Search Results for: adirondack

April 11, 2018

Amtrak will reroute some trains from Penn Station to Grand Central this summer

Last year, when Amtrak first announced eight weeks of infrastructure repairs at Penn Station, all hell broke loose. Gov. Andrew Cuomo predicted the planned work would cause a "summer of hell" for commuters and even asked President Donald Trump for emergency federal funds. But, to the surprise of many, the disruption proved to be mild and the repairs even finished ahead of schedule. Promising another painless process, Amtrak announced on Tuesday plans for track work at Penn Station again this summer. From May 26 to Sept. 4, trains that run along the Hudson River will be routed from Penn Station to Grand Central. Schedules for Long Island Rail Road and Metro-North trains will remain unaffected.
More details here
February 7, 2018

A glamping retreat will open on Governors Island this summer

Tired of the bitter cold? Already devising warm-weather activities for the summer? Thankfully, the Trust for Governors Island just made planning a lot easier. The Trust announced on Wednesday its plan to open a temporary glamping retreat to the Island from Collective Hotels & Retreats, a group that brings the accommodations of a five-star hotel to the outdoors. As part of a three-year license, the company will transform six acres of the 172-acre island into an "environmentally-friendly overnight lodging retreat with unobstructed views of the Statue of Liberty."
Get the details
December 8, 2017

Escape to this extraordinary mini-castle overlooking Lake George for $395/night

The Airbnb listing for this unique retreat with the Adirondack Mountains and lakes as a backdrop offers a castle to match your fairy tale. Located in Bolton Landing, New York, Highlands Castle, the larger, grander fairytale venue next door, was featured by 6sqft in 2015 when it was listed for sale for $12.8 million. The entire property is the work of one John Lavender, who built the magical castles a mere 30-some years ago complete with knights, turrets, life-size lion statues and secret passageways to make good on a promise he'd made to his three-year-old son a decade prior that he’d build him a castle. The same #1 dad is offering the mini-castle on the property as an unforgettable mountain-country escape.
Tour the mini-masterpiece
November 7, 2017

$17M Dutchess County ‘castle’ once belonged to Andrew Carnegie

Built in 1927 for Andrew Carnegie's daughter, the 34,000-square-foot estate in Millbrook, NY known as Migdale Castle was modeled after Carnegie's Skibo Castle in Scotland. Beginning in 2002, the home's current owners spent four years renovating its four floors, the 100 acres it occupies, and another 100-acre adjacent plot, giving new life to one of Dutchess County's most distinguished estates. Migdale first hit the market for $25 million, making it the county's most expensive listing, but a recent $8.1 million price chop resulted in the current $16.9 million ask.
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September 21, 2017

15 best spots to celebrate Oktoberfest in and around New York City

As the weather cools and the fall foliage blooms, there is no better way to welcome autumn than listening to live music, drinking authentic German beer, and eating bratwurst and giant pretzels. Munich comes to New York City with tons of Oktoberfest events starting this month throughout the five boroughs, including some just a little further out of town. Celebrate Bavarian culture this year with events like traditional pig roasts, ceremonial keg tappings, "oompah" bands, stein-holding competitions and much more. Ahead, revel in the tradition of Oktoberfest and find the 15 best spots to grab authentic brews and brats this season with 6sqft's guide.
Beers and Brats this way
August 31, 2017

Simple geometry connects Janson Goldstein’s sleek Hudson guesthouse with its hillside locale

Nestled within a four-acre hillside property just outside the upstate town of Hudson, this striking guesthouse and pool were built to complement an existing contemporary home. The work is by the design firm Janson Goldstein, who placed the 950-square-foot structure smack dab in the middle of a new meadow. The building is simple, clean and modern, clad in wooden slats, but the locale makes this a visually stunning addition to the property.
Tour the site
August 28, 2017

