6sqft | NYC local news, events, and apartments

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

By Rebecca Paul

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 […]

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Distinctive Homes

Drew Barrymore finds buyer for gut-renovated Westchester estate

This $22.5M maisonette offers townhouse privacy with classic Upper East Side co-op luxury

For $5.65M, a ballet legend's former UWS studio is now a three-bedroom home

Bob Dylan's historic Harlem townhouse sells for $2.8M

For $10.5M, a sunny yellow Mediterranean villa on the Upper East Side

This $4M Flatbush townhouse stays true to its Victorian roots

Cobble Hill's most expensive home finds a buyer

This $5.5M two-family townhouse is classic East Village living at its best

An architect's vision transformed this $2.15M Park Slope loft with leveled-up modernist design

$15M penthouse in a gold cupola high above Fifth Avenue heads to auction this month

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December 22, 2015

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

By Annie Doge

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

By Rebecca Paul

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."
Find out more

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.
More details this way

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December 21, 2015

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

By Ondel Hylton

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.
Check out the interactive maps and listings this way

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.
Check it out

Distinctive Homes

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

Most Brooklyn creatives head to the local cafe when they need to escape to get work done, but this lucky couple can retreat right to their backyard garden (h/t Inhabitat). They enlisted local firm Architensions to design a space where they can find "a condition of isolation or immersive solitude" for writing and drawing. The result is the Writing Pavilion, a 50-square-foot wooden structure that is light-filled and serene, but purposefully simple and void of distractions.
Find out more about this outdoor escape

Architecture And Design

December 19, 2015

Weekly Highlights: Top Picks From the 6sqft Staff

Get a Look at the NYC Skyline in 2030! NYC Municipal ID Card Holders Will Get Even More Free Stuff in 2016 Designer’s Boldly Renovated West Village Pad Asks $1.15M Living in a Micro Apartment Could Be Harmful to Your Health A 1924 Proposal Would Have Drained the Entire East River to Reduce Congestion Did […]

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December 18, 2015

$13K Furnished Rental Is a Mix of All the Coolest Downtown Dwellings

The kitchen says Greenwich Village, the bedroom reads East Village, and the large living space is pure Soho loft. Located just south of Union Square and a few blocks from almost everything else in the universe, this good old fashioned "loft-style home" at 816 Broadway is the perfect mix of cool downtown dwellings. Unless you're seeking total peace and quiet (which rules out most of New York City) there isn't much downside–other than the $13K a month rent–to moving right in to this hip, well-stocked apartment with the world just outside your door. This furnished home is available for six months or less (January-September); weekly cleaning and utilities are included in the rent.
Get a closer look

Distinctive Homes

Why Is the Face of This Clock in Central Park Rotating Backwards?

GIF created from a video by Scott Beale for Laughing Squid

December 18, 2015

Why Is the Face of This Clock in Central Park Rotating Backwards?

At first glance, it looks like an ordinary 19th century street clock, but when you notice its movement, things get a little weird. Located at Central Park's Doris C. Freedman Plaza, the clock's face rotates backwards, while the second hand appears to remain upright and stationary at all times (h/t Laughing Squid). What'll really throw you for a loop is that the clock is displaying the correct time, but because of how accustomed we are to the regular rotation, it's almost impossible to read. Titled "Against the Run," the clock was created by Alicja Kwade for the Public Art Fund. The Polish-born, Berlin-based artist wanted to challenge "the systems we invent to make sense of our lives," thereby forcing us to "see 'reality' from a new perspective."
More about the trippy clock

Events & Things To Do

Envision Design And Evoke Desire – New York, NY, Skyline 2030. Courtesy of Visualhouse. Click here to enlarge >>

December 18, 2015

Get a Look at the NYC Skyline in 2030!

