6sqft | NYC local news, events, and apartments

New York City added a record number of protected bike lanes this year, breaking the previous record of 18 miles set in 2016 and nearly doubling the number installed in 2015, the Department of Transportation announced Tuesday. This year saw a 25-mile expansion of the bike network that runs throughout the city for nearly 1,200 miles. […]

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December 20, 2017

Interactive map shows how NYC’s waterways have evolved over the years

This map will delight any NYC geography buffs out there: The Changing Shoreline of New York City uses historical maps from the New York Public Library’s digital collection to explore how Manhattan has managed its waterways to expand its small city footprint. Created by Laura Blaszczak during her internship with NYPL, it's an interactive map that highlights waterfront locales around the city. Zoom in, and you can peruse historical maps and photographs that show how our rivers, creeks, brooks, and bays have been managed or built over. There's even an opacity control, so you can directly compare the historical map with the modern map and see how much Manhattan's landscape has changed.
Check it out

December 20, 2017

IDNYC adds eight new benefits for 2018

Three years ago, IDNYC's benefits included mostly free or discounted membership to museums and cultural institutions, but now that the ID card is entering its fourth year, it's adding some more entertainment-based perks. A press release from the Mayor's office announced that the 1.2 million cardholders (it's the largest local identification program in the nation) will receive benefits from eight new partners in 2018, including Zipcar, Chelsea Piers Golf Club, Entertainment Cruises, and the SculptureCenter.
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New legislation will a create a real-time portal for affordable housing in NYC

Photo via Wikimedia

December 20, 2017

New legislation will a create a real-time portal for affordable housing in NYC

During its last full-body meeting of the year, the New York City Council passed a bill Tuesday that makes it easier for low-income renters to find apartments by creating a user-friendly online portal. Under the new legislation, landlords who receive tax breaks in exchange for renting below-market units will be required to register units each year with the city’s Department of Housing Preservation and Development. As the Wall Street Journal reported, the department would list these units online and match potential tenants by their income with apartments.
Learn more

December 20, 2017

Chinese buyer snags three penthouses at 432 Park for $91M

After dropping a staggering $91.1 million, a buyer from China now owns three penthhouse apartments at 432 Park Avenue, the most expensive closing to date. Picking up units 92, 92B and 93B, the buyer, 432 Park Joy LLC, gets 11,906 square feet spanning two floors (h/t TRD). As 6sqft learned earlier this month, the combined units originally hit the market for roughly $120 million. Prior to this deal, the largest closing at the supertall was a penthouse that was asking $95 million but closed last year for $87.7 million. But it's still One57 that holds the record for the city's priciest residential deal, a penthouse that sold for $100.4 million in 2014.
More this way

Real Estate Trends

Celebrate New Year’s Eve with free rides and ice skating on Coney Island

Deno’s Wonder Wheel courtesy of kzoop’s Flickr

December 20, 2017

Celebrate New Year’s Eve with free rides and ice skating on Coney Island

Editor's Note: Due to the extreme cold conditions, Deno's Wonder Wheel and Stop the Zombies ride will NOT open on New Year's Eve or New Year's Day. The B&B Carousell will be open. Overpriced clubs, surging Ubers, and Manhattan crowds not your thing? Check out the fourth annual New Year's Eve party at Coney Island's historic boardwalk instead. Four rides, including the iconic Wonder Wheel, will be free of charge beginning at 6 pm until 9:30 pm on December 31. Nathan's Famous, Coney Island Brewery, and Tom's Restaurant will also stay open for the festivities. As amNY learned, there will be live entertainment and the countdown to 2018 will feature a digital "burst" of lights from the Parachute jump at midnight.
Details on the event here

Events & Things To Do

Legendary Lincoln Plaza Cinema to close next month; food truck industry won’t get legislative boost

Via Google Street View (L);

December 19, 2017

Legendary Lincoln Plaza Cinema to close next month; food truck industry won’t get legislative boost

