6sqft | NYC local news, events, and apartments

After much anticipation, Governor Cuomo unveiled his plan yesterday to overhaul LaGuardia Airport, which he called "un-New York" in its current state. The $4 billion project includes consolidating the four terminals into one hub and moving the entire facility south the length of two football fields, according to Crain's. Additionally, Cuomo's controversial AirTrain, which will connect travelers to the 7 line in Willet's Point, will be put into effect, as will a 24-hour ferry service that will operate out of the landmarked Art Deco Marine Air Terminal. The development will be handled by LaGuardia Gateway Partners, a new public-private partnership formed by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, who will oversee the construction, financing, and operation of the new terminal under a 35-year lease.
Lots more details and renderings this way

July 28, 2015

Eero Saarinen’s Iconic JFK Terminal to Be Reborn as the ‘TWA Flight Center Hotel’

For the last 14 years, JFK's most beloved structure has mostly languished vacant, reopened intermittently for public tours or to serve as the backdrop of some Jet Age fashion shoot. While there has been plenty of talk surrounding the TWA Flight Center's transformation into a hotel, details have remained sparse until now. As Curbed has it, the city has finally revealed that MCR Development will be taking the reigns alongside JetBlue and the NYNJ Port Authority, bringing the iconic terminal back to life as a 505-room LEED-certified hotel with restaurants, 40,000 square feet of meeting space and a 10,000-square-foot observation deck. The project will aptly be called "The TWA Flight Center Hotel."
FInd out more here

July 28, 2015

$4.4M for Turnkey Updates and Designer Flair in an Historic Brooklyn Heights Townhouse

By Michelle Cohen

All told, $4.4 million isn't really a lot to ask for a four-story townhouse in prime Brooklyn Heights–in fact, the longtime sales record-holder, Truman Capote's former home at 70 Willow Street, sold for $12.5 million back in 2012 and was recently bested by the $15.5 million sale of a Cobble Hill townhouse. And this landmarked home at 73 Joralemon Street is no fixer-upper; quite the opposite. A top-to-toe, no-expense-spared redesign was just completed, helmed by designer Nick Olsen. Not only were the home's interiors transformed with dramatic flair, modern updates took place throughout: new windows were installed, stairs replaced and hardwood floors refinished; all mechanicals were replaced including central heating and air.
Take a look inside, this way

Distinctive Homes

July 28, 2015

Where to Find the NYC Haunts and Houses of Famous Writers

By Jason Carpenter

New York City has always been a hub for writers. Whether they were living in luxury or getting their start as starving artists, famous writers have lived and worked all across New York, and you can still see many of these writerly abodes today. Whether you're a fan of the Beat Generation, Sci-Fi, or even Southern Gothic, you might be interested in tracking down a famous writer's home.
See where writers lived and worked here

July 28, 2015

Donald Trump’s Estimated Worth Is $2.8B; The ‘Brooklyn’ of Every State

Donald Trump is estimated to be worth $2.9 billion by new accounts. Trump previously claimed $10 billion. [Bloomberg] Here are the Brooklyn equivalents of all the states. [Huff Po] Hockey Star Sean Avery lists his Hamptons house. [Curbed] After 40 years, the iconic Trash Vaudeville is leaving its St. Marks locale for a new space on 7th Street. […]

Real Estate Trends

July 28, 2015

Office of Architecture Brings Individuality and Adaptability to a Brooklyn Row House

Usually, there isn't much individuality to be found among Brooklyn row houses, at least not until you step inside. When a Brooklyn couple approached Office of Architecture about gut renovating their row house, the firm took it upon themselves to create a home that not only would stand out, but would be adaptable to the pair's needs as their life progressed.
Get a closer look

