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Now in its 58th season, the Public Theater's Shakespeare in the Park has announced its 2020 season, which will feature two free performances-- "the rarely seen drama" Richard II, and a musical adaptation of As You Like It choreographed by Sonya Tayeh of Moulin Rouge! Watching an open-air production in Central Park's Delacorte Theater is a true New York City tradition, as is lining up for tickets (though these days, there is also a digital lottery option).
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The Brooklyn Queens Expressway (BQE) from the south end of the Brooklyn Promenade. Photo by Joe Mabel via Wikimedia

January 31, 2020

BQE panel releases anticipated report, says the highway will be unsafe for drivers in five years

The Brooklyn Queens Expressway (BQE) from the south end of the Brooklyn Promenade. Photo by Joe Mabel via Wikimedia The 16-person panel that convened last April to assess reconstruction options for the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway’s 1.5-mile triple cantilever stretch has released its report. Their recommendations call for repair work to begin immediately and outline “aggressive traffic reduction strategies” like eliminating one lane in each direction (six lanes would become four) and imposing weight limits on vehicles. The panel also rejected the controversial proposal to build a temporary highway at the Brooklyn Heights Promenade during the reconstruction and said the Promenade should remain open.
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All renderings courtesy of City Winery

January 31, 2020

City Winery reveals more looks for new location at Google’s Pier 57

How's a glass of wine with a view of the new Pier 55 offshore park sound? If the answer is "good," that's exactly what you'll get at City Winery's new location coming just up the street at Pier 57. Located at 15th Street in Hudson River Park, the venue is part of the pier's larger $380 million renovation that includes a new home for Google. City Winery will have a restaurant, tasting room with River views, a fully functioning winery/wine production facility, a 350-seat concert hall, and a 150-person loft event space. After 11 years, City Winery closed its long-time Tribeca location last summer.
Get a look inside

Food & Dining

Proposed property tax overhaul could lessen burden for low-income homeowners in NYC

Photo of Park Slope brownstones by Josh Wilburne on Unsplash

January 31, 2020

Proposed property tax overhaul could lessen burden for low-income homeowners in NYC

By Andrew Berman of Village Preservation

Owners of multi-million dollar co-ops and condos in New York City would have to pay property tax at full market value under a recently released proposal to overhaul the current system. The city's Advisory Commission on Property Tax Reform on Thursday unveiled its long-awaited report detailing reforms of the complex system that would tax properties of similar values at equitable rates. Currently, homebuyers pay property tax based on assessed value, rather than the market rate, which puts a bigger tax burden on low- and middle-income homeowners.
Get the details

January 31, 2020

The history of how the New York Public Library got its start Downtown

This year, the New York Public Library is celebrating its 125th anniversary. With 53 million items and 92 locations across Manhattan, the Bronx, and Staten Island, the NYPL is the largest municipal library in the world. It’s also the steward of some of New York’s greatest landmarks, reflecting a century and a quarter of Gotham’s history, and in some cases even more. The roots of this library system can be found in Greenwich Village, the East Village, and Noho. The main antecedents of the NYPL which formed the foundation of today’s system— the Astor Library, the Lenox Library, and the New York Free Circulating Library – all began in these neighborhoods just below 14th Street. As a result, this is where New York’s oldest public library buildings and the oldest building housing an NYPL branch are located -- the latter ironically having been where great works of literature were banned and censored before it became a library.
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History

January 31, 2020

16 places to celebrate Black History Month in NYC

February marks Black History Month, a nationwide celebration of African American culture and history. New Yorkers will have plenty of opportunities to honor the contributions made by the black community, with live performances, guided tours, comedy shows, art installations, and more events happening across the city. From the Apollo Theater's open house celebration to spoken word performances at Brooklyn barbershops, pay tribute to the achievements of black Americans this February, as well as all year round.
The full list, ahead

Events & Things To Do

Times Square Arts’ 2020 Valentine’s Day heart comes with a hidden surprise

Photos by Ian Douglas

January 31, 2020

Times Square Arts’ 2020 Valentine’s Day heart comes with a hidden surprise

Times Square Arts debuted the 2020 Times Square Valentine Heart yesterday, a tradition that started in 2009. This year's installation, Heart Squared, was selected by the Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum and designed by MODU and Eric Forman Studio. The sculpture is composed of a 10-foot-tall cubic steel lattice structure that approximates the form of an anatomical heart and 125 mirrors that are suspended within and tilted at various angles to create a kaleidoscopic collage of the urban environment. The arrangement of the mirrors might seem random at first but they're precisely calibrated to form an anamorphic projection—meaning that the mirror array creates a surprise image when viewed from a specific vantage point, which is marked on the ground with white paint.
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Events & Things To Do

Photo credit: H5 Property, courtesy of Compass.

