6sqft | NYC local news, events, and apartments

After years of decay, the second building of the old Saint Clare's Hospital in Hell's Kitchen has been reborn. Named NINE52, due to its address near Ninth Avenue at 416 West 52nd Street, the seven-story red-brick structure has been rehabilitated into 155 affordably-priced condominium homes. Seven units at NINE52 hit the market earlier this week with asking prices starting at $679,000 for 450-square-foot studios, $859,000 for 725-square-foot one-bedrooms, and $1.319 million for an 875-square-foot two-bedroom. According to CityRealty's February Market Report, the median price-per-square-foot for closed condominium sales in Midtown West over the past 30 days stood at $1,833, a bit above the $1,603-per-square-foot asking prices at NINE52.
Get a look at the apartments

Fairway Market in Red Hook via Cindy Day/Flickr

February 19, 2016

Fairway Grocery Stores Struggling to Stay Afloat in Competitive Market

Though they once had ambitious plans to expand beyond New York City, Fairway Group Holdings Corp. is struggling with debt instead, reports Bloomberg Business. The company has incurred massive debt in order to finance its expansion plans and is in danger of default, according to analyst reports, and its "capital structure remains unsustainable." In addition to putting the brakes on expansion plans, the company has been advised to close some stores outside New York. Known for quality produce and well-curated private brands, Fairway Market stores are seen as perhaps the most representative of New York City when conversations turn to regional grocery loyalties. The gourmet grocery's original store at 74th and Broadway on the Upper West Side, with its cramped-and-bustling atmosphere, is a cult favorite for Manhattanites. The 52,000-square-foot Red Hook location in an historic coffee warehouse, opened in 2006, is credited in part with anchoring that neighborhood's renaissance.
Competition and bad timing

City Living

February 19, 2016

The Bronx Riviera May Rise Again; Have a Rooftop Drink Inside a Giant Bubble

Drink inside a massive bubble at the Hyatt Times Square, the highest rooftop hotel bar in NYC. [Travel + Leisure] Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. will commit $10 million to a $40 million restoration of the landmarked, Art Deco Orchard Beach Pavilion, once known as the Bronx Riviera. [Welcome2TheBronx and TRD] A Red Hook artist is training thousands […]

Uncategorized

February 19, 2016

Morris Adjmi-Designed Commercial Building Coming to Controversial Noho Site

Yesterday, Ironstate Development filed permits to construct a nine-story, 46,000-gross-square-foot office and community facility building at 363 Lafayette Street in Noho. The long-vacant parcel spans the entire block front of Lafayette Street between Bond and Great Jones Streets and sits adjacent to the to the live/work studio of renowned artist Chuck Close at 20 Bond. The Real Deal reported in 2008 that Close filed a lawsuit against the previous property owner, Olmstead Properties, to prevent the construction of an office building that would block the loft building's natural light, which he argued many of the artists inside depend on. But the project seems to be moving ahead.
More details ahead

February 19, 2016

Stained Glass and Pitched Ceilings at This $2.8M Freestanding Victorian in Ditmas Park

This week, 6sqft is digging the freestanding Victorians that make up the Brooklyn neighborhood of Ditmas Park. Who wouldn't, considering how charming the historic homes are, with front porches, lawns and plenty of luxurious space? This Victorian is located at 112 Marlborough Road, within the Prospect Park South enclave of the neighborhood. (It's a historic district that was developed in 1899 by developer Dean Alvord, who purchased 60 acres of farmland to build rus in urbe, "the country in the city.") The historic windows, stained glass and wood floors are still there, and the top-floor bedrooms sit under a pitched roof. But it's also been renovated with recessed lighting, new sconces and pendants, and central AC and heat. It'll cost you $2.825 million for such a lovely home base in Brooklyn.
See more of the interior

Distinctive Homes

February 18, 2016

MAPS: Where to Find the Best Studio Rental Bargains Right Now

Last week we took a look at the lowest priced studio condominiums in Manhattan and northern Brooklyn. Now, here's a glance at the lowest priced rental studio units currently on the market. More than 60 percent of city-dwellers are renters—that's more than double the national average. And with the rental vacancy rate hovering around three percent, it's no surprise NYC is among the most expensive places to rent in the country. The most affordable neighborhood in Manhattan or northern Brooklyn to find a studio rental apartment is Bedford-Stuyvesant, where the median rent is $1,422 per month. Bed-Stuy is then closely followed by Crown Heights and Harlem, with median rents of $1,550 per month. The most expensive neighborhoods to rent in are NoLiTa ($3,848), the Lower East Side ($3,489), and TriBeCa ($3,465). Below you'll find a list of ten of the best individual studio deals on the market right now, and a map showing the studios priced farthest below their neighborhood medians. But move fast because these deals tend to disappear very quickly!
See it all here