Architecture And Design

July 28, 2015

Quirky Park Slope Duplex with Charming Backyard Asks $629K

Talk about quirky... this is a property you don't see in Brooklyn every day. The unit in question is located at 429 7th Avenue, in Park Slope. It's a duplex with a kooky sleeping loft instead of a bedroom, a unique layout, and a really nice private backyard. It's not going to be for everyone but that outdoor space, plus a location two blocks west of Prospect Park, will certainly appeal to some. Don't mind the idea of curling up in a loft to go to bed? Well, the apartment is now for sale by owner asking $629,000.
See the rest of it

Distinctive Homes

July 28, 2015

Renderings Revealed for Bjarke Ingels’ Curved Harlem Apartment Building

Now that the hoopla surrounding his design for Two World Trade Center has simmered down, we've got a fresh set of renderings from Danish starchitect Bjarke Ingels. NY Yimby revealed the preliminary designs for his firm's 11-story East Harlem apartment building at 146 East 126th Street, which show a T-shaped structure that cantilevers over the Gotham Plaza retail center on 125th Street. The real fun is on the 126th Street side, though, where Bjarke employs a play on the conventional street wall with an undulating facade that seems to be a modern interpretation of the surrounding brick buildings. The project is being developed by none other than Extell, along with the Blumenfeld Group.
More details and renderings here

Distinctive Homes

This $4.6M upstate New York property is a modern woodland sanctuary

For $2.3M, this Amzi Hill-designed Bed-Stuy brownstone gives you plenty of options

Two bedrooms plus a home office for $1.7M in this FiDi duplex loft

Steven Van Zandt's Village penthouse in a converted church asks $15M

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

$45M for a two-for-one penthouse palace at the top of the Plaza

$1.25M two-family Williamsburg townhouse has lots of options for less than a condo

This $6.5M Hell's Kitchen townhouse has a heavenly rooftop oasis

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

For $775K, residents of this renovated Bed-Stuy loft get a rooftop gym and terrace with city views

VIEW ALL

July 28, 2015

Photographing Street Art on NYC Doorways; The Last Remnant of the Original Penn Station

Photo series “Doorway Galleries” documents the spray-painted, stenciled, and stickered doorways of NYC buildings. [BK Mag] Active uses, street furniture, and first-floor windows–are these the three traits shared by the city’s most walkable streets? [CityLab] A mysterious building on West 31st Street is the last remnant of the original Penn Station. [Scouting NY] This device […]

Uncategorized

July 28, 2015

Donald Trump Gets $21M for Trump Park Avenue Penthouse

When you have $1.4 billion in assets, $21 million is a drop in the bucket, but the Wall Street Journal reports that's what Donald Trump just got for the sale of his penthouse in his namesake building Trump Park Avenue. The apartment is not too exciting, but it does boast 6,200 square feet, ten-foot ceilings, five bedrooms, seven-and-a-half bathrooms, and a private elevator. Trump bought the full-floor penthouse in 2002, when his company converted the Upper East Side building to condos, but never lived there. It first hit the market back in 2013 for $35 million and most recently got a price chop to $24.99 million.
Look around the whole place here

Should NYC Implement San Francisco’s ‘Pee-Proof’ Paint to Deter Public Urination?

Image via YouTube/St. Pauli Peeback

July 27, 2015

Should NYC Implement San Francisco’s ‘Pee-Proof’ Paint to Deter Public Urination?

Read the rest of the story here

Normally, urinating in public comes with a hefty fine, but in San Francisco, offenders might be spending their money instead on a new pair of clothes and shoes. The problem has apparently gotten so out of hand in the city that the Public Works Department is implementing "pee-proof" paint on walls that are hot spots for people to relieve themselves. The special superhydrophobic coating called Ultra-Ever Dry is liquid repellent, and therefore splashes the urine right back on the person.
More details and a video on the technology

July 27, 2015

Entertain on Three Levels in This $2.5M Modern Chelsea Loft

By Michelle Cohen

While most lofts offer a spacious open interior, this recently-listed $2.5 million Chelsea triplex extends vertically as well; a stylish recent renovation gets creative with windows and skylights to maximize light flow throughout all three floors. The 1,797-square-foot, two-bedroom condo at 251 West 19th Street–known as Chelsea 19, the classic loft building was built in 1910 and converted to condos in 2002–is just the spot for a three-story soiree (or a well-divided live-and-work space).
Check out all three floors...

