6sqft | NYC local news, events, and apartments

"The builders are charging up to $100 million for apartments that offer helicopter views of lush foliage, jagged skylines, soothing rivers and angelic clouds. They lure the superrich, many with suspect foreign assets, to sky-high mansions. They enrich themselves by exploiting weak zoning rules to pour hideous implants into Manhattan cavities." All of this, says Max Frankel, who was the executive editor of The Times from 1986 to 1994 and lives half a block from Central Park, may need some consequences. And he wonders if this should come in the form of a "user fee," where residents of these Billionaires' Row towers would have to pay a monthly "window tax" based on how high in a given tower their unit is located. And according to his "back-of-the-envelope calculations," this could bring in roughly $1 million a year per building for the city to use on public projects like street work, parks, education, and affordable housing.
More details ahead

December 31, 2015

Ancient Syrian Architecture Coming to Times Square; Why Is the Pineapple a Symbol of Hospitality?

3D-printed replicas of the Temple of Bel’s arch, located in the Syrian city of Palmyra, are coming to London and NYC in April. The arch is the last remnant of the UNESCO site; Isis fighters destroyed the rest. [The Guardian] Was the original Penn Station really so great? David Dunlap doesn’t think so. [NYT] This video goes […]

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December 31, 2015

Lofty Duplex Carved Out of an UES Limestone Mansion Asks $3.975 Million

35 East 68th Street, located between Park and Madison Avenues on the Upper East Side, is one of those buildings that is not to be messed with. It's a 13,000-square-foot Beaux Arts mansion designed as a private residence for Harvard-trained physician Dr. Edward Kellogg and grain fortune heiress Mary Dows by Carrere & Hastings–the same architecture firm behind the New York Public Library. Since the now-landmarked building was completed in 1901, it has maintained its elegant, carved limestone facade. The interior, however, is a different story. Somewhere along the line the mansion was converted into a co-op apartment building, split into eight units. Seven of the eight co-ops were on the market this February for $34 million, but it looks like a sale never happened. Now this three-bedroom duplex is up for sale on its own.
See the interior

Distinctive Homes

December 30, 2015

Attractive New Bushwick Condo Rises on One of Brooklyn’s Ugliest Streets

It's rare to see a new development in Bushwick with any kind of style and grace, but a recently finished six-unit condominium at 27 Dodworth Street actually looks like some thought went into it. Even more remarkable is that it manages to do so on what is probably the most unfortunate looking street on the eastern seaboard. So breathtakingly ugly in fact that it could be thought of, by some, as chic. And as it turns out, buyers have shelled out up to $1 million for condos along this gritty stretch near the Bed-Stuy-Bushwick border.
See the good, the bad, and the ugly

December 30, 2015

Jonah Hill’s Brother Picks Up a Quirky Soho Co-op for $2.3M

Looks like Jordan Feldstein wanted to be much closer to big bro Jonah Hill. The talent manager (his clients include Maroon 5 and Robin Thicke) picked up a loft co-op at 37B Crosby Street in Soho, just a block away from Jonah's current pad at 27 Howard Street. City records show that Feldstein paid $2.3 million for the quirky duplex, which features exposed brick, fire engine-red railings, a custom wine cellar, and a private garden.
Take a look around

December 30, 2015

Michael Kimmelman Explores How Architecture Sounds; Top NYC Hotels to Cut Carbon Emissions

Watch the Times Square New Year’s Eve confetti test. [Gothamist] Michael Kimmelman tackles the architecture of sound with a three-dimensional audio component. [NYT] 16 NYC hotels have pledged to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 30 percent over the next ten years. The list includes the Waldorf, the Peninsula, and the Pierre. [CNN Money] Bushwick had the […]

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December 30, 2015

Form Follows Function at CCS Architecture’s Wood-Clad Bridgehampton Residence

By Ana Lisa Alperovich

This stylish Bridgehampton Residence was designed to accommodate three generations of a family with growing children. Featuring big sliding doors and windows under a collection of sloped roofs, the wood-clad retreat plays between the indoor and luscious outdoor living spaces right in the heart of the Hamptons. In order to accommodate a multigenerational family, CCS Architecture gut-renovated and extended an existing dwelling, which went from four bedrooms to eight and gained a garage.
Learn more about this large family retreat

Architecture And Design

December 30, 2015

POLL: Have You Ever Gone to Times Square for New Year’s Eve?

