6sqft | NYC local news, events, and apartments

Not only did the Times recently name the South Bronx one of this year's hottest travel destinations, but the up-and-coming 'hood has become a hotbed for new development. Many of these include affordable housing, which is the case at Bronx Commons, a mixed-use development in the Melrose Commons neighborhood that broke ground this morning. The $160 million project includes 305 all-affordable apartments, retail, and a landscaped public plaza, all of which will be anchored by the Bronx Music Hall, a new 300-seat venue that will serve as an "arts-centered community hub focused on the deeply rooted history of cutting edge Bronx music," according to a press release from developers WHEDco and BFC Partners.
Find out more about the project

January 13, 2017

Own Frank Lloyd Wright’s horseshoe-shaped ‘Tirranna’ home in New Canaan, CT for $8M

For the first time in 20 years, Frank Lloyd Wright's "Tirranna" home in New Canaan, Connecticut is on the market. The Wall Street Journal reports that the home, which Wright built just before his death in 1959 on a 15-acre wooded estate, has been listed for $8 million by the estate of its long-time owner, the late memorabilia mogul and philanthropist Ted Stanley and his wife Vada. Though the couple renovated the horse-shaped home, they maintained its original architectural integrity, preserving classic Wright details like built-in bookshelves, cabinets and furniture, as well as other unique features such as a rooftop observatory with telescope, gold leaf chimneys, and sculpture paths that wind through the woods.
See it all right here

The Urban Lens: Nei Valente’s ‘Newsstands’ shows the changing face of media

6sqft’s ongoing series The Urban Lens invites photographers to share work exploring a theme or a place within New York City. In this installment Brazilian designer Nei Valente presents his series of nighttime newsstand photos. Are you a photographer who’d like to see your work featured on The Urban Lens? Get in touch with us at [email protected].

January 13, 2017

The Urban Lens: Nei Valente’s ‘Newsstands’ shows the changing face of media

By day, Nei Valente is a designer at branding agency Brand Union, but in his free time he photographs street scenes around the city, many of which are taken once the sun has set. In "Newsstands," he captures the changing face of newsstands around the city, exploring how their evolution relates to our shift from print to digital media. Inspired by Moyra Davey's newsstand series of 1994, Valente finds it fascinating how newsstands have changed over the last couple of decades.
READ MORE

Places

January 13, 2017

Lake Bell’s enchanting Clinton Hill townhouse gets a price chop and new photos

Back in 2013 director/actress/screenwriter Lake Bell and tattoo artist to the stars Scott Campbell bought this quaint townhouse in north Clinton Hill in the Wallabout Historic District for $1.55 million. Three years, a baby and some creative renovations later they listed the home at 119 Vanderbilt Avenue for an ambitious $3 million. After a price cut last November to $2.55 million and a broker switch, the home with the enchanted Zen garden and top-floor atelier is now asking $2.3 million with new photos to boot.
Check out the cool, quirky townhouse interiors

January 13, 2017

Third lottery opens at Pacific Park Brooklyn, apply for 303 affordable units from $532/month

Last spring, the first housing lottery opened at Pacific Park Brooklyn when 181 affordable units at SHoP's 461 Dean Street (the world's tallest modular tower) came online. It was followed a few months later by 298 openings at 535 Carlton Avenue, COOKFOX's entirely affordable building, and now the third set of apartments for low- to middle-income New Yorkers is open. SHoP Architects also designed an all-affordable building at 38 Sixth Avenue, adjacent to the Barclays Center, and as of today these 303 residences are up for grabs, ranging from $532/month studios to $3,695/month three-bedrooms. Households earning between 101 and 165 percent of the area media income (or up to $173,415 annually) are eligible for 198 of the units, while 105 units are set aside for those earning between 30 and 100 percent (as low as $20,126 a year).
More details and the whole qualification breakdown

January 13, 2017

Pieces of Thomas Heatherwick’s massive, climbable ‘Vessel’ arrive at Hudson Yards site