Distinctive Homes

February 18, 2016

New Rendering, Details of Brooklyn’s Future Tallest Tower

A little over a month ago, 6sqft learned that Brooklyn’s first 1,000+ foot tower, designed by SHoP Architects, would rise a whopping 1,066 feet, amounting to 556,164 square feet of total space. It all started back in 2014 when developers Michael Stern and Joe Chetrit purchased 340 Flatbush Avenue Extension (a five-story mid-century building that takes up about one third of the triangular site in Downtown Brooklyn) for $46 million with plans to demolish it. Then, in December, they closed on the adjacent Dime Savings Bank building for $90 million, providing 300,000 square feet of air rights needed to construct the 73-story tower. Along with a new rendering, a piece today in the Times reveals some additional details, namely that the supertall will have nearly 500 rental units, at least 20 percent of which will be affordable under the city's 421-a program. But there's one issue that could make things a little complicated...
More on that, here

Distinctive Homes

Asking $2.8M, this two-family Bed-Stuy townhouse looks like a good place to spend a sunny afternoon

This $2.7M Chelsea duplex condo feels like a modern house with a private back garden

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

For $2.2M, this two-family Bed-Stuy townhouse has three levels of outdoor space

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

10 listings 6sqft readers loved in 2025

For $8M, a proper Park Avenue penthouse with an artistic pedigree

Tribeca's iconic skybridge property is back on the market for $30M

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

For $2.25M, a historic timber and stone cottage in Southampton

VIEW ALL

February 18, 2016

Common’s Shared Living Concept Brings $3,000 Bedrooms to Williamsburg

The perpetual waves of recent graduates and other young professional hopefuls streaming into New York City seem to be finding themselves stuck when it comes to finding a place to bunk between cubicle and pub. So it's no surprise that a growing field of enterprising entrepreneurs--after observing the moderate success of the co-working model and the mind-melting success of Airbnb–have stepped in with a hybrid of all of the above. 6sqft previously noted the Wall Street launch of co-working startup WeWork's communal living concept. Now, another co-living player, Common, who recently brought upscale shared housing to Crown Heights, will be opening the doors on a communal residence in prosaically trendy Williamsburg at the corner of South 3rd Street and Havemeyer. Common CEO Brad Hargreaves with partner Henry Development is building a 12-suite, 51-bedroom, 20,000-square-foot residence, the company's first ground-up effort here. The most buzz-worthy bit about this new addition is that members will pay $1,800 to $2,700 a month for a bedroom in one of 12 duplex suites, with one, two or three other roommates. The higher-end numbers represent rooms with a private bath–essentially a studio with friends with benefits.
What's the story here

February 18, 2016

Circular Wall Garden Takes Advantage of Your Home’s Vertical Space

It's widely known that house plants provide a myriad of benefits, but if you live in an urban area, it's likely that your floor and counter space are limited. Floral designer Kim Fisher has come up with an ingenious solution that can help you bring living greenery into your apartment (without needing to throw out the toaster to make room) with her sleek wall-hanging circular planter. And no green thumb is necessary -- the planter was designed specifically to hold succulents and airplants (all quite difficult to kill) -- and it's very easy to set up.
Find out how to get your own

February 18, 2016

$3M Warm and Spacious Flatiron Loft Needs No Excess or Eccentricity

Located on a bustling but attractive street in the indisputably popular and convenient Flatiron District, this fourth-floor loft co-op at 14 West 17th Street looks like a home we might not want to leave. Asking $2,975,000, the two-bedroom-plus-office loft maintains a balance of well-preserved history, modern style, and the kind of warmth found in a custom renovation. The co-op's current owner is Henri Bendel department store president Chris Fiore, who purchased it for $1,275,000 in 2006–a significant leap in value, but there has clearly been some investment in the space, and the neighborhood's ascent goes without saying. What works so well here are elegant finishes and loft charm, done well enough that the home doesn't need to distract with quirky artists' effects or super-luxury finishes by an ambitious developer or expensive designer.
Have a look around

