6sqft | NYC local news, events, and apartments

The stories behind some of New Canaan, Connecticut's treasure trove of modernist homes have been less than uplifting. In addition to Philip Johnson's famous Glass House, the wealthy enclave boasts dozens of homes by Johnson and his colleagues known as the Harvard Five. An ongoing battle simmers between some of the town's wealthy residents who favor sprawling McMansions and a passionate contingent of modern architecture fans. At least 20 of the homes, built in the 1940s, '50s and '60s–have been torn down, usually to build larger houses on the property. One embattled example is a lesser-known Johnson house known as the Alice Ball House. The 1,700-square-foot home, built in 1953, has been referred to as a "livable version of the Glass House." And it's now for sale for $7.7 million–along with approved plans by the current owner, an architect who has envisioned a companion property on a much grander scale, including an indoor pool and a massive skylit underground garage.
Find out more about this storied modernist gem

New Midtown mural honors 9/11 firefighter

Photo © 6sqft

September 11, 2018

New Midtown mural honors 9/11 firefighter

The number of first responders who deserve to be honored for their courageous efforts after the September 11th attacks is many, but a new Midtown mural of one particular firefighter serves as a symbolic honor to all of those brave men and women. The Post first reported on the mural by Brazilian artist Eduardo Kobra, painted on eight-stories of a building on East 49th Street and Third Avenue. The image replicates a photo of FDNY member Mike Bellantoni "overcome with exhaustion and despair" on 9/11, originally taken by Post freelance photographer Matthew McDermott.
What did Bellantoni think of the photo?

Events & Things To Do

Three NYCHA developments on the Upper East Side ranked among the worst in the U.S.

Google Street View of the Holmes Towers

September 11, 2018

Three NYCHA developments on the Upper East Side ranked among the worst in the U.S.

The federal government ranked three Upper East Side public housing buildings as some of the worst in the United States, the New York Post reported Monday. The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) gave the Holmes Towers, the Isaacs Houses and Robbins Plaza just 25 points out of a maximum of 100 as a measure of quality following recent inspections. Out of the more than 3,800 scores counted by HUD last year, the three complexes tied for 13th worst in the country.
More here

Affordable Housing

Dawn of a new Downtown: The transformation of Lower Manhattan since 9/11

Image courtesy of Michael Vadon’s Flickr

September 11, 2018

Dawn of a new Downtown: The transformation of Lower Manhattan since 9/11

By Cait Etherington

In 2010, Lower Manhattan was still deeply scarred by the attacks of 9-11. With much of the neighborhood under construction, a high vacancy rate, and few full-time residents, walking around the area, especially outside business hours, often felt like walking through a ghost town. It was, in many respects, a neighborhood in waiting. Since 2011, which marked the opening of the 9/11 Memorial—and the symbolic end of the neighborhood’s long period of recovery from the 9/11 attacks—Lower Manhattan has undergone a transformation that is difficult to ignore. New businesses have opened, new residential developments have launched, the vacancy rate has drastically declined, and in many respects, an entirely new neighborhood has taken shape.
The dawn of a new Downtown

Real Estate Trends

September 11, 2018

It’s high glamour at this $2.3M Greenwich Village duplex

This two-floor "penthouse" co-op at 53 West 11th Street on one of the most charming landmarked blocks in Greenwich Village is the result of a combination of two upper-floor townhouse units; as with many apartment combos, you get a bit more space than you'd normally have, though layouts can be odd. After a full gut renovation, this sweet one-bedroom, asking $2.295 million, is chic and well-designed enough to make up for narrow rooms and a few flights to climb. And those super-high, 18-foot ceilings and massive skylight don't hurt, either.
Take a peek

Distinctive Homes

A NYC guide to Thursday’s Primaries; Can the MTA cool the subway off like London?

Via 6sqft (L); Via WNYC/Flickr (R)

September 10, 2018

A NYC guide to Thursday’s Primaries; Can the MTA cool the subway off like London?

