6sqft | NYC local news, events, and apartments

6sqft readers may remember a 1951 proposal by Goodyear Tires for a giant conveyor belt to carry people between Times Square and Grand Central. And though this was certainly a wacky idea for the time, there was an even earlier proposal for a moving sidewalk that took the city by storm. Back in the late 1860s/early 1870s, inventor and businessman Alfred Speer was fed up with street congestion in front of his wine store on Broadway near City Hall. Though elevated trains were popping up around the time, they were mostly above 14th Street, so Speer designed an aerial, steam-powered sidewalk (much cleaner than the locomotive trains) that would make a loop up and down Broadway to alleviate traffic. It would be constantly in motion at 10 miles per hour, carrying passengers by foot or in its movable chairs for five cents a ride. Speer even went so far as to patent the idea, officially called the "Endless Traveling" or "Railway Sidewalk."
So what happened?

October 20, 2015

Clever Room Divider by Jordan Parnass Triples as Queen-Sized Bed and Storage Unit

Living efficiently in a studio apartment definitely requires careful planning, and one of the largest challenges is separating the bedroom from the living area. This custom-fabricated millwork insertion designed by Jordan Parnass Digital Architecture for a Battery Park studio, solves that problem, and a few others as well. In addition to providing the studio with a bedroom divider, the piece also holds additional storage and display shelving.
see more here

October 20, 2015

Inside Grand Central’s Tiffany Clock; NYC as Seen From Space

The world’s largest rubber duck, weighing in at 11 tons, has arrived in Oyster Bay, Long Island. [Mashable] Video goes inside Grand Central’s giant Tiffany clock. [Gothamist] Here’s all the best bars to watch the Mets tonight. [DNAinfo] A cosmonaut took this amazing picture of NYC from the International Space Station. [NYP] Asics’ new Times Square […]

Uncategorized

October 20, 2015

Blackstone Buys Stuy Town for $5.3 Billion, Will Preserve Affordable Housing

The saga of Stuyvesant Town continues. The Real Deal reports that the Blackstone Group has partnered with Canadian investment firm Ivanhoe Cambridge to buy Stuy Town and Peter Cooper Village for $5.3 billion, just slightly under 2006's $5.4 billion sale. Currently, more than half of the 11,200 apartments in the long-plagued complex (which was built under Robert Moses as affordable housing for veterans returning from WWII) are market rate. And as TRD notes, "As part of the new agreement with the city, Blackstone will reserve 4,500 units at the complex for middle-income families for the next 20 years... An additional 500 units will be slated for low-income families, and Blackstone will not attempt a condominium conversion at the complex." In order to keep the affordable units, the city will provide $225 million in funding; give Blackstone a $144 million low-interest loan through the Housing Development Corporation; and waive $77 million in taxes.
Find out more about the deal

October 20, 2015

Quirky East Williamsburg Artist’s Loft Offers a Bygone Authenticity for $3M

This converted East Williamsburg warehouse at 139 Powers Street is of the sort you don't come by too often anymore. It's one of those really cool-looking spaces you'd walk by maybe ten or twenty years ago and think, "hey, I'd like to live in this neighborhood" and wonder who lived there and what it looked like inside. As the listing says, it offers "authenticity that is difficult to find." The immediate neighborhood is that rare "unspoiled" old-school slice of what was once the 'burg's Italian enclave, and still has the vibe of being a mix of old, new, neighborhood-y and Vice-era cool. The two-story property, currently used as a single-family home, spans 3,600 interior square feet in a 25 x 100-foot building and is listed at $2.95 million; the loft currently belongs to local artist Joanne Ungar, and it definitely reflects the owner's creative tendencies–and green thumb.
Take a look around

October 19, 2015

Bruce Springsteen’s ‘Born to Run’ Beachside Home Is Selling for $299,000

This quaint cottage may not look like the refuge of a rock n' roll great, but this little house is indeed special for one particular reason: Bruce Springsteen wrote "Born to Run" while living here. According to the Daily News, the 828-square-foot abode at 7 1/2 West End Court in Long Branch, NJ, is back on the market for just under $300K. Springsteen, who took up the space at a wee 25 years old, celebrated the 40th anniversary of the famed album's release this year and has said in interviews that he wrote every ballad—from the title track to "Jungleland"—within the home's four walls during his stay from '74 to '75
more details this way