Back in September, Related Companies chairman Stephen Ross finally unveiled the large-scale artwork that would anchor the central public space within Hudson Yards. As Ross revealed, Thomas Heatherwick was chosen to design the piece, and it would cost an incredible $150 million to build. Dubbed "The Vessel,” the climbable sculpture would rise 16-stories—150 feet tall, 50 feet wide at its base and 150 feet wide at the top—and consist of a web of 154 concrete and steel staircases with 2,500 steps, 80 landings and an elevator; the piece, in fact, so massive that it could comfortably accommodate 1,000 visitors at a time. The sculpture was to be constructed in Monfalcone, Italy before being shipped to its home on the Hudson River. And now CityRealty reports that parts of what Ross once called "New York's Eiffel Tower" have officially arrived at the site and await assembly.
More photos this way

January 12, 2017

Queens houseboat asks $59,000 for 400 square feet of watery serenity

By Hannah Frishberg

Set sail for home in Jamaica Bay on this $59,000 houseboat, now for sale. According to its listing, the 400-square-foot model is good for year-round living and is equipped with central cooling, carpeted floors and wonderful waterfront views. Plus this "single family" vehicle has one bed, one bath, a very large covered deck and "great solar potential"—not to mention you've got the ocean as your playground. The listing says the houseboat, a 2007 Custom Flo-Lodge, was hauled a year ago across the Verrazano Narrows to its current docking point at Far Rockaway's Marina 59, and has been floating there ever since.
Yo ho a pirate's life in Queens

January 12, 2017

Opulent $4.5M Hotel des Artistes duplex features Smithsonian-restored ceiling mural

By Hannah Frishberg

Located at 1 West 67th Street, the Upper West Side's landmarked Hotel des Artistes co-op, this apartment abounds in original details, most notably a Smithsonian conservator-restored ceiling mural above a carved staircase and a carved stone fireplace in the living room. Central Park is visible from the living room and one of the bedrooms, and the beamed ceilings soar to almost 20 feet, dwarfing even the 14-foot windows. And it can all be yours for $4.5 million.
See it all

Distinctive Homes

Distinctive Homes

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

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

$4M Prospect Heights penthouse has three bedrooms, a wraparound terrace, and views in every direction

From the pool to the pergola, this $1.1M Hudson Valley home blends Colonial with contemporary

A long-neglected Clinton Hill townhouse gets a total glow-up and a $5.5M ask

This $1.5M Woodstock compound was a recording studio for rock icons from Ozzy Osbourne to R.E.M.

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

Amy Schumer paid $6.25M for Central Park West condo

For $949K, this Village co-op has a Gold Coast address, prewar charm and a splash of color

From cozy to bold, this $10M Soho condo embodies post-loft luxury

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January 12, 2017

NYC records fewest traffic fatalities ever

By Metro New York

Traffic fatalities in the city have dropped 23 percent since the start of the Vision Zero initiative in 2013, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Wednesday. “Under Vision Zero, we have now seen traffic fatalities in our city decline for three straight years, strongly countering national trends,” he said in a news statement. The mayor asserted […]

Transit

January 12, 2017

Interactive chart reveals the diversity of NYC’s street trees

Just as New York's population is a melting pot of ethnicities, the city's tree population is just as diverse. A new interactive chart from Cloudred give us a look at how tree genus breaks down across the five boroughs. As seen above, if one zooms in on the largest chunks of graph across Manhattan, Queens, Brooklyn, Staten Island and the Bronx, it becomes quickly apparent that maple, oak, pear, and planetree trees have their roots firmly planted in the ground—as do a bunch of "unknowns," which account for about 14 percent of the city's total tree population.
find out more here

