6sqft | NYC local news, events, and apartments

Why is Chelsea’s Ehrich Building covered in letter K’s? [Forgotten NY] Starting tonight, the MTA will close the L line between Manhattan and Williamsburg. In light of the major inconvenience, Uber is offering $5 rides between neighborhoods along the shuttered line. [NYDN] You can buy a $195 knife made from Coney Island boardwalk wood. [Curbed] […]

Uncategorized

April 17, 2015

Take a Video Tour of Mike Myers’s Freshly Listed $16.95 Million Soho Penthouse

This isn't quite the home we would picture for funny man Mike Myers, but even without the shag carpet (though there is a shag rug) and psychedelic wallpaper, his Soho penthouse still stuns. The Journal reports that the comedian has just listed his 4,200-square foot duplex at 72 Mercer Street for $16.95 million. In addition to boasting top-floor honors, the sleek and modern home comes with its own elevator, custom crafted bookshelves, a top of the line kitchen, massive skylights, 14-foot-high ceilings and fantastic rooftop views of the neighborhood.
Take a tour here

April 17, 2015

This Creative $15K/Month Murray Hill Townhome Will Pique Your Interest

If you're a New Yorker you know how precious space is. So we probably don't have to do much to convince you that this three-bedroom townhouse at 115 East 37th Street in Murray Hill is worth a look. But beyond its parquet floors, oversized windows, fireplaces, and prewar detail, this place has even more to offer, like some of the most intriguing design elements we've come across. And it's on the market for $15,000 a month.
More pics inside

Distinctive Homes

April 16, 2015

Gorgeous Carroll Gardens Brownstone Embodies Both Modern and Historic Design

By Emily Nonko

This Carroll Gardens brownstone, at 371 Clinton Street, has a lot going for it. It has been converted from a two-family home into a sprawling, four-story single family beauty. There's a whole 3,400 square feet to enjoy, and man, is there a lot to enjoy. An interior renovation has struck the perfect balance between historic, classic brownstone design and more modern upgrades. And it makes sense, since the current owners specialize in home furnishing.
See more interior photos here

Distinctive Homes

Art Nerd New York’s Top Event Picks for the Week, 4/16-4/22

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 dance party to create the ultimate well-rounded week. Jump ahead for ArtNerd founder Lori Zimmer’s top picks for 6sqft readers, beginning this “Thirsty Thursday” evening.

April 16, 2015

Art Nerd New York’s Top Event Picks for the Week, 4/16-4/22

By Lori Zimmer

This week, I suggest rediscovering Times Square, by participating in an incredible installation by Justin Bettman, and experiencing a screen-takeover with a short film by Peggy Ahwesh. Then observe and educate with a visit the Jewish Museum, or hit up Lincoln Center for a special art film program, an art exhibition that deconstructs notions of beauty, or an epic art fair catered toward photography. But if you're looking to shake it up and strike up a conversation with someone new, visit Salon Demimonde, a resurrection of the 17th century salons of the past where creatives and intellectuals can mix and mingle. You can also get your dance on at Aperture's Spring Party!
All the best events here

Events & Things To Do

April 16, 2015

The Sutton, Toll Brothers’ ‘Modern Vintage’ Condo, Tops Out and Gets Motley Skin

By Ondel Hylton

Toll Brothers' latest condo development The Sutton has reached its 30-story apex and is currently applying a variety of skins to its frame that its designers hope will capture a "modern vintage" aesthetic. Situated at the boundary of Midtown East's Turtle Bay and Sutton Place neighborhoods at 959 First Avenue, the 90-unit tower (down from 114-units) will hold one- to four-bedroom residences priced from $1 million to more than $6 million, and provide the typical array of amenities and interiors that reflect the surrounding area's classic New York vibe.
Find out more about the project

April 16, 2015

Director David Fincher Snags a Tribeca Pad; Salt Queen Renting Her Apartment for $9K

Famed director David Fincher—of “Fight Club,” “Gone Girl” and “House of Cards” fame—may be moving to Tribeca. Fincher reportedly put down $5.75M on a three-bedroom at 7 Harrison where fellow director Steven Soderbergh also lives. [Variety] You can rent acclaimed artist Bettina Werner’s apartment at Downtown by Starck for $9,000/month—or $8,500/month if you pay it all in […]

