6sqft | NYC local news, events, and apartments

With outdoor weather finally here (more or less) the city's flea and food markets roll out the red carpet and the irresistible goodies, and it's pretty likely there's one happening near you. From the unstoppable fashion-and-foodie mecca Brooklyn Flea (now in its ninth season), to a night market in Queens and a neighborhood favorite in Park Slope to antiquing standbys in Chelsea and Hell's Kitchen and the humble (but fun) stoop sale on your block, the goods may be odd, but they're out there. Check out the list below for some of the city's top food and flea picks. Just don't blame us for the tchotchke overload–or the calories.
Find a market this weekend

Events & Things To Do

April 7, 2016

New Looks Inside Tribeca’s $50M Mega-Mansion With 18 Toilets and a Rooftop Farm

Tribeca's 30,000-square-foot, potential mega-mansion is still up for grabs for $50 million. As reported by the Journal last year, the 52-foot-wide, landmarked building at 71-73 Franklin Street would be delivered vacant by its longtime owners to a suitor who could transform the property into a single, seven-story mansion. The project has launched a website with a handful of renderings prepared by Turett Collaborative to give us a better idea of of what the enormous abode could look like. Last year, Curbed gave us a 43-point rundown of the ridiculous amenities and spaces provided in the plan, which includes more than seven bedrooms, 18 toilets, a nearly 60-foot-long swimming pool, climbing wall, rooftop farm, half basketball court, 20-seat home theater, and a two-floor walk-in closet for the missus of the house.
Get a look at all the renderings

April 7, 2016

This Map Tells You How Frequently NYC Subways Actually Run

This New York City Transit Frequency map, from Ft. Collins, Colorado-based public transit enthusiast and urban adventurer Tyler A. Green, is a mapped visualization of how frequently the city’s subways and buses travel along each line. You can use it to see where—and on which days—trains and buses run most and least often. The darker the color of a transit line on the map the more frequent your prospects are going to be. Four viewable data layers on the map represent buses and trains on Fridays and Saturdays. Hover over lines to see exactly how many trains or buses run in an hour between any two stops.
Take a look at the map

April 7, 2016

This Junior One Bedroom, Custom Designed By Architect, Is True Blue in Soho

Looking for a starter apartment with personality? This junior one bedroom, located at the prewar Soho co-op 124 Thompson Street, is now on the market asking $785,000. The corner unit was carefully designed by an architect back in 2011, but recently changed hands, selling to actress Kay Story in 2015 for $780,000. It's being offered to a new buyer with all sorts of fun perks, like a bar and wine fridge, customized closets and soundproof windows.
It's also decked out in blue

Distinctive Homes

April 7, 2016

Lenox Hill’s Rose Modern Nears Completion; Homes Range from $2,850 to $6,650 Per Month

At the northeast corner of York Avenue and East 74th Street, a glass and metal pile of floors is nearing completion. Developed by Golden Asset LLC and designed by Stephen B. Jacobs Group, the thin-skinned tower soars 20 stories above its characterful block of brick and fire-escape adorned context. Named Rose Modern, the building anchors a corner site at 501 East 74th Street and will be near the 72nd Street station of the Second Avenue Subway, anticipated to open later this year.
Get a look inside

April 7, 2016

3D-Printed Vase Exteriors Give New Life to Used Plastic Bottles

Milan-based designer Libero Rutilo has developed a way to transform used plastic bottles into stylish and functional home decor. Using 3D printing technology, Rutilo's series of four vases focuses only on the objects' exterior shell, leaving the heavy lifting, or water holding in this instance, to the up-cycled plastic vessels.
Find out more

April 7, 2016

POLL: Do You Prefer Starbucks Over the City’s New Cafes?