By 6sqft

The New York Blood Center is holding nearly 100 blood drives across the NYC metro region to honor those who lost their lives on 9/11. [Metro NY] First came the two Targets, now a Marshalls is opening next to Katz’s. Is the Lower East Side “already gone” to gentrification? [NYDN] A guide for NYC residents […]

Uncategorized

Live in an amenity-rich building in Prospect-Lefferts Garden, from $1,775/month

Photo via Nookyln

September 10, 2018

Live in an amenity-rich building in Prospect-Lefferts Garden, from $1,775/month

A brand new rental building in Prospect-Lefferts Gardens launched a lottery this week for five middle-income apartments. The 16-unit building located at 664-668 Rutland Road, between Albany and Troy Avenues, offers enviable amenities like on-site laundry, central air, a fitness center, roof access and a common courtyard. Qualifying New Yorkers earning 130 percent of the area median income can apply for the one $1,775/month one-bedroom and four $2,270/month two-bedroom apartments.
Find out if you qualify

Affordable Housing

September 10, 2018

The retractable skylight at the World Trade Center Oculus will reopen on 9/11

The skylight at the World Trade Center Oculus will reopen on September 11 at exactly 10:28 a.m., the same time the North Tower fell in 2001. The "Way of Light," which happens every year on 9/11, will shine through the opening, bringing light to the bustling WTC transit center below. Santiago Calatrava designed the Oculus oriented in a way that allows sunlight to cross the floor, directly along the axis of the building.
Get the details

Events & Things To Do

Distinctive Homes

Ethan Hawke's former Chelsea townhouse lists for $5.98M

For $11.95M, a duplex in a glamorous new Upper East Side condo

$5.9M Civil War-era Clinton Hill mansion is a three-family home and an architectural gem

Bed-Stuy brownstone living in a compact condo for $725K

For $55K, spend a post-modernist summer in a designer's Long Island home and studio

This $19M sky palace high above Park Avenue has a manor house-worthy terrace garden

A diplomat's lofty home in a historic FiDi co-op asks $2.9M

This compact $2M Red Hook home embodies the neighborhood's unique, inventive spirit

At former Streit's Matzo Factory, a Lower East Side penthouse with two terraces asks $4.35M

Step from the glass-clad conservatory onto a magical tea porch in this $7.25M Brooklyn Heights townhouse

VIEW ALL

In 1867, this lost Broadway bridge caused a feud between two hat shop owners

Loew Bridge ca. 1868, via NYPL

September 10, 2018

In 1867, this lost Broadway bridge caused a feud between two hat shop owners

By Lucie Levine

Lower Broadway is the city’s oldest thoroughfare and has always been one of the busiest. In fact, in 1867, the intersection of Broadway and Fulton Street was “continually thronged with vehicles of all kinds, rendering it almost impossible for pedestrians to pass.” Without the benefit of traffic lights, the crush of traffic was so snarled and thick that policemen had to untangle the flow during business hours so pedestrians could cross. Concerned that the sheer mortal hazard of simply crossing the street was losing him business, nearby hat shop owner Philip Genin convinced the City to build a bridge across Broadway that would ease foot traffic and just so happen to deliver pedestrians safely to his shop.
Hats off to the rest of the story

History

September 10, 2018

This $6.2M Tribeca loft perfects a clean, modern look with an indoor vertical garden

This two-floor loft condominium at 11 Vestry Street isn't your ordinary downtown loft space, though it has classic bones and a covetable Tribeca address. In addition to a picture-perfect warm-modern renovation, state-of-the-art appliances and huge windows, the loft's lower floor is a self-contained space with a second kitchen. Like any loft, it would be easy to configure the space however you'd like, but the current version–asking $6.195 million–has plenty of interesting nooks and crannies. The home's transformation from its former outdated '80s look by Brooklyn-based architecture and design firm Isaac-Rae was featured in Dwell magazine.
Check it out

Distinctive Homes

Photo © Washington Square Park Conservancy/Flickr

September 10, 2018

Win two VIP tickets to Washington Square Park’s fall foodie festival (worth $270)

By 6sqft

The 16th annual Taste of the Village is back next month with the chance to sample food and drink from 30+ local establishments, all in a magical setting under the Washington Square Arch. 6sqft has teamed up with the Washington Square Park Conservancy to offer two lucky readers a set of VIP tickets to the event--which is worth $270 and provides one-hour early access to the event on October 4th plus a special taste. This year's roster includes longtime favorites like Murray's Cheese, Otto, and Rafetto's Pasta along with hip newcomers including Stumptown Coffee Roasters, Tacombi, and Mekki.
Find out how to enter!

