Lincoln Square

Construction of Extell's controversial supertall on the Upper West Side can move forward, the city's Board of Standards and Appeals ruled Tuesday. In an unusual 2-2 split decision, the BSA said the mechanical space planned for the tower at 50 West 66th Street is appropriate, rejecting a challenge from the preservation organization Landmark West. The group had argued that Extell abused the zoning code by including tall mechanical floors in its design in order to boost the overall height of units at the building, without increasing square footage.
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Policy

Photos courtesy of The Corcoran Group.

December 17, 2019

This $2.6M Upper West Side brownstone co-op has a beautiful back garden and a well-appointed cellar

On a gorgeous brownstone-lined street on the Upper West Side, this garden-floor co-op at 50 West 70th Street is less than a block from Central Park. In case you don't even want to venture that far, this $2.565 million home has a lovely landscaped private garden just beyond a wall of sliding glass doors. Technically a duplex, with several possibilities for bedrooms, this renovated co-op occupies the ground floor and the floor below in a 23-foot-wide 1893 townhouse. The renovation has incorporated well-considered finishings throughout, and an open layout gives it a loft-like feel. The large lower level means there's lots of space to use for whatever you need most.
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Distinctive Homes

Review of mechanical space use continues at Extell’s Upper West Side tower

Rendering of 50 West 66th Street courtesy of Binyan Studios/Snøhetta

September 18, 2019

Review of mechanical space use continues at Extell’s Upper West Side tower

Extell's Snøhetta-designed Upper West Side tower at 50 West 66th Street has cleared one set of legal challenges but the building's contested use of mechanical spaces remains an issue. As Crain’s reported on Tuesday, the city’s Board of Standards and Appeals voted down challenges to the building’s split zoning lots—upholding the Department of Buildings permits for the project—but voted to further scrutinize the tower’s use of mechanical floor spaces by initiating a review of whether Extell is “appropriately occupying” those spaces.
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Sales launch at disputed 200 Amsterdam Avenue, with one-bedrooms starting at $2.625M

Renderings courtesy of Binyan Studios

September 11, 2019

Sales launch at disputed 200 Amsterdam Avenue, with one-bedrooms starting at $2.625M

Less than a month after construction at 200 Amsterdam Avenue topped out—and despite a pending Article 78 challenge filed by opponents of the contested Upper West Side tower in July—sales have officially launched and the developers debuted a new website with all the listings and a new batch of renderings. Designed by Elkus Manfredi Architects with interiors by CetraRuddy, the tower will rise 668 feet and consist of 112 condos over its 52 stories. Current pricing starts at 2.625 million for a one-bedroom and goes up to $7.975 for a five-bedroom. As 6sqft previously reported, there will be two duplex penthouses available for about $40 million each.
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Sales at contested 200 Amsterdam Avenue will launch soon, including two $40M penthouses

Renderings courtesy of Binyan Studios

August 23, 2019

Sales at contested 200 Amsterdam Avenue will launch soon, including two $40M penthouses

Last week, construction of the residential floors at 200 Amsterdam Avenue topped out and now we’re getting a little peek at what the luxury, CetraRuddy-designed interiors will look like. There will be a total of 112 apartments in the controversial Upper West Side tower, including eight full-floor residences and two duplex penthouses. Sales are set to launch in September, with prices starting at $2.625 million for a one-bedroom and exceeding $40 million for the penthouses.
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Rendering of 200 Amsterdam Avenue via SJP Properties/ Elkus Manfredi

June 26, 2019

Nearing pinnacle, disputed 668-foot Upper West Side tower gets city board approval

In a race to the top of sorts, developers of the 668-foot residential tower rising at 200 Amsterdam Avenue got the green light to keep climbing, Curbed reports. On Tuesday the city's Board of Standards and Appeals upheld its initial approval for the tower, which has been embroiled in a heated zoning lot dispute. The board approved the project last year, but in March the state Supreme Court overruled the city’s decision, ordering the board to re-evaluate the permit for the project led by developers SJP Properties and Mitsui Fudosan, who have already proceeded with construction at the 69th Street site. The tower is expected to top out this summer.
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Rendering of 200 Amsterdam Avenue via SJP Properties/ Elkus Manfredi

