September 17, 2016

Art Nerd New York’s Top Event Picks for the Week- 9/15-9/21

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! Lower Manhattan's Arts Brookfield is stretching its curatorial arm uptown with a new sculpture presentation by John Monti, and further uptown (in the Bronx) British stencil artist Nick Walker shows his iconic Vandal character in works on paper you can take home. Mighty Tanaka Gallery comes back in pop-up group show form, and Brooklyn's Brilliant Champions brings LA artist Michelle Blade to Bushwick. Artists, including light artist Esmeralda Kosmatopoulos, tackle the notion of failure in the art world at Radiation Gallery, and light art enlivens the beautiful Manhattan Bridge underpass in DUMBO for IFP Film week. Just across the water, see the world's largest modern-built Viking ship dock in Battery Park City. And upstate, Basilica Hudson celebrates another experimental Soundscape Festival, and closer the home, the Garment District will become home to eight wacky animal sculptures by Hung Yi.
More on all the best events this way
September 16, 2016

Hamptons estate where Jackie O spent her childhood summers lists for $50M

6sqft has already taken a look at the posh Upper East Side building where Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis grew up, and now we can go inside the 100-year-old Hamptons estate where she spent her childhood summers. As the Wall Street Journal first reported, the 11-acre property in East Hampton known as Lasata is currently owned by fashion designer and former Coach executive Reed Krakoff, who's listed the entire Arts and Crafts-style residence for more than $50 million.
See the whole property
September 16, 2016

Naked Trump statue returns, spotted near Holland Tunnel

After an artists’ collective exposed the nation last month to life-sized nude Donald Trump statues in cities across the U.S.—including New York City, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Seattle and Cleveland—they have reappeared in public. The “anarchist” art collective, Indecline, placed the statues on a building rooftop near the Holland Tunnel in New Jersey, and on a […]

September 16, 2016

Free People art director lists boho-chic loft in Greenwich Village for $999K

This gorgeous loft at 77 Bleecker Street in Greenwich Village has undergone a big renovation and hit the market for a hair under $1 million. The seller is Lauren Cohan, an art director at Free People, who purchased it in 2015 for $635,000. Post reno, the space has a decidedly Free People vibe, with quirky interior design complimented by lofty features like high ceilings and exposed brick.
Take a look
September 16, 2016

432 Park’s first model penthouse unveiled; fictional NYC apartments get real

As Garment District landlords hand over leases to higher-paying nightlife tenants, three more longtime fabric stores on West 39th Street will close by the end of the year. [DNAinfo] The replica of Syria’s Palmrya Triumphal Arch, destroyed by ISIS, will arrive in City Hall Park next week. [Untapped] With shows like “Girls” and “Broad City,” the fictional NYC […]

September 16, 2016

Skyline blights: New York’s ugliest building finally gets its glassy update

The former Verizon Building at 375 Pearl Street has long been considered one of New York City's ugliest buildings. The oppressive structure was erected in 1975 and climbs 540 feet into the sky. While the height is almost negligible compared to some of the supertalls rising today, the tower's prime skyline positioning amongst some of the world's most celebrated architectural creations has done nothing to help shroud its banal facade. In fact, when the telephone switching center opened its doors for the first time more than 40 years ago, New York Times architecture critic Paul Goldberger described it as the Verizon's "most disturbing" addition to the city (though in defense of the architects Rose, Beaton & Rose, it was built to withstand severe weather and attacks and protect the critical telecommunications infrastructure within). But all of that is changing now, as the building's fortress-like facade is in the midst of receiving a long due makeover.
More photos of the progress that's been made here
September 16, 2016

Spotlight: Employee of the Month’s Catie Lazarus on interviewing the who’s who of the world

Catie Lazarus might have one of the coolest jobs in New York, interviewing the likes of actor Jon Hamm, singer Patti LuPone, United Nations Ambassador Samantha Power, and even a hand model. As the host of Employee of the Month, a live interview series at Joe’s Pub, Catie delves deep into her interviewees' careers, adding in some of her own fun (she used to be a stand-up comic) alongside Lin Manuel Miranda's Freestyle Love Supreme, the hip hop host band, and a sketch illustrator. 6sqft recently reversed roles, offering Catie the chance to be the interviewee and talk about her job.
Read the interview here
September 16, 2016