Yesterday, 6sqft shared a video that explored the history of New Year’s Eve in Times Square. The first celebration was held in 1904 as a celebration of the New York Times’ new building at the crossroads, and in 1907 the first ball drop took place. Since then, the tradition has taken place every year except […]

Events & Things To Do

Distinctive Homes

This $3M West Village co-op gets warmth from brick, wood, and stone

For $2M, a Boerum Hill co-op with a colorful Scandi kitchen

Lily Allen's Brooklyn townhouse is for sale for $8M

Once a parking garage, this $85M Village penthouse is now in line to break neighborhood sales records

'Secret' live-work compound on Tribeca's skybridge street lists for $30M

Sky mansion with dramatic curves on Billionaires' Row asks $10M

A pop duo's $3.65M Williamsburg condo turns up the fun factor on white-box chic

$4M Prospect Heights penthouse has three bedrooms, a wraparound terrace, and views in every direction

Greenwich Village townhouse where Oscar Wilde once stayed asks $7.45M

For $1.2M, this Park Slope brownstone co-op gets the top-floor perk of a private roof deck

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December 30, 2015

Victorian Home With Luxury Renovations Asks $7.5 Million in Yorkville

There's an interesting background behind this Victorian townhouse located at 142 East End Avenue within the Henderson Place Historic District in Yorkville. It was developed with other townhouses in the late 19th century by developer John C. Henderson for "persons of moderate means." These days, you'll need a lot more than moderate means to afford one–last year, a neighboring townhouse that had undergone a two-year gut renovation was on the market for $7.5 million or $25,900 a month. This one is also priced at $7.5 million, though it's been on and off the market since late 2012 asking anywhere from $6.5 to $8.5 million (h/t Curbed). The townhouse (once owned by a testifying forensic pathologist in the O.J. Simpson trial) was also gut renovated, with the interior all luxury while the exterior retains its original masonry detailing and modest brick façade, designed by architecture firm Lamb & Rich. Interior details include Italian tile flooring, Brazilian teak hardwood, four private outdoor spaces and a grand stainless steel staircase with walnut finishes.
Check it out

Distinctive Homes

December 29, 2015

Outrageous Bronx Mansion Built for Jesus’ Second Coming Can Be Yours for $10M

Up in Riverdale, atop the second-highest peak in the city, is an opulent mansion that beckons to the heavens–literally–that's about to hit the market for $10 million. The grand, 17-room home was built back in 1928 by its eccentric owner who never actually lived in the home herself, but rather constructed it for Jesus' second coming. Genevieve Ludlow Griscom was by then the widow of Clement Acton Griscom Jr., a prominent shipping executive. She was a member of a cult-like religious group called the Outer Court of the Order of the Living Christ, which was rooted in Episcopalian beliefs, but focused on "reincarnation and Christian mysticism," according to the Post. "The property was built as the group’s summer retreat and was surrounded by a high fence, leading neighbors to speculate that it was home to strange rituals," they added.
Get the rest of the strange history ahead

December 29, 2015

First Look at Six-Family Townhouses Set for North Williamsburg

At the northern edge of Williamsburg, near the Greenpoint border, work is beginning on a 12-unit project developed by Ami Barr's Djem Land LLC and designed by Queens-based InFocus Design and Planning. The building is situated at 171-173 Bayard Street, between Graham Avenue and McGuinness Boulevard, and replaces a one-story, nondescript light industrial building that the Long Island-based developers snapped up for $1.8 million in early 2014. Renderings posted on the architect's website show an orderly facade of red brick, large sash windows, and steel lintels. A somewhat strange marble cornice tops the first three levels and the fourth story is set back, simulating a modern rooftop addition atop a rehabilitated manufacturing building.
More details ahead