January 31, 2020

This Upper West Side brownstone co-op gives you three levels to love for $725K

Tucked into one of the elegant brownstones that, along with stately apartment buildings, line an enviable Upper West Side block, this one-bedroom home at 169 West 73rd Street has pre-war charm–with a twist. On the second floor of a brownstone co-op building, the space has a main living area, a step-down kitchen and dining area, a lower bedroom, and a lofted home office/bonus room, fitting more rooms into what would be a more limited space if it were on just one level.
Look up, look down

Distinctive Homes

Distinctive Homes

$10.25M Chelsea condo atop Shigeru Ban's Metal Shutter Houses is everything a penthouse should be

For $5.5M, a gallerist's Soho loft is the perfect backdrop for your art collection

Color, drama, and detail define this $12.5M Upper East Side co-op

Tribeca's iconic skybridge property is back on the market for $30M

'Secret' live-work compound on Tribeca's skybridge street lists for $30M

For $9M, a Noho penthouse that captures the spirit of the neighborhood's past, and then some

This $4M Park Slope duplex is house-sized, with condo simplicity and outdoor space

Park Slope townhouse sells for $13.9M, a new neighborhood record

This $2.85M Crown Heights townhouse is an unspoiled historic beauty on an extra-long lot

Once a parking garage, this $85M Village penthouse is now in line to break neighborhood sales records

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This $2.5M Gramercy co-op comes with a key to the park and an opportunity to buy the place next door

Photo credit: DDReps, courtesy of Compass.

January 30, 2020

This $2.5M Gramercy co-op comes with a key to the park and an opportunity to buy the place next door

First things first: If you should happen to move into this elegant pre-war residence at 34 Gramercy Park East, we hope you like Jimmy Fallon. Because he owns five apartments in the building (Richard Gere also owns a unit here). Built in 1883, it's also NYC’s oldest co-op, known for its Aesthetic Movement architecture and stunning lobby with a Tiffany glass ceiling. The $2.495 million asking price for this two-bedroom co-op also gets you Gramercy Park views, and, of course, that mythical key to New York City's only private park.
Get a closer look

Distinctive Homes

An Italian-style food hall is coming to Canal Street’s historic First National City Bank building

Rendering courtesy of Mercato Fabbrica

January 30, 2020

An Italian-style food hall is coming to Canal Street’s historic First National City Bank building

Plans to bring an Italian market to the First National City Bank building at 415 Broadway (or 296 Canal Street) have just been announced. The narrow block between Lispenard and Canal Streets once housed the largest commercial bank in the world and is known for its Art Moderne facade. The 35,000-square-foot interior will be transformed into Mercato Fabbrica, a "culinary destination inspired by the great markets, department stores and social clubs around the world." The idea has been in the works since 2018 and is slated to open later this year.
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Food & Dining

The best Valentine’s Day gifts for modern design lovers

Image courtesy of The Sill.

January 30, 2020

The best Valentine’s Day gifts for modern design lovers

Long after the day of chocolate boxes and candy hearts is over, these gifts will still be as cool as the person who gave them. Because if you're going to wear your heart on your sleeve, it had better look good! Ahead, we've rounded up 15 great gift ideas, from chic pottery and lamps to heart-shaped succulents to a hot sauce kit to spice things up.
Great Valentine gift ideas, this way

Restaurant with outdoor patio space proposed for Williamsburg’s McCarren Park

Proposed outdoor seating facing the park; Rendering by Inca Architecture, courtesy of NYC Parks

