6sqft | NYC local news, events, and apartments

A blue-ribbon commission has recommended that Rikers Island be closed and replaced with several smaller facilities based on a study of the storied jail's future according to the Daily News. The panel, led by former New York State Chief Judge Jonathan Lippman, has been studying the the troubled 10-jail facility for more than a year. Mr. Lippman and the Speaker of the City Council, Melissa Mark-Viverito, will officially announce the findings on Sunday. A member of the commission said that recommendations include supervised release of some detainees, new smaller jails across the city and an overhaul of the bail system as part of a transition that would take 10 years to complete. According to a recent New York Times report, Mayor de Blasio has shifted his position on the issue and will be announcing his support for a closure plan, possibly at a news conference Friday.
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Policy

March 31, 2017

NYC may have to compete for Trump Tower security funds

While the President has yet to visit Trump Tower since his inauguration, the price of protecting the First Lady and 10-year-old Barron costs the city an average of $136,000 per day, according to the NYPD. Congress offered only $7 million to reimburse the city for the $24 million the police department said they have spent protecting the building between the period of Trump’s election and his inauguration. However, as Crain’s learned, that payment is not guaranteed, and NYC may have to compete with New Jersey and Florida, both places the president frequents, for the money.
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Policy

March 31, 2017

The richest New Yorkers would benefit the most under Trump’s tax plan

By Ondel Hylton and Dana Schulz

New York’s top elected officials, aware of the political leanings of their constituents, continue to be outspoken in their opposition to President Trump and his administration. As Crain’s reports, City Comptroller Scott Stringer serves as one of New York’s most vocal assailants on Trump, with 50 percent of his press releases written this month attacking the president’s policy proposals. In a report released this week, Stringer analyzed Trump’s proposed federal income tax law and found that it disproportionately benefits the highest-income earners in New York. If adopted, 40 percent of all single parents would see their taxes go up, compared to 90 percent of millionaires who would see a reduction, according to Stringer.
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Policy

March 31, 2017

Zaha Hadid’s unknown, unbuilt and celebrated projects in New York City

A year ago today, Zaha Hadid's sudden passing at age 65 rocked the architecture world. Best known for her signature swooping and curving forms and for being the first female to win the Pritzker Prize, she surprisingly has only one project in NYC, the under-construction 520 West 28th Street. Likely due to an unwillingness to tame her energetic visions to suit a developer's bottom line, the majority of her work envisioned for the city remains unbuilt. To mark the one-year anniversary of her passing and to pay tribute to her "larger than life" creations and personality, 6sqft has rounded up Zaha Hadid's projects and proposals for NYC.
All the projects, this way

Architecture And Design

March 31, 2017

Flexible pad with plenty of exposed brick and a terrace asks $985K in the East Village

This prewar co-op at 315 East 12th Street, in the East Village, has no shortage of charming apartments: here's a one bedroom with an outdoor terrace perfect for a barbecue, and here's another, cozier one-bedroom apartment that hit the market for $535,000 a few months ago. The latest apartment from the building to hit the market is this unit currently configured as a one bedroom with enough space for a second. With a wall of exposed brick and massive windows, it's up for grabs asking $985,000.
Take a look

Distinctive Homes

March 30, 2017

The Living Table: A self-regulated planter-table perfect for small spaces

By Rebecca Paul

Two of the smartest things you can do when decorating your city-dwelling are to make use of indoor plants and to invest in multi-functional pieces of furniture. This brilliant new table, aptly named The Living Table, brings these two concepts together seamlessly. The innovative table design from Habitat Horticulture mimics how plants naturally absorb water from the ground, providing you with the perfect plant-ready furniture to house all of your favorite low-growing greenery.
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March 30, 2017

