6sqft | NYC local news, events, and apartments

Did you know Pleistocene-era mollusks have been discovered in Manhattan? This interactive map plots every dinosaur fossil found on Earth. [Popular Mechanics] Philip Johnson’s Wiley House in New Canaan, CT gets a $2 million price chop. [Inhabitat] This Williamsburg speakeasy is hidden by the freezer door in a Mexican bodega. [Untapped] Sales launch at 75 […]

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February 28, 2017

Trump calls NYC tunnels unsafe, warns of falling tiles

On the heels of Donald Trump proposing a $54 billion increase in the nation’s defense budget, he is expected announce his “big” infrastructure spending plan as well. Trump said during a meeting with the National Governors Association on Monday that he would talk about his infrastructure budget in his first address to Congress Tuesday night. In […]

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My 680sqft: A staging professional mixes family heirlooms and eclectic finds in a modern Harlem condo

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 Harlem apartment of realtor and interior staging professional Ellen Silverman. Want to see your home featured here? Get in touch!

February 28, 2017

My 680sqft: A staging professional mixes family heirlooms and eclectic finds in a modern Harlem condo

Ellen Silverman grew up in the large apartment complexes along Eighth Avenue in Chelsea with "three mothers"--her grandmother who worked at Macy's for 40 years, her aunt who worked for Butterick Patterns, and her mother who loved browsing furniture stores. Needless to say, decorating and design have been in Ellen's blood from the beginning. After moving out on her own, she lived for 20 years in the architecturally rich pre-war co-ops of Washington Heights, but five years ago, she found herself in a brand-new condo in burgeoning Harlem. Determined to bring that old-warm charm into an otherwise "white box," Ellen used her upbringing to influence the design of her new home, blending family heirlooms, eclectic and colorful accessories and art, and plenty of personality--all of which led her to start her own staging company, Staging With Style.
Take a tour of Ellen's home

February 28, 2017

Mayor de Blasio to unveil plan to open 90 new homeless shelters amid growing community opposition

The exact details of the mayor's proposal, to be announced Tuesday afternoon, are not yet known, but the focus will undoubtedly be the mayor's ongoing battle to significantly beef up the city's overwhelmed shelter system, according to the New York Times. New York–along with Los Angeles, San Francisco and Washington, D.C,– has experienced an increase in homelessness in recent years, though the number of homeless people has declined nationwide. The city's shelter infrastructure is over capacity to the point that, as 6sqft previously reported, around $400,000 a day is being spent on using hotel rooms as temporary shelters. Homelessness is one of the mayor's thorniest problems; the proposal will reportedly increase the number of shelters throughout the city by nearly one third.
Why the opposition?

City’s planned Garment District rezoning will reduce protections for fashion companies

Image via Wally Gobetz/Flickr CC

February 28, 2017

City’s planned Garment District rezoning will reduce protections for fashion companies

Just two weeks after the city announced that they'd spend $136 million to create the "Made in NYC Campus," a hub in Sunset Park that will provide affordable space for film and fashion companies, it's come to light that the de Blasio administration has been planning a rezoning of Manhattan's Garment District. As Crain's explains, this could potentially roll back rules that require landlords to rent a portion of their buildings to fashion companies, a clear push to drive these businesses toward lower cost space in Sunset Park.
More info ahead

Policy

February 28, 2017

Bronze urns, revolving doors from the Waldorf Astoria Hotel now for sale on eBay

On Wednesday, March 1st, the famed Waldorf Astoria Hotel will close its doors for three years as its new owners, Chinese insurer Anbang Insurance Group, kicks off a conversion that will turn 1,413 hotel rooms into 840 renovated hotel rooms and 321 luxury condos. While most New Yorkers have been scrambling to hit up one of the hotel's many gilded bars for one last cocktail, others looking to celebrate the icon in a more substantial way now have an opportunity to lay claim to one (or several) of the hotel's architectural and decorative wares. Indeed, currently up for grabs are eight mahogany panels of Art Deco etched glass, four solid bronze urns, carved glass panels, the original 1931 private entrance revolving door, and a large set of revolving doors that come complete with two side bronze doors—all on eBay.
get a closer look here