Photo via Megan Morris/Flickr (R) Kwanzaa Crawl returns this month to support Black-owned Brooklyn bars. [Brokelyn] After the building owner declined to renew its lease, art house movie theater Lincoln Plaza Cinema announced it will close. [NYT] Mapping the city’s top-10 tax abatement condos. [CityRealty] Renzo Piano explains why he decided to design the New York Times […]

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December 19, 2017

A charming Bing & Bing co-op in Kip’s Bay asks $800K

Located in a boutique 1931 Bing & Bing co-op in Kip's Bay, a renovated one-bedroom pad has hit the market for $799,000. The light-filled apartment at 140 East 28th Street boasts charming pre-war details like a wood-burning fireplace, arched entry, beamed ceilings, and a classic layout that efficiently separates dining and entertainment areas.
See inside

Distinctive Homes

Distinctive Homes

This $2.25M Bed-Stuy townhouse has iconic Brooklyn style, well-designed spaces, and rental opportunity

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

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

A celebrated artist's Upper East Side co-op asks $4.75 million

Live in a former convent with panoramic Hudson River views for $3.4M

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

For $825K, a sweet South Slope co-op near Prospect Park

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

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

Asking $5.5M, this dramatic duplex in Sutton Place feels like a museum

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

Images (L to R): CAESURA, 777 SIXTH, 15 PARK ROW and 300 ASHLAND

December 19, 2017

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

By Ondel Hylton

In the Heart of Chelsea with an Entrance So Discrete It’s Almost a Secret [link] Caesura Leasing Launches for February 1 Move-Ins; Lending Library Lets Residents Pack Light [link] The Eugene Unveils The Hudson Club, Exclusive Rooftop Lounge with Panoramic City Views [link] 507 West Chelsea: Live Inside a 35-Story Glass Tower Above the High […]

Real Estate Trends

Mayor de Blasio announces competition to transition NYC to electric vehicles

Photo via Pixabay

December 19, 2017

Mayor de Blasio announces competition to transition NYC to electric vehicles

Photo via Pixabay With about 30 percent of local greenhouse gas emissions coming from transportation in New York City, officials are looking for the tech industry’s help in switching to electric vehicles as part of their bold climate goals. On Monday, Mayor Bill de Blasio’s administration announced the latest NYCx moonshot challenge to develop a green transportation […]

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MTA running longer C-trains to accommodate more commuters

Photo of a C-train via Wikimedia

December 19, 2017

MTA running longer C-trains to accommodate more commuters

It just became slightly easier to squeeze onto a C-train. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority on Saturday added 40 longer cars to the line to accommodate more riders. As part of its emergency action plan, the MTA replaced some of its 60-foot long R32 models, which first debuted in the system in 1964, with 75-foot long R46 cars. The longer cars increase commuter capacity by 25 percent per train set and are expected to also help absorb crowds during the 2019 L train shutdown.
More this way

Transit

December 19, 2017

Nolita pad that belonged to John Mayer has hit the market for $4.35M

A Nolita condo has hit the market and it once belonged to pop singer John Mayer. He picked up the two-bedroom apartment at 225 Lafayette Street in 2005 for $2.17 million. He then sold it for $3.91 million in 2013 to a buyer who using the limited liability company "But It’s Provocative LLC." The Observer has spotted that the 2,063-square-foot home been re-listed by said provocative owner, and they're asking $4.35 million. For that amount you're getting a corner unit on the 12th floor of the building, with quite a modern aesthetic.
Take a look inside his old digs

December 19, 2017

The Upper West Side’s next tall tower reveals its Art Deco design

Despite some initial construction hiccups, plans for the 668-foot residential tower at 200 Amsterdam Avenue continue to move forward. According to YIMBY, the tower's developers, SJP Properties and Mitsui Fudosan, have unveiled new renderings of the Upper West Side building, including an up-close shot of its crown. Designed by Elkus Manfredi, the exteriors feature an aluminum curtainwall and metal panels. New York firm CetraRuddy will take on the interiors of the 112-unit condominium building.
More this way