December 29, 2015

Why Can’t This Rotating Dome Home Find a Buyer?; Wi-Fi Hot Spots Take Shape

For the past year and a half, the price on this rotating dome home in New Paltz has been steadily decreasing. What’s the deal? [Gothamist] The top ten books taken out of NYC public libraries in 2015. [NYDN] Architects at SOM have completed the city’s first net-zero energy school on Staten Island. [Dezeen] The first LinkNYC kiosk, […]

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December 29, 2015

The Much-Anticipated Ecocapsule Micro-Home Is Now Available for Pre-Order

Excitement and anticipation over the innovative eco-friendly, pod-like micro-home dubbed Ecocapsule started back in May when they were first introduced to the public. The units are designed by Nice Architects and are totally off-grid, powered by solar and wind energy. They're finally available for preorder, and as one of the most efficient and adaptable housing solutions out there, we can't wait to see them in use.
Find out more right this way

December 29, 2015

‘Running With Scissors’ Author Augusten Burroughs Sells Battery Park City Condo

If you've read any of Augusten Burroughs' memoirs ("Running with Scissors," "Dry," or "Wolf at the Table," to name a few) you'll know that his life was quite tumultuous. His NYC home, however, is just the opposite. The Battery Park City studio condo at 225 Rector Place is completely plain and neutral and void of any bells and whistles. His past partner Dennis Pilsits purchased the residence in 2008 for $600,767, but then transferred it over to Burroughs in 2011, presumably as part of their split. Now, according to city records, the New York Times #1 bestselling author has unloaded the pad for a mere $637,000.
Check it out

December 29, 2015

Karl Fischer’s Greenpoint Development Gets a Makeover; Interiors Revealed

With its hodgepodge exterior once called "the Noah's Ark of bad design" and simply described as just plain "fugly," it seems Karl Fischer has taken the hint by reworking the design of 26 West Street into something slightly less offensive. Since the rendering reveal last April, construction is now well underway and a new image of the project has emerged on Fischer's website that shows the use of more red paneling and factory-style sash windows, a greater incorporation of balconies, and the placement of additional arched windows along its western, river-facing facade. Also shown and reflected in DOB filings is a seventh story, bringing the likely rental project up from 72 units to 96. Additionally, Fischer has now revealed the project's interiors, which seem to mix the two favored Brooklyn styles of rustic and industrial.
Check it all out

December 28, 2015

‘Scratch Off’ This Map to Reveal Historic Aerial Imagery

Had no luck scratching off those lottery tickets your grandma put in your holiday card? Then here's a chance to scratch off something where everyone's a winner (well, at least history and map buffs). Urban Scratchoff is a fun interactive map that overlays historic aerial imagery from 1924 atop the same location in current time. Simply drag the mouse over a portion of the map to "scratch off" the present aerial view. You also have the option to swap the layers and have the current view on top.
More on the map

History

December 28, 2015

Art Nerd New York’s Picks for an Over-the-Top, Artsy New Year’s Eve

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! Closing out the year is either a reason for total, over the top indulgence, or an excuse to drink champagne at home with close friends and welcome a fresh start. This year, we're leaning toward the former, using the tail end of 2015 as an excuse to seek out the artful magic that New York City holds. I've gotten into the game myself, co-producing an elaborate Surrealist Ball at the beautiful Roxy Hotel that will bring my wildest dreams of Magritte and Dali to life, a party fit for an Art Nerd. There are also some other incredible-sounding events slated for this Thursday, including You Are S0 Lucky, which provides ticket buyers a 72-room manor to explore, followed by four floors of DJs in an undisclosed location. Shanghai Mermaid channels 1920s Hollywood at a downtown Manhattan location transformed into a center of hot jazz, while Sleep No More's McKittrick Hotel continues their narrative decadence with the King's Masquerade. Over-the-top Queen of the Night is hosting a Bond-themed black tie gala complete with sumptuous dinner and after party. Or for something more low key, take the opportunity to check out the private dining club Parlor for glamorous drinks and dancing.
All the best events to check out here