Real Estate Trends

April 16, 2015

See the Last Days of Streit’s Matzo Factory Through Somber Black-and-White Photos

Whether you celebrate Passover or not, you've undoubtedly seen the pink boxes of Streit's Matzo in the grocery store each spring. For 90 years, Streit's has been churning out this iconic product at the rate of almost 900 pounds of matzo an hour on Rivington Street on the Lower East Side. But at the beginning of the year, New Yorkers received the sad news that the last family-owned matzo factory in the U.S. was purchased by a developer and the company would be moving its operations to New Jersey (a move also echoed this week by Junior's Cheesecake). But before they head across the Hudson, photographer Joseph O. Holmes has captured the final days of this fifth-generation working-class landmark, which Fast Co. Design aptly describes as "New York's Jewish Willy Wonka Factory." His black-and-white photos are somber, telling of his personal feelings about the loss of Streit's and the gentrification of the Lower East Side.
See all the photos here

History

Distinctive Homes

'Secret' live-work compound on Tribeca's skybridge street lists for $30M

Asking $6.35M, this restored 1804 Tribeca townhouse is one of the last remaining homes from the period

Tribeca's iconic skybridge property is back on the market for $30M

This $4M Park Slope duplex is house-sized, with condo simplicity and outdoor space

Trump's childhood home in Queens back on the market for $2.3M after gut renovation

Amy Schumer sells Brooklyn Heights townhouse at $1.25M loss

Once a parking garage, this $85M Village penthouse is now in line to break neighborhood sales records

Doors of steel and glass make this $3M Soho loft feel like a box of light

This $585K Village studio makes a fine pied-à-terre in a fabulous neighborhood

For $4M, East Village living, penthouse-style

VIEW ALL

April 16, 2015

VIDEO: Watch VICE Trying to ‘Make It’ in ’90s Canada, Well Before They Took Over Williamsburg

Long before VICE became a media giant gobbling up much of Williamsburg's north side real estate and displacing some of the neighborhood's beloved institutions, it was just a regular ol' start-up company consisting of three guys putting out an indie mag from a small office in Montreal. A recently uncovered video made for a '90s reality TV show transports us to that far more innocent time, introducing us to the founding fathers of the magazine, Suroosh Alvi, Shane Smith, and Gavin McInnes, and documenting their days as the get ready for a move to New York City with hopes of taking their publication to the next level. Although the then-best buds have long left the realm in which we normal folks dwell, the concerns they expressed in the video back then—"I'm scared of being poor there," McInnes says at one point—bring them back down to earth with us regular folks just trying to make it in the city. Jump ahead for an intimate look at the trio 15 years ago, chatting about the roots of the magazine and the saucy side of Canada—and watch as they stress out over searching for NYC apartments.
Watch the video here

History

April 16, 2015

Cheap, Colorful Danish Design Coming to Flatiron; Curbside Gardens to Help Clean Up the Gowanus Canal

The New York Public Library is launching a new website called OLDNYC.ORG that will take all NYPL’s digitized images and tie them to a geo-location. [Bowery Boogie] Denmark’s quirky, super-affordable home decor chain Tiger is coming to NYC with a 5,000-square-foot Flatiron store opening next month. Ninety percent of the store’s colorful products will be under […]

Uncategorized

April 16, 2015

Two out of Six Units Already in Contract at 52 Lispenard Street, Is Jake Gyllenhaal the Next Buyer?