It was announced yesterday that Starbucks is opening its largest store in the world in the base of Rafael Viñoly’s forthcoming Meatpacking District building at 61 Ninth Avenue. The 20,000-square-foot facility will be a Roastery-branded store, “part of a push to bolster growth with larger locations that offer experiences to customers,” reports Crain’s. The decision may be due to the […]

City Living

April 7, 2016

Hipster Noise Machine Sounds Like a Busy Coffee Shop; Go Parisian With the Baguette Bag

Hipster Sound is an online white noise machine that simulates working in a crowded coffee shop. [Gizmodo] From Richard Gere look-alikes to parents trying to marry off their daughter, check out these classic ’80s and ’90s personals ads. [NY Mag] Hate how your baguette never fits in the grocery store bag? Zip the bread up in this actual Baguette […]

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Distinctive Homes

World's highest duplex lists for $128M at Central Park Tower

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

Filmmaker John Sayles' former Hoboken townhouse lists for $2.5M

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

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

Location, location, location–and a pretty renovation–make up for square footage in this $620K East Village co-op

This $3M Williamsburg home is the rare condo with all of its loft charm intact

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

Amy Schumer sells Brooklyn Heights townhouse at $1.25M loss

The highest penthouse in Brooklyn's tallest residence lists for $16.75M

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April 7, 2016

You Can Now Investigate the Unseen Microbiology of the Gowanus Canal With the BK BioReactor

After all these years of jokes about catching syphilis or turning into a green mutant alien, it's hard to imagine the Gowanus Canal as a pollutant-free place, but beginning this year it will undergo dredging and sub-aquatic capping as part of the USEPA Superfund Cleanup plan. This also includes the Gowanus Canal Sponge Park, "an 18,000-square-foot public space that will be built with engineered soil to absorb (hence “sponge”) stormwater that would otherwise pollute the canal, as well as plants to break down toxins and floating wetlands," as 6sqft previously reported. But before the notoriously toxic canal turns into the Venice of Brooklyn, a group of microbiologists want to catalogue and draw attention to exactly what type of unseen organisms have accumulated over the past 150 years, as they feel it's important for work at other polluted urban environments. To do this, they've created the BK BioReactor, a roving watercraft that takes samples from 14 specific points along the canal. This data has been turned into a "mobile library," complete with an interactive map that shows which microorganisms are located where and how heavily distributed they are. For example, Atrazine, a herbicide affecting the hormonal system, is present in most of the sites, as is Epsilonproteobacteria, which inhabit the digestive tracks of animals.
See what else is lurking in the Gowanus Canal

Uncategorized

April 7, 2016

The Updated but Still-Funky UWS Penthouse Atop the 1920s Level Club Returns for $2.6M

The crimson Venetian plaster-dappled interior walls are gone, done in minimalist white emulsion; the tiger-skinned boho pasha’s palazzo decor has been swapped for restrained, contemporary pasha’s pre-war. The interior's more impetuous elements have likely been pared down so it doesn’t scare the hell out of anyone, but also to show off the home's enormous 25-foot arched windows, 360 degree views, and stylized 1920s architecture. The overall effect is loft-meets-Palm-Beach-mansion, and though it doesn't exactly say Upper West Side, it no longer says magic carpet warehouse—and it's certainly still unique. This $2.6 million piece of New York City history sits atop a building that’s even more unique. Known as the Level Club, the building at 253 West 73rd Street served as the 1920s private social club of the Levelers, a group of Freemasons. The landmarked exterior is definitely a conversation starter, with a Romanesque-style facade designed in the image of King Solomon’s temple bearing carved Masonic symbols: the all-seeing eye, the hourglass, the level, the hexagram and the beehive.
Find out more about this fascinating penthouse

April 6, 2016

Rafael Viñoly’s Meatpacking Building to Include World’s Largest Starbucks, See New Renderings

News broke back in May that a low-rise Rafael Viñoly-designed building was coming to the former site of Prince Lumber at 61 Ninth Avenue in the Meatpacking District. Until now, no design details have emerged for the nine-story office and retail building, but 6sqft has uncovered Viñoly's renderings, which show a stacked cube design with many terraces along its asymmetrical glass facade. The address also made headlines today because its base will hold the largest Starbucks store in the world. The 20,000-square-foot facility known as the Starbucks Reserve Roastery and Tasting Room will be "part of a push to bolster growth with larger locations that offer experiences to customers," reports Crain's.
See more

