6sqft | NYC local news, events, and apartments

ODA Architects have been on a roll across the city over the past couple years, marking their territory with their cantilevering cube-itecture. The other design element they're becoming known for is the use of inner courtyards, seen most prominently at their massive Rheingold Brewery project and Bushwick hotel. They're now incorporating both signature features at a new condo project in Long Island City at 22-12 Jackson Avenue, directly adjacent to their rental at 22-22 Jackson and across from the giant 5Pointz redevelopment site and MoMA PS1. CityRealty brings us the first look at renderings of the 175-unit, H-shaped building, which is the latest in a string of developments in Court Square.
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October 6, 2016

Sasha Vujacic is the second Knicks player to rent at Midtown West’s fitness-centric Sky

Back in July, 6sqft reported that Knicks star Kristaps Porzingis was renting out an $8,000/month penthouse at Midtown West's amenity-filled Sky, as well as renting out two more high-floor units for his brothers Martins and Janis. Perhaps due to the building's Carmelo Anthony-designed NBA regulation-sized basketball court, another player for the team has followed suite; the Post brings news today that shooting guard Sasha Vujacic is living in an $8,200/month pad at the glassy slab tower, and he and Porzingis have been spotting shooting hoops together here.
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October 6, 2016

FXFOWLE reveals design for $70M Statue of Liberty Museum, complete with green roof

Four months after it was announced that FXFOWLE would be designing a new, free-standing museum for the Statue of Liberty, principal architect Nicholas Garrison has revealed renderings of his vision for the site at today's groundbreaking ceremony on Liberty Island. The $70 million project--which will be largely funded by fashion designer Diane von Furstenberg--features an angular-shaped, 26,000-square-foot building constructed of glass, granite and concrete that was inspired by its waterfront location. It'll sit across the circular plaza from the Statue and will "seemingly rise out of the ground," according to Crain's, thanks to its green roof that acts as an extension of the surrounding park.
More renderings and details this way

Architecture And Design

October 6, 2016

Flushing community center was inspired by holding hands; Staten Island restaurant employs grandmas instead of chefs

The new community center for Asian Americans for Equality in Flushing follows the concept of holding hands in interweaving fingers to express the group’s mission of helping others. [ArchDaily] Staten Island’s Enoteca Maria staffs its kitchen with a fleet of “nonnas” from around the world, cooking the cuisines of their native countries. [Gothamist] The Bronx’s Arthur Avenue is […]

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October 6, 2016

Art Nerd New York’s Top Event Picks for the Week- 10/6-10/12

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. Art Nerd‘s philosophy is a combination of observation, participation, education and of course a party to create the ultimate well-rounded week. Jump ahead for Art Nerd founder Lori Zimmer’s top picks for 6sqft readers! October's cozy days are officially upon us, and we've got a slew of ways to celebrate. All month long, check out artist Chen Man's poignant and interactive Nao Nao pieces for Breast Cancer Awareness Month at the Peninsula Hotel, then head to Times Square for the melting poetry of Tim Etchells each night across the ad screens. Artist Joseph Grazi pens a love letter to Cecil the Lion and asks us to reevaluate the value of life, while the works of Richard Long take over the first floor of the iconic Donald Judd Foundation in Soho. Dan Efram shares stills of films he's never made, and a group of artists that favor paper talk techniques at Trestle Gallery. Lastly, spend a crisp day in the Hamptons for the 24th annual film festival and Patron Hosts' Art+Music Lounge, with a show curated by Natalie Kates and a party curated by Art Nerd!
More on all the best events this way

Events & Things To Do

Developer of the world’s tallest prefab tower in Brooklyn is exiting the modular business

Image via Field Condition

October 6, 2016

Developer of the world’s tallest prefab tower in Brooklyn is exiting the modular business

