6sqft | NYC local news, events, and apartments

The media has been abuzz lately with talk of international mystery property buyers and the shell companies they use to hide their real names. Tired of the shady tactics, a group of 17 nonprofits is calling upon the U.S. Treasury Department to harder scrutinize foreign real estate buyers by verifying their actual identities and screening them for any risk of money laundering. The request came in the form of a letter sent to the Treasury Department’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network on Tuesday that asks for a repeal of a 2002 exemption from the Patriot Act that was granted to the real estate industry. The Patriot Act was signed into law in 2001 following 9/11 to heighten security and allow for broader means of investigation. Under the act, real estate professionals would be required to "conduct due diligence checks on their customers," according to the Times. But after the industry lobbied against this, they were exempted from the regulations.
More details ahead

March 12, 2015

Extell’s Massive 71-Story LES Tower Will Dwarf the Manhattan Bridge

Here's your first look at Extell's new tower popping up just north of the Manhattan Bridge along the East River waterfront. Spotted by Bowery Boogie on the construction sign at the 250 South Street site, the somewhat vague rendering is short on design details but manages to show a behemoth ready to dominate the area.
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New Developments

March 11, 2015

Jessica Chastain Snags a Gorgeous Osborne Co-op Once Owned by Leonard Bernstein

By Annie Doge

Jessica Chastain, who has been on a house hunt for over a year, has finally found the home of her dreams. The Post reports that the Oscar-nominated actress will be joining the world's upper crust at the landmarked Osborne at 205 West 57th Street. Chastain is said to have paid $5.1M for the home which itself also boasts a legendary story, being once owned by famed composer and conductor Leonard Bernstein for more than a decade—a highlight that was apparently one of the biggest draws for the Juilliard-trained actress.
Take a peek inside

March 11, 2015

City Proposes New Zoning Plan to Increase Affordability, Current Height Limits to Be Lifted

On the surface it sounds like a great idea: Adjust zoning regulations to better accommodate the Mayor's goal of preserving and creating 200,000 units of affordable housing. But some are angered that the proposal would lift current zoning protections and height limits by as much as 20 to 30 percent. According to the Department of City Planning, the newly released plan, called Housing New York: Zoning for Quality and Affordability, addresses the city's outdated zoning regulations that don't reflect today's housing needs or construction practices. However, an email from the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation asserts: "The proposal would change the rules for ‘contextual’ zoning districts throughout the city–zoning districts which communities frequently fought hard to secure, to limit the height of new development and keep it in character with the surrounding neighborhood."
More information ahead

March 11, 2015

Tiny 500-Square-Foot Apartment Is as Fashionable as Its Chelsea Address

Though we tend to focus on larger than life luxury apartments, we've certainly come to love the creative tenacity that comes with living small. Our latest gem comes from Foz Design, led by Fauzia Khanani, who worked to renovate this 500-square-foot pied-à-terre for a Dutch composer and Manhattanite journalist. Located in a pre-war, landmarked building in the heart of Chelsea, Foz managed to create a glamorous modern home with plenty of old world charm.
more interiors this way

Distinctive Homes

March 11, 2015

70-Story Residential Tower Coming to Long Island City; Piero Lissoni Chosen to Design Interiors of 45 Park Place

Long Island City’s skyline continues to take shape. A new 70-story tower is slated to bring hundreds of residential units to the area. [TRD] Italian architect Piero Lissoni will design the residences and amenities at stunner 45 Park Place, which is being designed by a team made up of SOMA and Jean Nouvel. [6sqft inbox] Billionaire David Bren […]

Real Estate Trends

March 11, 2015

Artist Remko Heemskerk’s Graphic Urban Prints Are Inspired by His Personal Experiences in New York

