6sqft | NYC local news, events, and apartments

A lottery launched this week for three middle-income apartments in the Highbridge neighborhood of the Bronx. Located at 1072 University Avenue, the newly constructed building sits just steps from the Harlem River, with views of the High Bridge, a 170-year-old bridge that offers a shortcut to Manhattan. As the oldest bridge in New York City, the High Bridge first opened in 1848 and was closed for 45 years before reopening after renovations in 2015. Qualifying New Yorkers earning 130 percent of the area median income can apply for the three units: a $1,200/month studio, $1,500/month one-bedroom and a $1,800/month two-bedroom.
Find out if you qualify

Affordable Housing

May 31, 2018

For $1,200/night, stay in the Lexington Hotel suite once home to Marilyn Monroe and Joe DiMaggio

The Lexington Hotel has a full and wonderful history filled with celebrities and hula dancing. At present, the most notable feature is their recently renovated $1,200/night Norma Jean Suite, named after Marilyn Monroe who briefly called the 600-square-foot suite home during her 22-month marriage to Joe DiMaggio, from January 1954-October 1955 (h/t NYP). This is also where she lived while filming “The Seven Year Itch”--and its iconic skirt-blowing scene!--just a few blocks away on 52nd and Lex.
See inside the suite where 'everyone likes it hot'

NYCHA improvements mandated by federal government could cost NYC $1B

Photo via Wikimedia

May 31, 2018

NYCHA improvements mandated by federal government could cost NYC $1B

New York City will likely have to cough up $1 billion over the next four years to pay for improvements to its public housing stock as part of an agreement with the federal government, Politico New York reported Wednesday. The settlement from federal prosecutors ordering repairs to buildings run by the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) will likely be reached in the next few days. The order comes after an investigation by the U.S. Attorney's District Office, which began in 2015, to check crumbling conditions across the 325 developments it operates. If the city does not follow the orders, the federal government could then take over the authority.
Find out more

May 31, 2018

New 9/11 Memorial monument honors first responders exposed to Ground Zero toxins

Sixteen years ago as of yesterday, the rescue and recovery effort for the September 11th attacks ended. It's estimated that 400,000 people were exposed to life-threatening toxins, and since then, nearly 70,000 first responders and more than 14,000 survivors have enrolled in the World Trade Center Health Program. Yesterday, former “Daily Show” host Jon Stewart and 9/11 Memorial & Museum president Alice Greenwald revealed the official design for Memorial Glade, a monument to all those who have lost their lives or are sick due to these related illnesses. In addition to increasing awareness about the health crisis, the memorial will also "recognize the tremendous capacity of the human spirit, as exemplified during the rescue, recovery and relief efforts following the 9/11 attacks."
Learn about the design

May 31, 2018

Get a taste of Hell’s Kitchen with a food festival at the Intrepid this summer

Photo via MrTMan on Flickr There is no shortage of food halls, food markets and food trucks in New York City to satisfy your every craving. However, none of these eating events take place next to an aircraft carrier on the Hudson River. Until now. The Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum announced this week that it will host a food festival at Pier 86, featuring more than 20 local vendors from the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood. The waterfront food fest, WestsideEATS, runs from 10 am to 6 pm on June 9 and June 10 (h/t TimeOut).
More this way

May 31, 2018

202-year-old Soho rowhouse lists for just under $8M

By NYC LGBT Historic Sites Project

Here's a chance to own one of the oldest homes in Manhattan, and likely the oldest home in the neighborhood, for $7.75 million (h/t Curbed). The Federal-style rowhouse at 57 Sullivan Street was built in 1816 and throughout its 200+ year-history it's served as a microcosm for the diversity of the neighborhood, first owned by a local mason, then by both Irish and Italian immigrants, and most recently by a couple who fought the property's inevitable landmarking in 2016.
Check it out

Soho condo’s facade cleans itself and purifies the air; Katz’s launches pastrami subscription

570 Broome via BUILTD/SOM (L); Katz’s pastrami via Wiki Commons

May 30, 2018

Soho condo’s facade cleans itself and purifies the air; Katz’s launches pastrami subscription

By 6sqft

At Soho condo 570 Broome, a NASA-approved cladding technology on the facade fights grime and air pollution. [WSJ] Get a first look inside Williamsburg’s new food hall. [Gothamist] The history of NYC’s lost neighborhoods. [Curbed] The evidence is piling up that Amazon will choose Washington, DC, for its HQ2. [Business Insider] A firehouse and a police […]