Events & Things To Do

Horror Author Peter Straub Sells His Historic UWS Townhouse for $7M

When he put his Upper West Side townhouse on the market for $8.2 million in April, 6sqft wrote: "With accolades like the Bram Stoker Award, the World Fantasy Award, and the International Horror Guild Award to his name, one might proceed with caution when entering the home of American author and poet Peter Straub." But as we discovered, the Queen Anne-style home is anything but scary. Rather, it's a historically preserved masterpiece with rich colors, tasteful furnishings, and plenty of character. And now, according to city records, it's sold for $7,050,000, after Peter and his wife Susan called the residence at 53 West 85th Street home for 30 years.
Take a look around

December 28, 2015

Renderings Revealed for Cantilever King ODA’s Bushwick Hotel

Back in March, 6sqft brought you renderings of a cantilevered, ziggurat-like project in Gowanus. The architects were none other than of-the-moment firm ODA, who have become the king of cantilevers and cube-like designs. The project never came to fruition (the developers noted that they won't be working with ODA), but it looks like the firm recycled some of the design ideas for their latest endeavor. ArchDaily revealed renderings for a new seven-story, 100-key hotel at 71 White Street in Bushwick. The ODA-designed structure, of course, features a dramatic cantilever with an interior courtyard and employs their signature boxy facade. It will use the foundation of a former 1930s manufacturing building, but for a true Brooklyn twist, will incorporate the existing brick graffiti wall into the new design.
More renderings and details this way

December 28, 2015

Big Price Drop at This Renovated Five-Story, Upper West Side Townhouse

The pricing over the years at 33 West 71st Street, located on the Upper West Side near Central Park West, is like reading the dramatic play, The Crazy Price Tags of New York. The historic townhouse sold in 1996 for $770,000, although back then it looks like the residence was chopped up into rental units. At some point, it was renovated back into a single family and the price tag started to skyrocket. It was listed in 2008 for $5.3 million, then in 2012 for $7.5 million. It sold in 2013 for $6.225 million and then was quickly listed again in 2014 for $18.5 million after the latest renovation. That price was lowered to $16.495 million this summer, and then quickly lowered again to $14.995 million. Got all that? Because now it's on the market with a price cut to $12.995 million, or you can rent it for $40,000 a month.
See more

Distinctive Homes

December 28, 2015

WTC Transportation Hub to Open in March; ‘Working Canines’ Named NY State Dog

Santiago Calatrava’s long-delayed and incredibly-over-budget World Trade Center Transportation Hub is set to open in March. [Politico] “Working canines” were named the official state dog of New York. This includes police dogs, military dogs, drug-sniffing dogs, airport dogs, therapy dogs and seeing eye dogs. [NYDN] After four-and-a-half months, an extreme New Yorker rode his Citi Bike 2,700 […]

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December 27, 2015

Park Slope Duplex With Spiral Staircase and Private Roof Deck Asks $6,500 a Month

Here's a Park Slope rental that comes from a three-story brownstone that's been converted into three condo apartments. This unit pretty much fits your idea of what a Park Slope apartment should be: it's located on a charming block with other brownstones, there are lovely interior details, and it's large enough to fit a family. (This is a neighborhood with a lot of babies.) It's a duplex with 1,400 square feet, three bedrooms and two bathrooms total. The condo is now on the rental market for $6,500 a month. It looks like condos in this building have been selling for over $1 million for the past few years -- this apartment actually closed in 2012 for $1.150 million.
See the interior

December 26, 2015

December 26, 1947: A Record-Breaking Snowstorm Blankets NYC

New York may be enjoying yet another unseasonably warm day, but 68 years ago today, short sleeves and sidewalk dining were completely out of the question. It was December 26, 1947 that the city experienced its biggest snowstorm ever—a blizzard that dumped 26.4 inches of snow on the ground. According to NYC.gov, "the City was paralyzed when the blizzard barreled its way through, stranding cars and buses in the streets, halting subway service, and claiming 77 lives." In the end it took $6 million, nearly 30,000 workers, and weeks of digging and plowing to bring the city back to passable again. You can watch a video of the chaos brought by 99 million tons of snow ahead.
READ MORE

December 25, 2015

Happy Holidays From 6sqft!

The 6sqft team wishes you a joy-filled holiday!

Events & Things To Do

Did You Know the First TV Yule Log Was Aired in 1966 From Gracie Mansion?