After boasting that it had “cracked the code” on modular construction, with plans for a Brooklyn factory, developer Forest City Ratner is exiting the prefab building business, reports the New York Times. The factory at the Brooklyn Navy Yard will be sold to Roger Krulak, a former Forest City executive, along with the technology used to construct the world's tallest prefabricated steel structure, the 32-story 461 Dean Street in the Pacific Park complex in Brooklyn. Construction on the building has just been completed and 461 Dean is weeks from getting its first residents.
Find out more

Architecture And Design

October 6, 2016

Starchitect condo prices grew 39 percent in 5 years, new index reveals

By 6sqft

As part of a recent expansion of its market indices, CityRealty has pulled together a new index tracking condo prices in NYC buildings designed by starchitects. The index quantifies the extent to which buyers are willing to pay a premium for apartments in buildings designed by big-name architects such as Robert A.M. Stern, Jean Nouvel and Norman Foster.
is hiring a starchitect worth it?

October 6, 2016

NYC bridges and tunnels getting $500M overhaul including LED light shows and electronic tollbooths

Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Wednesday that the tolling system on the city’s bridges and tunnels owned by the MTA–that would be Robert F. Kennedy, Throgs Neck, Verrazano-Narrows, Bronx-Whitestone, Henry Hudson, Marine Parkway-Gil Hodges Memorial, and Cross Bay Veterans Memorial bridges and the Queens-Midtown and Hugh Carey (formerly Battery) tunnels–will be getting a $500 million overhaul. Cuomo also announced that the $500 million the MTA will asked to contribute to pay for the new collection system will also cover new LED lights on some of the city’s bridges.
Cashless tollbooths and disco bridges, this way

Transit

Distinctive Homes

Park Avenue penthouse with enormous terrace owned by Maurice Tempelsman lists for $5.5M

$45M for a two-for-one penthouse palace at the top of the Plaza

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

This $16.7M Cobble Hill home is like having your own private club in a Brooklyn brownstone

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

For $2.3M, this Amzi Hill-designed Bed-Stuy brownstone gives you plenty of options

For $5.25M, this Gramercy townhouse has a live-work option for a very short commute

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

185-acre equestrian estate that once belonged to the Carnegie family heads to auction

One of the oldest wood-frame houses in Brooklyn Heights asks $4.9M

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October 6, 2016

The Avegant Glyph is a wearable movie screen with surround sound

The Avegant Glyph offers cinema screen entertainment without the distraction of people rustling popcorn. The wearable, invented by a Silicon Valley start-up, resembles a hefty pair of headphones but when you slide the band down over your eyes, micro mirror projection gives the impression that you’re watching an enormous display. READ MORE AT METRO NEW […]

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October 6, 2016

New renderings and hotel details for Bjarke Ingels’ High Line towers, now dubbed ‘The Eleventh’

In a press release announcing that HFZ Capital Group is bringing a 137-key luxury Six Senses hotel and spa to Bjarke Ingels' pair of travertine-and-bronze towers along the High Line, 6sqft has learned that the $1.9 billion project at 76 Eleventh Avenue will officially be known as The Eleventh. The hotel announcement --which is interesting because in December 2015, the original plans for a hotel were replaced with office space--also came with several new renderings of the 28- and 38-story buildings, which are distinguished by their twisting silhouettes, glowing crowns, and two amenity-filled podium bridges that connect them.
More new views and details ahead

October 6, 2016

Comedian Rachel Dratch sells off Gramercy co-op for $925K

About one year ago 6sqft reported that funny woman Rachel Dratch snatched up a somewhat bland two-bedroom at 230 East 15th Street in Gramercy. While we imagined that Dratch would transform the space into quirky quarters to match her equally vibrant personality, as it turns out, Dratch has long been the owner of another similar but smaller unit in the building with a shared aesthetic. According to city records, the comedienne just shed the one-bedroom property for $925,000.
see more here

October 6, 2016

Bethenny Frankel puts luxe Tribeca loft on the market for $7M now that divorce is finalized

