intact, complete with his original wooden desk, notes on the wall, and posters, according to the Post.
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April 5, 2018

Renderings revealed for Annabelle Selldorf’s $160M Frick Collection expansion

By Hannah Frishberg

The Frick Collection has unveiled its $160 million Selldorf Architects-designed upgrade and expansion, which will open up the private living quarters of Henry Clay Frick's original 1914 home to the public for the first time. As the New York Times explained, the renderings illustrate a plan to expand the existing building's second level, add two set-back stories above the music room, and an addition behind the library that will match its seven-story height. These will house a 220-seat underground auditorium, an education center with classrooms, in addition to a renovated lobby and larger museum shop.
More details and renderings ahead

A ‘small format’ Target will open on the Upper East Side next year

Rendering via Target

April 3, 2018

A ‘small format’ Target will open on the Upper East Side next year

Retail giant Target announced on Tuesday that it will bring three new Target stores to New York City, further expanding its footprint in the Big Apple. The new stores, planned for the Upper East Side, Astoria and Staten Island, will be "small format," tailored to the needs of shoppers in urban areas (h/t NBC). In a statement, Mark Schindele, a senior vice president of Target's properties, said: "All three of these new stores will offer the best of Target in that borough, yet curate the assortment to meet the needs and preferences of the nearby community."
More details here

New Developments

April 3, 2018

Matt Lauer attempts to shed Upper East Side co-op for $7M

After all, there's no need to worry about having a place near work. In addition to the disgraced anchorman's Sag Harbor home (one of his three Hamptons properties) Lauer's Upper East Side co-op at 133 East 64th Street is now for sale, asking $7.35 million. The four-bedroom, 11-room pad is also, as the Post points out, where the former "Today" anchor was holed up last November when he was informed of his dismissal by NBC News head Andy Lack.
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March 29, 2018

San Remo co-op that was Diane Keaton’s first NYC apartment lists for $17.5M

In the late '70s, after hitting it big in Woody Allen's "Annie Hall," a 30-year-old Diane Keaton celebrated her Hollywood success by buying a full-floor apartment at the storied Upper West Side co-op the San Remo. Looking back in more recent years, she said "It was one of those remarkable apartments. There was a window on every side. Everything was wide open. That was the beginning of my true interest in architecture." And now a lucky buyer will have the chance to re-live that dream, as Keaton's former home--in one of the landmark's coveted towers--has just hit the market for $17.5 million, reports the Post.
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March 27, 2018

A baronial co-op belonging to designer Francine Coffey asks $2.25M on the Upper East Side

By Emily Nonko

Designer Francine Coffey brought an elegant aestheitc--inspired by American history and the Federal era--to her co-op spanning the full parlor floor of the Upper East Side mansion at 36 East 69th Street. The prewar, baronial-feeling home spans 1,425 square feet, all of it dripping with lavish details that include fireplaces, French doors, wood moldings and decorative ceilings. Coffey has listed the grand spread for a grand total of $2.25 million.
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Saudi prince wants Trump building’s ‘grossly disproportionate’ rent lawsuit thrown out

Image courtesy of CityRealty

March 27, 2018

Saudi prince wants Trump building’s ‘grossly disproportionate’ rent lawsuit thrown out

Trump Park Avenue LLC, a unit of President Trump's company, sued Faisal bin Abdul Majeed al-Saud in February claiming the Saudi prince signed a lease on the Manhattan condo at 502 Park Avenue in 2013 but hasn't paid rent since January 2017. Bloomberg reports that according to a complaint filed in New York State Supreme Court, the Trump Organization says the defendant agreed in June 2014 to extend his lease through June 2019. The defendant, on the other hand, says the landlord failed to comply with lease’s terms and is asking the judge to toss out a lawsuit seeking almost $2 million in unpaid rent, claiming that he gave back the keys to the penthouse last year.
More international drama and intrigue this way

Uncategorized

March 23, 2018

21 chances to buy an affordable condo at Extell’s chic Upper East Side tower, from $357K

Rendering of The Kent via Beyer Blinder Belle; Photo via CityRealty Applications are now being accepted for 21 brand new, affordable condominiums at Extell Development's Upper East Side tower, The Kent. Designed by Beyer Blinder Belle, the 30-story building, located at 200 East 95th Street, has a facade covered in red brick with accents of dark metal. Qualifying New Yorkers earning between $79,333 and $119,250 annually can apply for the studio, one- and two-bedroom condo units, which range in price from $356,700 to $427,000.
Find out if you qualify

March 20, 2018

INTERVIEW: Developer Edward Baquero explains how he brought old-New York luxury to 20 East End