Everything you need to know about breaking a lease in NYC

Via Pixabay

December 19, 2017

Everything you need to know about breaking a lease in NYC

By Cait Etherington

Whether you’ve just been offered a dream job in Austin or decided to ditch New York City for a farmhouse in New Paltz, if you have a lease, you have problem. Leases are generally a good thing: They give tenants the right to stay in an apartment on a year to year or even bi-annual basis. If you need to vacate early, however, a lease can quickly start to feel like vice grip on your future. Fortunately, tenants, at least those living in rental buildings, do have some legal ways to opt out early. This guide outlines the ins and outs of lease breaking, how to find a qualified tenant, and what to do if you are currently renting in a condominium or co-op where lease breaking is a far more complex process.
Everything you need to know, right here

December 19, 2017

Will New York get a White Christmas this year?

In the United States, if at least one inch of snow falls on the morning of December 25, it gets labeled as a "White Christmas." While some states in the north and Midwest are the most likely to enjoy a snow day on Christmas, the phenomenon is uncommon in New York, but not impossible. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, a federal agency that provides timely information about climate and weather patterns, created a map that shows the historic probability of there being at least one inch of snow on the ground in 48 states on Christmas. The darkest gray shows places where the probability is less than 10 percent and the white areas show probabilities greater than 90 percent.
Is New York dreaming of a White Christmas?

City Living

December 18, 2017

MAP: Explore nearly 34,000 landmarks in New York City

New York City is home to over 36,000 architecturally, historically and culturally significant buildings and sites, as designated by the city's Landmarks Preservation Commission. To make information about the thousands of landmarks in the city more accessible, the LPC launched on Monday an enhanced interactive map that allows users to search and filter building data by architectural style, architect, building type and era. The nearly 34,000 sites on the map build upon the existing 1,400 individual landmarks and 141 historic districts the commission had mapped last year.
Check it out

Policy

December 18, 2017

World Trade Center developer Larry Silverstein lists Park Avenue pad for $14M

After deciding that he wants to move downtown, mega-developer Larry Silverstein has put his longtime Park Avenue pad on the market for $13.9 million, reports the Wall Street Journal. Silverstein Properties is responsible for much of the World Trade Center redevelopment, so it's no surprise that Larry is opting to trade his Central Park views for those of the WTC site; last year, he and his wife Klara dropped $34 million on a penthouse at nearby 30 Park Place. The couple moved from White Plains to 500 Park Avenue 33 years ago when their children left for college.
READ MORE

Distinctive Homes

Who should pay to extend Staten Island Rapid Transit across the Bayonne Bridge?

Something else was missing from recent news that cost for reconstruction of the Bayonne Bridge has now grown between $350 to $400 million from $1.3 to between $1.65 and $1.7 billion. Ongoing work is two years behind schedule. This past fall was the 89th anniversary of the ground breaking for construction of the Bayonne Bridge. […]

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Republican tax bill cuts critical funding for the MTA, report says

Photo via Wikimedia

December 18, 2017

Republican tax bill cuts critical funding for the MTA, report says

If Congress passes the GOP-backed tax reform bill this week, the already-beleaguered Metropolitan Transportation Authority will find itself in even more financial trouble, says a joint study released by transit advocacy groups Riders Alliance and the Tri-State Transportation Campaign on Sunday. The legislation adds $1.46 trillion in debt by providing the wealthiest Americans and corporations with tax cuts. As amNY reported, the tax plan would jeopardize the financing of major projects from the MTA like expanding the Second Avenue subway and even everyday operations. The MTA relies on federal funds to pay for about 23 percent of capital needs.
Find out more

December 18, 2017

Next president of New York City Transit says subway lines may be shuttered for repairs