Celebrate Women’s History Month with an after-hours party at the Public Library

Instead of hitting the bars this Friday night, check out the "Library After Hours" event at the main branch of the New York Public Library. On select Fridays, the landmarked library hosts a party after closing that lets guests mingle with food and drinks, music, and a behind-the-scenes look at some of their collections. This Friday, March 31st, the library is holding the event, “Women Marching Through History,” to coincide with the last day of Women’s History Month, where guests can admire feminist manuscripts, rare books, photographs, artwork, and films as well as participate in an interactive project to record one's own story about living through this time in women’s history.
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Events & Things To Do

March 30, 2017

Studio V’s art-focused development will bring 1,200 residential units to Journal Square

With significantly lower rents than Manhattan and a less than 20-minute PATH ride to the city, Journal Square continues to blossom into the next hip neighborhood. In addition to the 10+ major residential projects going up in the neighborhood, it's also looking to become an official Art District. According to Jersey Digs, the newest project to follow suit is a two-tower, mixed-use complex at 808 Pavonia Avenue, adjacent to the historic Loew's Jersey Theater. Developer Harwood Properties tapped Studio V Architecture to create a pedestrian neighborhood, focused on arts and cultural facilities.
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Distinctive Homes

'Secret' live-work compound on Tribeca's skybridge street lists for $30M

Sky mansion with dramatic curves on Billionaires' Row asks $10M

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

Once a parking garage, this $85M Village penthouse is now in line to break neighborhood sales records

This $4.5M Lenox Hill duplex combines pre-war elegance with architectural drama

For $5.5M, a gallerist's Soho loft is the perfect backdrop for your art collection

Lily Allen's Brooklyn townhouse is for sale for $8M

For $6.75M, everything you'd want in a Park Slope brownstone

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

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

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March 30, 2017

Kirsten Dunst chops price of Soho penthouse; Anthony Bourdain has no lease, no CEO for SuperPier food hall

New stormproof plans released for Battery Park City, including a new pavillion building designed by Perkins Eastman. [Tribeca Citizen] Kirsten Dunst first listed her vintage-cool Soho penthouse as a $12,500/month rental in 2014, and then as a $5 million sale last month. She’s now lowered the price to $4.5 million. [Mansion Global] The CEO of […]

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March 30, 2017

NYC design firm Dror designs a walkway that winds through the forest

If you’ve ever dreamed of jumping on trampolines among the treetops, get ready to face your fantasy. New York-based design firm Dror has unveiled its master plan for a new city park six miles north of Istanbul’s center that will bend the forest landscape with the world of your dreams. Featuring elevated walkways, art installations, aerial swings, […]

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From the Westside Cowboys to the Oreo cookie: 10 secrets of Chelsea Market

Image courtesy of Chelsea Market

March 30, 2017

From the Westside Cowboys to the Oreo cookie: 10 secrets of Chelsea Market

Today it seems like there's a new food hall popping up every day, but one of the first incarnations of this trend was at Chelsea Market, when Irwin Cohen and Vandenberg Architects transformed the former Nabisco factory in the 1990s into an office building, television production facility, and food-related retail hub. New York City history buffs likely know that this is where a certain famous cookie was invented, but there are plenty of other fun facts about the location that are much less well known. Therefore, 6sqft has rounded up the top 10 most intriguing secrets of Chelsea Market.
Find out everything here

History

March 30, 2017

Renaissance Revival brownstone in Bed-Stuy has original ‘speaking tubes’ dating back to 1895

You pretty much step back in time walking into this Bedford-Stuyvesant brownstone, located in the eastern portion of the neighborhood at 538 Decatur Street. It is an 1895 Renaissance Revival, bay-fronted brownstone that is 18 feet wide with three stories and a two-story extension. When the listing brags that the interior boasts an "astonishing wealth of original detail" they aren't kidding--everything from carved fireplace mantles to oak pocket doors to beveled glass. The home even has its original "speaking tubes," which the original owners would have used to call to servants working on the garden floor of the home.
You must see this historic interior

