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Stairs can be purely functional and totally uninspiring or they can be the stuff dreams are made of (just ask MC Escher). Dash Marshall, a multi-disciplinary architecture and design studio based on the Lower East Side, designed a stunning staircase made of brass and stainless and blackened steel, which rises from its brick foundation and is suspended from the second-floor ceiling in order to join two units in Tribeca (h/t Dezeen). By suspending the stairs from the second floor, that freed up a lot of space below in the living room, giving the firm even more space to work their renovation magic.
See the whole place and hear from the architects

Central Park’s Ladies Pavilion and the disappeared ice skating cottage

Photo via Wikipedia

March 15, 2018

Central Park’s Ladies Pavilion and the disappeared ice skating cottage

To get to Central Park's Ladies Pavilion, it is necessary to go on, by New York City standards, a bonafide nature hike. Perched at the edge of the Lake, in a far corner of the Ramble, the cottage-like, open-air, Victorian-style structure was built in 1871 to serve as a "shelter for the horsecar passengers" near Columbus Circle, according to the New York Times.
It was once destroyed

History

March 15, 2018

Tiffany Place jewel box-condo has a refined rustic vibe and a room of Tiffany blue

Fitting right in with the refined/quirky feel of Brooklyn's Columbia Street Waterfront, this two-bedroom corner condominium has been outfitted with pretty custom details that highlight the basics of the warehouse conversion at 29 Tiffany Place. Rustic bones and creative renovations make this spacious two-bedroom home appear anything but square.
Take a closer look

Distinctive Homes

March 15, 2018

Banksy returns to NYC after five years with new rat street art

A post shared by Banksy (@banksy) on Mar 15, 2018 at 5:01am PDT Elusive graffiti artist Banksy has graced the streets of New York City once again with a new bewhiskered art offering, this time a rat scurrying inside a clock on the side of a former bank at 101 West 14th Street; the building is slated for demolition in a few months. Banksy posted news of his newest addition via his Instagram account yesterday.
More to come?

Events & Things To Do

Brownstones and ballot boxes: The fight for women’s suffrage in Brooklyn

Photo courtesy of Wikimedia

March 15, 2018

Brownstones and ballot boxes: The fight for women’s suffrage in Brooklyn

By Lucie Levine

Today, Brooklyn is home to all things avant-garde, but Kings County has always led the pack. Beginning as early as 1868, the women of Brooklyn established one of the first suffrage organizations in the country and began advocating for women’s enfranchisement and political equality. The "wise women of Brooklyn," as they were lauded in suffrage literature, made some of the foremost contributions to the movement. From the Silent Sentinels, who organized the first March on Washington, to the African American women who established the nation’s first suffrage organization by and for Black women, Brooklyn was home to extraordinary advocates. Here are eight badass Brooklynites who brought us the ballot.
Learn their histories here

History

March 15, 2018

In anticipation of a Landmarks overhaul, maps lay out the commission’s applications and decisions

This January, the Landmarks Preservation Commission released a series of amendments that would overhaul how the commission reviews certain applications--with the idea to cut down the time it takes to approve routine applications. And later this month, on Tuesday, March 27th, the Commission will hold a public hearing on how these changes would affect the city's landmark process. In advance of the meeting, the Municipal Art Society of New York created a pair of interactive maps to better inform New Yorkers on the LPC's process. One map, the Commission Review Map, shows what type of alterations have been permitted or denied by the full LPC commission. The other, the Staff Review Map, shows what type of alterations have been permitted by the LPC staff or withdrawn by the applicant. As MAS puts it, "We hope these maps help bring to light how the LPC fulfills its 'purpose of safeguarding the buildings and places that represent New York City’s cultural, social, economic, political, and architectural history' through regulation."
Get the details

Policy

MTA considers raising subway speed limits to reduce delays

Image: Wikipedia.