History

Mayor pulls Theater District air rights plan after disputes with City Council over floor price

Image via Wiki Commons

February 28, 2017

Mayor pulls Theater District air rights plan after disputes with City Council over floor price

Image via Wiki Commons The de Blasio administration pulled the plug Monday on proposed legislation that would give the city a 20 percent cut of any air rights sales in midtown Manhattan's Theater District, according to Crain's. The reversal followed disputes with City Council members over a key element–a floor price for the sales. The proposal had been part of a long effort to get theater owners to up the amount they contribute to a fund used for venue maintenance and support for smaller theaters. There is now speculation as to whether the move could cast a shadow on the administration's Midtown East rezoning plan, which is a similar policy initiative.
Find out more

Policy

February 28, 2017

City’s most expensive rental is back for $500K/month, chauffeur-driven Jaguar included

As 6sqft asked when the 39th floor at The Pierre Hotel at 795 Fifth Avenue hit the rental market two years ago, if you’ve got the cash, why buy when you can rent for $6 million a year? Now that opportunity to refresh your enormous outlay every month is again seeking a renter at $500,000/month, keeping its title as the city’s most expensive rental. The massive 4,786-square-foot space has merely a butler’s kitchen, but the assumption is, of course, that you wouldn't want to be slaving over a hot stove in a full-service hotel anyway. And that service includes twice-daily maid service, an on-call physician, room service, two restaurants and a chauffeur-driven Jaguar.
See what this hefty price tag gets you

Distinctive Homes

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

Live in a fashion designer's historic atelier and studio in the Catskills for $645K

For $1.6M, this Connecticut estate has an art studio, guest house, pool, and a vintage modern vibe

$15M penthouse in a gold cupola high above Fifth Avenue heads to auction this month

For $6.25M, a stately 1847 Boerum Hill townhouse has historic charm and a dramatic glass solarium

This $8M Rye estate has a private dock on the Long Island Sound

This $12M home in a Chelsea Deco icon has a terrace and room for an extra bedroom

$1.25M two-family Williamsburg townhouse has lots of options for less than a condo

This $4M Flatbush townhouse stays true to its Victorian roots

Brooklyn Heights townhouse sells for $24.5M, the borough's priciest sale of 2026

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February 27, 2017

‘The Daily Show’ host Trevor Noah buys a $10M Stella Tower penthouse

By Jon Dioffa

It looks like Trevor Noah's $15,000 rental at Stella Tower was just a space for him to kill time while waiting to move upstairs into a $10 million penthouse. The Journal reports that Noah closed today on the top-floor duplex apartment that spans the 17th and 18th floors of the 1927 Ralph Walker-designed skyscraper. In all, the star's new spacious abode measures 3,600 square feet and comes encircled by a large, 930-square-foot terrace with sweeping views of the city.
see more inside

Celebrities

February 27, 2017

Gwyneth Paltrow’s all-white Tribeca penthouse gets $3M price chop and lots of listing photos

By Annie Doge

Though not notable for leading a private lifestyle (might we mention her very public "conscious uncoupling" and certain intimate products that she's touted on her blog Goop), Gwyneth Paltrow has been reticent to showcase interior photos of her Tribeca penthouse. She first listed the pad at 416 Washington Street last March for $14.25 million; after chopping the price to $12.85 million in November, she self-published a few images on Goop; but now that it's taken a third cut to $9,995,000, it looks like Gwynie is loosening up. LL NYC first spotted the new listing with Compass, which now has plenty of views, from the famous fuzzy nap zones, to the living room swing made of an antique Indoor door, to endless swaths of white marble and ethereal hand-painted wall coverings.
READ MORE

February 27, 2017

Greenpoint creative hub gets a funky clay factory from design collective Assemble

