6sqft | NYC local news, events, and apartments

Shelly Place, an agent with Triplemint, describes Boerum Hill as “the perfect blend of old and new. Geographically, it is smack dab in the middle of Brooklyn, convenient to downtown [Manhattan], and close enough without being in the middle of the hustle and bustle. You can go days or weeks without ever leaving Boerum Hill but, if you want, you have the rest Brooklyn right there.” Known for tree-lined streets filled with historic brownstones, Boerum Hill is one of those unique neighborhoods that has successfully blended past and present in a way few communities have been able to. There are a ton of great restaurants and creative cocktail lounges and independent specialty stores alongside the big brands, like Apple, Whole Foods’ 365, and Lululemon, lining Smith Street and Atlantic Avenue. And with a slew of new contextual developments springing up, it's time to turn your attention to the buzz on Boerum Hill.
Everything you need to know about Boerum Hill

Cuomo joins lawsuit against Trump administration for failing to enforce Fair Housing Act

Photo via Pixabay

May 15, 2018

Cuomo joins lawsuit against Trump administration for failing to enforce Fair Housing Act

Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced on Monday plans for New York State to join a lawsuit against the federal government for failing to carry out the Fair Housing Act, a 1968 law aimed at protecting people from discrimination when renting or buying. The suit seeks to reverse the decision by the Department of Housing and Urban Development to suspend President Barack Obama-era anti-segregation initiatives, known as an Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing (AFFH) rule. This rule requires local and state governments to address segregated housing patterns as a condition of receiving federal funding for housing. Joining civil rights groups in the lawsuit, with New York as the first state to do so, Cuomo called HUD's decision to delay this rule "repugnant" and "un-American."
Find out more

Policy

May 15, 2018

Fogarty Finger transforms a former Jersey City propeller factory into a beautiful single-family home

In a stunning renovation, architecture firm Fogarty Finger Architects transformed this Jersey City home, a former 1800s propeller pattern factory in the Paulus Hook neighborhood, into a luxurious single-family residence (h/t Dezeen). The original building was a workshop for Alexander Thomson & Sons Pattern Makers, a company that cast wooden forms into metal for propellers. The firm preserved the historic building shell, added a second floor, and excavated the cellar, increasing the living space from the original 3,500 square feet to 8,500 and incorporating unique outdoor space at each level.
Take the tour

Coney Island boardwalk designated as a New York City landmark

Photo via Shinya Suzuki’s Flickr

May 15, 2018

Coney Island boardwalk designated as a New York City landmark

Ninety-five years to the day since it first opened, the Coney Island boardwalk has been officially designated by the Landmarks Preservation Commission as NYC's 11th scenic landmark. The historic designation includes 2.7 miles of public beachfront, stretching from Coney Island's West 37th Street to Brighton 15th Street in Brighton Beach. Since 2014, Council Member Mark Treyger has pushed for the boardwalk to be landmarked, but the commission repeatedly rejected the proposal. "The Coney Island Boardwalk is as much a part of the culture as it is a part of the history of New York City," LPC Chair Meenakshi Srinivasan said in a press release Tuesday. "It is a beloved public space that embodies Coney Island’s democratic spirit and reflects our City’s values of tolerance, inclusivity and equity."
More details here

Policy

May 15, 2018

Bright interiors and a condo-equivalent price make this $1.5M Kensington townhouse a must-see

With a pale Scandinavian vibe and sunlight around every corner, this modestly-sized single-family home at 268 East 9th Street in Kensington has been thoughtfully renovated for modern life. Three exposures, a skylight, a quaint–and rare–front porch and a large fenced backyard add to the country-in-the-city feeling.
Take the townhouse tour

Distinctive Homes

May 14, 2018

Proposal for NYSE district overhaul calls for curbless streets, greenery and enhanced lighting

In an effort to enhance the accessibility and the appearance of the New York Stock Exchange district, a new proposal is calling for curbless streets, enhanced lighting, multi-functional seating and simplified security structures. The Alliance for Downtown New York released on Monday a study that details ways to improve the historic area to make it more appealing and easier to navigate. While the corner of Wall and Broad Street has witnessed more than 400 years of Lower Manhattan history, starting when Dutch settlers built a wall as the city's northern border, the area is not living up to its potential as one of New York City's crown jewels, according to Jessica Lappin, the president of the Alliance. The study is the result of a nine-month process, with the Alliance working in tandem with local stakeholders, community members and design partners, WXY Architecture + Urban Design. "This report lays out a roadmap," Lappin said in a press release. "It is a grand yet achievable vision that could turn the Stock Exchange District into the jewel it should be." The group estimates the overhaul project will cost roughly $30 million.
See the proposal