January 12, 2017

The Met delays its new $600M wing; photographing NYC’s abandoned coffee cups

Following a $31 million deficit, the Met will delay its new $600 million Modern and contemporary art wing by up to seven years, instead focusing on roof/skylight work in the European paintings galleries. [NYT] In his series “Morning Joe,” photographer David Joseph captures discarded, abandoned coffee cups on the streets of NYC. [Untapped] The city’s 3.3 million immigrants, who […]

Uncategorized

January 12, 2017

The city added 21,963 affordable housing units in 2016, the most in 27 years

When Mayor de Blasio took office in 2014, he vowed to build or preserve 200,000 units of affordable housing over 10 years, and so far, he's made good on his word, despite the loss of the city's controversial 421-a program. The Times reports that today the Mayor will announce that his administration has added 21,963 affordable units in 2016, the most since 1989. Of these apartments, 6,844 were in newly constructed buildings and roughly 4,400, or 20 percent, were reserved for low-income New Yorkers earning less than $25,000 (much more than the eight percent goal). More than 30 percent were in Manhattan, followed by 29 percent in both the Bronx and Brooklyn.
More details

January 12, 2017

Art Nerd New York’s top event picks for the week — 1/12-1/18

By Lori Zimmer

In a city where hundreds of interesting happenings 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 event picks for 6sqft readers! Get nasty this week with not only one, but two powerful group exhibitions featuring female artists who are biting back at The Untitled Space and The Knockdown Center in Queens. Get a curator’s insight on art history at The Met, then step into the future of art with a talk on virtual reality at The New Museum. David Zwirner welcomes the work of famed illustrators R. Crumb and his wife, and Canada Gallery discusses the work of Elizabeth Murray with Linda Yablonsky. Finally, educate yourself on New York history, first with an incredible photography show about New Yorkers in protest at the Bronx Documentary Center, then at UnionDocs for a film on the Lower East Side of yesteryear when squatters ruled the streets—and abandoned buildings.
More on all the best events this way

Events & Things To Do

January 12, 2017

After seven years on the market, Keira Knightley’s former Tribeca loft finds a buyer

By Annie Doge

This massive, duplex loft at 16 Jay Street in Tribeca has been trying to sell since April 2011. Its owner, textile designer, painter, and sculptor Gianluca Berardi, bought the pad in 2002 for $2.2 million, then undertook a lengthy overhaul that included adding the "sweeping cast-iron and mahogany staircase that was welded together inside the home in the shape of a double ellipsis," as 6sqft previously reported. She first listed it in 2009 for $8.4 million, then reduced it to $8 million in 2012, and in 2014, re-listed it as a $45,000/month rental. The following year, actress Keira Knightly rented the apartment, as did Rangers player Eric Staal. It then came back on the market for $6.6 million this past March, and now, after seven long years, it's finally found a buyer for the reduced price of $6 million, reports the Post.
See the entire space

January 12, 2017

Fox News anchor Shepard Smith lists upscale Greenwich Village condo for $5M

Shepard Smith has been bestowed with the dubious title of "most likeable anchor on Fox News," and the popular breaking news chief won even more points for defending competitor CNN against PEOTUS ranting. But he's also looking to get some real estate points by selling his Greenwich Village apartment at 65 West 13th Street for $4.9 million (h/t Luxury Listings). Smith bought the 2,341-square-foot condo in 2004 for $1.875 million, briefly listing it for $4 mil in 2011.
Take a peek

January 12, 2017

Video: Zaha Hadid speaks about what influenced 520 West 28th Street’s design

Zaha Hadid Architects has released a new video in which the firm's late principal, internationally celebrated starchitect Zaha Hadid, discusses the ideas that influenced the iconic, innovative and controversial design of her first residential project in New York City, the High Line adjacent 520 West 28th Street, developed by Related Cos. The 11-story residence was voted 6sqft's 2016 Building of the Year and is currently nearing completion.
'more freedom to innovate'

January 12, 2017

Jeanne Gang’s $340M Museum of Natural History expansion gets new interior renderings, details