Distinctive Homes

February 18, 2016

Art Nerd New York’s Top Event Picks for the Week – 2/18-2/24

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 week's less-frigid temperatures mean a great opportunity to head to Doris C. Freedman Plaza at the bottom of Central Park to experience the Public Art Fund's latest installation before it closes next week. Across the park, the final performance of the New York City Ballet's collaboration with artist Marcel Dzama is guaranteed not to disappoint (those costumes!). Ground Floor Gallery in Brooklyn is opening a group show inspired by the rare stone lapis, and Charlie Chaplin lights up the theater at the Rubin Museum. Semi-autobiographical film "Candy Apple" will accompany a chance to chat with director Dean Dempsey, and iconic art critic Hal Foster speaks at the Pratt Institue. Finally, as the ultimate example of the Williamsburg rent hike, seminal Williamsburg gallery PIEROGI opens its doors in... Manhattan.
All the best events to check out here

Events & Things To Do

February 18, 2016

The Simplified City Map; Inside the Brooklyn Nets’ Industry City Training Facilty

If you’re not a rich person living on the waterfront, you’re basically a bear, says this funny simplified city map. [The Map Room] The waters surrounding NYC contain at least 165 million plastic particles, and they’re making their way into the food supply. [NYDN] Check out the Brooklyn Nets’ new 70,000-square-foot practice facility in Industry City. [Crain’s] […]

Uncategorized

The Brooklyn-Queens Streetcar Would Run Entirely Through Flood Zones

Map of streetcar route via NYC mayor’s office (L); Map of flood-prone areas via FloodHelpNY (R); combined image via Streetsblog

February 18, 2016

The Brooklyn-Queens Streetcar Would Run Entirely Through Flood Zones

Leading up to Mayor de Blasio's press conference on Tuesday about his proposed Brooklyn-Queens streetcar plan, the internet has been abuzz with criticism and concerns, including whether or not it will accept MetroCard transfers, how it won't really connect to existing subway lines, funding matters, and the issue that the system may favor "tourists and yuppies." But Streetsblog makes another very interesting point–the fact that the proposed route will run almost entirely through city- and FEMA-designated high-risk flood zones, which "raises questions about how the streetcar infrastructure and vehicles would be protected from storm surges, as well as the general wisdom of siting a project that’s supposed to spur development in a flood-prone area."
What does the Mayor have to say about this?

February 18, 2016

Full-Floor Loft With an Actual Artist’s Studio Asks $3M in Soho

Back in the '60s and '70s, pretty much every Soho loft doubled as an art studio. Artists fought successfully to legally convert the former manufacturing buildings into live/work lofts, and today there's still a special zoning resolution that permits the use of former industrial spaces as homes only if the resident is an artist certified by the city. That zoning rule is often ignored, and with Soho lofts priced into the millions, you don't see many left that include studios. But this one, which occupies the entire second floor of 123 Prince Street, is the exception--at least when it comes to the art studio. (The price, of course, is high, at $3.125 million.) The open apartment has been built out with a lofted bedroom, office, studio space and mini bar.
Take a look around

Distinctive Homes

February 17, 2016

Looks Like Sarah Jessica Parker Is Combining Two West Village Townhouses

By Annie Doge

Carrie Bradshaw may not have been able to make her mind up about men, but Sarah Jessica Parker is more indecisive when it comes to real estate. The actress and hubby Matthew Broderick sold their Greenwich Village townhouse for $20 million back in March, which came after quite a few price cuts and almost three years on the market. And just a couple of weeks ago, they were seen checking out the Shephard, a new condo conversion in the 'hood. But it looks like SJP misses her townhouse, because broker-to-the-celebs Dolly Lenz shared an Instagram picture today, announcing that the couple is the buyer of two adjacent brick homes at 273 and 275 West 11th Street. Her caption implies that the power duo will combine the residences, which would result in a 50-foot-wide, 13,900-square-foot mega mansion, according to Curbed. The properties were last listed for $35 million total.
Find out more

February 17, 2016

INTERVIEW: Micro-Housing Architect Michael Chen Shares His Thoughts on the Tiny Trend

It's hard to flip through the home and garden television channels these days without seeing a program about tiny homes. But the trend has been gaining momentum for years, long before it made its way onto our TV screens. One of the creative forces behind this revolution is Michael Chen, firm principal of Michael K. Chen Architecture. With design offices in New York and San Francisco and 14 years of experience, Michael is considered a pioneer of innovative micro-housing. Not only does he share his "love of tinkering, of drawing, of discourse, and of making" with his clients, but he teaches at Pratt Institute School of Architecture in Brooklyn. Having recently finished the 5:1 Apartment–a compact, 390-square-foot space that fits all the functional and spatial elements for living, working, sleeping, dressing, entertaining, cooking, dining, and bathing–MKCA is taking the design world by storm with their thoughtful approach and clever product design. 6sqft decided to pick Michael's brain on just how he packs so much into such small footprints, where he thinks the micro-housing movement is headed, and the secrets behind some of his most spectacular spaces.
The interview, this way