March 15, 2019

Court rules against the 668-foot tower already rising at 200 Amsterdam Avenue

A state Supreme Court ruling on Thursday overruled the city’s decision to allow a permit for 200 Amsterdam Avenue, the controversial Upper West Side condo project that has been challenged by community groups and elected officials because of its oddly-shaped, gerrymandered lot. As Crain’s reports, the Board of Standards and Appeals, which approved the project last year, has been ordered to go back to the drawing board and re-evaluate the permit for the project led by developers SJP Properties and Mitsui Fudosan, who have already started construction at the 69th Street site.
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Via Joe Schulz on Flickr

December 10, 2018

Time Warner Center will be renamed for Deutsche Bank

Columbus Circle's Time Warner Center will be renamed the Deutsche Bank Center, Commercial Observer reported on Monday. The name change comes as the Deutsche Bank inked a deal for 1.1 million square feet at the complex. The 25-year lease gives the German bank all available office space at the building except on its 20th floor.
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Real Estate Trends

Battery Park City and Upper West Side communities transition from middle-aged to millennial

Via Wikimedia

September 28, 2018

Battery Park City and Upper West Side communities transition from middle-aged to millennial

Despite recently ranking as the most expensive zip code for renters in the United States, Battery Park City experienced the greatest influx of millennial residents in New York City over a period of five years. The Lower Manhattan neighborhood, with the zip code 10282, saw a population increase of over 54 percent, according to report released this month by RentCafe. Out of the top 20 zip codes with the highest increase in millennials, Battery Park City, with 2,300 Generation Y residents, ranks third in the country, falling slightly behind two downtown Los Angeles neighborhoods (h/t amNY).
Where are millennials moving?

Real Estate Trends

September 5, 2018

‘I ♥ NY’ designer Milton Glaser’s former Upper West Side artist’s studio asks $5M

Built in 1903, the 12-story building at 27 West 67th Street is the oldest of eight that comprise the West 67th Street Artists’ Colony Historic District. The studio buildings–which now find themselves next to Central Park, Lincoln Center, and the Time Warner Center on the Upper West Side–were built by a group of artists to provide live/work space on what was then a block of ramshackle stables. Asking $4,950,000, this graceful pre-war duplex is as much an important part of New York City history as it is creative and cool. The stylishly renovated three-bedroom co-op was, until 2007, the residence of graphic designer Milton Glaser, creator of the "I ♥ NY" campaign among other iconic designs and co-founder of "New York" magazine. Another unusual thing about this pretty property: It comes with an additional room on the building's top floor, perfect for a gym, home office–or artist's studio.
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Distinctive Homes

You can live in J.Lo and A-Rod’s 15 Central Park West rental for $11,500/month

15 CPW courtyard by Flickr cc; A-Rod and J.Lo via Wiki Commons

August 23, 2018

You can live in J.Lo and A-Rod’s 15 Central Park West rental for $11,500/month

Though they recently dropped $15 million on an apartment at 432 Park Avenue, the tallest residential building in the Western Hempishere, power couple Jennifer Lopez and Alex Rodriguez have reportedly been shacking up in a smaller rental at the equally impressive 15 Central Park West. The celebrity-filled building is NYC's most expensive condo, but what really makes this juicy is that A-Rod was allegedly banned from the residence for hosting several hookers while renting there in 2014. Perhaps the board feels he's matured over the years, as he and J-Lo have secretly been renting a one-bedroom there for the past year, and with the lease expiring on September 1st (and the pair likely getting ready to make the move into 432) it's now up for rent asking $11,500 a month.
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Anthony Bourdain’s Columbus Circle condo hits the rental market for $14K/month

Photo of Bourdain via Wikimedia; photo of Time Warner Center via Joe Schulz on Flickr

August 13, 2018

Anthony Bourdain’s Columbus Circle condo hits the rental market for $14K/month

Anthony Bourdain's Columbus Circle apartment has hit the rental market, nearly two months after the chef's death. Located on the 64th floor of the Time Warner Center, the two-bedroom condo is asking $14,200/month, as first reported by TMZ. In addition to high-end condos, the building is home to CNN's NYC headquarters, the same network that carries Bourdain's popular Parts Unknown series.
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July 26, 2018

For $16K a month, this unique Lincoln Square loft has a double-height plant wall in the living room

