6sqft | NYC local news, events, and apartments

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.
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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.
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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

By Dana Schulz

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

Distinctive Homes

This $1.8M Park Slope co-op feels like a townhouse, private deck included

This $6.5M Hell's Kitchen townhouse has a heavenly rooftop oasis

Is this $4M NJ farmhouse your 'Green Acres'?

For $945K, this pretty pre-war co-op in Brooklyn Heights is steps from the Promenade

French soccer star Thierry Henry seeks $25M for his Soho penthouse

For $775K, residents of this renovated Bed-Stuy loft get a rooftop gym and terrace with city views

From parking lot to Dumbo's largest residential development: Inside Front & York

Live within a former artists' colony in this $3.5M Upper West Side co-op

For $2.4M, this artfully renovated Williamsburg duplex takes loft living to a new level

This $4.6M upstate New York property is a modern woodland sanctuary

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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.
Get a look around

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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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

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.
Get the details

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.
Get a look

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 […]

Uncategorized

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

By Dana Schulz

Earlier this month, Nolita restaurant De Maria won the coveted James Beard Award for best restaurant design or renovation in North America. The designers at The MP Shift replicated an artist’s studio, with Soho in the ‘70s and the Bauhaus movement in mind. But it's not just the space that's beautiful; Venezuelan-born chef Adriana Urbina's dishes, composed heavily of veggies and seafood, look like they were made for Instagram. Outside of the visuals, however, what sets De Maria apart is Urbina's socially conscious approach. Not only does she mix her South American heritage with her fine dining background (she started her career as an apprentice at Michelin 3-star restaurant in Spain, Martín Berasategui and was a 2017 winner of Food Network's "Chopped"), but she's committed to empowering female chefs and business owners, as well as using food as a way to connect people and raise awareness about what's going on in the world. 6sqft recently enjoyed an insanely delicious meal at De Maria and chatted with Adriana about her journey, the restaurant scene in NYC, and why this Nolita restaurant is the perfect place to see out her dreams.
Meet Adriana and get hungry!

John Legend and Chrissy Teigen pick up the penthouse in their former Nolita building for $9M

Photo of John Legend and Chrissy Teigen via Disney|ABC Television on Flickr

May 22, 2018

John Legend and Chrissy Teigen pick up the penthouse in their former Nolita building for $9M

Power couple John Legend and Chrissy Teigen have bought a $9 million penthouse apartment at 374 Broome Street in the same Nolita building they once lived. The duo, who first toured the three-bedroom penthouse in December, sold their former one-bedroom unit for $4 million in August 2016. John and Chrissy, who recently welcomed a baby son Miles, will get more space with the loft, which measures 2,610 square feet and includes a private rooftop terrace. According to The Real Deal, who first reported the sale, the seller is Matthew Swann, a Stubhub executive who bought the apartment for $8.6 million in 2016.
Take a peek

Celebrities

Know of something cool happening in New York? Let us know:

‘Little Haiti’ district will come to Brooklyn’s Flatbush neighborhood

Photo via Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams on Twitter

May 22, 2018

‘Little Haiti’ district will come to Brooklyn’s Flatbush neighborhood

To celebrate the thousands of Haitian-Americans who have called Flatbush home for decades, city officials revealed last week plans to designate the "Little Haiti Business and Cultural District" in the Brooklyn neighborhood. The borough boasts one of the largest communities of Haitian-Americans in the country, with more than 90,000 individuals of Haitian descent living in Brooklyn. Once the City Council passes a resolution, an official Little Haiti district would be able to request funding earmarked for cultural initiatives, obtain permits easier, create a museum and build monuments, the Observer reported Monday. Marking the new district, lawmakers and locals on Friday unveiled a new street sign for Nostrand Avenue, where it meets Newkirk Avenue, which will now be co-named "Toussaint L'Ouverture Boulevard," to honor a leader of the Haitian Revolution.
More details here

Uncategorized

May 22, 2018

Downtown Brooklyn gets another high-rise headed for 511 feet tall

The new hotspot for tall towers, Downtown Brooklyn, will be getting another contender, CityRealty reports. Revised permits show that a 43-story, 511-foot tower set to rise at 540 Fulton Street will contain 327 residential units along with retail and office space. The building's height is only about a foot shy of the former Williamsburgh Savings Bank Tower–now condos–which held the title of Brooklyn's tallest high-rise from 1929 to 2009. The new tower will join Brooklyn's future tallest towers: 720-foot 138 Willoughby Avenue (Brooklyn Point),986-foot 80 Flatbush, and 1,000+ foot 9 Dekalb.
Find out more