When I first interviewed Edward Baquero, President of Corigin Real Estate Group, his art curator, Elizabeth Fiore, was furiously texting him images from the Armory Show with potential art for two remaining walls in the stately 20 East End’s octagonal lobby. Baquero is a perfectionist to the nth degree with an obsessive eye for detail, highly skilled research capabilities, a luxurious aesthetic sensibility and a ridiculously funny sense of humor. These two alcove walls were just as important to Baquero as every other detail in his building, no matter how big or small. Nothing in 20 East End was chosen without thorough research and reason followed by multiple iterations of tests and retests. What Baquero created in 20 East End evokes a time when the Astors, Vanderbilts, and Rockefellers dominated Manhattan and defined luxury. Baquero is bringing back the best of the past and melding it with the present to create a model many will replicate in the future. Ahead, 6sqft talks with him about how he achieved this, his inspirations, and what it was like working with Robert A.M. Stern.
Hear what Edward has to say

March 13, 2018

For $3M, live in a historic Carnegie Hill townhouse with all the perks of a condo

By Hannah Frishberg

Located within the posh Upper East Side enclave of Carnegie Hill at 1281 Madison Avenue, this gracefully restored 1,712-square-foot townhouse-style duplex is stunning inside and out, and asking an even $3 million. The lofty 11-foot ceilings and generously-sized West-facing windows allow for plenty of air and light throughout the apartment, but perhaps the best part is that it's connected to an adjacent condominium and is afforded all the perks of that property.
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Distinctive Homes

March 9, 2018

Can giant zoo animals sell a luxury condo in NYC?

After watching 200 East 59th Street’s most recent promotional video, the 35-story midtown building seems insanely voluminous and sturdy— with a whiff of hay? Developer Macklowe Properties just released this DBOX video showing giraffes, elephants, and rhinos (oh my!) galavanting around the city and in their new building. This video builds on the fiberglass 18-foot giraffes, elephants, and rhinos Macklowe found in Southampton and installed at the property last year.
Watch the whole video

New Developments

March 5, 2018

116-year-old Yorkville bakery Glaser’s announces summer closing

By Dana Schulz

When 6sqft met with Herb Glaser, the third-generation co-owner of Yorkville's 116-year-old German bakery Glaser's, he attributed the business' longevity to the fact that his grandfather "had the foresight and the ability to buy the building that we are in." So it came as a bit of a surprise when we learned over the weekend that the beloved bake shop will be closing its doors this summer. A bittersweet Facebook post stated that "After many years of daunting hours and hard work, the third generation of bakers have come to the difficult decision to hang up their bakers' hat and move towards retirement."
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Uncategorized

March 2, 2018

Interior designer Bunny Williams lists tasteful Upper East Side co-op for $4M

By Emily Nonko

Interior designer and "high society tastemaker" Bunny Williams has just listed her classic six Carnegie Hill apartment at the 1185 Park Avenue cooperative. The apartment--now full of antiques she has collected from around the world--is asking $3.995 million with a maintenance is $4,685 a month. (According to the New York Times, she purchased it for about $900,000.) The two-bedroom, three-bathroom spread is on the fourth floor of the 15-story prewar co-op, one of the last in the city designed with a drive-through central courtyard.
Take the interior tour

Distinctive Homes

As of today, the Met will start charging non-New Yorkers $25 for admission

Photo via Wiki Commons

March 1, 2018

As of today, the Met will start charging non-New Yorkers $25 for admission

By Dana Schulz

At the beginning of the year, the Met announced that it would begin charging non-New Yorkers (i.e. those without a state ID) $25 for admission, waiving its pay-what-you-wish policy that had been in effect since 1970. And as of today, that policy is officially being implemented through signs at all entrances, 14 new kiosks in the Great Hall, roaming museum staff with iPads, and a brochure that explains the new fee system, reports the Times.
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Events & Things To Do

How the Second Avenue Subway is hurting Upper East Side businesses

96th Street entrance to the Second Avenue Subway, via MTA/Flickr

February 26, 2018

How the Second Avenue Subway is hurting Upper East Side businesses

By Cait Etherington

On Valentine’s Day, The Source, a long-running store on Third Avenue that sold everything from stationary and household cleaning products to cards and candles, closed its doors for good. Since early January, when the owner hung a going-out-of-business sign in his window, he had been telling Upper East Siders shoppers that he was shutting down for two reasons: rising rents but the drastic decline in business brought about by the Second Avenue Subway’s opening in January 2017. Although one might assume that a business like The Source is really a victim of Amazon and the rise of other online retailers, the increasing vacancy rates along Third and Lexington Avenues on the Upper East Side over the past year appear to confirm his speculation. As much as the Second Avenue Subway has been good news for businesses in Yorkville, its opening seems to have dealt a devastating blow to businesses located just west of the new line.
What’s the deal?