After the architects at Studio Gang tweaked their proposal for the American Museum of Natural History expansion to preserve more public parkland out front, the Landmarks Preservation Commission unanimously approved the plans in October. And now that things are moving ahead, and the price has jumped from $325 to $340 million, the institution shared new details about how the 235,000-square-foot Richard Gilder Center for Science, Education and Innovation will operate. The update comes with a fresh set of interior renderings, which include views of the Butterfly Vivarium, Insectarium, and other educational spaces.
All the renderings and details this way

Mike Myers relists Tribeca loft he bought a week ago for $15M

Nah, baby, nah... It took just a week for Mike Myers to change his mind about purchasing a sprawling $14.65 million loft in Tribeca's 443 Greenwich Street. The Observer reports the funnyman has just relisted the 4,241-square-foot spread for a slightly higher $15 million. While it's not clear what prompted his decision, Myers' move gives us a fresh look inside the four-bedroom, four-and-a-half bathroom condo currently being marketed by Compass. The firm incidentally is also trying to help him sell his Mercer Street penthouse, currently going for $15.95 million.
more views inside here

January 11, 2017

Iconic ‘Miss Manhattan’ and ‘Miss Brooklyn’ statues return to the Manhattan Bridge

“Miss Manhattan” by Daniel Chester French. It was originally alongside the Manhattan Bridge, but was moved to the entrance of the Brooklyn Museum. Courtesy of the Brooklyn Museum. In the early 1900s, renowned sculptor Daniel Chester French was asked to create "two allegorical figures," a Miss Manhattan and a Miss Brooklyn, to stand at the Brooklyn entrance to the Manhattan Bridge. The granite women were removed, however, in the 1960s when Robert Moses decided to move them. They were then relocated to their current home at the Brooklyn Museum's entrance, but after a 10-year, $450,000 project, a resin replica of the original has returned to the bridge. As the Times tells us, sculptor and installation artist Brian Tolle (he's also responsible for the Irish Hunger Memorial) designed the new version to glow at night with interior LED lights and rotate "on two lamppost-like arms."
See the ladies in action

Events & Things To Do

January 11, 2017

New mini documentary profiles Santiago Calatrava; Williamsburg’s Harry Potter-themed pasta restaurant

Pasta Wiz in Williamsburg is the Harry Potter-themed pasta restaurant you didn’t know you needed. [Gothamist] A new short documentary explores the life of Santiago Calatrava, specifically his work on the World Trade Center Transportation Hub. [Nowness] The city has a new dashboard with data from dozens of city agencies updated in real time. [Fast Co. […]

Uncategorized

January 11, 2017

Interview: Pembrooke & Ives founder Andrew Sheinman on outfitting ultra-luxe residences

By 6sqft

Skyscraper heights may be what make news headlines, but at the end of the day it’s the call of a stunning interior that gets a contract signed. Developers of New York City’s most luxurious buildings understand this well, and it’s why the same bold-faced names in interior design are often associated with the most splendid […]

January 11, 2017

Live in ODA’s new Crown Heights rental from $845/month, lottery opening for 24 units

It's been over two years since ODA Architects first released a rendering of their rental project at 1040 Dean Street (formerly 608 Franklin Avenue) in Crown Heights. Featuring the firm's signature glassy, boxy aesthetic, the eight-story, 133,582-square-foot project rose on part of the site of the shuttered Nassau Brewery, just a block away from hot-spot food hall Berg'n. Of its 120 units, 20 percent will be reserved for those earning no more than 60 percent of the area media income, and starting tomorrow, qualifying New Yorkers can apply to these affordable units, ranging from $845/month studios to $1,022 two-bedrooms.
Find out more

Affordable Housing

January 11, 2017

Area businesses estimate $40M in lost revenue because of Trump Tower ‘occupied zone’