Uncategorized

May 30, 2018

8 things you didn’t know about LGBT history in NYC

This Saturday, 6sqft is excited to sponsor "The Hunt: NYC LGBT Sites." Put on by our friends at Urban Archive and the NYC LGBT Historic Sites Project, the three-hour historic scavenger hunt will mark Pride Week by focusing on the history of the LGBT community in NYC. To give 6sqft readers an idea of what to expect, the Historic Sites Project has put together eight things you probably don't know about LGBT history in New York, from the four remaining lesbian bars in the city to the first LGBT activist organization.
All this and more history!

Distinctive Homes

Pre-war warmth meets polished loft lines in this $4.25M Village co-op

The kitchen in this $1.53M Murray Hill co-op is like a ray of sunshine

For $1.2M, this Park Slope brownstone co-op gets the top-floor perk of a private roof deck

Greenwich Village townhouse where Oscar Wilde once stayed asks $7.45M

For $5M, be the first new owner of this historic Cobble Hill wood-frame home in 40 years

A long-neglected Clinton Hill townhouse gets a total glow-up and a $5.5M ask

World's highest duplex lists for $128M at Central Park Tower

This $4.5M Sutton Place penthouse has a wraparound terrace and a literary pedigree

This $3.75M co-op is an architect-designed masterpiece in a classic Village loft

This $3.5M Noho co-op remembers the origins of loft living

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One week after the Brooklyn Bridge opened, a rumor of its collapse caused a fatal stampede

Drawing by a staff artist at Frank Leslie’s Illustrated Newspaper

May 30, 2018

One week after the Brooklyn Bridge opened, a rumor of its collapse caused a fatal stampede

On May 24, 1883, the Brooklyn Bridge officially opened, with roughly 1,800 vehicles and over 150,000 people crossing what was then the only passageway between Brooklyn and Manhattan. Less than a week later, 12 people were killed and over 35 others injured in a violent stampede. On that fateful day, the bridge was brimming with people celebrating the Memorial Day holiday and checking out the new overpass, which was considered the longest bridge in the world at the time. A woman had tripped and fallen down the wooden stairs headed toward Manhattan, which caused another woman to scream. In a grand misinterpretation, a rumor was started that the bridge was about to collapse, sending the crowd into complete hysteria. Pedestrians ran to get off the bridge, stampeding their way to the entrance and pushing others to the ground.
Get the scoop

History

Lottery opens for 12 new affordable units in East Harlem, from $856/month

Photo via Peter Ashe

May 30, 2018

Lottery opens for 12 new affordable units in East Harlem, from $856/month

With East Harlem becoming hipper by the month, this affordable housing lottery for 12 units at the new building 2183 Third Avenue is a super steal, especially considering the building offers a gym, rooftop, recreation area, and laundry room. From $856/month studios to $1,114/month two-bedrooms, the apartments are available to households earning 60 percent of the area median income. Located at the northeast corner of East 119th Street and Third Avenue, the 12-story building is not only three blocks from the 6 train, but it's right near local hot spots like the original Patsy's Pizza and Hot Jalapeno, as well as the Target and Costco at East River Plaza.
Find out if you qualify

Affordable Housing

Fresh set of renderings for Dock 72, the new home for WeWork at the Brooklyn Navy Yard

Rendering of Dock 72 via Ekoomedia

May 30, 2018

Fresh set of renderings for Dock 72, the new home for WeWork at the Brooklyn Navy Yard

New renderings have been unveiled of Dock 72, a 675,000-square-foot office building co-developed by Boston Properties and Rudin Management for the evolving Brooklyn Navy Yard. Surrounded by water on all sides but one, Dock 72, designed by S9 Architecture, features outdoor terraces, 35,000 square feet of amenities and unobstructed views of Manhattan. As the anchor tenant and co-developer, WeWork will occupy a third of the space, or 220,000 square feet. With its glassy facade installed, the 16-story office building is scheduled to wrap up construction in the fall, becoming one of the largest ground-up office buildings in the borough in nearly three decades.
See them here