This four-bedroom pre-war duplex would be unusual for its double-height living room alone, but the soaring internal space is graced with a stunning living wall feature that you definitely won't find in the average Upper West Side living room. You can rent this cool space–originally an artists' loft when the Atelier at 33 West 67th Street was constructed in 1903–for $16,450 a month.
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Rendering of 200 Amsterdam Avenue via SJP Properties/ Elkus Manfredi

July 18, 2018

City says 668-foot UWS supertall complies with zoning rules despite community protests

The city's Board of Standards and Appeals found Tuesday that a 668-foot-tall tower proposed for a zoning lot at 200 Amsterdam Avenue does, in fact, comply with zoning rules, The Real Deal reports. The decision gives developers SJP and Mitsui Fudosan the green light to proceed with development of a condominium tower on the site at 69th Street despite a growing body of community groups opposed to the project. The Committee for Environmentally Sound Development had challenged the Department of Buildings' approval of the project on the grounds that developers assembled an illegal zoning lot in the form of a 39-sided polygon 10 times larger than the actual building's planned footprint with the intent of building a larger tower.
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June 7, 2018

Lincoln Square’s grand finale: From slum clearance to a new master plan

By Michelle Sinclair Colman

Lincoln Square, a part of the Upper West Side, is a literal square of approximately 50 blocks that runs east-west from Central Park West to the West Side Drive and north-south from 59th to 72nd Streets. The neighborhood, which is bisected by Broadway and contains the Lincoln Center “superblock,” has an enormous amount of culture, loads of prestigious schools, tons of old-school luxury residences lining the park, and a massive, five-acre, four-building new development called Waterline Square, finalizing a decades-long master plan for the neighborhood. Ahead, we take a look at the neighborhood's history, from its Dutch roots to Robert Moses' slum clearance, modern residential development, and all the amenities that make this area more fun than one may think.
Your guide to Lincoln Square

Events & Things To Do

15 Central Park West via Wikimedia

May 23, 2018

15 Central Park West still reigns as the best selling condo in New York City

With 10 years of closings officially on record, 15 Central Park West takes the top spot as New York City's best performing building for yet another year. According to a CityRealty 100 report released Wednesday, the average price per square foot of units at Robert A.M. Stern's "Limestone Jesus" was roughly $6,405, between April 1, 2017 and March 31, 2018. In that time period the building saw a total of eight sales, including apartments which sold for $28 million and $21.5 million. Sales at the limestone tower were able to outperform newer developments, like One57 and 432 Park Avenue.
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Real Estate Trends

March 16, 2018

Former writing studio of poet Robert Lowell asks $1.2M in Lincoln Square

By Emily Nonko

It doesn't get much more romantic than living in an apartment off Central Park once used by a famous poet as his writing studio. That's the case here at 15 West 67th Street, the historic Lincoln Square cooperative that poet Robert Lowell once used as his writing atelier. Lowell worked in here during his time in New York, prior to his 1972 move to England. As the years passed, of course, the one bedroom was mostly renovated, selling in 2012 for $712,000 and hitting the market again for $1.185 million. According to the listing, the current owner "fondly brought back the luster of the woodwork," while adding wine storage and other modern amenities.
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My 700sqft: News anchors Jamie and Brian Stelter open up their ‘sunny’ Lincoln Square home

6sqft’s series “My sqft” checks out the homes of New Yorkers across all the boroughs. Our latest interior adventure brings us to the Lincoln Square apartment of news anchors Jamie and Brian Stelter. Want to see your home featured here? Get in touch!

January 16, 2018

My 700sqft: News anchors Jamie and Brian Stelter open up their ‘sunny’ Lincoln Square home

By Dana Schulz

If these two friendly faces look familiar it's because they grace your television screen daily. Jamie Stelter has been NY1's traffic reporter for the past eight years, gaining fame not only for her onscreen rapport with Pat Kiernan but for her naturally bubbly personality (especially important when you go on air at 5am!), and Brian Stelter is a former media reporter for the New York Times and the current senior media correspondent and host of "Reliable Sources" for CNN. And while this might sound like a recipe for one intimidating couple, the Stelters are about as down-to-earth and warm as they come. 6sqft recently visited the couple at their Lincoln Square apartment and saw what a typical afternoon looks like, from putting their adorable eight-month-old daughter Sunny down for a nap to Brian dashing out the door to CNN's nearby offices (and Jamie and Sunny watching him on tv just a few moments later!). We were also treated to a tour of their boho-meets-family-friendly home, which is filled with DIY projects, adorable personal mementos, and a long list of Jamie's stylish finds from her favorite Instagram feeds.
Hang out with Jamie and Brian

