6sqft | NYC local news, events, and apartments

A new book recounts what life was like as a squatter in the ’90s. [Bedford + Bowery] We know it’s going to cost $32 to visit One World Observatory, but you’ll have to pay the admission fee even if you just want to dine at one of the top-floor restaurants. [NYP] The Whitney museum will throw […]

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April 15, 2015

POLL: Is Penthouse Living Worth a 75% Price Increase?

On Monday we took a look at an infographic from CityRealty that shows how much more penthouse buyers pay compared to their neighbors directly below. Analyzing the top penthouse sales recorded in 2014, they found that “high-rise top floor buyers on average shell out 11 percent more per square foot for their pads than their counterparts just below. Looking at the average […]

Real Estate Trends

NYC Council Introduces Tech Program to Engage Residents and Increase Transparency

Melissa Mark-Viverito via Wiki Commons

April 15, 2015

NYC Council Introduces Tech Program to Engage Residents and Increase Transparency

Last week it was announced that the New York City Council was introducing new legislation to alter the landmarks law in favor of historic preservation. But just four days later, after facing scrutiny for proposing already-existing stipulations to the law, the council spoke out that they were in fact not proposing any legislation. Now, Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito has revealed with perfect timing Council 2.0, "a new tech program aimed at familiarizing and engaging residents with the city council," reports Next City. The goals of the program include making the council's website more accessible, using social media outlets like Facebook and Twitter to generate feedback on hearings, programs, and proposals and creating a new website called Council Labs to help New Yorkers visualize the budget process.
More details here

Policy

April 15, 2015

This Sprawling Sun-Filled Noho Loft Will Make You Want to Dance

Calling all artists! This beautiful Noho loft at 35 Bond Street is literally begging to be the backdrop of your next masterpiece. Whether you want to paint in front of the giant arched windows or tango the entire length of the living room/studio, this massive $5.995 million AIR co-op is certainly an artist's dream.
More pics inside

Distinctive Homes

April 14, 2015

This Schematic of NYC Structures Shows the City’s Icons in Blueprint Style

Want to bring a little bit of the city into your home, but tired of the standard black-and-white photos of landmarks or graphic maps that can be found at every craft fair these days? Why not frame this lovely print called Splendid Structures of New York City? Based on Brooklyn-based Pop Chart Lab's popular print The Schematic of Structures, this new design takes iconic NYC structures like the Statue of Liberty and One World Trade Center, along with local landmarks such as the Unisphere and Wyckoff House, and presents them in a hand-illustrated, blueprint-like style.
See the full print here

April 14, 2015

Enormous ‘Authentic and Locally Curated’ Food Hall Coming to Downtown Brooklyn

Amongst the city's more delectable real estate news comes word that the developer of City Point has plans to bring a 26,000-square-foot foodie haven to their massive Downtown Brooklyn project. Dubbed the Dekalb Market Hall, the space will host somewhere between 35 and 55 "authentic and locally curated" vendors at the basement level of the 1.8-million-square-foot mixed-use development along Dekalb Avenue. Though leasing is still in the works, more than a handful of food purveyors have already signed on to stir what's sure to be a culinary revolution for an area more commonly associated with chains like Starbucks and Applebee's. So yes, put your best sweatpants on, friends, there will be artisanal doughnuts and barbecue.
More on who's moving in

Real Estate Trends

April 14, 2015

Never-Built Hudson River Bridge Would Have Been Twice the Length of the George Washington Bridge

If you've ever driven into the city from New Jersey and sat in a couple hours of traffic waiting to traverse either the Lincoln or Holland Tunnel, this 19th century idea for a Hudson River Bridge probably sounds pretty amazing. It would have spanned 6,000 feet from Hoboken to 57th Street in Manhattan, almost double the length of the George Washington Bridge, to give you an idea of its massiveness. Furthermore, it would have been 200 feet wide and 200 feet high, providing space for 12 railroads, 24 traffic lanes, and 2 pedestrian walkways. Its two 825-foot support towers would have surpassed the 792-foot Woolworth Building, which was the tallest skyscraper in the world at that time.
Read the full history here

History

April 14, 2015

Lauren Bacall’s Dakota Listing Gets a Few New Photos; Alleged Madam Lists Her UWS Townhouse