Bethenny Frankel, "Real Housewives of New York City" star and outspoken founder of the Skinny Girl empire, finalized her divorce from ex-husband Jason Hoppy over the summer after four long years. Perhaps the most contentious part of the legal battle was that he remained in the Tribeca loft that she purchased in 2011 for just under $5 million while she hotel-hopped (she notoriously referred to herself as "the richest homeless person in Manhattan"). But things seem to be turning around for Frankel; she bought and renovated a $4.2 million Soho loft back in April 2015, and she's now finally listed the Tribeca condo for an impressive $6.95 million, reports Variety. The four-bedroom corner spread at 195 Hudson Street is cool and contemporary and boasts luxe details such as a 180-bottle wine fridge, decked-out closet/dressing room, and totally custom office (which made many an appearance on the Bravo reality show).
See the whole place here

October 6, 2016

Amy Schumer checks out a five-floor $15M Riverside Drive mansion

Comedian Amy Schumer is certainly looking to trade up from her modest one-bedroom on the Upper West Side. According to the Post, comedy's It Girl was recently spotted scoping out a $15 million mansion at 352 Riverside Drive, apparently dropping in for a peek after a run. The Beaux Arts-styled property dates back to 1900 and was designed by architect Robert D. Kohn for Adolphe Openhym, a wealthy silk merchant. As one would expect, the nine-bedroom home comes dripping in handcrafted details, including eight wood-burning fireplaces, ornate crown moulding and mahogany and oak staircases, among other details that harken to the mansion's storied past like its original dumbwaiter and staff call buttons.
have a closer look inside here

October 6, 2016

Five-story Chelsea townhouse with 22-foot ceilings renting for $22,000 a month

This massive, modern townhouse is now up for rent--furnished or unfurnished--in Chelsea, at 241 West 17th Street. The five-story elevator building, which holds six bedrooms, a private garage and a living room with 22-foot ceilings, is asking $22,000 a month. It even has a finished basement, which could be used as a gym, wine cellar or playroom. The property previously tried its hand asking $11.5 million two years ago but did not sell. With all its modern, luxurious finishes, this definitely isn't your average New York townhouse.
Check it out

Distinctive Homes

October 5, 2016

$730K for this cozy but charming one bedroom in Soho

This very cute one-bedroom co-op at the Soho building 57 Thompson Street has hit the market at a price of $730,000. Besides the good location, just east of 6th Avenue, it's got nice details like painted exposed brick, arched windows and some newer finishes in the kitchen and bathroom. It's a small pad, sure, but it packs in enough charm to impress.
Take a look

Distinctive Homes

October 5, 2016

Apple Pay and Masterpass gets added to the MTA eTix

Beginning today, you won’t have to worry so much about “what’s in your wallet” before you hop on Metro-North Railroad and Long Island Rail Road. Govrnor Andrew Cuomo’s office announced on Tuesday the addition of Apple Pay and Masterpass digital wallet technology to MTA eTix, the mobile ticketing app. “By adding the use of cutting edge […]

Transit

October 5, 2016

Live in a massive $8M West Village loft for just $1 a month

Yes, you read that correctly--you can move into a luxury 3,400-square-foot West Village loft that cost $8 million and pay only $1 month. Metro brings us the deal of the century, which was posted by Rupert Hunt, Founder and CEO of SpareRoom.com, a platform that helps people find roommates and spare rooms. Hunt recently moved to NYC and is looking for two roommates to share the loft, which is located on Bleecker Street just off 7th Avenue South. Unbelievably, each of the available bedrooms has its own walk-in closet, private bathroom, and office area, as well as access to the massive, open-plan lounge/dining room/kitchen and the 1,500-square-foot roof terrace with 360-degree views and a 17-seat barbecue area. Why, you ask, is Hunt charging just a $1 in a neighborhood where rooms rent for around $1,800 (and probably much more for a giant, tricked-out apartment like this)? For starters, he doesn't need the money, and he's also really excited about living with roommates.
More on this insane deal and a look around the apartment