Distinctive Homes

New York in the ’60s: Domestic Yearnings, Yorkville Hangouts and Bartenders

Our series “New York in the ’60s” is a memoir by a longtime New Yorker who moved to the city after college in 1960. Each installment will take us through her journey during a pivotal decade. From $90/month apartments to working in the real “Mad Men” world, we’ll explore the city through the eyes of a spunky, driven female. In our first installment, we went apartment hunting with the girl, and now that she’s moved in on the Upper East Side, we learn how she went about decorating her first NYC apartment, her favorite haunts of early 1960s Yorkville, and her bartender boyfriend.

July 27, 2015

New York in the ’60s: Domestic Yearnings, Yorkville Hangouts and Bartenders

By Penelope Bareau

History

July 27, 2015

VIDEO: Go Behind the Super Antiquated Switchboard of Today’s NYC Subway

The MTA is showing its age in a new video put forth by the public benefit corporation. "People know the system is old," the narrator of MTA's video opens, "but I don't think they realize just how old it is." The New York City subway system has been running since 1904, and as we previously reported in December, it's been running on the same technology used in the 1930s. In the video, computers are noticeably absent from the West 4th Street Supervisory Tower, which is in control of all of the train movements around the area. Instead there are plenty of pens and papers, as well as old, lever-operated machinery that the railroad industry has long stopped manufacturing. It's no wonder that the MTA has put out this video promoting their Communications-Based Train Control (CBTC) system, a project that aims to modernize the subway.
Watch the incredible video here

July 27, 2015

NIMBYs Are Shaping NYC’s New Developments; William Randolph Hearst Penthouse Sells

NIMBYs have become power players in New York’s real estate game. Here’s a closer look at the playbook they use to take new developments down. [Crain’s] Aby Rosen has found a new restaurant to replace the iconic Four Seasons in the Seagram building. [NYP] The MTA is kicking gardeners out of their greenspace beneath the […]

Real Estate Trends

July 27, 2015

DelightFULL’s Botti Pendant Will Jazz Up Any Room

By Ana Lisa Alperovich

This eye-catching lighting piece is shiny, playful and loud. It takes a nod from the brass section of an orchestra and is perfect for a musician's home, a music hall, or any space in need of some elegance and flair. Crafted by DelightFULL’s skilled artisans using an array of trumpet bells, the Botti Pendant will jazz up any space.
Learn more about this loud trumpets lamp

July 27, 2015

IKEA Is Selling a Placemat with a Pocket for Your Phone

We're having a hard time deciding whether this design is brilliant or just plain depressing. These new placemats come courtesy of IKEA and are part of their upcoming SITTNING collection, a limited edition series made up of 40 pieces focused in on "the joys of sharing a meal with those you love." The new mats—which will reportedly be called "Logged Out"—will feature a convenient little pouch for you to tuck your smartphone away so you can finally enjoy a meal with your friends without checking Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, email...
More on IKEA's new design here

Things You Can Buy for $1 in NYC; Four Seasons Restaurant Getting a Younger Makeover

Here are 30 ways to spend a single dollar in NYC. There’s a slice of pizza, a coffee from McDonald’s, and a half mile in a cab. [Business Insider] A history of the comic book industry in New York City. [Bowery Boys] Tour the easy-going Clinton Hill brownstone of a plant designer and a DJ. [Design […]

Uncategorized

July 27, 2015

Harlem Townhouse Rental Mixes the Old and the New for $7,500/Month

Here's a historic Harlem townhouse, at 30 East 130th Street, now up on the rental market. From the exterior, it has pretty much retained its 1900s-era features. But the interior is a mix of the historic and the new as the result of a 2012 renovation. It's the type of place we picture a bunch of young professionals pooling funds to rent–at $7,500 a month with six bedrooms, you'd get decent bang for your buck. And what young New Yorker hasn't dreamed of renting a townhouse with all of their friends?
See more of the space