May 30, 2018

Just an hour outside NYC, this historic NJ ‘bank house’ is less than $350K

Just over an hour's drive west of Midtown, in Lebanon Township, NJ, this three-story, three bedroom house is asking just $347,000 (h/t CIRCA). And though it's priced much less than most Manhattan studios, it sits on nearly nine acres of land. For sale for the first time in 35 years, the circa 1810 Bank House has a modern kitchen and baths and a third-floor addition, but retains its vintage charm with preserved interior period details such as hand-hewn beamed ceilings, wide-plank pine floors, deep window wells, a wood-burning fireplace, and Jersey winder stairs.
Look around

May 30, 2018

10 glorious glamping sites near New York City

Glamour camping--combining luxury with minimalism--is all the rage. While you might have to get yourself a bit outside the big city to enjoy such a getaway, there are plenty of spots not too far afield. And whether they are fully off-the-grid or just feel like it, they'll restore your mind and spirit as you return to nature but don't have to give up your high thread count sheets, wifi or working showers. From a mobile tiny house to a geodesic dome to a horse farm tipi, we've rounded up 10 of the best glamping resorts near NYC.
Check out the list

May 30, 2018

Controversial expansion of the Frick Collection hits another road block

All renderings courtesy of Beyer Blinder Belle and Selldorf Architects The planned expansion of the Frick Collection is delayed again after the Landmarks Preservation Commission decided Tuesday to not vote on the project, following hours of public testimony. Dozens of neighborhood advocates, preservationists and museum goers attended the hearing to discuss the Beyer Blinder Belle and Selldorf Architects-designed expansion, which would include 60,000 square feet of repurposed space and 27,000 square feet of new construction. The plan would expand the existing Upper East Side building's second level, add two set-back stories above the music room and an addition behind the Frick Art Reference Library. According to Curbed NY, critics of the expansion said the additions would be too large and block the design of the existing library. Despite a presentation from head architect Annabelle Selldorf, no decision was made about whether to grant the $160 million project its certificate of appropriateness.
Find out more

New York buildings claim the country’s highest property taxes

Photo by Dan DeLuca/Flickr

May 30, 2018

New York buildings claim the country’s highest property taxes

By Emily Nonko

In a city as pricy as New York, it's no surprise the buildings here pay some of the heftiest property taxes in the country. And that's overwhelmingly what Commercial Cafe has found in their Top 100 US Property Taxes in 2017 ranking, released this week to mark the end of tax season. New York, the report states, has an "overwhelming presence in the mix," as 78 of the top 100 U.S. taxes belong to properties located across the state. In 2017, those buildings generated $2.2 billion in property tax revenue, accounting for 82 percent of the total contributed by all 100. (Buildings are mostly offices, alongside some mixed-use, retail, hotel, entertainment and residential properties.) While the top spot was claimed by an industrial property in Fort Salonga, New York -- which pays a whopping $82 million of property taxes a year -- the next 19 buildings are located here the city and include Stuyvesant Town, pictured above, and the Metlife Building.
Read more about New York's top buildings

The Bronx Zoo, courtesy of Julienne Schaer on NYC &C Company

May 29, 2018

13 middle-income apartments up for grabs right near the Bronx Zoo

With the warm weather officially here, living just a couple blocks from the Bronx Zoo and a short walk to the Crotona Park Nature Center sounds like a pretty nice idea. Throw in a location right alongside Mapes Ballfield and middle-income rent and you've got yourself a deal. There are 13 units at East Tremont's 2118 Mapes Avenue available for households earning 130 percent of the area median income, and they range from $1,100/month studios to $1,600/month two-bedrooms.
Find out if you qualify

Affordable Housing

A mecca of African American history and culture, Central Harlem is designated a historic district

Photo via LPC

May 29, 2018

A mecca of African American history and culture, Central Harlem is designated a historic district

The Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) on Tuesday designated three blocks in Central Harlem as a historic district in recognition of the significant role African Americans played in social change in New York City and beyond during the 20th century. The Central Harlem District measures West 130-132nd Streets, the mid-blocks between Lenox and Seventh Avenues. LPC notes how Harlem residents used residential buildings to accommodate cultural, religious and political activities, starting with the Harlem Renaissance through the civil rights movement of the 1960s. "This collection of buildings is exactly why we designate historic districts: it's an architecturally distinctive and historically significant set of structures that together tell an essential piece of Central Harlem's story,” Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer said. The commission also launched an interactive story map as a way to illustrate the unique influence of this district through photos, maps and video.
Get the details

From sacred conches to the world’s oldest piano, you can now listen to 2,000 years of music at the Met