Events & Things To Do

September 10, 2018

INTERVIEW: Exhibition designer Jonathan Alger on how sports healed NYC and the nation after 9/11

Immediately after the terror attacks on September 11, 2001, sporting events across the country were suspended as the nation grieved, with stadiums used for prayer services and relief efforts instead of games. After a few weeks, commissioners and government officials decided to recommence games, with one of the first at Shea Stadium between the New York Mets and the Atlanta Braves. When former Mets catcher Mike Piazza hit a home run, tens of thousands in the crowd, and even more watching on television at home, truly cheered and celebrated for the first time since 9/11. From then on, sports became something that was okay to enjoy again. "Comeback Season: Sports After 9/11," a new year-long exhibit at the National September 11 Memorial & Museum, examines the role of sports in helping New York City and the entire nation heal after the attacks. Designed by C&G Partners, the show uses the emotion of the crowd to inspire and guide the narrative, with broadcasts and sports memorabilia from that time. The exhibition chronologically follows what happened in sports in the aftermath of 9/11 with nine sections that look at significant sports moments. 6sqft spoke with Jonathan Alger, the co-founder of C&G Partners, about the strategy behind "Comeback Season," the importance of the color green throughout the show and the capacity of sports to do actual good.
Learn about the exhibit and hear from Jonathan

Pier 6 and Brooklyn Bridge Park via MOSO Studio

September 10, 2018

Affordable housing lottery launches for 100 units at Brooklyn Bridge Park’s Pier 6

Pier 6 and Brooklyn Bridge Park via MOSO Studio It's been just over a year since construction began at Brooklyn Bridge Park's two-towered Pier 6 development, and as of today, the affordable housing lottery has launched for 15 Bridge Park Drive, the 15-story tower (the other is 28 stories). The buildings are designed by ODA New York and have a slew of amenities, including a fitness facility, 4,000-square-foot landscaped roof terrace, and a children's playroom. 15 Bridge Park Drive has a total of 140 units; the 40 not included in the lottery are market-rate. The remaining 100 are reserved for households earning 80, 130, and 165 percent of the area median income and range from $1,394/month studios to $4,380/month three-bedrooms.
Find out if you qualify

Affordable Housing

September 10, 2018

NYC fall art roundup: highlights of the season’s new exhibitions, openings and events

29 Rooms Once the calendar flips to September, New York City’s fall arts season heats up with high-profile museum exhibits, important gallery openings, music, dance and film events and more. Here, we offer our top picks and suggestions for the best ways to get swept up in the season’s art whirl, from Warhol at the Whitney to goats in a gallery.
Add some great art to your fall calendar

Events & Things To Do

FREE RENT: This week’s roundup of NYC rental news

Images (L to R): The Lewis, The Parkline, House39 and Twenty Broad

September 8, 2018

FREE RENT: This week’s roundup of NYC rental news

By Ondel Hylton

Images (L to R): The Lewis, The Parkline, House39 and Twenty Broad Midtown West’s The Lewis: Sleek, Stylish + Modern Rentals Leasing with Two Months Free [link] One Month Free at The Parkline in Prospect Lefferts Gardens; Studios from $1,995/Month [link] Midtown’s House39 Offers Luxury Residences with 1 Month Free; Generous Layouts + 360 Degree […]

Real Estate Trends

Destroyed on 9/11, Cortlandt Street subway station reopens this weekend

Artist Ann Hamilton in front of her mosaic as a 1 train pulls into the new WTC Cortlandt Street station, via MTA Flickr

September 7, 2018

Destroyed on 9/11, Cortlandt Street subway station reopens this weekend

Three days before the 17th anniversary of the September 11th attacks, the Cortlandt Street subway station that was destroyed that day will reopen as the last piece of the WTC site. The MTA announced today that the new 1 train station, now dubbed WTC Cortlandt, will be back in use tomorrow, Saturday, September 8th, at noon.
All the details

Transit

September 7, 2018

$3M upstate estate is like a private park, complete with a lake and a windmill

Located in the upstate wilderness of Armonk in Westchester County, this 13.5-acre estate is as cool as it is unusual. Asking $3 million, the property includes a nine-acre private lake, a 5,500-square-foot mid-century-modern home built in 1959, and a private windmill, all just 45 minutes from New York City.
Check out this private paradise

Distinctive Homes

Remove an ex-lover’s clutter with ‘ExBox’ storage service

In addition to the emotional baggage an ex-lover leaves behind after a breakup, they typically leave their literal stuff scattered across your apartment. Instead of being forced to remember happier times, a new startup is offering to remove or store anything that reminds you of your ex (h/t apartment therapy). The company "ExBox" will send a box to your apartment, ready to be filled with your former sweetheart's junk.
How to sign up and more