May 14, 2018

Brooklyn Heights home on historic ‘Colonnade Row’ lists for $5M

By Hannah Frishberg

Even in the lavish Brooklyn Heights Historic District, the three-story Greek Revival brick home at 45 Willow Place stands out for its colossal portico – namely, the wooden columns which grace its exterior. A single-family townhouse, the property has surprisingly few original details inside despite its unique historic exterior. It was built by John Bayard in 1847 and is part of a strip of homes known as Colonnade Row.
Get a look inside

Distinctive Homes

May 14, 2018

Smoking ban inside co-op and condo units picks up steam in NYC buildings

Though banning cigarette smoking in apartment building common areas is nothing new, New York City's co-op and condo buildings have been voting to keep residents from lighting up even inside their own units, the Wall Street Journal reports. Co-op and condo lawyers say the sentiment in favor of clean, green air is growing, and tolerance for neighbors who smoke is at an all-time low. At the Century condominium at 25 Central Park West, a smoking ban went into effect in March after a two-thirds vote was achieved following a long–sometimes bitter–campaign.
Find out more

Distinctive Homes

For $4M, East Village living, penthouse-style

A loft-sized Harlem studio in a former school asks $599K

Greenwich Village townhouse at the center of NBA gambling scandal listed for $22.5M

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

This $585K Village studio makes a fine pied-à-terre in a fabulous neighborhood

The highest penthouse in Brooklyn's tallest residence lists for $16.75M

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

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

Doors of steel and glass make this $3M Soho loft feel like a box of light

For $950K, a condo with a terrace that puts the 'green' in Greenpoint

VIEW ALL

May 14, 2018

INTERVIEW: New York legend Jay Maisel dishes on 190 Bowery and his new photo archive

Jay Maisel is best known for the incredibly expressive stories he tells through his beautiful photography. But in recent years, he's become perhaps just as well known for his New York City real estate story where he made the deal of the century when he sold his home, the Germania Bank Building at 190 Bowery. What he's not at all known for, though, are the stories he tells through the hundreds of thousands of memories that fill his home and studio. Maisel, who may appear gruff on the exterior (at 87 years-old, he still likes to shock), is actually incredibly kind and sentimental. He misses his home and all his toys that once filled the 35,000-square-foot building. Although he was initially intimidated by the size and upkeep costs of 190 Bowery, Maisel grew to love the home and raise his family there for 50 years. In 2015, he sold the building for $55 million and purchased a stately townhouse on Pacific Street in Cobble Hill for $15.5 million. (At the time, it was the most expensive townhouse sale in Brooklyn.) 6sqft sat down with Maisel and discussed his real estate coup, his move to Brooklyn (which is not “the city” in his view) and his most recent New York City photography series, entitled “Jaywalking.”
Hear from Jay and get an inside look at his life and work

52 years ago, Donald Trump’s father demolished Coney Island’s beloved Steeplechase Park

Steeplechase Park circa 1930-45, via Digital Commonwealth

May 14, 2018

52 years ago, Donald Trump’s father demolished Coney Island’s beloved Steeplechase Park

Steeplechase Park was the first of Coney Island's three original amusement parks (in addition to Luna Park and Dreamland) and its longest lasting, operating from 1897 to 1964. It had a Ferris Wheel modeled after that of Chicago's World's Columbian Exposition, a mechanical horse race course (from which the park got its name), scale models of world landmarks like the Eiffel Tower and Big Ben, "Canals of Venice," the largest ballroom in the state, and the famous Parachute Jump, among other rides and attractions. After World War II, Coney Island's popularity began to fade, especially when Robert Moses made it his personal mission to replace the resort area's amusements with low-income, high-rise residential developments. But ultimately, it was Fred Trump, Donald's father, who sealed Steeplechase's fate, going so far as to throw a demolition party when he razed the site in 1966 before it could receive landmark status.
Get the full history this way

History

May 14, 2018

This $1.4M East Village co-op has a private terrace and sits on a magical block

This utterly charming "penthouse" on the third/top floor of a pale mint green townhouse at 262 East 7th Street has the good fortune of being on one of the neighborhood's most beloved blocks. This particular corner of Alphabet City–across from the Gaudi-esque Flowerbox Building condo and home to a landmarked row of rare historic townhomes–is one those New York City secrets hidden in plain sight. Asking $1.35 million, this two-bedroom co-op doesn't skimp on modern style or comfort. And there's the added bonus of a lovely private terrace.
Get a closer look