Distinctive Homes

July 27, 2015

Flushing and the Upper East Side Top the List of Most Traffic Accidents in NYC

Between March 2014 and April 2015, the city reported 223,141 motor vehicle accidents, almost 25 percent of which resulted in injury or death. The Auto Insurance Center used this open-source data, which includes geographical coordinates for the accidents, to create maps and graphs examining where and when the collisions happened (h/t Brokelyn). Queens accounted for 29.5 percent of the total collisions, with Brooklyn coming in right behind at 28 percent. In terms of neighborhoods (broken down by police precincts), Flushing, Queens takes the top spot, followed by Queens Village, the Upper East Side, Cypress Hills, Brooklyn, and Long Island City, respectively.
More data and maps right here

Transit

July 26, 2015

Bernheimer Architecture’s Lightbox House Is Made of Stacked Boxes to Capture Upstate Views

When Bernheimer Architecture was commissioned to build a house and studio in the Hamptons for a photographer and his family, the firm knew the views needed to take center stage. The result is the Lightbox House, a series of spaces that are arranged around cropped views of the surrounding landscape. There's the main house, a pair of stacked boxes, and the photography studio, which takes advantage of natural daylight with strategically placed windows and skylights. The two structures are separated by a large pool that seems to float on the lush lawn.
See the whole house here

July 25, 2015

Weekly Highlights: Top Picks from the 6sqft Staff

Here’s How You Can Live in a Billionaire’s Row Condo for Free AND Make Six Figures Julia Roberts Lists Greenwich Village Apartment for $4.5M What Does Your Zip Code Say About You? This Map Tells All The History of Brooklyn Blackout Cake: German Bakeries and WWII Drills BIG Ideas: Bjarke Ingels Talks 2 WTC and […]

Uncategorized

July 24, 2015

New Yorker Spotlight: Gabrielle Shubert Reflects on Her Ride at the New York Transit Museum

By Susan Cohen

On the corner of Boerum Place and Schermerhorn Street in Downtown Brooklyn is what looks like a regular subway entrance. But upon further inspection, it becomes clear that there's no uptown and downtown platforms here. This is the New York Transit Museum, the largest museum dedicated to urban public transportation in the country. It's fittingly located inside a decommissioned–but still working–subway station. And over the last 40 years, it has told one of New York's most important stories–how mass transit and city development are intricately connected and how public transportation is one of the city's crowning achievements, in spite of its delays and crowded rides. Gabrielle Shubert has served as the museum's director for the past 24 years. She transformed a young institution into a go-to destination for learning about and engaging with urban history. From vintage cars to subway fares, Gabrielle has offered visitors a chance to go behind the scenes and marvel at the wonders of New York City's incredible public transportation system. On the eve of her retirement, we sat down with Gabrielle in one of the museum's vintage cars and found out about her early days as director, the range of exhibits and programming she has overseen, and the institution's bright future.
Read the interview here

Roman Abramovich; View of the three townhouses — 11, 13, 15 (from L to R)

July 24, 2015

Roman Abramovich Closes on Third UES Townhouse for His $80M Makeshift Mansion

At the beginning of the year, news broke that Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich had secretly bought a townhouse at 11 East 75th Street for $29.7 million, which followed his purchase of a townhouse two doors down for $18.3 million a month earlier. So, of course, we all assumed that he would snatch up the townhouse wedged in between to create his very own makeshift mansion. And now it's official, as the Daily News reports today that Abramovich has closed on the townhouse at 13 East 75th Street for $30 million, bringing his total up to nearly $80 million.
Find out more here