It's pretty common to find photographs or paintings of iconic New York City landscapes and streetscapes, but there's usually not much of a reason behind the artist's choice other than that everyone knows these sites or they'll likely sell well. Netherlands-born artist Remko Heemskerk, however, created this print series from the inspiration of his personal experiences living in the city. Each site has a special meaning to him, whether it be the view from his apartment window or the spot where he and his wife kissed goodbye every morning. The visual element that sets Heemskerk's work apart is its bright, graphic composition. Rather than using realistic colors or traditional black-and-white, he chose a style that he feels reflects the vibrancy of New York City and its residents.
More ahead

Events & Things To Do

March 11, 2015

Architect Marc Kushner Discusses How Social Media Will Dictate Future Architecture

Marc Kushner's architectural star has been on the rise over the last few years thanks to his booming practice, HWKN (Hollwich Kushner), and his super popular web venture Architizer (maybe you've heard of it?). So it only makes sense that TED would invite Kushner to offer up his thoughts on the state of architecture today and what he sees in its future—which happens to involve more of your input than you'd ever guess. In what is a quite an enlightening and inspiring talk, Kushner takes us through the architectural styles of the last thirty years, and more interestingly, how social media is completely transforming the profession.
watch the video here

Distinctive Homes

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

$3.4M Park Slope triplex condo has a roof terrace with heavenly views

This $6M Tribeca loft has bedrooms surrounded by terrace and sky

$1.8M restored Marcel Breuer house on the Hudson has kept its mid-century modern spirit intact

For $8.85M, a condo with Central Park and Manhattan skyline views from every room

This $2.6M apartment offers classic Upper East Side elegance with condo simplicity

For $665K, this little upstate home is the answer to your log cabin fantasies

For $2.95M, this parlor floor Chelsea co-op has brownstone charm and a private terrace

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

Asking $20M, a university president's Greenwich Village residence enters a new chapter

VIEW ALL

March 11, 2015

Biggie Mural Coming to Clinton Hill; How the NYC Subway Got Its Colors

Tour a prism- and plant-filled Brooklyn railroad apartment with an old school charm. [Design Sponge] Clinton Hill is getting a Biggie mural outside the Key Food where he once worked. [Brokelyn] Want to know what’s going on with a landmarks application in your neighborhood? The LPC now posts videos of its public hearings and meetings. [GVSHP] Check out […]

Uncategorized

March 11, 2015

POLL: Can #SaveNYC Win the Small Business Battle?

On Monday, we took a look at #SaveNYC, a new campaign helmed by Jeremiah Moss of Jeremiah’s Vanishing New York that’s fighting to save the city from the superrich. Moss’ end goal is to get the Small Business Jobs Survival Act passed, “which would give businesses an opportunity to negotiate lease renewals and reasonable rent increases, […]

March 11, 2015

$45K/Month UWS Townhouse Fuses Victorian Details with Modern Surprises

One of the Upper West Side’s widest landmarked brownstones is available to rent for $45,000 per month. The four-story, seven-bedroom townhouse at 37 West 87th Street has been renovated by architect Alexandr Neratoff, who focused on highlighting the home’s Victorian details–like carved wood moldings and original fireplaces–while giving it modern updates -- like a massive solarium and rooftop patio.
More pics inside

Distinctive Homes

March 11, 2015

Candy Factory Loft Full of Leather and Animal Skins Wants $11.5M

Mitch Alfus—self-proclaimed Leather King, owner of a leather and animal skins supplier, and man we would cast in a remake of "Crocodile Dundee"—has just listed his loft at 285 Lafayette Street for $11.5 million. Alfus purchased the unit ten years ago for a considerably less $3.4 million and has since renovated the pad, adding a fourth bedroom and an interestingly placed master bathtub.
Take a tour of this fun home

Distinctive Homes

Photo: Shin, Yuka and Ron Swanson

March 10, 2015

My 780sqft: Inhabitat Editor Yuka Yoneda Invites Us into Her Quirky Greenpoint Love Nest