By Annie Doge

Sales launched exactly a month ago at the long-awaited 52 Lispenard Street in Tribeca, and in that short time two of the building's six units are already in contract at the asking price–the three-bedroom unit 3 for $7.3 million and the five-bedroom, floor-through unit 4 for $6.85 million. There are two four-bedroom units, priced at $7.2 and $8 million, also currently available. Since the Post reports today that Jake Gyllenhaal looked at two units in the building, one of which is the three-bedroom unit now in contract to someone else, we're wondering if he might just be the next buyer to sign on as one of the building's first residents.
More details ahead

April 16, 2015

Sunny East Village Pad in Ageloff Towers Is the Perfect Starter Apartment

There’s a charming apartment available in Ageloff Towers now going for $725,000. This pre-war pad features modern amenities against the backdrop of original details like beamed ceilings, parquet floors, base molding and wainscoting. Generously sized for a one-bedroom, this unit is perfect for a young New Yorker looking to create a cozy home in one of the city's most culturally distinct neighborhoods.
More pics inside

Distinctive Homes

April 16, 2015

New Clinton Hill Building with $1,064 Two-Bedroom Apartments Now Taking Applications

Clinton Hill rents may be skyrocketing, but there are a handful of units coming up sure to bring some peace of mind to those worried that the neighborhood is turning into another haven for the rich. DNA Info reports that a brand new building coming up at 490 Myrtle Avenue at Hall Street that will boast a terrace, veggie garden, reflecting pools with cabanas and $1,064 two-bedroom apartments. The building is sited along one of the more rapidly gentrifying areas of the neighborhood, just a block away from the Pratt Institute along a stretch of Myrtle Avenue that is about to see a serious boom in new developments and green space.
Find out more here and if you qualify for one of the units

April 16, 2015

Flashy Designer Loft in Tribeca Sells for $9.25M

It's always interesting to see how architects and designers outfit their personal homes, and in this case the answer is very lavishly. Jennifer Tonkel, an interior designer at Kemble Interiors, along with her husband Carlos Fierro, bought this 3,650-square-foot loft at 408 Greenwich Street in Tribeca for $7.64 million in 2008, and after decorating it to their hearts' content, listed it for $10.75 million just about a year ago. The impressive home has now sold for $9.25 million, according to city records released today.
Tour the designer pad here

April 15, 2015

The City Breaks Ground on New York’s 630-Foot Ferris Wheel Tomorrow!

Hold on to your hats, folks! After countless delays, the New York Wheel is finally back on track. Architizer reports that workers are gearing up to break ground tomorrow, April 16th, on what is slated to become the world's tallest observation wheel. Providing panoramic views of New York Harbor and the cityscape beyond, the 630-foot wheel located at the tip of St. George on northern Staten Island is primed to become one of the most epic ways to experience New York City.
FInd out more on the cost and admission here

Architecture And Design

Ruffle Bar and Robbins Reef: NYC’s Forgotten Oyster Islands

Ruffle Bar via Frogma

April 15, 2015

Ruffle Bar and Robbins Reef: NYC’s Forgotten Oyster Islands

Today, when most New Yorkers think of oysters it has to do with the latest happy hour offering the underwater delicacies for $1, but back in the 19th century oysters were big business in New York City, as residents ate about a million a year. In fact, oyster reefs once covered more than 220,000 acres of the Hudson River estuary and it was estimated that the New York Harbor was home to half of the world's oysters. Not only were they tasty treats, but they filtered water and provided shelter for other marine species. They were sold from street carts as well as restaurants, and even the poorest New Yorkers enjoyed them regularly. Though we know the shores of Manhattan, especially along today's Meatpacking District and in the Financial District near aptly named Pearl Street, were chock full of oysters, there were also a couple of islands that played a part in New York's oyster culture, namely Ruffle Bar, a sandbar in Jamaica Bay, and Robbins Reef, a reef off Staten Island marked with a lighthouse.
Find out about these two forgotten islands

History

April 15, 2015

Boerum Hill Home with Tetris-Like Facade and Unusual Dining Table Now for Sale

By Stephanie Hoina

What’s more fun than writing about a National Registry home with a tetris-like facade? Living in it! At the beginning of the year we got a peek into this Dean/Wolf Architects designed townhouse located at 300 State Street in Boerum Hill and we have to admit we were envious of the lucky occupants. And while we aren’t quite ready to plunk down the $5.65 million asking price, it’s likely this stunning one-family residence won’t be on the market for long.
See more of the award-winning design

Distinctive Homes

Jet Blue Wants to Turn the TWA Terminal into a Hotel; NYPL Requests Proposals for Its Flagship Redesign

