6sqft | NYC local news, events, and apartments

SHoP architect Gregg Pasquarelli and Vishaan Chakrabarti of Partnership for Architecture and Urbanism (and formerly of SHoP) talk about all of the infrastructural and architectural improvements NYC needs. The pair cite solutions spurring change in other cities around the world as examples of what we should be doing. [Curbed via Wired] The NYC Marathon generates millions of dollars for the city […]

Real Estate Trends

October 27, 2015

East Village Micro-Loft Is Jam-Packed With Storage to Maximize Functionality and Efficiency

Living in a small New York City apartment is hard enough, but also using that same space for work comes with an additional layer of challenges. The owner of this 500-square-foot East Village studio had been pushing the limits of what his space could accommodate since purchasing the apartment back in 1999 before the real estate boom. With his growing collection of office supplies, gadgets, toys and art pieces, the apartment was in serious need of some organization. Thankfully with meticulous planning from the design team at Jordan Parnass Digital Architecture, the disorganized home was transformed into a highly organized and efficient living space with no clutter in sight.
Check out this amazing apartment

October 27, 2015

The Parlor Floor’s the Star at This Bed Stuy Rental, Asking $4,500 a Month

If you've got the option to rent a floor of a historic New York townhouse, you'll always want the parlor floor. Originally designed to be the showcase of the home, this floor comes with big windows and the best light, a great layout and usually access to the backyard. This Bedford-Stuyvesant townhouse at 611 Macon Street now has a rental apartment available, for $4,500 a month, that covers both the parlor floor and floor above it. The home is indeed lovely, with some well-kept historic details and some renovations to make it feel like an "open concept space."
See more

Distinctive Homes

October 27, 2015

What’s Really in That Pumpkin Spice Latte; NYC Lit Only by Stars

Ever wonder how much actual pumpkin is in that pumpkin spice latte? Here’s the science behind the wildly popular drink. [Business Insider] Ten stunning New York interiors you’ve probably never seen. [Bloomberg] Could giving buses priority at traffic signals improve speed and reliability? [Streetsblog] In French artist Thierry Cohen’s new series “Darkened Cities” we can see […]

Uncategorized

October 27, 2015

REVEALED: Interior Renderings of Norman Foster’s Skinny Seagram-Neighboring Condo Tower

Norman Foster is a master when it comes to contextual thoughtfulness, and his latest creation slated to rise next door to Mies van der Rohe's iconic Seagram Building is one to be admired. Called One Hundred East Fifty Third Street (it takes its name from its address), the 63-story tower has just released a new set of interior renderings to Dezeen which show what the world's richest will be snapping up when units hit the market next week.
Have a closer look inside

65-Story Condo Tower Designed by CetraRuddy to Rise in the Downtown Skyline

Renderings of the tower at 900 feet, courtesy of CityRealty

October 27, 2015

65-Story Condo Tower Designed by CetraRuddy to Rise in the Downtown Skyline

Last week it was announced that the long vacant Financial District lot at 45 Broad Street would be redeveloped into a 65-story condominium tower through a partnership between Madison Equities and the Pizzarotti Group. According to The Real Deal, "The buyers closed on the purchase of the land for $86 million and secured a $75 million acquisition loan." While it is not yet clear what the project’s exact size and number of units will be, given the lofty ceiling heights of today's high-end condo developments, 65 stories could yield a tower of up to 900 feet.
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October 27, 2015

Look Inside NYC’s Strangely Beautiful Glass and Plastic Recycling Facility

Each day, the 11-acre Sims Municipal Recycling facility unloads up to 450 tons of waste on a city-owned pier (on what used to be an NYPD impoundment lot) in the South Brooklyn Marine Terminal. Though this seems like a dirty job, the process of recycling all this glass and plastic turns out to be strangely beautiful. CityLab recently explored the facility's photogenic quality through Instagram photos and talked to its manager to learn that recycling in NYC is not an urban myth like some people believe. In fact, since 2013, around 7,000 guests have toured the Sims facility.
Get a look at what they saw

Uncategorized

October 27, 2015

This $8M Tribeca Loft Is a Real Eye-Opener

Though you might wish you left them closed. As the listing says, this full-floor condominium at 408 Greenwich Street is indeed a quintessential Tribeca loft–over 3,500 square feet of space, two bedrooms, a private key-locked elevator, ten-foot floor-to-ceiling arched windows looking out over beautiful Greenwich and Hubert Streets...they're all there. "The moment that you step inside you are surrounded by pure opulence." That's the part that makes this home a little more unique. Is it $8 million unique (it's also available as a rental for $26.5K/month)? You decide. "Hit one button for your programmable lighting system and let the experience begin."
Hit it, Maestro