London-based collective Assemble works across art, architecture, and design "to address the typical disconnection between the public and the process by which places are made." They've employed this philosophy at their first U.S. project--a temporary clay-extruding factory in the courtyard of Greenpoint's A/D/O creative hub, known as "A Factory As It Might Be." As Dezeen explains, the firm first built only a steel roof on top of the brick walls, but after acquiring an industrial clay extruder and electric kiln and finding that of all the vessels and homewares being created the tiles were the most successful, they decided to use the ceramic tiles to create a colorful, geometric facade.
Find out more about the project here

Architecture And Design

February 27, 2017

‘The Waldorf Astoria Bar Book’ boasts 800 cocktail recipes and tutorials

The last guest will check out of the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel at noon on Wednesday, and the Manhattan landmark will not host another for an indefinite amount of time. To those who’ve sought respite and spirits at the hotel’s mainstays—Peacock Alley, Bull & Bear and Sir Harry’s—the hotel’s treasured food and beverage manager since 2005, Frank […]

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February 27, 2017

Jared Kushner keepings parts of real estate empire; Frank Gehry teaching a $90 online architecture class

Exploring the recovery and development boom of Newark. [Bloomberg] Documents from the White House show that Jared Kushner retains some real estate holdings associated with Kushner Companies, despite stepping down as CEO. [TRD] The city, who owns the trademark for Tavern on the Green, is taking legal action against a NJ firm that wants to franchise the […]

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February 27, 2017

Interactive 3D map of Lower Manhattan updates new developments daily

Lower Manhattan is the nation's third-largest business district and in recent years its residential building stock--both conversions of historic structures and new developments--has exploded. To track this booming urban landscape, the Alliance for Downtown New York launched an interactive 3D map to serve as a "comprehensive visualization" of the area, tracking all current and future developments within the square mile below Chambers Street. In addition to residential, office, and hotel properties, LM3D also breaks down restaurants, retailers, transit, parks and open space, landmarks, and vacant land.
Learn more about the map

Uncategorized

February 27, 2017

9 artsy and inexpensive DIY ideas for decorating a rental

By Hannah Frishberg

6sqft’s series Apartment Living 101 is aimed at helping New Yorkers navigate the challenges of creating a happy home in the big city. This week we've got some artistic ways you can update your rental without spending a lot of money. No matter how ephemeral a rental unit may feel, refusing to put any love into your space will ensure a feeling that your lease is taking forever to end. But it doesn't take a professional or a full-scale renovation to make a shoebox of an apartment go from a depressing Craigslist find to a lively and stylish pad. Ahead are some creative DIY ways to decorate your space that can be done inexpensively—and without putting your security deposit at risk.
Smashing a mirror can be good for decoration

February 27, 2017

Upstate waterfront hotel/restaurant with a quirky owner’s apartment asks less than $1M

By Emily Nonko

Now here's an opportunity to own something really unique, if you're willing to decamp New York City to run a historic hotel upstate. The Pleasant Beach Hotel, at 14477 Fancher Avenue in Fairhaven, has hit the market for $975,000. Less than $1 million will get you a nine-room hotel, as well as a bar, restaurant, private pier, and an attached owner's apartment. With incredible views out toward Lake Ontario, this hotel has been in business since 1910... and is looking for its tenth owner to carry on the traditions of the charming waterfront getaway.
Take the grand tour

February 27, 2017

$1.6M Washington Heights row house is on a hidden historic street across from Manhattan’s oldest home

In the heart of the Jumel Terrace Historic District in Washington Heights, already known for the Morris Jumel Mansion, the oldest house in Manhattan, the quaint row houses of Sylvan Terrace are tucked away on one of the city’s “secret” streets. The mansion is not only famous for being General George Washington's temporary headquarters during the Revolutionary War but for hosting dignitaries from John Adams and Thomas Jefferson to Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton; in more modern times, "Hamilton” fans may know it as being the spot where the musical’s creator Lin-Manuel Miranda penned songs from the Broadway hit. The historic row of houses, built in the 1880s, was restored by the Landmarks Preservation Commission; 16 Sylvan Terrace was further renovated by its current owners and is now on the market for $1.625 million.
Take a peek inside this historic row house