Our new series “My sqft” checks out the homes of 6sqft’s friends, family and fellow New Yorkers across all the boroughs. Our latest interior adventure brings us to Greenpoint. What do you get when you join a green-design-blogger-slash-DIY-enthusiast and a finance guy in Greenpoint? How about a mash up of modern-meets-quirky with an eco-conscious bent? 6sqft recently dropped by the home of Inhabitat.com's NYC editor Yuka Yoneda to get a glimpse of the little love nest she's created with her fiancé Shin, and to see how seemingly divergent styles can indeed come together to create the perfect home. And because she and Shin recently got engaged (yay!) she's offering up some sweet stories—sure to serve both as advice to other couples looking to share a home, and hope for NYC singles who've given up on love—that range from their missed connection to a chuckle-worthy first date to an early relationship mishap that later yielded her a cozy little escape to call her own. There will also be plenty of fun little design details for you to fawn over. Onward we go!
Inside Yuka's home here

Home Tours

March 10, 2015

Here’s a Map of Where the World’s Insanely Rich Live

Ever wondered where the world's richest people live? While London and New York are ol' standbys, as you may have guessed, it looks like the wealthiest of the wealthy are popping up in completely new locales. CityLab recently took a look at Knight Frank’s Wealth Report 2015, which identifies the world's "ultra-high-net-worth individuals" (UHNWI), a set of the global population that accounts for those with more than $30 million or more in net assets, and found that there are roughly 173,000 people in the world who fall in this category. To put that number in perspective, these folks make up the upper 0.002 percent of the world's 7 billion inhabitants and hold over $20 trillion of its money.
Find out more here

Uncategorized

Inside Lauren Bacall’s Incredible Dakota Apartment

Photo courtesy of Curbed

March 10, 2015

Inside Lauren Bacall’s Incredible Dakota Apartment

Last fall we showed you staged photos of Lauren Bacall’s $26 million apartment at the Dakota, but what you didn’t get to see was the real thing. Now, thanks to Curbed, we have pictures of the apartment as it was while the iconic actress was living there, during the final 53 years of her life. Bacall purchased the home in 1961 for an amount rumored to be from $28,000 to $48,000. After her death, her possessions went to Bonham’s and will be auctioned off at the end of this month. These pictures will show you more than just 13-foot ceilings and 100 feet of Central Park views. You’ll also see a more human element of a woman who collected antiques and artwork (quite possibly to the point of being a packrat), and clearly adored her late husband Humphrey Bogart.
More inside

Distinctive Homes

March 10, 2015

190 Bowery Being Stripped of Its Graffiti as We Speak

Image courtesy of Lori Zimmer We all knew this day would come. 190 Bowery is currently undergoing a deep cleaning as its new owners prime it for its next life as a luxury mixed-use condo/retail development.
More here

March 10, 2015

The Tower Replacing the Famed Roseland Ballroom; Air Shafts a Coveted Amenity?

Ian Schraeger has closed on 357 West Street, the site of planned 12-story, 88-unit residential building designed by Herzog & de Meuron. [The Real Deal] Here’s the tower that will rise in place of the demolished historic Roseland Ballroom. [Curbed] Two Trees has created a virtual open house for their 60 Water Street apartment building. [6sqft inbox] […]

Real Estate Trends

Renderings, Details Revealed for Massive $1B Industry City Redevelopment in Sunset Park

For the past year or so we've heard plenty of chirpings about Industry City, the former Bush Terminal on the Sunset Park waterfront that Jamestown Properties plans to transform into "a dynamic 21st century innovation and manufacturing community that balances existing manufacturing tenants with those centered on creative and innovation economy fields." But now, Jamestown, along with fellow owners Belvedere Capital, and Angelo Gordon, have announced that the overhaul of the 32-acre complex's 16 buildings will cost $1 billion and include a hotel, along with a huge amount of retail and tech start-up space. They also want an additional $115 million in infrastructure improvements like a massive new parking lot, as well as some rezoning concessions.
Find out more about the future of Industry City

Real Estate Trends

March 10, 2015

$2.25M Cobble Hill Brownstone Duplex with Cathedral Ceilings is Gorgeous at Any Angle