Though it's that time of year when we look back at the 12 months past, it's also a great time to look ahead. Which is exactly what creative design firm Visualhouse did with their incredible rendering of the NYC skyline 15 years from now. The image takes us from BIG's Via tetrahedron to the supertall towers of Billionaires' Row to the glistening cluster that will be Hudson Yards.
more here

December 18, 2015

Spotlight: A Cold Dip With the Coney Island Polar Bear Club’s Dennis Thomas

By Susan Cohen

The city may be having an unseasonably warm December, but it's fair to say most New Yorkers still find it a bit too chilly for the beach. Members of the famed Coney Island Polar Bear Club, on the other hand, relish the drop in temperature as they head out for an ocean swim. The Polar Bear Club is a New York institution dating back to 1903. While the organization is renowned for its annual New Year’s Day swim where New Yorkers gather to welcome the year with a chilly dip, it’s far from the only time the club embraces the cold water. In fact, they meet 12 times throughout the winter months and draw a sizable membership that's a mix of ages, backgrounds, and cultures from the metropolitan area and beyond. At the club's helm is president Dennis Thomas, who fell in love with Coney Island years ago and later discovered the serenity of swimming on brisk days. More than thirty years after he first became a member, Dennis spoke with 6sqft about the Polar Bear Club's history, what a typical swim is like, and what happens when hundreds of New Yorkers turn out for a New Year's Day swim that supports Camp Sunshine.
Read the interview here

December 18, 2015

Historic UWS Townhouse Filled With Bold Modern Furniture Hits the Rental Market

Original mahogany and oak paneling, inlaid parquet floors, carved mantels and a grand staircase. That's the lowdown at 315 West 78th Street, an impressive townhouse in the Riverside Drive/West End Avenue area of the Upper West Side. It's a huge house, with 4,000 square feet, 11 rooms, five bedrooms and four-and-a-half bathrooms. It also has an impressive number of historic details intact. The home has been offered as a rental for a few years now, priced between $15,499 and $16,000 a month. It's back on the market asking $16,000 and is being offered furnished or not. It's also available short term, for a minimum of a six-month stay. This is a spot we definitely wouldn't mind hanging for six months.
See the interior

December 18, 2015

MAP: How Much Do Murders Decrease Home Values?

We know that in New York City, living next to the deceased does little to earn you a discount on your rent or a price chop on a condo. But when it comes to murders, the story is quite different. Finder.com recently culled data from University of Technology Sydney (UTS) and popular real estate websites to find out just how much a murder that occurred on a property can affect the value of a home.
more here

December 18, 2015

Foodies Remember the Four Seasons; What Will Replace the Hipster?

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

As the closing of the Four Seasons approaches, five regulars remember the iconic landmarked restaurant. [Grub Street] What will replace the hipster? Will it be yuccies, cutesters, or maybe health goths? [Vice] Traveling through Grand Central on the 25th? Hidden bar the Campbell Apartment will be open on Christmas for the first time. [Gothamist] Architect […]

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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

50 places to shop locally in NYC for that perfect gift

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

10 best plants for apartment dwellers

VIEW ALL

December 18, 2015

Mass Transit Commuters in NY Will Save Hundreds Thanks to New Federal Bill

Work for a business with 20 or more employees? Soon you can kiss that $116/month Metrocard allotment goodbye. This week's federal spending and tax-cut agreement will likely put into effect a permanent law that almost doubles the pre-tax earnings that New York mass-transit commuters can spend on fares, thereby saving them hundreds of dollars a year. As Crain's reports, "The provision nearly doubles the maximum amount of pre-tax income they can use to pay transit fares. Currently $130 a month, the limit will be raised to match the amount that people who drive to work can spend in untaxed earnings on parking fees—$255 per month in 2016." Plus, if Congress passes the bill as expected, the amount will continue to rise with the cost of living.
Find out more right here

December 18, 2015

Get a Look at the South Village’s Upcoming Boutique Condo, 54 MacDougal Street

By Ondel Hylton

Excavation is nearly complete at 54 MacDougal Street, a ground-up, six-story condominium being developed by Valyrian Capital and Ajax Partners. Up until 2013, a humble three-story townhouse stood at the 2,500-square-foot lot for nearly 200 years, dating its creation to around 1820 when it was built on land formerly owned by Aaron Burr. The building lot is within a once working-class and immigrant neighborhood referred to by some as the South Village. Unlike large swaths of Greenwich Village to the north and cast iron sections of Soho to the west, the motley mixture of low-rise, pre-war buildings for years lacked landmark protections. Since 2006, the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation (GVSHP) has urged the city's Landmarks Preservation Commission to designate a 35-block stretch of the neighborhood as an historic district, making it the city’s first tenement-based landmarked district. To date, two of the three phases of the district have been designated.
More details ahead