January 30, 2020

Restaurant with outdoor patio space proposed for Williamsburg’s McCarren Park

A restaurant with outdoor seating could be coming to McCarren Park in Brooklyn next year. The city's Parks Department is working with the owners of the entertainment venue Brooklyn Night Bazaar, which closed its doors permanently last fall, to bring a new concession to the McCarren Park House, a structure built in the early 20th century and designed by McKim, Mead, and White. As Brooklyn Paper first reported, the restaurant, expected to open in spring 2021, would help finance a $1.2 million renovation of the crumbling comfort station's facilities.
See the proposal

Food & Dining

Renderings courtesy of Krispy Kreme

January 30, 2020

Krispy Kreme opening five new NYC stores ahead of Times Square flagship

Iconic doughnut chain Krispy Kreme announced in June that it will bring its "doughnut theater experience" to a 45,000-square-foot retail space at the corner of 48th Street and Broadway in Times Square where visitors will be able to watch the doughnut-making process–complete with glaze waterfall–or just grab one to go at the walk-up window. It won't open until May, but to hold you over, Krispy Kreme will soon open five new Manhattan locations, in addition to reopening their long-time Penn Station outpost after a renovation (h/t Time Out NY).
More, this way

Food & Dining

January 30, 2020

City Bakery founder opening a hot chocolate bar in Greenwich Village

City Bakery founder Maury Rubin has spent the past weeks in a "Wonka-ish frenzy," Grub Street tells us, as he prepares to launch his latest venture: the Wonderbon Chocolate Co. Rubin and his partner have taken out a three-month lease on a storefront at 257 Bleeker Street—most recently occupied by Sugar and Plumm—which will feature a menu of twelve hot chocolate flavors in an espresso-bar setting. The opening comes just in time for February, the month Rubin made famous for his hot chocolate festival at City Bakery, a tradition he began in 1992 that attracted more than 50,000 customers each year.
More details

Food & Dining

This Sunday, get access to Grand Central’s secret glass catwalk

View from the catwalk, photo via Wikimedia Commons

January 29, 2020

This Sunday, get access to Grand Central’s secret glass catwalk

Grand Central Terminal's upcoming 107th anniversary isn't the round number typical of big celebrations, but nevertheless, the NYC icon is marking the occasion with a "major treat" that will appeal to all architecture and history buffs. The catwalk above the Main Concourse—normally closed off to the public—will be opened up for one day only on Sunday, February 2. To take advantage of the rare bird's eye perspective, you'll have to register for one of three showings that will take place that day. If this piques your interest, you'll want to hurry: only 45 spots are available and registration ends at 5 p.m. today.
More info

Events & Things To Do

Angel’s Share speakeasy owners open sit-down Japanese restaurant at Industry City

Photo courtesy of Industry City

January 29, 2020

Angel’s Share speakeasy owners open sit-down Japanese restaurant at Industry City

A new sit-down restaurant has opened in the Japanese food court at Sunset Park's Industry City complex. From the owners of popular speakeasy Angel's Share, Wakuwaku is a 3,200-square-foot izakaya at Japan Village with 60 seats and private tatami mat rooms. Wakuwaku, currently just serving lunch as part of its soft opening, will offer Japanese-style tapas and shochu-based cocktails when the full dinner menu launches.
See inside

Food & Dining

For $6.5K/month, this Chelsea brownstone apartment offers charm and flexibility

Listing images by RISE Media; courtesy of The Corcoran Group

January 29, 2020

For $6.5K/month, this Chelsea brownstone apartment offers charm and flexibility

Perfect for remote workers, this Chelsea rental at 331 West 19th Street comes with a flexible floor plan that can be adapted to suit your working needs. In addition to a sunny master bedroom, the 1,400-square-foot unit has a dedicated (windowless) home office and two smaller rooms that could be used as an additional office, den, guest room, or even for extra storage (as you'll see below). The practical pad is a floor-through unit on the first floor of a charming brownstone. It's now available to rent for $6,500 a month.
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This $8M modern home on the Hudson comes with a Greek Temple playhouse

This modernist upstate riverfront home in the hamlet of Garrison, NY, asking $7.9 million, comes with a deep water dock on the Hudson, a guest house and a "play house" that looks like a Greek temple (h/t Curbed). The nine-acre estate is located just over an hour away from New York City. The 3,777-square-foot main house is a boxy, modernist dwelling painted dark green, with windows in every direction.
Check out those amazing river views