Distinctive Homes

Unpacking the mid-century-mod trend; HBO documentary looks at growing up in gentrifying Chelsea

Why mid-century-modern is the “the pumpkin spice latte of interior design.” [Fast Co. Design] Take a tour of Meg Ryan’s Soho loft. [Arch Digest] Here’s a candle that will make your house smell like a new Mac. [Motherboard] This ornate drawing illustrates the tallest buildings in the world in 1884 (none of which are in NYC). […]

Uncategorized

October 5, 2016

POLL: Which Penn Station scheme do you prefer, Governor Cuomo’s or Vishaan Chakrabarti’s?

When Governor Cuomo revealed his plans for a new Penn Station-Moynihan Train Hall complex early last week, things seemed to be moving full steam towards a 2020 completion date thanks to flashy renderings and the selection of a high-profile developer-builder team. But architect Vishaan Chakrabarti was not convinced, and he and his firm the Practice for Architecture and Urbanism decided to create their own vision, one that repurposes Madison Square Garden, a facet of the plan he feels Cuomo failed to address.
Tell us which scheme you prefer

October 5, 2016

Macro Sea’s David Belt takes us inside New Lab, an 84,000-square-foot thinkspace in the Navy Yard

The Brooklyn Navy Yard has since its inception acted as a pole for the cutting edge and creative, from its time as the "The Can-Do Shipyard" where U.S. warships assembled, to present day as urban farmers, photographers and filmmakers carve out spaces for themselves on the campus' more than 300 acres. But the latest most notable addition to the Navy Yard is most certainly New Lab. New Lab is the creation of Macro Sea (who many will remember brought dumpster pools to NYC a few years ago) and is a revolutionary hub that turns an 84,000-square-foot former shipping building into a thinkspace for nearly 300 engineers and entrepreneurs working in advanced hardware and robotics. Here, members whose work include everything from designing nano microscopes to using synthetic biology to engineer cities can take their ideas from concept to prototype to production under one roof. It's what the founders are calling "a breakthrough ecosystem of shared resources." In this 6sqft feature, we speak to New Lab's co-founder and Macro Sea Executive Director and founder David Belt. David is also the founder and Managing Partner of DBI, which is currently managing the realization of the Performing Arts Center at the World Trade Center, amongst other high-profile projects around the city. Ahead, he takes us through the new facility and gives us some intel on what inspired the design, the cutting edge companies that have taken up space, and what he ultimately hopes to achieve with New Lab.
Learn more about New Lab with David here

October 5, 2016

Jessica Chastain sells Greenwich Village duplex for $1.9M

After first hitting the market last September, Jessica Chastain's lovely Greenwich Village duplex has finally found a buyer according to city records. The actress bought the renovated two-bedroom at 250 Mercer Street in 2012 for $1.2 million and initially listed it as an $11,500/month rental before re-listing it for sale for $1.8 million in April. The buyer paid slightly over ask at $1.9 million.
See more here

October 5, 2016

Buried treasures from the city’s past will be on view at a new Manhattan research center

New York City has catalogued and created a digitized archive of the many buried artifacts from its past; Wednesday the Landmarks Preservation Commission is officially opening a repository of those countless artifacts. The New York Times reports that the Nan A. Rothschild Research Center–the first municipal archive devoted to a city’s archaeological collection, has found a home in Midtown Manhattan. More than a million artifacts will now be available for viewing by researchers and scholars by appointment; a digital archive is already available. The climate-controlled repository at 114 West 47th Street contains artifacts from 31 excavated sites from all five boroughs, including the city’s first major historical dig, the Stadt Huys (now 85 Broad Street in Lower Manhattan), which, when the artifacts were discovered in 1979, raised the idea that archaeological treasures were buried beneath old buildings.
Find out what you can dig up at the digital archive