This November, the MTA announced it had hired Andy Byford as the next president of New York City Transit, the MTA agency responsible for subways, buses, para-transit services, and the Staten Island Railway. And already he's suggested that the city's struggling transit system requires aggressive steps to improve. According to the New York Times, he is weighing the option of shutting down lines for long periods of work with the goal of modernizing the system in years, rather than decades.
It may be a controversial choice

Transit

The history of the Rockettes: From St. Louis to Radio City

The Rockettes in 1925, courtesy of The Rockettes

December 18, 2017

The history of the Rockettes: From St. Louis to Radio City

For nearly a century, the Rockettes have been an icon of Christmas in New York. From humble St. Louis origins (no, the troupe was not formed in the Big Apple) to performing when Radio City Music Hall was in disrepair and shuttering for weeks at a time, they've managed to continue dancing throughout the decades. Not only that, they've emerged as America’s best known dance troupe. Here's the incredible history of this small team of female dancers, who have pulled off astounding, razor-sharp choreography while also fighting for higher wages and the landmarks designation of Radio City. The Rockettes are a New York icon, but only after a hard-fought battle to keep performing in the city.
Keep reading to learn more

December 18, 2017

William Lescaze’s modernist Upper East Side townhouse asks $20 million after a gut reno

One of New York City's earliest modern residences, designed by architect William Lescaze on the Upper East Side, is searching for a new owner after a gut renovation. Known as the Raymond C. and Mildred Kramer House, after its first owners, it was built at 32 East 74th Street in 1934. Lescaze was a Swiss-born, American architect credited with pioneering modernism in America. He designed New York's first modernist home for himself in Midtown East (pictured to the right) one year prior to this uptown commission (pictured to the left). At 32 East 74th, any remnants of his interior design have mostly disappeared after years on and off the market. The current owner paid $14.5 million for it in 2015, gutted it, and re-listed it as an investment property holding three duplex rental units. As Curbed points out, it's now asking a cool $20 million.
Take a look

Distinctive Homes

December 18, 2017

Extell’s first outer-borough skyscraper, Brooklyn Point, gets new renderings

In October, Extell Development released a website with details about their luxury high-rise planned for Downtown Brooklyn. Two months later, they've released additional renderings of 138 Willougby, their first outer-borough tower. As YIMBY learned, the 720-foot skyscraper called Brooklyn Point, temporarily the tallest in Brooklyn, will have 458 condominiums designed by Katherine Newman that focus on blending "Brooklyn industrial chic” with a “refined mid-century aesthetic."
Get a first look inside

December 18, 2017

Macy’s executive pays $10.5M for Hilary Swank’s former West Village townhouse

What was once Hilary Swank's picture-perfect townhouse, at 33 Charles in the West Village has found a new owner. Mansion Global reports that Harry A. Lawton III, the president of Macy's department store, paid $10.5 million for the three-story home. The townhouse was built in 1899, designated a New York City landmark in 1969, and has more recently undergone a gorgeous renovation. Adding to the home’s cachet, Swank lived here with then-husband Chad Lowe from 2002, when she purchased it for $3.9 million, until 2006, when it was sold for $8.25 million. The townhouse was then listed this June by Corcoran for $11.995 million and went into contract early November. The sellers, according to property records, are Clyde and Summer Anderson, who run Books-a-Million, the second largest bookstore chain in the U.S.
Take a look at the digs

The Urban Lens: The Museum of the City of New York looks back at NYC ice skating over the centuries

Skaters at Sara D. Roosevelt Park, 1935. Courtesy New York City Parks Photo Archive

December 15, 2017

The Urban Lens: The Museum of the City of New York looks back at NYC ice skating over the centuries