By Stephanie Hoina

The wonderfully tall cathedral ceiling running throughout this gorgeously renovated three-bedroom co-op in a mid-19th century brownstone at 222 Clinton Street in Cobble Hill will simply take your breath away, with every room in the home taking advantage of its lovely angles and big, beautiful skylights.
See every angle of this gorgeous home

Distinctive Homes

March 10, 2015

New Exhibit Explores the Sounds of Iconic NYC Interiors; An Apple Store Architecture Tour

Soundscape exhibit, which opens tonight, highlights the actual sounds of iconic New York interiors, such as Grand Central Terminal, the Seagram Building lobby, and the Guggenheim. [MCNY] The MTA wants to turn token booth clerks into subway concierges with eyes on the platforms. [Gothamist] Take a global tour of the 50 most eye-catching apple stores. [Curbed] When […]

Uncategorized

March 10, 2015

‘Taxi’ Star Judd Hirsch Buys $400K Greenwich Village Studio from His Former Assistant

By Annie Doge

Assistants have been known to fetch coffee or pick up dry cleaning for their bosses, but usually not sell them their apartments. Marlene Mancini, production assistant and acting teacher, however, has just sold her Greenwich Village studio to her former boss, actor Judd Hirsch, best known for his role as Alex Rieger on "Taxi," for $400,000 according to city records released today. Hirsch also owns a larger one-bedroom at 345 East 93rd Street, which he bought in 2013 for $500,000, so we're guessing his latest purchase is more of a downtown pied-à-terre. We're also guessing he'll have to bring a big bucket of spackle with him on move-in day, as Mancini has the walls completely covered in quirky frames.
Tour the studio

Skyscraper Museum Exhibit ‘Ten Tops’ Explores the Uppermost Floors of the World’s Tallest Buildings

Image via Skyscraper Museum

March 10, 2015

Skyscraper Museum Exhibit ‘Ten Tops’ Explores the Uppermost Floors of the World’s Tallest Buildings

It seems like every other day now we're discussing the latest supertall tower, whether it be 432 Park topping out or the pricing information for visiting One World Trade Center's observatory. These stories always include the basics -- the tower's height, number of stories, and architectural design; but we usually discuss these facts in relation to the building as a whole, not focusing on what it is that really sets these skyscrapers apart–their tops. A new exhibit at the Skyscraper Museum hones in on just that, the uppermost floors of the world's tallest towers. Ten Tops looks at buildings 100 stories and higher, analyzing "the architectural features they share, including observation decks, luxury hotels and restaurants, distinctive crowns and night illumination, as well as the engineering and construction challenges of erecting such complex and astonishing structures."
More on the exhibit ahead

Photo via Wikimedia Commons

March 10, 2015

Philip Johnson’s New York State Pavilion Getting the LED Light Treatment

Last Friday, we journeyed to Flushing Meadows-Corona Park for the Panorama Challenge at the Queens Museum. When the evening of trivia was over, we walked out into the park to find the Unisphere and the Museum, both World's Fair relics, glowing. But in the distance, Philip Johnson's iconic New York State Pavilion was barely visible. That's about to change, though, as electricians and preservationists have been testing new ways to illuminate the "modern ruin" for the first time in decades, according to the Daily News. The update comes thanks to a wave of public support to restore the icon, as well as a renewed interest in its architectural merit and the history of the 1964-65 World's Fair. As we wrote over the summer, the pavilion's restoration task force secured $5.8 million for repairs, $4.2 million of which came from Mayor de Blasio. Now, Queens Borough President Melinda Katz has pledged to get the site illuminated by the end of the year. "We will restore this national treasure into a visible icon befitting 'The World's Borough' for generations of families and visitors to enjoy," she said.
More details on the lighting project