Distinctive Homes

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

Images (L to R): Hoyt + Horn, Court House Apartments, Hello Lenox and 606W57

May 12, 2018

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

By Ondel Hylton

Hoyt & Horn in Downtown Brooklyn Offers Up to 4 Months Free on a 25-Month Lease [link] Boerum Hill’s Court House Apartments Offers 1 Month Free on New 13-Month Leases [link] Hello Lenox is Now Renting; No Fee Apartments in Prospect Lefferts Gardens has 2-Beds Under $3K [link] TF Cornerstone Launches Rentals at 606W57 and […]

Real Estate Trends

May 11, 2018

Tour mid century-modern icons from Philip Johnson, Marcel Breuer, Frank Lloyd Wright, and more

From May 15-18, the Iconic Houses Network will hold its bi-annual international conference in New Canaan, Connecticut and the surrounding area. This year’s conference, titled “Modernism on the East Coast – Philip Johnson and the Harvard Five,” will highlight the work of the famous five Harvard architects--Philip Johnson, John M. Johansen, Marcel Breuer, Landis Gores, and Eliot Noyes--who “stirred up an experimental modernist movement in the sleepy New England town.” There will be a number of different events, but perhaps most exciting is the slew of tours of modernist icons such as Johnson's Glass House, Frank Lloyd Wright's Usonia community,
READ MORE

The Urban Lens: Queens-born Kris Graves captures a rapidly disappearing side of Long Island City

Condo Construction, Long Island City, New York, 2008 © Kris Graves

May 11, 2018

The Urban Lens: Queens-born Kris Graves captures a rapidly disappearing side of Long Island City

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, Kris Graves shares photos from his “A Queens Affair". Are you a photographer who’d like to see your work featured on The Urban Lens? Get in touch with us at [email protected]. Queens-born photographer Kris Graves has been shooting his series “A Queens Affair” since 2005. Recently, he published a limited edition and currently sold-out softcover book, LOST LIC, containing some of his thousands of shots of the borough. A hater of glass, he describes his motives to take photos of LIC simply: he wants to capture the rapidly disappearing nooks and crannies of the neighborhood before they’re gone forever. While some of his previous work, including photos of every police precinct in New York, have been comprehensive, with “A Queens Affair,” Graves admits he does not know if the project will ever truly be complete.
The landscapes in many of his photos have already changed drastically

Places

May 11, 2018

Four $2,425/month two-bedrooms near Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx up for grabs

While this housing lottery won't save you a ton on rent, the four middle-income units available do sit in a prime location-- near the beautiful and historic Van Cortlandt Park. According to the city's parks department, the park is home to the country's first public golf course, the oldest house in the borough and the largest freshwater lake in the Bronx. Located at the nexus of the Bronx neighborhoods of Riverdale and Kingsbridge Heights, the building at 3190 Riverdale Avenue offers residents a parking garage and bike storage. Qualifying New Yorkers earning 120 percent of the area median income can apply for the four $2,425/month two-bedrooms.
Find out if you qualify

Affordable Housing

May 11, 2018

$3M Park Slope townhouse has a Japanese-inspired tea room and garden

This somewhat unusual four-and-a-half-bedroom Park Slope townhouse at 641 Warren Street was converted to a single-family home from a three-family dwelling by the building's current owners. Renovations were done with an emphasis on quality and practicality, and elements of their Japanese heritage were integrated throughout including a "chashitsu," or traditional tea ceremony room, with tatami mats, a patio and a kitchen preparation area overlooking a garden that boasts Japanese maple, fruiting peach, and willow trees and bamboo.
Take the floor-by-floor tour

Distinctive Homes

Lottery launches for four newly constructed units in vibrant Bushwick, from $1,950/month

Photo via bslax28 on Flickr

May 11, 2018

Lottery launches for four newly constructed units in vibrant Bushwick, from $1,950/month

An amenity-rich building in the heart of Bushwick is now accepting applications for four middle-income apartments. The rental complex, dubbed Gloria Linden, is located at 359 Linden Street. Apartments come with oversized windows oak flooring, custom LED lighting, Ceaserstone counters and Bertazzoni gas ranges. Qualifying New Yorkers earning 130 percent of the area median income can apply for two $1,950/month one-bedroom units and two $2,390/month two-bedroom units.
Find out if you qualify

Affordable Housing

For the first time, Williamsburg’s ‘House on a Roof’ hits the market for $3M

Offered by the original owners, this truly one-of-a-kind penthouse atop Williamsburg's Mill Building has been dubbed the “House on the Roof,” but it could easily be mistaken as a luxurious mountaintop chalet. The red-roofed two-bedroom penthouse is wrapped in glass that opens to a massive rooftop terrace complete with a full kitchen setup. And it's now asking $2.85 million.
You've gotta see this one