Historic and possibly haunted mansion near Navy Yard is priced to scare at $4.5 million

Though we can see how the otherwise potential-filled historic–and allegedly haunted–Lefferts-Laidlaw mansion at 136 Clinton Avenue in the Clinton Hill/Navy Yard/Wallabout neighborhood may terrify prospective buyers with an ask of $4.499 million, an 1878 New York Times account describes the persistent and mysterious ring-and-run situation that apparently plagued the home’s then-resident, Edward F. Smith. Neither crafty attempts to discover who was responsible for “doorbells rung, doors rattled" on a nightly basis and a brick hurled through a window, nor police intervention could produce a culprit. The house became a fixture on the map of spiritualists who held seances on the sidewalk. Locals suggested the pesky poltergeist might be either a lawyer who had committed suicide on the premises, or, as Mr. Smith suggested (possibly with some sarcasm attached as it was, after all, Brooklyn), Satan.
Does this house look spooky to you?
September 16, 2016

Bronx building boom leads to a population comeback not seen in over 40 years

A recent report from the New York Building Congress outlined how the Bronx had outpaced four-year frontrunner Brooklyn for the most residential permits issued, which was attributed in large part to the affordable housing push in the borough. And a story in the Times today takes a wider look at the borough's resurgence, noting that this building boom has led to a "population comeback" not seen since the 1970s.
All the stats, this way
September 16, 2016

One World Trade Center not for sale after all (at least not yet)

Last week, 6sqft reported that the Port Authority would sell One World Trade Center for up to $5 billion due in part to vacancy issues and the fact that the tower only brought in $13 million in revenue last year, a mere 0.35 percent return on the agency's investment. But Authority chairman John Degnan said yesterday to Politico that "It’s certainly not on the block. We’re not talking to any brokers about it." This doesn't however, mean that the agency has changed its stance that it will one day "divest and monetize in non-transportation-related holdings."
Find out more
September 16, 2016

Saudi billionaire seals the deal on the city’s highest home for record $88M

The most expensive apartment closing in New York City this year and one of the priciest sales ever is finally a done deal, reports The Real Deal. The apartment, the top penthouse at Rafael Viñoly-designed billionaire’s bunker 432 Park Avenue, is the priciest unit in the big-ticket building as well as being literally the city’s highest. As 6sqft previously reported, the buyer is Saudi retail magnate Fawaz Al Hokair. The sale price was $87.7 million—a skyscraping $10,623 per square foot.
More jumbo numbers, this way
September 15, 2016

‘Humans of New York’ creator picks up $2.45M Chelsea duplex

You may not know Brandon Stanton by name, but you certainly know his photo-journalism project "Humans of New York." Launched six years ago, the social media sensation features interviews with thousands of people on the streets of New York, with special series focusing on groups like Syrian refugees and veterans, and it's now spread internationally. Stanton has encountered wild success, even authoring a book that spent 29 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list, and he's now scored a lovely Chelsea co-op, reports the Observer. He and fiancée Erin O’Sullivan dropped $2.45 million on the lovely duplex at 440 West 23rd Street, which features a two-level backyard garden.
See the whole place
September 15, 2016

The best and worst major U.S. cities to raise kids

When it’s time to raise a family, many couples think about moving to a smaller, less populated town outside of a large city, but some want to stay in an urban setting—seeing the advantages that it has to offer their future children. Wallethub “compared the 150 most populated U.S. cities based on 36 key metrics that […]

September 15, 2016

Ex-Fox News chair Roger Ailes tries to sell two Hudson Valley homes at a $1M+ loss

Scandal-plagued Fox News founding father and recent Donald J. Trump advisor Roger Ailes has put two of his Garrison, N.Y. homes on the market at significantly less than their purchase price, Variety reports. You may ask why Ailes has two homes in Garrison; in fact, Ailes owns a "hilltop compound" with over 20 acres and several houses in the quiet Putnam County hamlet.
Check out more photos, this way
September 15, 2016

Bill Murray to serve up cocktails in Greenpoint; No more web browsing at wi-fi kiosks due to lewd behavior