19th century Hudson River estate built for an Astor gets a price cut to $20M

This incredible 290-acre estate was built in 1851 for Franklin Hughes Delano (whose great-nephew was Franklin Delano Roosevelt) and Laura Eugenia Astor (granddaughter of John Jacob Astor, known as the nation’s first multi-millionaire). The property was listed last summer for $22 million by its current owners, the investor Martin Sosnoff and his wife Toni. Now it's just gotten a price cut to $20 million. That will get you a 17,000-square-foot mansion with 28 rooms, 10 full bathrooms, 18-foot coffered ceilings and 16 fireplaces, along with rolling, green hills, a guesthouse, gardener’s cottage, equestrian center, and pool house. After 133 years in Astor and Delano ownership, the property--known as Atalanta--is looking for its next buyer.
Go inside the lavish home
June 21, 2017

Modern Catskills treehouse uses angular geometry to connect with nature

It might seem contradictory that hard, angular lines and pronounced geometry could enhance the organic nature of this forested Woodstock, NY location, but UK-based designer Antony Gibbons managed to pull the juxtaposition off seamlessly with his Inhabit Treehouse. Gibbons told Inhabitat that the small family home "still blends into the surroundings with its timber materials,” which includes cedar from the surrounding Catskills Valley for the facade and a reclaimed pine interior, where he used the sharp angles to frame out views of the nearby mountains and lake.
See it all right here
June 20, 2017

10 things you never knew about Prospect Park

Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux debuted Prospect Park to the Brooklyn masses in 1867. Though Olmsted and Vaux had already designed Central Park, they considered this their masterpiece, and much of the pair's innovative landscape design is still on display across all 585 acres. But it was the result of a lengthy, complicated construction process (Olmsted and Vaux weren't even the original designers!) as well as investment and dedication from the city and local preservationists throughout the years. After challenges like demolition, neglect, and crime, the Parks Department has spent the past few decades not only maintaining the park but restoring as much of Olmsted and Vaux's vision as possible. It's safe to say that these days, Prospect Park is just as impressive as when it first opened to the public. And of course, throughout its history the park has had no shortage of stories, secrets and little-known facts. 6sqft divulges the 10 things you might not have known.
All the juicy secrets ahead
March 22, 2017

Remembering New York City’s days of deadly smog

Over Thanksgiving weekend in 1966, the layer of smog that hung above New York City killed about 200 people. An estimated 300–405 people died during a two-week smog episode in 1963. In 1953, as many as 260 died from breathing the city's air over a six-day stretch. 6sqft reported recently on Donald Trump's proposed budget and subsequent concerns about the impact significant funding cuts to the Environmental Protection Agency totaling $2.6 billion or 31 percent–including staff reductions and program eliminations–might have on the city’s drinking water and air quality. A spokesman for Mayor de Blasio assured us that these federal cuts won't impact NYC’s high quality water supply. But what about the air?
But what about the air?
March 4, 2017

February’s 10 most-read stories and this week’s features

February’s 10 Most-Read Stories NYC’s top 10 wealthiest ZIP codes will surprise you ‘The Daily Show’ host Trevor Noah buys a $10M Stella Tower penthouse VIDEO: How a man lives and works in a 78-square-foot Hell’s Kitchen ‘studio’ Hamptons home prices sag as luxury buyers head to hipper Hudson Valley New Stuyvesant Town lottery opens […]

February 27, 2017

Upstate waterfront hotel/restaurant with a quirky owner’s apartment asks less than $1M

Now here's an opportunity to own something really unique, if you're willing to decamp New York City to run a historic hotel upstate. The Pleasant Beach Hotel, at 14477 Fancher Avenue in Fairhaven, has hit the market for $975,000. Less than $1 million will get you a nine-room hotel, as well as a bar, restaurant, private pier, and an attached owner's apartment. With incredible views out toward Lake Ontario, this hotel has been in business since 1910... and is looking for its tenth owner to carry on the traditions of the charming waterfront getaway.
Take the grand tour
February 3, 2017