Maya Lin-designed Tribeca mansion lists for $35M

Despite the claim by some preservationists that the building looked like "a block of swiss cheese," back in June the Landmarks Preservation Commission approved Maya Lin Studio's design of a contemporary mega-mansion in the heart of Tribeca's historic district. The plans call for a five-story, 20,000-square-foot home at 11 Hubert Street--including incredible amenities such as an 82-foot swimming pool, basketball/squash court, four-car garage, and an open-air courtyard--and, as the Post reports, the corner site has just hit the market for $35 million, though this doesn't include the $15 million it'll cost to actually build the house.
Find out more about this opportunity

February 27, 2017

Sun worshippers: Rent this West Village townhouse with terraces and glass walls for $25K a month

While it's immediately evident that this quaint brick townhouse at 65 Bedford Street in the West Village couldn't be in a more charmed location, a connected panel of windows on the home's top floor is the only indication of more to come. The 4,000-square-foot, 20-foot-wide renovated townhouse has the necessary combination of modern and traditional, including an elevator, walls of windows and multiple terraces. The entire package–four bedrooms, four stories–is on the rental market for a one- year lease at $25,000 a month.
Check out all those windows

Distinctive Homes

February 26, 2017

Steven Gambrel turned a Park Avenue apartment into a sophisticated playground for pastel colors

By Rebecca Paul

When one thinks of a sprawling Park Avenue apartment, what comes to mind is typically muted colors, clean lines, and classic decor, but for this Upper East Side duplex, the Steven Gambrel and the designers at his firm S.R. Gambrel created a home that retains this sophistication while displaying a bevy of cheery pastel hues, geometric patterns, and unexpected accessories.
See the whole home

February 25, 2017

Weekly highlights: Top picks from the 6sqft staff

Jason Biggs and Jenny Mollen list uber-stylish Tribeca loft for $3M Jeanne Gang reveals sparkly new renderings of High Line-hugging Solar Carve Tower Astoria is NYC’s top ‘hood for millennials seeking roommates Oldest home in Brooklyn Heights is on the market for $6.65M Supreme branded Metrocards bring mayhem to NYC subway stations Richard Meier’s mixed-use […]

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February 24, 2017

Plans for SHoP’s 10-story wooden condo tower squashed

SHoP's proposed wooden tower has gotten the axe, reports The Real Deal. The wood high-rise which was slated to rise along 18th Street in Chelsea has been scrapped, as a downturn in the market has forced developer Sy Ghassemi to change course.
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February 24, 2017

RAH:DESIGN employed modern home-building techniques to design this cool dog house

By Rebecca Paul

While there are many doggie-abodes on the market, the designers at RAH:DESIGN found themselves struggling to find something that fit with their carefully curated home decor. Instead of continuing their search, they decided to take matters into their own hands and launched MDK9 Dog Haus. Not only was it constructed using modern home-building materials, but it includes human-level amenities such as an overhang for shading, metal mesh siding for ventilation, wheels for easy mobility, and a built-in feeder.
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February 24, 2017

J.P. Morgan’s 120-year-old ‘Great Camp Uncas’ in the Adirondack wilderness reduced to $2.7M

A standout even among the region's Great Camps, the secluded Camp Uncas was built in 1895 by Brooklynite William West Durant, who is credited with perfecting the iconic Adirondack Great Camp style. The compound's biggest claim to fame, however, is that it once belonged to financier J.P. Morgan, who purchased the 1,500 acre property from Durant in 1897; for the fifty years that followed, it served as a vacation home for Morgan and his family. Though the property has traded hands several times since, the appeal of its iconic architecture remains as compelling as its history. Designated as a national landmark by the U.S. Department of the Interior in 2010, this historically significant piece of the Adirondacks is for sale for $2.7 million, reduced from its original 2015 ask of $3.25M.
Explore this extraordinary historic property