New Developments

Kirsten Dunst finally unloads her stylish Soho penthouse for $4.4M

Photo of Kirsten Dunst via Wikimedia

May 22, 2018

Kirsten Dunst finally unloads her stylish Soho penthouse for $4.4M

After nearly four years on the market, Kirsten Dunst has finally sold her industrial-meets-rustic penthouse at 533 Canal Street (aka 477 Washington Street) in Soho. The actress first bought the two-bedroom apartment in 2007 for $3.09 million, claiming she needed a break from the L.A. lifestyle. Following a gut renovation that added lots of vintage charm, she put the loft on the rental market for $12,500 a month in late 2014 and later listed it for $5 million last February. Now, as the Observer reported, Dunst has sold her apartment for $4.43 million, a slight discount from the asking price of $4.5 million.
See the whole place

An open-air night market with diverse grub will open in the Bronx next month

Images via Bronx Night Market

May 21, 2018

An open-air night market with diverse grub will open in the Bronx next month

Move over, Queens. The Bronx is getting an open-air, night market next month, the first of its kind to come to the borough. Setting up shop in Fordham Plaza, the festival will include food and craft beverages from more than 35 vendors, handcrafted items and live entertainment (h/t amNY). The event is free to attend and will run starting June 30 through October, happening on the last Saturday of every month.
Get the details

May 21, 2018

Bethenny Frankel wants to flip her Hamptons home for a $1M profit

Just six months ago, "Real Housewives of New York City" star and Skinny Girl maven Bethenny Frankel bought her second home in the Hamptons, a huge and historic Bridgehampton spread at 2623 Montauk Highway. The 4,200-square-foot home, a former bed-and-breakfast known as the Morning Glory House, cost her $2,037,000, but she merely made the purchase as an investment, keeping her Bridgehampton residence as her main home. And now she's looking to cash in, as Curbed Hamptons reports that Frankel has re-listed the property for $2,995,000.
See the whole place

Get a free hot dog and become a living piece of art at Brooklyn Bridge Park

Photo courtesy of the Public Art Fund

May 21, 2018

Get a free hot dog and become a living piece of art at Brooklyn Bridge Park

This summer, from June 9th to August 26th, from 12pm to 6pm, Austrian artist Erwin Wurm's Hot Dog Bus will distribute free hot dogs to anyone who agrees to eat it. The Hot Dog Bus, which will be parked at Brooklyn Bridge Park, is presented by the Public Art Fund. The project’s goal is to both get people to eat (is this really a goal we need?) and to think of the human body as a piece of art, specifically as a sculpture. According to the Public Art Fund site, “it is the participation of the viewer that 'completes' the work.”
What's cookin?

Events & Things To Do

Since 1993, NYC has lost 152,000 regulated units after landlords increased rent, report says

Image by Jorbasa Fotografie / Flickr

May 21, 2018

Since 1993, NYC has lost 152,000 regulated units after landlords increased rent, report says

In the midst of an affordable housing crisis, rents in New York City continue to rise, a record number of New Yorkers make up the city’s homeless population and the amount of rent regulated apartments are in danger of vanishing completely. An investigation released Sunday by the New York Times found rent-stabilized apartments have been disappearing since city and state lawmakers first eradicated rent laws in 1993. Since then, the city has lost more than 152,000 regulated apartments as a result of landlords exploiting weak regulations and pushing out rent-regulated tenants, with little or no consequence from city and state agencies. And another 130,000 more apartments have been lost due to expiring tax breaks and co-op and condo conversions.
Find out more

May 21, 2018

Asking $1.5M, this classic Upper West Side duplex has a magical private rooftop escape

Located on the top floor of a dreamy Upper West Side townhouse at 307 West 82nd Street, a block from Riverside Park, this two-bedroom duplex asking $1.475 million appears to be every inch the classic Manhattan co-op, from its blonde wood floors to subdued pale walls. But this uptown aerie speaks volumes in the form of a huge private wraparound roof terrace.
Take the tour