This Map Explains the Historic Tile Color System Used in NYC Subway Stations

We know the crowds that pack into our city’s subway cars each day are more than colorful enough, but the system also has a super-geeky color-coded navigation system that exists even outside of the main map’s primary colored lines. The city-owned Independent Subway was opened between 1932 and 1940. Up until 1967, it was the last of three former competing subway systems, and contributed six major lines to what is now the unified New York Subway: A, B, C, D, E, F, G, Q (partial). Squire J. Vickers, the system’s architect, designed a special color coding system for each station. Color coded stations were then grouped between express stations to make riders aware of the zone they were passing through. At each express station, the color of the tiles would change. Some station tile color patterns have been altered with subsequent renovations. The system map is based on the original color coding sheet from 1930. After WWII, almost all new subway stations featured their own unique architectural designs and colors
Find out what color your stop is

February 17, 2016

Get a Head Start on the Creative Possibilities in This $2.5M Funky Tribeca Live/Work Loft

If you're looking for quintessential loft living in downtown Manhattan (and you're not looking for a bargain), Tribeca is the perfect spot to start. The once-industrial-reborn-as-fancy neighborhood is filled with historic former factory and warehouse buildings (many converted to co-ops and condominiums) and new buildings made to look like them. The co-ops that occupy the former sail factory at 474 Greenwich Street are the real deal (we toured a similarly one-of-a-kind higher-floor unit in the same building a while back). For $2.5 million, this ground-floor live/work residence has the space, the artistic pedigree, the decidedly colorful present, and the totally flexible future for the loft-seeking buyer.
See the entire funky space

February 17, 2016

Lacquered Coffee Table Was Inspired By a Japanese Noodle Box

Talented furniture designer Tracey Boyd gathers inspiration for her work by collecting ideas, experiences, and unique items found throughout her extensive travels. In the past, she's designed pieces based on salvaged drawer pulls from her hometown in England and ancient murals from across the world. Her Lacquered Cache Coffee Table, part of a collection with Anthropologie, is derived from the shape and function of a Japanese noodle bowl and is separated into four equal sections. Each quadrant opens to allow for additional storage within the table.
More on the table

February 17, 2016

Pro Golfer Cristie Kerr Gets a Hole in One With $6M West Village Condo Sale

By Annie Doge

It's reported that pro LPGA golfer Cristie Kerr has over $15 million in career earnings, and it looks like her bank account is about to get even fatter, as city records show that she and her husband/agent Erik Stevens have sold their West Village condo for $5.9 million. The couple bought the impressive three-bedroom home at 1 Morton Square back in 2009 for $2.3 million, but then enlisted famed interior designer Thom Filicia to give the high-floor residence a luxurious, modern renovation that, according to the listing, cost more than $1 million.
Check it out

February 17, 2016

The Secret Life of the Bodega Bagel; 5,000-Seat Amphitheater Coming to Coney Island

Has the landmarks law become a catchall? Michael Kimmelman looks at the soon-to-be-decided fate of the city’s 95 backlogged sites. [NYT] Everything you ever wanted to know about bodega bagels (but were too afraid to ask). [Eater] And in other bagel news… that Williamsburg shop selling the infamous “rainbow bagel” has been forced to close […]

Uncategorized

February 17, 2016

POLL: Is IKEA a Blessing or a Curse for Relationships?

By now, we’ve all heard the jokes about IKEA breaking up relationships–whether it’s getting lost in the store’s maze, figuring out how to pronounce a word with ten consonants in a row, agreeing upon one of 400 throw pillows, or putting together an entire entertainment center with one Allen wrench. To poke fun at the common […]

City Living

February 17, 2016

$2.7M Ditmas Park Beauty Is Historic Victorian Outside, Hip Brooklyn Inside

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

Ditmas Park is a magical neighborhood in New York City, filled with yards, front porches and beautiful freestanding Victorian homes. This is one of them, at 536 East 18th Street, and it is now on the market for $2.725 million. The exterior has been well kept, right down to the wood front porch. The interior has gone through a big renovation that hasn't taken away all the historic details, but definitely opened up and modernized the house. (It last sold in 2012 for $1,299,000, probably before any reno.) The result is the best of both worlds: Historic Ditmas Park from the exterior, modern and hip Brooklyn inside.
Check out the renovation