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, we take a look back at New York City's ice skating history just days before the Museum of the City of New York's "New York on Ice" exhibit opens to the public. Are you a photographer who’d like to see your work featured on The Urban Lens? Get in touch with us at [email protected]. There are few New York winter activities more iconic than ice skating. The rink, the blades, the gliding people attempting to balance – the elements of the pastime are minimal, and so the pictures of it over the centuries are not so very different despite the decades. On view this Wednesday through April 2018, the Museum of the City of New York will be hosting an exhibit titled "New York on Ice: Skating in the City" featuring many of the images below of ice skating in NYC from the 1800s to the present day. In addition to paintings, postcards, and vintage photographs, the exhibit will also showcase costumes, posters, and more.
See the collection

$1.8B LIRR expansion gets underway; Meet the men operating NYC’s manual elevators

LIRR via Wiki Commons (L); manual elevator via vmiramontes/Flickr (R)

December 15, 2017

$1.8B LIRR expansion gets underway; Meet the men operating NYC’s manual elevators

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

Only a few dozen of New York’s 69,381 passenger elevators are still manually operated–here’s what it’s like to control them. [NYT] New York state is a hard-cider capital, but you can now enjoy the beverage with upstate apples right in Brooklyn. [Grub Street] After lacking inspections for four years, 81 percent of NYCHA apartments have a potential […]

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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

VIEW ALL

New York drivers and pedestrians are the angriest in the country

Photo via Pexels

December 15, 2017

New York drivers and pedestrians are the angriest in the country

Car horns can seem like part of the New York soundtrack, and it’s not just your imagination. Drivers here honk at pedestrians more often than in any other state, according to a new report. Road rage doesn’t only extend to other cars, of course, but also to the thousands of pedestrians on New York City […]

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December 15, 2017

It’s feeling festive at this revamped Williamsburg townhouse asking $3.7M

Historic townhouses are fairly rare in Williamsburg, better known for its warehouses, but this one is part of the the Fillmore Historic District, a historic stretch of homes and the only landmarked district in the neighborhood. The Neo-Grec style home, which dates back to 1881, was completely renovated and returned to single-family status this year. The result? A modern, minimalist design that's brighter and loftier than the average townhouse. And the Christmas decorations don't look bad in here, either! It's now on the market for $3.7 million.
You'll want to see inside

Distinctive Homes

Service changes coming to all but six subway lines this weekend

Photo by John Fraissinet / Flickr

December 15, 2017

Service changes coming to all but six subway lines this weekend

By Hannah Frishberg

Per the MTA’s Weekend Subway Service Advisory, there are a ton of changes in store for straphangers this weekend, which, when compounded with the weather forecast, makes for all the more reason to stay home. There are a number of trains that have scheduled delays or will be making local stops – ahead are the direst of the weekend service changes.
READ MORE

Transit

Calculate holiday tips for your doorman with this helpful ‘tip-o-meter’

Photo courtesy of Steven Pisano on Flickr

December 15, 2017

Calculate holiday tips for your doorman with this helpful ‘tip-o-meter’

By Michelle Sinclair Colman

Not sure how much to tip your doorman this holiday season? Triplemint has released its very own, first-of-its-kind "Holiday Doorman Tip-O-Meter" to dynamically calculate exactly how much tip you should give. With six quick questions (ranging from your building size to how generous a tipper you are), the Tip-O-Meter immediately generates a minimum-maximum tip range suggestion. The program's algorithm is based on data collected from surveys conducted on over 100 NYC doormen in major neighborhoods in Manhattan. NYC doormen were asked: How much do you recommend you give residents this year (based on apartment size Studio, 1-Bedroom, 2-Bedroom, 3-Bedroom +)? Do you expect More/Same/Less than last year? And what is the size of your building?
Tips on tipping this way

NY and NJ commit $5B to the Hudson River tunnel project, but still no word from Trump

Photo via The Gateway Program Development Corporation

December 15, 2017

NY and NJ commit $5B to the Hudson River tunnel project, but still no word from Trump