President-elect Donald Trump’s decision to remain in his Manhattan HQ is causing concern among businesses in the area. Business leaders and local officials spoke out Tuesday at a City Council hearing on the threat that blocked sidewalks and traffic snarls are posing to jobs, tax revenues, tourist appeal and “global reputation,” reports Crain’s. Local merchants claim they’ve taken a significant hit, and that many are considering not renewing their leases or moving elsewhere. Fifth Avenue Business Improvement District president Tom Cusack estimated that local businesses have lost $40 million in revenue since Election Day due to the security maze that the area surrounding Trump Tower has become.
Business leaders call for 'extraordinary action'

Celebrities

From just $368/month, lottery opens for 107 affordable apartments in Crotona Park East

An early rendering of the project, via CityLand

January 11, 2017

From just $368/month, lottery opens for 107 affordable apartments in Crotona Park East

In April, the affordable housing lottery commenced for 79 units at Building A of the Bronx's Crotona Terrace development in Crotona Park East. Now, 107 additional apartments are up for grabs at Building B, ranging from $368/month studios to $1,740/month three-bedrooms, broken down for those earning no more than 30, 40, 50, 60, or 100 percent of the area media income. This mixed-income setup is similar to other projects in the Crotona Park East neighborhood, which was rezoned nearly six years ago to allow more residential in a historically industrial area to create increased affordable housing.
Find out if you qualify

Affordable Housing

January 11, 2017

Citi Bike to add ‘Laserlight’ projection feature to improve rider safety

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

Citi Bike is gearing up for a high-tech upgrade this winter in the form of lasers, reports Metro. The bike share's operator, Motivate, and the designers at Blaze have teamed up to outfit 250 bikes with Laserlight, a safety light that combines a 300 lumen LED with a forward projecting laser that continuously beams an image to warn cars and pedestrians a bike is approaching.
find out more here

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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

January 11, 2017

First look at the $30M penthouse at Robert A.M. Stern’s 30 Park Place

The top-floor units at Robert A.M. Stern's 930-foot 30 Park Place have a way of making headlines. The 82nd floor penthouse, for instance, boasts the highest private outdoor space in the city, and the building's own developer, Larry Silverstein, recently snatched up the massive 80th floor spread for $34 million. But below these units are two duplex penthouses that span the 78th and 79th floors, notable for their double-height loggias that, as Curbed notes, have become a fixture in classic Stern buildings like 15 Central Park West and 520 Park Avenue. Curbed also got their hands on new photos of penthouse 78B, on the market for $29.5 million, which not only showcase the incredible views from the terrace, but new looks at the interiors.
More looks ahead

January 11, 2017

Rent a triplex in the townhouse where Jack Kerouac wrote ‘On the Road’ for $12.5K a month

The loft-like, rustic-modern interiors in this renovated triplex could be straight out of a hip Brooklyn brownstone–except they can be found on a serene Seminary block amid the galleries and condos of prime West Chelsea. But the townhouse at 454 West 20th Street has some cool cred beyond its on-trend finishes: Original hipster Jack Kerouac reportedly composed his seminal novel "On the Road" in 1951 while in residence here.
Find out more, take the tour

Distinctive Homes

January 11, 2017

Norman Foster’s 50 Hudson Yards gets $195M in tax breaks from the city

When completed, Related Companies‘ and Oxford Properties Group’s 50 Hudson Yards will be the city's most expensive office building, coming in at $3.94 billion. To make starchitect Norman Foster's pricey vision a reality, the developers had filed an application with the New York City Industrial Development Agency to take advantage of financial incentives that were enacted in 2006 to encourage development in Hudson Yards. And according to a new report in Crain's, the agency has approved $195 million in such tax breaks, which include making fixed payments towards the 985-foot tower's development costs instead of paying property taxes that vary from year to year, as well as receiving a discount on the mortgage recording taxes.
Find out more right here