Distinctive Homes

Throw garden parties all summer long at this $1.8M Brooklyn Heights co-op

For $1.95M, live in a Victorian house with a two-car garage without leaving city life behind

Live in a fashion designer's historic atelier and studio in the Catskills for $645K

This $6.75M Gothic Revival townhouse in Park Slope was once a church rectory

For $6.25M, a stately 1847 Boerum Hill townhouse has historic charm and a dramatic glass solarium

This $8M Rye estate has a private dock on the Long Island Sound

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

Fire Island modernist icon Pyramid House asks $3.3M

$6.75M Tribeca loft condo leaves nothing to chance, parking included

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

VIEW ALL

October 26, 2015

Funny Woman Rachel Dratch Buys an Unamusing Gramercy Co-op for $1.65M

By Annie Doge

Actress, comedian, producer and writer Rachel Dratch is one of the least serious people in showbiz, so it's surprising that her latest real estate purchase is such a bore. The SNL alum picked up a $1.65 million co-op at 230 East 15th Street in Gramercy, according to city records released today. Depressing decor and utilitarian vibes aside, the two-bedroom spread does overlook the picturesque Stuyvesant Park and offer a decent amount of space. Plus, the neighborhood is a lot more low-key than celeb hotspots like Tribeca or Central Park West.
See more of the apartment here

October 26, 2015

Check Out the Views From 1,438 Feet in the Air at 111 West 57th Street

Last week, 6sqft brought you an up close and personal look at 111 West 57th Street's exterior facade mock-up, and now Property Markets Group (PMG), who is co-developing the super-tower with JDS Development Group, posted a nifty interactive panorama of the building's out-of-this-world views. Rising from the heart of Billionaires' Row (New York's very own Mount Olympus and preferred residence of our anonymous overlords), the building is 80 stories and 1,438 feet high and is nearly perfectly on axis to Central Park–an egotistical perk that Extell's Central Park Tower and Macklowe/CIM Group's 432 Park aren't granted despite having higher apartments.
This way for the views

INTERVIEW: Lowline Creator James Ramsey Discusses the Challenges of Building an Underground Park

James Ramsey (right) with co-founder Dan Barasch (left)

October 26, 2015

INTERVIEW: Lowline Creator James Ramsey Discusses the Challenges of Building an Underground Park

The hottest destination in the Lower East Side is not a bar, but rather a cutting edge installation hidden inside a vacant warehouse at 140 Essex Street. Just over a week ago, partners James Ramsey and Dan Barasch launched the Lowline Lab, a high-tech, miniaturized precursor to the city’s first underground park. James is the co-founder (alongside Dan) of the park, which will occupy a 40,000-square-foot abandoned trolley terminal below Delancey Street; and creator of the technology that will fill it—a remote skylight system that redirects light underground thorough a maze of optic tubes and diffuses it over a canopy to produce a subterranean environment where plants can grow and flourish (phew!). 6sqft recently took a private tour of the Lowline Lab alongside James, and he gave us some insight into the science, as well how he and Dan are approaching the challenges that come with bringing a park below ground to life. We of course asked all those questions you've been wondering about, like: Who's paying for this whole thing? And what about the rats?
Read our interview with James here

October 26, 2015

‘Do the White Thing’: Jimmy Kimmel’s Latest Sketch Mocks Brooklyn Gentrification

25 years after the original “Do the Right Thing” was released, Jimmy Kimmel has made his own hilarious and painfully accurate sequel, “Do the WHITE Thing.” [DNA Info] The sign that marked Andy Warhol‘s former home at 1342 Lexington Avenue has been removed by its current owners. [NYDN] The iconic NYC diner will likely go extinct as […]