March 30, 2017

East River bridges to get $392 million from city to fund repairs

In what will be the largest capital investment in the East River bridges since 2010, Mayor Bill de Blasio's 2017 Capital Commitment Plan has allocated $392 million for the project, reports DNAInfo. The Queensboro Bridge–the busiest of the East River crossings–will get $110 million, the biggest chunk of the project's funding according to a report from the city's Independent Budget Office (IBO). The bridge received only a "fair" grade in a recent DOT rating system (the Brooklyn Bridge got the lowest rating). The repairs will happen over the next three years.
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Transit

March 30, 2017

Meg Ryan scopes out a $28K/month West Village townhouse

By Annie Doge

Just a little over a month ago, Meg Ryan listed her super chic Soho loft for $10.9 million, which she bought in 2014 for $8 million from fellow actor Hank Azaria. Despite her love of revamping apartments--she recently told Architectural Digest, "I love renovating. I think it's tied to living the actor's life... it’s a chance for me to bring my vision into the world."--Ryan may be opting to rent, as the Post reports that she was seen checking out one of the modern townhouses at the West Village's 1 Morton Square development, which is currently available for $28,000/month.
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MAP: How old are the buildings in each Brooklyn neighborhood?

Photo via Brooklyn Historical Society

March 30, 2017

MAP: How old are the buildings in each Brooklyn neighborhood?

Photo via Brooklyn Historical Society One of the most exciting things about exploring Brooklyn is seeing the unique architecture of each neighborhood. Now, thanks to an interactive map from urban_calc, you can also learn the age of these structures in the borough with the oldest buildings in the city. Using the city’s OpenData project and Pluto dataset, urban_calc found the median age of buildings in each census tract. The oldest neighborhood is Ocean Hill at 1911, followed by Cypress Hill, Park Slope and Stuyvesant Heights, all with a median building year of 1920. On the other hand, the newest neighborhoods include Coney Island, West Brighton, East New York, Canarsie and Williamsburg.
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History

March 30, 2017

$29K/month West Village townhouse got a modern, romantic renovation by Annabelle Selldorf

The thoroughly modern gut-renovation of this 1869 single family home at 281 West 4th Street is the creation of noted starchitect Anabelle Selldorf, and we're assuming that its romantic-contemporary decor was inspired by the owners' creative talents. Luxuries, comforts, and conveniences fill this somewhat narrow, 2,720-square-foot historic private home, from a finished and functional cellar to a planted and enchanted roof garden. For the why-own-when-you-can-rent-for-more monthly price of $29,000, you can step into this dream of a West Village townhouse, cue up a rooftop party and fire up the parlor-floor movie screen.
Take the tour

March 29, 2017

Outer borough creatives earn significantly less than their Manhattan counterparts

Data shows the borough in which you work could decide what income you bring home. CityLab looked at the city’s divided class structure in three main classes of employment--creative, service, and working--and in which borough these workers reside. The data shows that the creative class, made up of tech workers, artists, designers, and educational professionals, cluster in Manhattan, which employs nearly 70 percent of the city’s entire creative class. On top of that, clear income discrepancies exist among boroughs with the average salary for a creative class worker iat $96, 970 in Manhattan, $79,248 in Queens, $77,875 in the Bronx, and $76,565 in Staten Island. Surpisingly, Brooklyn's creative class earns the least, with an average of $74,963.
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City Living

Director Ron Howard lists Central Park West co-op in the Eldorado for $12.5M

By Annie Doge

For $12.5 million, you can live in Oscar-winning director Ron Howard's classic Upper West Side co-op. He and wife Cheryl told the Wall Street Journal that they decided to list the three-bedroom spread at the iconic Eldorado--which they bought in 2004 for $5.575 million--to move farther downtown, closer to Howard's editing and post-production facilities. Not only does the home occupy the 26th floor of the Art Deco building's north tower, but it has a private elevator landing, 50 feet of direct Central Park frontage, and a flexible layout perfect for entertaining that the Howards implemented as part of a complete renovation.
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March 29, 2017