March 15, 2018

MTA considers raising subway speed limits to reduce delays

New Yorkers love to complain about the slowness of the subway, but what sometimes seems like a snail's pace is as likely due to speed limits imposed to keep the system safe as it is to crumbling infrastructure and antiquated signals, according to new info released by the MTA. The New York Post reports that after a series of tragic accidents in the 1990s and 2000s, speed limits were lowered throughout the system. Now, a new initiative is investigating ways of keeping subways safe as well as picking up speed.
Find out more

Transit

March 15, 2018

Crown Heights’ oldest house debuts as a condo conversion, with two units each priced over $2M

Crown Heights oldest home--long considered a neighborhood eyesore--has undergone a complete transformation. The Susan B. Elkins House is a circa-1850s wood frame at 1375 Dean Street, and the only home in the neighborhood that dates back to when the area was rural. In later years, the individual landmark fell into serious disrepair, only to be purchased in 2014 for a condo conversion. Now it's ready for residents after a complete and total renovation overseen by nC2 Architecture and Komaru Enterprises. The house has been split into four duplex units, ranging from 2,000 to 2,600 square feet. Two have just hit the market, with the eye-popping price tags of $2.3 and $2.7 million.
The interior was gutted

Distinctive Homes

Bob Dylan's historic Harlem townhouse sells for $2.8M

Justin and Hailey Bieber buy West Village condo for $12M

This $5.5M two-family townhouse is classic East Village living at its best

Drew Barrymore finds buyer for gut-renovated Westchester estate

Midtown East penthouse seen in 'Wolf of Wall Street' lists for $4.95M

This $4M Brooklyn Heights duplex adds condo convenience to old-world elegance

After a thorough renovation, this peerless Park Slope mansion asks $13.5M

This $675K Flatbush co-op has a clean Scandinavian vibe and a flexible layout

For $10.5M, a sunny yellow Mediterranean villa on the Upper East Side

A colorful converted convent in Hamilton Heights asks $2M

VIEW ALL

NYC’s homeless shelter population would make it the 10th largest city in the state

Via Pexels

March 14, 2018

NYC’s homeless shelter population would make it the 10th largest city in the state

Earlier this year, Mayor de Blasio was criticized for failing to open 10 of the 20 homeless shelters his administration pledged for 2017, with "delays in the permit process, time-consuming negotiations with nonprofits that run the shelters, and backlash from the community and public officials" to blame. The push came from the fact that NYC has the largest homeless population in the U.S., climbing near 78,000. All of this coupled together, the situation is now looking even more dire, as the Coalition for the Homeless' annual State of the Homeless Report finds that a record high number of New Yorkers make up the city's nightly homeless shelter population. This number, 63,495 (which includes 23,600 children), would make that group the 10th largest city in the state, notes the Daily News.
READ MORE

Policy

When New York women were banned from smoking in public

A cartoon mocking the Ordinance from The Evening World

March 14, 2018

When New York women were banned from smoking in public

On January 21, 1908, it became illegal for women to smoke in public in New York City. That day, the Committee on Laws of the Board of Aldermen unanimously voted to ban females from lighting up in public places. The law, called the Sullivan Ordinance, put the responsibility of preventing women from smoking not on the women themselves but on business owners.
The full history

History

Our 900sqft: Native New Yorkers Aria and John open up their retro, colorful Harlem home

6sqft’s series “My sqft” checks out the homes of New Yorkers across all the boroughs. Our latest interior adventure brings us to the Harlem apartment of Aria and John Chiaraviglio. Want to see your home featured here? Get in touch!

March 14, 2018

Our 900sqft: Native New Yorkers Aria and John open up their retro, colorful Harlem home

When asked to sum up the aesthetic of their Harlem apartment in a few words, Aria and John Chiaraviglio chose "inviting, unique, open, retro and fun," and after a recent visit to the full-floor brownstone home, we couldn't agree more. Aria, a Doctoral student in Child Psychology, and John, Vice President of the Financial Intelligence Unit of a major bank, both grew up in NYC--she in Tribeca and he on the Upper East Side. The old-school, quirky vibes reminiscent of artist-loft Tribeca are seen everywhere, from Aria's Elvis collection to the couple's countless vintage finds, yet the traditional style one would associate with uptown are brought out through mid-century modern furnishings and an attention to entertaining. Ahead, take a tour of this spunky couple's colorful, comfy, and classy home and learn about their best thrifted pieces, the theme parties they host, their Derby collection, and why they love living in Harlem.
Get an inside look!