October 19, 2015

Eeeek! This Frightful $550K Village Fixer-Upper Is a Diamond in the (Very) Rough

To kick off Halloween season, 6sqft has found a listing that will strike terror in the heart of anyone looking to move right in; this underdressed underachiever of a "one-bedroom" co-op at 138 West 10th Street looks just a fright. The listing throws in the towel and offers, "West Village pre war one bedroom wreck in beautifully preserved building on one of the most sought after tree lined blocks.” Which, if you think about it, is only one word away from lots of folks' dream apartment. Once you get past the completely spooky condition of the small but well-located space, it's worth noting that it actually has quite a bit going for it given its $550,000 ask, which, though more than the price of a Brooklyn cemetery plot, is far less than you'd pay for the average Village one-bedroom apartment. But it’s clearly up to you, brave buyer–plus an architect, a contractor and a lot of patience–to clear away the cobwebs and make the dream happen.
Follow the screams

Distinctive Homes

Amy Schumer sells Brooklyn Heights townhouse at $1.25M loss

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

Park Slope 'pink house,' now in a more muted hue, asks $5M

Steve Madden's former Trump Palace pad lists for $11.5M

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

10 listings 6sqft readers loved in 2025

This $7M Gilded-Age mansion on the Upper West Side has a private garage and a theatrical history

Ricky Martin sells Upper East Side apartment for $6.15M

This $3.7M Greenwich Village co-op puts the 'classic' in classic seven

For $9M, a Noho penthouse that captures the spirit of the neighborhood's past, and then some

VIEW ALL

October 19, 2015

Subway Inn Site May Get a 1,000+ Foot Supertall Tower

It was almost two years ago that rumors starting circulating that beloved dive bar the Subway Inn would be forced out of its 77-year home in the wake of being purchased by the World Wide Group as one of six parcels on 60th Street between Third and Lexington Avenues. The bar did close in August 2014, but relocated to a new space around the corner on Second Avenue. This past summer, Cushman & Wakefield worked with World Wide to market/sell the assemblage, using renderings of a glassy supertall tower and talk of nearby Billionaires Row to sweeten the deal. Now, the Commerical Observer reports that Chinese developer Kuafu Properties bought the 19,685-square-foot plot for $300 million, getting one step closer to bringing the 1,000+ foot-tall condo to reality.
More details and renderings ahead

October 19, 2015

‘DIY Loft Kit’ Adds Another 160 Square Feet to Your Tiny Apartment

If you're blessed with reasonably high ceilings, but plagued with minimal floor space, this microloft kit might be the solution you need for maximizing your living area. The modular "DIY Loft Kit" will bring a legit lofted space (complete with staircase!) to any tiny apartment, adding an extra 160 square feet to sprawl out in. But be forewarned, it doesn't come cheap. At $3,115 (yup), we can't imagine anyone who's living in a studio or loft with six other roommates to be shelling out that many Gs. But on the other hand, this is NYC, and at just over $19 a square foot, maybe it is a deal?
You be the judge

October 19, 2015

Weird Words Only Architects Know; Few NYC Supers Are Women

WeWork wants to bring a 205-unit tower to Wall Street. [Curbed] 150 words that only architects use. [ArchDaily] Silverstein Properties, the developer of the World Trade Center, has dropped plans to build the city’s tallest residential tower on the West Side. The supertall would have had 1,400+ units. [NYDN] Of the city’s more than 3,000 unionized […]

Uncategorized

October 19, 2015

‘Inception’-Inspired Map Shows a Horizonless NYC

Remember that trippy dream scene in "Inception" where Dom Cobb's mind turns a city into itself, twisting and turning like you'd never seen? This map from OSM Buildings takes inspiration from that alternate world and presents New York in a horizonless view. Aptly titled the GL Inception Map, 3D buildings are shown at the forefront with the rest of the city flattening and bending upwards.
More on the map