Distinctive Homes

Three chances to snag a middle-income apartment in East Flatbush, from $1,733/month

Photo via Absolute Consulting/ Michael Avramides Architects

May 21, 2018

Three chances to snag a middle-income apartment in East Flatbush, from $1,733/month

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

A recently constructed building in the East Flatbush neighborhood of Brooklyn launched a lottery this week for three middle-income units. The rental units at 1544 Nostrand Avenue sit just a block from the 2 and 5 trains at Church Avenue and about a mile from the southern part of Prospect Park. Qualifying New Yorkers earning 130 percent of the area median income can apply for the $1,733/month one-bedroom and $2,089/month two-bedroom apartments. While the lottery offers a discount, it's relatively small, with market-rate one-bedrooms in Flatbush going for $1,917/month for a one-bedroom and $2,120 for a two-bedroom on average, according to RENTCafe.
Find out if you qualify

Affordable Housing

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

10 best plants for apartment dwellers

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Sensory expert Kate McLean says NYC streets smell of garlic and tarmac

A snippet of McLean’s Astor Place smell map

May 21, 2018

Sensory expert Kate McLean says NYC streets smell of garlic and tarmac

All the rain this weekend in New York City stunk. Do sunny days stink too? Kate McLean can give us the definitive answer. McLean, a Ph.D. candidate at the Royal College of Art in London, has created an extensive system of urban “smellscape” maps based on her olfactory research. For instance, after studying her Astor Place, pedestrians are much better off walking north and south on 2nd Avenue, which smells of floral perfume and grass, versus walking up and down Broadway, which is loaded with eau de subway exhaust.
So what's NYC's smelliest hood?

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

Images (L to R): HUDSON LIGHTS, 63 Wall Street, Eagle Lofts and The Mason

May 19, 2018

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

By Ondel Hylton

Fort Lee’s Hudson Lights Development is Leasing with up to 2 Months Free [link] Top Lower East Side Rental Building Jones LES Now Leasing with 1 Month Free [link] ODA’s 420 Kent Avenue Near Finish Line, See New Photos from Field Condition [link] New Rental Tower from Rockrose Development, Eagle Lofts, Gets a Teaser Site […]

Uncategorized

Live in a new Art Deco-inspired rental in Crown Heights, from $1,080/month

Via CitiHabitats

May 18, 2018

Live in a new Art Deco-inspired rental in Crown Heights, from $1,080/month

A Karl Fischer-designed rental in Crown Heights launched a lottery this week for 40 affordable one- and two-bedroom apartments. Dubbed The Frederick, the building at 564 St. John's Place boasts a masonry and cast stone facade lined with stunning bay windows. To break away from the cookie-cutter look of new developments, the Frederick has residences with "state-of-the-art, but full of uncommon detail," according to the building website. Qualifying New Yorkers earning 60 percent of the area median income can apply for the affordable units, consisting of $1,080/month one-bedrooms and $1,223/month two-bedrooms.
Find out if you qualify

Affordable Housing

Daniel Libeskind will redesign a new star for the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree

Image via Swarovski

May 18, 2018

Daniel Libeskind will redesign a new star for the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree

Swarovski has tapped architect Daniel Libeskind to redesign a new star to top the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree, the first time it will be replaced in 14 years. Libeskind, who is best known for designing the master site plan for the rebuilding of the World Trade Center site, called the star "a symbol that represents our greatest ambitions for hope, unity and peace." According to Architectural Digest, Libeskind's geometric, angular designs made him an easy choice as the new topper's designer.
Get the sparkling details

The Urban Lens: Hannah La Follette Ryan on her viral Instagram account ‘Subway Hands’

6sqft’s series The Urban Lens invites photographers to share work exploring a theme or a place within New York City. In this installment, Hannah La Follette Ryan shares photos from her “Subway Hands” Instagram account. Are you a photographer who’d like to see your work featured on The Urban Lens? Get in touch with us at [email protected].