More photos of Lauren Bacall’s Dakota apartment have been added to the recently reduced $23.5M listing. [CityRealty] David Jaffee, a.k.a NYC’s Airbnb Slumlord, may face criminal charges for creating dorm-like Airbnb rentals out of Manhattan apartments. [NYP] Alleged madam Ghislaine Maxwell, accused of fixing up financier Jeffrey Epstein and Prince Andrew, Duke of York, with minors, has […]

Real Estate Trends

Distinctive Homes

Ethan Hawke's former Chelsea townhouse lists for $5.98M

A millwork-wrapped co-op in FiDi's iconic Morse Building asks $2.25M

Landmarked Boerum Hill townhouse owned by 90s designer Daryl K asks $6M

This $19M sky palace high above Park Avenue has a manor house-worthy terrace garden

A diplomat's lofty home in a historic FiDi co-op asks $2.9M

Inside this $12.75M Park Slope brownstone, architect-designed perfection includes a separate studio and two-car garage

Prospect Heights pre-war co-op seen in 'Black Swan' lists for $1.7M

Asking $800K, this notable modern Princeton home once belonged to Joyce Carol Oates

19th-century townhouse in Hudson, NY has three units, retail space, and a three-bay garage for $2M

$450K Hell's Kitchen studio is a cozy refuge in the middle of Manhattan

VIEW ALL

April 14, 2015

This Map Lets You Explore NYC’s 592,130 Street Trees by Species and Trunk Thickness

If you feel like your allergies go into overdrive when you're in the city, don’t be so quick to blame it on all the dust and must being kicked up by passing cars. As it turns out, New York’s flora is far more diverse and abundant than you’d suspect. Jill Hubley, a Brooklyn web developer, took data from the 2005-2006 Street Tree Census and found that there are about 592,130 trees on public streets alone. But beyond pinpointing where each street tree sits, Hubley's map also identifies a tree's species and trunk thickness. What emerges from her study is a kaleidoscope of colors and a fascinating look at the city's biodiversity.
Find out more here

April 14, 2015

Astronauts Get a Fancy New Espresso Machine; Following a ’90s Tourist Guide Around NYC

A brief history of Orchard Street’s oldest stores. [DNAinfo] Take a journey around NYC following a 1997 tourist guide. [Hopes&Fears] Space coffee just got a whole lot better… astronauts can now drink a fresh cup of joe from a fancy new espresso machine. [The Atlantic] The best date spot near every Manhattan subway stop. [Thrillist […]

Uncategorized

April 14, 2015

$5M Boerum Hill Beauty Has Shoe Closet Almost Big Enough for Imelda Marcos

By Stephanie Hoina

When we first saw photos of this four-story home located at 416 Pacific Street in historic Boerum Hill what came to mind was beautifully planned opulence. On the market for a whisper under $5 million, every room is full of rich fabrics and textiles with no detail left to chance. Less than two years ago it was sold as a two-family residence for a little over $3.3 million, but the current owner masterfully transformed it into a magnificent single-family home, and though it is easily convertible back to its previous form, we can’t imagine giving up a single piece of the square-footage.
See what beautifully planned opulence looks like

Distinctive Homes

How Would a Minimum Wage Hike Change the Way New Yorkers Spend Money?

Produce Department via photopin (license)

April 14, 2015

How Would a Minimum Wage Hike Change the Way New Yorkers Spend Money?

Today, the Daily News reports that increasing the minimum wage to $15/hour would add $10 billion annually to city paychecks and increase earnings for almost 1.5 million people, according to an analysis by City Comptroller Scott Stringer. Says the paper, "The typical family getting the boost would spend $1,100 to $1,800 more a year on housing, and up to $600 on groceries, $400 on entertainment, and $300 eating out, Stringer predicted." How would this increase in spending compare to a given family's financial patterns before the minimum wage hike? The Washington Post has used newly released data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics to analyze where the poor and rich spend really spend their money. Looking at four categories (housing, transportation, food, and pensions/life insurance) and three classes (low, middle, and high), the results are mainly as to be expected. The rich spend more all around, but as a percentage of their total income, they spend less; the middle class spends the most on transportation; and basically all Americans have similar spending patterns when it comes to groceries. But the big difference between the upper and lower classes is saving. "For every dollar they spend at the grocery store, the poorest households save 12 cents, while the wealthy sock away $3.07 in pensions and life insurance."
What does this mean? See the infographics here