Uncategorized

October 19, 2015

The Cocktail Computer Combines Old School Technology With Great Drink Recipes

Having a stocked bar in your home is one of the many privileges of adulthood, but that doesn't necessarily mean we know how to make drinks. Thanks to designer Lily Szajnberg, we can take the guess work out of mixing boozy concoctions at home with her Cocktail Computer. Szajnberg, who's an expert at in-home mixology, has combined her experience finding and executing her favorite cocktails to create this funky kitchen accessory that allows users to search curated drink recipes based on the ingredients they have available.
READ MORE

October 19, 2015

Garrison Treehouse Features Twisty Slide, Writing Desk and Hudson Valley Panoramas

Even as adults many of us willingly admit that having a treehouse would be awesome, and the Garrison Treehouse, designed by the NYC-based studio Sharon Davis Design, is better than we imagined. This 200-square-foot playful retreat is quaintly situated amongst the meadow, forest, orchards and hills of the Hudson River Valley in Garrison, New York (where Davis herself has an eco-retreat), and includes fire poles, a twisty slide, a balcony and even a writing desk.
Live out your childhood fantasies

Architecture And Design

October 19, 2015

Original Coney Island Hot Dogs Coming to East Village; View the First Map of NYC’s Street Grid

Feltman’s, the original creator of the Coney Island hot dog (it wasn’t Nathan’s like many believe) is opening a shop in the East Village. [Gothamist] Beijing- and Vienna-based design studio Penda has envisioned a 200,000-resident city made of interlocking, modular bamboo structures. [Dezeen] A new exhibit shows the 92 hand-drawn and colored panels that were part […]

Uncategorized

“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 during the warm summer months. Our character next decided to make the big move downtown, but it wasn’t quite what she expected. Now she’ll take us through how the media world reacted to JFK’s assassination, as well as the rise and fall of the tobacco industry.

October 19, 2015

New York in the ’60s: The Assassination of JFK and the Plight of the Tobacco Industry

By Penelope Bareau

Read it all right here

History

October 19, 2015

Candy Entrepreneur Lists Glassy, Modern UES Condo for a Sweet $6M

When most people think Upper East Side real estate, they think of historic and grand co-op apartments and townhouses. This condo, located in a very modern and very glassy building at 147 East 84th Street, is an exception. The three-bedroom duplex pad is outfitted with floor-to-ceiling windows, fancy fixtures, some bold wallpaper and a screening room to boot. Simply put, it's anything but a historic old residence. It has been on and off the market for a few years now, with a price tag right around $5 million, and now it's asking $6.495 million. The seller is candy entrepreneur Mark Tarnofsky, who listed just in time for Halloween.
Check it out

Distinctive Homes

$7,500/Month Greenwich Village Loft Looks Good Even With All Its Carpet

In the world of New York real estate, there's generally a rule: wood floors are good, and carpeting... not so much. It gets dirty, doesn't look as authentic, and there are usually gorgeous wood floors hiding underneath. This is especially true for loft apartments, which are typically dominated by wood flooring throughout. But not this one, at 12 East 14th Street in Greenwich Village. And you know what? We don't hate it. Maybe it's the handsome blue color and the way it blends into the furniture. Or the idea of having a nice cushion underneath our feet. (Plus, this loft hasn't totally abandoned its wood floor roots... you'll find some in the kitchen and the hallways.) The co-op apartment is now on the rental market for $7,250 a month. It comes fully furnished, so the renter is going to have to embrace that carpet living.
See more

Distinctive Homes

October 17, 2015

Weekly Highlights: Top Picks From the 6sqft Staff

Upper East Side Co-op Personally Designed by Robert A.M. Stern Asks $9.5 Million First Full Look at Extell’s 80-Story One Manhattan Square, 800 Condos Aimed at Asian Buyers Specht Harpman Transforms an Awkward 425-Square-Foot Apartment Into an Open Space Oasis Tell NYC Officials What Neighborhood Improvements You Want to See Using the ‘Idea Collection Map’ […]

Uncategorized

October 16, 2015

Rather Modest UES Townhouse Has Five Floors, Seven Fireplaces, Two Kitchens, Mail Center and Elevator