Shop

Brooklyn entrepreneur launches next-day delivery service in Park Slope as challenge to Amazon

Via CityRealty

September 7, 2018

Brooklyn entrepreneur launches next-day delivery service in Park Slope as challenge to Amazon

With the tremendous growth of Amazon, valued this week at one trillion dollars for the first time, local businesses and brick-and-mortar shops are having to think outside of the box to entice customers. An entrepreneur from Brooklyn is hoping to directly challenge Amazon by launching his own e-commerce and next-day delivery service (h/t Bloomberg). This month, Peter Price, a 78-year-old New Yorker who formerly served as the president of Liberty Cable, will roll out a trial service in Park Slope called EMain, which will allow local stores to post deals online and deliver items the following day for free.
More here

City Living

September 7, 2018

Archtober 2018: Top 10 NYC events and program highlights

Archtober is New York City’s annual month-long architecture and design festival of tours, lectures, films, and exhibitions taking place during October when a full calendar of events turns a focus on the importance of architecture and design. Organized by the Center for Architecture, in collaboration with over 70 partner organizations across the city, the festival raises awareness of the important role of design and the richness of New York’s built environment. Now in its eighth year, Archtober offers something for everyone—from the arch-intellectual who wants to talk about the relationship between architecture and power to the armchair landscape architect with a thing for waterways, parks or sustainable design—in the 100+ event roster. Below, we pick 10 don't-miss highlights in this year’s program.
Learn about the architecture of NYC at these cool events

The most expensive development site in the Bronx will be 30 percent affordable

A previous rendering of 101 Lincoln Avenue via Hill West Architects

September 7, 2018

The most expensive development site in the Bronx will be 30 percent affordable

The most expensive transaction on record for a development in the Bronx officially closed Wednesday, after Brookfield Property Partners picked up the two sites for $165 million from Somerset Partners and Chetrit Group. Originally, Somerset and Chetrit planned for all of the development's 849 residential units to be market rate, and while Brookfield intends to keep the same number of apartments, they are designating 30 percent of them affordable, according to the Real Deal.
Find out more

Sales to begin at super-skinny supertall 111 West 57th Street; priciest units are $57M

Image: Hayes Davidson

September 7, 2018

Sales to begin at super-skinny supertall 111 West 57th Street; priciest units are $57M

Despite a long history of financial and legal woes, Property Markets Group, Spruce Capital Partners and JDS Development’s tall and slender tower at 111 West 57th Street is gearing up to begin sales (for real this time) according to the New York Times. After years of lawsuit threats, reports that construction had stalled over budget overruns and a potential foreclosure, the 1,428-foot, 86-story tower will kick off sales, to be handled by Douglas Elliman, on September 13.
Pricing and more, this way

Manhattan-bound 238th Street 1 train platform will close through winter 2019

Photo by Paul Lowry via Wikipedia

September 7, 2018

Manhattan-bound 238th Street 1 train platform will close through winter 2019

By Hannah Frishberg

Looking for a study in why passive sentence structure is a poor way to communicate, especially in the context of public transit service announcements? English teachers take note: the MTA's Weekender is a bonafide study in this. Below, a translation of the poorly written, redundant and unclear information available for this weekend's subway service changes. And to boot, beginning at a time this weekend the MTA can't, apparently, be bothered to make publicly available online, the Manhattan-bound 1 platform at 238th Street will temporarily close through winter 2019 – South Ferry-bound trains will skip 238 Street during this time.
Buy the ticket, take the ride

Transit

September 6, 2018

Historic Bed-Stuy mansion smashes neighborhood record with $6.3M sale

Bedford-Stuyvesant's most expensive home has sold for $6.3 million, setting a record price for the neighborhood and sending a message that rising property prices are making their way further into Brooklyn, according to the Wall Street Journal. At nearly twice the previous record sale of $3.3 million in 2017, the Renaissance Revival-style John C. Kelley mansion at 247 Hancock Street is the most expensive single-family house ever sold in Bed-Stuy. The 8,000-square-foot, 10-bedroom townhouse was built in 1887 for water-meter magnate John Kelley, designed by noted architect Montrose Morris and modeled after a Gilded Age Vanderbilt mansion along Fifth Avenue.
Take a look inside this incredible mansion