April 14, 2015

Lovely $11M Greenwich Village Pad Has Two Terraces and Two Master Suites

You know you've found "the one" when you find yourself searching online for artwork to hang on its gallery-sized walls. Our guess is this Greenwich Village co-op at 7 East 9th Street was combined from two units: unit 2R (a large $4.1 million duplex), and 2F (a smaller $900,000 unit). The end result is a massive, $11 million, two- or three-bedroom duplex with sky high 13-foot ceilings, exquisite finishes, and northern and southern light.
More pics inside

Distinctive Homes

How Much More Do Penthouse Buyers Pay Compared to Their Neighbors Directly Below?

30 Park Place

April 13, 2015

How Much More Do Penthouse Buyers Pay Compared to Their Neighbors Directly Below?

So maybe you don't get the coveted "PH" in your address, but you will save tens of millions of dollars by "slumming it" on the floor just below. The data gurus over at CityRealty analyzed the top penthouse sales recorded in 2014 and found that high-rise top floor buyers on average shell out 11 percent more per square foot for their pads than their counterparts just below. Looking at the average selling price, this rings in at a whopping 75 percent more. Is the PH premium worth it? Let us know what you think in the comments.
check out the full infographic here

Real Estate Trends

April 13, 2015

$1,795 LES Rental Proudly Features a Shower in the Kitchen

If you're going to be that landlord who puts a shower in the kitchen, there's really no point in being subtle. This Lower East Side apartment located at 27 Orchard Street at Delancey has nothing to hide, prominently displaying its shower stall in all its glory front and center. While this type of living situation typically screams studio apartment, the "old world style" pad is actually a one-bedroom that's "better than your average studio!"
More on this apartment here

April 13, 2015

The Compact Gali Kitchen Is Perfect for Always-on-the-Move New Yorkers

Wouldn't it have been nice to have your own kitchen when you lived in that cramped apartment you shared with six people? Or to actually have a kitchen at all when you lived in that shoebox studio? For constantly on-the-move New Yorkers who like to cook (or maybe just wash a dish here and there), these are common conundrums. But a new compact system called the Gali Kitchen can easily solve these problems. The creation of recent design school grad Ana Arana, Gali is considered a revision of the kitchen, "letting each individual distribute their space as wanted, having everything necessary to cook when needed but allowing the living space to embrace new possibilities." Remarkably, the adaptable, compact module includes everything one needs -- a sink, fridge, induction cooktop, storage, and prep/dining table.
See more ahead

April 13, 2015

VIDEO: RuPaul Takes Us Around the 1980s Meatpacking District and the Jane Hotel

We know all about the Meatpacking District's beginnings as the Gansevoort Market and the epicenter of meat marketers, as well as its current status as a burgeoning office tower district, but in the 1980s, this neighborhood was one to which most people didn't pay much mind. It was fairly run down, with its industrial tenants having moved out, and became notorious for prostitution, sex clubs, and drug dealing. But there was much more to the area, including an accepting LGBT community and a downtown music and entertainment scene. In this video we found from 1986, a young RuPaul takes us into his penthouse suite at the Jane Hotel, then known as the Jane West Hotel and far seedier than it is today, as well as walks around the gritty streets of the Meatpacking District and into his friend's 9th Avenue rowhouse, which will undoubtedly look familiar to anyone who's walked these cobblestone streets.
Watch the video here

History

The Correlation Between Trees and Neighborhood Wealth; Vinegar Hill Townhouse Breaks Sales Record

The amount of trees a neighborhood has can signal income inequality. [CityLab] This Vinegar Hill townhouse previously eyed by Robert Pattinson has sold for a neighborhood record of $3.35M. [DNA Info] United American Land is suing an investment banker for renting out his rent-stabilized Tribeca apartment on Airbnb. [CO] Is this Bates+Masi-designed beach house too tiny […]