July 24, 2015

Construction Update: Tribeca’s ‘Jenga Tower’ 56 Leonard Tops Out

By Heather Cooper Vivares

Last January, 6sqft reported on the the progress of Alexico Group /Hines' project 56 Leonard: The concrete structure was around 700 feet tall with little more than 100 feet to rise. Now, alas, the 821-foot Tribeca tower, playfully known as "the Jenga building" and designed by Swiss architects Herzog & de Meuron, has finally topped out! With a delivery date expected sometime next year, all that remains for its wacky floor plate configurations and erratic cantilevered projections is the remainder of its exterior cladding, which we hear will now also progress from the top down, and the interior fit-out of its 145 residences.
More details this way

July 24, 2015

This Hip, Huge Artist Loft in Soho Will Not Come Cheap

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

If you're looking for a short-term stay in Manhattan that will epitomize everything about the life of a glitzy artist, look no further. (Warning: it's going to cost you.) This artist loft in SoHo, at 20-26 Greene Street, is available for a two to five month rental. Of course, it's downright pricy to live as an artist with a great downtown apartment, and this particular unit is asking $10,500 a month. Look at it this way: it's cheaper than buying one for $14.5 million. Or $4.375 million. So is the interior worth this rental's price tag?
Check it out

Distinctive Homes

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

July 24, 2015

The Likelihood You’ll Be Poor at Some Point; Harlem’s Oldest Townhouse Sells for $3.6M

By age 60, “nearly four in five people experience some kind of economic hardship.” A look at the odds that you’ll be poor at some time in your life. [Wonkblog] How to make the best of a small one-bedroom apartment. [NYT] Harlem’s oldest townhouse has sold for $3.6M to a new owner who plans to turn it into a […]

Real Estate Trends

July 24, 2015

VIDEO: Rick Liss’ ‘No York City’ Encapsulates the Grittier New York of the ’80s

Feeling nostalgic for 1980s New York? Artist Rick Liss' short film "N.Y.C. (No York City)" transports you back to the city's grittier days. He uses stop motion to move you through the city "at the speed of blood," a pace that doesn't seem too different from the city's normal flow. But don't expect the typical tourist attractions on this journey. "No York City" features graffiti, street fights, and lots of crowds, all set to Laurie Anderson's "For Electronic Dogs."
Watch the video here

History

July 24, 2015

It’s Storage Galore at This Noho Duplex Renovation by Raad Studio

A challenge that every New York apartment dweller will face eventually is one of storage. This is a city of cozy, compact spaces, and although many of us are lacking the luxury of basements, walk-in closets, garages, etc., we usually make up for it in unique ways. (Hello, lofted apartment!) Raad studio creatively took up the challenge at a duplex in Noho, where storage is so prevalent and seamlessly integrated into the design, it demands a standing ovation from storage-starved New Yorkers everywhere.
See the full reno

July 24, 2015

Headphones Made from a Brooklyn Tree; NYC Streets Are Seventh Worst in Country

We’ve heard of furniture made from local reclaimed wood, but never headphones. Check out these maple beauties. [Contemporist] The city’s streets are the seventh worst in the nation, which costs drivers nearly $800 a year in maintenance and repairs. [NYDN] And speaking of bad roads… Queens’ infamous Boulevard of Death (aka Queens Boulevard) is getting […]

Uncategorized

July 24, 2015

$51M Time Warner Center Penthouse Sale Sets a Record for the Building

Maybe it's the location near Lincoln Center and lots of shopping, or maybe it's the unobstructed views of Central Park, or maybe it's the ease of planting tons of one's foreign cash without worry within its walls, whatever the case may be, the ultra-luxe Time Warner Center has just drawn in a record $50.92 million sale. The owner, Russian billionaire Andrey Vavilov, listed the sprawling 14-room penthouse for $75 million early last year, then dropping the price to $68 million in November, finally landing on $51 million with a buyer known only as "Columbus Family LLC," according to city documents filed today. As CityRealty reveals, the transaction is the highest ever recorded at the building; the runner-up, incidentally, the same unit, which traded hands last in 2009 between Vavilov and Austrian investor Gerhard Andlinger for $37.5 million.
Have a closer look inside