Distinctive Homes

N, Q, F, A and E all masquerading as one another and other weekend service changes

Photo by smallcurio/Flickr

May 11, 2018

N, Q, F, A and E all masquerading as one another and other weekend service changes

By Hannah Frishberg

Many subway trains are masquerading as one another this weekend. The 2 and the 5 will be performing their usual swapped responsibilities, and this weekend the N and Q as well as the F, A and E are also joining in on the game-like service changes. Additionally, getting to Coney Island is going to be frustrating for many if not most straphangers due to a lack of service across lines servicing the area. Rockaway has had the same problem for some time now.
Here's the full lineup of changes

Transit

May 10, 2018

Six futuristic Skyport concepts revealed for flying Ubers

Uber has lofty goals- literally. 6sqft previously reported on the ride-sharing company's partnership with NASA to develop software to operate their “flying Ubers” for uberAIR by 2023. Clearly, flying Ubers need somewhere to takeoff and land, so yesterday, at their second annual elevate conference in Los Angeles, the company revealed the top six Skyport conceptual designs that are just as futuristic as the flying taxi concept itself.
Could these land in NYC?

May 10, 2018

Inside the Ukrainian Institute of America, one of NYC’s best hidden architectural gems

Located on East 79th Street at the corner of Fifth Avenue and across from Central Park, sits one of New York City’s last turn-of-the-century, French-Gothic styled-structures. Designed by Gilded-Age architect Charles Pierrepont Henry Gilbert, the building was home to Isaac D. Fletcher and Harry F. Sinclair, giving it the fitting name of the Fletcher-Sinclair Mansion. Now, the mansion is occupied by the Ukrainian Institute of America, a nonprofit organization that has promoted Ukrainian art, music and literature since 1948. Ahead, join 6sqft on a tour of the landmarked building and check out some of the unique features within this hidden-in-plain sight New York City architectural gem.
Take a tour

Apply for 37 affordable units right near the Barclay’s Center and Fort Greene Park, from $867/month

Renderings courtesy of Hill West

May 10, 2018

Apply for 37 affordable units right near the Barclay’s Center and Fort Greene Park, from $867/month

If you don't mind being in the center of all the action, this affordable housing opportunity is for you. The lottery is open for 37 apartments at Hill West Architects' brand new Downtown Brooklyn rental 1 Flatbush Avenue. Not only does the 19-story building offer amenities such as a landscaped roof terrace with BBQs and a gym with a yoga studio, but its location at the intersection of booming Flatbush Avenue and Fulton Street means it's just a few blocks from BAM, the Barclay's Center, almost all major subways at Atlantic Terminal, and Fort Green Park. The units up for grabs are reserved for households earning 60 percent of the area median income, or between $31,612 and $62,580 annually, and range from $867/month studios to $1,123/month two-bedrooms.
Find out if you qualify

Affordable Housing

May 10, 2018

Fresh renderings for One Beekman, Richard Rogers’ first residential building in the U.S.

Rendering of One Beekman courtesy of Noë & Associates with The Boundary New renderings have been unveiled for One Beekman, a mixed-use development designed by Richard Rogers, and it has nearly reached its 25-story pinnacle in the Financial District. As the firm's first residential project in the United States, Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners have designed a tower that provides every single apartment with views of City Hall Park by shifting the circulation core to the south, according to the New York Times. The front of the building is open with oversized windows, allowing for half of the 31 total condo units to have outdoor terraces overlooking the park.
See them here

See Manhattan’s population pulse over 24 hours

All animations and screenshots courtesy of Justin Fung/Manhattan Population Explorer

May 10, 2018

See Manhattan’s population pulse over 24 hours

There are two million people who reside in Manhattan, but during the workday, thanks to the overwhelming number of commuters, the number of people on the island doubles to four million. This is the highest ratio of daytime-to-nighttime population anywhere in the country. To show how this population pulses over the course of a day, data visualization designer and researcher Justin Fung created the interactive Manhattan Population Explorer. First picked up by Fast Co. Design, the map highlights just how many people fill each city block for 24 hours. The height of crowdedness comes between 12 and 3pm, during which time, unsurprisingly, Midtown and Lower Manhattan show populations nearing 13,000. During the day, these 'hoods see their populations jump by 10 and four times respectively.
See what's going on with the rest of the island

City Living

May 10, 2018

Social media influencer and DJ’s ethereal East Village triplex hits the market for $2.65M