Real Estate Trends

October 26, 2015

First Peek at Alchemy Properties’ 26-Story NOMA Condominium

Here's our first peek at Alchemy Properties' upcoming mixed-use condominium development NOMA. Slated to rise 26 stories/316 feet from a 7,000-square-foot corner lot at 846-850 Sixth Avenue, the building will be the first ground-up condominium development in NoMad west of Fifth Avenue. With demolition just wrapping up on a single-story strip of retail stores, excavation will soon begin for a FXFowle-designed mixed-use tower that is slated to house 52 condo apartments and 13,000 square feet of retail space on its first two floors. Zoning diagrams filed at the Department of Buildings indicate the form of the tower will be composed of variously scaled and skewed interlocking volumes. Units with eastern exposures will have balconies.
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October 26, 2015

Cards Against Urbanity Are Rude, Crude and Help Us Learn About Urban Planning

From counting city trees and reporting potholes to voting on the design of a playground or hotel, individuals today have more opportunities to influence the state of their local community than ever before. Dedicated to supporting community participation, the folks from GreaterPlaces and DoTankDC created Cards Against Urbanity, a unique and fun method for furthering this form of city planning. Cards Against Urbanity is very similar to the games it was modeled after, including Cards Against Humanity and Apples to Apples; however, the content for this game cleverly integrates language and ideas specifically for today's architect and urban planner. While the original set was produced in part as a fun alternative for discussing some of the less entertaining aspects of city planning, the project that launched over a year ago has now led to some interesting next steps.
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October 26, 2015

Turn Your Old iPhone Into an Elegant Desktop Lamp

By Ana Lisa Alperovich

Industrial designer Ivan Zhurba came out with a brilliant idea to tackle the planned obsolescence of iPhones. His "iPhone Lamp" is an elegant luminaire for the desk or bedside table that gives new use to Apple's retired smart phones. The lamp follows the tech giant's sleek, clean lines, so you don't have to worry whether it'll fit in with your interior; just throw it into a modern upstate home or a teensy Upper West Side studio and enjoy the light.
Learn more about this brilliant hacked lamp

October 26, 2015

Uber-Historic Townhouse in Clinton Hill Is Also Uber-Expensive

Cambridge Place is a short and charming block of Clinton Hill, Brooklyn—the type of leafy, brownstone-lined street that has made the borough so popular. And once you're inside this townhouse at 14 Cambridge Place you're still living the Brooklyn dream. There are historic details everywhere, like fireplaces, coffered ceilings and elegant wood-framed doorways. There's tons of space, more than one outdoor area, and a fancy kitchen. This house has got the goods, but it's going to cost you $3,999,999 to own it.
Check out the rest

Distinctive Homes

October 26, 2015

The Man Behind the Great Jack-o’-Lantern Blaze; Tour Gracie Mansion’s New Art Collection

In anticipation of its move from its 57-year, landmarked home at the Seagram Building, the Four Seasons restaurant is putting together a book of patrons’ memories. [NYP] Meet the creative director behind the Great Jack-o’-Lantern Blaze, which will feature 7,000 real and foam pumpkins this year. [NYT] Gracie Mansion reopend for public tours this Sunday. […]

Uncategorized

Frightgeist Map Shows What the Most Popular Halloween Costume Is in Your City

Still up in the air about your Halloween costume, but want to make sure you're not one of 10,000 Donald Trumps wandering around NYC on Saturday? Check out this cool map called Frightgeist that shows what the most popular costumes are in cities across the country. Using Google Trends, the map from Google News Lab pulled the top 500 costume searches to create this handy national- and local-based resource.
Some fun facts from the map

Events & Things To Do

Atlantic Yards’ B2 Tower Employing Anti-Nausea Technology From NASA

B2 Tower photo © Field Condition

October 26, 2015

Atlantic Yards’ B2 Tower Employing Anti-Nausea Technology From NASA

"A new technology, designed to tame forces that could separate an astronaut’s eyeball from her retina, may also keep the one percent from throwing up," says The Real Deal. They're talking about a fluid harmonic disruptor, a device used during space takeoffs to protect astronauts from violent vibrations, which will be employed by structural engineering firm Thornton Tomasetti at Forest City Ratner’s B2 BKLYN, the 32-story modular tower at Pacific Park that could definitely succumb to queasy-making swaying and vibrations. The firm will put six water-filled pipes on the roof of the building, making up 0.5 percent of its total mass; then the disruptor will alter how the fluid, and therefore the building, reacts to wind and other vibrations.
More details ahead

October 26, 2015

Live in a Landmarked Fairytale Castle With Round Rooms and a Storied Past for $10M