Cuomo reveals new LIRR entrance and public plaza at Penn Station

Rendering via the Governor’s office

September 6, 2018

Cuomo reveals new LIRR entrance and public plaza at Penn Station

Rendering via the Governor's office At a well-timed press event this morning, Governor Cuomo touted the state's $100 billion building program, the largest in the nation, and said if elected for another term, he'd increase that commitment to $150 billion. Among the many airport redesigns and the subway emergency plan, perhaps no project is more dear to Cuomo's heart than that of Penn Station. And after a tour of the Moynihan Train Hall, on budget and on track to open by the end of 2020, the Governor announced that the dire safety, security, and circulation situation at Penn Station cannot wait two more years. While construction wraps up at the LIRR and Amtrak's future home, the state will build a new LIRR facility in the existing Penn Station. The proposal will double access to the trains with new entrances and an enlarged concourse and will create a permanent public plaza at 33rd Street and 7th Avenue.
All the renderings and details ahead

PHOTOS: Get an up-close look at Moynihan Train Hall’s massive new skylights

Via Governor Cuomo’s office on Flickr

September 6, 2018

PHOTOS: Get an up-close look at Moynihan Train Hall’s massive new skylights

Everything you need to know about affordable housing: applying, getting in, and staying put

At a construction tour of Moynihan Train Hall this morning, 6sqft had the rare opportunity to get up close and personal with the massive skylights that will crown this new concourse. The transformation of the historic James A. Farley Post Office into a bright, modern transportation hub is on time and on budget for its late 2020 opening, at which time it will increase the footprint of Penn Station by 50 percent, providing a new home for the LIRR and Amtrak. To date, 800 people working every day have logged more than one million hours of labor, and the four, massive skylights are perhaps the most stunning example of their efforts.
See all the views

THE 6SQFT SHOP

The best websites for buying and selling used furniture in NYC

The 6 best furniture rental companies in NYC

8 best places in NYC to thrift for home goods

Everything you need to know about using a guarantor in NYC

New York City's best holiday markets of 2023

15 quintessential NYC gifts for the New Yorker in your life

10 Ways to Decorate an Exposed Brick Wall Without Drilling

Raising chickens in NYC: Laws, tips, and everything else you need to know

10 Great Places to Buy Affordable Art in New York City

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September 6, 2018

This $1.9M penthouse in Hell’s Kitchen has Spanish-inspired interiors and a stained-glass solarium

With its 14-foot wood beamed ceilings, terracotta tiles and stained-glass solarium, this Hell's Kitchen penthouse easily transports you from Manhattan to Spain. The three-bedroom duplex, located at 521 West 47th Street, is asking $1.895 million. The listing describes the unique home, which measures just over 2,200 square feet, as a "private villa penthouse in the sky."
See inside

Distinctive Homes

September 6, 2018

Is 421-a dead? Where to find NYC’s remaining tax abatement deals

By Cait Etherington

In 1971, New York City launched a new program designed to encourage developers to build on vacant land. The program known as the 421-a tax abatement gave developers a ten-year exemption on paying taxes if they agreed to develop the underused land. At the time, the program made a lot of sense. In the 1970s, urban decay was rampant, even in many areas of Manhattan. But the program not only benefited developers. Owners who bought units in a 421-a tax abatement building also benefited since the bill effectively enabled developers to pass along their tax break to buyers who in turn could avoid paying taxes on their units for the first decade. While the original 421-a tax abatement is essentially dead, there are still a few 421-a deals left for buyers. This reflects the fact that several of the condo projects that secured a 421-a exemption before the program was phased out are only now coming to completion. To help buyers looking to take advantage of this final round of 421-a benefits, 6sqft has compiled a list of some of the best deals left on the market.
More here

Policy

Expansion of Hudson Yards green space could be NYC’s most expensive park project ever

Rendering via MVVA and the Hudson Yards Development Corporation

September 6, 2018

Expansion of Hudson Yards green space could be NYC’s most expensive park project ever

The $374 million plan to extend green space at Hudson Yards would be the most expensive park project in New York City history, Crain's reported Thursday. Last month, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced financing had been secured for the extension of Hudson Park and Boulevard, which currently runs between West 33rd and West 36th Streets. This funding allows the park to extend to West 39th Street.
Get the details