7 things you need to keep your kitchen organized

With spring cleaning in full swing, now is the perfect time to clean out your kitchen. If you’re stuck with crowded cupboards and messy countertops these items are inexpensive must-haves to take back control of your kitchen. MORE AT METRO NY…

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March 29, 2017

Central Park Tower’s completion pushed back a year; murals made from air pollution

Extell has secured $168 million in EB-5 funds for their Central Park Tower, but the completion date has been pushed back a year to November 2020. [TRD] A Manhattan judge upheld a one-year rent freeze on rent-stabilized apartments. [Gothamist] NYC second graders will get to name 13 of the new citywide ferry boats. [DNAinfo] Street artist Buff Monster […]

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March 29, 2017

Supertall skyscraper dangles from an asteroid to become the world’s tallest building

New York City-based design firm Clouds Architecture Office has proposed a conceptual skyscraper that would hang down from the sky suspended by air cables attached to an asteroid, making it the world's tallest building. As dezeen learned, the supertall, dubbed Analemma Tower, would not be built on Earth but instead have a “space-based” foundation. Each day, the tower, which would be constructed over Dubai, would travel between the northern and southern hemispheres, with the slowest part of the tower’s trajectory occurring over New York City.
See the supertall renderings here

Architecture And Design

Anbang taps Skidmore, Owings & Merrill for Waldorf Astoria renovation

Proposed rendering of the Park Avenue foyer, via Skidmore, Owings & Merrill

March 29, 2017

Anbang taps Skidmore, Owings & Merrill for Waldorf Astoria renovation

On March 1st, the Waldorf Astoria closed its doors to the public so that its new owners, Chinese insurer Anbang (who just today backed out of an even larger project to redevelop the Kushner Companies' 666 Fifth Avenue) can undertake a two- to three-year renovation to convert 1,413 hotel rooms into 840 renovated hotel rooms and 321 condos, as well as spiff up the public spaces. This last part was worrisome at first, but earlier this month, these iconic Art Deco interiors were designated an official city landmark, meaning Anbang will need to preserve them and receive approvals for any work from the LPC. Wasting no time, they've now released plans for both the interior and exterior renovations and announced that architectural firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) and renowned interior designer Pierre Yves Rochon (PYR) will "protect [the] beloved spaces and restore original features of the Waldorf not seen for decades."
See all the renderings

March 29, 2017

A fanciful miniature New York City is coming to a 49,000-foot space in Times Square

Minimodel maven Eiran Gazit's latest project is anything but small: The former Israeli soldier and his team are putting the finishing touches on Gulliver's Gate, a sprawling exhibit of the world made of minimodels set to open on April 4 in a 49,000-square-foot space at 216 West 44th Street in Times Square, reports Crain's. The $40 million extravaganza represents a decade of dreams and hard work for Gazit, in this case the chief dreamer, plus years of seeking investors, coordinating with dozens of artists around the world and months of installation.
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Events & Things To Do

March 29, 2017

Art Nerd New York’s top event picks for the week – 3/30-4/5

By Lori Zimmer

In a city where hundreds of interesting events occur each week, it can be hard to pick and choose your way to a fulfilling life. Ahead Art Nerd founder Lori Zimmer shares her top picks for 6sqft readers! Spring is upon us and so is a whole new week of great art events. This weekend, see some of the best of the photography world at AIPAD or head to Brooklyn to check out Welancora Gallery’s new partnership with Nu Hotel. The Brooklyn Museum is also deconstructing the artist’s persona and hosting a new Georgia O’Keeffe exhibition. #MidnightMoment also kicks off a new film in Times Square—this April, Naoko Tosa’s "Sound of Ikebana" will take over the screens every night. Finally, come pick up my new book, "The Art of Spray Paint," and check out its corresponding exhibition at Wallworks Gallery in the Bronx.
More on all the best events this way

Events & Things To Do

Noise pollution is worse in Jersey than NYC according to new DOT map

The map, the first of its kind, highlights the intensity of noises made by cars and airplanes across the country through geospatial data.