Original footage of the Yule Log via WPIX-TV

December 24, 2015

Did You Know the First TV Yule Log Was Aired in 1966 From Gracie Mansion?

If you grew up in a house without a fireplace, there's a good chance the Yule Log played on the television during Christmas. This somewhat strange annual broadcast was, in fact, created for homeowners longing for the glow of a hearth, but also as a way to give station employees some time off. So in 1966, WPIX Channel 11 set up a camera at Gracie Mansion, then occupied by Mayor Lindsay, and filmed one of the home's flickering fireplaces for 17 seconds using 16 millimeter film. It was spliced together into a three-hour loop with holiday carols playing in the background, and there the Yule Log was born on Christmas Eve at 9:30pm. This same footage ran for four years, but but when WPIX wanted to do a new shoot at the Mayor's residence, it was an Oriental rug that halted the plans.
Find out what happened and how the yule log is once again a Christmas tradition

December 24, 2015

Brooklyn’s First 1,000+ Foot Tower Moves Forward, Developers Close on Last Site Needed

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

It's official, developers Michael Stern and Joe Chetrit have closed on the Dime Savings Bank building at 9 DeKalb Avenue in Downtown Brooklyn for $90 million, providing them with the air rights needed to build the borough's tallest tower. According to Crain's, who first broke the news, Stern and Chetrit will be able to transfer the bank building's 300,000 square feet of unused development rights to the new structure's site at 340 Flatbush Avenue Extension. As 6sqft previously reported, the new tower will soar more than 1,000 feet and is being designed by SHoP Architects. It will also be the city's tallest building outside of Manhattan when complete.
on the deal here

New Developments

THE 6SQFT SHOP

The 6 best furniture rental companies in NYC

8 best places in NYC to thrift for home goods

The best websites for buying and selling used furniture in NYC

Everything you need to know about using a guarantor in NYC

15 quintessential NYC gifts for the New Yorker in your life

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

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

10 best plants for apartment dwellers

New York City's best holiday markets of 2023

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December 24, 2015

See How Much Central Park Has Changed Since the ’80s in These Before-and-After Photos

In 1980, the Central Park Conservancy was formed as a nonprofit organization to manage the park under a contract with the City of New York and the Parks Department. As 6sqft noted in a previous interview with the Conservancy, they're made up of "gardeners, arborists, horticulturists, landscape architects, designers, tour guides, archeologists, a communications team, and even a historian," all of whom help to maintain the park as the gorgeous urban oasis we know and love today. But before this, the park faced countless political and economic stressors, and without a central body to oversee it, entered a state of disrepair and neglect. It culminated in the '80s (as the Conservancy worked on a plan for its rehabilitation) with barren patches of land, graffiti tags, and dead plants. Since it's hard to imagine Central Park in such a state, the Conservancy has provided these incredible before-and-after photos that show just how far the beloved space has come.
See all the photos here

History

December 24, 2015

Bright Art Deco One-Bedroom in Gramercy Park Is for Sale by Owner, Asking $1.2 Million

It's true, this unseasonably warm weather isn't anything to complain about. But it's hard to look at a fireplace like the one pictured above and not start pining for a winter chill. The grand marble fireplace (which is also wood-burning...perfect for wintertime!) belongs to a one-bedroom apartment at 242 East 19th Street, an Art Deco co-op building in Gramercy Park. Constructed in 1926 and converted to a cooperative in 1984, the 15-story brick Italian Renaissance-style building holds 113 apartments. And since many of the surrounding buildings are low-rise, there's a great view from the building's roof deck. This apartment has the spacious rooms that you often find in prewar apartment buildings. It's a one-bedroom, although there's an office space without a window that could be used as a second bedroom. It's up for sale for $1.2 million by owner and photographer Julia Indrani Pal-Chaudhuri (known simply as Indrani).
See more

Distinctive Homes

December 23, 2015

Steals & Deals: Two-Bedroom Apartments for Just Six Figures!