Following two years of renovations, the Metropolitan Museum of Art reopened its impressive music collection, which includes roughly 5,000 instruments dating from about 300 B.C. to the present, grouping them by period and type, rather than culture by which they were created. The redesign of the exhibit, called The Art of Music, places "Fanfare" as the first gallery. Drawing visitors into the instrument gallery, Fanfare features 74 brass instruments "spanning two millennia and five continents." It includes sacred conches, animal horns, a vuvuzela and more. And now, for the first time, the instruments can be heard through dynamic kiosks at the museum, or online.
Find out more

Events & Things To Do

Fast interiors gain momentum: A guide to furniture rentals

Photo via Pixabay

May 29, 2018

Fast interiors gain momentum: A guide to furniture rentals

By Cait Etherington

Currently sleeping on a mattress with no box spring? Worse yet, a blow-up mattress? Is your night table a repurposed milk crate and are your bookshelves fashioned out of salvaged bricks and found lumber? Although all these features can be surprisingly charming when paired with the right accessories, there comes a time in one’s life when one wants or needs a bit more. But even if you opt to go full-on Ikea, the cost of furnishing a small one-bedroom from the ground up will likely cost well over $3,000 and that is only if you opt for a discount Bråthult over Vallentuna sofa. For anyone faced with the challenge of furnishing an entire apartment—either for the first time or because you’re only in NYC for a limited amount of time—there is now a solution: “fast interiors.” Rather than buy, you can now rent your furniture for three months or for several years. While the rise of furniture rentals may sound unusual, in fact, it is an obvious extension of the sharing economy that has been growing, especially in highly populated urban areas, for the past decade. An underlying tenant of the sharing economy is that renting often makes more sense the owning. But does it? Ahead, we explore how and where to rent furniture and the relative short- and long-term benefits of renting over buying.
A guide to furniture rentals

May 29, 2018

Widespread oversight in thousands of NYC water tanks poses health risks, according to report

Photo via Ted McGrath on Flickr Thousands of wooden water tanks in New York City have not been properly inspected and cleaned for years, according to an investigation by City & State. And while the water towers have been an iconic part of the city skyline for over a century, the structures make it easy for pathogens and even dead animals to congregate and infiltrate the city's drinking water. According to the report, most building owners do not inspect and clean water tanks on a regular basis, despite newly updated health codes that require annual filings. City & State mapped more than 13,000 water tank inspection reports from the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH), letting the public know for the first time if and when a building's tank has been inspected and whether bacteria was found. Last year, just over 3,520 buildings with water tanks filed proof of inspection.
Has your building's water tank been inspected?

Policy

May 29, 2018

Catch a dream in this Catskills tipi for $145 a night, fireflies included

The Sioux definitely knew what they were doing when it came to creating year-round homes tucked away in awe-inspiring nature. The Bellfire Teepee in the Meeker Hollow in Roxbury, NY, available via Airbnb for $145 a night, is a magical way to appreciate those micro-living skills from long ago while stargazing on a 10-acre property bordering miles of forest. The owners of this cozy escape, a pair of Brooklyn expat artists, chose the location "with privacy and tranquility in mind." Their farmhouse is 500 feet away, so there's no need to feel lost in the woods, but you're nestled between a creek, maple trees and a wildflower field, just in case you actually want to feel lost in the woods.
See more of this magical getaway

May 29, 2018

The backyard at this $1.2M Park Slope co-op is perfect for outdoor entertaining

For $1.2 million, get a huge, private backyard in Park Slope with an additional 900 square foot co-op attached. This two-bedroom unit at 134 Lincoln Place, just two blocks from Grand Army Plaza, has 530 square feet of sun-drenched outdoor space with enough space for a full-size dining table, lounge chairs, and a barbecue. The inside is equally charming, blending old and new details with a cool built-in dining nook perfect for when the party moves inside.
Have a look around

Distinctive Homes

Metro Region Explorer map gives you the facts on any spot in the Tri-State area

Map: NYC Planning Metro Region Explorer.