March 14, 2018

This little condo on the Bed-Stuy/Bushwick border is packed with old-world charm for $575K

Located in one of Brooklyn's most diverse, bustling and rapidly growing areas, this restored condo at 863 Greene Avenue lies on a tree-lined block between buzzed-about Bed-Stuy and booming Bushwick. It's a narrow slice of a floor-through, but it's filled with pre-war character, plus one bedroom and a bath and a half--all for $575,000.
Take a peek

Distinctive Homes

Design contest winner would turn Park Avenue into a concert venue and basketball court

Rendering of “Park Park” courtesy of Maison

March 14, 2018

Design contest winner would turn Park Avenue into a concert venue and basketball court

Last month, Fisher Brothers unveiled the 17 finalists for its “Beyond the Centerline” design competition, a call for creative and ambitious ideas for how to transform Park Avenue's traffic medians between 46th and 57th Streets. Proposals called for everything from an Alpine mountain to a High Line-esque walkway to a massive aquarium, but in the end, it was the "Park Park" entry that the jury selected as the winner. This proposal, courtesy of Ben Meade, Anthony Stahl, and Alexia Beghi of design firm Maison, transforms the iconic thoroughfare via a series of raised platforms that hold a concert space, art galleries, gardens, a restaurant, and a basketball court, "intended to inject new energy into the currently staid Park Avenue landscape."
More details and the runner up

Architecture And Design

March 14, 2018

Clinton Hill Halloween Queen’s celebrated townhouse hits the market for $2.65M

Brooklynites know and love Janna Kennedy Hyten, the Halloween Queen of Clinton Hill. For over 20 years, she hosted a spooky bash known as Halloween 313 right outside her historic townhouse. Sadly, the performance has come to an end and Kennedy Hyten has gone ahead and listed her home --a duplex on the lower floors--for sale. The gorgeous spread, with tons of historic details intact, is asking $2.65 million.
See the not-so-spooky interior

Distinctive Homes

MTA hit with federal lawsuit over lack of wheelchair accessibility

Elevator at the Lincoln Center subway station, via Wiki Commons

March 14, 2018

MTA hit with federal lawsuit over lack of wheelchair accessibility

The MTA has found itself on the wrong end of a lawsuit by the feds for failing to make its subway stations wheelchair-accessible. On Tuesday, U.S. Attorney Geoffrey Berman joined a lawsuit accusing the agency of not adding assistance for disabled riders when renovating stations, the New York Post reports. The suit began in 2016 when a civic agency in the Bronx accused the MTA of violating the Americans with Disabilities Act by not creating wheelchair access at the Middletown Road station. The suit should come as no surprise; as 6sqft previously reported, fewer than 1/4 of New York City's subway stations are fully wheelchair-accessible–only 117 out of 472. In fact, NYC ranks the least accessible out of the country’s ten largest metro systems–all of LA’s 93 stations and DC’s 91, for example, are fully accessible.
Find out more

March 13, 2018

Nomad’s current tallest tower tops out: See new photos

We’ve watched the tower-to-be at 277 Fifth Avenue rising skyward over the past year on its way to a heady– though brief–moment as the tallest spire in Nomad, and now, CityRealty reports, the 55-story building is now topped out at 663 feet. Designed by Rafael Viñoly, the building's understated façade consists of striped masonry bands with four open-air clerestories offering some of the loftiest private outdoor spaces in Manhattan. Though the new tower may only be the 79th tallest in the city, its central Fifth Avenue location will grant its residents singular wide-angle views across the Manhattan skyline and beyond. Photoblogger Field Condition helped to celebrate the topping-out by capturing these impressive views from within the tower's frame.
See new photos and find out what's to come

March 13, 2018

Test your NYC history knowledge with this quiz from Urban Archive

By 6sqft

Last month, Urban Archive hosted their first trivia night, where participants were asked questions about NYC history based on archival photos. If you weren't able to make it to the event, 6sqft has put together five of the toughest questions, along with their corresponding photos, to test your knowledge.
Take the quiz!