March 29, 2017

Noise pollution is worse in Jersey than NYC according to new DOT map

When comparing the perks of NYC to New Jersey, add the adjective “quieter” to the list. According to a noise map released by the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), noise pollution has been found to be worse in Jersey than it is in Manhattan. However, the density of highways in the city, and sounds from LaGuardia, JFK and Newark airport, do rank the New York metro area as one of the loudest areas in the entire country.
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City Living

A rendering of 666 Fifth Avenue. Credit: Kushner Companies/Zaha Hadid Architects

March 29, 2017

Chinese company Anbang backs out of 666 Fifth Avenue deal with Kushner Cos.

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

"Kushner Companies is no longer in discussions with Anbang about 666 Fifth Ave.’s potential redevelopment, and our firms have mutually agreed to end talks regarding the property," a spokesman for the developer told the Post. The timing of the Chinese insurance company backing out of the deal--which the Kushners hoped could increase the Midtown's skyscraper's value to a whopping $12 billion and include a flashy new Zaha Hadid design--is uncannily timed with investigations into Jared Kushner's supposed meetings with a scandalous Russian bank. But despite the controversy surrounding ex-CEO and current White House advisor Jared, Kushner Cos. "remains in active, advanced negotiations around 666 Fifth Ave. with a number of potential investors."
The full story ahead

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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

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March 29, 2017

$660K pretty Prospect Heights co-op is on the 21st-best block in NYC

According to its listing, the historic limestone townhouse at 205 Park Place that holds this elegant one-bedroom co-op is "conveniently located on what Time Out New York has deemed the 21st Best Block in all of NYC." This bragging point is, in fact, accurate; though the Prospect Heights block's designation happened in 2006, we doubt the stately brownstones and pre-war apartment buildings have changed much since. The apartment, asking $660,000, also comes with the good fortune of having Grand Army Plaza and the 585 acres of Prospect Park just steps away.
See what's inside

Distinctive Homes

March 28, 2017

Brooklyn cheesemongers to open their underground 1850s brewery tunnels for one night

Thirty feet below street level, Benton Brown and Susan Boyle of Crown Finish Caves age their deliciously moldy wares in the lagering tunnels of a former brewery beneath the Monti Building in Crown Heights, where 26,000 pounds of cheese ripens to perfection in one of the facility's 15-foot-high brick tunnels. This weekend Crown Finish is opening up one of the unused former brewery tunnels, seldom seen by the public, to host a cheese-and-wine tasting event to benefit the expansion efforts of Maple Street School, Prospect-Lefferts Gardens' cooperative preschool (h/t DNAInfo).
Find out more

Events & Things To Do

March 28, 2017

Explore historic LGBT sites in NYC with this interactive map

To broaden people's knowledge of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community’s history in New York City, the NYC LGBT Historic Sites Project created a map-based online archive to document significant sites throughout the five boroughs. Although earlier maps highlighting LGBT history have been created, they focused solely on the history of Greenwich Village, the hub of gay activism. But the new interactive map, based on 25 years of research and advocacy, hopes to make “invisible history visible” by exploring sites across the city related to everything from theater and architecture to social activism and health.
Learn more here

History

March 28, 2017

‘Cash Cab’ will return later this year; Paul Manafort’s shady NYC real estate dealings

New York-based designer (and 13-year U.S. citizen) Karim Rashid said he had a “crazy journey” getting by US Border Control at JFK. [Dezeen] Discovery’s trivia show “Cash Cab” hasn’t aired new episodes since 2005, but it’ll return later this year with a series of guest hosts. [Huffington Post] 10 lost or never-built structures in Prospect Park. [Untapped] An […]