Uncategorized

September 6, 2018

Sutton Place townhouse designed for Anne Vanderbilt asks $21M

The brick Georgian townhouse in Sutton Place designed for Anne Vanderbilt, the wife of railroad heir William Vanderbilt, has hit the market for $21 million. Located at 1 Sutton Place, the 15-room home sits on the northeast corner of 57th Street, punctuated by a bright blue front door. Vanderbilt, along with a group of wealthy buyers, is credited with turning the remote, riverside Manhattan neighborhood into one of the city's most influential areas.
Take a tour

September 5, 2018

New views and details revealed for 407-acre state park opening in Central Brooklyn next summer

The largest state park in New York City will open next summer in Brooklyn and be named after Shirley Chisholm, the first black woman elected to Congress and a native of the borough. Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Wednesday that the first phase of the 407-acre park on Jamacia Bay will be completed in 2019. The site, formerly home to two landfills, will be converted into parkland with 10 miles of trails for hiking and biking, kayaking, picnic areas, educational facilities, an amphitheater and more.
Learn more

Architecture And Design

13 middle-income apartments up for grabs across from Greenpoint’s Transmitter Park

Transmitter Park via Flickr cc

September 5, 2018

13 middle-income apartments up for grabs across from Greenpoint’s Transmitter Park

It's been a year since leasing launched at Greenpoint's 42-unit, no-fee rental 44 Kent Street, and now 13 of those apartments are available through the city's affordable housing lottery to households earning 130 percent of the area median income. In addition to being located just across the street from Transmitter Park, the building offers a fitness center, rooftop terrace, business center, and parking. The middle-income units range from $2,023/month studios to $2,612/month two-bedrooms.
Find out if you qualify

Affordable Housing

There will be no G-train service between Bed-Stuy and LIC every weekend in September

Via Wikimedia

September 5, 2018

There will be no G-train service between Bed-Stuy and LIC every weekend in September

Making weekend plans in Brooklyn this month will be a bit trickier than normal. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority is suspending service between Bed-Stuy's Bedford-Nostrand station and Long Island City's Court Square station every weekend in September for "track maintenance." There will be free shuttle buses available for North Brooklyn-bound straphangers (h/t Brooklyn Paper).
OH G

Transit

September 5, 2018

This $2.4M Prospect Park South house is a Victorian fantasy of colonnades, turrets, and a veranda

In Brooklyn's Prospect Park South Historic District, a block from the park, this Victorian beauty built in 1908 is asking $2,395,000. Per the listing, the home at 85 Westminster Road is a "unique blend of Greek Revival temple style with the asymmetry and turrets of a Queen Anne." In addition to 3,578 square feet of historic detail-filled living space, it has tons of curb appeal with a grassy green paint job, two-story colonnade, and wrap-around veranda that follows the curve of the turrets.
Take a tour

Distinctive Homes

Update 9/7/18: The de Blasio administration on Thursday said the city will not provide any funds to help finish the New York Wheel, NY1 reported. According to an official from NYCEDC, “public funds are too scarce and valuable to be leveraged for this venture.” The New York Wheel has until Sept. 11 to determine whether its project can continue.

September 5, 2018

If New York Wheel doesn’t restart construction in one week, the project could be done for good

The New York Wheel, a project plagued by years of delays and legal battles, has one week to recommence construction or work on the Staten Island job will stop. In May, developers were given 120 days, by Sept. 5, to find funding and a new contractor for the 630-foot Ferris wheel. In court papers filed Tuesday, the New York Wheel asked for a one-week extension, until Sept. 11, to find ways to restart construction, Staten Island Advance reported.
More here

Policy

September 5, 2018

How New York City’s female teachers led the charge for ‘Equal Pay for Equal Work’

By Lucie Levine

With public schools back in session as of today, let’s remember that it was from the classrooms of New York City that the call for “Equal Pay for Equal Work” was sent thundering around the world. In 1893, Kate Hogan graduated from NYU Law School with the first class of women allowed to earn JDs. By 1906, she was working as a seventh-grade teacher in Manhattan. At the time, the starting salary for a male teacher in the New York City public schools was $900 per year, but a woman in the same position earned just $600. Seeing no justice in that situation, Hogan founded the Interborough Association of Women Teachers. The Association’s mission and cry: “Equal Pay for Equal Work.”
Learn more!