October 5, 2016

$2.65M laid-back Carroll Gardens townhouse has historic charm and crayon-box cool

This unassuming townhouse at 189 Luquer Street starts out with the advantage of being in a particularly cool little section of otherwise postcard-perfect Carroll Gardens, near Gowanus and the Columbia Street Waterfront without being a hike to the subway and steps from some of the best restaurants in the borough (Buttermilk Channel, Frankie's). While the home may not be palatial at 1,848 square feet, there are four bedrooms and a lovely outdoor space. It's move-in-ready if not decked out in marble and European kitchen gear, and the current owners clearly know the value of colorful surroundings. Rather than the usual shades of pale, crayola colors wake the bedrooms from boredom, and bright pops of red and riots of pattern appear in unexpected places
Tour the rainbow

Distinctive Homes

October 5, 2016

The NYPL’s iconic Rose Reading Room reopens to the public today!

The New York Public Library’s Rose Reading Room and Bill Blass Public Catalog Room officially reopened to the public today at 10 AM. Early this morning, NYPL staff held a ribbon-cutting celebration for two adjacent spaces located on the third floor of the iconic Stephen A. Schwarzman Building on 5th Avenue. Both rooms had been closed to the public for more than two years for repairs and restorations.
more details this way

October 4, 2016

289-acre Hudson Valley estate built for the Roosevelts and Astors asks $22M

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

Here in Manhattan, $22 million barely buys a townhouse, but not far away upstate in Dutchess County, it'll get you a whopping 289 acres, complete with a Georgian-style manor, Greek Temple-inspired pool house, equestrian facilities, and some serious historic pedigree. The Post reports that the 1851 Atalanta estate was built for Franklin Hughes Delano and his wife Laura Astor Delano (FDR's great uncle and aunt) as a wedding gift using land from the Astor's nearby Rokeby estate. It's now hit the market, providing a wealth of views inside the home and throughout the stunning Hudson Valley grounds.
Take a tour right here

October 4, 2016

Wood-Clad Long Island home by Bates Masi takes inspiration from Quaker architecture

By Ana Lisa Alperovich

Simplicity, humility and inner focus were key to early Quaker architecture, principles that also inspired Bates Masi + Architects' latest project. The beautiful Underhill home sits in Matinecock, a village within Oyster Bay, Long Island, on the site of an old Quaker settlement. It's composed of a series of interconnected wooden pavilions topped by angled gabled roofs, "each one focused inward on its own garden courtyard instead of out to the surrounding neighbors," according to the firm.
Learn more about this Quaker-inspired home

Architecture And Design

THE 6SQFT SHOP

The 6 best furniture rental companies in NYC

8 best places in NYC to thrift for home goods

The best websites for buying and selling used furniture in NYC

Everything you need to know about using a guarantor in NYC

15 quintessential NYC gifts for the New Yorker in your life

Raising chickens in NYC: Laws, tips, and everything else you need to know

50 places to shop locally in NYC for that perfect gift

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

10 best plants for apartment dwellers

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October 4, 2016

Save the Carnegie Deli group offers $5M for the pastrami palace

As Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, is celebrated, Carnegie Deli might be getting a new start, according to Save the Carnegie Deli, a group dedicated to keeping the 79-year-old deli open. Samuel Mussovic, a man who said he is a former restaurant owner and was a Carnegie Deli dishwasher 30 years ago, announced on Monday […]

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October 4, 2016

NJ’s first co-living concept coming to Journal Square; the NYC filming locations of Luke Cage

Here are the NYC filming locations for Luke Cage, Netflix’s new Marvel series set in Harlem. [Untapped] Co-living company Ollie, who is featured at the city’s first micro-housing development Carmel Place, is now bringing their all-inclusive co-living concept to Jersey City’s Journal Square. [6sqft inbox] Trader Joe’s will open in the base of Beyer Blinder Belle’s […]