December 17, 2015

Edible Real Estate: These Amazing Gingerbread Houses Are Totally Turnkey

What could be better than real estate you can eat? Though these (mostly) edible homes are way too pretty to take a bite of, there’s just something about the idea of frosting on the roof… Ahead, check out some of the sweet, scaled-down edifices we've scouted across the web and NYC, including a gingerbread version of the Hogwarts School, Frank Lloyd Wright's iconic Fallingwater, and the Guggenheim, which, as they say, takes the cake!
More amazing cookie creations this way

December 17, 2015

Median Manhattan Apartment Price Climbs Past $1M for First Time

"For the second year in a row, Manhattan real estate prices soared, setting new records. For the first time, the median price for an apartment—including both co-ops and condos—was above $1 million." This is according to CityRealty's newly released Year-End Manhattan Market Report, which puts the median price at $1.1 million, 13 percent higher than last year and 60 percent higher than 2005. Additionally, the average apartment sales price ($1.9 million), the average condo price ($2.6 million), and the average co-op price ($1.4 million) all broke 2014's records by $100,000.
See the report's infographic this way

Real Estate Trends

December 17, 2015

Colorful and Quirky Four-Bedroom With Pre-War Charm Asks $775K in Hamilton Heights

Some are saying that the next Harlem Renaissance is poised to happen in Hamilton Heights. And everyone's got their eye on Columbia University's planned 6.8 million-square-foot expansion into neighboring Manhattanville—it's expected to bring an influx of new residents. If you're looking to get in a little early—or you're just looking for a decent amount of living space in Manhattan that doesn't cost millions, this quirky four-bedroom co-op at 616 West 137th Street could be your lucky break.
Check it out

Distinctive Homes

December 17, 2015

Andy Warhol’s Former Estate Sells for $50M; Redesigning the Sidewalk Shed

Backyard labyrinths are a thing now. [WSJ] Four alternative designs for the sidewalk shed. [Curbed] The Montauk estate once owned by Andy Warhol has sold for $50 million. The property was first listed for $85 million. [WSJ] The newest title-holder of the world’s most expensive home is a $310 million mansion that just sold outside Paris. […]

Real Estate Trends

December 17, 2015

A 1924 Proposal Would Have Drained the Entire East River to Reduce Congestion

Remember 6sqft's post about a madcap engineer who wanted to pave over the East River in 1911 in order to create a "Mega-Manhattan?" Well, 13 years later, John A. Harris, deputy police commissioner in charge of traffic, came up with his own proposal for incorporating the river into the streetscape of the city: draining it entirely. Published in Popular Science, the never-realized scheme addressed New York's growing traffic congestion problem, said to have been costing the city $1.5 million a day. It would have transformed the waterway into "a five-mile system of automobile and motor-truck highways, subway lines, parking spaces, and city centers." Two concrete dams were to be erected, one near the Williamsburg Bridge and one near Hell Gate, and the riverbed would be "bridged with levels supported by steel uprights," thereby connecting the four boroughs.
More on the idea and the full drawing

December 17, 2015

$1.6 Million Dumbo Apartment Comes With Awesome Views of the Brooklyn Bridge

Views! Views! Views! Seriously, that's what you're getting with this two-bedroom apartment at 70 Washington Street, a former Dumbo warehouse that has been converted into 225 condo apartments. It was converted by Two Trees Management, prominent developers in the neighborhood, who built out luxury loft apartments and included a 24-hour concierge, doorman, fitness room, and roof deck with the building. This apartment has windows in both the living room and bedroom that offer an incredible look out onto the entire stretch of the Brooklyn Bridge and Lower Manhattan skyline. There's a total of 1,310 square feet and a lofty, open floor plan. A view like that in a neighborhood as popular as Dumbo doesn't come cheap -- although you can still find the occasional apartment in the area for under $1 million without the impressive views, of course. This one is on the market for $1.6 million, after last selling in 2007 for $1,055,926.
Take the tour

Distinctive Homes

December 17, 2015

Netflix Socks Pause Your Show When You Fall Asleep; There’s a Santacon for Dogs

How to celebrate the Winter Solstice like a real New York Wiccan. [DNAinfo] This Saturday there’s a SantaCon for dogs in the East Village. Hopefully the canines will keep the drunken antics to a minimum. [EV Grieve] There’s a room in Chinatown filled with hundreds of big red balloons, and you can play in it […]