Social media influencer, model, and entrepreneur Hannah Bronfman and her DJ husband Brendan Fallis are selling their renovated East Village townhouse triplex, listed for $2.65 million. After purchasing the house at 214 East 9th Street for $1.6 in 2004, the couple undertook a massive gut renovation resulting in a gorgeous, light-filled airy home that was featured in Architectural Digest, complete with a rooftop garden deck and sleek, minimalist style.
Take a look around

The city will issue new Section 8 vouchers for the first time in two years

Photo via Creative Commons

May 10, 2018

The city will issue new Section 8 vouchers for the first time in two years

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

For the first time in two years, New York City this week began issuing new Section 8 vouchers, which serve as a rental subsidy for lower-income families. The new vouchers come after the city's Housing Authority got a boost in funding from the federal government, allowing the authority to dole out 6,200 additional vouchers, according to amNY. Now, NYCHA has started calling possible tenants on its over 100,000-person waitlist and has already distributed 35 vouchers. The city oversees the largest Section 8 program in the country, with roughly 90,000 vouchers currently issued.
Find out more

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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Tom Brady and Gisele Bundchen get serious about selling Flatiron pad with price drop to $14M

Tom Brady image via Wikimedia Commons; Gisele Bundchen image via Wikimedia Commons

May 10, 2018

Tom Brady and Gisele Bundchen get serious about selling Flatiron pad with price drop to $14M

Tom Brady and Gisele Bundchen have relisted their full-floor condo in the sleek One Madison tower at 23 East 22nd Street for $13.95 million, the New York Post reports. The New England Patriots quarterback and the Brazilian-born supermodel bought the 48th-floor unit for $11.7 million in 2014 and put it on the market for $17.25 million in 2016 when they headed further downtown to a $20 million five-bedroom spread at Robert A.M. Stern’s 70 Vestry.
Still looking good

May 10, 2018

18 chances to live in a new Kips Bay rental from just $580/month

Kips Bay may not be the most trendy 'hood, but it's just a few blocks away from bustling Nomad, all the bars in Murray Hill (if that's your thing) and a quick walk to Grand Central. And as of today, 18 units are up for grabs through the city's affordable housing lottery at 145 Madison Avenue, a new 21-story rental building between East 31st and 32nd Streets. The mixed-income units are reserved for those earning 30, 60, and 120 percent of the area median income and range from $580/month studios to $2,270/month one-bedrooms.
Find out if you qualify

Affordable Housing

May 9, 2018

BQX streetcar left out of city budget; Is responding to angry subway Tweets the worst job in America?

By 6sqft

Despite nearing the end of its feasibility study, the BQX streetcar was left out of the city’s 2019 budget, pushing it back a year (if it’s to happen at all). [Crain’s] Meet the people who respond to the 2,500 mostly-angry tweets the MTA and NYC subway receives every day. [WSJ] The South Street Seaport’s Pier […]

Uncategorized

May 9, 2018

Tour the fashion and architecture of the Met’s “Heavenly Bodies” exhibit

On Monday night, Rihanna, Madonna and all of the celebrity A-listers posed on the Met Gala’s red carpet to show off their over-the-top interpretations of the Metropolitan Museum's 2018 Costume Institute exhibit “Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination.” This year’s exhibit focuses on the dialogue between fashion and medieval art, displaying Papal robes and accessories from the Sistine Chapel, many of which have never been seen outside The Vatican. To house it all, the Met tapped architecture firm Diller Scofidio + Renfo (DS+R) to design the show, and ArchDaily has uncovered this gorgeous photo set showing their work.
Take a tour

Michael Cohen puts up $9M Trump Park Avenue apartment as collateral against bank debt

Photo of Michael Cohen via Wikimedia; image of Trump Park Avenue via Google Earth

May 9, 2018

Michael Cohen puts up $9M Trump Park Avenue apartment as collateral against bank debt

Michael Cohen, the longtime attorney for President Donald Trump, has put up his family's Park Avenue apartment as collateral against a bank loan worth millions of dollars. The bank valued Cohen's condo, fittingly at Trump Park Avenue in Lenox Hill, for $9 million. The financially troubled lawyer is putting his apartment against $12.8 million in loans he took out for his taxi business in 2014. Cohen secured these loans by New York City taxi medallions, which have dropped in value by 80 percent due to the growth of ride-sharing services, according to Bloomberg.
More this way