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October 4, 2016

Tribeca live/work loft with an impressive great room hits the market for $2.5M

The great room in this live/work Tribeca loft, at 6 Varick Street, is the epitome of "sprawling." Spanning 1,418 square feet, it fits a kitchen, living room and dining area with space to boot. A bedroom has been carved into the corner, separated by shelving and a curtain. And the whole thing benefits from loft details like exposed wooden beams, white painted brick walls, hardwood floors and huge windows. All that space is now on the market for $2.5 million, after previously going up for rent two years ago.
Time to take a tour

Distinctive Homes

October 4, 2016

NYC bike lanes date back to 1899, and trucks blocked them then too

Vehicles parked smack in the middle of bike lanes are among the biggest scourges faced by city cyclists. It’s illegal (yes, there’s a $115 fine) though the law is rarely enforced–but it’s not just a modern obstruction. As it turns out, the main reason early bike lanes were created in the 1890s was because of lobbying by cyclists in the hopes getting more open riding space. New York City began paving whole streets and laying down asphalt strips specifically for cyclists–and, ironically, carts, wagons and other vehicles immediately began blocking them.
Naming and shaming the scofflaws

October 4, 2016

How Otis’ elevator made modern skyscrapers possible

Advances in engineering continue to push modern skyscrapers to dizzying new heights, but at the core of these structures, quite literally, is an often overlooked technology that’s been key to their proliferation: the elevator. The earliest known reference to the elevator was by Roman architect Vitruvius, who reported that Archimedes built his first elevator around 236 B.C. The design was fairly rudimentary, a platform using pulleys and hoisted by hand or by animal. While elevators found their way into countless buildings and homes in the centuries that followed, including that of Louis XV who used a private lift to connect his Versailles apartment to that of his mistress, it wasn’t until the late 19th century that their true potential was unlocked.
read more about the elevator here

October 4, 2016

Affordable housing applicants with low credit scores and legal history now protected from discrimination

In recent months, the city has been pushing for legislation that better protects tenants, including a bill that would guarantee lawyers for all low-income residents facing eviction and regulations over screening software services that leads to landlord discrimination. They're now taking this idea to affordable housing lotteries, where there's been a major uptick in activity over the past couple years due to the Mayor's goal to add or preserve 200,000 units over 10 years. As DNAinfo reports, the city is releasing today an online Marketing Handbook for the lotteries, and among the objectives are protections for applicants with low credit scores and those who have previously taken their landlords to court.
Find out more

October 4, 2016

For $9.6M, an elegant Spanish Colonial condo awaits on the Upper East Side

On the one hand, you could say this mansion-esque 3,100-square-foot Spanish Colonial Revival-style home embodies classic Upper East Side pre-war co-op charm–at a condo price. A Park Avenue address in Carnegie Hill usually means the former, as do the home's 1928 bones, sprawling, palatial layout and stunning entry foyer. But this $9.6 million condo at 1235 Park Avenue is newly-renovated and though the price may be steeper, it comes with the flexibility a condominium generally affords.
Tour the rooms

Distinctive Homes

October 4, 2016

New York Wheel’s four 500-ton legs arrive in New York harbor

Despite its opening being pushed to April 2018, the New York Wheel is marking a major milestone--the arrival of its first physical components. According to a press release, the Staten Island Ferris wheel's four legs arrive today to the South Brooklyn Marine Terminal (SBMT). When complete, the 60-story, 630-foot wheel will be the world’s tallest, so it makes sense that each leg weighs in at a whopping 500 tons and measures 18 feet wide and 275 feet tall.
See more photos this way