May 18, 2018

The Urban Lens: Hannah La Follette Ryan on her viral Instagram account ‘Subway Hands’

By Hannah Frishberg

While many street photographers have been inspired by straphangers over the years, Massachusetts- born Hannah La Follette Ryan has taken a very different approach to subway photography: focusing on riders' hands. Her viral Instagram account, "Subway Hands," is closing in on 20,000 followers and features nearly 1,000 photos, all shot on her iPhone, of the impossibly varied things people do with their hands on the NYC subway.
Do you spot your hands in any of the photos?

From casino to Malcolm X: The colorful history of Harlem’s Malcolm Shabazz Mosque

Photo via Wiki Commons

May 18, 2018

From casino to Malcolm X: The colorful history of Harlem’s Malcolm Shabazz Mosque

By Hannah Frishberg

At 102 West 116th Street in Harlem sits a mosque singularly incorporated into the cityscape. The building houses street-level commercial businesses and is topped by a large green dome, the structure in-between used as a Sunni Muslim mosque. While the property has seen much local history pass through it, it is not landmarked. Before becoming a religious structure, the lot used to contain the Lenox Casino, a space which was often rented for meetings by the Socialist Party and used as a theatrical performance venue for a number of then-renowned artists. Built in 1905 and designed by Lorenz F. J. Weiher, the Lenox Casino was raided in 1912 for showing "illegal films" in an escapade grippingly documented by the New York Times.
The structure has had many lives

History

Lottery opens for 59 middle-income units near MoMA PS1 in Long Island City, from $2,098/month

Rendering via HAAK architects

May 18, 2018

Lottery opens for 59 middle-income units near MoMA PS1 in Long Island City, from $2,098/month

Applications are now being accepted for 59 newly constructed, middle-income units in the heart of thriving Long Island City in Queens. HAAK architects designed the 12-story building at 11-39 49th Avenue, which boasts a unique patchwork facade made of tricolor brick. The rental sits less than a block from the 7 train and MoMA PS1 and less than a mile from Gantry Plaza State Park on the waterfront. Qualifying New Yorkers earning 130 percent of the area median income can apply for the units, which range from a $2,098/month studio to a $3,131/month three-bedroom.
Find out if you qualify

Affordable Housing

Get ready for more debilitating than usual weekend subway service changes

Photo by Hannah Frishberg

May 18, 2018

Get ready for more debilitating than usual weekend subway service changes

By Hannah Frishberg

The MTA has finally announced when normal weekend service will resume along the 2 and 3 lines, which have not been running between Brooklyn and Manhattan on Saturdays and Sundays for months: Sunday, June 24 at 12:01 a.m. Until then, though, it's tough luck if you need to get to the Park Place, Wall Street, Clark Street, and/or Hoyt Street stops on the weekend. In other news, the MTA has begun inexplicably including borough names in service change descriptions to offer unnecessary specificity even when the station, such as Howard Beach-JFK, only exists in one borough and is well-known.
All this weekend's madness

Transit

May 17, 2018

Live inside a windmill in Montauk for $1.9M

Property in Montauk–where billionaires live in trailer parks–just isn't like other places. For example, this windmill house was built in 1928 by Arthur W. B. Wood, an architect who was enamored of–you guessed it–windmills. Though the windmill that's part of the six-bedroom home at 162 Fairview Avenue isn't a real, functional windmill, it is the only windmill house in Montauk. And it's currently on the market for $1.9 million.
Get a closer look

May 17, 2018

MTA documents reveal that 4,000 L train riders will be displaced during shutdown

The latest fear to raise its ugly head in what will admittedly be a major inconvenience–that is, the 15-month shutdown of the L line starting in April of 2019–is the very limited number of trains that will be able to pick up the slack heading across the Williamsburg bridge. The topic surfaced at last night's Town Hall meeting, when, according to the Village Voice, a concerned citizen by the name of Sunny Ng voiced his concerns about how many more trains could fit on the bridge.
Can of worms: Open!