Real Estate Trends

July 24, 2015

Tribeca’s 45 Park Place Site Cleared to Make Way for Slender 660-Foot Skyscraper

By Ondel Hylton

The site of a SOMA Architects-designed Tribeca skyscraper has finally been cleared, signaling that groundwork and construction of the slender 38-story tower may soon be before us. The 12,000-square-foot lot at 45 Park Place owned by El Gamal's SoHo Properties, was formerly three battered pre-war buildings, two of which were a downtown outpost of Burlington Coat Factory. The upcoming as-of-right project will total approximately 135,000 gross square feet and contain 50 condominiums, a public plaza, and a museum designed by French architect Jean Nouvel. A 2010 iteration of the project involving an Islamic cultural center became encircled in controversy due its proximity the World Trade Center site. But now with legal hurdles cleared, the site fully assembled, and city approvals in place, the glass and steel skyscraper is poised to move forward.
Get the scoop here

July 23, 2015

6sqft Behind the Scenes: Take a Tour of MakerBot’s New 3D Printer Factory in Brooklyn

MakerBot has officially opened its brand new factory in Industry City in Brooklyn's Sunset Park. The 170,000-square-foot space spans three floors, with the main production lines on the third floor of the building. The new location is four times larger than the company's previous Industry City location and will allow the company to double its production of 3D printers. This is far cry from the garage it started out in nearly two and a half years ago. MakerBot kicked off the opening of its new locale yesterday with a ribbon-cutting ceremony that featured MakerBot CEO Jonathan Jaglom and Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams. We were on the scene to capture this latest milestone for the 3D printer company.
Have a closer look here

Policy

July 23, 2015

$2.6M Mediterranean-Style Mansion Is Up for Sale in Riverdale

The Bronx enclave of Riverdale is chock full of striking freestanding mansions of different architectural styles. This one at 4501 Delafield Avenue is in the Mediterranean Revival style, designed by the architect A. E. Klueppelberg in 1910. Indeed, this facade looks like something you'd sooner find in Europe than New York City. It's uniqueness is paired with a gut renovation inside that's completely modernized the home. It's now on the market for $2.59 million, quite the price boost from when the property sold in 2013 for $1.336 million.
Take a tour

Distinctive Homes

Art Nerd New York’s Top Event Picks for the Week, 7/23-7/29

Image courtesy of SIDELUCK

July 23, 2015

Art Nerd New York’s Top Event Picks for the Week, 7/23-7/29

By Lori Zimmer

In a city where hundreds of interesting happenings occur each week, it can be hard to pick and choose your way to a fulfilling life. Art Nerd‘s philosophy is a combination of observation, participation, education and of course a party to create the ultimate well-rounded week. Jump ahead for Art Nerd founder Lori Zimmer’s top end of week picks for 6sqft readers! For those of you who don't have plans to jet set abroad this last weekend before August, there are still plenty of cultural treats to quench your thirst. The famed Slideluck Potshow is taking to the high seas, bringing their well-loved evening of art projections on board the Lilac. Faux-minimalist takes over an unlikely venue—a high-end cleaner—while seminal White Columns Gallery celebrates their summer party. Damien Hirst's Soho mecca heads to the Hamptons, and the Gowanus Ballroom brings us a bevy of talented artists plus the guy who jumps around in his underwear in Union Square. Kids and adults alike can celebrate family day at the awesome Jeppe Hein exhibition now showing at the Brooklyn Bridge Park, or they can head to the Bell House to hear their favorite talk radio personalities. Finally, cap it all off at the last day of the New York Musical Theater Festival.
All the best events to check out here

Events & Things To Do

July 23, 2015

Construction Begins on John Catsimatidis’ Curvy Rental Tower at 86 Fleet Place in Fort Greene