May 29, 2018

Metro Region Explorer map gives you the facts on any spot in the Tri-State area

As a beta project created by the NYC Department of City Planning, Metro Region Explorer enables you to explore population, housing, and employment trends within the Tri-State New York City Metropolitan Region. The map was developed as part of an ongoing commitment to providing better public access and as a way to better understand information about planning issues that affect the city as well as the region, as many planning challenges are interconnected with the realities of the larger area surrounding the city's core.
Explore the region

City Living

May 25, 2018

Go camping among the trees in this $195/night treehouse in Upstate New York

Trade the racket of cars honking and music blaring, for the blissful sounds of whispering wind and singing birds at this charming airbnb getaway in Upstate New York. Not only is this rental off-the-grid (there is no WiFi or electricity), it's located in an actual treehouse. What the pad lacks in modern convenience, it makes up for in rustic charm and natural ambience. Located in the rural Upstate neighborhood of Argyle, the treehouse, called the Whispering Wind Treehouse on its listing, can accommodate two guests in its one bedroom, starting at $195 per night.
Take a look around

May 25, 2018

For $5M, own the private Potato Island with a 90-minute commute to NYC

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

Own your very own private island that feels like it’s a million miles away, or at least off the coast of Maine, but is actually off the shore of Connecticut for only $4.9 million (h/t Mansion Global). With the not-at-all charming name of Potato Island, named for a group of potato-looking boulders near the shore (you say potato, we say po-tentially change that name!), this private island is part of the Thimble Islands, an archipelago of small islands, 23 of which are inhabitable, in the Long Island Sound in and around the harbor of Stony Creek in the southeast corner of Branford, Connecticut.
Get a look at island life

THE 6SQFT SHOP

The 6 best furniture rental companies in NYC

8 best places in NYC to thrift for home goods

The best websites for buying and selling used furniture in NYC

Everything you need to know about using a guarantor in NYC

15 quintessential NYC gifts for the New Yorker in your life

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

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

10 best plants for apartment dwellers

New York City's best holiday markets of 2023

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The Urban Lens: Bill Hayes captures New Yorkers as they are – heartbreakingly real

Star Tattoos

May 25, 2018

The Urban Lens: Bill Hayes captures New Yorkers as they are – heartbreakingly real

By Hannah Frishberg

6sqft’s series The Urban Lens invites photographers to share work exploring a theme or a place within New York City. In this installment, Bill Hayes shares photos from his book “How New York Breaks Your Heart“. Are you a photographer who’d like to see your work featured on The Urban Lens? Get in touch with us at [email protected]. A writer, Guggenheim Fellow, photographer and, since 2009, a New Yorker, Bill Hayes is quite familiar with the beautiful and painful ways New York City can play with the human heart. He recently published a book of his many portraits of the city's inhabitants, "How New York Breaks Your Heart," showing in black and white and living color some of the city's many faces, all very real and alive and core to this city's aura. We spoke with Hayes, a West Village resident, about the book, the, ity and its people.
Meet Bill and see his photos

Ahead of Memorial Day Weekend, the city closes 11-block stretch of Rockaway beach

Photo via Dan DeLuca on Flickr

May 25, 2018

Ahead of Memorial Day Weekend, the city closes 11-block stretch of Rockaway beach

Just days before New York City beaches were scheduled to open for the season, officials announced this week that a half-mile stretch of popular Rockaway beach will be closed this summer. The shuttered area spans roughly 11 blocks between Beach 91st and Beach 102nd Streets, considered by some to be the center of the beach. The city closed the section of the beach, previously set to open Saturday, because of safety issues from erosion, the New York Times reported. That particular area of the beach may be closed for many years because there "just isn't enough space to operate the beach" according to Liam Kavanagh, the first deputy commissioner for the city's parks department.
Get the details

Uncategorized

Boerum Hill via Wiki Commons (L); Skyline via Pexels + Bitcoin via Pexels (R)

May 25, 2018

Boerum Hill house tour is coming up; a blockchain building grows in Brooklyn

By 6sqft

The Boerum Hill house tour returns on Saturday, June 2nd. [Brownstoner] Though it’s already the top chain in NYC, Dunkin’ Donuts will roll out 60 more stores in Manhattan over the next three years. [TRD] Essex Crossing’s giant food hall the Market Line announced four more vendors, including LES favorites the Pickles Guys and Doughnut […]

Uncategorized

May 25, 2018

$3,800/month Williamsburg loft will let you buy all its cool art

This oversized one-bedroom loft, located at 63 North 3rd Street one block from the Williamsburg waterfront, is truly unique. Not only is there room for a convertible second bedroom (see the current cool cube) and access to a rooftop deck with stunning views, any and all of the art is for sale. Listed for $3,800 a month with no fee, the loft is currently home to Eye Dazzler studio's textile designers, hence all of the very cool rugs and wall hanging.
Get a better look