Proposal calls for a floating pedestrian bridge to connect Greenpoint and Long Island City

Rendering via CRÈME / Jun Aizaki Architecture and Design

May 17, 2018

Proposal calls for a floating pedestrian bridge to connect Greenpoint and Long Island City

By Andrew Berman of Village Preservation

A Kickstarter campaign launched on Thursday for a civic design project aimed at reconnecting the neighborhoods of Greenpoint and Long Island City and the residents who live there. Brooklyn-based studio CRÈME/ Jun Aizaki Architecture & Design's concept, called Timber Bridge at LongPoint Corridor, calls for constructing a floating bridge made of durable timber that would sit on Newtown Creek and expand past to the LIRR rail yard in LIC. Not only would it provide people greater access to transit options, according to the design team, Timber Bridge would give bikers and pedestrians a safer commute than the Pulaski Bridge, a less-than-ideal path with lots of cars.
Find out more

Architecture And Design

Elizabeth Blackwell’s NYC: The historic sites where America’s first female doctor made her mark

An 1870 newspaper illustration of Elizabeth Blackwell giving an anatomy lecture alongside a corpse at the Woman’s Medical College of New York Infirmary. Courtesy of the U.S. Library of Congress.

May 17, 2018

Elizabeth Blackwell’s NYC: The historic sites where America’s first female doctor made her mark

One of the most radical and influential women of the 19th century changed the course of public health history while living and working in Greenwich Village and the East Village. Elizabeth Blackwell, America’s first female doctor, established cutting-edge care facilities and practices throughout these neighborhoods, the imprint of which can still be felt to this day in surviving institutions and buildings. In fact, one recently received a historic plaque to mark this ground-breaking but often overlooked piece of our history.
Take a tour of Elizabeth Blackwell's NYC

Photo via CityRealty

May 17, 2018

A salary of $58,450 or less annually is now considered low income in the New York Metro Area

If you are a single New Yorker earning $58,450 or less per year, you fall under the low income category, according to 2018 estimates released last month by the U.S. Department of Housing (HUD). These income limits are established by the government to help figure out if residents are eligible for subsidized and affordable housing. Even though the median family income in NYC and its surrounding area slightly increased this year to $70,300 from $66,200 in 2017, the high cost of living continues to place a significant burden on New Yorkers (h/t Curbed NY).
More this way

May 17, 2018

$5.5M converted firehouse could be Long Island City’s most expensive sale

A listing broker for this 1848 former local firehouse told the Wall Street Journal that its $5.5 million asking price was “aspirational,” but the neighborhood certainly has changed since its owner purchased the three-story, 3,500 square-foot converted townhouse in 1981 for $115,000. Long Island City turned fancy and this Federal-style firehouse got an architect-led overhaul that gave it three bedrooms, a 17-foot vaulted ceiling, a home office/library, a garden, a terrace, a garage, an elevator, and a sliding glass wall.
Hop in the elevator, take the tour

May 17, 2018

Holly Hunter lists historic Fort Greene townhouse for $4.5M

Holly Hunter seems to be a perennial house hunter. In 2014, the Academy Award-winning actress sold her Greenwich Village apartment for $7.6 million. Now, she’s selling again, according to the Post. Hunter has just listed her 19th-century Brooklyn brownstone at 20 South Oxford Street, half a block away from Fort Greene Park, for $4.5 million. Built in 1864, the four-bedroom Italianate home is filled with original details.
See it all

May 17, 2018

Bjarke Ingels reveals off-grid tiny house in the Catskills

Bjarke Ingels is everywhere. Literally. Three weeks ago, we wrote about his new design for 2 Penn Plaza. Two weeks ago, we wrote about his amazing XI sales gallery experience with the stage designer Es Devlin. Last week, it was his new role as Chief Architect at WeWork. And now, BIG has just announced Bjarke built an off-the-grid triangular tiny house in the Catskills with designer and interior architect Soren Rose. (Does this rockstarchitect ever sleep?) Bjarke Ingels Group shared with 6sqft this exclusive set of photos of the mini modern abode, which blends the A-frame architecture of the upstate area with a Nordic aesthetic.
Lots more details and renderings ahead

East Village Target opening in July; Who’s really riding the NYC ferry?

Extell’s EVGB, where the new Target is located (L); NYC Ferry (R)

May 16, 2018

East Village Target opening in July; Who’s really riding the NYC ferry?