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‘Fearless Girl’ statue will remain on Wall Street for another year, but officials say that’s not enough

Image via Metro / Getty

March 28, 2017

‘Fearless Girl’ statue will remain on Wall Street for another year, but officials say that’s not enough

The drumbeat for making the statue of Fearless Girl a permanent fixture in Lower Manhattan continues. Over the weekend, Mayor Bill de Blasio said the bronze statue of the little girl staring down the Wall Street bull, which had been installed to celebrate International Women’s Day, will remain through February 2018. But that hasn’t satisfied several […]

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March 28, 2017

Investor flips Trump’s childhood home for double what he paid, likely selling to Chinese buyer

When Manhattan real estate mogul Michael Davis bought Donald Trump's childhood home sight-unseen for just under $1.4 million in December, he had high hopes of flipping the Tudor-style residence in Jamaica Estates, Queens. Now, just three months later, the Times tells us that he's done just that, re-selling it at auction last week for $2.14 million, more than double the neighborhood average. Interestingly, the transaction was facilitated by lawyer Michael Tang who specializes in real estate investments made by overseas Chinese buyers. Tang told the Times in an email that he was unable to disclose the name or any other information about the buyer, whose identity is being shielded behind the newly created LLC "Trump Birth House."
Find out more here

March 28, 2017

‘Narnia’ apartment in Park Slope has a hidden door and built-in swing

The listing calls this apartment a "gateway to a modern version of Narnia"--and it's hard not to agree. A designer has decked it out with bold colors, quirky additions like a built-in swing and a sculptural wall paneling made of walnut, even a hidden door that leads to a bedroom. It's like something out of a fantasy novel, if that novel took place in Park Slope, Brooklyn. The apartment comes from the Park Pavilion Condominiums development, at 372 15th Street. For 1,451 square feet of surprising, offbeat interiors, it'll cost just under $2 million.
You've got to see the inside

Distinctive Homes

March 28, 2017

Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel are bringing sexy back to Tribeca with new penthouse buy

By Annie Doge

Although Justin Timberlake was spotted scoping out an $18.5 million Greenwich Village penthouse last month, he chose Tribeca to call home with wife Jessica Biel and their two-year-old son, Silas. According to the Real Deal, the power couple signed a deal for a penthouse at 443 Greenwich Street. Built in 1882 and recently restored by CetraRuddy Architects, the building boasts an interior courtyard, underground garage, 71-foot indoor swimming pool and landscaped roof terrace, so it’s no wonder celebrities are flocking here. Former residents include Mike Myers, Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively, Jennifer Lawrence, and Formula One driver Lewis Hamilton. While the exact unit the couple bought remains unclear, Penthouse G is currently under contract for $27.5 million.
See the beautiful penthouse here

March 28, 2017

First look at the interiors of Waterline Square’s trio of towers

As 6sqft reported in November, a trio of glassy residential towers is rising on the five-acre waterfront site between West 59th and 61st Streets that comprises part of Riverside Center. Known as Waterline Square, the megaproject will offer a combination of condos and rentals, a Mathews Nielsen-designed park, and an impressive roster of starchitects–Richard Meier and Partners, Rafael Viñoly Architects, and Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates. CityRealty now reports that the development team has announced the trio of designers who will shape the interiors--Champalimaud, Yabu Pushelberg and Groves & Co.--which comes with a fresh set of renderings.
Check on the progress of this megaproject

March 28, 2017

Frank Lloyd Wright Fallingwater lookalike asks $3.5M in Greenwich, CT

Designed by local architect Dimitri Bulazel, this 4,675-square-foot four-bedroom home at 51 Pecksland Road in Greenwich, CT was clearly inspired by Frank Lloyd Wright's Fallingwater house in rural Pennsylvania (h/t Curbed). While the listing calls it "reminiscent" of the 1935 architectural icon, we'll just say it's very, very reminiscent. Which is a good thing, because Fallingwater isn't for sale, but this remarkable custom-built, privately commissioned modern house with its cantilevered design, walls of windows, hand-cut Tennessee limestone walls, rock gardens and rooftop terraces can actually be yours, right now, for $3.5 million.
Tour the home and grounds