Govs. Andrew Cuomo and Chris Christie on Thursday announced commitments to totally fund New York and New Jersey's share of the Gateway Hudson Tunnel Project. The project aims to fix the 107-year-old tunnel damaged by seawater during Hurricane Sandy. It serves as the only intercity passenger rail crossing into NYC from NJ, a critical link for 200,000 daily passengers. Although two state officials wrote letters to the U.S. Department of Transportation detailing their combined $5.5 billion funding of the project through various agencies, the Trump administration has not agreed to fund the rest of the $12.7 billion project. As Crain's reported, a senior official at DOT called the states' funding commitment "entirely unserious."
Find out more

‘True Blood’ actor Denis O’Hare sells landmarked Fort Greene carriage house duplex for $1.7M

Denis O’Hare image via Wikimedia Commons

December 15, 2017

‘True Blood’ actor Denis O’Hare sells landmarked Fort Greene carriage house duplex for $1.7M

The Fort Greene condo listed in September by actor Denis O'Hare of "American Horror Story" and "True Blood" fame has sold for $1.7 million according to city records. The Tony Award-winner and Emmy nominee purchased the duplex at 159 Carlton Avenue for a mere $175,000 in 1998. The landmarked 2,015-square-foot carriage house was formerly the Feuchtwanger Stable. O'Hare's husband, interior designer Hugo Redwood, spent the last 19 years renovating the historic condo, preserving the arched windows that once allowed horses and carriages to enter, transforming the space into an open, loft-like home. The condo was listed for $1,595,000.
Take a look

First official look at David Adjaye’s 800-foot Financial District condo tower

Renderings courtesy of Lightstone

December 15, 2017

First official look at David Adjaye’s 800-foot Financial District condo tower

Nearly four years after wrapping up his first NYC project, Harlem's Sugar Hill affordable housing development, renowned British architect David Adjaye is inching closer to completing his first skyscraper in the city. Preliminary plans for his Financial District condo tower surfaced in May, but developer Lightstone has shared the first official reveal of the tower, now known as 130 William. The height has increased from 750 to 800 feet, or 61 to 66 stories, and it will hold 244 residences. Adjaye says the "rich history" of one of "the city's earliest streets" influenced the building's unique concrete form. "I was inspired to craft a building that turns away from the commercial feel of glass and that instead celebrates New York’s heritage of masonry architecture with a distinctive presence in Manhattan’s skyline," he said.
More details and renderings ahead

JFK’s TWA Flight Center Hotel tops out, on track to open in 2019 with the world’s largest hotel lobby

Image courtesy of MCR and Morse Development; Photo: Max Touhey.

December 15, 2017

JFK’s TWA Flight Center Hotel tops out, on track to open in 2019 with the world’s largest hotel lobby

MCR and Morse Development announced this week the topping out of the TWA Hotel at JFK Airport less than a year after breaking ground on the project. Designed by celebrated 20th-century architect Eero Saarinen in 1962, The hotel is set to reopen in early 2019, when it will become JFK's only on-airport hotel. Saarinen’s iconic TWA Flight Center terminal building will serve as the hotel's lobby; at 200,000 square feet, it is thought to be the world's largest hotel lobby. Hotel guests and passengers will be able to access the hotel through the famous Saarinen passenger tubes that connect directly to JFK’s Terminal 5 as well as through via the AirTrain system.
Find out more about the rebirth of this mid-century modern icon

December 14, 2017

1880s Yorkville townhouse, fresh off a renovation, is asking $6.5M

This Yorkville townhouse at 433 East 85th Street manages to strike the right balance between historic and modern. The home was built in the 1880s, according to the listing, but it has hit the market for the first time since a major renovation. Prewar details like wood-burning fireplaces and moldings are complemented by impressive new finishes of imported Calacatta Gold, marble glass mosaics, and natural limestone. And the backyard was totally redone, now decked out with 700 square feet of comfortable outdoor space. It's all asking $6.5 million.
Take a look

Distinctive Homes

On the site of a former Bronx church, 76 affordable units are up for grabs, from $718/month

Rendering of 1180 Fulton Avenue via Magnusson Architecture and Planning

December 14, 2017

On the site of a former Bronx church, 76 affordable units are up for grabs, from $718/month