April 6, 2016

The Last Day to Dine at the Iconic Four Seasons Is July 16th

Despite its interior landmark status and role as the quintessential Midtown "power lunch" spot, the Four Seasons has been facing an uncertain future for the past year. In May, a small victory was had when the Landmarks Preservation Commission rejected Aby Rosen's plans to re-conceptualize the Philip Johnson-designed space, but it was short-lived, as Crain's now reports that the Four Seasons will close its doors on July 16th after serving New Yorkers since 1959. Rosen did not renew the lease and plans to replace the restaurant with what will be considered a more "hip" eatery. As the Post shares, of-the-moment restauranteurs Mario Carbone, Rich Torrisi, and Jeff Zalaznick (of the Major Food Group and trendy restaurants like Parm and Dirty French) signed to take over and partner with Rosen, who will increase the rent to $3 million a year.
The full story here

Food & Dining

April 6, 2016

Famed Tiny Apartment Architect Says He ‘Doesn’t Really Believe in Tiny Living’

By Diane Pham

By now you’ve surely seen Tim Seggerman‘s practically iconic 240-square-foot apartment on Pinterest and on design blogs across the web. But while the architect has made a name for himself creating innovative solutions for small living in the city, what might come as a surprise is that he doesn’t really advocate squeezing into a small space. […]

April 6, 2016

‘Tushy’ Attachment Turns Your Humble Toilet Into a Bidet Hybrid for $57

If you've ever traveled abroad, it's likely that your bathroom was equipped with what would appear to be two toilets. While one is for standard bathroom activity, the other is known as a bidet and functions quite differently. When first encountering the bidet, one might be a bit skeptical about ditching toilet paper for a spray of water, but what many of us don't realize is that there are multiple benefits to be had for our tushies and the environment. Now, thanks to the folks at Tushy and their modern bidet attachment, you don't have to live in Europe to take advantage of one of these devices.
more info here

April 6, 2016

1846 Townhouse Featured on the Brooklyn Heights House Tour Asks $4.95 Million

By Ondel Hylton and Heather Cooper Vivares

This picture-perfect Brooklyn Heights townhouse, at 2 Sidney Place, has been around since 1846 but is still in great shape. Since then, it's gone through a major remodel and modernization although it retains six of its fireplace mantels, all of which add an elegant and historic touch. The landmarked townhouse, in fact, is impressive enough to be featured on the popular Brooklyn Heights House Tour. But now the question is if it'll impress a buyer enough to bring in nearly $5 million.
Take a look around

April 6, 2016

Herzog & de Meuron’s 215 Chrystie Street Reaches Full Height; Only Three Units Remain

Last November, 6sqft reported that Ian Schrager and the Witkoff Group’s upcoming hotel/condominium building 215 Chrystie Street had just made its way past the midway point. Now, the “tough-luxe” Bowery development has reached its full apex, 314 feet to the mechanical bulkhead, dominating the low-slung skyline of the Lower East Side. The mixed-use development will have a 356-room PUBLIC Hotel from Ian Schrager along its lower levels, topped by 11 limited condominium residences. Pritzker Prize-winning firm Herzog & de Meuron, with Beyer Blinder Belle as architects of record, designed the arthropod-esque, concrete-framed building.
More views and details this way

April 6, 2016

Lyft Is Struggling in NYC; Shake Shack Coming to Penn Station

This year’s Pritzker Prize winner, Chilean architect Alejandro Aravena, posted four of the firm’s low-cost “incremental” housing projects on the firm’s website for free download in order to help with the affordable housing crisis. [Dezeen] Vornado has given a 10-year lease to Shake Shack to open in its Penn Station retail corridor. [TRD] Frank Gehry reflects […]

Uncategorized

Arianna Huffington Wants You In Her Bed

No, really. To herald the the arrival of the media maven’s new book, “The Sleep Revolution,” which addresses the common malaise of not getting enough sleep and how it’s affecting us rather terribly, Arianna Huffington has “turned her bedroom into a sleep sanctuary.” By way of a contest accompanied by an Airbnb listing–with fabulous, full-color photos of the ultra-feminine 158 Mercer Street loft, which she purchased for $8.15 million in 2012–Arianna has invited one lucky winner and a guest to spend a night in her New York City apartment.
What else do I get?