Distinctive Homes

Many Memorial Day weekend subway service changes will continue into the week

Photo by Hannah Frishberg

May 25, 2018

Many Memorial Day weekend subway service changes will continue into the week

By Hannah Frishberg

This week was a big one for the MTA, with NYC Transit President Andy Byford releasing the Fast Forward plan, with 10 years worth of road map for necessary modernizations to be made to the subway system, as well as an announcement that subway service will possibly be increased during off-peak, weekday hours beginning in November along the A, D, E and F lines. Much more immediately, many of this weekend's subway service changes will extend into Monday and early Tuesday due to Memorial Day and the long weekend.
Read on for the service change specifics

Transit

May 24, 2018

Proposal revealed for new public park on the Gowanus Canal’s Salt Lot

The Salt Lot is a triangular piece of land just south of the point at which all three branches of the Gowanus Canal meet. The city-owned site hosts a NYC Compost Project facility, as well as the Gowanus Canal Conservancy's nursery and educational facilities. However, the EPA has mandated a new four-million-gallon retention tank be placed there to manage combined sewer overflow. Gowanus by Design (GbD) saw this new infrastructure requirement as a catalyst for sparking conversation about much needed public urban space in the area. They've therefore created a conceptual proposal for the Gowanus Salt Lot Public Park, which includes three buildings constructed with materials that reference the Canal's industrial history, along with sloping hills and wetlands.
More details and renderings ahead

Architecture And Design

May 24, 2018

A restored 1920s Arts and Crafts log bungalow is asking $2M in Stamford, CT

Originally built in 1904, “Orient Lodge” is a restored Arts and Crafts compound on Saw Mill Pond that looks like it belongs on an Adirondack lake. The original 40-acre lot housed a saw and grist mill, dating from 1825. Legend has it that the owner cut down chestnut trees on the site to build the house. The lot has since been reduced to just over two acres but it still has an estate feel and is now up for sale asking $1,950,000 (h/t CIRCA). Not only will that get you the three-story main house--which has been fittingly outfitted with historic Asian features--but a detached two-car garage with deck, a separate cottage, and the original landscaping.
Tour the whole property

Lottery launches for three middle-income units in historic Weeksville for $2,700/month

Rendering via Samuel Wieder Associates

May 24, 2018

Lottery launches for three middle-income units in historic Weeksville for $2,700/month

A housing lottery launched this week for three middle-income units in the Crown Heights area of Weeksville, a historic Brooklyn neighborhood founded by freed African Americans about 180 years ago. Conveniently, the newly constructed rental at 233 Buffalo Avenue sits just a few blocks from the Weeksville Heritage Center, a museum dedicated to preserving the history of the 19th century African American community. Qualifying New Yorkers earning 130 percent of the area median income can apply for the $2,700/month three-bedroom units.
Find out if you qualify

Affordable Housing

May 24, 2018

INTERVIEW: Author Julia Van Haaften on delving into the life of photographer Berenice Abbott

By Emily Nonko

Photographer Berenice Abbott has long captured the imagination of New Yorkers. Her storied career began after fleeing Ohio for Greenwich Village in 1918 and included a stint in Paris taking portraits of 1920s heavyweights. But she is best known for her searing images of New York buildings and street life--her photograph "Nightview, New York," taken from an upper-floor window of the Empire State Building in 1932, remains one of the most recognized images of the city. Well known is her exchange with a male supervisor, who informed Abbott that "nice girls" don’t go to the Bowery. Her reply: "Buddy, I’m not a nice girl. I’m a photographer… I go anywhere." Despite Abbott's prolific career and fascinating life, there's never been a biography to capture it all. Until now, with Julia Van Haaften's work, "Berenice Abbott: A Life in Photography." Van Haaften is the founding curator of the New York Public Library’s photography collection. She also befriended Abbott, as the photographer approached 90, while curating a retrospective exhibition of her work in the late 1980s. (Abbott passed away in 1991 at the age of 93.) With 6sqft, Van Haaften shares what it was like translating Abbott's wide-ranging work and life into a biography, and the help she received from Abbott herself. From her favorite stories to her favorite photographs, Van Haaften shows why Abbott's work has remained such a powerful lens capturing New York City to this day.
READ MORE