New Jersey is becoming more and more like Brooklyn by the minute. Junior’s is moving its baking facility to NJ. [Crain’s] Jet Blue wants to turn the iconic Eero Saarinen-designed TWA flight terminal at JFK into a hotel. [WSJ] Bruce Eichner on collecting air rights for his supertalls. [CO] The NY Public Library is moving forward with plans […]

Real Estate Trends

April 15, 2015

Former West Village B&B Sells as a Single-Family Townhouse for $25M

The West Village mansion at 278 West 11th Street hit the market for $30 million in March of last year, which was a huge jump from the $8.2 million owner George Agiovlasitis paid for it in 2011. But he did buy the property when it was a purple bed and breakfast and transform the 6,500-square-foot Greek Revival townhouse into a single-family home, revealing its original brick façade and replacing the historic stoop. Agiovlasitis has now made quite the profit, unloading the house for $25 million, according to city records released today. The buyer is Paula Wardynski, senior vice president of finance at 21st Century Fox, according to The Real Deal.
Take a look around the stunning residence

Real Estate Trends

April 15, 2015

In the 1700s NYC Had an Official Location for Buying, Selling, and Renting Slaves

Behind all the banks, tall towers and tourists filling up FiDi is a dark past most of us know nothing about. Back in the 1700s, a corner of Wall Street at Pearl Street played host to the city's official slave market. Though no real recognition has been given to those that suffered in the construction of Manhattan in its earliest days—rather, the area's sordid past has for the better part been swept under the rug—WNYC reports that the city will finally pay tribute to these forgotten slaves, adding a historical marker to the site where the slave market once operated.
Find out more about the slave market here

History

April 15, 2015

It’ll Cost $32 Just to Walk into the WTC Restaurants; Video Parodies What MTA Conductors Really Think

A new book recounts what life was like as a squatter in the ’90s. [Bedford + Bowery] We know it’s going to cost $32 to visit One World Observatory, but you’ll have to pay the admission fee even if you just want to dine at one of the top-floor restaurants. [NYP] The Whitney museum will throw […]

Uncategorized

April 15, 2015

POLL: Is Penthouse Living Worth a 75% Price Increase?

On Monday we took a look at an infographic from CityRealty that shows how much more penthouse buyers pay compared to their neighbors directly below. Analyzing the top penthouse sales recorded in 2014, they found that “high-rise top floor buyers on average shell out 11 percent more per square foot for their pads than their counterparts just below. Looking at the average […]

Real Estate Trends

NYC Council Introduces Tech Program to Engage Residents and Increase Transparency

Melissa Mark-Viverito via Wiki Commons

April 15, 2015

NYC Council Introduces Tech Program to Engage Residents and Increase Transparency

Last week it was announced that the New York City Council was introducing new legislation to alter the landmarks law in favor of historic preservation. But just four days later, after facing scrutiny for proposing already-existing stipulations to the law, the council spoke out that they were in fact not proposing any legislation. Now, Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito has revealed with perfect timing Council 2.0, "a new tech program aimed at familiarizing and engaging residents with the city council," reports Next City. The goals of the program include making the council's website more accessible, using social media outlets like Facebook and Twitter to generate feedback on hearings, programs, and proposals and creating a new website called Council Labs to help New Yorkers visualize the budget process.
More details here

Policy

April 15, 2015

This Sprawling Sun-Filled Noho Loft Will Make You Want to Dance

Calling all artists! This beautiful Noho loft at 35 Bond Street is literally begging to be the backdrop of your next masterpiece. Whether you want to paint in front of the giant arched windows or tango the entire length of the living room/studio, this massive $5.995 million AIR co-op is certainly an artist's dream.
More pics inside

Distinctive Homes

April 14, 2015

This Schematic of NYC Structures Shows the City’s Icons in Blueprint Style

Want to bring a little bit of the city into your home, but tired of the standard black-and-white photos of landmarks or graphic maps that can be found at every craft fair these days? Why not frame this lovely print called Splendid Structures of New York City? Based on Brooklyn-based Pop Chart Lab's popular print The Schematic of Structures, this new design takes iconic NYC structures like the Statue of Liberty and One World Trade Center, along with local landmarks such as the Unisphere and Wyckoff House, and presents them in a hand-illustrated, blueprint-like style.
See the full print here