Such is the state of real estate in New York City that there is no shortage of homes of every size and stripe upon which you could drop $10 million. And though the ask may seem relatively ambitious for a single-story residence, this particular listing at 455 Central Park West doesn't need to reach far for the adjectives required to command such an outlay (Just for starters: It looks like a fairytale castle). And while the Manhattan Valley location may be a little "far uptown" for some late-to-the party folks, its village-y vibe is getting lots of love of late, and, really, Central Park West is Central Park West. Between the amazing architecture and fascinating–if somewhat macabre–history as the former New York City Cancer Hospital, 2,360 square feet of space including two enormous circular opposite wings, private courtyards, and a peerless menu of building amenities including a pool, spa and drive-up entry courtyard, very few boxes remain unchecked in this unquestionably unique four-bedroom condominium.
Take a look a...round

October 25, 2015

Claire-Anne O’Brien Designs Chunky Woolen Stools to Cozy Up With This Autumn

By Ana Lisa Alperovich

Using traditional textile techniques such as weaving, knotting and basketry, London-based textile designer Claire-Anne O’Brien creates beautiful "Knit Stools" that are perfect for cuddling up at home. The creative designer specializes in the construction of 3D textiles, which she applies to both interior furniture and decoration. Made using an ash base and topped with super soft lambswool upholstery, these stools are just the item we'd like to get our hands on this autumn.
Learn more about this tactile stools

October 24, 2015

Weekly Highlights: Top Picks From the 6sqft Staff

Bruce Springsteen’s ‘Born to Run’ Beachside Home Is Selling for $299,000 A Behind the Scenes Look at How SHoP’s Stunning Facade at 111 West 57th Street Will Come to Life Tribeca ‘Suburban’ Mansion With Pool and Three-Car Garage Chops Price to $44.5M SHoP’s Essex Crossing Mega-Market Will Be One of Largest in the Nation You […]

Uncategorized

October 23, 2015

Port Authority Announces Design Competition to Replace Hated Bus Terminal to the Tune of $10B

The chance to reimagine one of the most loathed buildings in Manhattan certainly must be appealing to designers, so it's likely the Port Authority will receive a lot of submissions for their newly announced international competition to replace the current bus terminal. Crain's reports that "The operator of the nation's busiest bus terminal approved a plan Thursday to move ahead toward replacing the overcrowded, dilapidated 65-year-old facility, with a goal of deciding on a final design by [September 2016]." It's expected that the project will cost between $7 and $10 billion and take several years to complete.
READ MORE

Real Estate Trends

October 23, 2015

Spotlight: Frankie Stein Helps New Yorkers Fulfill Their Wildest Halloween Costume Fantasies

By Susan Cohen

Frankie Stein transforms people for a living. At her aptly named costume shop Frankie Steinz, she turns New Yorkers into Marie Antoinette, Luke Skywalker, Mad Hatter, or whoever they desire to become. Available by appointment only, Frankie has a reputation as a costume maker extraordinaire. She's designed attire for a myriad of clients including television giants Nickelodeon and HBO ans corporations like American Express, as well as for non-profit organizations’ charity galas. Her work can even be seen in major films like “One True Thing” and “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.” In her Tribeca studio she keeps a large inventory of rentals in every character imaginable, but if something is not in her collection she'll make it. With Halloween quickly approaching and New Yorkers dutifully searching for their perfect ensemble, we recently spoke with Frankie about her work, the costume requests she's been receiving this year, and why getting into character makes people so happy.
Read our interview with Frankie here

October 23, 2015

Tribeca’s Historic Skybridge Listing Officially Hits the Market for $50M

Last month, 6sqft found out about the amazing pair of Tribeca listings that includes one of Manhattan's last skybridges, and shortly thereafter we were teased with a floorplan of the property, which spans 9 Jay Street and 67 Hudson #3AB. It was said to be a pocket listing, but today the Wall Street Journal noticed the official public listing, which has the three-story townhouse and one-bedroom apartment set at a combined price of $50 million. What's more surprising than the price being $20 million over initial estimates is the interior photos. Because of the quirky skybridge one would have assumed that the homes were historic, funky, or a combination of both, but they're in fact completely bare and stark.
Check out all the photos