By 6sqft

Reality star Bethenny Frankel shows off her newly renovated, 4,000-square-foot Soho artist’s loft. [Arch Digest] The East Village’s first Target set an opening date of July 21st. [Curbed] Did “Sex and the City” inspire you to move to NYC? If so, the Times wants to hear your story. [NYT] An interview of 60 NYC Ferry […]

Uncategorized

May 16, 2018

27 middle-income apartments up for grabs in Prospect-Lefferts Gardens, from $1,807/month

Photo of Prospect Park via Maria Eklind on Flickr A second affordable housing lottery launched for the Lincoln Road Apartments, a two-tower rental building offering up 27 middle-income units. Located in the Brooklyn neighborhood of Prospect-Lefferts Gardens, the rentals at 31-33 Lincoln Road sit directly across from sprawling Prospect Park. In addition to its proximity to the park, 33 Lincoln provides residents a common roof deck, fitness center, a lounge and lots of storage. The apartments sit less than 500 feet from the B and Q trains at the Prospect Park Subway stop. New Yorkers earning 130 percent of the area median income can apply for units ranging from $1,807/month studios to $2,733/month two-bedroom apartments.
Find out if you qualify

Affordable Housing

May 16, 2018

$1.2M East Village condo has a cool blue kitchen and a roof deck with a view

This one-bedroom East Village "penthouse" condo at 72 East 3rd Street, asking $1.19 million, is on the market for the first time in 20 years, but it has a fresher look than any we've seen in a while. On a block with lots of neighborhood history and plenty of charm, it has recently gotten a stunning custom renovation and comes with a private roof deck with unrestricted Empire State Building views.
Take a look

Distinctive Homes

Vendors unveiled for Williamsburg’s new food hall, set to open next to Radegast Hall this month

Di Fara, considered one of the best pizzerias in NYC, will open at the Williamsburg food hall; photo via apasciuto on Flickr

May 16, 2018

Vendors unveiled for Williamsburg’s new food hall, set to open next to Radegast Hall this month

Does New York City really need another food hall? Before answering, check out the list of impressive vendors setting up shop in Williamsburg's new food hall at the end of May. The line-up includes iconic Di Fara pizza from Midwood, James Beard-nominated baker Zachary Golper's Bien Cuit, Brooklyn ramen shop Chuko, Greenwich Village's Corner Bistro and over a dozen more well-established food and retail vendors, according to Eater NY. Developer LENY market agency MRKTPL will open the doors on May 29 to its 15,000-square-foot indoor space at 103 North 3rd Street, where it will share a space with popular Radegast Hall & Biergarten, with a limited-vendor menu. Starting June 4, the North 3rd Street Market's hours will be extended and the full roster of vendors will be ready to serve up some tasty fare.
Dig into the details

Food & Dining

May 16, 2018

Behind the scenes at the United Palace, Washington Heights’ opulent ‘Wonder Theatre’

By Dana Schulz

Earlier this year, 6sqft got an exclusive behind-the-scenes tour at the Loew's Jersey City, one of the five opulent Loew’s Wonder Theatres built in 1929-30 around the NYC area. We've now gotten a tour of another, the United Palace in Washington Heights. Originally known as the Loew's 175th Street Theatre, the "Cambodian neo-Classical" landmark has served as a church and cultural center since it closed in 1969 and was purchased by televangelist Reverend Ike, who renamed it the Palace Cathedral. Today it's still owned by late Reverend's church but functions as a spiritual center and arts center. Thanks to Reverand Ike and his church's continued stewardship, Manhattan's fourth-largest theater remains virtually unchanged since architect Thomas W. Lamb completed it in 1930. 6sqft recently visited and saw everything from the insane ornamentation in the lobby to the former smoking lounge that recently caught the eye of Woody Allen. We also chatted with UPCA's executive director Mike Fitelson about why this space is truly one-of-a-kind.
Take the incredible digital tour

May 16, 2018

The new voice of the MTA sounds like a New Yorker, but enunciates well

Photo via Richard Yeh / WNYC Queens native and Metropolitan Transportation Authority Rail Control Center announcer Velina Mitchell is the new official voice of the transit authority. The 25-year MTA “insider” was chosen when Sarah Meyer, the NYC Transit chief customer officer, first heard Mitchell read a public service announcement. Little did Mitchell know she was auditioning for a much bigger role. Meyer told the Daily News: "She sounded like a New Yorker, but she was also warm and she enunciated very well." The MTA is making an effort to improve communications with their riders by playing Mitchell’s announcements in stations as well as in four new train cars.
Find out more

May 16, 2018

Actress Lauren Graham unloads Greenwich Village crash pad for $825K