Distinctive Homes

Gowanus Canal cleanup will officially kick off this year

Photo by bobistraveling on Flickr

January 29, 2020

Gowanus Canal cleanup will officially kick off this year

The long-awaited cleanup of the Gowanus Canal officially has a start date. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Tuesday issued an administrative order requiring the start of the first phase of the project, 10 years after the agency declared it a Superfund site. Expected to begin in September and take 30 months to complete, the $125 million project covers the cleanup of the upper canal and the 1st Street turning basin and involves "full-scale dredging," according to the agency.
Get the details

Policy

Chef José Andrés will open two new restaurants at the forthcoming Ritz-Carlton in Nomad

Rendering courtesy of Flag Luxury Group; portrait of José Andrés by Blair Getz Mezibov

January 29, 2020

Chef José Andrés will open two new restaurants at the forthcoming Ritz-Carlton in Nomad

Renowned chef José Andrés is growing his presence in New York City with two new restaurants in The Ritz-Carlton hotel currently rising in Nomad. Andrés' ThinkFoodGroup has been tapped by developer Flag Luxury Group to oversee all food and beverage at the 250-room hotel which is slated to open in 2021. In addition to the two restaurants, the group will run a rooftop bar, lobby lounge, and in-room dining services. Andrés made his NYC debut in 2019 with the opening of Mercado Little Spain at Hudson Yards, a 35,000 square-foot food hall encompassing three restaurants, tapas kiosks, a Spanish goods market, and several bars.
Details here

Food & Dining

The 11 best places to watch the Super Bowl in NYC

Photo courtesy of John Brown Smokehouse

January 29, 2020

The 11 best places to watch the Super Bowl in NYC

Whether you're rooting for the Chiefs or the 49ers, prefer wine or beer, or want wings or barbecue, there's a special event for everyone going on this Super Bowl Sunday. Ahead, we've rounded up 10 offbeat and specialized spots where you can watch game LIV.
Check out the list

Events & Things To Do

Construction of Upper West Side’s tallest tower can proceed

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

January 28, 2020

Construction of Upper West Side’s tallest tower can proceed

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.
More here

Policy

Stanford White-designed round house overlooking Stony Brook Harbor asks $1.5M

Image courtesy of Icon Properties

January 28, 2020

Stanford White-designed round house overlooking Stony Brook Harbor asks $1.5M

This estate in quaint St. James, NY--located in Suffolk County on the north shore of Long Island overlooking Stony Brook Harbor--is indeed, as the listing describes it, a piece of architectural history. Built in 1895 by famed and scandalous architect Stanford White of McKim, Mead and White (the firm who penned such icons as the Washington Square Arch and the former Pennsylvania Station in Manhattan), the rambling New England-style 16-bedroom estate spans 8,000 square feet and sits on 3.75 acres. Though it calls to mind a time long past, the home's historic charm is more literal than most; it will likely take substantial effort beyond its $1.5 million ask to make it the 21st-century residence it undoubtedly could be.
Tour the many rooms of this Long Island mansion

Sales launch from $1.4M at Thomas Heatherwick’s Lantern House, amenity spaces revealed

Courtesy of Related Companies

January 28, 2020

Sales launch from $1.4M at Thomas Heatherwick’s Lantern House, amenity spaces revealed

Sales have officially launched at Thomas Heatherwick's condo project on the High Line, developer Related Companies announced Tuesday. Located at 515 West 18th Street, Lantern House consists of two bubbled towers that straddle the elevated park, one at 10 stories and 22 stories. Pricing for the residences, which include one- to four-bedroom units, start at roughly $1.395 million and go up to about $17 million. And more details on the building's amenity spaces were released, with renderings now available of the Equinox-curated health club with a swimming pool, outdoor terrace, roof deck, and private dining space.
See inside

14 un-boring ways to celebrate Valentine’s Day in NYC

Image via Pixabay.