May 24, 2018

LPC’s new interactive map shows pending and issued permits for landmarked buildings

The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) on Wednesday launched a new interactive web map that displays applications and permits for work on individual, interior and scenic landmarks, as well as buildings in historic districts. Permit Application Finder users can search by community district and work type, allowing the public to see geographically where LPC has issued permits for the first time. "LPC reviews and approves thousands of permit applications for work on designated properties each year, and with this map, information on all of these projects is just a click away," LPC Chair Meenakshi Srinivasan said in a statement. "It is an excellent example of how we are leveraging technology to make our regulatory process more efficient and transparent.”
More details here

Policy

May 24, 2018

$345K tiny Upper West Studio studio only allows tiny pets

At around 300 square feet, this $345,000 Upper West Side studio may be tiny, but it makes the most of the space by taking advantage of the 11-foot-high ceilings by putting the sleeping loft above the kitchen and using every square inch to its max. However, the co-op, located at 203 West 87th Street, will only allow equally tiny pets.
See a

Distinctive Homes

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.
Get the details

Real Estate Trends

Help bring this sculpture of lost Lower East Side mom-and-pops to Seward Park

Rendering of the installation

May 23, 2018

Help bring this sculpture of lost Lower East Side mom-and-pops to Seward Park

After publishing their first account of small businesses in NYC a decade ago with their seminal book “Store Front: The Disappearing Face of New York,” photographers James and Karla Murray are now ready to bring their work back to the street. As 6sqft previously reported, "the husband-and-wife team has designed an art installation for Seward Park, a wood-frame structure that will feature four nearly life-size images of Lower East Side business that have mostly disappeared--a bodega, a coffee shop/luncheonette (the recently lost Cup & Saucer), a deli (Katz's), and a newsstand (Chung’s Candy & Soda Stand). Though the installation is part of the Art in the Parks UNIQLO Park Expressions Grant Program, there are still high costs associated with materials, fabrication, and installation, so James and Karla have launched a Kickstarter campaign to raise the additional funds.
More details

Events & Things To Do

MTA releases aggressive plan to modernize New York City’s subway within a decade

Photo via Dan Phiffer on Flickr

May 23, 2018

MTA releases aggressive plan to modernize New York City’s subway within a decade

Within 10 years, the subway system will feature a state-of-the-art signal system, become more accessible, have a new fare payment system and boast thousands of new subway cars and buses. These ambitious improvements are all part of a plan released Wednesday by New York City Transit Chief Andy Byford and the MTA, called "Fast Forward: The Plan to Modernize New York City Transit." And the plan does intend to move very quickly. Byford expects work previously estimated to take nearly 50 years to be completed within the next decade. The top-to-bottom modernization of the system will no doubt inconvenience commuters, with possible changes to bus stop locations, as well as station closures and service disruptions. "Fast Forward" breaks down into two five-year plans, with the first half estimated to cost $19 billion and the next five years to cost $18 billion according to the New York Times. However, a cost estimate of the plan has not yet been officially released by the MTA.
Find out more

May 23, 2018

Go off-the-grid glamping at the Catskills’ Eastwind Hotel

Off-the-grid, A-frame huts are all the rage in the Catskills. Last week, we wrote about Bjarke Ingels' triangular prefab "inspired by the Catskills." Now, another appearance makes the news as the Eastwind Hotel reopens June 1st. Just two hours north of New York City, Eastwind was originally built in the 1920s as a bunkhouse for hunters, fly fishermen, and outdoor enthusiasts. The hotel reopens in a few weeks with 19 rooms and three A-frame, glamping huts nestled in the woods.
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Reading between the lions: A history of the New York Public Library

Photo via Jeffrey Zeldman/Flickr

May 23, 2018

Reading between the lions: A history of the New York Public Library

By Lucie Levine

The New York Public Library first roared into existence on May 23, 1895, educating and inspiring countless millions, free of charge. The Library’s 92 locations include four research divisions and hold over 51 million items. Out of all these tomes, the greatest tale might be Library’s own history: Founded by immigrants and industrialists, it was equally admired by William Howard Taft and Vladimir Lenin; open to all, it has counted among its staff American Olympians and Soviet spies; dedicated to intellectual exploration and civic responsibility, it has made its map collection available to buried treasure hunters and Allied Commanders; evolving with the city itself, it has made branch locations out of a prison, a movie theater, and most recently, a chocolate factory. The history of the New York Public Library is as vital and various New York itself, so get ready to read between the lions.
The 123-year-old history of the NYPL