By 6sqft

That elusive creature, the two-bedroom apartment for under $1 million, is alive and well, even in some of the city's most sought-after neighborhoods. They're not easy to find, but diligence—and access to great listings—goes a long way. 6sqft's rounded up a few two-under-one finds now on the market in great nabes like Park Slope, Harlem and Prospect Heights, and even on a stretch just a half-block from amazing Central Park.
See what beautiful two-bedroom deals we've found ahead

Distinctive Homes

December 23, 2015

Google Officially Signs Lease for 250,000 Square Feet at SuperPier

Just in time for construction to commence in the new year, things are swiftly moving ahead at Pier 57, aka the SuperPier. Last month, 6sqft uncovered a slew of new renderings of the the 450,000-square-foot, $350 million development, which is set to include 250,000 square feet of office space for a major technology company, a 170,000-square-foot food and retail market from Anthony Bourdain, and an elevated park with an outdoor movie and performance amphitheater on the roof to be used for screenings for the Tribeca Film Festival. Google has long been assumed as the office tenant, and according to the Wall Street Journal, it's official, as the company has "signed a 15-year lease with development team Youngwoo & Associates LLC and RXR Realty." Bourdain's food hall is also expected to close soon.
More details this way

Real Estate Trends

Jonah Hill Spotted Eyeing Noho Condo Conversion The Schumacher

Current photo of the Schumacher by 6sqft

December 23, 2015

Jonah Hill Spotted Eyeing Noho Condo Conversion The Schumacher

Looks like Jonah Hill is battening down the hatches in hopes of finding a new Downtown pad. Three years ago, the actor bought a Soho loft at 27 Howard Street for $2.65 million, but put it on the market in August 2014 for a hefty $3.8 million. Back in March, he chopped the price to $3.5 million, and now a tipster tells us that he was seen taking photos outside The Schumacher, the newly unveiled Noho condo conversion at 36 Bleecker Street.
Check out Jonah's options

Celebrities

December 23, 2015

Bio-Inspired HEAVN Caffeine Lamp Will Boost Your Attention Levels Like Coffee

It's been estimated that roughly 70 percent of working people spend more than six hours a day basking in the artificial light of a computer screen. Research has concluded that overstimulation by artificial light can have negative consequences on your health as bad as metabolic problems, insomnia, depression, concentration disorders, headaches, fatigue and increased stress. This unfortunate reality for today's working population was the inspiration for the development of HEAVN Caffeine, an innovative office light designed to mimic the therapeutic frequencies of natural light. The light is said to not only make you more productive by optimizing your biorhythms—"it boosts your attention levels with the push of a button, just like a strong espresso," says its designers—but it will also help you stay healthier.
FInd out more here

December 23, 2015

Gramercy Park Will Open to the Public on Christmas Eve; Inside the Apartments from ‘Elf’

Commoners can enter Gramercy Park on Christmas Eve to hear holiday caroling. [TONY] Not surprisingly, a food hall called the Pennsy is opening next month above Penn Station. [Gothamist] Here’s what Christmas would cost you in 1932. [NYP] All the apartments in the Christmas movie “Elf” are pretty incredible. [Brick Underground] Starbucks rules in Manhattan, but […]

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Photo by Garry Winogrand via Worcester Art Museum

December 23, 2015

New York in the ’60s: The City Was Dirty and Crime-Ridden, but It Was Never Boring

By Penelope Bareau

“New York in the ’60s” is a memoir series by a longtime New Yorker who moved to the city after college in 1960. From $90/month apartments to working in the real “Mad Men” world, each installment explores the city through the eyes of a spunky, driven female. In the first two pieces we saw how different and similar house hunting was 50 years ago and visited her first apartment on the Upper East Side. Then, we learned about her career at an advertising magazine and accompanied her to Fire Island in the summer. Our character next decided to make the big move downtown, but it wasn’t quite what she expected. She then took us through how the media world reacted to JFK’s assassination, as well as the rise and fall of the tobacco industry, the changing face of print media, and how women were treated in the workplace. She also brought us from the March on Washington to her encounter with a now-famous political tragedy that happened right in the Village–the explosion at the Weather Underground house. Now, in the last installment of the series, the girl takes a look at just why New York in the '60s was such a special place to her.
Her thoughts this way