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December 17, 2015

Art Nerd New York’s Top Event Picks for the Week – 12/17-12/23

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 founderLori Zimmer’s top picks for 6sqft readers! Before you take advantage of the open bar at your company's holiday party, pack in some art appreciation. This week, celebrate the genius of Michael Alan and experience the last Living Installation of the year (think figure drawing on acid, but without the acid and a big party thrown in). Fantastical art supply warehouse Materials for the Arts will also be sharing the fruits of their labor with an exhibition of their artist in residence. Nightlife icon Susanne Bartsch is throwing a special holiday party on the 22nd that benefits living work of art Domonique Echeverria. And Swoon will debut a sustainable bamboo house she's created with the Lower East Side Girls Club as a prototype for rebuilding Haiti. You can also still squeeze in some last minute shopping if you celebrate Christmas—first by trolling the gift shop at the epic Star Wars Costumes exhibition, and then perusing the artists selling wares at the Shwick Holiday Market.
All the best events to check out here

Events & Things To Do

December 17, 2015

Williamsberry’s Modern Mini-Me at 79 South Fifth Street Gets Glassed

By Ondel Hylton

Over in South Williamsburg, construction is moving apace on Mona Gora's noodle factory-to-nests condo conversion known as Williamsberry. While the building’s name has picked up a fair bit of ridicule, we think its ambiguity represents the neighborhood well; like that over-processed frozen yogurt flavor that's tangy to some, bitter to others, but too intriguing to stop tasting. The project is composed of an eight-story, former noodle factory building that is being transformed into 54 high-ceilinged residences topped by a rooftop solar farm. Alongside the conversion, the team is constructing a modern yet complementary six-story building at 79 South Fifth Street, which is also being designed by Workshop DA with interiors by Paris Forino.
Lots more details and renderings

December 16, 2015

Where I Work: Artist Nancy Pantirer shows us around her imaginative Tribeca loft

6sqft’s series “Where I Work” takes us into the studios, offices, and off-beat workspaces of New Yorkers across the city. In this installment, we take a tour of painter and sculptor Nancy Pantirer’s imaginative Tribeca studio. Want to see your business featured here? Get in touch! When artist Nancy B. Pantirer opened up her studio for this year's Inside Tribeca Loft Tour, guests were swooning over everything from the high ceilings to the eclectic furniture, and of course, her incredible paintings, many of which are done in a large-scale format. But what really left an impression was Nancy's welcoming nature, evident as she chatted with almost everyone who passed through her space, telling them a bit about herself, her work, and the neighborhood. Eager to share this with our readers, 6sqft was lucky enough to get a private tour of Nancy's space, where she filled us in on her process, design choices, and how she feels Tribeca has changed since she arrived in 1995.
Take our tour right this way

SHoP Architects’ Controversial Seaport Tower Won’t Move Ahead

Rendering of the proposed 494-foot tower via SHoP Architects

December 16, 2015

SHoP Architects’ Controversial Seaport Tower Won’t Move Ahead

The long-plagued condo tower designed by SHoP Architects for the Fulton Fish Market site at the South Street Seaport has been nixed, according to statements made by the Howard Hughes Corporation at a community board meeting last night. DNAinfo, who first reported on the fate of the 494-foot tower, says that the developer will instead construct a "not tall" commercial building at what's now known as the New Market Building site.
More details

Real Estate Trends

December 16, 2015

Streit’s Matzo Factory Will be Turned Into Condos; Students Are Putting Their Dorms on Airbnb

The condos going up next to Katz’s Deli will cost $1M. [Curbed] Pier57 plan receives support from Governor Cuomo. [DNA Info] Five Greenpoint projects will benefit from a $4.25M ExxonMobile settlement. [DNA Info] Students have started renting out their door rooms on Airbnb to make extra cash. [Fast Co.] Streit’s Matzo Factory is being renovated into condos. [TRD] Images: A […]

Real Estate Trends

December 16, 2015

Beautiful Brownstone Rental in Fort Greene Sports Historic Details and a Spacious Kitchen

If you're going to inhabit a couple of floors of a brownstone, the top choice is definitely a parlor-garden combo; you get the grandeur of high ceilings, huge rooms and lots of light on the parlor floor, and then–ideally–you get a lower level that opens out to a pretty backyard. If you're extra lucky, the parlor floor has access down to the yard as well. This beautifully-restored duplex at 75 Willoughby Avenue in Fort Greene is just that perfect combination–hence the $7K a month rent. But what you get–three bedrooms, two baths, a gorgeous private backyard accessible from both floors in a mint-condition historic townhouse with all the trimmings–is about as good as it gets.
Have a look