February 24, 2017

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

By Ondel Hylton

FiDi’s 180 Water Street Announces March Opening; Now Leasing No Fee Rentals + One Month Free [link] Renovated Apartments at Stonehenge Tower on Upper West Side Leasing with Two Months Free + $1,000 Security Deposits [link] Renovated Apartments in Prospect Heights Offer One Month of Free Rent with 14-Month Leases [link] Amenity-Packed QLIC Offering One […]

Real Estate Trends

February 24, 2017

A slew of new residential developments are headed for the Rockaways

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

February is too frigid to fantasize about the Rockaways’ wide white-sand beaches, but the playground peninsula is hot for a different reason: its expanding housing market. A series of housing developments are planned or under construction in this region of Queens. Unlike the single-family homes that the Rockaways are best known for, these modern residences are […]

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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

50 places to shop locally in NYC for that perfect gift

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

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February 24, 2017

Every NY Times front page since 1852 in under a minute; Brooklyn’s evil eye mecca

Disney Research created a new technology that can wirelessly power an entire room and charge devices. [Travel + Leisure] Ellen DeGeneres and Walmart are donating $1.6 million to send the graduating class of Red Hook’s Summit Academy Charter School to any SUNY school on four-year scholarships. [DNAinfo] See all 60,000+ New York Times front pages since 1852 […]

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February 24, 2017

Glamorous modern condo inside a historic Bed-Stuy townhouse asks $855K

By Emily Nonko

Talk about an apartment with good bones. This modern condo was carved from the historic four-story townhouse at 347 Gates Avenue, in Bedford-Stuyvesant. The condo conversion brought sleek finishes to each floor-through apartment, and this one on the third floor is now asking $855,000. It is located on a block of Bed-Stuy lined with picturesque townhouses, just a half block from the main drag of Bedford Avenue and close to the A/C trains on the Nostrand stop.
See more of the apartment

February 24, 2017

The Urban Lens: Will Ellis explores the relics and ruins of Staten Island’s remote edges

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, Will Ellis takes us through the relics and ruins of Staten Island's Arthur Kill Road. Are you a photographer who’d like to see your work featured on The Urban Lens? Get in touch with us at [email protected]. Step into the New York section of any bookstore these days and you'll likely see front and center "Abandoned NYC" by Will Ellis, which puts together three years of his photography and research on 16 of the city's "most beautiful and mysterious abandoned spaces." Will's latest photographic essay is titled "Arthur Kill Road," an eerily handsome exploration of the "quiet corners" and "remote edges" of Staten Island. He decided to focus on this thoroughfare as it winds through some of the NYC's most sparsely populated areas, including the defunct waterfront, remnants of historic architecture, and desolate industrial complexes. Here, as Ellis describes it, "the fabric of the city dissolves, and the past is laid bare through the natural process of decay."
See all the photos this way

Places

February 24, 2017

Ivanka Trump’s Park Avenue starter pad, still without a buyer, gets a rental price chop to $13K a month

As 6sqft previously reported, Ms. Trump and husband Jared Kushner, now senior adviser to President Donald Trump, first listed their apartment at 502 Park Avenue for $4.1 million in December; Ivanka purchased the home for $1.52 million in 2004. The classic and somewhat girly Park Avenue pad with Tiffany-box blue walls has also been on the rental market, first at $15K and, as Mansion Global reports, just reduced to $13,000 a month. Ivanka also owns one of the building’s penthouses–it's the Trump/Kushner family's main home when they're in town– that she bought for $16 million nearly six years ago.
Tour the classic uptown condo

February 24, 2017

South Harlem community board wants brokers to stop calling it ‘SoHa’