January 28, 2020

14 un-boring ways to celebrate Valentine’s Day in NYC

There are more ways to say “Be my Valentine” than we can count, and purveyors of all things romantic will be out in full force trying to win hearts this February 14. If February's second week has you scrambling for a worthy celebration, it might be the perfect time to try something a little bit different. Below, we've rounded up 14 unexpected Valentine-inspired events–from whiskey and chocolate to bugs and sewage.
Details, this way

Events & Things To Do

January 28, 2020

Michelle Williams and Tommy Kail just bought a Brooklyn Heights townhouse for $10.8M

Snag the Greenest Seat in Town: Gufram's 1972 Pratone Chair is Shaped Like a Patch of Grass

Actress Michelle Williams and her fiancé, theater and film director Tommy Kail (he directed the Broadway hit "Hamilton"), have just purchased a townhouse in historic Brooklyn Heights, the Wall Street Journal reports. The $10.8 million the pair reportedly paid for the 3,000-square-foot house, built in the 1820s, makes it one of the neighborhood's most expensive sales.
Find out more

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In Gramercy’s new Fotografiska museum, Verōnika restaurant takes a creative approach to preservation

Photos by Adrian Gaut

January 28, 2020

In Gramercy’s new Fotografiska museum, Verōnika restaurant takes a creative approach to preservation

On the second floor of the new Fotografiska outpost in Gramercy—a branch of the Swedish photography museum—is a sumptuous new restaurant that's quickly becoming one of the city's most sought-after reservations. Verōnika (named after the patron saint of photography) was designed by Roman and Williams (known for their work on similarly chic Le Coucou, Upland, and La Mercerie) who worked closely with restaurateur Stephen Starr to define the space. Informed by the tradition of grand European cafés, the 150-seat restaurant is filled with elegant details and textures: soaring 20-foot ceilings, warm brass chandeliers, wood-trimmed arched doorways, velvet banquettes, and leather chairs.
Take a closer look

Williamsburg’s Dime Savings Bank opens affordable housing lottery, from $2,116/month

Renderings courtesy of Fogarty Finger Architects

January 27, 2020

Williamsburg’s Dime Savings Bank opens affordable housing lottery, from $2,116/month

A housing lottery has just launched for 54 newly constructed units inside the 23-story tower rising next to the historic Dime Savings Bank in Williamsburg. At a height of 264 feet, the mixed-use development is among the tallest in the neighborhood and includes ground-floor retail, 100,000 square feet of office space, and 178 rental apartments. The 109-year-old bank will be preserved and integrated into the project. Qualifying New Yorkers earning 130 percent of the area median income can apply for the units, which range from $2,116/month studios to $3,150/month three-bedrooms.
Find out if you qualify

Affordable Housing

January 27, 2020

Travel back to the Roaring Twenties at these 10 NYC spots

By Lucie Levine

Recently, 6sqft brought you 20 fascinating photos of New York in the '20s, and now, we invite you to celebrate the new decade by following in the footsteps of the fanciest flappers in the five boroughs. Ahead, check out 10 places in NYC today to relive the Roaring Twenties. On this list, you'll find theaters, bars, and hotels; Art Deco masterpieces; addresses favored by the Follies and Fitzgerald; and at least one spot where New York offers up "its first wild promise of all the mystery and the beauty in the world."
Roar right here

History

January 27, 2020

The Chelsea Flea will return to its longtime lot under new lease with Brooklyn Flea founders

A beloved flea market and antique fair in Chelsea that closed last month will reopen this spring. The Chelsea Flea Market, which first opened in 1976 and attracted antique-lovers and artists like Andy Warhol, is set to return to its original location on West 25th Street in April, but under new management, as Gothamist first reported. Co-founders of Brooklyn Flea, which also runs the market Smorgasburg, Eric Demby and Jonathan Butler, have reached a lease agreement for the parking lot at 29 West 25th Street.
More here

Real Estate Trends

In Westchester, this $3.5M Gothic Revival home has 6 fireplaces, Tiffany windows, and NYC skyline views

Photos courtesy of Houlihan Lawrence.

January 27, 2020

In Westchester, this $3.5M Gothic Revival home has 6 fireplaces, Tiffany windows, and NYC skyline views

With a 10,442-square-foot interior, 50 Crows Nest Road–known more casually as Crows Nest–in the Westchester County village of Bronxville, NY seems worth its $3.5 million ask (recently reduced from $4.4 million) on that information alone. This 1849 Gothic Revival manor house was built of local stone and sits on 1.3 acres of hilltop land–with the Manhattan skyline visible in the distance. It's a suburban mansion rich with well-preserved dramatic flourishes, with modern infrastructure and design added to make it a 21st-century family home.
Tour this impressive stone mansion