March 27, 2017

Elegant co-op in an UES mansion still has its original leaded casement windows

This two-bedroom co-op occupies the parlor and garden floors of 4 East 82nd Street, a stately Carnegie Hill mansion. Despite a recent renovation, the apartment still boasts details from the past: original wood paneling, an impressive marble mantle and the original, leaded French casement windows. New additions include a chef's kitchen, which leads to a terrace and the apartment's private garden.
Take a look

Distinctive Homes

March 27, 2017

Kickstarter campaign raising $10,000 for a 15-foot inflatable ‘Trumpy’ rat

As a symbol of resistance to the Trump administration, Chelsea-based contemporary art gallery BravinLee created a Kickstarter to raise $10,000 for an inflatable, 15-foot rat sporting a comb-over and an ill-fitting suit (complete with an inflatable piece of scotch tape to ensure his tie won’t blow in the wind) that will be placed outside Trump Tower. As the A.V. Club learned, artist Jeffrey Beebe was inspired by Scabby the Rat, the inflatable rat that attends union strikes to signal unfair and unsafe practices by management. With the deadline to fund “Trumpy the Rat” set for April 19, the project has raked in just over $5,500.
Find out more here

City Living

March 27, 2017

Petition started to force Melania Trump out of NYC

Fed up with the price of protecting the first lady in her ritzy Manhattan high-rise, taxpayers are urging members of the Senate to force Melania Trump to relocate. Security for Trump and 10-year-old Barron, who currently reside in the president’s Trump Tower, costs an average about $136,000 daily, according to the NYPD. By June—when mother […]

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March 27, 2017

World Trade Center Performing Arts Center may be delayed again

It's been almost 13 years since Frank Gehry initially designed the Performing Arts Center at the World Trade Center (PACWTC). After his plans got shelved in late 2014 due to fundraising issues and construction delays on the transit hub below, it seemed like the last vacant site at the complex would forever remain that way. That is until this past fall when a $75 million gift from billionaire businessman and philanthropist Ronald O. Perelman brought the $243 million project back to life and made it possible to proceed with new designs. Despite this new optimism, it looks like the Center will be delayed yet again, as Crain's reports that unresolved issues between the Lower Manhattan Development Corp. and the Port Authority are setting things behind schedule, which could cost the project $100 million in federal funds.
Get the full scoop

Real Estate Trends

March 27, 2017

The cost of exporting trash in NYC is expected to soar

As the population of New York City continues to rise, so does the amount of garbage lining its sidewalks. But getting all this trash out of sight is not an insignificant expense. As the Post reports, a new study by the city’s Independent Budget Office (IBO) has found that the price of exporting trash is swelling and there appears to be little remedy in sight.
Find out more here

March 27, 2017

‘Fearless Girl’ statue will remain through 2018; Alligators delay first Citywide Ferry boat’s journey

The owner of the illegal Trump Tower Airbnb listing was fined $1,000. [NYT] And the investor who bought Donald Trump’s childhood home in December for $1.4 million has already flipped it for a 50 percent profit. [NYP] 80-year-old art supply store Pearl Paint closed three years ago to make way for “bespoke” lofts, which are now up […]

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March 27, 2017

ODA’s slender-waisted ‘Orbit Tower’ wins the Metals in Construction 2017 Design Challenge

Metals in Construction magazine has just announced the winner and finalists in the magazine's 2017 Design Challenge, "Meeting the Architecture 2030 Challenge: Reimagine Structure." The competition invited architects, engineers, students and designers to submit their visions for combatting global warming in their design for a high-rise building. The winning design, "Orbit Tower," was created by architects and engineers from ODA Architecture and Werner Sobek New York. The building–though purely conceptual for the purposes of the competition–would be located in midtown Manhattan at 1114 Sixth Avenue on the north side of Bryant Park in place of the Grace Building.
Find out more