Policy

The state of food trucks: Why owners are fed up with outdated regulations

Photo via Wikimedia

May 9, 2018

The state of food trucks: Why owners are fed up with outdated regulations

According to a recent report by Food Truck Nation, New York City takes 9th out of the top places to run a food truck. The report ranks three categories: ease of obtaining permits and licenses, complying with restrictions and operating a food truck. And with a composite score of nine, NYC is falling behind other cities, specifically Portland, Denver and Orlando which take the top three spots, respectively. Based on the data, obtaining permits and licenses is what drags the city's scores down, falling to spot 26. Some cities have many fewer barriers to entry. For example, Denver requires ten different procedures to obtain a license, whereas Boston has a whopping 32. Unsurprising, Denver has 594 food trucks in operation. But Adam Sobel, the owner of Cinnamon Snail, the vegan food truck which is ranked as the top food truck in the New York City by The Daily Meal, has stopped running its food truck business on the streets of New York. Sobel only uses his food trucks for special events a few days a week, like farmers markets, because he says that every food truck on the streets of New York is basically illegal.
Learn more

May 9, 2018

Three gorgeous Osborne co-ops of the late Hollywood personality Robert Osborne hit the market

The building name might be coincidental, but it's certainly no fluke that the late Robert Osborne's historic apartments at the Osborne co-op are perfectly preserved and decorated impeccably. Best known for his 20+ year run as the host of Turner Classic Movies and as the author of the official history of the Academy Awards, Robert moved into the Midtown West building in 1988 after Carol Burnett mentioned a friend was selling a residence there. He told the Times in 2006, "I was interested that there was a building called the Osborne spelled the same way I spell my name," and so he toured that unit with Bette Davis. This became the first of three homes he'd purchase in the co-op, and as of today, all three of these are on the market--a one-bedroom unit on the third-floor asking $1.25 million, a second-floor one-bedroom asking $725,000, and a much smaller one-bedroom on the first floor asking $575,000.
See both units

May 9, 2018

New York Wheel has four months to find funding to restart work

"[We are] committed to the completion of the project, which is the centerpiece of a Staten Island redevelopment project. This settlement will allow New York Wheel the opportunity to finalize its financing arrangements and re-commence the construction and completion of the Wheel," the New York Wheel said in a statement responding to a bankruptcy court stipulation that gives the project 120 days to find the required funds and hire a new contractor (h/t SI Advance). This comes after the project's design team walked off the job last June amidst a "bitter pay dispute" with the developer. The 630-foot Ferris wheel has been plagued by cost overruns and delays from the beginning, so if they're not able to get things back on track by September 5th, it could mean the end of what was planned to be a major revenue generator and attraction for Staten Island.
The whole saga

Policy

May 9, 2018

Trump could get over $30M from sale of a Brooklyn affordable housing complex he partially owns

Starrett City photo via Matt Green on Flickr, President Trump photo via Wikimedia As he proposes funding cuts to the Department of Housing and Urban Development's subsidized housing programs, President Donald Trump is set to gain millions of dollars from the sale of an affordable housing complex in East New York, best known as Starrett City. Investors, including Trump who owns a 4 percent stake in the development, sold the 46-building complex to two real estate firms for $906 million, ABC News reported Tuesday. Trump is set to profit about $36 million from the sale (an amount which could drop after mortgage costs and transfer taxes). Home to roughly 15,000 residents across 145 acres, Starrett City is the largest federally subsidized housing project in the country.
Find out more

Antonio Banderas lists sultry Central Park West Prasada pad for $8M

Image of Antonio Banderas: Wikimedia Commons

May 9, 2018

Antonio Banderas lists sultry Central Park West Prasada pad for $8M

Antonio Banderas has just listed his park-front co-op in the Prasada at 50 Central Park West for $7.95 million. The actor purchased the nine-room co-op for $3.995 million in 2005, with his wife, Melanie Griffith, according to the Wall Street Journal. The couple divorced in 2016 and Banderas, who is starring in the upcoming “Life Itself” with Olivia Wilde and Oscar Isaac, kept the stylish Upper West Side home.
More sexy apartment pics, this way

Kanye West is starting an architecture firm; where to celebrate the Royal Wedding in NYC

Kanye West via NRK P3/Flickr (L); Windsor Castle via Wiki Commons (R)

May 8, 2018

Kanye West is starting an architecture firm; where to celebrate the Royal Wedding in NYC

By 6sqft

Unsurprisingly announced via a tweet, Kanye West is launching his own architecture firm called “Yeezy home.” [Curbed] The Brooklyn and Queens Borough Presidents want the MTA to make the subway stations that will absorb displaced L train riders wheelchair-accessible. [amNY] On May 19th, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will tie the knot in Windsor Castle. Here are […]