Distinctive Homes

December 16, 2015

Whimsical Balloon Coffee Table By Duffy London Will Lift Your Spirits

By Annie Doge

One look at this charming table and you'll probably find yourself humming the 1980s hit "99 Red Balloons." The dreamy design of studio Duffy London, the "UP Coffee Table" explores the concepts of levitation and buoyancy to create a trompe l'oeil effect of a glass tabletop being suspended by balloons. Plus it kind of looks like a cross between a Banksy balloon and a Jeff Koons puppy, don't you think?
more views of the table here

December 16, 2015

POLL: Should Broadway Become a Giant Park?

Earlier this week, 6sqft brought you a proposal by Perkins Eastman Architects to turn a 40-block-long stretch of Broadway into a linear park. Stretching from Columbus Circle to Union Square, the Green Line concept would connect these hubs with Times Square, Herald Square, and Madison Square. As we noted, “Unlike other linear parks like the […]

Architecture And Design

December 16, 2015

130-Year-Old Limestone Townhouse on the Upper West Side Asks $12.95 Million

It's hard not to be impressed by this 130-year-old limestone townhouse, built at 64 West 87th Street on the Upper West Side. The Jacobean Revival townhouse was designed by the 1890s architect Clarence Fagan True as a set of three—but this one is "the star of the show," according to Daytonian in Manhattan. There's an intricately carved facade with a four-story bay and an imposing stone porch with balustraded railings. It sold in 1895 to Lucius Nathan Littauer, a close friend of Theodore Roosevelt with his own political ambitions, and is known as the L. N. Littauer Mansion. Today, the facade is intact and the interior has been completely renovated by Zivkovic Connolly Architects to add some modern upgrades to the old world charm. Despite the modern upgrades, there are plenty of historic goodies left, including a truly impressive plaster ceiling that sits atop a ceramic-faced fireplace and parquet floors.
See more

255 East 77th Street

Lenox Hill

Upper East Side condos with Central Park views

3 beds starting at $5,300,000
4 beds starting at $7,400,000
5 beds starting at $8,750,000

Learn More

<b>Designer Gift Guide: 10 NYC Creatives Share What They’re Giving (and Want) This Holiday</b>

Image: skyline illustration adapted from Linda Eliasen’s “There’s no place like home.” Prints available for purchase here.

December 16, 2015

Designer Gift Guide: 10 NYC Creatives Share What They’re Giving (and Want) This Holiday

Who better to ask for unique gift ideas than those with an eye for the amazing? This year, 6sqft asked 10 New York City designers, architects and artists to share five things that they're gifting this holiday season—as well as what they'd love to get their hands on for themselves! Ahead you'll find 50 fantastic gift ideas for every budget and for every kind of person on your gift list, from the techie to the design buff to your pal with kids to the hip hop and "Star Wars" nerds in your life. Start checking off your holiday shopping list here!
Check out all the gifts here

December 16, 2015

Get Personal With Selfie Wrapping Paper; M66 Bus Wins Annual Pokey Award for Slowness

This Japanese room spray will make your home smell like a cat’s head. [Bored Panda] Gift Wrap My Face lets you wrap all your holiday gifts in selfies. [Racked] Apartment “quirks” that only a New Yorker would understand. [Thrillist] Starting next month, the Brooklyn Museum will offer free admission on Thursdays. [DNAinfo] The city’s slowest […]

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December 15, 2015

NYC Municipal ID Card Holders Will Get Even More Free Stuff in 2016

If you're one of the 670,000 people who took the time to apply for a NY municipal ID last year, give yourself a pat on the back and rejoice, because your industrious spirit will be rewarded for yet another year. Mayor Bill de Blasio and Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito announced yesterday that card holders will continue to benefit from free access and discounts to 33 cultural institutions and a slew of New York services through 2016. On top of that, seven top tier names have joined the ID benefits roster, including The Guggenheim, the New Museum, the MoMA, the Metropolitan Opera, the Museum of Chinese in America, BRIC Arts Media and the Pregones Theater. Yay, free stuff!
find out what else was added and how to apply if you haven't already

December 15, 2015

Designer’s Boldly Renovated West Village Pad Asks $1.15M