Architecture And Design

March 9, 2015

Owner of $100M Apartment at One57 Only Pays $17,268 in Property Taxes

Remember the $100 million apartment at One57, the most expensive ever in New York City? Well, the (presumably) billionaire buyer pays just $17,268 in annual property taxes on the unit, or 0.017 percent of its sale price, as if it were worth only $6.5 million, according to the New York Post. In contrast, the owner of a $1.02 million condo nearby at 224 East 52nd Street is paying $24,279, or 2.38 percent of its sale price. This is just one example of the fact that the owners of the city's ten most expensive apartments pay effective rates that are unbelievably lower than those paid on cheaper properties. How is this possible? It's in part due to the 421-a tax abatement, but more so due to the city's convoluted method of assessing market value for condos and co-ops.
More on the tax inequality here

#SaveNYC: Campaign Urges New Yorkers to Band Together to Save City from Superrich

Image via nyc.go

March 9, 2015

#SaveNYC: Campaign Urges New Yorkers to Band Together to Save City from Superrich

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

"Small businesses in New York City have no rights. You’ve been here 50 years and provide an important service? Tough luck—your space now belongs to Dunkin’ Donuts. You own a beloved, fourth-generation, century-old business? Get out—your landlord’s putting in a combination Chuck E. Cheese and Juicy Couture." – Jeremiah Moss in today's Daily News. With out of control rents, insane land prices, and properties trading hands for tens of millions–if not hundreds of millions–New York has become a playground (and a bank) for the ultra-rich. While most of us complain about the rising the cost of living with little action beyond a grumble, others are far more affected, namely the "mom and pop" shops forced out to make way for high-rent-paying tenants such as Duane Reade, Chase and Starbucks. But all is not lost. The issue of small business survival seems to be gaining some traction, particularly with a new campaign called #SaveNYC launched by Jeremiah Moss of Jeremiah’s Vanishing New York.
READ MORE

The High and Low: Two Picture-Perfect Bow-Front Townhouses Go Head-to-Head

66 Morton Street, $17M (left); 280 Park Place, $3.5M (right)

March 9, 2015

The High and Low: Two Picture-Perfect Bow-Front Townhouses Go Head-to-Head

By Michelle Cohen

A classic bow-fronted Prospect Heights townhouse (above, right) offers many of the things we love about this star-studded $17 million West Village home (above, left)–for a lot less. The big-ticket Manhattan beauty set records and made movies. But for $3.5 million, a new-to-market gem in one of Brooklyn's most coveted neighborhoods is just as charming, and even offers some perks the Manhattan home lacks.
Compare these four-story homes with very different prices

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March 9, 2015

Is South Bronx the Next Williamsburg/DUMBO?; Bjarke Ingels on the ‘New York Dryline’

Bjarke Ingels and Oliver Wainwright talk about the New York Dryline. [The Guardian] Marc Jacobs exec Robert Duffy sells his West Village townhouse for $5.5 million. [NY Post] A map of all the developments coming to Myrtle Avenue in Brooklyn’s Fort Greene. [The Real Deal] Modular housing developers may be getting a boost from the de […]

Real Estate Trends

March 9, 2015

$4M Soho Loft Features Rebellious Mirrored Windows

There’s a new listing in the landmarked building at 53 Crosby Street in Soho, asking 3.995 million. If being on the market were a professional career, this quintessential loft would be the one others would go to for advice, because between rentals and sales listings, it’s been a regular since 2012. Nonetheless, it’s a nice bright pad with original oak floors, high ceilings, prewar details, and a flexible layout that even allows for some of your own creative input. And there’s one other daring detail that sets this place apart…
Take a look inside

Distinctive Homes

March 9, 2015

VIDEO: ‘A Couple of Blocks’ Is Really Five Miles, ‘SNL’ Rants About What’s Wrong with City Living

We've all been there–an out-of-town visitor asks us how far of a walk it is to dinner and we tell them, "Oh, just a few blocks," but by the time they arrive they're famished, their feet are blistered, and they want to scream at us for our skewed sense of distance. This is just one aspect of living in NYC that comedian Leslie Jones addressed in a hilarious rant on this week's "SNL." Others include the difference in length between avenues and blocks ("I've been on Fifth Avenue for ten hours!"), the east side versus the west side ("The last East/West thing I understood was Biggie and Tupac."), and the grime of the subway ("Did rat feces dust just fly into my mouth?").
Watch the hysterical video here

City Living

What if NYC Offered Subway Riders Free E-Books?