History

Ruth Bader Ginsburg loves NYC lox and Chinese takeout; Where to celebrate Pi Day

By 6sqft

Here are 8 ways to celebrate Pi Day in NYC. [Untapped Cities] Tomorrow is also Tribeca Art+Culture Night, featuring more than 100 artists and creatives and eight exclusive events. [Tribeca Citizen] Brooklyn-born U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg reveals her favorite New York City eats. [amNY] Check out the condos available in famous buildings designed by top […]

Uncategorized

March 13, 2018

For $3M, live in a historic Carnegie Hill townhouse with all the perks of a condo

Located within the posh Upper East Side enclave of Carnegie Hill at 1281 Madison Avenue, this gracefully restored 1,712-square-foot townhouse-style duplex is stunning inside and out, and asking an even $3 million. The lofty 11-foot ceilings and generously-sized West-facing windows allow for plenty of air and light throughout the apartment, but perhaps the best part is that it's connected to an adjacent condominium and is afforded all the perks of that property.
Take a tour

Distinctive Homes

March 13, 2018

City asks Brooklyn and Queens residents to ‘wait’ to flush the toilet on rainy days

In gross news for the day, the New York Times ran a story highlighting the city’s Department of Environmental Protection “Wait …” campaign, which asks residents in parts of Brooklyn and Queens to “Wait…to use water during a heavy rainstorm.” Unbeknownst to many, rainwater runoff and household sewage flow in the same underground pipes. When there is a lot of rain, the overflow runs off into nearby rivers, bays, and creeks instead of to the intended water treatment plant destinations. The four things the site suggests you wait on are: laundry, shower, wash dishes, and/or flush the toilet.
See if your neighborhood needs to

City Living

Hotel Chelsea doors from the rooms of Andy Warhol, Jimi Hendrix, and more coming to auction

Screenshot of Iconic Chelsea Doors via Guernsey’s

March 13, 2018

Hotel Chelsea doors from the rooms of Andy Warhol, Jimi Hendrix, and more coming to auction

Up until its first controversial sale to developers in 2011, drama at the Chelsea Hotel was reserved to its longtime list of celebrity occupants. From being the site where Sid Vicious reportedly stabbed his girlfriend to death to where Dylan Thomas went into a coma just before dying to the home of Madonna in the '80s, the landmark is more associated with NYC characters and culture than perhaps anywhere else. And now average New Yorkers will have the rare opportunity to own a piece of this history. amNY reports that Guernsey's auction house will be selling 55 original doors from the hotel, which, after "exhaustive research," can be traced "to the iconic individuals who lived behind them," including Andy Warhol and Edie Sedgwick, Jimi Hendrix, Bob Marley, Janis Joplin, Jack Kerouac, Humphrey Bogart, Thomas Wolfe, Jim Morrison, and Jackson Pollack.
Get all the details

Trump’s NYC properties no longer considered ‘luxury’

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

March 13, 2018

Trump’s NYC properties no longer considered ‘luxury’

According to a new CityRealty report, President Trump is spreading fake news. Trump claims his branded luxury residential condominium and towers are more valuable than his competitors. In fact, the numbers tell a different story. In the past 10 years (2007-2017), Trumps’ properties’ average price per square foot has only risen 15% (from $1,529 to $1,741) compared to Manhattan luxury condominiums which have risen 56% (from $1,994 to $3,105) and all Manhattan properties which have risen 51% (from $1,237 to $1,864). What might be even more upsetting to the Trump Organization is that based on the prices condos in his buildings sell for, they are no longer categorized as luxury properties but as “middle-of-the-road investments in the wider world of the Manhattan condo market.”
Find out more

Real Estate Trends

March 13, 2018

This $3.2M Williamsburg townhouse is looking modern and fresh

With its thoroughly modern renovation, this townhouse is the perfect fit for its hip neighborhood of Williamsburg. Located at 72 Devoe Street, the 4,000-square-foot home was gutted for an open layout with large windows, high ceilings and exposed shelving. Only the original wide plank floor remain. Now being used as a single-family home, it's been listed for $3.2 million.
Look inside

Distinctive Homes

This map shows you the vacant lots in NYC that were sold by the city for $1

Image via onedollarlots.org

March 12, 2018

This map shows you the vacant lots in NYC that were sold by the city for $1

If you live in New York City, and you're hoping to own–or trying to buy–property, you might not want to hear about vacant lots being given away for $1. But this is really a thing: An interesting little map courtesy of the One Dollar Lots project by 596 acres shows us where in New York City, according to Untapped Cities, city-owned lots of land have been sold to developers for $1 since the current mayor took office in January 2014. These $1 deals often happen as token transactions as part of a development incentive for prospective buyers, who will eventually need to prove they possess plans and the means to carry out their vision.
Investigate the map, this way