History

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.
Take a look

Distinctive Homes

Cuomo gives $15M for community center at Bedford-Union Armory; Planning sessions start for Brooklyn Bridge Park’s public pool

Bedford Union Armory Redevelopment rendering by JM Zoning; A conceptual rendering of the pool via Brooklyn Bridge Park (R)

September 4, 2018

Cuomo gives $15M for community center at Bedford-Union Armory; Planning sessions start for Brooklyn Bridge Park’s public pool

By 6sqft

Governor Cuomo announced that his office will fund the $15 million Carey Gabay Community Center at Crown Heights’ Bedford-Union Armory development. [Curbed] In 2011, the city introduced green cabs as a way to service areas where yellow cabs typically wouldn’t travel. That same year, Uber began operating in NYC. [NYT] The Hunters Point South ferry landing […]

Uncategorized

Perkins Eastman reimagines Manhattan’s street grid with more pedestrian-friendly space

Rendering via Perkins Eastman

September 4, 2018

Perkins Eastman reimagines Manhattan’s street grid with more pedestrian-friendly space

As a solution to Manhattan's growing gridlock, planning and design firm Perkins Eastman is proposing a physical redesign of New York City's street grid. In a CityLab article penned by Jonathan Cohn, who leads the firm's transportation and public infrastructure studio, and Yunyue Chen, the recipient of Perkin Eastman's 2017 Architectural Fellowship for the Public Realm, they argue the city should "transform the streets radically, dedicating them to pedestrians." This includes grouping blocks into larger neighborhoods and organizing them into either thoroughfares and local streets.
Get the details

September 4, 2018

This $1.6M South Slope townhouse condo has grown-up style and room for the whole family

Though it's a fourth-floor walk-up, this easy-on-the-eyes apartment at 567 8th Street on a quaint south Park Slope block has lots of advantages, even beyond its colorful good looks. For $1,575,000 Prospect Park is half a block away and with at least three potential bedrooms, a dining room, and an eat-in kitchen, there's space for everyone. The top floor comes with light and views, and charming pre-war details abound. What's more, this seems to be the rare townhouse apartment that actually offers its residents a gym (we'd love to see it).
Have a look

Distinctive Homes

September 4, 2018

Brooklyn Heights’ oldest home returns to the market after a $2M price chop

Owning a piece of New York City history just got a little cheaper. The oldest home in Brooklyn Heights, located at 24 Middagh Street, has hit the market again, this time asking $4.5 million, a price drop of over $2 million from when it was listed last year. The five-bedroom Federal-style home boasts a private, landscaped courtyard and a separate two-bedroom carriage house.
Enough of a discount?

Our 1,100sqft: A move to the Bay Ridge waterfront gave this couple serenity and space

6sqft’s series “My sqft” checks out the homes of New Yorkers across all the boroughs. Our latest interior adventure brings us to Daniel and Kyle’s Bay Ridge co-op. Want to see your home featured here? Get in touch!

September 4, 2018

Our 1,100sqft: A move to the Bay Ridge waterfront gave this couple serenity and space

Bay Ridge may not be on your list of top Brooklyn 'nabes, and that's exactly why it's such a peaceful enclave for those in the know. After living in a cramped West Village apartment, Daniel Saponaro and Kyle Hutchison set four must-haves in a new place to live--a bright and spacious home, green streets, proximity to transit, and great nearby restaurants. They found all of this and more in a beautiful pre-war apartment building on Bay Ridge's waterfront Shore Road. When they rented their 1,000-square-foot home in 2008, the couple always had a renovation in their back of their minds, and two years ago, when they were given the opportunity to purchase, these makeover dreams became a reality. Daniel, a fashion designer and women's clothing company owner, knew that it would take some work to sell his husband, a VP at a higher education consulting firm, on some of his remodeling ideas, from knocking down walls to coming up with creative ways to display their contemporary art and pottery collections. With the help of online decorating service Modsy, Daniel and Kyle created their perfect slice of serenity and learned a bit about their styles on the way. Ahead, hear more about the process and take a tour of this fun and functional home.
Take the tour

Newark complex designed as Amazon HQ2 bid would include the city’s tallest towers

HQ2 concept rendering by Heller Manus Architects via Jersey Digs

September 4, 2018

Newark complex designed as Amazon HQ2 bid would include the city’s tallest towers

Since the announcement that Amazon would be choosing the city that would host its second headquarters by the end of the year, competition between contenders has been heating up. 6sqft reported last month that Newark, still in the running along with Los Angeles, Denver, Miami, New York, Boston, three sections of the Washington, D.C., region and Toronto, approved a shiny new incentive in the form of ordinances offering nearly $1 billion in payroll tax exemptions to companies that create at least 30,000 jobs and invest $3 billion in the city over 20 years. Now, Jersey Digs reports that a group consisting of local residents and a California-based architecture firm have come up with a snazzy proposal for Amazon's HQ2 that includes a location and designs for a futuristic complex that would include Newark's tallest towers.
Find out more

Uncategorized

The West 35th Street/Hudson Blvd entrance under construction. Image via Wiki Commons.