January 11, 2017

FREE RENT: A roundup of NYC’s latest rental concessions

By Ondel Hylton

The Eugene, Midtown’s Tallest Rental Skyscraper, Gears Up for Early 2017 Leasing [link] Grand Opening: Leasing Begins at 681 Franklin in Crown Heights [link] Grand Opening: Leasing Begins on No Fee Bed-Stuy Apartments at 766 Lafayette Avenue [link] One Month Free on Select Units at Brodsky’s Midtown West High-Rise, One Columbus Place [link] One Month […]

Real Estate Trends

January 10, 2017

5th Avenue needs pedestrian lanes to accommodate Trump, says transit expert Janette Sadik-Khan

By Hannah Frishberg

Reserving three of 5th Avenue's five traffic lanes for pedestrians will ease the traffic paralysis that President-elect Donald Trump's continued residence in his 56th Street tower has caused, former NYC Department of Transportation Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan argues. In an op-ed for the New York Times yesterday Sadik-Khan, a principal with Bloomberg Associates and a key player in the introduction of the Times Square Pedestrian Plaza, angled 5th Avenue's traffic problem as a bipartisan issue that requires change to get better. With the President-elect saying he plans on visiting his Manhattan home frequently even once he has moved to the White House, it is clear New York will need to adapt or risk forever needing to budget an extra three hours to get through Midtown.
Without big changes, the chaos isn't going to improve

My 600sqft: Journalist Alexandra King turns a schlumpy Park Slope rental into a stunning boho-chic pad

Our ongoing series “My sqft” checks out the homes of 6sqft’s friends and fellow New Yorkers across all the boroughs. Our latest interior adventure brings us to the Park Slope apartment of journalist and gallery owner Alexandra King. Want to see your home featured here? Get in touch!

January 10, 2017

My 600sqft: Journalist Alexandra King turns a schlumpy Park Slope rental into a stunning boho-chic pad

If you needed any more proof that British women just have "it" when it comes to style, place your gaze no further than Alexandra King. The expat journalist, writer and one half of downtown gallery Lyles & King seems to have a knack for turning naught into something noteworthy—just look at her apartment. Alexandra came to NYC seven years ago, first living on her own and then moving into a grimy Chinatown pad with her then-boyfriend-now-husband, Isaac. Following a somewhat traumatic event at their old building, the pair decided to leave Manhattan and high-tail it to leafy Park Slope. While their new neighborhood offered a different kind of charm than Chinatown, their one-bedroom rental still left a lot to be desired; the accent walls for example were painted in what Alexandra describes as "a bizarre shade of poop brown." But leave it to an enterprising creative to transform a turd into a gem. Alexandra saw plenty of potential in the dank space and jumped on the lease. Despite having a few what have I done?! moments, Alexandra worked her magic and completely transformed the apartment. Ahead she gives 6sqft a tour of her bright boho-chic abode, and shares her fail-safe plan for creating an inspiring home.
go inside

January 10, 2017

A bona fide log cabin on 18 acres in the Catskills asks $775K

By Emily Nonko

It doesn't get any more rustic than this log cabin in upstate New York. Located at 1260 Spriceton Road, in West Kill, the home sits on a whopping 18.4 acres of land, which connects to 19,250 acres of a forest preserve. The custom cabin was made in the Scandinavian full scribe style with white pine logs. Inside, you could easily mistake this home for a hunting lodge. And it's priced less than some one-bedroom apartments in Manhattan, asking $775,000.
See the stunning property

Distinctive Homes

January 10, 2017

Cuomo announces 750-mile Empire State Trail, a continuous trail connecting NYC to Canada

Joggers, walkers, cyclists, cross country skiers and just about anyone who can move their feet will in the very near future be able to follow a single trail direct from the bottom of Manhattan all the way to the border of Canada. This morning Governor Cuomo announced that the state would invest in building a $200 million Empire State Trail that would span 750 miles and become the largest, state multi-use trail in the nation. The project would build upon two existing but incomplete trailways—the Hudson River Valley Greenway (now 50 percent complete) and the Erie Canalway (now 80 percent complete)—and essentially run from Battery Park City all the way up to the Canadian border in the North Country, and from Albany to Buffalo.
more details this way

January 10, 2017

Vote to replace all of Monopoly’s tokens; Will NYC cultural institutions close on Inauguration Day?