Uncategorized

May 8, 2018

Historic Greenpoint bank building lists for $6.5M with lots of options

The former Greenpoint Mechanics and Traders Bank, built in 1895, is now on the market for $6.5 million along with the many opportunities this unusual building presents. Designed in the Renaissance Revival style composed of large red brownstones, red brick and ornate terra cotta detailed accents with massive arched windows on the third floor, 144 Franklin Street is a 5,760-square-foot landmarked three-story mixed-use building with a full height basement. The property is zoned for up to six office spaces on the ground floor and regular basement use, with residential use on second and third floors.
Find out more about this unusual opportunity

Six chances to snag an East Williamsburg one-bedroom for $1,150/month

Photo via David Berkowitz/Flickr

May 8, 2018

Six chances to snag an East Williamsburg one-bedroom for $1,150/month

Photo via David Berkowitz/Flickr A housing lottery launched this week for six affordable units in the East Williamsburg neighborhood of Brooklyn. The newly constructed development at 251 Devoe Street contains seven units, all of them spacious with open layouts. While some of the units in the building include balconies, all have central air and modern appliances. Qualifying New Yorkers earning 60 percent of the area median income can apply for the $1,150/month one-bedrooms. The rental building sits closest to the L and G trains, as well as a dog park and plenty of happening bars and restaurants.
Find out if you qualify

Affordable Housing

Lottery for 218 affordable units opens in new Bronx building with yoga pavilion and rooftop farm

Rendering courtesy of Dattner Architects

May 8, 2018

Lottery for 218 affordable units opens in new Bronx building with yoga pavilion and rooftop farm

Nearly a year ago, L+M Development Partners and Hornig Capital Partners broke ground on a $156 million, mixed-use development on the St. Barnabas Hospital campus in the Belmont section of the Bronx, adjacent to Little Italy's Arthur Avenue and just a short walk to the Bronx Zoo. A pair of all-affordable housing projects--an 11-story, 181-unit building at 4511 Third Avenue and a 12-story, 133-unit building down the street at 4439 Third Avenue--the Dattner Architects-designed complex aims to combine health care services, affordable housing, job creation, outdoor fitness areas, and healthy food options to low-income residents of the community. And these residents earning 60 percent of the area median income can now apply for 218 apartments, ranging from $865/month studios to $1,289/month three-bedrooms.
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Affordable Housing

My 600sqft: A nonprofit fundraiser decorates her Turtle Bay studio with funky, feminine finds

6sqft’s series “My sqft” checks out the homes of New Yorkers across all the boroughs. Our latest interior adventure brings us to the Turtle Bay studio of Erica Greenblatt, director of development for the Anti-Defamation League. Want to see your home featured here? Get in touch!

May 8, 2018

My 600sqft: A nonprofit fundraiser decorates her Turtle Bay studio with funky, feminine finds

Erica Greenblatt never seems to stay in one place for long. In addition to her love of travel (she has visited 30 countries across 6 continents so far), she has moved 12 times in the last 14 years all over New York City. Most recently, Erica landed on a surprisingly spacious Turtle Bay studio on 54th Street and 2nd Avenue, her first apartment without any roommates. As the director of development for the Anti-Defamation League, a civil rights organization tasked with fighting bigotry, Erica raises funds needed for the group’s education and advocacy programs. And because of her job, she’s on the move again, headed outside of the five boroughs for the first time in over a decade. Erica moved to Atlanta, Georgia at the end of April, pledging to bring her feminine, eclectic style with her to her new southern pad. Before she left NYC to start a new adventure in the ATL, 6sqft visited Erica and learned about how her love of travel influences her worldly aesthetic, what she describes as her "signature style."
See inside Erica's studio

WeWork hires Bjarke Ingels as Chief Architect

Photo of WeWork CEO Adam Neumann and Bjarke Ingels, by Alexei Hay for WeWork

May 8, 2018

WeWork hires Bjarke Ingels as Chief Architect

WeWork, the $20 billion provider of co-working and temporary office spaces, just announced that rockstarchitect Bjarke Ingels will be their Chief Architect, a role in which he'll advise the company on all their projects, as well as offer his insights and ideas. With Bjarke at the helm, WeWork hopes to impact buildings, neighborhoods, and even broader, the cities in which they're located by working with city planners and politicians to change the future for the better. In a press release written by CEO and co-founder Adam Neumann, WeWork boasts Bjarke’s creativity and practicality: “Bjarke caught my attention because he’s changing the way we think about architecture. His designs inspire as much as they surprise."
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Architecture And Design

Image courtesy of nyc.gov/zerowaste

May 8, 2018

DonateNYC helps achieve zero waste dorm move-out

When spring arrives at New York City's 140 colleges and universities, departing students generate literally tons of waste each year on their way out of dorms and off-campus housing. Students leave behind unwanted items that can be reused or recycled. That's when the city's DonateNYC program steps in, offering resources and guidelines for a zero waste dorm move-out
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City Living