Policy

Six chances to live in the heart of Bushwick, from $1,039/month

246 Johnson Avenue as of late July 2017, via CityRealty

March 12, 2018

Six chances to live in the heart of Bushwick, from $1,039/month

If there's one establishment that gets the credit for hipster-fying Bushwick, it's Roberta's. And here are six chances to live just a few blocks away from the pizza paradise for less than market rate. As of today, the affordable housing lottery is open at the new rental building 246 Johnson Avenue for three $1,039/month one-bedrooms and three $1,175/month two-bedrooms, available to households earning 60 percent of the area median income. Considering that the market-rate units start at $3,100 a month, this is quite the deal.
Find out if you qualify

Affordable Housing

Townhouse 2.0: NYC developers reinterpret the single-family home for condo living

27 East 79th Street townhouse, courtesy of Adellco

March 12, 2018

Townhouse 2.0: NYC developers reinterpret the single-family home for condo living

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

Space in New York City always comes at a premium--even Manhattan air rights cost more per square foot than the nation’s average home prices. Townhomes have long been seen as status symbols in NYC real estate. But despite being coveted properties, traditional townhomes require upkeep and maintenance that condominium owners do not have to deal with. In an effort to attract buyers and eliminate the hassles associated with traditional townhouse living, many NYC developers are building the “townhouse 2.0,” fully modernized new construction townhomes with access to all the services and amenities of a condominium building--the best of both worlds. Ahead, 6sqft has rounded up some of the best examples of townhomes 2.0 in New York City.
See them all here

Real Estate Trends

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

50 places to shop locally in NYC for that perfect gift

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

10 best plants for apartment dwellers

VIEW ALL

March 12, 2018

Elegant $6M spread is dripping with ‘original Dakota details’

It's hard to be disappointed by an apartment at The Dakota, the famed, historic cooperative off Central Park West. This one, now on the market for $5.85 million, lives up to its elegant address with interior features the include carved mahogany doors, wood-burning fireplaces, tin ceilings and a mural painted in the master bathroom. The highly refined spread covers 2,700 square feet--spacious enough for at least one baby grand piano--and includes three bedrooms and two bathrooms.
Head on in

Distinctive Homes

March 12, 2018

MTA $1M Genius Transit Challenge winners suggest faster trains and robot workers to fix subway hell

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) has announced the winners of the agency's MTA Genius Transit Challenge; eight winners will split a $1 million prize for their ideas and concepts on how to upgrade the city's creaky and complaint-riddled subway system. The contest is part of an effort to bring the subway's capacity and reliability up to speed. The challenge is a joint venture between the MTA and Partnership for New York City. The challenge received over 400 submissions from around the world.
Check out these genius ideas

March 12, 2018

Open staircases and angular ceilings add drama to this $4M Flatiron penthouse

This Flatiron duplex has it all: a dramatic double-height living room, open staircases, angular ceilings, big windows, a balcony, sky bridge and private roof deck. Over a sprawling 2,300 square feet it holds two bedrooms and two-and-a-half baths. And it comes from 131 Fifth Avenue, a 23-unit cooperative built in 1904 that was once part of the original Lord & Taylor department store. All signs of retail are now gone, and you've got this ultra-hip penthouse asking $3.95 million in its place.
Take a peek

Distinctive Homes

NYC RENTALS: New Listings at American Copper Buildings, VIA 57 WEST + More

Images (L to R): VIA 57 WEST, 33 BOND STREET, THE VOGUE and GRAFFITI HOUSE

March 10, 2018

NYC RENTALS: New Listings at American Copper Buildings, VIA 57 WEST + More

By Ondel Hylton

Images (L to R): VIA 57 WEST, 33 BOND STREET, THE VOGUE and GRAFFITI HOUSE See New Listings at VIA 57 West – Breakthrough Rental by Bjarke Ingles American Copper Buildings Now Leasing with 2 Months Free Jersey City’s Newly Opened 3 Journal Square Leasing from $1,770/Month The Silver Star: Long Island City Rentals Launch […]