Harlem's gentrification and increasing real estate prices aren't news at this point, but a local community board thinks certain real estate brokers have crossed a line. As DNAinfo reports, Keller Williams created a separate office for "SoHa," their new branding for South Harlem. Following in the footsteps of NoLo (SoHo + Nolita + Lower East Side), DoBro (Downtown Brooklyn), and Hellsea (Hell's Kitchen + Chelsea), the moniker is seen as an attempt to make buyers and renters feel like they're cashing in on the next trendy 'hood. But residents of the Central Harlem area, roughly West 110th to 125th Streets, feel the marketing tactic is "arrogant" and "disrespectful," and so Community Board 10 has introduced a resolution that would prevent brokers from using the nickname.
READ MORE

Uncategorized

February 24, 2017

$10M Upper East Side townhouse is introducing its neighbors to the future

Sleek casement windows and a minimalist grey facade are the first sign that this otherwise unassuming mid-block home at 419 East 84th Street isn't your average $9.99 million Upper East Side townhouse. Inside, the Euro-chic flush surfaces, exposed brick, and wide open spaces of a downtown loft condo span five stories, from the garden floor au pair suite to the floating glass staircase to a wood-beamed skylit top floor. At 6,000 square feet, though, it's the size of three lofts, with the added perk of being situated in classic Yorkville, just a block from Carl Schurz Park and two blocks from the new Second Avenue Subway.
Hop in the elevator and take the tour

Distinctive Homes

February 24, 2017

120 more affordable units available at the Bronx’s Compass Residences complex, from $822/month

Back in 2011, Dattner Architects created the West Farms Redevelopment Plan, a rezoning (the largest ever in the Bronx at the time) of a 17-acre, 11-block former industrial area in Crotona Park East. The plan calls for a total of 1,325 affordable housing units, 46,000 square feet of retail, and community facilities. Dattner's first two buildings in the complex are called theCompass Residences, which provide 237 apartments arranged around a series of courtyards. This past December, 114 of these residences at 1544 Boone Avenue came online through the city's affordable housing lottery, and now, 120 more at 1524 Boone Avenue are open to New Yorkers earning 60 and 90 percent of the area median income, ranging from $822/month studios to $1,740/month three-bedrooms.
Find out here if you qualify

Affordable Housing

Art Nerd New York’s top event picks for the week – 2/23-3/1

Toilet Paper Paradise by Plamen Pletkov

February 23, 2017

Art Nerd New York’s top event picks for the week – 2/23-3/1

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! If you haven’t been to the Cadillac House--the cultural venue by the car company--now is the time to check it out, as two artists take over the space with room-sized installations perfect for Instragramming. Mo Scarpelli’s compelling documentary about journalists in Afghanistan plays at St. Bartholomew’s Church, and Amelie plays at Videology. Get an insider's tour of the historic New Yorker Hotel, then stay after hours at the gorgeous New York Public Library. The famed Salmagundi Club will stay open all night for a draw-a-thon, and the Bronx Museum of the Arts hosts another great Gala at the Conrad. Finally, Beau Stanton transforms his artwork into a special stop-motion film at Brilliant Champions.
More on all the best events this way

Events & Things To Do

February 23, 2017

Transformable Ollie chair unfurls with the pull of a string

If you've ever wished an ergonomic, well-designed comfortable chair would materialize when you need it, the Ollie Chair has your back. Ollie is a transformable seat that unfurls and retracts with no more than the pull of a string. Created by Brooklyn Navy Yard-based kinetic furniture company RockPaperRobot, the chair offers a portable, elegant and comfortable solution for today's office-anywhere work style–and its customizable cool design makes it a welcome addition to your decor.
So where can I get one?