Since launching in 1933, Monopoly has updated its token to reflect the times. Now, they’re letting the internet decide on replacements for all their tokens. [Gizmodo] Meet Ariel Kennan, the director of design and product under Mayor de Blasio. [Fast Co. Design] More than 130 artists and critics signed a petition calling on cultural institutions to […]

Uncategorized

January 10, 2017

MCNY launches conversation series called ‘Only in New York’ featuring city icons

By Metro New York

As a reporter for the New York Times, Sarah Maslin Nir has made a career out of talking about the city, and one thing is clear: Nobody agrees on what’s best for what she calls our “unbelievable, throbbing metropolis.” But you’re not a New Yorker if you don’t love a good debate, and she’s about […]

Uncategorized

January 10, 2017

Christian Slater gets $1M for modest Hell’s Kitchen condo

By Annie Doge

Christian Slater made headlines Sunday night with his obviously baffled reaction to Tom Hiddleston's Golden Globes acceptance speech, but now that we've seen Slater's rather mundane Midtown condo, we're the ones a bit confused. LL NYC reports that the "Mr. Robot" actor has sold his two-bedroom Hell's Kitchen apartment for $1.1 million; he bought it for $882,500 in 2005. But as LL notes, the sparse listing photos seem to imply that he didn't spend much time there.
See the rest

Renderings via Loci Architecture

January 10, 2017

Gowanus Alliance reveals plans to bring Kentile Floors sign to new park

Two summers ago, the Gowanus Alliance teamed up with Gowanus by Design on their vision to transform the land underneath the elevated subway tracks on 10th Street between Second and Third Avenues into a public park that would serve as a home for the iconic but dismantled Kentile Floors sign. Now that the MTA has completed its repairs on the tracks above, Brooklyn Paper reports that the group has tapped Loci Architecture for preliminary renderings of what this space, dubbed Under the Tracks Playground, could look like.
Find out more this way

Architecture And Design

January 10, 2017

Study: Getting to work by public transit is easiest in NYC, San Francisco and D.C.

A recent report from the University of Minnesota takes a look at major U.S. cities in terms of the number of jobs that are accessible to city residents via transit; Streetsblog brings us the news that you'll find the best transit access to jobs in New York, San Francisco, Chicago, D.C., Los Angeles, Boston, Philadelphia, Seattle, San Jose and Denver. The study concludes that in those (top 10) cities, "accessibility ranks all exhibit a combination of high density land use and fast, frequent transit service." According to the report, public transit is used for about five percent of commuting trips in the U.S., making it the second most widely used commute mode after driving. But the commute mode share accorded to transit varies quite a bit from city to city: 31 percent in the New York metropolitan area; 11 percent in Chicago; 8 percent in Seattle.
Find out more and compare cities

January 10, 2017

Construction update: FXFOWLE’s Circa Central Park nears the finish line

Last we heard from Circa Central Park, the circle-hugging Central Park north condo from architects FXFOWLE and developers Artimus, the lottery had launched for 10 affordable units in the building. Seven months later, with occupancy slated for this year and nearly all apartments sold, CityRealty stopped by the Harlem site to check on construction. They've shared some great views of the nearly-completed glass, metal, and brick facade, which utilizes "a brise soleil system of horizontal louvers and vertical fins" to reduce solar gain and add depth to the structure by highlighting them in bright colors.
More details ahead

January 10, 2017

Gorgeously sophisticated loft in Soho artists’ building seeks $1.9M

We're seeing a lot of downtown live/work lofts on the market lately, and we can't help but wonder whether longtime artist-inhabitants are moving on to better things, but we're guessing they're cashing in on the cachet of loft living. And if you've ever drooled over these huge and versatile spaces, this 1,200 square-foot co-op at 138 Grand Street will definitely put stars in your eyes.
See more details