April 14, 2015

Enormous ‘Authentic and Locally Curated’ Food Hall Coming to Downtown Brooklyn

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

Amongst the city's more delectable real estate news comes word that the developer of City Point has plans to bring a 26,000-square-foot foodie haven to their massive Downtown Brooklyn project. Dubbed the Dekalb Market Hall, the space will host somewhere between 35 and 55 "authentic and locally curated" vendors at the basement level of the 1.8-million-square-foot mixed-use development along Dekalb Avenue. Though leasing is still in the works, more than a handful of food purveyors have already signed on to stir what's sure to be a culinary revolution for an area more commonly associated with chains like Starbucks and Applebee's. So yes, put your best sweatpants on, friends, there will be artisanal doughnuts and barbecue.
More on who's moving in

Real Estate Trends

THE 6SQFT SHOP

The 6 best furniture rental companies in NYC

8 best places in NYC to thrift for home goods

The best websites for buying and selling used furniture in NYC

Everything you need to know about using a guarantor in NYC

15 quintessential NYC gifts for the New Yorker in your life

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

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

10 best plants for apartment dwellers

New York City's best holiday markets of 2023

VIEW ALL

April 14, 2015

Never-Built Hudson River Bridge Would Have Been Twice the Length of the George Washington Bridge

If you've ever driven into the city from New Jersey and sat in a couple hours of traffic waiting to traverse either the Lincoln or Holland Tunnel, this 19th century idea for a Hudson River Bridge probably sounds pretty amazing. It would have spanned 6,000 feet from Hoboken to 57th Street in Manhattan, almost double the length of the George Washington Bridge, to give you an idea of its massiveness. Furthermore, it would have been 200 feet wide and 200 feet high, providing space for 12 railroads, 24 traffic lanes, and 2 pedestrian walkways. Its two 825-foot support towers would have surpassed the 792-foot Woolworth Building, which was the tallest skyscraper in the world at that time.
Read the full history here

History

April 14, 2015

Lauren Bacall’s Dakota Listing Gets a Few New Photos; Alleged Madam Lists Her UWS Townhouse

More photos of Lauren Bacall’s Dakota apartment have been added to the recently reduced $23.5M listing. [CityRealty] David Jaffee, a.k.a NYC’s Airbnb Slumlord, may face criminal charges for creating dorm-like Airbnb rentals out of Manhattan apartments. [NYP] Alleged madam Ghislaine Maxwell, accused of fixing up financier Jeffrey Epstein and Prince Andrew, Duke of York, with minors, has […]

Real Estate Trends

April 14, 2015

This Map Lets You Explore NYC’s 592,130 Street Trees by Species and Trunk Thickness

If you feel like your allergies go into overdrive when you're in the city, don’t be so quick to blame it on all the dust and must being kicked up by passing cars. As it turns out, New York’s flora is far more diverse and abundant than you’d suspect. Jill Hubley, a Brooklyn web developer, took data from the 2005-2006 Street Tree Census and found that there are about 592,130 trees on public streets alone. But beyond pinpointing where each street tree sits, Hubley's map also identifies a tree's species and trunk thickness. What emerges from her study is a kaleidoscope of colors and a fascinating look at the city's biodiversity.
Find out more here

April 14, 2015

Astronauts Get a Fancy New Espresso Machine; Following a ’90s Tourist Guide Around NYC

A brief history of Orchard Street’s oldest stores. [DNAinfo] Take a journey around NYC following a 1997 tourist guide. [Hopes&Fears] Space coffee just got a whole lot better… astronauts can now drink a fresh cup of joe from a fancy new espresso machine. [The Atlantic] The best date spot near every Manhattan subway stop. [Thrillist […]

Uncategorized

April 14, 2015

$5M Boerum Hill Beauty Has Shoe Closet Almost Big Enough for Imelda Marcos

By Stephanie Hoina

When we first saw photos of this four-story home located at 416 Pacific Street in historic Boerum Hill what came to mind was beautifully planned opulence. On the market for a whisper under $5 million, every room is full of rich fabrics and textiles with no detail left to chance. Less than two years ago it was sold as a two-family residence for a little over $3.3 million, but the current owner masterfully transformed it into a magnificent single-family home, and though it is easily convertible back to its previous form, we can’t imagine giving up a single piece of the square-footage.
See what beautifully planned opulence looks like

Distinctive Homes

How Would a Minimum Wage Hike Change the Way New Yorkers Spend Money?