January 27, 2020

Fundraiser launches for the Museum of Chinese in America after fire destroyed 85K-item archive

The Museum of Chinese in America has launched an online fundraiser after a fire likely destroyed most of its extensive archive. Last Thursday night, a fire broke out at 70 Mulberry Street in Chinatown, in a building that housed a number of nonprofits, including about 85,000 irreplaceable items from the museum's collection. According to the New York Times, priceless artifacts like traditional wedding dresses from the early 1900s and documents from 1883 about the Chinese Exclusion Act are thought to be among items lost.
Get the details

Events & Things To Do

See inside Central Park Tower’s 100th floor residential club

Renderings courtesy of Extell Development Company

January 27, 2020

See inside Central Park Tower’s 100th floor residential club

As Extell Development's Central Park Tower nears the finish line, newly released renderings of the Billionaires' Row supertall are giving us a peek into the private residential club that will occupy the 100th floor with a suite of high-end amenities. Reaching over 1,000 feet in the sky, the amenity space, called the Central Park Club, will be the highest lounge of its kind in the world, offering hard-to-beat views over Billionaires' Row and Central Park.
And the views are exceptional

$775K East Village co-op in a former rectory has 13-foot ceilings and a loft

Photo credit: Melanie Greene courtesy of Compass.

January 27, 2020

$775K East Village co-op in a former rectory has 13-foot ceilings and a loft

This cozy East Village pad at 300 East 4th Street has the modern chic vibe that gives apartments in this neighborhood such charm. The building also has the architectural distinction of being in a former rectory that was converted to co-ops, giving each unit within a unique footprint. Asking $775,000, the one-bedroom home near picturesque and lively Avenue C gets 13-foot ceilings and a loft for storage or sleeping.
Get a closer look

Distinctive Homes

New details and looks for Essex Crossing’s second condo building

Credit: VMI Studio

January 24, 2020

New details and looks for Essex Crossing’s second condo building

Sales will launch at Essex Crossing's second condo building this spring, developers announced. Dubbed One Essex Crossing, 202 Broome Street is the seventh of nine buildings currently under construction or completed at the Lower East Side site. A teaser website and new rendering were released this week for the 83-unit tower, as first reported by Curbed NY, as well as additional details about the impending sales launch.
More here

Where I Work: Marvel Architects’ studio brings tropical flair to a classic Tribeca loft

All photos taken by James and Karla Murray exclusively for 6sqft

January 24, 2020

Where I Work: Marvel Architects’ studio brings tropical flair to a classic Tribeca loft

Marvel Architects say they were drawn to their Tribeca office space 25 years ago because of its connection to NYC history and its openness, qualities that also resonate throughout the firm and its practice. They regularly work on cultural projects (like TheatreSquared and the Northeast Bronx YMCA), adaptive reuse projects (such as St. Ann's Warehouse and the Bedford Armory in Brooklyn) and affordable housing developments (like the Stonewall House and Rockaway Village) and they are receptive to community feedback (as was the case with their current One Clinton project). With another office in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Marvel continues this open dialogue throughout its team, as staff members contribute reciprocally to projects in both cities. To learn more about this unique firm, 6sqft had a chat with founding principal Jonathan Marvel and founding partners Lissa So and Guido Hartray and toured their open and airy office that brings a bit of tropical flair to Tribeca.
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Where I Work

For $2.75M, this dreamy Village duplex is the next best thing to a private townhouse

Photo credit: Matt Vacca for Douglas Kampsen, Compass

January 24, 2020

For $2.75M, this dreamy Village duplex is the next best thing to a private townhouse

It's easy to forget that this gorgeous duplex at 136 West 13th Street isn't an entire townhouse. Located on the kind of Village block that inspires envy in even the most jaded passerby, it has all of the best bits within its two gracious floors. With historic charm in full effect and a stylish, sophisticated renovation adding custom design, the two-story, one-bedroom co-op is asking $2.75 million.
Take the tour