Real Estate Trends

New York women tell their real immigration stories in a new photo exhibit

Daniela, from Colombia © Dru Blumensheid

March 9, 2018

New York women tell their real immigration stories in a new photo exhibit

6sqft’s series The Urban Lens invites photographers to share work exploring a theme or a place within New York City. In this installment, Dru Blumensheid shares some images from the Queens Museum's new exhibit Real People. Real Lives. Women Immigrants of New York. Are you a photographer who’d like to see your work featured on The Urban Lens? Get in touch with us at [email protected]. "Statistics do not tell the story of immigration. People do. Women do." This was the impetus behind the new photo and video exhibit at the Queens Museum, "Real People. Real Lives. Women Immigrants of New York." A partnership between New Women New Yorkers, NYC's only non-profit dedicated to empowering young immigrant women, and artist Dru Blumensheid aka BUMESI, the exhibit features photos and videos of 16 young immigrant women taken in iconic locations such as the Brooklyn Bridge and Chinatown, all as a way to show "a nuanced and multi-layered picture... of the barriers and isolation they experience, and of the hopes, dreams, and talents they bring with them." In celebration of Women's History Month, 6sqft chatted with Dru Blumensheid about her personal inspiration behind the project, what she learned from the experience, and how she hopes all New Yorkers can benefit from hearing these stories.
Hear from Dru and see her beautiful photos and videos

Shake Shack heading to Hudson Yards; City suspends 421-a tax breaks for 1,700 properties

Via Wiki Commons (L); via Pixabay (R)

March 9, 2018

Shake Shack heading to Hudson Yards; City suspends 421-a tax breaks for 1,700 properties

By 6sqft

Shake Shack is the latest in a long-list of foodie favorites to plan a Hudson Yards outpost. [TRD] The city appointed its first nightlife mayor, 47-year-old Ariel Palitz. She’ll be tasked with promoting industry and dealing with relations between after-hours spots and neighbors. [NYT] Google Maps now lets businesses promote themselves as women-led. [Reuters] More […]

Uncategorized

Amid HUD delays, city launches ‘Where We Live NYC’ process to fight segregation and unequal access

Image: NYC HPD

March 9, 2018

Amid HUD delays, city launches ‘Where We Live NYC’ process to fight segregation and unequal access

While the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) continues to sidle away from its job of preventing housing discrimination, the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) in partnership with the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) have stepped up with a comprehensive fair housing planning process to head off segregation in New York City. The city announced today the launch of Where We Live NYC, a fair housing plan to fight segregation and unequal access. The plan outlines a process to study, understand, and address patterns of residential segregation and how these patterns impact access to opportunity, including jobs, education, safety, public transit and health. The plan will include extensive community participation and provide data and policy analysis that will culminate in the release of a public report that outlines measurable goals and strategies for fostering inclusive communities, promoting fair housing and increasing access to opportunity.
Tell us more!

Policy

March 9, 2018

Waiting list opens for 840 more affordable units in Hudson Yards rental complex

Adding to yesterday's announcement of the waitlist launch for affordable apartments at TF Cornerstone's 455 West 37th Street, a waiting list is now open for 840 more units in the Hudson Yards/Midtown West development just across the avenue at 505 West 37th Street. Similarly, the affordable units are available for households earning 40 percent of the area median income or between $22,903 and $38,160, and range from $613/month studios to $801/month two-bedrooms. Residents can enjoy amenities like a 24-hour attended lobby, an on-site resident manager, a sun terrace, a fitness center, party rooms and a laundry room (additional fees may apply in some cases).
Find out whether you qualify

Affordable Housing

March 9, 2018

Matt Lauer finds no buyers for 22-acre Hamptons estate, chops $5M off asking price

Former NBC anchor Matt Lauer seems to be having trouble selling his "spare" Sag Harbor house–one of three Hamptons homes he owns with his likely soon-to-be ex-wife Annette Roque–which the disgraced ex-"Today Show" co-host is currently listing at $12.75 million, according to the Observer. Lauer first listed the 25-acre estate at 2301 Deerfield Road for $18 million in July of 2016. The asking price was shaved by $1 million that September, and then again in June 2017 to $14.9 million. The 8,000-square-foot, six-bedroom shingle-style house comes with a huge gunite pool and pool house, tennis court and gorgeous landscaped grounds and was designed by architect Daniel Romualdez with interiors by Muriel Brandolini; but the answer still seems to be no, thanks.
Would you want to give this guy 12.75 million?