M Subway Library scan. Image via Fast Co. Exist

March 9, 2015

What if NYC Offered Subway Riders Free E-Books?

Here's a cool idea we'd love to see implemented in Manhattan: A free e-library for folks who ride the subway. Earlier this year, Beijing subway operator Beijing MTR rolled out a new digital library that would allow its underground commuters to download a book, at no cost, by simply scanning a QR code inside a train car. As you may have guessed, the initiative is looking to get citizens to spend more time reading over mindlessly watching videos or playing games.
More on the new program

March 9, 2015

City Launches Educational Website to Mark the 50th Anniversary of the Landmarks Law

In celebration of the 50th anniversary of the creation of the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission, and thereby the Landmarks Law, the city has launched a new educational website, landmarks.nyc, that will grow its content throughout the year. The site offers digital features, a schedule of free- and low-cost events at landmarked sites throughout the city, slide shows from the agency's historic photo archives, various blog posts, and walking tours.
READ MORE

March 9, 2015

Master Ruin Porn Photographers; Do You Have Better Navigation Skills Than a Taxi Driver?

Samsung’s new smart home for dogs has a hydrotherapy pool, treadmill, and built-in tablet. But it’ll cost you $30,000. [Treehugger] Take a look at the 20 top ruin pornographers on the internet. [Architizer] Thanks to GPS, NYC taxi drivers are no longer tested on their geography skills. See if you’re smarter than your iPhone technology with this New York geography […]

Uncategorized

March 9, 2015

Luxurious, Fully Furnished Greenwich Village Rental Comes with an Incredibly Cool Bathtub

By Stephanie Hoina

Moving into your dream apartment just got a little easier. Not only does this $7,500/month Greenwich Village rental come fully furnished, but its beautiful kitchen is stocked with all your cooking and dining essentials, and the bedroom and bathrooms include fresh linens. All you need to do is pack up your picture frames and clothes and move in. Featuring impossibly tall windows, hardwood herringbone floors, two intricately carved wood-burning marble fireplaces and 13-foot ceilings with absolutely stunning arched molding, this 1,500-square-foot parlor floor-through unit at 62 West 11th Street off of Fifth Avenue is a wonderful mix of both pre-war and contemporary details.
See more of why you can move right in

Distinctive Homes

March 8, 2015

$3M Hamptons Home Was Designed by Robert A.M. Stern in an Unorthodox Shingle Style

Starchitect Robert A.M. Stern certainly made headlines last week, with floorplans for two of his supertall billionaire's row towers coming to light (520 Park Avenue and 220 Central Park South). And it's these type of ground- and record-breaking urban projects that we've come to associate with the architect, who favors stately and classic buildings over the zig-zagging glass towers of his peers. But long before the days of 15 Central Park West, Stern was beginning his architecture career with much humbler projects, like this Hamptons home, an unorthodox take on the shingle style that he completed just a few years after architecture school. The 3,000-square-foot, postmodern vacation house is on the market for $2.95 million, offering architecture buffs the chance to own a piece of history.
Take a tour around the Stern-designed residence here

March 7, 2015

Weekly Highlights: Top Picks from the 6sqft Staff

Upstate Greek Revival Beauty Dating to the 1700s Can Be Yours for under $500K REVEALED: Asking Prices, Floorplans for 520 Park Avenue, the Next Billionaire’s Row Blockbuster Your Suspicions Are Correct, Subway Service Is Really Getting Worse Ikea Releases Furniture Collection That Will Wirelessly Charge Your Phone 220 Central Park South Penthouse Could Set a […]

Uncategorized

March 6, 2015

New Yorker Spotlight: Carter Emmart Brings Us Aboard His ‘Starship’ at the Museum of Natural History