Real Estate Trends

April 13, 2015

Lovely and Light-Filled Co-op in Park Slope Won’t Break the Bank at $525K

By Stephanie Hoina

If you’re still working to make that first million, you know finding a cool place to hang your hat in some of the city’s more sought-after neighborhoods without breaking the bank can seem like an exercise in futility. Take heart, it’s not impossible! This lovely and light-filled condo at 670 President Street in the heart of one of Brooklyn's favorite neighborhoods can be yours for a mere $525,000.
Take a look inside

Distinctive Homes

April 13, 2015

Piece of the Berlin Wall Returning to Midtown; Biggie Smalls Murals on the Rise

After a painstaking conservation job, a 33,000-pound, 20-foot section of the Berlin Wall belonging to Jerry I. Speyer, chairman of the Tishman Speyer real estate company, will return to Midtown. [NYT] Preservationists and local elected officials will try again to have Coney Island’s iconic boardwalk designated a scenic landmark. [Brooklyn Daily] Is Biggie Smalls becoming […]

Uncategorized

April 13, 2015

Norman Foster’s 2 World Trade Center Could Get a Jumpstart Thanks to Rupert Murdoch

Norman Foster's 88-story tower, destined for the last unoccupied site of the World Trade Center complex, could finally get the legs it needs to move forward. The New York Times reports that media giants News Corporation and 21st Century Fox, both headed by Rupert Murdoch, are in talks with the Port Authority and developer Larry Silverstein to make the long-stalled 1,349-foot skyscraper their next home. The move would relocate a number of News Corp. and Fox's top brands—which include the NY Post and the Wall Street Journal—and give 2 WTC what it needs to resume construction as required by the Port Authority; namely a solid anchor tenant. Ground was broken on the tower way back in 2008 and slated for completion in 2016, but in 2013 the Port Authority put a hold on construction until tenants could be found for occupancy.
More on the move forward here

Fire Escapes Going Extinct as Building Codes Shift

Via 2nd-avenue-and-5th-street via photopin (license)

April 13, 2015

Fire Escapes Going Extinct as Building Codes Shift

The outdoor fire escape has long been a fixture in the New York City streetscape, but more and more buildings are losing their iron appendages now that fireproof interior stairwells are seen as the emergency exit of choice, reports the Post. Moreover, the fire, buildings and city planning departments are amending fire safety rules in response to the influx of supertall towers to allow for "more occupant-evacuation elevators that can be used to move people down a tower in the event of an emergency." While the new regulations are progressive and safer, losing the fire escape architecture is like losing a piece of New York City history.
Find out more here

Policy

April 13, 2015

Modern Carroll Gardens Townhouse with Its Own Elevator Asks $4.25M

There's a gorgeous townhouse at 442 Union Street asking $4.25 million. This 4,320-square-foot Carroll Gardens home was masterfully designed by Platt Dana Architects and features three levels, a separate ground-floor apartment, a private garden, a roof terrace, and an elevator.
More pics inside

Distinctive Homes

April 12, 2015

Construction Update: SOM’s 252 East 57th Street Getting Its Glass Skin

By Ondel Hylton

With foundation work complete, the World Wide Group / Rose Associates' tower at 252 East 57th Street is rapidly making its climb into the Midtown East skyline. The 57-story development composed of 93 condos and 173 rentals is designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP (SOM), with SLCE serving as the architects of record. Despite the tower's location along the eastern fringe of cloud-busting billionaire's row, the 715-foot building won't be competing for any height records–for instance, 111 West 57th Street is double its height at 1,428 feet. Instead, the tower is shaping up to be more of a typical Midtown East affair, falling in line with its Second Avenue context by providing a broad 80-foot-high base along the avenue and a sheer 50-story rectangular slab rising above. Recent residential towers along Second Avenue such as The Milan, The Veneto, and The Three Ten share 252's massing, which planners prescribed to conform new skyscrapers to the rows of existing walk-up buildings.
More details on the project here

April 11, 2015

Weekly Highlights: Top Picks from the 6sqft Staff

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

Interior Renderings for SHoP’s 111 West 57th Street Tower Revealed Los Angeles Has Designed the Perfect Parking Sign–Can NYC Take Note? Bill Ackman Closes on One57 Penthouse for $91.5M, Second Most Expensive Condo Sale Ever VIDEO: Meet the ‘Pimps and Hos’ of Seedy ’70s Times Square You Can Now Tour the Gowanus Canal Without Catching […]