Bjarke Ingels, “the man building the future,” gets the Rolling Stone treatment. [Rolling Stone] Bill Murray is bartending this weekend at his son’s new cocktail bar in Greenpoint. [TONY] The return of the Astor Place cube, aka The Alamo, is delayed yet again due to “unforeseen logistical issues.” [DNAinfo] Joy Behar bought a gorgeous $4.5 million Victorian […]

September 15, 2016

‘Where Architects Live’ takes you into the private homes of Zaha Hadid, Shigeru Ban and Daniel Libeskind

You've admired their buildings, now go inside their homes. On October 1st, the Architecture and Design Film Festival will host the U.S. premiere of "Where Architects Live," a fascinating documentary that offers an intimate look into private interiors—and the daily lives—of eight of the world's most important architects, including Shigeru Ban, Mario Bellini, David Chipperfield, Zaha Hadid, Massimiliano and Doriana Fuksas, Marcio Kogan, Daniel Libeskind and Bijoy Jain.
Watch the trailer here
September 15, 2016

Composer Andrew Lloyd Webber buys second condo at Trump International for $7.6M

Though we're not sure about composer Andrew Lloyd Webber's political leanings in this country (he's a Conservative in Britain), he sure does seem to love some Donald Trump real estate. The Observer reports that the British musical theater impresario has dropped $7.6 million on a two-bedroom 35th-floor unit at Trump International in an off-market deal. He and his wife Madeleine already own another adjacent unit on the same floor in the Central Park West tower, which they bought in 2012 for $5.8 million after selling a Trump Tower duplex for $16.5 million in 2010.
READ MORE
September 15, 2016

City Council approves La Central development, bringing nearly 1,000 affordable units to the Bronx

On Wednesday the New York City Council voted to approve the La Central development project in the Melrose section of the Bronx, the Daily News reports. The project, which will be designed by FXFOWLE architects, is slated to bring 992 apartments to the borough, all of them designated as affordable housing under Mayor de Blasio’s mandatory inclusionary housing (MIH) legislation. It is the biggest project to be approved to date under the MIH rules, which require some income restricted apartments in projects that need the city's approval.
Find out more and see more renderings
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September 15, 2016

Plan to close 14th Street to cars during L train shutdown gains steam with feasibility study

One of many ideas to mitigate the forthcoming L train shutdown in 2019 (in addition to others such as the East River Skyway, more bike lanes, and even an inflatable tunnel) is to shut down 14th Street to vehicular traffic and make it a bus-only zone. The idea was first presented in June by State Senator Brad Hoylman, and now he and a group of his government colleagues have won a request to the MTA for a traffic feasibility study of the proposal that they say will "relieve congestion and improve traffic flow."
Find out more
September 15, 2016

For $1.6M this sweet Red Hook townhouse with a studio, garage and garden is a great condo alternative

While this compact and cute townhouse at 98 Pioneer Street on one of Red Hook's most Red Hook-y blocks may not be a grand mansion, at 2,148 square feet, it's bigger than most condos in its ($1.6 million) price range, and there's plenty of value packed in. First, a separate studio apartment with a garage and workshop, renovated and suitably adorable with garden access, is ready to be rented for extra income or used as a workspace or guest suite. There's a lovely landscaped garden, two additional balconies and plenty of thoughtful, modern renovations that you might find in newly-minted apartments with far less charm.
Take the tour
September 15, 2016

Fallout Shelters: Why some New Yorkers never planned to evacuate after a nuclear disaster

Decades after the end of the Cold War, ominous black-and-yellow fallout shelter signs still mark buildings across New York City’s five boroughs. The actual number of designated fallout shelters in the city is difficult to discern. What is known is that by 1963, an estimated 18,000 shelters had been designated, and the Department of Defense had plans to add another 34,000 shelters citywide. While the presence of a fallout shelter in one’s building may have given some residents peace of mind in an era when nuclear destruction seemed imminent, in reality, most of New York’s fallout shelters were little more than basements marked by an official government sign.
more on the history of new york's fallout shelters
September 14, 2016