February 23, 2017

High Line-style park proposed for a half-mile stretch of abandoned Staten Island rail

Although High Line Park visionary Robert Hammond recently expressed remorse for failing to develop a park that was "for the neighborhood"—not the ultra-wealthy that have infiltrated the blocks directly surrounding the elevated marvel—other cities continue to see nothing but financial opportunity in thrusting parkland upward. 6sqft recently reported on Newark, NJ, which will soon break ground on their own version of the High Line in hopes of revitalizing their long-burdened downtown, and now the Staten Island Economic Development Corp. (SIEDC) has announced that Port Richmond is angling for their own High Line magic atop .53 miles of abandoned North Shore rail line.
more details and photos here

Architecture And Design

Richard Meier’s mixed-use Teachers Village development is revitalizing downtown Newark

Residential Building VII, via Scott Frances

February 23, 2017

Richard Meier’s mixed-use Teachers Village development is revitalizing downtown Newark

With Hoboken long gone and Jersey City well in the throes of gentrification, it makes sense that Newark is the next New Jersey city poised for a renaissance. Not only is it easily accessible via both NJ Transit and the PATH, but its wealth of former industrial buildings lend themselves to a DUMBO-esque revitalization. In the up-and-coming downtown area, Newark native Richard Meier is behind Teachers Village, a 23-acre, mixed-use complex that is well on its way to restoring a sense of community to the neighborhood. The $150 million project will encompass three charter schools, ground-level retail, and 204 residential units with a preference given to educators, all located in six new buildings designed in the starchitect's signature style of white materials and gridded facades.
All the renderings and details this way

February 23, 2017

Trump Tower security came in $10M less than expected; 12 sculptures arrive on the High Line

The Renwick Hotel opened its Gertrude Stein Suite, the first in the historic building dedicated to a female author. [Conde Naste Traveler] Though Mayor de Blasio asked for $35 million in federal funding to cover Trump Tower security for 73 days, it actually only cost $25 million. [Gothamist] The Frank Lloyd Wright Revival Initiative wants […]

Uncategorized

February 23, 2017

Prospect Lefferts Gardens townhouse with lots of woodwork and sunroom lists for $2.4M

By Emily Nonko

This three-story brick townhouse is nestled on a charming street of Prospect Lefferts Gardens, the Brooklyn neighborhood east of Prospect Park. 88 Midwood Street also has some nice surprises inside, like carved woodwork, a big wood burning fireplace and a bonus sunroom. If you're on the hunt for a lovely Brooklyn townhouse with some historic details still in tact—and have $2.399 million to spare—look no further.
See more

Distinctive Homes

February 23, 2017

Sunday will be your last chance to brunch at the Waldorf Astoria’s Peacock Alley

Come March 1st the Waldorf Astoria will close its doors to the public in preparation for what's likely to be a lengthy conversion, as the New York icon transforms from luxury hotel to a hybrid of opulent condos and hotel rooms. While we can all rest assured that the Waldorf's stunning interiors will remain intact—from the historic ballrooms to exhibition space, dining rooms and banquet rooms—what will likely disappear for good (at least in their current form) are the lavish brunches held at Peacock Alley. As Metro NY reports, this Sunday, February 26th, will be your last opportunity to indulge in the hotel's utterly decadent weekend offering.
more details here

Events & Things To Do

Design team suggests a new mission-driven gentrification model geared toward artists and small businesses

Image: mx.org

February 23, 2017

Design team suggests a new mission-driven gentrification model geared toward artists and small businesses

We’ve definitely seen a lifetime’s worth of the trajectory that runs from warehouse to art studio to luxury loft, starting with neighborhoods like Soho and picking up speed as developers got into the act, anticipating the next "it" enclave with manageable rents attracting the young and creative. A team of New York-based designers developed a proposal for reaping the benefits of economic growth in the city's industrial areas without pricing out all but the wealthiest players. Soft City reports the details of this “mission-driven gentrification” concept, which suggests an all-new development model for the city's manufacturing neighborhoods (known as M1 districts), helmed by mission-based organizations and a building typology that caters to small businesses and artists.
Bright ideas, this way

February 23, 2017

Health-focused supportive and affordable housing complex breaks ground in the Bronx