April 6, 2016

Art Nerd New York’s Top Event Picks for the Week – 4/7-4/12

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! This Thursday is a busy one in the realm of art openings, so choose wisely! We highly recommend checking out the enigmatic photographs of Eagle Hunters by Lyle Owerko, the immersive animation and the prints behind them at the International Print Center, and Two if By Sea, a group show featuring Johee "Stickymonger" Park at MINY Media Center. This weekend, head uptown to the Heath Gallery for a special exhibition of works by artists using repurposed materials (plus a new sculpture in Marcus Garvey Park) then downtown to check out artists influenced by technology at Guy Hepner Gallery. Sunday, have a bagel and some Jameson to toast John Reed's new novel, then book it to Queens for the new exhibition celebrating the 40th anniversary of the Ramones. Cap off next week by educating your creative self with a grant writing workshop at Powerplnt.
more on all the best events this way

Events & Things To Do

April 6, 2016

Flower District Getting 35-Story Moxy Hotel With Affordable Rooms for Young Travelers

The remainder of Chelsea's flower district continues to shrink, blossoming new hotels instead of floral shops. This latest stalk will rise mid-block at 105 West 28th Street and will be the largest lodge yet, growing 35 stories and budding 343 rooms, according to recently approved building permits. The tower is anticipated to be among New York's first batch of Moxy hotels, a new Marriott brand focused on affordable three-star accommodations for young travelers. Last year, Bloomberg reported that Lightstone is committing $2 billion to develop and invest in lodging properties over the next few years, and will be building five Moxy hotels in New York. Recently, financing was secured for a 618-room Moxy flagship at 485 Seventh Avenue in the Garment District.
More views and details

April 6, 2016

This $1.6M Co-op in Park Slope’s Ansonia Court Has a Factory Past and a Colorful Present

We recently mentioned south Park Slope's coveted Ansonia Court at 420 12th Street when we featured a compact loft in the Carroll Gardens Mill Building. The two are somewhat similar on the outside; this former clock factory is also a converted industrial building in a neighborhood of pre-war apartments and row houses. But this two-bedroom co-op is far from small. It could easily be converted to three bedrooms, and its four-rooms-on-paper have outsized proportions. The home's current owner has made a colorful home in the high-ceilinged, brick-and-window lined loft, but whether quirky, minimalist or rustic, the original factory construction wouldn't go unnoticed.
Take the tour

Distinctive Homes

April 5, 2016

UES Firehouse Studio That Andy Warhol Rented for $150/Month Is Now Listed for $10M

In 1959, just before his career was about to take off, Andy Warhol bought a townhouse at 1342 Lexington Avenue near 89th Street and moved in with his mother. "But after three years there, canvases had begun to fill the ground floor apartment, while Brillo boxes and Campbell’s soup cans were stacked to the ceilings," reports Blouin Art Info. So when a friend tipped him off to a vacant firehouse nearby at 159 East 87th Street, the pop artist saw an opportunity for his first official studio. He wrote a letter to the city and began paying $150/month for the two-story building with no heat or running water (h/t DNAinfo). It's here that Warhol is said to have created his famous "Death and Disaster" series from 1962-63, and now, more than five decades later, the property is on the market for $9,975,000.
Find out more this way

April 5, 2016

$770K Industrial Carroll Gardens Loft Is in a Converted 1938 Jute Factory

You might not associate Carroll Gardens with industrial loft buildings, but rather with quaint brick row houses and the charming landscaped front gardens that give the neighborhood its name. But the Mill Building at 376 President Street is a fine example of the former (There's a building by the same name in Williamsburg that was once home to supermodel Agyness Deyn, if you're confused). Similar to Park Slope's Ansonia Court, which so many love for its rustic, almost-gritty Brooklyn factory charm, this 55-unit former jute factory offers a rare warmth and period details unique to this kind of converted industrial building. It's no less a modern condo though, with an elevator, parking and central A/C. This compact one-bedroom loft, asking $770,000–it last sold for $440,000 in 2012–has been updated with custom interiors that make the best of the apartment's factory bones.
Have a look

Distinctive Homes

This 1970s East Village Windmill Was Decades Ahead of Its Time

Raising the windmill on the roof of 519. Photo credit: Travis Price via Gothamist