We've pretty much seen it all when it comes to no-holds-barred luxury in an Upper East Side townhouse, and this five-story, 7,000 square-foot specimen at 17 East 83rd Street is by no means the most opulent. But when the listing starts with "elevator townhouse," you know you're probably not in for a lot of skimping. And when you learn there's a "separate service entrance/mudroom with paw washer," and a "mail center," well, Billionaire's Row is looking a just a bit like Dogpatch... The current owners of this Manhattan mansion—an investor and an interior designer—purchased it for $2.9 million in 1998, which, sure, was 20 years ago, but if they get anywhere close to their ask of $24.5 million, it's still quite a payday. A tidy sum, it's true, must have been spent on renovations in this townhouse-that-treats-you-like-a five-star-hotel–though now that we think of it, where's the pool?
Take the tour (good thing there's an elevator)

Distinctive Homes

October 16, 2015

New Yorker Spotlight: Larry Berezin on Why You Should Never Pay a Parking Ticket No Questions Asked

New York may characteristically be a city of straphangers, but there are still millions of city residents who keep cars. If you're one of many who have taken on the (oftentimes regrettable) responsibility of car ownership, you know that the biggest challenge faced on the streets is the task of parking. Every year the city issues around 10 million parking tickets with fines running from $65 all the way up to $300. While no driver is ever shy about sharing their rage when being met with one of the pesky orange rectangles on their windshield, most will pay those violations no questions asked. And that's a problem, according to lawyer Larry Berezin, who says a very large percentage of NYC tickets are scam tickets. Larry is the CEO and founder of New York Parking Ticket, a consulting company with a website that provides comprehensive, easy to understand, FREE advice on how regular folks can beat the racket that is NYC parking. "There are ways to fight these tickets, but you need to be armed with the right information," Larry says. We recently spoke to Larry to find out more about what he does and to get some expert advice on how to beat that ticket currently hanging on your fridge.
Read the interview and get some tips from Larry here

October 16, 2015

New Renderings of Handel Architects’ Torqued 43-Story Rental Underway Near Grand Central

By Ondel Hylton

Groundwork on BLDG Management's 43-story rental tower at 222 East 44th Street is quickly moving forward now that the large block-through parking garage that occupied the site has been removed. The 441,000-square-foot development situated midblock between Second and Third Avenues will house 429 residential units, 87 of which will be deemed affordable. East 44th Street is among the most densely built streetscapes in the city, and will be more so once three other high-rises projects on the stretch are complete. But as 6sqft reported in August, the 556-foot-tall, Handel Architects-designed development employs a unique massing where its elevations are torqued away from the street wall, granting additional light and air to residents.
This way for more details and renderings

October 16, 2015

Billionaire Art Collector in Contract to Buy Andy Warhol’s $85M Former Montauk Compound

"I knew Andy in the early 1980s as a very young man, and I’m a collector of his work . . . I’m very lucky to have this opportunity to live out this dream. It’s a work of art." This is what billionaire art collector and Upper East Side gallery owner Adam Lindemann told the Post regarding going into contract on Andy Warhol's $85 million former Montauk estate and equestrian farm. Warhol bought the 30-acre compound, known as "Eothen," in 1972 along with filmmaker friend Paul Morrissey for a mere $225,000, putting Montauk on the map as an A-list retreat on par with the East End. As 6sqft reported when the listing hit the market in June, "For years, the artist used the compound as a city retreat, entertaining friends and luminaries that included Jackie Onassis, Mick Jagger, Elizabeth Taylor and John Lennon. Back then, guests of Warhol enjoyed 600 feet of private oceanfront and 24 acres on the bluffs overlooking the ocean." And now Lindemann, whose fortune comes from his father George Lindemann's success in pharmaceuticals and pipeline companies, can try to relive these glory days.
READ MORE

October 16, 2015

Williamsburg’s New Soda Factory Lofts Bottle Industrial Architecture but Add Modern Style

Leasing has launched at the former Williamsburg manufacturing plant of the Brooklyn Bottling Company and Dr. Brown's Soda. The new development at 60 Berry Street is aptly called the Soda Factory Lofts, and the 40 units are an attractive mix of industrial architecture and modern style. There are currently 12 apartments on the market, ranging from a $3,300/month one-bedroom to a $5,500/month two bedroom.
Check them out