VIDEO: Lose yourself in these sweeping drone and helicopter views of NYC

If you’re already feeling bogged down by the workweek, fix your eyes on Brandon Bray and Tim Sessler’s film "Balance" to help put your mind in a more tranquil state. In their 3.5-minute short, the pair compiles various drone and helicopter shots into one seamless work that depicts New York City as an almost peaceful space unspoiled by modern life. Some of the vantages featured in the piece are quite jaw-dropping, including a fully inverted skyline, a crowd-covered 30 Rock, and a plunging aerial close-up of the massive Calvary Cemetery in Queens—a place most of us have only experienced from the BQE.
see the full film here
September 14, 2016

You can now find ‘fuhgeddaboudit’ in the Oxford English Dictionary

You can fuhgeddaboudit, if you insist this phrase isn’t a real word. The famous saying associated with New York City and New Jersey residents has just been added to the Oxford English Dictionary. Made popular in pop culture by Italian-American characters, such as in “The Sopranos,” the word, according to Oxford, means “‘forget about it’; […]

September 14, 2016

REVEALED: Thomas Heatherwick’s $150M climbable Hudson Yards sculpture ‘The Vessel’

It was nearly three years ago that Related Companies chairman Stephen Ross boasted that Hudson Yards' public art piece would be "New York’s Eiffel Tower," and after an unveiling today of the massive sculpture that will anchor the central public space, it seems he might not have been too far off.
More details and renderings this way
September 14, 2016

Adrian Grenier says he ‘pioneered Williamsburg’; Trump-as-Superman billboard coming to Times Square

Adrian Grenier says he “pioneered Williamsburg” and that it got “so gentrified” he had to move to Bushwick, where he also had to leave thanks to Roberta’s. Guess that’s why he bought a second Clinton Hill townhouse last year. [Page Six] Chelsea’s iconic Empire Dinner will reopen in November. [Untapped] A “yuge” 55-foot, digital Donald Trump billboard […]

September 14, 2016

POLL: Do you think sports stadiums benefit communities?

Yesterday, 6sqft took a look at a Brookings institute study that showed three New York City sports stadiums--Yankee Stadium (the most expensive of all in the country), Citi Field, and the Barclays Center--have received $867 million in direct and indirect federal subsidies. This resulted in the loss of $3.7 billion in government revenues since 2000, due to "lost tax revenue from issuing exempt bonds and the indirect proceeds high-income bond holders receive." Because of this drain, the authors of the study advocate that stadiums should not be eligible to receive tax-exempt bonds, especially since they claim "there is little evidence that stadiums provide even local economic benefits." But not everyone agrees, likening stadiums to other public enterprises like parks. And, at least as pertains to the stadiums in New York, these venues host other community events aside from ticketed sports games. Which side are you on?
Share your thoughts here
September 14, 2016

Interview: Time Equities’ Francis Greenburger, a Renaissance man in NYC

Francis Greenburger is the definition of a Renaissance man. Beyond running the full-service real estate firm Time Equities, Inc., he also helms the Greenburger Center for Social and Criminal Justice, he serves as Chairman of the literary agency Sanford J. Greenburger Associates, Inc., and he is also deeply involved with the OMI International Arts Center—and this is on top of the numerous non-profits […]

September 14, 2016

Look inside Karim Rashid’s futuristic HAP Five condo rising in East Harlem

The Karim Rashid-designed eight-story, 75-foot residential building at 329 Pleasant Avenue in East Harlem has started to take shape after addressing a gauntlet of public outcry, reports CityRealty.com. Renderings of the condominium building from HAP Investment Developers were met with resistance from the community for their original turquoise and magenta color scheme–a typical Rashid design element–which, it was feared, would clash with the the neighborhood's century-old buildings. As 6sqft previously repoted, HAP toned down the color scheme, and it now features white balconies bordered with a gradually-fading shade of pink .
See more progress and interior renderings this way
September 14, 2016

City’s new, five-year transportation plan looks to bike lanes in wake of L train shutdown

The city's newly released, five-year transportation plan is all about the bikes. As part of his larger Vision Zero initiative, the Mayor announced yesterday that he'll roll out 75 miles of new bike lanes by the end of this year, which includes 18 miles of protected lanes, reports Gothamist. They'll be dispersed throughout the five boroughs, but centered in areas where the highest number of cyclist and pedestrian fatalities occur.
Find out more
September 14, 2016