February 16, 2016

My 1,640sqft: Inside Chef Devin Gaffney’s Rent-Stabilized Classic Six on Billionaires’ Row

By Diane Pham

Our ongoing series “My sqft” checks out the homes of 6sqft’s friends, family and fellow New Yorkers across all the boroughs. Our latest interior adventure brings us to chef Devin Gaffney's Central Park South home. Want to see your home featured here? Get in touch! Whenever 57th Street and the few blocks that cluster Central Park South make the news, headlines usually swirl around how there's a brand new multi-billion dollar tower on the rise or how a condo in One57 just broke some city record. But lest we forget, many mere mortals like ourselves still fill out the more elfin edifices surrounding these supertalls. One such resident is Devin Gaffney, a chef (he's whipped up dishes at Brooklyn's beloved Speedy Romeo and No. 7) who not only grew up in the area, but moved away, spent 10 years in Brooklyn, and then moved back to the island into the same apartment he called home during his formative years. Ahead, Devin takes us through his eclectic, art-filled (many works centuries-old) classic six in a 1913 construction built for musicians just a block from Carnegie Hall, a block from Central Park, and right smack in the middle of one of New York City's most coveted and most expensive areas.
Go inside Devin's home here

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VIEW ALL

February 16, 2016

Waterfront Neighborhoods Fear Proposed BQX Streetcar Would Favor ‘Tourists and Yuppies’

Recent news has focused on plans announced by Mayor De Blasio for a streetcar line, dubbed the Brooklyn Queens Connector (BQX), to connect “underserved, but booming” areas of the boroughs. The city’s plan would run for 16 miles along the East River, from Astoria to Sunset Park, at a projected cost of $2.5 billion, serving bustling commercial hubs like the Brooklyn Navy Yard and Long Island City, as well as providing access for about 45,000 public housing residents. With concerns from local businesses and residents growing, the Times looks to the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail, an already-existing streetcar line in New Jersey that travels from Bayonne through Jersey City and Hoboken to Weehawken. It's been moving passengers for over a decade and today serves 46,800 passengers on a typical weekday. By most accounts it's been a success, helping employees get to work (with a skyline view, no less) and encouraging development in areas along the waterfront that had suffered from blight and neglect. Two rivers over, it's the areas through which the proposed "BQX" would travel that are the subject of some concern.
Find out more

Transit

February 16, 2016

Former Workman’s Cottage in the Warren Place Mews Now Asks $4,900 a Month

We've come a long way from the 1870s. That's when the Warren Place Mews was constructed on a short, private block of Cobble Hill by the wealthy merchant and philanthropist Alfred Tredway White. He advocated for housing for the working class in Brooklyn and built this mews–which consists of 34 modest, Gothic cottages that share an English courtyard–specifically for workingmen and their families. Today, these cottages have been priced into the millions, with 21 Warren Place hitting the market last summer for $1.5 million. Renting isn't for the everyday workingman, either. 8 Warren Place is now asking $4,900 a month for two bedrooms and bragging rights to living in one of the quaintest homes in Brooklyn.
Check out the cozy interior

Apply Now for 13 New Affordable Apartments Across Williamsburg, Starting at $756/Month

7 Stagg Street via Joseph Vance Architects

February 16, 2016

Apply Now for 13 New Affordable Apartments Across Williamsburg, Starting at $756/Month

Last week, 6sqft announced that the affordable housing lottery had launched for 33 apartments at 149 Kent Avenue in Williamsburg. If you're in this income bracket and are looking to live in this trendy Brooklyn area, you can now up your chances, as 13 more brand-new affordable units are up for grabs at five sites around the neighborhood–568 Graham Avenue, 7 Stagg Street, 40 Scholes Street, 198 Montrose Avenue, and 44 Morgan Avenue–according to the NYC HDC. These addresses, which will offer/preserve 24 affordable units in total, are part of a project from the affordable housing developer St. Nicks Alliance. Currently available are one-, two-, and three-bedroom units for those earning between $30,446 and $60,120 annually, roughly 60 percent of the area median income.
More information this way

Affordable Housing

February 16, 2016

Magic Wine Rack Makes Bottles Disappear

For over 20 years Tony Potter has been working and living as an illusionist and magician, but this renaissance-man-entertainer also has a passion for woodworking. Combining all his unique skills, he designed a wine rack called Pinetti that makes bottles appear to vanish. And while many of us don't need any help making wine disappear, it's still fun to see this seemingly standard wine rack do its magic.
Learn more about this tricky illusion