October 16, 2015

Freyja Sewell’s Felt Cocoon Helps People Reconnect With Their Senses

By Ana Lisa Alperovich

In a world that focuses so much on the convenience of online interactions, it's important to bring attention to our bodies and physical sensations. Tackling this issue, British designer Freyja Sewell created the "Sensory Concentration Space," a cocoon-like habitat for enjoying different stimuli and escaping away from it all. Hand-sewn from biodegradable grey felt, it isolates people from the hustle and bustle of modern urban life, something most New Yorkers could benefit from.
Learn more about this warm comfy space

October 16, 2015

Robert Stuart Fills His West Village Condo With Thoughtful Details for a Past Reimagined

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

This gorgeous, rustic West Village condo belongs to designer Robert Stuart from Rob Stuart Interiors. Located on Perry Street, his city oasis was used as a warehouse in the 1980s, so was in desperate need of some personality when he moved in. With his own home as his canvas, the designer took advantage of the massively high ceilings, wood burning fireplace, and panoramic NYC views. Before renovations were installed, the space was stripped down to its bare bones and every corner and detail was put in place to design a home of the past reimagined.
See it all here

THE 6SQFT SHOP

The 6 best furniture rental companies in NYC

8 best places in NYC to thrift for home goods

The best websites for buying and selling used furniture in NYC

Everything you need to know about using a guarantor in NYC

15 quintessential NYC gifts for the New Yorker in your life

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

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

10 best plants for apartment dwellers

New York City's best holiday markets of 2023

VIEW ALL

Philip Johnson’s New York State Pavilion Debuts Its ‘American Cheese Yellow’ Paint Job

Photo via Wikimedia Commons

October 16, 2015

Philip Johnson’s New York State Pavilion Debuts Its ‘American Cheese Yellow’ Paint Job

After 8,000 hours and 1,600 gallons of paint, the New York State Pavilion's Tent of Tomorrow is camera-ready for its spot on Open House New York Weekend. The Daily News reports that Philip Johnson's iconic World's Fair structure in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park is now sporting a fresh coat of "American Cheese Yellow" paint. The job "included power-washing off decades of rust, applying primer and the historically accurate paint while working on a platform suspended 100 feet in the air," and it cost $3 million. It'll certainly be all over Instagram tomorrow and Sunday, but some ambitious architecture lovers have already gotten up close to the landmark.
Have a look at the pictures here

Architecture And Design

October 16, 2015

6sqft’s Must-See Recommendations for This Weekend’s Open House New York

This year's Open House New York takes place this weekend on October 17th and 18th. A full roster of sites was revealed just over a week ago, and there is certainly plenty to see. But how will you prioritize? To help make planning your itinerary a bit easier, 6sqft has put together a list of recommendations for not-to-be-missed sites, from Google's headquarters to a food factory tour at Industry City to the 1920s gilded Loew's Kings Theatre.
See our picks here

Events & Things To Do

October 16, 2015

The 11 Types of Subway Pole Grips; Feel Like You’re Flying on This Horizontal Bike

Don’t you just hate a “slider?” (why are your hands so sweaty?) Or “the clingy girlfriend,” who’s got her whole body wrapped around the pole? Here are the 11 types of subway pole grips. [TONY] The Greenwich Village store that is a shrine to the “The Big Lebowski” merchandise is closing. [Daily Intelligencer] Get a first […]

Uncategorized

October 16, 2015

Jaw-Dropping Apartment in Former Ballroom of Park Slope’s Historic Montauk Club Asks $5.25M

Well, it doesn't get much better than this. The entire fourth floor of Park Slope's historic Montauk Club, located at 25 8th Avenue, is now on the market for $5.25 million. This apartment was originally the private social club's ballroom, which was built in 1889 to serve the Brooklyn elite. Today, it's still a private club, although a lucky someone now gets to live on the fourth floor. 4,000 square feet, mahogany woodwork, chandeliers, fireplaces, and a copper bathtub? It's too hard not to swoon.
Take the tour

October 15, 2015

First Full Look at Extell’s 80-Story One Manhattan Square, 800 Condos Aimed at Asian Buyers