NYC’s Zombie Houses: Why more homes are vacant and abandoned

Photo via Felix Castor/Flickr

May 8, 2018

NYC’s Zombie Houses: Why more homes are vacant and abandoned

By Cait Etherington

As recently reported on 6sqft, the number of vacant homes in New York City continues to rise. The Census Bureau’s Housing and Vacancy Survey found that the number of unoccupied apartments citywide has grown 35 percent since 2014. While a majority of the city’s 247,977 empty units are empty for a legitimate reason—for example, they are currently awaiting the arrival of a new occupant, being renovated, or are seasonally occupied—among the city’s currently vacant homes are a small percentage of homes known as “zombie homes.” Usually vacant and deteriorating, in some cases, these homes have been abandoned by owners who are behind on their mortgage payments and in other cases, the homes have already been taken over by a lender. The issue has become so problematic that last April, the city —prompted by the passing of the New York State Zombie Property and Foreclosure Prevention Act of 2016, or “Zombie Law”—decided it was time to tackle the zombie home problem head-on.
What's going on?

Bergen Brooklyn

323 Bergen Street

Boerum Hill

World-class design rooted in Brooklyn charm

studios starting at $825,000
1 beds starting at $1,200,000
2 beds starting at $1,925,000
3 beds starting at $3,050,000
4 beds starting at $6,000,000

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May 8, 2018

TV news anchor Dan Abrams lists 1830s West Village townhouse triplex for $8.8M

ABC news anchor and media entrepreneur Dan Abrams is selling his 3,300-square-foot home in the Village. The three-story property at 150 Waverly Place is part of a seven-unit condo made up of two neighboring 1830s-era Greek Revival townhouses. According to the Wall Street Journal, Abrams, who is chief legal analyst for ABC News, host of A&E’s “Live PD” and the publisher of Mediaite and its sibling sites, first lived in the building in 2004 as a renter, then bought a three-bedroom duplex for $2.175 million. He purchased the adjacent duplex–which included a private garden—in 2009 for $1.645 million.
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Wall Street’s historic Trinity Church will partially close during a two-year, $99M renovation

Rendering of the canopy at the graveyard via Trinity Wall Street

May 7, 2018

Wall Street’s historic Trinity Church will partially close during a two-year, $99M renovation

The Trinity Church, whose history in New York City dates back 300 years, will partially close beginning Monday for a two-year, $98.6 million renovation of its nave, the main part of the church. As its first major revitalization in over 70 years, the landmarked church's project will restore parts of the original 1846 Gothic Revival style designed by Richard Upjohn. This includes rebuilding the chancel to its original size, increasing capacity by 140 seats and painting the interior walls and ceilings to reflect the original stone design. The reconstruction will move services and events at the Episcopal parish to nearby St. Paul's Chapel, but the Chapel of All Saints and the churchyard, where Alexander Hamilton is buried, will remain open throughout the project.
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Architecture And Design

Going nuclear: The Manhattan Project in Manhattan

A 1939 photo of an atom-smasher (cyclotron) at Columbia University. Via Wiki Commons.

May 7, 2018

Going nuclear: The Manhattan Project in Manhattan

By Lucie Levine

Most people assume that “The Manhattan Project” is a clever codename, a misnomer for the famous test sites in New Mexico. But, with over 1,200 tons on uranium stashed on Staten Island, and a nuclear reactor whizzing away at Columbia University, the top-secret wartime program began in Manhattan, and fanned out across the island, from its southern tip to its northern reaches, from its dimmest docks to its brightest towers. Ultimately 5,000 people poured into New York to work on the project, so duck, cover and get ready for an atomic tale of scientists, soldiers, and spies.
Learn all about the Manhattan Project in Manhattan

History

May 7, 2018

Williamsburg’s first ground-up commercial space in over 40 years tops out

Rendering via Steelblue/Gensler Silicon Valley will soon land in Williamsburg, according to the masterminds behind 25 Kent, an office building designed with the tech community in mind. The eight-story building at 25 Kent Avenue, the first ground-up commercial office development in the area in over four decades, has officially topped out. The building offers 500,000 square feet of office space along the Williamsburg waterfront, retail at ground level and underground parking, according to CityRealty. Designed by Gensler with concept designs by Hollwich Kushner (HWKN), 25 Kent will surely attract young professionals, with its millennial-friendly rooftops, terraces and floor-to-ceiling windows.
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New Developments

May 7, 2018

The Urban Lens: Richard Koek creates a ‘visual hymn’ of NYC with his candid photos