PHOTOS: Go Inside the NYC Subway Cars Dumped in the Atlantic Over a Decade Ago

Image via Gothamist

October 23, 2015

PHOTOS: Go Inside the NYC Subway Cars Dumped in the Atlantic Over a Decade Ago

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

By now, you've probably seen Stephen Mallon's insane photo series showing thousands of subway cars being tossed into the ocean. The unlikely MTA initiative was undertaken more than ten years ago with the goal of creating artificial reefs that would support sea life along the Eastern seabed. Now fast forward a decade plus, and the fruits of the agency's environmental efforts can finally be seen in these incredible underwater images from Express Water Sports.
See them 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

50 places to shop locally in NYC for that perfect gift

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

VIEW ALL

October 23, 2015

A Closer Look at How XOCO 325’s Oh-So-Cool Melting Facade Was Created

Earlier, we gave you a look at DDG's rough-cut, bluestone facade at 12 Warren Street in Tribeca, and now, just a few blocks north within the SoHo-Cast Iron Historic District, the team has de-shrouded the skeletal exterior of their upcoming condominium XOCO 325. Rising from a through-block site at 325 West Broadway, the 48,000 square foot development will house 21 light-filled residences upon its completion early next year. DDG picked up the site for $38.5 million in 2012, and in typical fashion, souped up the design with organic and environmentally inspired elements that charmed the Landmarks Preservation Commission.
more this way

October 23, 2015

$26K/Month Soho Penthouse Gets Great Light and Has a Huge Outdoor Space

Everywhere you look in this massive Soho penthouse, located at 27 Howard Street, you've got big windows and streaming light. This bright space has a lot of other perks, too–it's a duplex with a backyard, there are 12-foot ceilings, and the master bedroom is a whopping 900 square feet and has its own movie projector setup. Of course, the Soho penthouse life isn't cheap, as it'll cost you $26,000 a month to live here. Prices like that come with celebrity perks, too; Jonah Hill was trying to sell his apartment in the building last year.
See the apartment

Distinctive Homes

October 23, 2015

The Gowanus Canal Gets Its Own Souvenir Shop; When Doormen Become Like Family

From misspelling Bleecker to bleaching riders’ plants, here are pictures of ten MTA fails. [TONY] Everything you’ve ever wanted to know about candy corn. [Mashable] The latest “Modern Love” column is a woman’s touching story about how through boyfriends and pregnancy, her doorman was her “main man.” [NYT] Tour the stylish sets of “The Intern.” […]

Uncategorized

October 23, 2015

DDG’s Bluestone Beauty at 12 Warren Street Finally Shows Some Skin

Fully-integrated design and build firm DDG has raised the curtain on their highly anticipated condo development 12 Warren Street. Designed by their in-house architect Peter Guthrie, its facade of roughly-hewn Pennsylvania bluestone is meant to evoke the natural uneven stacking of the material. In what must have taken quite the effort to detail, variously dimensioned slabs, ranging from standard-sized bricks to large lintel blocks, protrude from the exterior at varying depths. While more commonly seen underfoot as sidewalk pavement, here the brittle stone's soothing tone softens the building's ogreish form, whose still-shrouded cliff-like top will incorporate a wild display of projecting volumes and terraces. As simply stated by architecture critic Carter Horsely, "DDG continues its elegant campaign to make New Yorkers lust after bluestone rather than brownstone."
Find out more details about the development

October 23, 2015

Dramatically Angular West Village Penthouse Rental Wants $18K a Month

Whether Rogers Marvel Architects, designer of the dramatically-angled building atop which this 3,000-square-foot pad is perched, were inspired by the convergent lines of the Flatiron Building, had some tricky space issues to navigate, or just wanted to make a point, this triangular triplex at 1 Seventh Avenue South does its best to avoid looking like a contemporary interpretation of a ‘50s corner diner, and to some degree, succeeds. To be fair, the building conforms perfectly to its similarly-angled lot, undoubtedly no small feat. This high-floor haven offers three bedrooms, multi-floor terraces, a host of modern amenities (smart wiring, multi-zone heating and central air, to name a few) and the kind of big views–and neighborhood–that command big rents, so the $18K a month is no surprise. Though much of the apartment's decor and furnishings seem out of place for a glass-walled Downtown penthouse, as they say, there’s no accounting for taste. We don’t know if the rental is available furnished or mercifully emptied of its late-20th century Z Gallerie closeout haul, but with three floors and lots of outdoors, there's plenty of room, literally, for improvement.
Let's point out some highlights