Win this Catskills cabin with a 200-word essay

In a non-traditional run around the local real estate market, one enterprising couple is attempting to sell their Bethel, N.Y. vacation house by inviting buyers to submit a 200-word essay on, ““How would owning the lakefront dream home change your life?” along with $149. Andrew Bares and Kelly Lavorgna had attempted to sell the two-bedroom cabin on five-and-a-half acres at 391 Woodstone Trail twice in the last four years without success, which prompted them to undertake this slightly different angle on the prospective buyer's "sweetheart letter." If the contest attracts 5,500 applicants, it will bring the sellers $819,500 for the house (h/t New York Times).
So what's the catch?
December 16, 2016

Trump isn’t the first president-elect with a New York City home base, FDR stayed close too

Just when you thought you'd get to enjoy a low-key pre-holiday Friday, the New York Times compares Donald Trump to Franklin Delano Roosevelt. While just 12 blocks away Trump Tower snarls traffic and confounds anything resembling daily life in the surrounding area with a round-the-clock hive of security details, reporters and protesters—and of course the prez-elect himself, his entourage and various cabinet-members-to-be—Hunter College’s Roosevelt House Public Policy Institute director Harold Holzer reminds us of another presidency whose earliest days were spent ensconced in a NYC residence. Of the century-old double-width townhouse at at 47-49 East 65th Street on Manhattan’s Upper East Side, now the Institute's home, Holzer says, “It was the Trump Tower of 1932-33.” The 65th Street residence was the longtime home of Franklin D. and Eleanor Roosevelt.
Definitely not an apples-to-apples comparison
October 25, 2016

For just $825K you can live like a governor’s daughter in this historic victorian home

For only $825,000 you can own a home fit for a princess, or at least for a governor's daughter. The Emma Flower Taylor Mansion is the historic Watertown home of its namesake and her husband John Byron Taylor. The 14,000-square-foot residence was built in 1896 as a wedding present from Mrs. Taylor's father, former New York Governor and financier Roswell Pettibone Flower. He recruited acclaimed architects Lamb and Rich to create the palace-like home perfect for his only daughter. Today, the 14 bedroom, nine bathroom mansion is divided into eight separate apartments; however, it has still retained the regal Victorian look that's made this home a cherished piece of New York history.
Take a look at the mansion
October 25, 2016

Star Power: Celestial ceilings and zodiac symbols in New York architecture

These days if an architect were to ask a developer “What’s your sign?" they probably wouldn't be taken very seriously. But in the early 1900s, it was an entirely different story. A century ago, wealthy industrialists, bankers, businessmen and civic planners were erecting opulent buildings with the help of top architects and artists. And in addition to elaborate ornamentation, celestial ceilings with zodiac symbols were also requested in a number of iconic building designs. Ahead we point out six historic New York area buildings where you can still encounter these astral vestiges.
Where to find Zodiac signs in NYC
October 20, 2016

A $5M price chop for the former Upper West Side mansion of Charles Schwab

There's been a significant price drop at one of the most interesting mansions of the Upper West Side. Designed by the famous architect C.P.H. Gilbert, this 11,500-square-foot, six-story abode was occupied by moneyman and steel magnate Charles Schwab between 1914 and 1917. After that, it became the “scandalous love nest” for the mistress of industrialist George Gould. Last year the property was put up for sale asking a cool $20 million, and now it's trying its hand again with a considerably lower asking price of $14.995 million.
See more of the grand interior
October 4, 2016

289-acre Hudson Valley estate built for the Roosevelts and Astors asks $22M

Here in Manhattan, $22 million barely buys a townhouse, but not far away upstate in Dutchess County, it'll get you a whopping 289 acres, complete with a Georgian-style manor, Greek Temple-inspired pool house, equestrian facilities, and some serious historic pedigree. The Post reports that the 1851 Atalanta estate was built for Franklin Hughes Delano and his wife Laura Astor Delano (FDR's great uncle and aunt) as a wedding gift using land from the Astor's nearby Rokeby estate. It's now hit the market, providing a wealth of views inside the home and throughout the stunning Hudson Valley grounds.
Take a tour right here
September 29, 2016

Except for the $475K price, this charming studio embodies the old East Village spirit