By Susan Cohen

Here in New York, we think of space is terms of square feet and how little of it we have. But for Carter Emmart, space has an entirely different meaning. In his case, it refers to a space that is harder to quantify and infinitely large. Carter is the Director of Astrovisualization at the American Museum of Natural History, where he focuses on creating a means to visualize the universe based on what we currently know about it. He is responsible for giving us access to stars, planets, and galaxies through the museum's space shows in the beautiful Hayden Planetarium–like the currently running Dark Universe, overseeing the development of an interactive 3D atlas known as the Digital Universe, and running educational programs including the Digital Flight School. We recently spoke with Carter to learn more about his role digitizing the universe and why the American Museum of Natural History can be thought of as a virtual space ship.
Get beamed up with Carter here

Race Drives Gentrification and Neighborhood Boundaries, Study Finds

Photo by brandon king cc

March 6, 2015

Race Drives Gentrification and Neighborhood Boundaries, Study Finds

Focusing in on just race can be taboo when looking at gentrification, but a new study finds that an area's racial composition is actually the biggest predictor of how a changing neighborhood is perceived. CityLab recently dissected the study conducted by sociologist Jackelyn Hwang to find that the way that blacks and whites perceive and talk about change in their neighborhood is often wildly different. This gap in perception has wide-reaching effects for changing neighborhoods because not only does it polarize the individual groups, but it can also have a tremendous effect on where neighborhood boundaries are drawn and investment is distributed.
Find out more here

March 6, 2015

Original Details and Stylish Charm Collide in This $439K Brooklyn Heights Pad

This adorable one-bedroom apartment is in a brownstone at 153 Joralemon Street, right in the heart of what is arguably Brooklyn’s most prestigious neighborhood. The Brooklyn Heights pad showcases original prewar details in such a way that is just so Brooklyn, and it can be all yours for just $439,000.
More pics inside

Distinctive Homes

March 6, 2015

Be Chloe Sevigny’s Upstairs Neighbor; Live in Emma Stone’s Old Chelsea Townhouse for $22.5M

Live upstairs from Chloe Sevigny in this sunny Prospect Park pad asking $3.295M. Bonus: You’ll also get to call Senator Chuck Schumer your neighbor. [CityRealty] Derek Jeter is leaving his West Village rental at 56 Bank Street. [NYP] Construction defects abound in the city’s new buildings. [NYT] Numbers to back up millennials’ increasing interest in home ownership. [NYT] A Chelsea […]

Real Estate Trends

Loathed and Lauded Robert Moses Gets His Own Anti-Hero Graphic Novel

Robert Moses and Jane Jacobs squaring off

March 6, 2015

Loathed and Lauded Robert Moses Gets His Own Anti-Hero Graphic Novel

Love him or hate him, Robert Moses left an indelible mark on New York City's urban infrastructure. Most of us formed our opinions on the city's master planner after reading Robert Caro's Pulitzer Prize-winning book "The Power Broker." But if you're looking for a lighter (in both senses of the word; Caro's book weighs 3.3 pounds) read on Mr. Moses, you may want to check out the new graphic novel "Robert Moses: The Master Builder of New York City." Created by French writer Pierre Christin and Chilean artist Olivier Balez, the "anti-hero comic" is the perfect dramatic portrayal of Moses, both celebrating and criticizing his contributions to the city.
READ MORE

March 6, 2015

REVEALED: Massive Mixed-Use Development at Red Hook’s Revere Sugar Factory Site

By Ondel Hylton

The housing-design experts at Magnusson Architecture and Planning (MAP) have hashed out a feasibility study to redevelop the Revere Sugar Factory site in Red Hook with a 1.7 million-square-foot development to include more than 900 apartments, 250,000 square feet of retail, and 400,000 square feet of parking. The six-acre site at 280 Richards Street is owned by the Joesph Sitt-led, Thor Equities, who purchased the parcel back in 2005 to the tune of $40 million, according to the New York Observer. The vacant parcel juts out 700 feet into the Erie Basin, and sits between the Ikea parking lot and the Red Hook Stores building home to Fairway Supermarket (and Michelle Williams, of course). Though MAP's rendering date back to 2007, they have yet to be publicized, and we have the first look here.
More information on the project here