Uncategorized

October 3, 2016

Geometric sound-absorbing wall panels are made from wood wool

By Ana Lisa Alperovich

Made from wood wool, a mix of leftover wood chips, cement, water and pigments, these sound absorbing wall panels come in assorted colors and shapes that can be arranged and re-arranged, turning any cookie-cutter apartment into a unique space. Designed by Swedish studio Form Us With Love and known as BAUX Träullit, they're a great example of how construction materials can also be functional and stunning.
Learn more about this lovely wall piece

October 3, 2016

Haunted homes you can rent by the night via Airbnb

With Halloween just around the corner, instead of dressing up in a scaring costume why not celebrate the spookiest time of the year at a haunted house? If you don’t happen to have a friend or relative with a haunted home, then Airbnb has several accommodations that promise to come with a ghost or two, or […]

Architecture And Design

October 3, 2016

Artist brings 4,000 redwood trees to Downtown Brooklyn

A big green sign that greets drivers from Manhattan coming over the Williamsburg Bridge reads, "Name It...We Got It!" Among the many things to which the borough can now lay claim: A dense grove of 4,000 redwood trees in the middle of Downtown Brooklyn's Metrotech Commons. It's this unlikely juxtaposition that has brought the trees, with roots in prehistoric times and known to grow bigger than the Flatiron Building and longer than the Brooklyn Bridge, to this spot steps from Shake Shack. The mini-redwood forest is called "Lost Man Creek," an art installation by Brooklyn-based artist Spencer Finch that opened on October 1. It's a scaled-down (to one hundredth the size) replica of a 790-acre section of California's Redwood National Park, planted in partnership with the Save the Redwoods League.
See more of this magical mini-forest

Events & Things To Do

October 3, 2016

Philip Johnson’s sculpture gallery gets renovated; What can NY learn from Barcelona’s superblocks?

Is it your First Amendment right to hang political signs in the window at a condo, co-op, or rental? [NYT] A wine vineyard with a rooftop farm is coming to Staten Island. [DNAinfo] In Barcelona, the city is creating “superblocks” that will limit vehicles, thereby lessening congestion and pollution and adding more public space for […]

Uncategorized

October 3, 2016

Escape to this Catskills school house for an idyllic upstate vacation

This historic, former school house is the perfect upstate escape, as it's nestled on five acres of land with access to a private river. Located between three different towns--Saugerties, Catskill and Hudson--the charming building has been comfortably renovated to hold up to four guests. The rustic interior boasts high cathedral ceilings over one big open room, while your surroundings include plenty of places to swim, hike and relax. If that sounds like a dream away from New York City, the property is rentable through Airbnb for $240 a night.
Go inside the school house

October 3, 2016

Madonna says in court papers that UWS co-op rules shouldn’t apply to her because she’s famous

"Express Yourself" is not a problem for Madonna when it comes to her real estate dramas. After getting caught posting fake "no parking" signs outside her Upper East Side mansion, she then sued the board of her Upper West Side co-op when they tried to enforce the rule that her children and staff can't use the apartment without her, the owner, present. The Post has now obtained court papers in which the diva asserts she should be exempt from the building rules since they knew she was a superstar when she moved there in 2004. "At that time, I was, and still am, a world-known performing artist... One West knew or should have known that I traveled extensively and owned other residences."
More from the court papers

Celebrities

October 3, 2016

Renters’ Rights 101: Know what your landlord is responsible for

No, you don't have to suffer in a sub-zero apartment this winter, nor do you need to dine with mice and roaches in your kitchen during the summer. If you're one of the many constantly finding themselves up in arms over a negligent landlord, rest assured there's more that you can do beyond grumbling to your friends. Indeed, in NYC tenants have a lot of power, and the city has established a number of regulations to protect you, your family, and especially young children living in rental properties. Ahead is 6sqft's list of the most common problems New York renters face—and some advice on how to get those issues fixed quickly.
Your rights here

October 3, 2016

Flood regulations may thwart plan to convert Lower Manhattan public spaces to retail

When plans surfaced last March for a rezoning of the Financial District that would allow property owners to bring in retail tenants to the underutilized public plazas and walkways at the base of their buildings, it was met with mixed reviews. While some felt it would increase foot traffic and create a more vibrant street presence, others thoughts it would result in a loss of public space, but a gain for developers. These concerns may be a moot point, however, as Crain's brings news today that the plan could be "upended by federal flood regulations being applied to more areas of the city since Superstorm Sandy."
What's the deal?