Produce Department via photopin (license)

April 14, 2015

How Would a Minimum Wage Hike Change the Way New Yorkers Spend Money?

Today, the Daily News reports that increasing the minimum wage to $15/hour would add $10 billion annually to city paychecks and increase earnings for almost 1.5 million people, according to an analysis by City Comptroller Scott Stringer. Says the paper, "The typical family getting the boost would spend $1,100 to $1,800 more a year on housing, and up to $600 on groceries, $400 on entertainment, and $300 eating out, Stringer predicted." How would this increase in spending compare to a given family's financial patterns before the minimum wage hike? The Washington Post has used newly released data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics to analyze where the poor and rich spend really spend their money. Looking at four categories (housing, transportation, food, and pensions/life insurance) and three classes (low, middle, and high), the results are mainly as to be expected. The rich spend more all around, but as a percentage of their total income, they spend less; the middle class spends the most on transportation; and basically all Americans have similar spending patterns when it comes to groceries. But the big difference between the upper and lower classes is saving. "For every dollar they spend at the grocery store, the poorest households save 12 cents, while the wealthy sock away $3.07 in pensions and life insurance."
What does this mean? See the infographics here

April 14, 2015

Lovely $11M Greenwich Village Pad Has Two Terraces and Two Master Suites

You know you've found "the one" when you find yourself searching online for artwork to hang on its gallery-sized walls. Our guess is this Greenwich Village co-op at 7 East 9th Street was combined from two units: unit 2R (a large $4.1 million duplex), and 2F (a smaller $900,000 unit). The end result is a massive, $11 million, two- or three-bedroom duplex with sky high 13-foot ceilings, exquisite finishes, and northern and southern light.
More pics inside

Distinctive Homes

How Much More Do Penthouse Buyers Pay Compared to Their Neighbors Directly Below?

30 Park Place

April 13, 2015

How Much More Do Penthouse Buyers Pay Compared to Their Neighbors Directly Below?

So maybe you don't get the coveted "PH" in your address, but you will save tens of millions of dollars by "slumming it" on the floor just below. The data gurus over at CityRealty analyzed the top penthouse sales recorded in 2014 and found that high-rise top floor buyers on average shell out 11 percent more per square foot for their pads than their counterparts just below. Looking at the average selling price, this rings in at a whopping 75 percent more. Is the PH premium worth it? Let us know what you think in the comments.
check out the full infographic here

Real Estate Trends

April 13, 2015

$1,795 LES Rental Proudly Features a Shower in the Kitchen

If you're going to be that landlord who puts a shower in the kitchen, there's really no point in being subtle. This Lower East Side apartment located at 27 Orchard Street at Delancey has nothing to hide, prominently displaying its shower stall in all its glory front and center. While this type of living situation typically screams studio apartment, the "old world style" pad is actually a one-bedroom that's "better than your average studio!"
More on this apartment here

April 13, 2015

The Compact Gali Kitchen Is Perfect for Always-on-the-Move New Yorkers

Wouldn't it have been nice to have your own kitchen when you lived in that cramped apartment you shared with six people? Or to actually have a kitchen at all when you lived in that shoebox studio? For constantly on-the-move New Yorkers who like to cook (or maybe just wash a dish here and there), these are common conundrums. But a new compact system called the Gali Kitchen can easily solve these problems. The creation of recent design school grad Ana Arana, Gali is considered a revision of the kitchen, "letting each individual distribute their space as wanted, having everything necessary to cook when needed but allowing the living space to embrace new possibilities." Remarkably, the adaptable, compact module includes everything one needs -- a sink, fridge, induction cooktop, storage, and prep/dining table.
See more ahead