Vaults Under the Brooklyn Bridge Once Held Private Wine Cellars

Image via Stanley Greenberg

February 16, 2016

Vaults Under the Brooklyn Bridge Once Held Private Wine Cellars

We know the cavernous passageways and underground chambers of the Brooklyn Bridge hold many secrets–6sqft previously mentioned the Cold War-era bomb shelter, chock-full of supplies and provisions, hidden inside one of the massive stone arches below the bridge’s Manhattan side entrance. But the landmark also harbors a more pleasant secret: In the 1900s, the city rented out vaults beneath the ramps leading up to the bridge entrances for use as wine cellars (h/t NYT). A wine vault on the Manhattan side cost $5,000 a year, while Brooklyn-side storage was a mere $500 annually.
The full story

History

February 16, 2016

Original World Trade Center Keys Are for Sale on eBay for $489

Today's office buildings are generally accessed via sophisticated swipe cards and code systems, but when the original World Trade Center towers were built, good old fashioned keys were still in use. And, believe it or not, two separate sellers on eBay are offering up said brass keys, Untapped uncovered. The first (pictured above) has raised letters stating, “WORLD TRADE CENTER DO NOT DUPLICATE,” meaning it "was cast in brass and not printed in the locksmith department of the Twin Towers." For $489, it's being sold with a visitor's pass from when the seller's father went to the offices of financial firm Raymond James. The second key is only $250, but has engraved letters instead.
Find out more about these historic items

History

February 16, 2016

Mapping the Neighborhoods of Victorian Flatbush; Hamilton/Burr Dueling Pistols Are Hiding in NYC

Did you know that Victorian Flatbush is actually a cluster of about a dozen smaller neighborhoods in Flatbush developed around the turn of the century? While many use “Victorian Flatbush” and “Ditmas Park” interchangeably, they aren’t the same thing. See how the area really breaks down in this informative, interactive map. [NeighborhoodX] Check out these 1800s-era artifacts […]

Uncategorized

February 16, 2016

$775K Ridgewood Duplex Is an Urban Loft on the Brooklyn-Queens Border

Those who stake their claim beyond the fringes of New York City's upscale or trendy enclaves aren’t looking for the same things their more mainstream counterparts are. Every neighborhood can’t be the West Village–or even the Brooklyn version of it. Looking for lower prices and cheaper rent calls to the adventurous–Andy Warhol and his crew carved out their Factory scene in Midtown, for example. Similarly, in the ‘90s, a flock of young space-seekers moved into former industrial spaces in Bushwick. Ridgewood was a bit further on the L and so its notable population of new residents came a little later, but they brought the same spirit. Even for the early Bushwick crowd, Ridgewood, the quintessential border town, is different, with its mix of streetscapes from historic row houses (Ridgewood has one of the largest federal historic districts in the nation) to industrial blocks much like the one on which you’ll find this one-bedroom condominium at 852 Cypress Avenue on the Ridgewood-Bushwick border.
READ MORE

Distinctive Homes

A New York Minute With the Lower East Side History Project’s Eric Ferrara

6sqft’s new mini-series A New York Minute features influential New Yorkers answering spitfire (and sometimes very random) questions about their life in the big city. Want to nominate yourself or someone you know? Get in touch!

February 15, 2016

A New York Minute With the Lower East Side History Project’s Eric Ferrara

Eric Ferrara is one of those people who just screams New York, and it makes sense considering he's a fourth-generation city dweller. He was born on 71st Street in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn and is now a professional history author, educator, movie and television consultant and personality, and founder of the award-winning non-profit Lower East Side History Project. Among the books he's authored are the Manhattan Mafia Guide, Lower East Side Oral Histories, and The Bowery: A History of Grit, Graft and Grandeur. In addition to being ridiculously knowledgable about the city, Eric has that classic New York sense of humor, so we couldn't wait to hear about some of his most memorable moments, his favorite spots, and his general thoughts on life in New York.
Eric's NY Minute this way