St. Augustine Apartments, a brand new affordable multi-family building in the Morrisania neighborhood of the Bronx, is accepting applications for 76 one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments. Located on the site of the demolished St. Augustine's Church at 1180 Fulton Avenue, the complex, designed by Magnusson Architecture and Planning, contains 112 units and measures slightly more than 117,000 square feet. Qualifying New Yorkers earning 50 and 60 percent of the area median income can apply for affordable units ranging from a $718/month studio to a $1,229 three-bedroom.
Find out if you qualify

Affordable Housing

December 14, 2017

How will the NYC Ferry fare with winter weather?

Now that winter seems to have New York City in its cold grip, you may be wondering how the weather is going to affect the NYC Ferry, which quickly became a popular alternative to the issue-plagued subway since its May launch. “Weather and precipitation are a big driver of whether people decide to take the ferry or not,” […]

Uncategorized

December 14, 2017

For $300, own a used subway trash can from the MTA

By Andrew Berman of Village Preservation

Every month the MTA sells outgoing buses and subway cars, station signs, doors, seating and other fixtures from retired subways to lucky buyers who for some reason want to bring the underground experience into their homes. This holiday season, the MTA and the New York City Transit are offering discounted prices of memorabilia and collectibles until Dec. 18, making it easy to check off all holiday shopping lists. Brand new items up for grabs include a used "authentic, unique" refuse canister (read: trash can) for $300 and an "iconic" 10-foot-long wooden subway bench for a staggering $650.
Check out the full list of MTA memorbilia

Transit

NYC’s first elevated train and the world’s first streetcar began in Greenwich Village

The Ninth Avenue El near 14th Street c. 1914. Via Bain Collection, Library of Congress.

December 14, 2017

NYC’s first elevated train and the world’s first streetcar began in Greenwich Village

Greenwich Village is known as the birthplace of many things – the modern gay rights movement, Off-Broadway theater, the New York School of artists and poets, the “new urbanism” pioneered by Jane Jacobs, among many other trailblazing firsts. Less closely associated with the Village, however, are radical and transformative innovations in transportation technology. But while little known, the Village was in fact home to the first elevated rail line, and the first streetcar.
The whole history right this way

Image via Wikimedia Commons.

December 14, 2017

New Amtrak app helps you navigate through Penn Station’s chaos

If you've ever found yourself lost in a maze of corridors or trampled in a boarding stampede at Penn Station, help may have arrived in the form of yet another useful mobile app. Beginning this week, Amtrak will offer a free app, FindYourWay, that helps travelers–65,000 of whom pass through the station each day–find their way through the station and avoid the crush of crowds that form around electronic boards announcing train departures, the New York Times reports.
Find out more

A public waterfront park is finally taking shape at Greenpoint’s first skyscraper

Rendering of The Greenpoint via +TOM

December 14, 2017

A public waterfront park is finally taking shape at Greenpoint’s first skyscraper

The Greenpoint, a 40-story waterfront rental and condo tower and the neighborhood's tallest building, topped out in February, launched sales in July and now, is a few months away from getting a public 275-foot long promenade at its waterfront site. After nearly a decade of delays, the Brooklyn walkway, the first of its kind to be privately built in Greenpoint, will open in the spring. According to the Wall Street Journal, the park will total 29,500 square feet, including a 4,000-square-foot playground with lots of trees and colorful oval panels above.
Find out more

For $55M, own the 47-acre Long Island waterfront estate once home to Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt

Photo of Brangelina via Wiki Commons

December 14, 2017

For $55M, own the 47-acre Long Island waterfront estate once home to Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt

Photo of Brangelina via Wiki Commons A property spanning 47 acres of Long Island waterfront that includes a 22,000-square-foot Tudor revival-style mansion in the secluded Gold Coast village of Lloyd Neck is on the market asking $55 million. In addition to offering a private cove with its own pier, a 30-by-60-foot pool, lush gardens and a tea house, the estate was famously home to Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt and family in 2009 when Jolie was filming “Salt” on Long Island (h/t New York Post). And it's only a 15 minute trip to Manhattan by helicopter.
Tour the grounds of this amazing waterfront retreat

MTA releases plan to address impending 15-month shutdown of L train

Photo of the L-train via Wiki Commons

December 13, 2017

MTA releases plan to address impending 15-month shutdown of L train

The MTA unveiled on Wednesday its much-anticipated plan for the 15-month shutdown of the L train, set to begin in April of 2019. Hurricane Sandy heavily damaged the 100-year-old Carnarsie Tunnel in 2012, filling it with 7 million gallons of saltwater and forcing a total reconstruction of the tunnel. The 225,000 daily L train riders that travel from Brooklyn through the tunnel to Manhattan will be given alternative travel options, as amNY reported. The MTA's plan calls for a new bus route that would run between Brooklyn and Manhattan, a busway on 14th Street in Manhattan with a two-way bike lane on 13th Street and increase subway service on nearby lines.
Find out more

‘Affordable’ Whole Foods opens next month in Downtown Brooklyn; How the Poinsettia made its way to NYC

300 Ashland Place via TEN Arquitectos (L); Poinsettias via Public Domain Pictures

December 13, 2017

‘Affordable’ Whole Foods opens next month in Downtown Brooklyn; How the Poinsettia made its way to NYC

Joining the new Apple store, the East Coast’s first Whole Foods Market 365, an affordable, no-frills version of the grocer, will open on January 31st at 300 Ashland Place. [6sqft inbox] The MTA is hiring a contractor to build the subway’s first platform safetey barrier. [NYDN] This holiday, give the gift of rat extermination. [Brokelyn] […]

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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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NYU’s Brooklyn tech campus expansion opens in former MTA headquarters

Rendering of 370 Jay Street via NYU

December 13, 2017

NYU’s Brooklyn tech campus expansion opens in former MTA headquarters

A long-vacant MTA building has been given a tech-filled new life. New York University announced Wednesday that the school’s Center for Urban Science and Progress (CUSP) has moved into 370 Jay Street in Downtown Brooklyn, a site that was previously home to the headquarters of the New York City Transit Authority. The New York City […]

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Lottery opens for 98 units at site two of Lower East Side’s Essex Crossing, from $519/month

Rendering of 115 Delancey Street via Handel Architects

December 13, 2017

Lottery opens for 98 units at site two of Lower East Side’s Essex Crossing, from $519/month

Applications are now being accepted for 98 mixed-income apartments located at 115 Delancey Street, known as site two of the sprawling nine-site Essex Crossing Development. The 26-story tower is the tallest building on the $1.9 billion complex and will host the Essex Street Market and a 14-screen Regal Cinemas Theater. Qualifying New Yorkers earning 40, 60, 120 and 165 percent of the area median income can apply for units ranging from a studio for $519/month to a three-bedroom for $3,424/month.
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Sales at NYC’s 11 Trump-branded condos fall below average for the first time ever

Trump International via Wiki Commons; Donald Trump via Gage Skidmore/Flickr

December 13, 2017

Sales at NYC’s 11 Trump-branded condos fall below average for the first time ever

As we close in on Donald Trump's first full year as President, it's interesting to look at his business endeavors have fared, and here in NYC, it looks as though the Donald's real estate empire is starting to crumble. According to CityRealty's Year-End Manhattan Market Report, both average sales price and average price per square foot at the 11 Trump-branded condos fell below the Manhattan condo average for the first time ever. Not surprisingly, the Trump International Hotel & Tower on Central Park West was the worst-performing, with average prices falling 27 percent. One of the company's most visible buildings, the condo was often the site of protests against the Trump administration throughout the year.
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December 13, 2017

This map of NYC’s subway distorts geography to give commuters more realistic arrival times