Distinctive Homes

Get a little glam in this spacious Chelsea one-bedroom asking $750K

Photos by Katie Breitic for Tom Cooper, courtesy of Compass

January 24, 2020

Get a little glam in this spacious Chelsea one-bedroom asking $750K

If there's one name that harkens to the glamour of pre-war architecture, it very well might be Emery Roth, the designer of the 1931 building at 300 West 23rd Street. And this one-bedroom corner unit, currently on the market for $750,000, has taken this notion of Art Deco glamour and infused it into a modern renovation that also adds some glitz and mid-century nods. With two gracious walk-in closets, a contemporary open kitchen, and plenty of street-facing windows, the co-op is sure to turn some heads.
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Distinctive Homes

After Andy Byford resigns as transit chief, New Yorkers lament the loss of ‘Train Daddy’

NYCT President Andy Byford spent New Year’s Eve 2019 going around the system thanking Transit employees and our partners in the NYPD. Photo: Marc A. Hermann / MTA New York City Transit via Flickr

January 24, 2020

After Andy Byford resigns as transit chief, New Yorkers lament the loss of ‘Train Daddy’

Two years into his tenure as New York City Transit chief, Andy Byford resigned on Thursday, Politico first reported. The British native came to NYC in January 2018—in the aftermath of the transit system's so-called "Summer of Hell"—after running the Toronto Transit Commission for five years. Byford inherited a state of emergency but hit the ground running as soon as he arrived. He's been credited with boosting the subway's on-time rate from only 58 percent to 80 percent, securing funding to upgrade signal systems, and putting an emphasis on accessibility. Praised by riders and transit advocates, Byford earned the nickname "Train Daddy" which exploded on Twitter following the news of his resignation. Ahead, we've rounded up some of our favorite social media reactions to the news.
Hear what New Yorkers have to say

January 23, 2020

176 affordable units available at new Brownsville rental, from $367/month

Nearly 200 affordable apartments are up for grabs at a new rental building in the Brownsville neighborhood of Brooklyn. A housing lottery launched on Thursday for 176 units at 672 Powell Street, which is part of the massive Ebenezer Plaza project that will bring four towers to two sites on the block. Qualifying New Yorkers earning 30, 40, 50, and 60 percent of the area median income can apply for the units, which range from $367/month studios to $1,472/month three-bedrooms.
Find out if you qualify

Affordable Housing

Apply for 75 middle-income apartments in Prospect-Lefferts Gardens, from $1,721/month

Rendering of 350 Clarkson Avenue; Credit: Phiro

January 23, 2020

Apply for 75 middle-income apartments in Prospect-Lefferts Gardens, from $1,721/month

A housing lottery will launch Friday for 75 middle-income apartments in a newly constructed Brooklyn building. Located at 350 Clarkson Avenue in Prospect-Lefferts Gardens, the building, dubbed "The Lois," contains 250 apartments with 6,000 square feet of ground-floor retail. Designed by Cetra Ruddy, the eight-story building boasts a masonry facade with copper panel details, a nod to the area's industrial history. Qualifying New Yorkers earning 130 percent of the area median income can apply for the units, which range from $1,721/month studios to $2,975/month three-bedrooms.
Do you qualify?

Affordable Housing

11 ways to celebrate Australia Day in NYC this weekend

Photo: Lachlan Fearnley via Wikimedia Commons

January 23, 2020

11 ways to celebrate Australia Day in NYC this weekend

On January 26, Australia Day is celebrated around the world to mark the arrival of the first fleet of British ships in New South Wales. This year's festivities have an added sense of urgency. Over the past few months, widespread bushfires have burned over 40,000 square miles and killed more than one billion animals in Australia. In NYC, Australia Day celebrations this year are focused on extending support to the ongoing relief efforts. Below, we round up 11 events where ex-pats and New Yorkers alike can come together over traditional Aussie food, music, and comedy—best of all, they're each donating all or a significant chunk of proceeds to various relief funds.
More info

Events & Things To Do

Fairway confirms bankruptcy filing, will sell remaining stores

The original Fairway at West 74th and Broadway; image via Wikimedia Commons

January 23, 2020

Fairway confirms bankruptcy filing, will sell remaining stores

Earlier this week, the New York Post reported that beloved grocery chain Fairway would be filing Chapter 7 bankruptcy and closing all of its stores, but on Wednesday, Fairway took to Twitter to deny the claims. "Despite reports, Fairway Market has no intention to file for Chapter 7 or liquidate all of its stores," the grocer tweeted. It's unclear why the grocer made these statements since it's now confirmed that they have filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, under which they will engage in a supervised sale of their remaining stores, reports the Times.
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City Living