March 6, 2015

Inside the Five Loew’s Wonder Theatres; The City’s Most Photogenic Building Numbers

This video by the Office of NYCMedia takes us inside the city’s five Loew’s Wonder Theatres. [Untapped] Get your kicks this summer at the Brooklyn Museum with a new “Sneaker Culture” exhibit. [DNAinfo] Here’s the oldest film showing NYC being destroyed by a monster. [Gothamist] Check out this video about the inspirational art inside One World Trade Center‘s lobby. […]

Uncategorized

March 6, 2015

$1.4M East Village Co-op Doesn’t Include This Adorable Dog (but You Can Bring Your Own)

By Stephanie Hoina

When we first saw the photos for today's Cool Listing we couldn't help but be reminded of the Craigslist ad that made headlines a couple of years back courtesy of the owners' photo-bombing pooch. Similarly, this bright and cheerful two-bedroom loft-like split at 99 Avenue B comes with lots of things to love—but the adorable pup pictured isn’t one of them.
Lots to love right this way

Distinctive Homes

March 6, 2015

What $4 Million Bought This Week in NYC

We've all come across real estate listings or recent sales that have us thinking either "Oh! I could live there!" or "What were they thinking?" Well we're going to make it a little easier for you to cast your judgements on the decisions of the rich—and sometimes famous—by rounding up some of the week's most interesting sales for you to compare and contrast. From a Greenwich Village pad purchased by a prolific '90s sitcom director to a classic Upper East Side co-op with crown moulding, this week we'll take a look at what $4 million bought in Manhattan.
See them all here

Real Estate Trends

Front & York

85 Jay Street

Dumbo

Upscale DUMBO living with timeless views

1 beds starting at $995,000
2 beds starting at $1,699,000
3 beds starting at $2,475,000

Learn More

March 6, 2015

Your Suspicions Are Correct, Subway Service Is Really Getting Worse

The platform pileups, the sick passengers, everyone's favorite recording, "we're delayed because of train traffic ahead of us"–subway service in New York City is getting worse, and it's not just in your imagination. In 2014, delays increased by a whopping 45.6 percent, and on the worst lines, the 4, 5 and 6, that number grows to 57 percent. The main culprits are right-of-way delays (caused by malfunctions of switches, signals, and rails) and overcrowding, the latter of which caused more than double the amount of delays in 2014, up from 6,942 to 14,843.
More details ahead

March 5, 2015

REVEALED: Asking Prices, Floorplans for 520 Park Avenue, the Next Billionaire’s Row Blockbuster

By Gabby Warshawer

Developers of 520 Park Avenue have revealed apartment prices for all units in the building, which is poised to become one of the city’s most expensive condominium towers and include a $130 million penthouse. The building, which will rise in the high-priced corridor flanking Central Park that has been dubbed “Billionaire’s Row,” is expected to gross $1.2 billion in apartment sales, according to initial offering prices detailed in documents filed with the Attorney General’s office. The $1.2 billion in total sales—which will make the building one of the most expensive in Manhattan history—is all the more impressive considering that current plans call for only 31 units, most of which will be full-floor residences.
Click here for full pricing information and floor plans

March 5, 2015

220 Central Park South Penthouse Could Set a New Record with $175 Million Price Tag

It's a good day for Robert A.M. Stern, whose buildings seem to be bringing billionaires to their knees. The Real Deal has just caught wind of the offering plan for Stern's 220 Central Park South tower being developed by Vornado. According to the papers filed with the Attorney General and sources close to the development, the penthouse may ask $150 million to $175 million, bringing the building's total sellout to a staggering $2.4 billion. The $175 million price tag would by far blow the Sony Building's $150 million penthouse out of the water, and most certainly One57's record $100 million sale which currently holds the title for the most expensive unit ever sold in the city.
Find out more here, plus floor plans!

March 5, 2015

Woolworth Combo Apartment Wants $51M; Doggy Daycare and Spa Coming to the Abington House