March 27, 2017

Gem of a two-bedroom in the East Village is both cute and cozy

We're guessing it's probably just coincidence, that there are so many charming, pre-war co-ops on this tranquil and lovely East Village street, but whatever the reason, here's another gem at 226 East 12th Street, with two bedrooms and space for a home office, now on the market for $1.2 million. Three exposures, high beamed ceilings, parquet floors and a cool dining alcove with a window to the neighborhood below definitely make this home "unique in today's plain vanilla box inventory."
Take a look

Distinctive Homes

255 East 77th Street

Lenox Hill

Upper East Side condos with Central Park views

3 beds starting at $5,300,000
4 beds starting at $7,400,000
5 beds starting at $8,750,000

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Construction update: Extell’s Central Park Tower gets its fluted glass curtain wall

West 58th Street elevation of Nordstom’s podium; CityRealty

March 27, 2017

Construction update: Extell’s Central Park Tower gets its fluted glass curtain wall

When it reaches its projected 1,550-foot height, Extell Development’s Central Park Tower will have the highest roof-line of any residential building in the Western Hemisphere, besting the current record holder 432 Park. Though the $2.98 billion project won't be complete until 2019, construction is moving ahead along Billionaires' Row, reports CityRealty. The 58th Street side, which will hold a 285,000-square-foot, seven-story Nordstrom store, is currently receiving its fluted-glass skin, a "Waveforms Facade."
See more views here

New Developments

March 27, 2017

Ai Weiwei will bring over 100 fence art installations to NYC this fall

Internationally renowned Chinese contemporary artist and activist Ai Weiwei was banned from leaving his home country for more than four years, but this past fall, a year after his passport was returned by police, he returned to New York with an unheard-of four gallery shows that all opened on the same day. As a metaphor for his personal travel ban--as well as the current political climate of the U.S., particularly as relates to immigration, and the global migration crisis--the Times shares news that Weiwei has been commissioned by the Public Art Fund for a major art installation opening in October. Titled "Good Fences Make Good Neighbors," the piece will be one of his most large-scale public art projects ever. He'll place 10 large fence-themed works and more than 90 smaller installations across Manhattan, Queens, and Brooklyn, all in an attempt to bring attention to "a retreat from the essential attitude of openness in American politics," as he explains.
Get more details ahead

March 27, 2017

Eight chances to live in a new East Williamsburg building, from $985/month

A state-of-the-art fitness center, yoga room, roof deck with cabanas, designer interiors, and a prime East Williamsburg location just a few blocks from the G, M, J, and L trains--this is all up for grabs for eight qualifying New Yorkers at 73 Montrose Avenue through the city's affordable housing lottery as of today. Those earning 60 percent of the area media income can apply for $985/month one-bedrooms and $1,114/month two-bedrooms.
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Affordable Housing

March 26, 2017

Distinctive 1969 modern Westchester County home designed by Frank Lloyd Wright acolyte asks $1.1M

Nestled in a wooded enclave in the tranquil town of Briarcliff Manor in Westchester County, NY, this striking midcentury modern house was built by noted architect of the day Roy Sigvard Johnson, who may have been an apprentice to Frank Lloyd Wright, according to Curbed–and it's evident that he admired Wright's work. The house, one of several east coast modern gems, is unique inside and out, embracing the beauty of the land surrounding it. Most amazing are features–like a stone waterfall that ends in a heated Jacuzzi and a folded glass wall that wraps the home's stone paths and gardens–where nature and house meet. The 2,574 square-foot four-bedroom house at 543 Scarborough Road is asking $1.1 million.
Take the tour

March 25, 2017

Park Slope co-op with custom bookshelves reaching 18 feet asks $1.65M