East Village’s landmarked Bathhouse Studios building is up for sale for $20M

Photo via Cushman & Wakefield

March 9, 2018

East Village’s landmarked Bathhouse Studios building is up for sale for $20M

Once a free public bathhouse, now transformed into studio space, the Bathhouse Studios in the East Village has been listed for sale. The landmarked Neo-Italian Renaissance style building opened in 1905, offering public baths to the nearby crowded tenements. (Back then, bathing facilities were non-existent in apartments.) People used the seven bathtubs and 94 showers up until 1958, when the building shuttered and fell into disrepair. In 1995, Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer Eddie Adams and his wife Alyssa Adams bought and converted it into a high-end studio and work space. And now, it's a professional studio space you're able to rent out, or outright buy for a hefty $19.95 million (h/t EV Grieve).
It comes with air rights

March 9, 2018

Can giant zoo animals sell a luxury condo in NYC?

After watching 200 East 59th Street’s most recent promotional video, the 35-story midtown building seems insanely voluminous and sturdy— with a whiff of hay? Developer Macklowe Properties just released this DBOX video showing giraffes, elephants, and rhinos (oh my!) galavanting around the city and in their new building. This video builds on the fiberglass 18-foot giraffes, elephants, and rhinos Macklowe found in Southampton and installed at the property last year.
Watch the whole video

New Developments

March 9, 2018

Versailles-inspired Long Island mansion lists for $60M, Baccarat crystal chandeliers included

This palatial Long Island mansion has been named Maison des Jardins--or, "house of gardens"--and it's been closely modeled after the Palace of Versailles. According to Mansion Global, entrepreneur Raphael Yakoby "developed a love for everything French when he started his business there." And so, he spent $3.25 million in 2010 for an 8.4-acre plot in Old Brookville and started building his dream palace. It really looks like something out of a dream, with 22-foot-high iron gates, gardens, and courtyards. Inside, over 22,000 square feet, there are eight bedrooms, a grand ballroom, $2.5 million of Baccarat crystal chandeliers, six 19-century marble fireplaces, and imported furniture, fixtures, and fabrics.
You've gotta see this

D and F rerouted, 4, A and C skipping tens of stops, and other weekend subway service horrors

Photo by Franck Michel via Flickr

March 9, 2018

D and F rerouted, 4, A and C skipping tens of stops, and other weekend subway service horrors

Beginning this weekend (well, 5am Monday morning), the 163 St-Amsterdam A and C stop will be closing in both directions at all times until the fall. A full load of brutal if temporary service changes will further frustrate straphangers this weekend, with the 4, A, and C trains in particular skipping a larger number of stops. The F and D will be significantly rerouted in Brooklyn and Manhattan, and 2 and 3 service remains suspended between the two boroughs.
Read on for more information, if less clarity

Transit

March 8, 2018

Waitlist opens for affordable units at Hudson Yards district rental, from $613/month

The lottery is now open for a waitlist for affordable rental apartments at TF Cornerstone's 455 West 37th Street in the Hudson Yards district in West Midtown. The units are available for households earning 40 percent of the area median income or between $22,903 and $38,160, and range from $613/month studios to $801/month two-bedrooms. Amenities at the 23-story building include a 24-hour attended lobby, an on-site resident manager, a sun terrace, a fitness center, party rooms and a laundry room (additional fees may apply in some cases).
Find out whether you qualify

Affordable Housing

March 8, 2018

Live in the Soho loft customized by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Thom Mayne for $3.3M

The personally designed apartment of Pritzker Prize-winning architect Thom Mayne – who founded Morphosis Architects and designed Cooper Union's quirky 41 Cooper Square building – is back on the market and asking $3.29 million. Mayne bought the 2,000-square-foot co-op at 85 Mercer Street in 2007 for $2.67 million, the Post reported. After eight years of living there, he sold it in 2015 for $3.15 million.
Images may cause jaw-dropping

Distinctive Homes

150 more affordable apartments up for grabs in the Bronx’s Compass Residences

1903 West Farms Road via JM Zoning

March 8, 2018

150 more affordable apartments up for grabs in the Bronx’s Compass Residences

Seven years ago, what was then the largest Bronx rezoning ever was passed for a 17-acre, 11-block area in Crotona Park East. Known as the West Farms Redevelopment Plan, a development for the former industrial area by Dattner Architects, the complex will boast 1,325 units of affordable housing when complete, along with retail and community facilities. A year after the second affordable housing lottery at the site's Compass Residences went live, the third is now up and running at 1903 West Farms Road. Designed in a similar basic-brick style by Dattner, this building has 152 units up for grabs for households earning 60 percent of the area median income, ranging from $865/month studios to $1,289/month three-bedrooms.
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Affordable Housing