History

December 22, 2015

MAP: See the World’s Urban Population Grow Over 2,000 Years

While we all like to think of New York City as the center of the universe, our little metropolis really only started to pulsate in the last couple hundred years. Way, way before this (think 1 A.D.) ancient civilizations like the Mayans experienced "urban booms" of their own. This mind-boggling interactive map made by Esri puts thousands of years of global population growth into perspective, ultimately showing us that NYC is kind of just a blip on the radar—or in this case, the 2,000-year timeline of life.
Access the map this way

December 22, 2015

StudioMDA Explores Fantasy and Sexuality in a Hank Moody-Inspired Bedroom

It's commonly known that Hank Moody, the main character from Showtime's Californication is an ex-New Yorker making his way through the wild streets of Los Angeles. But this small factoid didn't stop the agency responsible for the show's marketing from building a New York homage to the sexual freedom explored by Moody and many of the other characters in the show. As described by StudioMDA, the designers behind this out-of-the-box deliverable, "the bedroom we designed for him is a perfect room for one of his trysts – a place where pleasure and fetishism are tangible and the boundaries between desire and reality are blurred." Well, we couldn't have said it better ourselves.
See it all right here

December 22, 2015

POLL: Is ‘All I Want for Christmas Is You’ Your Favorite Holiday Song?

Yesterday, Business Insider put out a list of the top ten Christmas songs in the world according to Spotify. Taking the number one spot is Mariah Carey’s painfully catchy “All I Want for Christmas Is You.” It’s followed by Michael Bublé’s “It’s Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas;” The Pogues’ “Fairytale of New York;” Wham!’s […]

Events & Things To Do

December 22, 2015

Stubby Shotgun-Style House Asks $775K in East Bed-Stuy

Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn is a neighborhood that's famed for its architecture: majestic Italianate, Neo-Grec, Romanesque Revival and Queen Anne townhouses, churches and schools line a majority of the side streets. But this little house, at 288 Chauncey Street in East Bed-Stuy, stands in a category all its own. It looks more "New Orleans shotgun house" than Brooklyn townhouse, although it does boast a classic, historic cornice. It's also rare to see a townhouse in the neighborhood that's so stubby, with a one-story front facade (The home is actually a compact two-story, but the lower level sits mostly underground). What's even the proper price tag for such an oddball home? A few years ago, it was asking $350,000, but now that the Bed-Stuy market is so hot it's aiming high with an ask of $775,000.
Check out the interior

December 22, 2015

Triangle Fire Memorial Gets $1.5M State Grant; The World’s Top Ten Christmas Songs

All the NYC restaurants that have eliminated tipping. [Grub Street] The plan for a memorial at the location of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire, where 146 garment workers died in 1911, received a $1.5 million state grant. [NYT] The top 10 Christmas songs in the world, according to Spotify. [Business Insider] A new video game explores the […]

Uncategorized

December 22, 2015

Cameron Diaz Unloads Her $4.25M West Village Pad in Less Than Two Months

The market may be in its winter slump, but that hasn't affected Cameron Diaz, whose West Village apartment has gone into contract after just 47 days, reports the Observer. The actress bought the two-bedroom home in 2008 for $2.95 million and then enlisted famed California-based designer Kelly Wearstler to outfit the pre-war condo with lots of gilding and luxe finishes. After purchasing a $9.5 million home in the Walker Tower two years ago and recently marrying musician Benji Madden, Diaz put the 12th Street residence on the market for $4.25 million last month.
Take a look around

December 21, 2015

Studio DB’s Tribeca Penthouse Strikes the Perfect Balance of Beauty and Functionality

Tribeca has been a NYC hot spot for well over a decade and is home to one of the city's most sought-after zip codes. Thanks to its large stock of lofts and historic architecture, the trendy 'hood is chock full of drool-worthy real estate, and this classic penthouse is no exception. The home was renovated in 2014 by the design team at Studio DB, who set out to make the space both beautiful and functional for the homeowners' growing family.
See the whole renovation

December 21, 2015

The American Panorama Uses Modern Maps to Create an Historic Atlas of the U.S.