October 22, 2015

Historic Charlie Parker Townhouse in Alphabet City Hits the Market for $9M

From 1950 to 1954 jazz legend Charlie "Bird" Parker, along with his common-law wife Chan Richardson, lived in the garden-floor apartment at this townhouse at 151 Avenue B in Alphabet City. It was here, at the height of his career, that Parker and his family would share Sunday dinners at a dining table shaped like a G clef, but according to his stepdaughter Kim Parker, the saxophonist liked to keep work and personal life separate, so only classical music was played in the house. In honor of the music great, Avenue B between 7th and 10th Streets was renamed Charlie Parker Place in 1992, and the historic 1849 Gothic Revival house was landmarked in 1999. And now you can own a piece of this history, as the Post reports that the home and its five apartments has hit the market for $9.25 million.
Learn more about the Charlie Parker Residence

October 22, 2015

New, Cheaper Design for WTC Performing Arts Center to Be Revealed Soon

The Performing Arts Center at the World Trade Center has seen a lot of ups and downs since it was first conceived over a dozen years ago. The biggest shakeup occurred a year ago, when Frank Gehry's design for the center got dumped by officials, followed by the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation's decision earlier this year that the project should cost no more than $200 million, far less than the original estimates of $350 to $400 million. In July, LMDC funded a $500,000 study to explore how the "current conceptual design" could work within those cost restraints, and since then they've been working with a yet-unnamed architectural firm to reimagine the plan, according to the Wall Street Journal. The paper reports that "their latest take envisions a roughly 80,000-square-foot building, rising three to four stories aboveground, where new works of theater, dance, music and digital art would be produced."
More details ahead

October 22, 2015

Wine-Making Artists Called This $6.8M UWS Townhouse Home for Over 50 Years

Like many a New York City address, this classic townhouse at 307 West 103rd Street has a creative legacy as well as a rich history as a family home. The Queen Anne bow-front on a tree-lined Upper West Side block was, since 1956, the family home of Leonard and Chiarina "Cherie" Tredanari, a sculptor couple who also happened to be winemakers (as per the listing, The New York Times called theirs "one of the rarest Italian wine labels in the world"). Leonard's career could have been right out of "Mad Men:" He was a live TV director in the '60s for JFK's presidential campaign and president of the advertising agency Doyle Dane Bernbach (DDB), where he created The Director's Studio. Leonard passed away in 2003 and his wife followed in February of this year at the age of 96. The family's longtime home is now on the market for $6.795 million. While the historic four-story townhouse with so many original details intact is a treasure in its own right, its artistic and artisan past add a compelling energy, from the unassumingly creative decor to a cellar filled with wine casks and vintners' equipment.
Have a look inside

Distinctive Homes

October 22, 2015

City Subsidies Have Been Focused on Wealthy Neighborhoods; New Construction in Crown Heights Draws in Buyers

A new report from the Association for Neighborhood and Housing Development shows that city subsidies have historically gone to the neighborhoods that need it the least. [Crain’s] Why it was faster to build subways back in 1900. [Atlas Obscura] New condos in Brooklyn’s Crown Heights account for 20 percent of the borough’s sales. [DNA Info] […]

Real Estate Trends

October 22, 2015

Tom Dixon’s New Sophisticated Copper Coffee Set Improves Every Step of the Art of Brewing

By Ana Lisa Alperovich

Famed British designer Tom Dixon is paying a brilliant tribute to the daily act of preparing and drinking coffee. His Brew Coffee Collection is a sophisticated beverage set with gleaming copper elements that any New Yorker will love to wake up to. But the bling isn't the only thing here, as the designer explains, "The range includes a piece to perfect every stage of the coffee ritual, from the push of the plunger to the dunk of the biscuit."
READ MORE

October 22, 2015

‘Artists Living with Art’ Gives Us a Peek Into the Homes of Cindy Sherman, Chuck Close and More

Loving art is about admiration, and who's more equipped to fully understand and appreciate the value of a piece of art than an artist. The beautiful new coffee table book entitled "Artists Living with Art," published by Abrams and written by Stacey Goergen and Amanda Benchley, gives readers an inside peek into the homes and personal art collections from some of the world's most renowned contemporary artists including Cindy Sherman, Helen and Brice Marden, Chuck Close, Rachel Feinstein and John Currin, Glenn Ligon, and Pat Steir. From a modern Soho loft to a restored Hudson River Valley farmhouse, these homes are a showcase for the artists' personal collections of artwork set amongst cherished objects, textiles and ceramics.
READ MORE