Park Slope’s priciest townhouse gets a price cut to $12.75M

When the drop-dead gorgeous townhouse at 838 Carroll Street in Park Slope first hit the market, it made headlines with its $15 million price tag. That was earlier this year and apparently nobody bit, because a new ask of $12.75 million is now on the table. Even with the price cut, it's still the most expensive home for sale in the neighborhood.
Get ready to drool
September 13, 2016

Judge orders Sean Lennon to remove tree that’s damaging Marisa Tomei’s parents’ house

After 19 months of finger pointing and contentious legal battles, Sean Lennon (son of John and Yoko) has been ordered by a Manhattan judge to remove a tree on his Greenwich Village property at 153 West 13th Street after being sued by neighbors Gary and Addie Tomei (parents of actress Marisa Tomei). As 6sqft previously recounted, the Tomeis claimed the tree had spread its roots onto their property, cracking the stoop, breaking the railings, and coming through the basement floor of their townhouse. Though they also asked for $10 million in damages, it looks like the judge didn't move on that part of the suit, though she did quote Beatles lyrics in her ruling.
What'd she say?
September 13, 2016

Bates Masi + Architects focused on acoustics for this Hamptons house design

At this Hamptons home, the owners gained a true luxury once it was ready to live in: silence. Project architects Bates Masi paid particular attention to the architectural acoustics in order to limit the noise from the nearby town of Amagansett. Their focus defined nearly every detail of the interior, as well as the materials used. The result is a truly stunning beach house with sustainable, built-to-last materials that contribute to a unique acoustic character as you move through each living space.
See the interior this way
September 13, 2016

Apply for four affordable Bushwick apartments, starting at $856/month

Starting tomorrow, four affordable apartments are up for grabs at 44 Stanhope Street in central Bushwick through the city's affordable housing lottery. They include an $856/month studio and three $985/month one-bedrooms, reserved for those earning less than 60 percent of the area media income. The 20-unit building was recently constructed, and residents will be just five short blocks from the Central Avenue M train station in a low-scale residential area.
Find out if you qualify
September 13, 2016

$867 million in federal subsidies for three NYC sports stadiums a big loss

A recent Brookings institute study shows that federal government subsidies of big-ticket sports stadium construction are essentially money down the drain, The Real Deal reports. Three New York City stadiums--Yankee Stadium, Citi Field (both completed in 2009) and the Barclays Center--have accounted for a significant portion of these subsidies in the form of tax-exempt bonds, which have resulted in the loss of $3.7 billion in federal government revenues since 2000.
Not exactly a surprise...
September 13, 2016

Lofty details abound at this bright and bold $1.4M Greenpoint condo

This Greenpoint building at 59 Green Street was originally a 19th century flower warehouse, but today it holds apartments with lots of lofty goodness. This two bedroom, which has just hit the market for $1.395 million, boasts exposed brick, wood-beamed, 10-foot ceilings and an open floorplan. Located on the top floor, it also gets lots of light from eight big windows, not to mention views toward the water and Manhattan skyline.
See more of the loft
September 13, 2016

My 860sqft: Ashley Davis of CITYROW opens up her mid century-meets-contemporary Yorkville pad

Ashley Davis moved to New York City after graduating from college in 2004. She thought it would just be for a couple years, but, like so many of us, she never left. She's been living on the Upper East Side since 2007 and has been in her current Yorkville apartment for three-and-a-half years. After making a career shift from the advertising/tech world to joining her friend and former colleague Helaine Knapp at CITYROW (Ashley is the fitness studio's chief operating officer), as well as very recently welcoming her boyfriend into her apartment, Ashley has created an inviting home that's a mix of mid-century-modern furniture, contemporary decor, lots of textures, and a sophisticated color palette.
Take the tour
September 13, 2016