Uncategorized

April 10, 2015

New Yorker Spotlight: Caroline Weaver Is Making Pencils Cool Again with Her New LES Pencil Shop

By Susan Cohen

In an era where typing trumps writing by hand, it might come as surprise to learn of a one-month-old store on the Lower East Side devoted to all things pencil. Then again, perhaps the digital age has primed all of us for a return to the simplest writing implement of them all, which is exactly what owner Caroline Weaver hopes will happen with her store, CW Pencil Enterprise. Caroline opened the store mere weeks ago in March, following the launch of an online boutique back in October 2014. While the move from screen to storefront may seem fast, Caroline's decision was in response to stellar online sales. Her store provides a tactile shopping experience, but more than that, she wants to share her passion for pencils with New Yorkers. Customers will be delighted by Caroline's knowledge of pencil history as well as her understanding and appreciation that pencils are at the beginning of many great achievements. We recently stopped by the store to ask Caroline some sharp questions, and just like the pencils she carries, her answers were on point.
Read our interview with Caroline here

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VIEW ALL

REVEALED: SL Green to Build Another Times Square Spectacular at 719 Seventh Avenue

Image courtesy of Akueous Design

April 10, 2015

REVEALED: SL Green to Build Another Times Square Spectacular at 719 Seventh Avenue

By Ondel Hylton

Here's our first look at what commercial heavyweights SL Green have in mind for a small Times Square corner at 719 Seventh Avenue and West 48th Street. Building permits filed earlier this month call for a four-story, 9,000 square-foot retail building designed by TPG Architecture. Demolition permits were filed back in December and the doomed three-story structure is already shrouded in construction netting and scaffolding. The site also shares its Seventh Avenue block-front with Witkoff's upcoming 40-story Marriott Edition Hotel that will flash one of the largest LED displays in the city.
Find out more on the project here

April 10, 2015

UWS Brownstone Duplex with Private Terrace Asks $1.8 Million

By Emily Nonko

If you can't afford the multi-millions it takes to buy a townhouse off Central Park West, this duplex at 132 West 78th Street may do the trick. Of course, the price is still significant with an ask of $1,795,000. But it's a smaller sum for a lovely, historic pad–the co-op takes up two floors of a brownstone, which is located on a block of even more gorgeous brownstones. And did we mention it's located less than a block away from the Museum of Natural History, and one block from Central Park?
Take a look around here

Distinctive Homes

April 10, 2015

City Housing Projects to Go Green; There’s Asbestos in Gracie Mansion

NYCHA plans to make upgrades to the city’s housing projects to make them more green. [NYT] Why your upstairs neighbors are so darn noisy. [Boston] A renovated Greenwich Village townhouse is asking a record $38.5 million. [WSJ] Gracie Mansion has asbestos, but Mayor Bill de Blasio and his family will remain in the house while the issue is being […]

Real Estate Trends

April 10, 2015

VIDEO: Illegal ’60s Rooftop Concert in Midtown Shows the People and Architecture of Another NYC

It was the winter of 1968 when Jefferson Airplane took to the rooftop of the Schuyler Hotel in Manhattan. The band had just released their fourth album and had also just made the cover of LIFE magazine. High on life—and likely some other stuff—they blasted from their PA atop the nine-story hotel Midtown hotel: "Hello New York! New York, wake up you fuckers! Free music! Nice songs! Free love!" The band got a solid crowd going and at least one song in, but it didn't take very long for the NYPD to show up—the concert was causing traffic jams on the surrounding streets as New Yorkers crowded around the hotel to get a better look. Although the concert was quickly broken up, it was also captured on video by none other than Jean Luc Godard and D.A. Pennebaker. (Fun side fact: Many claim that the Beatles ripped off the band's performance with their show atop a London building about two months later.)
Watch the video here