Distinctive Homes

January 9, 2017

Tower 28, Queens’ soon-to-be second-tallest residential building, gets new renderings

When it's completed in March, Long Island City's Tower 28 (formerly 28 on 28th) will be the tallest residential building in Queens at 647 feet and 57 stories--that is, until it's taken over by the 66-story Court Square City View Tower nearby (this will also overtake the 673-foot 1 Court Square as the tallest overall building in the borough). Though its superlative will be short-lived, Heatherwood Communities' rental at 42-12 28th Street will still offer panoramic views, which new renderings from architects Hill West tell us will be taken in from a top-floor observatory, as well as a host of swanky amenities to "rival any vacation destination." According to CityRealty, the new exterior and interior views also come with news that leasing will begin in March, ranging from $1,900/month studios to $7,500/month three-bedrooms.
More renderings and details ahead

January 9, 2017

How NYC created modern tattoos; City Council to hold hearing on Trump’s economic impact on NYC

The Greenwich by Rafael Vinoly

An exhibit at the New York Historical Society explores how NYC gave birth to modern tattooing (Thomas Edison is partly to thank). [Fast Co. Design] The City Council will hold a hearing next week to analyze the economic impact of protecting Donald Trump. [Politico] The humans and machines that built the Second Avenue Subway. [Motherboard] A […]

Uncategorized

January 9, 2017

NYPL’s #ReadersUnite campaign connects book lovers everywhere

By Alyssa Alimurung

After the divisive presidential campaign and the many other tumultuous events of 2016, the New York Public Library this week unveiled a campaign that aims to bring people together through a shared love of reading. “It’s a therapeutic way to be more open with each other around how they’re feeling and how they’re affected to […]

City Living

125 Greenwich Street

Financial District

The new altitude of downtown living

studios starting at $1,110,000
1 beds starting at $1,495,000
2 beds starting at $2,785,000
3 beds starting at $3,600,000

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January 9, 2017

Governor Cuomo announces six investments to advance NYC’s outer boroughs

Continuing his 2017 State of the State proposals, Governor Cuomo made an announcement this morning that the state would invest in six regional projects "to move New York City's outer boroughs forward." In addition to healthcare-related initiatives, these include: up to 3,000 new units of affordable housing in Brooklyn with wellness-focused amenities; permanent toll reductions on the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge for Staten Island residents; $10 million towards the Orchard Beach pavilion redevelopment; and $108 million in financing for the Kingsbridge Armory in the Bronx to be transformed to an ice center.
Get all the details ahead

January 9, 2017

Built in Poland and shipped in pieces, NYC’s biggest modular hotel project is 55 percent complete

The 20-story, 300-room project at 185 Bowery was constructed in Poland and shipped to New York in 210 pieces. Owned by Dutch hotel developer/operator Citizen M with Brack Capital Real Estate, the high-rise hotel at 185 Bowery is more than half done, reports the Wall Street Journal. It will be the largest permanent modular hotel project ever in NYC. Modular construction is more common in Europe; the developer already has nine hotels up and running and 14 in the works. They’ve used the technique of stacking sealed, factory-made units containing finished hotel rooms on the majority of those projects.
Check out photos of the sealed hotel pods arriving

January 9, 2017

Exposed brick dominates at this $979K duplex on the Upper West Side

By Emily Nonko

This two-bedroom apartment occupies two floors of an Upper West Side brownstone at 171 West 73rd Street. Renovated by an architect, the interior is chock full of exposed brick and hardwood floors while rooms were smartly laid out to maximize space. After last selling in 2010 for $750,000, it's now on the market for $979,900.
Take a peek inside

Distinctive Homes

January 9, 2017

Jared Kushner will leave role as CEO of Kushner Companies