$1.25M UWS co-op is part loft, part townhouse and part palazzo

Maybe you’ve noticed some of those unusual historic townhouses nestled between much larger buildings that are scattered about New York City, and the geometric gem of a limestone townhouse at 35 Riverside Drive on the Upper West Side is one of those. Within, an equally out-of-the-ordinary co-op is now on the market for $1.25 million. With a barrel-and-zigzag facade punctuated in places by cylindrical columns that might look right at home on a Roman palazzo, a triangular sleeping loft and a lovely shaded wood-clad deck off the bedroom, there’s plenty to behold in this one-bedroom, third-floor aerie. Views of Riverside Park (right across the street) and the Hudson River add up to a home that's definitely “not your cookie cutter apartment,” as the listing says.
Check out more of this unique unit
September 13, 2016

AECOM wants to turn Red Hook into a 45,000-unit mega-development with new subway connection

What do you get when you cross the new-waterfront nature of Battery Park City with the previous underutilization of Hudson Yards, and throw in a little Brooklyn? This massive proposal from big-time construction and engineering firm AECOM that would turn a huge section of the Red Hook waterfront into a residential mega-development with more than 12 towers, 45,000 units of housing (25 percent of which would be affordable), an extension of the 1 train, acres of parkland, and "waterfront-flood protections that would revitalize and protect the low-lying neighborhood from storms and future sea-level rise," as Crain's first reported. AECOM is presenting the idea today at the NYU Rudin Center for Transportation. They've already admitted that it "lacks key details" like hard costs, but they do estimate that one of their scenarios could generate $130 million in revenue for the city. The sites in question are the 80-acre Red Hook Container Terminal owned by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, a similarly sized parcel along Columbia Street overlooking the Gowanus Bay that's owned by the city, and unused land at the Red Hook Houses. Under their plan, the sale or lease of land to developers, would fund the aforementioned infrastructure projects.
More details and renderings ahead
September 13, 2016

$1B expansion of the Javits Center will commence this year

One of Governor Cuomo's biggest NYC projects will kick off construction by the end of this year. Per a press release released yesterday, the Cuomo administration has put out a request for proposals (RFP) for the first phase of the Jacob K. Javits Center's $1 billion expansion. The chosen firm will be responsible for the design and construction of a three-story building that will hold transformers, back-up generators, and other electrical equipment for the updated complex. This initial work will prepare the massive site for the larger expansion project that will increase the size of the events facility by 1.2 million square feet, bringing the total square footage to a hefty 3.3 million square feet.
more on the announcement here
September 12, 2016

PHOTOS: After two-year renovation, NYPL’s historic Rose Main Reading Room will reopen October 5th

After being closed for a two-year restoration, the New York Public Library's historic Rose Main Reading Room and Bill Blass Public Catalog Room will reopen to the public ahead of schedule on Wednesday, October 5th at 10am. The $12 million project, managed by Tishman Construction Corporation, came about in May 2014 when an ornamental plaster rosette fell 52 feet from the Reading Room's ceiling. In addition to recreating and replacing this piece, all 900 rosettes in both rooms were reinforced with steel cables. Other work included the recreation of a 27' x 33' James Wall Finn mural on the ceiling of the Catalog Room and the restoration of the chandeliers. To mark the occasion, the NYPL has shared an incredible collection of photographs documenting the restoration work and the Rose Main Reading Room with nearly all scaffolding removed.
See all the photos ahead
September 12, 2016

MTA kicks off an intensive two-week subway cleanup

Image via Alan Bloom/Flickr The rats won’t like this. The MTA’s Operation Track Sweep to spiffy up New York’s subways commenced Monday and will continue for two weeks. More than 500 MTA workers are part of the intensive system-wide cleanup to remove trash and debris from the tracks at all of New York City’s 469 […]

September 12, 2016

Why people hate revolving doors and how to curb the phobia

You know that moment of awkwardness when you’re sucked in to a totally irrational game of chicken with up to three other human beings while attempting to do something as simple as enter your office building through an innocuous-seeming revolving door? While it was reportedly first patented in 1888 by a man who couldn’t deal with having to hold regular swinging doors open for the ladies, the revolving door comes with its own means of sorting us according to levels of everyday neurosis. The first revolving door was installed in a restaurant called Rector’s in Times Square in 1899. And that’s probably when people started avoiding it. Will some part of me get stuck? Do I have to scurry in there with someone else? 99% Invisible got their foot in the door and took a closer look at how this energy-efficient invention still gets the cold shoulder and how to fight the phobia.
How to turn this trend around
September 12, 2016