April 13, 2015

VIDEO: RuPaul Takes Us Around the 1980s Meatpacking District and the Jane Hotel

We know all about the Meatpacking District's beginnings as the Gansevoort Market and the epicenter of meat marketers, as well as its current status as a burgeoning office tower district, but in the 1980s, this neighborhood was one to which most people didn't pay much mind. It was fairly run down, with its industrial tenants having moved out, and became notorious for prostitution, sex clubs, and drug dealing. But there was much more to the area, including an accepting LGBT community and a downtown music and entertainment scene. In this video we found from 1986, a young RuPaul takes us into his penthouse suite at the Jane Hotel, then known as the Jane West Hotel and far seedier than it is today, as well as walks around the gritty streets of the Meatpacking District and into his friend's 9th Avenue rowhouse, which will undoubtedly look familiar to anyone who's walked these cobblestone streets.
Watch the video here

History

April 13, 2015

The Correlation Between Trees and Neighborhood Wealth; Vinegar Hill Townhouse Breaks Sales Record

The amount of trees a neighborhood has can signal income inequality. [CityLab] This Vinegar Hill townhouse previously eyed by Robert Pattinson has sold for a neighborhood record of $3.35M. [DNA Info] United American Land is suing an investment banker for renting out his rent-stabilized Tribeca apartment on Airbnb. [CO] Is this Bates+Masi-designed beach house too tiny […]

Real Estate Trends

April 13, 2015

Lovely and Light-Filled Co-op in Park Slope Won’t Break the Bank at $525K

By Stephanie Hoina

If you’re still working to make that first million, you know finding a cool place to hang your hat in some of the city’s more sought-after neighborhoods without breaking the bank can seem like an exercise in futility. Take heart, it’s not impossible! This lovely and light-filled condo at 670 President Street in the heart of one of Brooklyn's favorite neighborhoods can be yours for a mere $525,000.
Take a look inside

Distinctive Homes

April 13, 2015

Piece of the Berlin Wall Returning to Midtown; Biggie Smalls Murals on the Rise

After a painstaking conservation job, a 33,000-pound, 20-foot section of the Berlin Wall belonging to Jerry I. Speyer, chairman of the Tishman Speyer real estate company, will return to Midtown. [NYT] Preservationists and local elected officials will try again to have Coney Island’s iconic boardwalk designated a scenic landmark. [Brooklyn Daily] Is Biggie Smalls becoming […]

Uncategorized

April 13, 2015

Norman Foster’s 2 World Trade Center Could Get a Jumpstart Thanks to Rupert Murdoch

Norman Foster's 88-story tower, destined for the last unoccupied site of the World Trade Center complex, could finally get the legs it needs to move forward. The New York Times reports that media giants News Corporation and 21st Century Fox, both headed by Rupert Murdoch, are in talks with the Port Authority and developer Larry Silverstein to make the long-stalled 1,349-foot skyscraper their next home. The move would relocate a number of News Corp. and Fox's top brands—which include the NY Post and the Wall Street Journal—and give 2 WTC what it needs to resume construction as required by the Port Authority; namely a solid anchor tenant. Ground was broken on the tower way back in 2008 and slated for completion in 2016, but in 2013 the Port Authority put a hold on construction until tenants could be found for occupancy.
More on the move forward here

Fire Escapes Going Extinct as Building Codes Shift

Via 2nd-avenue-and-5th-street via photopin (license)

April 13, 2015

Fire Escapes Going Extinct as Building Codes Shift

The outdoor fire escape has long been a fixture in the New York City streetscape, but more and more buildings are losing their iron appendages now that fireproof interior stairwells are seen as the emergency exit of choice, reports the Post. Moreover, the fire, buildings and city planning departments are amending fire safety rules in response to the influx of supertall towers to allow for "more occupant-evacuation elevators that can be used to move people down a tower in the event of an emergency." While the new regulations are progressive and safer, losing the fire escape architecture is like losing a piece of New York City history.
Find out more here

Policy

April 13, 2015

Modern Carroll Gardens Townhouse with Its Own Elevator Asks $4.25M

There's a gorgeous townhouse at 442 Union Street asking $4.25 million. This 4,320-square-foot Carroll Gardens home was masterfully designed by Platt Dana Architects and features three levels, a separate ground-floor apartment, a private garden, a roof terrace, and an elevator.
More pics inside