Where I Work

February 14, 2016

10 New York Couples Offer Up Their Design Tips for Peaceful Cohabitation

By Diane Pham

Our ongoing series Apartment Living 101 is aimed at helping New Yorkers navigate the challenges of creating a happy home in the big city. In celebration of Valentine's Day, this week 6sqft asked 10 couples for tips on how to cohabit peacefully together. Living with anyone takes a lot of work—days are more often than not highlighted with squabbles over the toilet seat being left up than googly eyes over too many flowers and chocolates. Now throw in the fact that you're probably squeezing into a tiny studio or a one-bedroom (if you're lucky!), and one would think what you've really got is a one-way ticket to singledom. But creating a peaceful and stress-free home is possible by just implementing a few changes and making a few compromises. While love may be anything but one-size-fits-all, these 10 New York City couples are sharing their tips on how they created a balanced home full of joy.
All the best tips and 10 of NYC's cutest couples this way

February 13, 2016

Weekly Highlights: Top Picks From the 6sqft Staff

Live in Trendy Williamsburg for $563/Month, Lottery Launching for 149 Kent Apartments Brooklyn’s Most Expensive Rental Ups Its Price to $29K/Month Bjarke Ingels Reveals Design for Supertall Cascading Hudson Yards Tower, the Spiral Penny Marshall Lists $5.5M UWS Penthouse With Terrace, Views and a Fireplace in the Bathroom Housing Lottery Kicks Off for $801/Month Middle-Income […]

Uncategorized

February 12, 2016

Rafael Viñoly Files Plans to Construct a 60-Foot Addition for Pershing Square Capital

In December, the Post reported that Bill Ackman had tapped starchitect Rafael Vinoly (the designer of 432 Park Avenue) to re-imagine 787 Eleventh Avenue along Manhattan's "Automobile Row" in Hell's Kitchen. Ackman's Pershing Square Capital Management intends to relocate to the top floors of the building, and permits filed yesterday indicate that plans are moving forward. The 100-foot-tall structure will receive a two-story, 60-foot-tall addition, which will add nearly 20,000 square feet of construction floor area to the 460,000-square-foot building.
Find out more

Architecture And Design

February 12, 2016

Spotlight: Jacques Torres Takes Us Into His Whimsical World of Chocolate

By Susan Cohen

On Valentine's Day, couples often express their love for each other with chocolate. And here in New York, acclaimed chocolatier Jacques Torres is naturally part of the conversation. Since 2000, Jacques has been sharing his chocolate creations through his company Jacques Torres Chocolate, which over the years has grown to nine shops around the city. But it all began back in his native France, where in 1986 he was the youngest pastry chef to be awarded the Meilleur Ouvrier de France (Best Craftsman of France) medal in pastry. Soon after, he moved to the United States, and a few years later began working as a pastry chef at famed restaurant Le Cirque. After making his mark in the restaurant industry, he devoted himself to chocolate full time, a decision that has certainly benefited those of us with a sweet tooth. With Valentine's Day this Sunday, 6sqft spoke with Jacques to learn more about his world of chocolate, how real estate has been an important part of it, and just how busy he gets around the holiday.
Read the interview this way

February 12, 2016

Office Romance by the Numbers: Which Professions Are Pairing Up

If you’ve got the urge to merge, it might be time for a career change. With the romance-obsessed holiday around the corner, the folks at Bloomberg Business delved into the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2014 American Community Survey to find out which professions are pairing off. To that end, they've created a fascinating interactive chart that reveals the most common occupation/relationship marriage matchups for any selected occupation. Some findings aren’t surprising: "High-earning women tend to pair up with their economic equals, while middle- and lower-tier women often marry up. In other words, female CEOs tend to marry other CEOs; male CEOs are okay marrying their secretaries."
So Who's Marrying Whom?

City Living

February 12, 2016

Rent the Landmarked Clinton Hill Townhouse From ‘White Collar’ for $7,995/Month

This wood-frame townhouse at 106 Cambridge Place in historic Clinton Hill is in much better shape than some of its nearby Civil War-era brethren, many of which have been shored up and shined up with modern conveniences, leaving little remaining of their 19th century details. This 1860s house, however, is both gracefully preserved and filled with modern comforts both practical and stylish. Another distinction: The house appeared on the TV series "White Collar," as the home of FBI Agent Peter Burke. This five-bedroom, 20-foot-wide townhouse, after being listed for sale for $2.89 million last year, is now on the rental market for $7,995 a month. Since the listing refers to the upper triplex, we're assuming the garden apartment is either separately rented or otherwise used by the owners.
Take a look around