By Ondel Hylton

Construction has begun on the final building of the four-tower development on the western edge of Fort Greene. The 32-story tower at 86 Fleet Place will house 440 rental units and will be the culmination of a 15-year redevelopment of a low-slung, Robert Moses-era retail strip along Myrtle Avenue. The developer of 86 Fleet, and three other sibling buildings to the east, is Red Apple Group's CEO and owner John Catsimatidis, who we might better remember as the billionaire Republican candidate in the last mayoral election and the owner of the oft-maligned Gristedes grocery store chain. According to the Wall Street Journal, Red Apple picked up the 2.5-acre, four-block site for $500,000 from Long Island University in 1982. The site spans 900 feet along the southern frontage of Myrtle Avenue, between Flatbush Avenue Extension and Ashland Place, and shares its blocks with the Toren condominium to the west and the Fred Trump-built University Towers complex to the south.
More details on the development

July 23, 2015

Roosevelt Island’s Increasing Allure; Community Board Applauds 2 WTC

BIG’s 2 WTC gets rave reviews from the Community Board 1. [Downtown Express] Focusing in on Roosevelt Island’s evolution into a place people actually want to live. [NYP] 200-square-foot mobile studios are now available to NYC artists and entrepreneurs. [Inhabitat NYC] Here are 10 NYC homes with their very own private pools. [Curbed] Images: Roosevelt […]

Real Estate Trends

July 23, 2015

Michael Hilgers’s ‘Flatmate’ Desk Conveniently Unfolds When It’s Time to Work

By Ana Lisa Alperovich

This ultra-thin desk is just like any good roommate: mostly invisible, but around when you need them. Designed by Berlin-based architect and cabinetmaker maker Michael Hilgers, "Flatmate" is a compact workspace that won't take up much of your valuable floor space, but is just as functional as its full-sized counterpart. Thanks to its skinny profile, it can comfortably live in a narrow hallway or even behind other furniture.
Learn more about this invisible pop-up desk

July 23, 2015

Union Square Cafe Isn’t Leaving the Neighborhood; Stay in a Rural Tiny House for $99/Night

Forced to relocate due to rising rents, the iconic Union Square Cafe is moving just a stone’s throw away to 19th Street and Park Avenue South. [6sqft inbox] Never drive around the block looking for a spot again. A new app called Luxe matches users with parking valets. [Business Insider] This cabinet was inspired by mid-century modern architecture. [Design […]

Uncategorized

July 23, 2015

Crown Heights Townhouse with 18 Rooms Asks $11,000 a Month

Oftentimes renting in Brooklyn means cramming into a modest apartment with roommates or building out a loft bed in a former warehouse space. You don't typically think of sharing a massive three-story townhouse. But this historic home at 851 Park Place in Crown Heights is now on the rental market for $11,000 a month. There are eight bedrooms total (!), plenty of well-kept historic details, and extra spaces like a library and card room. Not a bad way to rent in Brooklyn.
Check it out

Distinctive Homes

July 22, 2015

FAO Schwarz and the End of an Era: Looking Back at the World’s Most Famous Toy Store

When Frederick August Otto Schwarz immigrated to Baltimore from Germany in 1856, he dreamed of opening "a magical toy emporium that featured extraordinary, one-of-a-kind toys from all over the world, while creating a theatrical experience to showcase merchandise in a way that would bring it to life." Six years later, he and his two older brothers opened "Toy Bazaar," a small fancy-goods store that sold stationary and toys. 150 years later, their store, having long since moved to New York City and been renamed FAO Schwarz, would be known around the world and crowned the oldest toy store in the United States. But all that changed last week, when the toy wonderland closed its famous Fifth Avenue doors for good. Its current owner, Toys "R" Us, cited rising rents as the reason for the departure, but tried to assure the public that they'd find a new location (they reportedly checked out a space in Times Square). For many of us, though, a different address–perhaps one without the giant floor piano that was immortalized in the 1988 Tom Hanks movie "Big"–will be a huge blow to our childhood nostalgia. So, while the fate of FAO Schwarz is still up in the air, let's take a trip down memory lane.
Learn the history of the toy store here