October 3, 2016

$5.75M Federal rowhouse in the West Village was once owned by Aaron Burr

It seems the hype of "Hamilton" the musical is having an affect on the real estate market. Just five months ago, the former East Village home of Alexander Hamilton, Jr. sold for $10 million, and now a rowhouse across town in the West Village that was once owned by Aaron Burr, who famously killed his father, is hitting the market for $5.75 million. The Post reports that the charming brick, Federal-style home at 17 Commerce Street sits on land that Burr owned just north of his country estate during the turn of the 18th century.
More history and a look through the house

October 3, 2016

For $2.6M, this Village loft has a floor plan that’s definitely off the grid

On a tree-lined Village block that's somewhere between bustling and quiet, with a certain unchanged kind of old school elegance, this three-bedroom co-op loft at 30 East 10th Street is spacious enough at 1,600 square feet, but expensive at $2.6 million. On the other hand, it's a corner loft, and well-proportioned–the co-op's layout is anything but cookie-cutter with big bedrooms nestled in their own orbits on opposite sides of the apartment.
Tour the loft

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

Learn More

October 2, 2016

Historic upstate property with 15 acres sells itself as a $915K getaway for New Yorkers

This property is being sold as the perfect haven for a New Yorker who needs an escape upstate. Located at 287 Marcott Road, in Stone Ridge, it's a sprawling 15 acres that's just 80 minutes from Manhattan and 20 minutes from the Amtrak station. On all that land is an 1800s stone structure, which has been renovated and is used as the main house, a heated in-ground pool and a guest house, all surrounded by forest. And it's asking about the price of a one-bedroom apartment in Manhattan, $915,000.
Walk the grounds

September 30, 2016

Hexagonal Frank Lloyd Wright ‘Usonian’ house for sale for $995K in Glen Ridge, New Jersey

This unique listing should definitely get the attention of modern house lovers and math geeks. One of three remaining New Jersey homes (a fourth was moved to Arkansas in 2014) designed by Frank Lloyd Wright is up for sale for $995,000. The home was purchased by the current owners in 1996 and restored to "purists' standards" in 2006. The house follows the architect’s “Usonian” plan which incorporates native materials and strong visual connections between interiors and the exterior landscape.
Check it out

September 30, 2016

Vishaan Chakrabarti reveals idea to repurpose Madison Square Garden as part of the Penn Station overhaul

Earlier this week, Governor Cuomo revealed plans to transform a revamped Penn Station-Moynihan Train Hall complex into a "world-class 21st century transportation hub." Despite the flashy new renderings and promise of a 2020 completion date, not everyone is sold on the plan, including Vishaan Chakrabarti, former principal of SHoP Architects and founder of the Practice for Architecture and Urbanism. As outlined in the Times, he feels that Cuomo's scheme has one glaring omission--Madison Square Garden. Instead of demolishing the arena, as earlier plans had called for, Chakrabarti proposes repurposing it and "using its stripped skeleton to make a glass pavilion, which becomes a neighborhood gathering spot, not just a station." The venue would then move to the west end of the Farley Building.
Lots more details and renderings ahead

The Urban Lens: Photographer Bob Estremera captures vestiges of the Lower East Side’s early days

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, photographer Bob Estremera documents the historic buildings and businesses of the Lower East Side. Are you a photographer who’d like to see your work featured on The Urban Lens? Get in touch with us at [email protected].

September 30, 2016

The Urban Lens: Photographer Bob Estremera captures vestiges of the Lower East Side’s early days