History

April 10, 2015

This Architectural Coloring Book Is Made for Adults

Instead of mindlessly scrolling through Instagram after a long day at the office, why not unwind by doing a little coloring? Yes, that's right, every child's favorite pastime is now being marketed to adults. As Business Insider reported earlier this week, the two best-selling books on Amazon right now are adult coloring books–"Secret Garden" and "Enchanted Forest" by Scottish illustrator Johanna Basford. The books feature nature scenes and geometric patterns of flowers, trees, and woodland creatures. But for those of us who prefer analyzing floor plans to arranging flowers, there's another adult coloring book called "Fantastic Cities." Created by artist Steve McDonald, it "features immersive aerial views of real cities from around the world alongside gorgeously illustrated, Inception-like architectural mandalas."
More here

April 10, 2015

Renovated Bespoke Bed Stuy Townhouse Sells for $2M

By Annie Doge

"Every surface, space and system has been carefully considered, restored and renovated with an artist's eye and artisan's craftsmanship," says the listing for this restored brick townhouse in Bed Stuy. Located at 109 Clifton Place, the wonderfully bespoke home has sold for $2,050,000, according to city records released today. The artistic quality of the home makes sense, as the previous owners were Darren Foote, an artist specializing in mixed media and woodworking, and Kristen Dodge, founder of the Lower East Side's DODGE Gallery. The couple cleverly redesigned their home, mixing classic historic details, artsy personal touches, and rustic features that would fit right in at Brooklyn's newest artisanal restaurant.
Tour the Brooklyn beauty here

April 10, 2015

Preservation Award Winners Announced; NYC Libraries Open Less than Anywhere in the State

See Staten Island like you’ve never seen it before during tomorrow’s Tour de Staten Island bike ride. [Transportation Alternatives] Then and now: The Brooklyn Eagle Building. [Brownstoner] Winners announced for the 25th Lucy G. Moses Preservation Awards. El Barrio’s Artspace PS 109, Kings Theatre, and the Times’ Streetscapes columnist Christopher Gray are among the recipients. […]

Uncategorized

High Rents Lead Newlyweds to Seek Roommates

Image via Ramsey Beyer on flickr

April 10, 2015

High Rents Lead Newlyweds to Seek Roommates

For most New Yorkers, moving to the big apple means finding a roommate. And while switching from the dorms to another no-privacy situation isn't ideal, we usually slog through it because we tell ourselves it's only temporary. For many people, the light at the end of the tunnel is marriage–finally settling down and shacking up–but a story today in the New York Times takes a look at the increasing trend of newly married people living with roommates thanks to the city's ever-rising rents.
More on the trend here

April 10, 2015

Meticulously Renovated Jones Wood Garden Townhouse Looks to Nearly Double Its Price

How would you like to have a secret garden right outside your door? Wouldn’t it be nice to just step out of your dining room, onto your private brick terrace, and walk straight into a field of lush greenness so exclusive it makes Gramercy Park look like a public playground? We’re talking about this stunning five-story townhouse at 160 East 66th Street, right on Jones Wood Garden. Not only does this $11.9 million Upper East Side beauty have a stunning exterior, but the owners, who purchased it in 2008 for just $6.85 million, clearly left no stone unturned during the meticulous renovation.
More pics inside

Distinctive Homes

April 9, 2015

Bill Ackman Closes on One57 Penthouse for $91.5M, Second Most Expensive Condo Sale Ever

After reportedly sitting in contract for almost two years, hedge fund manager Bill Ackman’s planned $90 million flip at One57 has finally closed, according to city records released this afternoon, and for slightly more than expected at $91,541,053. This makes it the second most expensive condo sale ever, coming in only behind the $100 million penthouse also at One57, […]

Real Estate Trends

April 9, 2015

East Harlem: From Manhattan’s First Little Italy to El Barrio to a Neighborhood on the Cusp of Gentrification

A lot of attention is paid to West Harlem, or what many people traditionally consider THE Harlem, thanks to its rich history rooted in places like the Apollo and up-and-coming hot spots like the Studio Museum in Harlem and Marcus Samuelson's renowned restaurant, the Red Rooster. But east of Fifth Avenue, there's a history just as deep, and the neighborhood is at that fragile stage where it could easily be thrust into a wave of gentrification at any time. Defined as the area bound by Fifth Avenue and First Avenue from 96th to 125th Streets, East Harlem is commonly known as Spanish Harlem, or El Barrio by locals. What many people unfamiliar with the neighborhood don't know, though, is that this area got its start as Manhattan's first Little Italy. And if you're the type of New Yorker who doesn't venture above 86th Street, you're likely unaware of the slew of new developments sprouting up in East Harlem thanks to a 2003 57-block rezoning.
Learn about the neighborhood's transformation here