Anyone who's been around long enough to remember what the East Village used to be like–before the days of shiny condos and SoulCycle–might say this rather romantic little 425-square-foot co-op studio at 88 East Third Street is just about as old school as you can get without having your bathtub in the kitchen. Yes, there’s a Starbucks on the corner, but this quintessentially quirky-cool block is still home to the infamous Hell’s Angels East Village clubhouse at number 77 (right next door to the New York Law School dorm). They won’t cause you any trouble, but those bad boys still ride, so we hope you like the sound of motorcycle engines.
Get a closer look
August 24, 2016

163 years ago, an upstate chef accidentally invented potato chips

It was July, 1853, and George Crum was working as a chef at Cary Moon's Lakehouse, an upscale restaurant in Saratoga Springs that catered to wealthy Manhattan families building summer escapes upstate. One of his customers sent back his French fries because they were thick and soggy (h/t NYT). After the man (who is rumored to have been Commodore Cornelius Vanderbilt, though this can't be confirmed) sent back a second batch of the fried potatoes, Crum decided to get even, a decision that would land him a place in culinary history.
Find out how the potato chip was invented
August 23, 2016

The ‘Summer White House’ of the Hamptons could be yours for $14.2M

It's no easy feat to make it to the White House, but the Hampton's alternative is available to anybody willing to stomach the cost of renting or buying it. 20 Union Street, a three-story Victorian mansion built in 1796, was considered the "Summer White House" for President Chester A. Arthur (he also owned a townhouse in Murray Hill). Since the former president vacationed there, it has been throughly renovated into a modern, luxurious Hamptons pad. The six-bedroom, four-and-a-half bathroom home is up for both sale and rent, asking $14.2 million or $480,000 per year. (The price to rent between Memorial and Labor Day is $390,000.)
Take the presidential tour
July 14, 2016

Suffering From Decay, Central Park Seeks $300M for Repairs and Restoration

If you've walked through Central Park on a recent weekend, you've likely noticed lush grass, blooming flowers, and hordes of tourists and locals alike enjoying the city's unofficial backyard. But a closer look reveals "the debilitating effects of time and modern use," according to the Times, which is why the Central Park Conservancy is embarking a 10-year, $300 million campaign to fund repairs and restorations in the 843-acre open space. "Forever Green: Ensuring the Future of Central Park" will address issues such as a leaking roof at the 144-year-old Belvedere Castle, plumbing issues and cracked pavement at the Conservatory Garden, and insufficient infrastructure at the Naumburg Bandshell. It will also restore arches, bridges, gazebos, and waterways to Olmsted and Vaux's original Adirondack- and Catskills-inspired vision.
But where will the money come from?
May 10, 2016

Forgotten Four Acres of Central Park Reopens to Visitors After Almost 90 Years

After being closed off to the public since the 1930s, The Hallet Nature Sanctuary on the lower east side of Central Park is once again open to all, writes The Times. The lush four-acre peninsula has for the last decades been used as a bird sanctuary, reclaimed and then tended to by the Central Park Conservancy in 2001 as part of their Woodlands Initiative. Under the project, $45 million was directed towards revitalizing and restoring the wooded areas of Central Park to their original glory.
More on how to visit here
May 4, 2016

$14M Gilded Age Mansion in Murray Hill Was the Home of J.P. Morgan’s Attorney

Most of New York City's grand and historic homes have been altered for modern-day use as apartments, libraries, hotels, diplomatic buildings and the like. And when it comes to those that have remained as opulent single- or multi-family homes, most have changed hands so many times that we don't know much about their history. That is not the case for this massive 9,300-square-foot townhouse across the street from the Morgan Library. The home was originally the residence of J.P. Morgan's attorney John Trevor, Sr. and is currently in use as a 10-unit apartment building–albeit a rather special one with some unique spaces like a private office and a gorgeous rear parlor with symphony-ready acoustics and 13-foot ceilings. Whoever purchases the home, on the market for $14 million, could create a vast five-story mansion (there's already an elevator), or any number of alternate configurations–but they'll still have great sound in that back parlor.
The neighborhood blows up, then the lawyers move in
April 4, 2016

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

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