September 4, 2018

The second entrance at 34th Street-Hudson Yards 7 station is finally open

The Manhattan 7 subway extension makes it the only line south of 59th Street to offer service west of Ninth Avenue, providing a long-awaited public transit option–with a station at 34th Street and Eleventh Avenue–for the Jacob Javits Convention Center, the High Line, and Hudson River Park and serving as a selling point for Hudson Yards and the many new developments rising on the far west side. Delays plagued the extension overall, with its opening in September of 2015 happening two years behind its original scheduled date. It was announced at the time that the station's second entrance on 35th Street would take longer to complete. Now, two years later, the second entrance is open.
More ways to hit the west side

Transit

One Manhattan Square

252 South Street

Lower East Side

Sweeping views and endless amenities

1 beds starting at $1,230,000
2 beds starting at $1,990,000
3 beds starting at $2,790,000

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Images (L to R): Atelier Apartments, The Drake, 223 Fourth Avenue and 125 Borinquen Place

September 1, 2018

FREE RENT: This week’s roundup of NYC rental news

By Ondel Hylton

Images (L to R): Atelier Apartments, The Drake, 223 Fourth Avenue and 125 Borinquen Place Live at Atelier Apartments in Williamsburg: No Fee Rentals from $2,485/Month with $1,000 Deposits [link] Leasing Launches at No. 223; Park Slope’s Newest Rentals Start at $2,521/Month [link] Live in Rego Park at The Drake’s Spacious No Fee Renovated Rentals […]

Real Estate Trends

Apply for three middle-income units right off the 7 train in prime Long Island City

Photo via Flickr cc

August 31, 2018

Apply for three middle-income units right off the 7 train in prime Long Island City

Away from the hustle and bustle of Court Square, the area of Long Island City around the Vernon Boulevard-Jackson Avenue subway stop is the perfect combination of the neighborhood's industrial past and current, amenity-filled reincarnation. Near hip spots like the Alewife Taproom, Tuk Tuk Thai restaurant, and Fifth Hammer Brewing Company, a middle-income housing lottery has just opened for three units at 10-44 Jackson Avenue. Reserved for households earning 130 percent of the area median income, there is one $2,201/month studio and two $2,320/month one-bedrooms. In addition to being close to plenty of food and drink options, this new 10-unit rental is less than a block away from the 7 train and a short walk to the newly opened Hunters Point South Park.
See the income requirements

Affordable Housing

August 31, 2018

The private terrace at this $850,000 Kips Bay duplex is dinner party-ready

By Hannah Frishberg

Here's a top-floor, one-bedroom duplex condop at 61 Lexington Avenue in Kips Bay that's nicely updated, bright, and pretty sizable for the price--and if you like the simplistic stlye, it's available fully furnished. But the best part is the 300-square-foot private terrace off the master bedroom on the second floor. It boasts sweeping city views, surround sound, an outdoor TV, grill, storage shed, and built-in seating for 10 with cushion storage .
Take a look

Distinctive Homes

August 31, 2018

New Mott Haven development opens lottery for 133 mixed-income units, from $464/month

In 2016, Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr. allocated nearly $3.3 million to create 851 affordable housing units across eight projects in the borough. One of these, MLK Plaza Apartments at 869 East 147th Street in ever-developing Mott Haven, received $500,000, and as of today 133 of its 165 units are up for grabs through the city's housing lottery. The mixed-income units range from $464/month studios to $1,289/month three-bedrooms and have access to the building's laundry room, fitness room, library and computer room, bike storage, and outdoor rec space and terrace.
Find out if you qualify

Affordable Housing

Study recommends creating a High Line-style park along Brooklyn’s Prospect Expressway

Rendering via BHA

August 31, 2018

Study recommends creating a High Line-style park along Brooklyn’s Prospect Expressway