Transit

Rafael Viñoly’s octagonal-cored Upper East Side tower gets new rendering

Rendering of 249 East 62nd Street via Rafael Viñoly Architects

February 20, 2018

Rafael Viñoly’s octagonal-cored Upper East Side tower gets new rendering

First announced over a year ago and later approved by the city's Department of Buildings in September, Rafael Viñoly’s residential project planned for 249 East 62nd Street moved forward this week after the architect released a new rendering. As YIMBY reported, the 510-foot building will feature retail and a townhouse at its base, with apartments above it through the 12th floor. The uniqueness of this project's design lies with its 150-foot-tall octagonally-shaped core, aimed at raising the height of upper-level apartments without counting it toward usable square footage.
Details here

February 15, 2018

New York City’s priciest townhouse sets another record after $90M sale

Billionaire Len Blavatnik has broken the city's record for the most expensive townhouse after paying $90 million for an Upper East Side mansion, according to the New York Post. The seller, HNA Group, sold the home at 19 East 64th Street after recently picking it up in April for $79.5 million, a record at the time. Blavatnik, a music executive who already owns a home on 64th Street and paid $80 million for a home at 834 Fifth Avenue, has an estimated net worth of around $20.5 billion.
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Real Estate Trends

February 14, 2018

The Obamas are not moving to the Upper East Side

Barack and Michelle Obama via Wiki Commons; One of 10 Gracie Square’s terraces overlooking the East River, via CityRealty Dreams of having Barack and Michelle Obama in New York City were dashed this week after a report dispelled any and all rumors about the presidential couple moving to Manhattan. According to New York Magazine, the Obamas are not purchasing the five-bedroom duplex at 10 Gracie Square that went into contract for $10 million last month. On background, a source told the magazine: "It's not happening. They certainly did not submit an application, and this never got to the point where a deal was even being floated."
More here

Celebrities

Drew Barrymore checks out two ritzy co-ops on the Upper East Side

Photo of Drew Barrymore via Wikimedia

February 1, 2018

Drew Barrymore checks out two ritzy co-ops on the Upper East Side

Following a split from her husband in 2016, actress Drew Barrymore is looking for a new abode on the Upper East Side and has been touring apartments on some of the neighborhood's priciest blocks. According to the New York Post, the star scoped out two co-ops priced over $5 million, one at 965 Fifth Avenue and another at 1125 Park Avenue. At the Fifth Avenue digs, she saw a $5.3 million two-bedroom spread with expansive Central Park views. And over on Park, she got a look at a $5.495 million newly renovated pad. Interestingly, both places are a bit, shall we say, mature for what we'd expect from Barrymore.
See them both here

January 31, 2018

Live in ‘Imperial’ style next door to the Carlyle on the Upper East Side for $1.65M

When modern renovations happen to grand pre-war homes on the Upper East Side, the result is often predictable at best, or over-the-top and garish. This lofty two-bedroom co-op at 55 East 76th Street in an 1883 Neo-Grec brownstone known as the Imperial is definitely an exception. Acclaimed contemporary architect Louise Braverman was able to combine the sleekness of a modern loft and the elegance of pre-war architecture seamlessly in this unique home in a classic uptown setting. The co-op is asking $1.65 million with the opportunity to combine it with unit #12 at $3.63M for the pair.
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Distinctive Homes

January 26, 2018

$9M Upper East Side duplex is dressed up like a Park Avenue socialite

Besides being an architectural gem, designed by William Alciphron Boring and completed in 1911, 521 Park Avenue is the rare classic pre-war Upper East Side building that's also a condominium (it was converted in 1987). This sprawling duplex is the result of a high-floor two-unit combo. The resulting 3,000+ square-foot corner apartment has as much space and impressive pre-war detail as you'd expect from an address like this one.
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Distinctive Homes

January 24, 2018

Subway map designer Massimo Vignelli’s Upper East Side home hits the market for $6.5M

The Upper East Side home of iconic designer-duo Lella and Massimo Vignelli will be listed for $6.5 million, according to the New York Times. The 3,900-square-foot three-bedroom duplex at 130 East 67th Street features super high ceilings, wide plank oak floors and a beautiful library. The Italian-born couple first bought the home in 1978 for $250,000, and it served as their first New York abode. While best known in NYC for his 1972 design of the subway map for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, Massimo, who died in 2014, is also credited with creating iconic branding for companies, like the big brown bag logo for Bloomingdales. His wife, Lella, who died in 2016, was a licensed architect and created furniture and tableware for Vignelli Designs. According to the son of the late couple, Luca, the apartment served as a "cultural hub for artists and designers."
See inside the mod duplex

Did the Obamas just close on this classy Upper East Side duplex for almost $10M?

Barack and Michelle Obama via Wiki Commons; One of 10 Gracie Square’s terraces overlooking the East River, via CityRealty

January 24, 2018

Did the Obamas just close on this classy Upper East Side duplex for almost $10M?