January 23, 2020

Go behind the scenes at Morningside Heights’ Riverside Church and its 400-foot-tall bell tower

The Greenwich by Rafael Vinoly

After nearly 20 years, the iconic bell tower of the Riverside Church in Morningside Heights has officially reopened. The impressive Gothic-style cathedral is home to the 74-bell Laura Spelman Rockefeller Memorial Carillon, which includes a 40,000 pound Bourdon bell, the largest tuned bell in the world. The tower closed to the public almost two decades ago following 9/11 but reopened for public tours earlier this month. 6sqft recently took a tour of the stunning Riverside Church, known for its interdenominational services and dedication to social justice causes.
Take the tour

125 Greenwich Street

Financial District

The new altitude of downtown living

studios starting at $1,110,000
1 beds starting at $1,495,000
2 beds starting at $2,785,000
3 beds starting at $3,600,000

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Sarah Jessica Parker may be selling one of her West Village townhouses

General photo of Charles Street by Spencer Means via Flickr cc

January 23, 2020

Sarah Jessica Parker may be selling one of her West Village townhouses

By Annie Doge

For being such a high-profile couple, Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick have managed to keep a fairly low profile in the West Village, but when it comes to their real estate, the gossip is inevitable. The latest whisperings come via a source who told the Post that the couple is selling their townhouse on Charles Street for $19 million off-market. In 2016, Parker and Broderick dropped $34.5 million on two adjacent townhouses on West 11th Street with the intention of combining them into one mega-mansion. While the work has been ongoing, they've been living on Charles Street, so perhaps the sale plans means their new home is ready.
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Celebrities

MTA considers restoring passenger service to freight line between Bay Ridge and Ridgewood

The Bay Ridge Branch crossing Ralph Avenue in Canarsie, photo by Jim Henderson / Wiki Commons

January 23, 2020

MTA considers restoring passenger service to freight line between Bay Ridge and Ridgewood

Since the 1990s, the Regional Plan Association has been advocating for the restoration of passenger service to a rail line known as the Bay Ridge Branch that runs from Bay Ridge, Brooklyn to Astoria, Queens and is now used as a freight line. The MTA has announced that it will begin a feasibility study to "evaluate the potential for subway, commuter rail, light rail or bus service" along the line, which the agency notes would create the potential for reverse commuting and connect to 19 subway lines and the LIRR. In October, the RPA's Kate Slevin explained to NY1, "We don't have unlimited resources here in New York City, as we know, so the fact that we already have tracks there, that are underutilized, really means a lot."
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Transit

For $875K, this bright two-bedroom with lots of exposed brick is a Lower East Side classic

Image credit: RISE Media courtesy of The Corcoran Group.

January 23, 2020

For $875K, this bright two-bedroom with lots of exposed brick is a Lower East Side classic

It's a challenge to find a nice apartment of any size for under $1 million–save perhaps a studio–in prime downtown neighborhoods like the Lower East Side. This two-bedroom co-op at 85 Stanton Street is a classic tenement walk-up with a small second bedroom; but in addition to location, it has a sparkling renovation on its side plus lots of brick and pre-war charm, and it's only asking $875,000.
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Distinctive Homes

Rent a 9,600-square-foot Nolita mansion in a former convent for $65K a month

Photo credit: Elizabeth Dooley for The Trentham Team, courtesy of Compass.

January 22, 2020

Rent a 9,600-square-foot Nolita mansion in a former convent for $65K a month

This rare historic mansion right in the middle of Nolita on the Soho border at 38 Prince Street is on the rental market for a princely $65,000 per month. The historic Federal-style Manhattan townhouse, built in 1826, is unique in many ways. It was once the Saint Patrick's Convent dating back to 1826. The building has seen a thorough overhaul with no expense spared, and it's now a five-story, 9,600-square-foot mansion with an elevator and top-quality finishes throughout, anchored by a dramatic spiral staircase at its midst. Also here: A Pilates room, a "zen pillow room," a music room–and more!
Explore the many rooms of this Soho mansion

Rendering courtesy of Murr Architekten

January 22, 2020

Finalists announced for this year’s City of Dreams pavilion on Roosevelt Island