Events & Things To Do

October 22, 2015

The Most and Least Healthy Halloween Candy; A Diary of Collecting Change off the Street

Think twice before eating those M&Ms. Here’s the best and worst Halloween candy based on calories, sugar, fat, and protein. [Business Insider] Meet the sweet married couple behind the Hudson Valley’s 65-acre Headless Horseman Hayride, a “hotbed of horror.” [Narratively] How many days of picking up change on the street it took for one New Yorker […]

Uncategorized

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 22, 2015

Art Nerd New York’s Top Event Picks for the Week,10/22-10/28

By Lori Zimmer

This month, meet Detroit's art power-house 1xRun before they finish their New York residency at two great takeover events at Reed Space and at my show "Calm Before the Storm." Focus your art gaze south at FiDi's World Trade Gallery, or head to Dark Victoriana for a history-meets-Halloweeny experience. The Aperture Foundation has their annual extravaganza at Terminal 5, and Michael Arenella gives us a time machine of Old New York at the classic Algonquin Hotel. The Wythe Hotel will host a screening of "Notorious Mr. Bout" followed by cocktails and live music. Finish it off by donning your best nautical-inspired gear and grab a cocktail at Sailors, Sirens and Sea Monsters, a closing party for "Calm Before the Storm"—hosted by me!
All the best events to check out here

Events & Things To Do

October 22, 2015

Cool Co-op Asks $2.195 Million in the Thomas English Muffin Building

The English muffin has a pretty notable history in New York City. In 1874, Samuel Bath Thomas–yes, that Thomas–left England to sell English muffins to the New York masses, and his recipe was a hit. For a long time, he baked underneath the Chelsea townhouse at 337 West 20th Street, between 8th and 9th Avenues, which you can read all about here. But before he baked there, he got his start at another Chelsea building, at 161 9th Avenue. This very first New York bakery of his is now the site of the two-bedroom co-op on the market for $2.195 million. It's a cool duplex space with an even cooler private garden.
See the whole place

Distinctive Homes

October 21, 2015

A Behind the Scenes Look at How SHoP’s Stunning Facade at 111 West 57th Street Will Come to Life

Last month, JDS Development wowed us with an image showing a visual curtain wall mockup of their super-tower underway at 111 West 57th Street. Now the Michael Stern-led development team in partnership with Property Markets Group has released a new video and a handful of images to keep our mouths watering for what is poised to become New York's most daring skyscraper in generations. Designed by the local talents at ShoP Architects, the tower has already nervously impressed us with its extraordinary height of 1,438 feet and its jaw-dropping slenderness (a ratio of 1:24). Now that its engineers, the WSP Group, and the Times have thoroughly convinced us that the building will not fall over, we can focus our attention on the tower's elegantly detailed facade, composed of a feathery mix of terra-cotta, bronze, and glass. A recent video posted by JDS provides us with more glimpses of the cladding, a time-lapse video of how the facade will transform throughout the day, as well as some behind-the-scenes insight of the extraordinary undertaking involved to sheath this future landmark.
Watch the video and get more details

You Can Buy the Last Two Burial Plots in Manhattan for $350,000 Each

Photo via gsz via photopin cc

October 21, 2015

You Can Buy the Last Two Burial Plots in Manhattan for $350,000 Each

Does this time of year get you thinking about where you'd like to spend the afterlife? Would a swanky Manhattan address be to your liking? If so, you'd better act fast. There are only two burial plots left on the island and they're currently on the market for $350,000 each. Daily Intelligencer reports that the New York Marble Cemetery (not to be confused with the New York City Marble Cemetery–more on that here) in the East Village has two available family vaults that can hold about a dozen descendants ("each generation gains some space as the previous ones turn to dust"). The Trinity Cemetery & Mausoleum on West 153rd Street has a few inground burial plots vacant, but they're reserved for "VIPs;" those at the Marble Cemetery are the only ones being freely sold.
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October 21, 2015

INTERVIEW: Captain Jonathan Boulware Sets Sail as the South Street Seaport Museum’s Executive Director