By Ondel Hylton

Bloomberg News reported yesterday that the restless developer Gary Barnett will soon begin marketing the 800 condominiums of his upcoming One Manhattan Square development to Asian buyers first. Apparently not satisfied with erecting two of the tallest and priciest residential buildings in the city, One57 and the Central Park Tower, the Extell Development Company founder and CEO is busy laying the groundwork for one of the largest condominium towers in the city at the foot of the Manhattan Bridge. Going by the address 252 South Street, the bipartite tower is being designed by Adamson Associates Architects (AAI) and will soar 80 stories tall, roughly to the same height as the Comcast Building (former GE/RCA Building) in Midtown. At nearly 850 feet, the tower will be the tallest skyscraper on the island between Midtown and downtown, and by far the tallest building directly along the waterfront. Its staggering 800 units will fall just short of the city's largest individual condo-tower, the 816-unit Corinthian in Murray Hill.
More details on the development

October 15, 2015

Beastie Boy Mike D Gets $5.5M for Fun and Funky Cobble Hill Townhouse

The Post reports that Beastie Boy Mike D (Michael Diamond) has sold his fun and funky Cobble Hill townhouse for $5.5 million, just $150,000 under the asking price. He and his wife Tamra Davis (a cookbook author, online cooking show host, and music video director) bought the four story, five-bedroom home back in 2011 for $3.1 million and then undertook a quirky yet modern renovation. Thanks to custom design details like Brooklyn toile wallpaper, sculptural hanging kitchen shelves, a giant mirrored swing in the bedroom, and an enormous master bath, the Italianate home was featured in several publications, including a New York Times house tour titled “Licensed to Grill.” And now, all of Mike D's hard work has paid off with a pretty nice profit.
Take the full tour

Art Nerd New York’s Top Event Picks for the Week,10/5-10/21

In a city where hundreds of interesting happenings occur each week, it can be hard to pick and choose your way to a fulfilling life. Art Nerd‘s philosophy is a combination of observation, participation, education and of course a party to create the ultimate well-rounded week. Jump ahead for Art Nerd founder Lori Zimmer’s top picks for 6sqft readers!

October 15, 2015

Art Nerd New York’s Top Event Picks for the Week,10/5-10/21

By Lori Zimmer

This weekend is the end-all be-all for architecture mavens in New York—the annual Open House New York weekend! SO many amazing architectural icons are open and waiting for you to explore them, before they close their doors to the general public for another year. The weekend also brings a not-to-miss exhibition, "Calm Before the Storm," with new works by Logan Hicks and Beau Stanton. Yes, this is curated by yours truly and Natalie Kates, and it's guaranteed to be an epic marine-themed show, complete with a giant shipwreck in the gallery. The intelligent concept store Chamber NYC has its second collection in play with earth-inspired art and design objects curated by Andrew Zuckerman. The Lowline, that underground park we hope comes to fruition, is hosting an open house to check out the techie gadgets they're working on to make it a reality. Detroit print mavens 1xRun are taking over Joseph Gross Gallery, and Greenpoint Gallery is letting the people decide. FIT is hosting a two-day symposium on everything Susanne Bartsch, and lastly, Ad Hoc Gallery will be resurrected for the 6th annual Welling Court Mural Fest.
All the best events to check out here

Events & Things To Do

October 15, 2015

For $1.5M, a Neon Yellow Spiral Staircase and Private Roof Deck in a Chelsea Modernist Gem

We don't know the exact size of this Chelsea duplex-plus-roof-deck penthouse at 365 West 19th Street, but it's configured as a one-bedroom with office space, and from the floor plan there's not much extra room to spare. That said, the spaces that have been created in this out-of-the-box home are as easy on the eyes as they'd be to live in. And its price tag of $1.5 million—especially given its prime location and architectural uniqueness—seems almost reasonable.
Explore all three levels, this way

Distinctive Homes

October 15, 2015

NYC Leads the Global Real Estate Investment Market; Be Ethan Hawke’s Neighbor in Boerum Hill

The townhouse that neighbors actor Ethan Hawke’s Boerum Hill pad is on the market for $3.4M. [NYP] New York City has launched a neighborhood-specific website the lets people find out more on what’s happening locally. [neighborhoods.nyc] Urban B&Bs are on the rise. [CityLab] Investment in real estate is at its highest level since 2007 and […]