Yesterday, mental health nonprofit Community Access broke ground on a new, $52.2 million supportive and affordable housing complex in the Mount Eden neighborhood of the Bronx. Located at 111 East 172nd Street, the building has 126 units, 60 of which will be set aside for Medicaid high-need individuals with mental health concerns and 65 for low-income families. It incorporates sustainable elements such as solar panels and a co-generation plant, as well as health-focused amenities like a community garden and kitchen to encourage and teach about healthy eating, outdoor exercise equipment, and a bike sharing program.
Find out more

February 23, 2017

Sad stretch of Canal Street retail may be replaced with this nine-story Passive House

If you've walked down Chinatown's Canal Street then you're certainly familiar with a string of stores at 312-322 Canal Street hawking cheap souvenirs to tourists and passersby. After a proposal to renew the depressed stretch of shops with a brand-new brick construction failed to pass Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) muster in 2011, a new, much more ambitious plan to replace the ramshackle building has finally emerged.
more details this way

New Developments

February 23, 2017

Jeanne Gang reveals sparkly new renderings of High Line-hugging Solar Carve Tower

The Greenwich by Rafael Vinoly

Renderings © Neoscape for Studio Gang Architects Just yesterday, 6sqft shared the news that Jeanne Gang's first ground-up project in NYC--the Solar Carve Tower at 40 Tenth Avenue--had begun construction along the High Line. Now, the Post shares new renderings of the jewel-like, glassy structure, which is so named for its employment of the firm's strategy that uses the sun's angles to shape a building. Along with these views of its chiseled edges, connection to the park, terraces, and interior spaces, comes word that developers Aurora Capital and William Gottlieb Real Estate have tapped Bruce Mosler of Cushman & Wakefield to begin leasing the 139,000-square-foot, 12-story boutique office building in anticipation of its 2019 opening.
Lots more details and renderings ahead

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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February 23, 2017

For $9.5M, this sprawling Gramercy co-op has a sunken living room and keys to the park

At a house-sized 3,809 square feet, this jumbo co-op at 50 Gramercy Park North, on the market for $9.5 million, is likely two apartments that were combined. As a result, there's more room for bedrooms, living and entertaining space and more floor-to-ceiling glass to take in the view. The building is also home to the Gramercy Park Hotel, so you get hotel-level amenities as part of the deal, along with a coveted key to the park.
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Distinctive Homes

February 22, 2017

Oldest home in Brooklyn Heights is on the market for $6.65M

Built in 1824, 24 Middagh Street is a charming, wood-frame, Federal house in Brooklyn Heights that has the distinction of being the oldest home in the neighborhood. And it's just gotten a price chop to $6,650,000 (it first listed this past September for the first time in nearly 60 years, asking $7 million). The listing says most of the original interior details--like wood floors, fireplaces, and moldings--are intact, and the five-bedroom residence even comes with a landscaped backyard and separate, two-bedroom carriage house.
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February 22, 2017

Rare footage from Coney Island’s giant cycling Velodrome of yesteryear

By Rebecca Paul

Cycling culture in New York City has been a growing trend for over 20 years. However, its popularity and the bike lanes of modern day New York have yet to reach the impressive status of Coney Island's 1920s bicycle racing Velodrome. The Velodrome was a wooden racetrack that seated approximately 10,000 people, each of whom came to cheer or jeer the area's best cyclists.
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History

February 22, 2017

Developer will turn Connecticut lighthouse into a giant playroom for his grandkids

In 2004, New York-based developer and builder Frank Sciame paid $6 million for the 3.4-acre waterfront Connecticut estate of the late Katharine Hepburn. In late 2015, he also dropped $290,000 at auction for the Old Saybrook Breakwater Lighthouse, which is within walking distance to the estate. The 131-year-old lighthouse was built in 1886 to mark a sand bar on the west side of the Connecticut River, but it will soon see a new life as a giant children's playroom. The Post reports that Sciame asked yacht-design architects Persak & Wurmfeld to redesign the structure as a clubhouse for his grandkids, complete with the original cast-iron windows and portholes, watch room and lantern room, and upper wrap-around deck.
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Architecture And Design

February 22, 2017

The top 20 most congested cities when it comes to traffic