History

July 22, 2015

How You Can Live in a Billionaire’s Row Condo for Free AND Make Six Figures

Get a job as one of their building managers. As DNA Info reports, if you're just a regular Joe or Jane looking to take up residence in one of the city's priciest towers, you don't need to be a billionaire—or even a millionaire for that matter. The resident managers at four headline-stealing, ultra-luxury towers will live rent-free, in very large apartments, while also earning respectable six-figure salaries for their services.
Find out more here

July 22, 2015

Lauren Bacall’s $23.5M Dakota Apartment Finds a Buyer

The Greenwich by Rafael Vinoly

Ever since Lauren Bacall passed away last summer, it's been all eyes on her longtime Dakota apartment. First, in November, we learned that the actress's Central Park West home would list for a jaw-dropping $26 million. Then, less than two weeks later, the listing hit, a bit disappointing to many as the photos were the newly-staged versions. But this past March, interior photos of how the place looked when the movie star resided there for more than 50 years were dug up, revealing a treasure trove of antiques and artwork and showcasing beautifully intact original details like fireplaces with carved mantles, huge mahogany doors, and crown molding. In April, the price was reduced by $2.5 million, but now, the Daily News reports that Bacall's wood-paneled apartment has been purchased by a mystery buyer.
See inside the legendary apartment here

125 Greenwich Street

Financial District

The new altitude of downtown living

studios starting at $1,110,000
1 beds starting at $1,495,000
2 beds starting at $2,785,000
3 beds starting at $3,600,000

Learn More

July 22, 2015

Another Supertall Opponent Emerges on the City Council; Extell’s LES Project Still Causing Street to Sink

The Hudson Yards will be home to 28,000 plants when complete. [NYT] City Councilman Ben Kallos is leading a forum to block supertall, shadow-casting towers tomorrow night. [DNA Info] The Healthy Buildings Lab is working to help New Yorkers understand if toxic building materials have been used in their homes. [DNA Info] Donald Trump has […]

Real Estate Trends

July 22, 2015

Soak in Views of Morningside Park from this $1M Classic Six Co-op

Who doesn't love a classic six Manhattan apartment, especially with views of the park? This may not be Central Park, and this may not be a storied Upper East Side co-op building, but we're still loving this apartment up for sale at La Touraine, a 24-unit prewar co-op at 50 Morningside Drive in Morningside Heights. It's got stunning views of Morningside Park, not to mention a beautiful interior. The price isn't cheap, but it's certainly less than a classic six on the market with views of Central Park. The ask comes in at $1.05 million.
Check it out

Distinctive Homes

July 22, 2015

Edo Bertoglio’s Polaroids Transport Us to the 1980s NYC of Warhol, Basquiat and Madonna

When it came to music and avant garde art, few eras shone as brilliantly as the 1980s. The city was an incubator for experimental creatives like Andy Warhol, Basquiat, Debbie Harry and Madonna, individuals forging a name for themselves in a gritty yet glam city that was frantically pulsating with life. Photographer Edo Bertoglio was lucky enough to experience the time, spending his days amongst these inevitable icons from 1976 to 1989 and oftentimes snapping photos of them in intimate situations with his Polaroid camera. Now, decades later, Bertoglio is sharing his experience through his new book, "New York Polaroids 1976-1989," which culls 140 cherished images he's kept near and dear since those bygone days.
See a sampling of the photos here

July 22, 2015

POLL: Are Private Pools the Next Must-Have Amenity?

This morning we revealed renderings of Six Sigma’s upcoming condo at 435 West 19th Street, which offers private pools as one of its amenities (along with a sky garage). We first saw this perk pop up at SCDA’s Soori High Line a few blocks north on 29th Street, where 16 of its 27 units will feature heating […]

July 22, 2015

Retrace All Your Past Steps with Google Maps; The City Looked a Lot Different in the 1990s