April 5, 2016

This 1970s East Village Windmill Was Decades Ahead of Its Time

If you want to build a windmill today, you can thank a handful of dedicated tenants in a building at 519 East 11th Street in the East Village of the 1970s. The story of the Alphabet City windmill is one of many stories, recounted in Gothamist, from the bad old days of Loisaida–as the East Village's far eastern avenues, also known as Alphabet City, were once called–the kind the neighborhood's elder statesmen regale you with, knowing well that you know nothing firsthand of a neighborhood of burned-out buildings and squatters who bought their homes for a buck. But this particular story isn’t one of riots or drug deals on the sidewalk; it’s one of redemption, no matter how brief in the context of time. The windmill was installed above an East Village building that was saved by the community, built and lifted to the roof by hand–or many hands. According to legend, the windmill kept the lights on during the chaos of the 1977 blackout.
Read all about it

April 5, 2016

Tribeca Condo With Two Voyeuristic Glass-Enclosed Bedrooms Asks $4.75M

This Tribeca condo at 195 Hudson Street is officially listed as a one-bedroom apartment, but the current owners have fully taken advantage of the 2,325-square-foot space and added a glass-enclosed sleeping area. It doesn't have a window—or much privacy—but feels anything from dark and cramped due to those see-through walls. The windowed bedroom, too, is separated from the apartment by nothing more than floor-to-ceiling glass. Who needs privacy, anyway, when the apartment looks this nice?
Check out the rest

April 5, 2016

First Look at $45M Single-Family Mansion Replacing New York Foundling in Greenwich Village

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

In September 2014, the foster and child-care agency New York Foundling, one of the city's oldest charities, sold its Greenwich Village building for a staggering $45 million to an unknown buyer with the intention of converting it into a single-family mansion. It will be among the most expensive single-family residences ever purchased in Manhattan. The four-story, limestone and brick property on the northeast corner of Christopher Street and Waverly Place sits within the beloved Greenwich Village Historic District, and currently the owner is seeking approvals from the Landmarks Preservation Commission to add a pergola, mechanical equipment and an elevator bulkhead to the roof. Yet-to-be-approved permits were filed in November by HS Jessup Architecture, detailing a sprawling home of five floors and 15,000 square feet of floor area. Plans on Jessup's website show the mansion will have six bedrooms, two kitchens, its own elevator, a dressing room and walk-in closet larger than most apartments, a 50-foot lap pool, and more than 4,000 square-feet of outdoor space that will include a rooftop terrace. The architect also handled the neo-traditional penthouse addition atop 345 West 13th Street in the Meatpacking District.
More details right this way

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VIEW ALL

April 5, 2016

Track the Brooklyn Botanic Garden’s Cherry Blossoms; The Beards of Brooklyn

See what it’s like to live in the world’s narrowest house. [Contemporist] The Brooklyn Botanic Garden’s “Cherrywatch” map gets updated daily showing the bloom state of the cherry trees and what species they are. [Untapped] Explaining the Federal architectural style. [Off the Grid] This week’s New Yorker cover titled “Take the L Train” shows two bearded […]

Uncategorized

April 5, 2016

New Views and Video of David H. Koch Center for Cancer on Manhattan’s Upper East Side

On a far-eastern block of the Upper East Side's Lenox Hill neighborhood, a unique venture is underway to build new facilities for Hunter College and Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. Now wrapping up its cavernous foundations, the 1.15 million-square-foot development will accommodate two separate towers: an East River-facing building that will house a 730,000-square-foot, 23-story outpatient treatment center for Memorial Sloan-Kettering; and a slightly smaller, 400,000-square-foot mid-block building for CUNY-Hunter College's schools of nursing and physical therapy. Hunter will trade its current nursing school facility at First Avenue and East 25th Street to the city where they will build a new sanitation facility. In 2012, then-mayor Michael Bloomberg awarded the institutions the right to to build upon the half-block parcel fronting the FDR Drive between East 73rd and 74th Streets. The site was previously home to a sanitation facility that was demolished in 2008 and was sold to the college-hospital for $226 million. The mammoth, 455-foot-tall structure is being designed by Perkins Eastman in collaboration with Ennead Architects and required special approvals to rise more than the as-of-right floor area and height limit. Aside from the project's size, neighbors took issue with the project's shortfall of parking spaces and the resulting congestion of a community loaded with medical facilities.
Find out more this way

6 Easy and Inexpensive Ways to Fake a Rustic Interior

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, Gabrielle Montoute of Fueled, a digital product design and development incubator, shares six ways to create a rustic interior in your apartment without spending a lot of money.