The South Street Seaport Museum may not be one of New York City's glitziest institutions, but it's certainly one of the most resilient and perhaps the one most closely tied to the founding of the city itself. Using actual historic buildings and ships to provide interactive exhibits and educational programs, the museum tells the story of New York's rise as a port city and how that led to the development of the entire country. But the seaport location became all too real in 2012 when Hurricane Sandy ravaged the entire historic district, leaving the museum with $20 million in damages and the loss of its institutional partner, the Museum of the City of New York. Now, three years later, the South Street Seaport Museum is sailing into new territory, thanks in large part to its recently appointed executive director Captain Jonathan Boulware, a lifelong sailor, marine educator, expert in historic ships, and all-around lover of maritime history and culture. In August, Boulware and his team landed a $10.4 million FEMA grant to repair the storm damage, and in May, the museum launched a $10.6 million city-funded project to restore Wavertree, one of the museum’s most significant historic ships. With these exciting developments underway, we caught up with Captain Boulware to learn a bit about his background, what visitors can expect at the museum, and where the institution is heading.
Read the interview

October 21, 2015

Tribeca ‘Suburban’ Mansion With Pool and Three-Car Garage Chops Price to $44.5M

When you think about a home with a pool, a full-house backup generator and a three-car garage, downtown Manhattan probably isn't the first location you think of–but this off-the-hook urban mansion at 2 North Moore Street in the heart of Tribeca could rival many a compound in the Hamptons. The turnkey billionaire’s bunker was built in 2008 and purchased in 2010 by financier Mark Zittman for $24 million, who hit recycle and put it back on the market unchanged in 2014 for $48M; after having no luck finding a buyer, the price was reduced to $46 million, 50-foot skylit lap pool pool, three-car garage and all. Now, with a $1.5M reduction, the search continues. The fact that you could fit an entire hotel inside this 11,200 square-foot dusky-hued modern masterpiece (whose facade actually does resemble a chic downtown boutique hotel a bit) will surely appeal to someone, though there’s definitely a limited market for eight-figure suburb-in-the-city dwellings, so it may take a while.
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Serene Upper West Side homes near Riverside Park

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October 21, 2015

Wall Street’s First Black Millionaire; Pier 40’s Renewal Plan Will Add 1,500 Apartments

A newly announced plan for Pier 40 will see the former cargo terminal transformed into 1,500 West Village apartments. [NYT] “Jeremiah Hamilton made white clients do his bidding…And in 1875, he died the richest black American.” [The Atlantic] What real estate pros are reading. [TRD] Why pricing your apartment lower can get you more money. […]

Real Estate Trends

October 21, 2015

Jennifer Morris Infuses Bold Design Accents Into This Vibrant Fort Greene Brownstone Interior

Most Brooklyn brownstones have been around for decades, if not centuries, making renovations on these types of properties standard procedure when purchased by a new owner. However for this family, their lack of experience almost led them to disaster. Excited about making their house a home, they charged full speed ahead with updates on their four-story, 18-foot-wide brownstone in Fort Greene, and were well into demolition before realizing they had no layout or design. They initially called interior designer Jennifer Morris to help them select finishes, but when the she questioned the couple about their plans, it was obvious they needed much more. Regardless of the misstep, Morris, who has extensive experience in the hospitality business, was able to expeditiously execute on this stunning interior. Plus according to Morris, unlike many new home owners, these clients were excited and fearless when it came to making bold design decisions, creating the perfect recipe for a beautiful and refreshing interior.
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October 21, 2015

Actress Hayden Panettiere’s Storybook Childhood Home Hits the Market for $1.75M

By Annie Doge

“Nashville” star Hayden Panettiere has been making headlines the last couple of weeks after publicly revealing she would be seeking professional help for postpartum depression, a condition she's suffered from, and has spoken openly about, since the birth of her first child nearly one year ago. As the actress takes time to come back into her own, The Post sends some lighthearted news that harkens back to when the star was a wee one herself. The charming Palisades, NY abode (incidentally, not far from Angelina Jolie's childhood home) where Panettiere spent her formative years is now selling for $1.75 million.
Check it out here

October 21, 2015

POLL: Will the Sale of Stuy Town to Blackstone Make It a More or Less Desirable Place to Live?

The hot topic right now in the real estate world is undoubtedly the $5.3 billion sale of Stuyvesant Town to the Blackstone Group and Canadian investment firm Ivanhoe Cambridge. Aside from the huge sum and the fact that the apartment complex has been long-plagued, what makes this deal so huge is that the new owners agreed to […]

October 21, 2015

Machine Turns Plastic Bags Into Stylish Totes; Donate Money to Create a Bushwick Font Style