Real Estate Trends

October 15, 2015

Grid System: Ying Chang’s Customizable Mesh Desk Adapts to Your Busy Life

By Ana Lisa Alperovich

With limited space, New Yorkers need to be smart about the way they live and work. So if you often find yourself multi-tasking at home, this design may be right up your alley. Royal College of Art graduate Ying Chang has come up with the modular "Grid System," a piece of furniture that allows users to plug and unplug different storage boxes and trays according to their needs.
Learn more about this clever design

October 15, 2015

Studio Cadena Turns a Cramped 600 Square Foot Bushwick Loft Into a Three-Bedroom Artist Residence

Bushwick is a rapidly changing artists' neighborhood and much like other popular neighborhoods in New York City, is experiencing an increasing scarcity of affordable living space. That being said, it's easy to understand why this group of just-starting-out youngsters decided to transform a 600-square-foot, awkwardly subdivided loft into a bright open space they could share comfortably. With a limited budget and help from the architects and designers at Studio Cadena, their apartment is now a modern and dynamic living space.
Check it out here

October 15, 2015

POLL: Taxi TVs Are Gone. Were You Part of the 29 Percent Who Turned Them Off?

It’s official. Taxi TVs are no more. The Daily News reports that the Taxi and Limousine Commission voted unanimously to remove the screens in favor of a pilot payment system that will use tablets or smartphones. As 6sqft reported earlier this week, “officials have been ‘flooded’ for years with complaints about the TVs and they’ve also been […]

October 15, 2015

Why Only Some Subway Doors Open When You Push Them; Inside Target’s Manhattan Office

Ever wonder why some subway doors reopen when you try to squeeze through, but others close right on you? Here’s why. [CityLab] Fewer people in New York state register as organ donors than in any other state in the nation. [WNYC] Move over Google, there might be a new coolest office in NYC. Interior designer […]

Uncategorized

October 15, 2015

Pollution Cleanup Park Taking Shape at Gowanus Canal

The Gowanus Canal isn't the first place that comes to mind when one thinks about lush waterfront parks, but that's exactly the vision behind the long-planned Gowanus Canal Sponge Park, an 18,000-square-foot public space that will be built with engineered soil to absorb (hence "sponge") stormwater that would otherwise pollute the canal, as well as plants to break down toxins and floating wetlands. It was first conceived back in 2008 by the Gowanus Canal Conservancy and Susannah Drake, principal at the landscape architecture firm DLANDstudio (who's also responsible for the Queensway). Now, seven years later, DNAinfo reports that state officials announced on Tuesday that construction has officially commenced on the $1.5 million project at the notorious Superfund site. The park will sit on city-owned land at the point where Second Street dead-ends at the canal. Workers are on site, digging out five feet of contaminated soil that will be sent to a special facility that handles toxic materials; during the next 90 days, the metal walkway will be installed; and plants will arrive in the spring.
More on the park and the Gowanus Canal cleanup

Architecture And Design

October 15, 2015

Make Beautiful Music in Ira Gershwin’s Noted UWS Penthouse, Listed for $6M

If these walls could sing, they'd probably belt out a Gershwin brothers tune. One of the two adjoining penthouses occupied by George and Ira Gershwin has just hit the market for $5.99 million, The Post reports. The two apartments, located at 33 Riverside Drive, were quite the party pad for the two brothers back in the day; a famed locale that welcomed legendary celebs like Ethel Merman (incidentally, the brothers were said to have written "Girl Crazy" within its walls). The pair called the two penthouses home from 1929 until 1933, and now Ira's space is up for grabs.
More photos inside the home this way

October 14, 2015

Art Titan Larry Gagosian Sells His Upper East Side Carriage House for $18M

Art mogul Larry Gagosian has just closed a deal on the sale of his Lenox Hill mansion at 147 East 69th Street, according to property records just released. Gagosian sold the sprawling home to fellow art buff Sasha Bauer, chairman of the SculptureCenter in Long Island City, for an impressive $18 million. Gagosian purchased the property back in 1988, transforming the former carriage house (of a late 19th century millionaire, nonetheless) into a single family residence called "House for a Bachelor." The renovation, which was completed by architect Francois de Menil, made way for Gagosian's multi-million dollar collection of artworks that included pieces by Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein and Picasso. The redesign of the property even won a 2000 AIA New York Design Award for interior architecture.
See inside the stunning home here