April 9, 2015

Beekman Residence with Elegant Sunken Living Room Asks $1.8M

Here’s an elegant prewar co-op at 434 East 52nd Street asking $1.749 million. The two-bedroom Beekman residence features northern and southern exposures and a stunning sunken living room. It would be interesting to see what the space would look like with less busy furniture and fewer pictures overshadowing the rich detail, but even with the distracting decor, you can see that this is a great place for a full-time residence or pied-a-terre.
More pics inside

Distinctive Homes

April 9, 2015

Lauren Bacall’s Dakota Apartment Reduced by $2.5M; Bed-Stuy Is Busy with New Residential Developments

Bed-Stuy is bursting at the seams when it comes to pipeline residential developments. It was the most active neighborhood for new residential building applications last quarter. [TRD] Lauren Bacall’s Dakota apartment gets a $2.5M price cut, down from $26M. [NYDN; listing] New York is the U.S.’s most walkable city. [Urban Land Magazine] When is it okay to leave […]

Real Estate Trends

April 9, 2015

Real Estate Legend and ‘Shark Tank’ Star Barbara Corcoran Buys $10M UES Penthouse

By Annie Doge

Barbara Corcoran, founder of the Corcoran Group and investor on the popular television show "Shark Tank," has snatched up a fittingly glamorous Upper East Side penthouse for $10 million with her husband, former FBI agent William Higgins, according to a report yesterday by the Post and city records released today. When we ogled the listing at back in October, the 11-room duplex at 1158 Fifth Avenue had just dropped its price to $9.95 million, having originally gone on the market in 2013 for $14.5 million. The sellers are interior and landscape designer Pamela Scurry and her husband Richard. Though the home is currently filled with antique furnishings and old-world details, the real selling point was likely the massive terrace, conservatory, and solarium overlooking Central Park.
Take a look around the stunning home here

April 9, 2015

VIDEO: Meet the ‘Pimps and Hos’ of Seedy ’70s Times Square

Although Times Square has transformed into a commercial beast filled to the brim with advertising, its very sordid and seedy past is certainly not lost on us. One man who found himself in the midst of the area when it was considered the worst block in town was Sheldon Nadelman. From 1972 to 1980, Nadelman worked at Terminal Bar—the city's “roughest bar" by many accounts—directly across from the Port Authority. Between pouring drinks, Nadelman found himself snapping photos of the folks who passed through. Over his decade-long stint, he accumulated a collection of more than 1,500 photos. His subjects were diverse ranging from actors to cooks to business people to tourists to, of course, the pimps and prostitutes that roamed the surrounding streets.
Watch the video here

History

April 9, 2015

Live in One of the First Buildings Constructed in Prospect-Lefferts Gardens’ Historic District

How would you like to brag to your friends that you live in one of the first buildings ever in what is now the Prospect-Lefferts Gardens Historic District? This four-story townhouse at 51 Midwood Street was built in 1898 by William A.A. Brown and designed by William M. Miller. Among its offerings are striking tiger oak millwork, a grand center stair and coffered ceilings, with some head-turning renovations, all for $2.325 million.
More pics inside

New Landmarking Proposal Would Automatically Consider Any 50-Year-Old Building for Designation

Historic brownstones in Brooklyn Heights via City Realty

April 9, 2015

New Landmarking Proposal Would Automatically Consider Any 50-Year-Old Building for Designation

Though landmarking has come under fire over the past year, with the Real Estate Board of New York claiming that historic designation limits affordable housing, the City Council is drafting legislation to alter the landmarks law in favor of historic preservation. As Crain's reports today, "Backers of the legislation say it will bring more clarity to a process that has been criticized for hindering development, but critics say the 'devil is in the details.'" Headed up by Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer and drafted by Councilmen Brad Lander, Stephen Levin, and Daniel Garodnick, the new legislation, among other stipulations, would automatically consider any building older than 50 years for historic designation and make it harder for developers to demolish a property in "landmarking limbo." This comes just four months after the Landmarks Preservation Commission released a proposal to de-calendar 94 historic sites and two historic districts. The plan was eventually receded, but signaled to many a turn in the city's policy.
See the full terms of the legislation here