Well ahead of his time, naval historian Charles Paullin created the Atlas of the Historical Geography of the United States in 1932. Its 700 maps covered all sectors of American life, from geographic boundaries to topography and European settlement to the development of railroads. Last year, the University of Richmond digitized these maps, and they've now taken inspiration from the catalogue to create a modern version of the project. Called American Panorama, the platform aims to be an "historical atlas for the online era," according to CityLab. The four interactive maps currently on the site are: The Forced Migration of Enslaved People; The Overland Trails; Foreign-Born Population; and Canals.
Learn more right here

History

December 21, 2015

More Details Revealed for Bjarke Ingels’ High Line Towers

The latest project to come from starchitect-of-the-moment Bjarke Ingels is a set of towers that will rise along the High line at 76 11th Avenue. The renderings made waves a month ago when the angular, asymmetrical structures were revealed, and at this time it was also announced that the project would encompass a hotel, retail space, and around 300 luxury condos. But new plans filed by developer HFZ Capital Group, first uncovered by The Real Deal, show that the towers' four-story base will not include a hotel, but rather retail and office space, likely because "[commercial office space] vacancy rates in the [Meatpacking District] are notoriously low–around 2 percent–while prices are high."
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720 West End Avenue

Upper West Side

Serene Upper West Side homes near Riverside Park

1 beds starting at $1,005,000
2 beds starting at $2,495,000
3 beds starting at $3,495,000
4 beds starting at $5,850,000

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December 21, 2015

Did Mast Brothers Fool Us Into Buying Crappy Chocolate?; ‘The 12 Days of Christmas’ Monetized

How the Mast Brothers fooled the world into paying $10 a bar for crappy hipster chocolate. [Quartz] A 30,000-square-foot bowling and karaoke amusement complex is coming to Bushwick. [Gothamist] Hess Triangle, the city’s smallest piece of real estate, gets the cartoon treatment. [New Yorker] The ridiculous amount it would take to buy all the items in […]

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December 21, 2015

The Food Hall Obsession Makes Its Way to Staten Island

Following a slew of recent headlines–Anthony's Bourdain's food and retail market headed for the SuperPier, the mega-market coming to Essex Crossing that will be one of the largest in the world, and Jean-Georges Vongerichten's seafood-themed food hall planned for the South Street Seaport–6sqft recently posed the question: Is the city's food hall obsession about to burst? Though the votes were divided, the trend has shown no signs of slowing down, especially considering that it's now making its way over to the often-forgotten borough of Staten Island, with perhaps the most gimmicky name we've heard yet. Curbed reports that the team behind Gansevoort Market has partnered with Empire Outlets developers BFC Partners to open a locally curated food market by late 2017. Dubbed MRKTPL, the hall will span 15,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor space that will "tie together the history of the New York Harbor with modern communal spaces to eat and gather," as per the press release.
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December 21, 2015

MAPS: Where to Find the Top Available One-Bedroom Rental Bargains Under $2,500

Can't seem to qualify for those popular affordable housing lotteries, or stuck on a waiting list 70,000 names long? Well, like many of us who are searching for low-priced rentals, you'll have to forage the city's daunting open market. The typical choices include shacking up with multiple roommates in prime neighborhoods, enduring long commutes in far-flung locales, or having to deal with an un-renovated, pre-war walk-up building. To make your search for these rather un-glamorous apartments a bit easier, we produced a list and map of currently available one-bedroom rentals that are priced furthest below their neighborhood medians. But act fast, because these units disappear quickly.
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December 21, 2015

A Historic and Festive Three Bedroom in Cobble Hill Asks $6,000 a Month

The holidays are a notoriously hard time to sell and rent apartments, so we appreciate that this rental unit at 416 Henry Street in Cobble Hill is just going ahead and getting into the holiday spirit. A Christmas tree is on display in the lovely living room with its big windows and ceiling moldings. 416 Henry Street is a four-story brownstone building that holds three units, this being on of them. What appears to be a floor-through unit, holding three-and-a-half bedrooms and two bathrooms, is on the rental market for $6,000 a month. Looks like it last rented in 2013 for $4,300 a month.
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Distinctive Homes

December 20, 2015

Architensions’ Writing Pavilion Is a Tiny Backyard Retreat for Two Brooklyn Creatives