Taylor Swift says broker lawsuit in $18M townhouse buy is unfounded

Google Street View of 153 Franklin Street; Taylor Swift via Wiki Commons

March 8, 2018

Taylor Swift says broker lawsuit in $18M townhouse buy is unfounded

As 6sqft previously reported, downtown Manhattan real estate investor Taylor Swift was recently sued by Douglas Elliman for allegedly stiffing a broker on the commission for an $18 million Tribeca townhouse at 153 Franklin Street that she bought this past fall. Now, according to The Real Deal, the pop star's management company Firefly Entertainment filed a motion to have the brokerage’s $1 million suit dismissed. Firefly claims the lawsuit is “the latest in a long line of lawsuits” by Elliman and that the real estate agency had little if any involvement in the townhouse deal.
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Celebrities

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Lenox Hill

Upper East Side condos with Central Park views

3 beds starting at $5,300,000
4 beds starting at $7,400,000
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March 8, 2018

Stylish New Yorker Federico de Vera has listed his art-filled Fidi condo for $1.4M

Federico de Vera is known in New York for his eponymous Soho store, a museum-worthy space filled with artifacts that include everything from 18th-century religious figures to Victorian insect samplers, as well as his A-list clients that include Steve Jobs, Hillary Clinton, Anne Hathaway, and Donatella Versace. According to public records, he is the owner of this gorgeous art-filled one-bedroom apartment at the 20 Pine Street condo in the Financial District. After buying it for $1.1 million in 2008, it's been listed for $1.4 million. The high-ceilinged pad, with an open living and dining space, offers the perfect palate for another buyer who wants to fill it with unique decor.
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Distinctive Homes

Is New York City housing getting more affordable?

Image: Wikipedia

March 8, 2018

Is New York City housing getting more affordable?

According to a recent article by the Wall Street Journal, New York City housing may, in fact, be consuming less of our hard-earned dollars. Housing costs are responsible for an increasingly smaller chunk of New Yorkers' monthly budget, a new U.S. Census Bureau survey shows. The survey, conducted every three years, points to a record amount of new housing and a rental vacancy rate that's the third-highest since the survey first began in 1965. The Census Bureau survey found that the number of housing units had increased by 117,000 since 2011, a number that includes over 35,000 more rental apartments and 15,000 condos due to arrive in 2018 and 2019.
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March 8, 2018

INTERVIEW: AphroChic’s founders pursue a passion for storytelling, design, and African American history

By Cait Etherington

Photos © AphroChic/Patrick Cline "Modern.Soulful.Style." This is the term coined by Crown Heights-based husband-and-wife team Jeanine Hays and Bryan Mason when they started their home design blog AphroChic in 2007. These three little words really must have resonated; just over a decade later, Jeanine and Bryan have taken the design world by storm, starting their own product line (which includes their "Brooklyn in Color" paint collection, the first paint line by an African-American design brand), designing interiors, authoring the book "REMIX: Decorating with Culture, Objects and Soul," and hosting HGTV's "Sneak Peek with AphroChic." 6sqft recently chatted with Jeanine and Bryan to learn how they went from careers in criminal justice to interior design, how African American influences factor into their work, and what's to come from this unique couple who "embraces culture and the unique admixture of the traditional and the contemporary that helps to define us all."
Our interview with AfroChic

March 8, 2018

CNN anchor Jason Carroll is selling his chic Chelsea pad for $1.75M

CNN correspondent and former “Ahead of the Curve” co-anchor Jason Carroll just listed this stylish, sparkly one-bedroom home in the rakishly-named Lion’s Head condominium at 121 West 19th Street in Chelsea for $1.75 million. The super-social location near Nomad and the Village makes this one-bedroom unit a great bet if you like being surrounded by tons of shopping, food and fun. Carroll bought the place for just $785,000 back in 2006, so he's looking to make a nice $1 million profit.
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The Real MTA map shows only the subway lines that are currently functioning

Screenshot from realmta.info at approximately 3pm on Wednesday, March 7th (during the impending nor’easter)

March 7, 2018

The Real MTA map shows only the subway lines that are currently functioning