Policy

April 9, 2015

Renting a Studio in Manhattan Now Costs an Average of $2,691, Brooklyn Hardly Better

Remember the days when renting a studio was all about saving cash until you've really made it? That era is most definitely over as those looking to live humbly in small quarters should expect to shell out an average of $2,691 for a studio apartment in Manhattan, according to Douglas Elliman's latest rental market report.
Find out more here

Real Estate Trends

Brooklyn Point

138 Willoughby Street

Downtown Brooklyn

America's highest infinity pool + 25-year tax abatement

Studios starting at $985,000
1 beds starting at $1,200,000
2 beds starting at $1,885,000
3 beds starting at $2,700,000

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April 9, 2015

At Brooklyn’s Gateway, Woods Bagot Kicks Off Construction of the Jay Street Residences

By Ondel Hylton

AmTrust Realty has recently kicked off construction on a 250,000-square-foot, mixed-use project near Brooklyn's Manhattan Bridge approach. The development will be a step towards reconnecting Downtown Brooklyn to its waterfront, and, along with several other proposals, helps remedy a maelstrom of mid-century planning disasters between the two areas. Known as the Jay Street Residences by its designers Woods Bagot Architects, the project has previously gone by the addresses 120 Nassau, 199 Jay, 203 Jay, and 213 Jay Street. Its 38,000-square-foot lot, now under excavation, will give rise to an L-shaped complex composed of a 33-story tower anchoring Concord and Jay Streets, as well as an eight-story hotel and amenity wing along its western Jay Street frontage.
More details on the project here

My 500sqft: Artist Hector Castaneda Invites Us into His Spanish Harlem One-Bedroom ‘Museum’

Our new 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 Spanish Harlem. Want your home to be featured here? Get in touch!

April 8, 2015

My 500sqft: Artist Hector Castaneda Invites Us into His Spanish Harlem One-Bedroom ‘Museum’

Located in an unassuming low-rise walk-up in Spanish Harlem is a tiny apartment with no views, a small living room, and thousands of pieces of one-of-a-kind art from around the world. Its owner, Hector Castaneda, is a world traveller who's visited more than 50 countries over the last 15 years. While most folks are happy simply snapping a few photos and heading home after a week or two, Hector is all about immersion and spends months at a time in some of the world's most exotic and extreme locales. As Hector travels the world he picks up art, tapestry, sculptures, furniture, and musical instruments from every country, which today magically fill every nook and cranny of his 500-square-foot apartment. "He is the only person I know who can turn a dingy walk-up building apartment into a work of art—it's really a private New York Museum and Hector is the curator," his friend Lisa Monroig told us. Once we heard that, we knew we had to pay him a visit.
Tour this miniature museum in the heart of Spanish Harlem here

April 8, 2015

Adorable Wood House Renovated with Reclaimed Materials Asks $1.2M in Gowanus

If you’re one for Brooklyn’s more hidden gems, travel with us to Gowanus, where a fixer-upper at 162 10th Street was rescued by an architect who redesigned it for her family. The end result is a sophisticated interior with treasures at every turn. We’re talking tons of reclaimed materials and details that give this $1.195 million townhouse a built-in story hour.
More pics inside

Distinctive Homes

Sales Launch at Clinton Hill’s Broken Angel Condos, Homes Start at $1.25M

4 Downing Street (r), 8 Downing Street (l). Renderings courtesy of Urban Compass.

April 8, 2015

Sales Launch at Clinton Hill’s Broken Angel Condos, Homes Start at $1.25M

By Michelle Cohen

The much-discussed new condos at the site of the former Broken Angel House at 4-8 Downing Street in Clinton Hill are officially on the market. Ten “hand-crafted condominium residences,” developed by Barrett Design and Development will include eight two- and three-bedrooms in the original building at 4 Downing and two two-story “generously scaled three bedroom homes” in the newly-constructed 8 Downing.
This way for prices and interior renderings

April 8, 2015

80-Story Tower Revealed for FiDi; First Look at the Renovation Plans for Brooklyn Paramount Theatre