April 5, 2016

6 Easy and Inexpensive Ways to Fake a Rustic Interior

By Gabrielle Montoute

If you haven’t noticed, rustic is all the rage. From restaurants to weddings to clothes, it’s all about taking something old and giving it new life—or taking something new and making it look vintage. While recreating this style at home may seem like an expensive undertaking, it’s only deceptively so. We’ve dissected the trend and determined six simple and inexpensive ideas that will help you achieve this look at home.
All of them here

April 5, 2016

City Council May Bring Back Mansion Tax to Fund Social Programs

The idea of a mansion tax -- an increased tax on those who buy seven-figure residential properties -- has been floated around for the past couple years. Last year, Mayor de Blasio put forth a proposal that would add a one percent tax for sales over $1.75 million and a 1.5 percent tax for sales over $5 million. As 6sqft reported, he estimated the plan could have brought in "an extra $200 million a year in tax revenue, money that would be allocated to affordable housing programs," but it was ultimately rejected by lawmakers in Albany. In response to the Mayor's preliminary 2017 budget, the City Council is now looking to revive this proposal, but use the increased revenue to fund programs for youth, immigrants, and women, reports the Wall Street Journal. Coupled with a tax on carried interest for some investment managers, they predict the taxes could create an additional $410 million for the city.
More details here

April 4, 2016

Madonna Sues Upper West Side Co-Op Board Because Rules Don’t Apply to Her

By Annie Doge

Feeling above the law seems to be a new trend for Madonna. Just last week the lately-unpredictable superstar got ousted for posting fake "no parking" signs outside her Upper East Side mansion, and now the Daily News reports she's suing the board of her Upper West co-op "for changing the building rules on her and barring her children, guests and employees from using her apartment unless she is present." Madonna bought the apartment at 1 West 64th Street for $7.3 million in 2008, at which time she says the co-op rules didn't have such a stipulation. So she wants a court order saying the rule doesn't apply to her and her posse.
Get the full story ahead

Celebrities

April 4, 2016

$8M Tribeca Penthouse Is a Downtown Dream With a Dramatic Staircase and Heavenly Sunsets

If the address at 16 Debrosses Street sounds familiar, perhaps it's because the same Tribeca loft building was home to a young Lena Dunham, whose artist parents owned–and sold for $6.25 million in 2014–a duplex loft on the fourth floor. Dunham's first film, "Tiny Furniture," was filmed in the space. While that lovely and artsy loft may have been one kind of downtown dream, this tricked-out triplex penthouse, on the market for $7.995 million, is definitely another. Its 3,324 square feet may offer plenty of room for art, but this dressed-to-impress space seems better suited to entertaining and admiring the sunset against the skyline, from the Freedom Tower to the Hudson, from floor-to-ceiling windows and two separate terraces.
Check it out

Distinctive Homes

April 4, 2016

For $1.5 Million, Live in an Upstate Red Victorian Lighthouse

New York City has its own Little Red Lighthouse, but it's definitely not a place you could live in. You'd have to go way upstate for that -- this historic red lighthouse, perched on the shores of Lake Ontario in Hilton, New York, is now on the market for $1.5 million. (Surprisingly, it's not the only lighthouse property that's been offered as living quarters!) Known as the Braddock Point Lighthouse, it was built in 1896 and fell into disrepair in the 1950s. A buyer eventually restored the building to its original Victorian glory and the lighthouse has since been occupied by only three families. You might be tempted to be the next.
See the restored interior

April 4, 2016

Screw Smiles Bring Happiness to Your Hardware and Polio Vaccines to Children in Need

Most of the time we're trying to hide that unsightly hardware that keeps our furniture together and our pictures hanging on the wall. But what would happen if it became part of our decor instead? Enter "Smile Screws." These cute little home accessories were developed by designer Yuma Kano and are currently being manufactured by Komuro Industry in Osaka, Japan. Kano's innovative new take on the screw replaces the traditional cross or slot with a smiley face, giving a sense of expression and emotion to a mass-produced product. It's no longer just a utilitarian piece of metal. Now it carries a positive message easily understood all over the world.
READ MORE