October 14, 2015

Tell NYC Officials What Neighborhood Improvements You Want to See Using the ‘Idea Collection Map’

There's a lot to complain about in New York, but few of us have the opportunity to make our voices heard. As such, the New York City Council has created the Idea Collection Map, a handy map tool that allows you to suggest improvements you'd like to see in your neighborhood, and anywhere else, right from your computer screen.
How to send in your suggestions here

October 14, 2015

Spiffed-Up Williamsburg Loft Has Killer Views and Brilliant Built-Ins for $6,500 a Month

Williamsburg was once a neighborhood known for its big, open loft spaces. While those lofts may have gone condo and acquired dog-washing stations and compost centers, they’re still very much in existence. Case in point: this cavernous loft in the totally 21st century Esquire Lofts at 330 Wythe Avenue, just a hair south of the 'burg's decidedly factory-to-fancy Northside, on the rental market for $6,500 a month. This impressive space in a former shoe polish factory–built in 1914 and converted to condos in 2000–is listed as a one-bedroom, but it’s a duplex (in the loft sense of the word), and though there’s no floor plan, it claims a sizable 1,600 square feet. One of the best things about lofts–even well-groomed ones–is that no two are alike; former residents have carved out unique living and sometimes working spaces, and this is no exception. The standout feature here would have to be that custom-milled raised wooden storage platform.
See what else is cool in this loft

Distinctive Homes

One Domino Square

8 South 4th Street

Williamsburg

Spectacular living on the Williamsburg waterfront

1 beds starting at $1,925,000
2 beds starting at $2,055,000
3 beds starting at $3,030,000

Learn More

October 14, 2015

$100M Penthouse Listing at City Spire Is No More; Williamsburg’s Futuristic Hotel Tops Out

The owner of City Spire’s $100M penthouse listing has removed it from the market. [NYP] Williamsburg’s architecturally-forward William Vale Hotel has topped out. [Brownstoner] Five of the U.S.’ coolest tiny homes. [NYP] Airbnb can push rents up by as much as $69 a month in neighborhoods like Williamsburg and Greenpoint, a study has found. [TRD]

Real Estate Trends

October 14, 2015

These Bike Helmets Are Designed to Resemble the Human Head

Bike culture in NYC is a vibrant part of the city, so we love any quirky bike swag that might make heads turn. These crazy bike helmets called Project:Human Helmet from Dubai-based designer Jyo John Mulloor are a great example. The conceptual gear doesn't look like a regular helmet, but rather it was designed to resemble the surface of a human scalp. Weird, right?
Find out more about these helmets

October 14, 2015

Historic Townhouse With a Glassy Add-On Asks $3.5 Million in Brooklyn Heights

This mid-19th century Greek Revival townhouse at 29 Joralemon Street is located on a cobblestone block of the Brooklyn Heights Historic District. And the listing says that the sellers have lived in the garden and parlor floor duplex since 1969, when Brooklyn wasn't such a hot commodity. These days, things are different, and the property is asking $3.5 million. The house has got lovely historic elements still intact, a new glassy addition, and a deep landscaped garden. (Not to mention a tenant upstairs who's getting the deal of the year on their apartment.)
See more

Distinctive Homes

October 14, 2015

REVEALED: First Look at GDC Properties’ Townhouses Coming to Long Island City

By Ondel Hylton

After the record snatch-up of Red Hook's King and Sullivan Townhomes last month, another not-so-Brownstoney neighborhood is joining in on the townhouse craze. Westchester County-based GDC Properties is slated to bring eighteen two-family townhouses to Long Island City, and here we have a first look at what the ensemble's 11th Street frontage will look like.
READ MORE

October 14, 2015

Katz’s Is Expanding to Brooklyn; Exhibit of Jacob Riis’ Tenement-Life Photos Opening at MCNY