February 12, 2016

Circle Swinging Chair Brings Your Childhood Playground Inside the Office

Chairs come in all shapes and sizes, but more often than not they're simply four legs, a seat, and a back. But this standard form did not appeal to Polish designer Iwona Kosicka, as she recently introduced the world to SWING, her legless floating circle chair. This out-of-the-box design gracefully hangs from the ceiling and features refined woodwork, adding fun and sophistication to any room.
More on SWING

February 12, 2016

Apply Today for an $827/Month Apartment at the Controversial Towers Next to St. John the Divine

The Enclave at the Cathedral is a set of two brand-new rental buildings in Morningside Heights from the Brodsky Organization. Offering a total of 428 residential units, the 13- and 15-story undulating towers were involved in quite a bit of controversy for their position obstructing the 123-year-old Cathedral of St. John the Divine, which just happens to be the world's largest cathedral. But if this little issue doesn't bother you, and you earn between $29,726 and and $51,780 annually, you can apply starting today for one of 87 affordable units, according to the NYC HDC. They include 27 studios priced at $827/month; 40 one-bedrooms at $931/month; and 20 two-bedrooms at $1,123/month.
Find out if you qualify

February 12, 2016

Buyout Legends: Developers Paid 15 CPW Hermit Holdout $17M to Move Into a Free Apartment

What do you do when you're a developer who has a 52,000-square-foot property with one tenant...who won't leave? While we've all heard legends about holdouts in rent-controlled apartments getting big buyouts from deep-pocketed developers, none to date could beat the good fortune of Herbert J. Sukenik. The reclusive septuagenarian lived in his 350-square-foot apartment (which happened to have four exposures and Central Park and two river views) at the Mayflower Hotel for three decades. But he ended up walking away with $17 million, the most money ever paid to a tenant to leave a New York apartment, and walked into an almost-free, 2,200-square-foot, 16th-floor home in the venerable Essex House on Central Park South.
So what happened?

History

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

February 12, 2016

How Co-op Prices Have Changed Over the Last 15 Years; NYC’s Professional Proposal Planner

This interactive chart shows how co-op prices have changed from 200o to 2015. The Financial District increased the most at 272%. [NeighborhoodX] Richard Meier on the buildings he wishes he’d designed. [WSJ] Meet the city’s professional proposal planner, who not only photographs the occasion, but coaches the groom-to-be and orchestrates the occasion. [Racked] Taking your Valentine’s date […]

Uncategorized

February 12, 2016

Cute Two-Bedroom Condo in Prime Williamsburg Is Priced Under $1 Million

It seems like you can't find anything in Williamsburg for less than $1 million these days, but here's a condo that's priced just below seven digits. This two-bedroom unit at 211 Berry Street, an older condo complex in the neighborhood that's been slapped with a cool name (Northside Condo), has got a price tag of $995,000. This is not one of those North Brooklyn loft condos with a pool, roofdeck or resident lounges, which accounts for the lower price in the central Williamsburg location -- it's located right near the main drags of Bedford and Metropolitan avenues.
Take a look

February 12, 2016

Revealed: Central Park Tower Shows Off Its Retail Base

Now dubbed the Central Park Tower, Extell's 1,550-foot-tall supertall on Billionaires' Row was originally known as the Nordstrom Tower, so named because of its ground-floor tenant who will be opening their first Manhattan flagship store. But despite the fact that we architecture nerds were saying "Nordstrom" for years, we had no idea how the store would actually factor into the 95-story building's overall design (which was recently knocked down from a whopping 1,775 feet with the loss of its spire). But now, the Seattle Times (the department store is based out of the Washington city) has revealed renderings of the retail base, reports NY Yimby.
All the details and renderings

February 11, 2016

Penny Marshall Lists $5.5M UWS Penthouse With Terrace, Views and a Fireplace in the Bathroom

Director, actress, producer and “Laverne & Shirley” star Penny Marshall is parting ways with the Upper West Side penthouse at 470 West End Avenue that she purchased back in the early 1980s. Marshall just listed the 1,800-square-foot penthouse with a wrap-around terrace and Hudson River views for $5.5 million. The Bronx-born actress, who has been based on the left coast for some time, used the two-bedroom pad as a pied-a-terre, and it certainly makes an impressive one. Though the interiors don't appear to have been updated recently, dramatic pre-war details (11-foot-plus beamed ceilings, wood-burning fireplaces, paneled doors and original hardware) and 1,050 square feet of private outdoor space don’t ever go out of style; with some updating, this will definitely be a "Big" beautiful space.
Check out the rest of the penthouse

February 11, 2016

HOK Architects Files Permits for 21-Story UES Condo Tower, Will Yield New Subway Entrance