April 4, 2016

MAD Transforms Multi-Family Building Into One Glamorous Six-Floor Home

This beautiful Greek revival building, located at the Northwest corner of Washington Square Park, dates all the way back to the 1850s and previously functioned as a multiple family house. However, with new ownership often comes new ideas, and the current owners recently transformed the apartment building into a single-family residence. The renovation was led by the design team at Matiz Architecture & Design (MAD) and included a complete rebuild of the rear exterior, as well the addition of an central elevator providing easy access to all six floors. MAD's focus during the renovation was to conserve the existing details and restore the building's exterior while also giving the home an modern update. In addition to the architectural components, MAD was also responsible for all of the interior furnishings.
READ MORE

April 4, 2016

L Train Shutdown May Include All Manhattan Stops; What Happened in East New York?

What to eat this year at Yankee Stadium. [Eater] We knew a possible L train shutdown would be hell for those living in Brooklyn, but turns out it might affect Manhattan, too. [Gothamist] The manpower behind the world’s most famous buildings. [Adzuna] For 25 years, East New York has been the city’s most crime ridden, polluted, and neglected […]

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April 4, 2016

MTA Takes Steps to Open 7 Train Station at 10th Avenue

Last month, the Port Authority of of New York and New Jersey officially launched a design competition for a new bus terminal, which could cost up to $10 billion and require the use of eminent domain. A new Port Authority Bus Terminal aims to accommodate tens of thousands of additional riders, many of whom will then need to connect to a subway line. To accommodate all these potential new riders, the MTA is looking to revive its past plan of building a 7 train station at 10th Avenue and 41st Street, reports Crain's, which could cost up to $1 billion.
Find out more

Transit

April 4, 2016

Live in a Boutique Harlem Building for $839/Month, Lottery Launches for 71 East 110th Street

The Lovina House, located at 71 East 110th Street in East Harlem, recently opened as a boutique rental building with 14 contemporary, loft-like apartments. Three of these units are now available through the city's affordable housing lottery. This includes a $839/month studio for a single person earning between $28,766 and $36,300 annually, and two $1,089/month one-bedrooms for households with incomes between $37,338 and $52,020, depending on family size.
More info on the building and lottery

Affordable Housing

April 3, 2016

Seniors Increasingly Struggle to Find Housing, But Some Find Ways to Cope

By Diane Pham

Income requirements on top of lofty rents make renting in New York a formidable challenge for all, but seniors who live on limited means with little to no incoming cash face even greater obstacles when it comes to securing a home in the city. Although seniors make up one of New York’s fastest growing populations […]

Real Estate Trends

April 1, 2016

An Art Collector’s $14.5M West Village Carriage House Is Both Private Gallery and Family Home

Purchased in 1996 for $950,000 by French music producer, newspaper publisher, entrepreneur and passionate lifelong art collector Jean Lignel, this West Village carriage house received a renovation by architect Jeffrey Flanigan that transformed the 1834 landmark into both a family home and a made-to-order art gallery with 6,700 interior square feet and 1,825 square feet of outdoor space. Lignel’s collection includes many works by Keith Haring, Warhol, and celebrated contemporary artist (and mother of filmmaker Beth B) Ida Applebroog among many others. In addition to being able to showcase large art pieces, modern conveniences–like an elevator and a garage–abound. Lignel first listed this "West Village Arthouse" (as the current listing calls it) in 2007 for a whopping $20 million, possibly fresh from its extensive–and no doubt expensive–renovation. Since then, the home has been on and off the market, with broker swaps and price chops happening each time. In this latest go-round, the three-story historic home with an artistic pedigree is listed at $14.5 million.
Take a look inside this private gallery and family home

April 1, 2016

In 1927, NYC Almost Got a 16-Mile Highway Along Building Rooftops

In the early 20th century, engineers and architects were certainly thinking outside the box when it came to city planning here in New York. There was the proposal to fill in the Hudson River for traffic and housing, the idea to create a giant conveyor belt to carry people between Grand Central and Times Square, and the plan to stack the city like a layered cake. Though these ideas sound whacky, they were born from the rise of the automobile and suburbinization. With many Americans moving out of urban centers, planners sought new ways to reimagine the modern city and entice car-loving prospects. Another such idea is this 1927 one for a 16-mile elevated highway that would have traveled across building rooftops from the Battery all the way to Yonkers. Conceived by engineer John K. Hencken, it required all buildings to be uniform at 12 stories. Within them would have been standard uses -- residences, offices, schools, theaters, restaurants -- and elevators to take cars from the street to the skyway.
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Spotlight: Gotham Greens Talks Rooftop Farming Against the New York Skyline