History

May 23, 2018

Study looks at the tallest buildings ever demolished and confirms 270 Park Avenue will top the list

Back in February, 6sqft reported that the Union Carbide Building at 270 Park Avenue–currently the JP Morgan Chase headquarters–was set to be the largest intentionally demolished building in history when plans move forward to replace the 700-foot-tall structure with a tower that will likely rise to over 1,200 feet. ArchDaily brings us a study done by the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) that looks at the 100 tallest buildings ever to be demolished by their owners. The study, aptly titled, "Tallest Demolished Buildings," confirms that if the current plans move forward, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill's 270 Park Avenue would indeed become the tallest to go down–and the first over 200 meters in height.
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720 West End Avenue

Upper West Side

Serene Upper West Side homes near Riverside Park

1 beds starting at $1,005,000
2 beds starting at $2,495,000
3 beds starting at $3,495,000
4 beds starting at $5,850,000

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Jennifer Connelly trades Tribeca co-op for $15M Brooklyn Heights townhouse

140 Columbia Heights via Google Earth; Photo of Jennifer Connelly via Wikimedia

May 23, 2018

Jennifer Connelly trades Tribeca co-op for $15M Brooklyn Heights townhouse

By Annie Doge

Actors Jennifer Connelly and Paul Bettany are switching boroughs by selling their Tribeca co-op and picking up a Brooklyn Heights townhouse for $15.5 million. The sale represents one of the most expensive deals in Brooklyn ever, according to the Wall Street Journal. While the transaction was off-market, an old listing for the Brooklyn property at 140 Columbia Heights describes the 8,000-square-foot home as having views of the Statue of Liberty and the Lower Manhattan skyline. The sellers are Timothy Ingrassia, a Goldman Sachs executive, and his wife Stephanie, who serves as a vice chair on the Brooklyn Museum's board of trustees. The Ingrassias paid $10.75 million for the property in 2006.
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May 23, 2018

A charming two bedroom co-op in the Park Slope Historic District for under $1M

A Park Slope Historic District two-bedroom co-op apartment on a quintessential tree-lined street for under $1 million? Yup. Renovated in 2015, the $925,000 home at 105 Park Place blends modern amenities with historic features such as original wood shutters, pine wood floors, and a wood burning fireplace with a carved marble mantle. Plus, with a southern exposure, this top floor residence is filled with natural light year-round--hence the current owners' plethora of plants.
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Distinctive Homes

Get a pair of Shake Shack sneakers; Why is this statue of a dog balancing a taxi on its nose in Midtown?

Via Allbirds (L); Photo courtesy NYU Langone/Donald Lipski (R)

May 22, 2018

Get a pair of Shake Shack sneakers; Why is this statue of a dog balancing a taxi on its nose in Midtown?

By 6sqft

In a Jersey City development race, it’s Kushner versus Kushner. [NYT] A statue of a 38-foot-tall Dalmatian balancing a yellow cab on its nose was unveiled outside NYU Langone’s new Hassenfeld Children’s Hospital. [TONY] A year after the Freelance Isn’t Free Act went into effect in NYC, freelancers recovered $254,866. [Next City] Whole Foods is now […]

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May 22, 2018

Go off the grid in a Catskills shipping container for $165 per night

Photo via Contanium listing on Airbnb Just think if it as a Vipp Shelter for the rest of us. This woodsy take on the tiny dwelling, "Contanium," available through Airbnb and situated in Saugerties, NY, is actually a shipping container, so you get to experience the trifecta of tiny house, off-the-grid living and inhabiting a shipping container, all at once. Offerings at this particular shipping container cabin sound almost like the amenities menu at a trendy Downtown condo: There's a wood stove, sofa bed, kitchenette, writing desk, record player, patio, fire ring, yoga platform, hot tub and hammock. The off-the-grid part means the power is solar, there's a composting toilet and gravity-feed water.
What you'll find within

Adriana Urbina brings Venezuelan flavors to Nolita’s De Maria while empowering female chefs

Restuarant photo credit: Nicole Franzen; Portrait credit: Kathryn Sheldon

May 22, 2018

Adriana Urbina brings Venezuelan flavors to Nolita’s De Maria while empowering female chefs