December 19, 2017

The Upper West Side’s next tall tower reveals its Art Deco design

Despite some initial construction hiccups, plans for the 668-foot residential tower at 200 Amsterdam Avenue continue to move forward. According to YIMBY, the tower's developers, SJP Properties and Mitsui Fudosan, have unveiled new renderings of the Upper West Side building, including an up-close shot of its crown. Designed by Elkus Manfredi, the exteriors feature an aluminum curtainwall and metal panels. New York firm CetraRuddy will take on the interiors of the 112-unit condominium building.
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November 16, 2017

‘The View’ co-host Joy Behar drops $2.4M on a mod Upper West Side condo

According to city property records, "The View" co-host Joy Behar just dropped $2.4 million on a contemporary apartment at the Lincoln Square condo 62 West 62nd Street. Not only is the place a block away from both Central Park and Lincoln Center, but it's just four blocks from the talk show's ABC filming location on 66th Street. Ironically, it's also just a few blocks from the Trump International; Behar has been extremely vocal on her disdain for the building's namesake, even writing an entire Trump-bashing book.
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November 9, 2017

Run your own library from this $5M bookshelf-lined Central Park West loft

The Century condominium at 25 Central Park West lives up to its ambitious name; its Art Deco architecture is as distinctive as its prime Central Park location with views to match. This light-flooded corner penthouse has 360-degree park views, but even those may need to compete with the sheer amount of reading material on the bookshelves that line this $5 million loft. With impossibly high ceilings, exposed beams, multiple levels, and innovative modern finishes, the three-bedroom residence has the feel of a loft within the elegant context of a pre-war apartment building.
Library with better hours, rules and furniture this way

Distinctive Homes

November 2, 2017

Rent Jon Hamm’s Upper West Side penthouse for $15,000/month

Sadly, it doesn't sport the mid-century vibes of "Mad Men," but Jon Hamm's Lincoln Square penthouse is still pretty incredible. The Don Draper portrayer and then-girlfriend Jennifer Westfeldt bought the two-bedroom penthouse at 40 West 67th Street in 2013 for $2.5 million and then undertook a renovation. The longtime pair split in 2015, which could be why they've now decided to put the place up for rent for $14,995 a month. It's not huge, at 1,000 square feet, but it does boast two terraces, a huge dining room with two skylights, and plenty of pre-war details original to the Rosario Candela-designed building. Plus, it's located on one of the city's most coveted blocks.
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City approves the Upper West Side’s tallest building, a 668-foot tower in Lincoln Square

Rendering of 200 Amsterdam Avenue via SJP Properties

September 27, 2017

City approves the Upper West Side’s tallest building, a 668-foot tower in Lincoln Square

The Department of Buildings gave developers on Tuesday the go-ahead to construct a 668-foot residential tower on the Upper West Side. In a partnership between SJP Properties and Mitsui Fudosan America, the project at 200 Amsterdam Avenue will be the neighborhood's tallest tower, surpassing the current title-holder, Trump International, by more than 80 feet. As Crain's reported, construction was stalled after opponents argued the project did not follow required open space regulations and the buildings department shut down the site in July until the issue was resolved.
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New Developments

Waitlist opens for middle-income apartments near Lincoln Center

One Columbus Place via Brodsky

September 15, 2017

Waitlist opens for middle-income apartments near Lincoln Center

By Dana Schulz

Back in April, 6sqft shared an open waitlist for low-income units at the Brodsky Organization's One Columbus Place. The mid-90s tower, located at the amazing intersection of Lincoln Center, Central Park, and the Upper West Side, has 700 total apartments, with 179 reserved as below-market rate. The second batch of affordable units, these set aside for middle-income New Yorkers earning 130 percent of the area median income, are now also accepting applications for a 7,500-name waitlist for future vacancies. They range from $2,116/month studios to $2,733/month two-bedrooms, compared to the building's market-rate listings that range from $3,200/month studios to $6,300/month two-bedrooms.
Find out if you qualify and how to get your name on the list

Affordable Housing

15 Central Park West. Image: Wikimedia Commons

August 23, 2017

15 Central Park West still reigns as New York City’s most expensive condo