The Gotham Greens team: Viraj Puri, Eric Haley and Jennifer Nelkin Frymark

April 1, 2016

Spotlight: Gotham Greens Talks Rooftop Farming Against the New York Skyline

By Susan Cohen

If you walk through the produce section at Whole Foods or scroll through Fresh Direct’s website, you likely have come across Gotham Greens’ Blooming Brooklyn Iceberg Lettuce or Queens Crisp. What make these lettuces different from others is that they’re local, urban greens, which are grown on rooftop greenhouses in Brooklyn and Queens with views of Gotham not too far in the distance. Gotham Greens was founded in 2009 with the goal of revolutionizing urban farming and providing a model for the future when cities are expected to be even more densely populated. One of the visionaries behind the company is co-founder and CEO Viraj Puri. Viraj and his partners started with one greenhouse in Greenpoint and now have four greenhouses between New York and Chicago that cover over 170,000 square feet and produce 20 million heads of lettuce every year. 6sqft recently asked Viraj some questions about what’s growing in Gotham.
read 6sqft's interview with Viraj

April 1, 2016

Two Pre-War Apartments Join to Make One Sustainable Home With Sliding Walls

The renovation of this pre-war home featured the transformation of two separate apartments into one all-inclusive unit. It was completed by architects Michael Chen and Kari Anderson of Normal Projects (Michael now has his own firm called Michael K. Chen Architecture, which specializes in micro housing), who designed the residence for an environmentally conscience couple and their young children. Not only did the couple want the materials used in their home to be ecologically sound, but they also wanted the design to encourage a sustainable lifestyle far into the future. In response, the design team defined a unique strategy that included a flexible floor plan made from custom sliding panels and a series of cuts and insertions. Even in the demolition of the previous property, sustainable practices were taken into account, and all the discarded materials were either reclaimed or recycled.
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Bergen Brooklyn

323 Bergen Street

Boerum Hill

World-class design rooted in Brooklyn charm

studios starting at $825,000
1 beds starting at $1,200,000
2 beds starting at $1,925,000
3 beds starting at $3,050,000
4 beds starting at $6,000,000

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April 1, 2016

Design Students Create Brilliant Rocking Chair-Hammock Hybrid

New York is no stranger to the beauty of the hybrid (it is home to the cronnut after all), and nothing pleases us more than seeing this approach applied to great design. Three student's at India's MIT Institute of Design have brought us exactly that with their innovative concept that combines a rocking chair with a hammock. This simple yet brilliant design replaces the traditional side-to-side swing of a hammock with the forward and backward motion synonymous with the rocking chair.
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April 1, 2016

Slopebottom and Wegmansville Are Brooklyn’s New ‘Hoods; Free ‘Hamilton’ Show in the Park

With the busy spring real estate season upon us, brokers have coined five new Brooklyn neighborhoods — GarGo Triangle, Greenwood Village, Slopebottom, Wegmansville, and Bushwick Heights. [Brownstoner] Catch a free performance of “Hamilton” in Prospect Park this summer! [Brokelyn] Now, in real news, Central Park’s lawns and fields are set to open this weekend. [West Side Rag] […]

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April 1, 2016

Freestanding Tudor With Two Sun Rooms Hits the Market for $2.7M in Forest Hills Gardens

Forest Hills Gardens, a planned community in Queens that's known for its winding streets and Tudor architecture, is home to some of the most impressive freestanding homes in all of New York. Here's one at 63 Wendover Road -- it occupies a corner lot so it boasts plenty of lawn outside, as well as a long private driveway that leads to a two-car garage. From the interior, you have not one but two sun rooms to enjoy the view out onto the sprawling backyard. Suburban life in Queens doesn't sound so bad.
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Distinctive Homes

April 1, 2016

Average Sales Price in Manhattan Exceeds $2M For the First Time