Kylie and Kendall Jenner just renting Tribeca penthouse; 9/11 first responders will get NYC memorial

Remember architect John Belle, founder partner of Beyer Blinder Belle, who built his career on resuscitating New York landmarks. [NYT] A “giant vacuum cleaner” could replace the High Line’s current trash system. [DNAinfo] Turns out Kylie Jenner didn’t buy that $7 million Tribeca penthouse. She and little sis Kendall are renting it, possibly for $28,000/month. [TRD] Governor […]

September 12, 2016

So+So Studio reimagines an abandoned Jersey City railroad as an elevated public park

Architecture firm So+So Studio has proposed a new vision for New Jersey's Bergen Arches, an abandoned four-track cut of the Erie Railroad that runs one mile through the Palisides. The site has remained unused, overgrown, and forgotten since the last train ran in 1959. So+So, however, sees a much more lively vision for the tracks, and they've teamed up with Green Villain, a Jersey City place-making organization, and local residents to turn the unused space into a locale for artistic and leisure activity. Dubbed "The Cut," the project is both architectural and landscape-based, calling for an elevated system of ramps and walkways that will take participants under canopies, through sculpture gardens, and into graffiti-tunnels more than 60 feet below ground. With the public park, So+So hopes to promote contemporary local artists as well as expose decades of preserved graffiti and art that line the forgotten landscape.
see more here
September 12, 2016

New views of curvaceous 15 Hudson Yards ahead of this week’s sales launch

15 Hudson Yards, the first of two residential towers that Related Companies and Oxford Properties have planned for the massive complex, started its climb into the far west side skyline back in March, and now, seven months later, it's readying for a sales launch this week. According to a press release, condos will start at about $2 million for one-bedrooms and go up to $30 million for the penthouses. To coincide with the 285 market-rate condos hitting the market (there will also be 106 affordable rentals, for which details have yet to be released), YIMBY has gotten its hands on new renderings of the 910-foot building, which, as 6sqft previously described, has been dubbed the "Morph Tower" for its "curvaceous and feminine design" from Diller Scofidio + Renfro in collaboration with Rockwell Group. The images provide new views of the bundled quad of cylinders that make up its body, as well as its rectilinear base that will abut the Shed.
More renderings and details ahead
September 12, 2016

This compact Park Slope co-op is a down-to-earth home in a heavenly location for $700K

This renovated one-bedroom co-op at 799 President Street in the heart of prime north Park Slope has all the comforts covered; it's easy on the eyes, and it doesn't cost the world. Old-world details like exposed brick, decorative moldings and fireplaces, and a bay window meet modern conveniences like an en-suite bath, stylish renovated kitchen, and recessed lighting. Plus, Prospect Park is a few blocks away, as is Whole Foods and a constellation of cafes, shops, and restaurants.
Take a look around
September 12, 2016

Waitlist re-opens for affordable rentals in Kips Bay mid-rise, units from $952/month

NYC's Housing Connect has announced today that it will re-open its waiting list for Henry Phipps Plaza South, an affordable residence located at 330 East 26th Street in the heart of Kips Bay. The 14-story post-war building boasts a total of 407 units and was developed under the Federal housing financing program. As such, 290 of the units have been reserved for New Yorkers earning less than 50 percent of the area median income, and residents of this building will pay no more than 30 percent of their adjusted income on rent.
Income requirements and offers this way
September 12, 2016

Apply today for six units in prime Astoria, starting from $1,158/month

Starting today, qualified New Yorkers can apply for six affordable apartments at 28-22 Astoria Boulevard, a new mixed-use building just two blocks away from the Astoria Boulevard N, Q station and three blocks from the popular Bohemian Hall and Beer Garden. The seven-story, red-brick corner rental has 25 apartments with retail on the ground floor. The affordable units, reserved for those earning between 60 and 80 percent of the AMI, are three $1,158/month studios and three $1,330/month one-bedrooms, quite the deal considering market-rate units in the building are renting for around $3,000/month for one-bedrooms and $4,300/month for two-bedrooms.
Find out if you qualify here

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