Distinctive Homes

April 12, 2015

Construction Update: SOM’s 252 East 57th Street Getting Its Glass Skin

By Ondel Hylton

With foundation work complete, the World Wide Group / Rose Associates' tower at 252 East 57th Street is rapidly making its climb into the Midtown East skyline. The 57-story development composed of 93 condos and 173 rentals is designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP (SOM), with SLCE serving as the architects of record. Despite the tower's location along the eastern fringe of cloud-busting billionaire's row, the 715-foot building won't be competing for any height records–for instance, 111 West 57th Street is double its height at 1,428 feet. Instead, the tower is shaping up to be more of a typical Midtown East affair, falling in line with its Second Avenue context by providing a broad 80-foot-high base along the avenue and a sheer 50-story rectangular slab rising above. Recent residential towers along Second Avenue such as The Milan, The Veneto, and The Three Ten share 252's massing, which planners prescribed to conform new skyscrapers to the rows of existing walk-up buildings.
More details on the project here

720 West End Avenue

Upper West Side

Serene Upper West Side homes near Riverside Park

1 beds starting at $1,005,000
2 beds starting at $2,495,000
3 beds starting at $3,495,000
4 beds starting at $5,850,000

Learn More

April 11, 2015

Weekly Highlights: Top Picks from the 6sqft Staff

Interior Renderings for SHoP’s 111 West 57th Street Tower Revealed Los Angeles Has Designed the Perfect Parking Sign–Can NYC Take Note? Bill Ackman Closes on One57 Penthouse for $91.5M, Second Most Expensive Condo Sale Ever VIDEO: Meet the ‘Pimps and Hos’ of Seedy ’70s Times Square You Can Now Tour the Gowanus Canal Without Catching […]

Uncategorized

April 10, 2015

New Yorker Spotlight: Caroline Weaver Is Making Pencils Cool Again with Her New LES Pencil Shop

By Susan Cohen

In an era where typing trumps writing by hand, it might come as surprise to learn of a one-month-old store on the Lower East Side devoted to all things pencil. Then again, perhaps the digital age has primed all of us for a return to the simplest writing implement of them all, which is exactly what owner Caroline Weaver hopes will happen with her store, CW Pencil Enterprise. Caroline opened the store mere weeks ago in March, following the launch of an online boutique back in October 2014. While the move from screen to storefront may seem fast, Caroline's decision was in response to stellar online sales. Her store provides a tactile shopping experience, but more than that, she wants to share her passion for pencils with New Yorkers. Customers will be delighted by Caroline's knowledge of pencil history as well as her understanding and appreciation that pencils are at the beginning of many great achievements. We recently stopped by the store to ask Caroline some sharp questions, and just like the pencils she carries, her answers were on point.
Read our interview with Caroline here

REVEALED: SL Green to Build Another Times Square Spectacular at 719 Seventh Avenue

Image courtesy of Akueous Design

April 10, 2015

REVEALED: SL Green to Build Another Times Square Spectacular at 719 Seventh Avenue

By Ondel Hylton

Here's our first look at what commercial heavyweights SL Green have in mind for a small Times Square corner at 719 Seventh Avenue and West 48th Street. Building permits filed earlier this month call for a four-story, 9,000 square-foot retail building designed by TPG Architecture. Demolition permits were filed back in December and the doomed three-story structure is already shrouded in construction netting and scaffolding. The site also shares its Seventh Avenue block-front with Witkoff's upcoming 40-story Marriott Edition Hotel that will flash one of the largest LED displays in the city.
Find out more on the project here

April 10, 2015

UWS Brownstone Duplex with Private Terrace Asks $1.8 Million

By Emily Nonko

If you can't afford the multi-millions it takes to buy a townhouse off Central Park West, this duplex at 132 West 78th Street may do the trick. Of course, the price is still significant with an ask of $1,795,000. But it's a smaller sum for a lovely, historic pad–the co-op takes up two floors of a brownstone, which is located on a block of even more gorgeous brownstones. And did we mention it's located less than a block away from the Museum of Natural History, and one block from Central Park?
Take a look around here

Distinctive Homes

April 10, 2015

City Housing Projects to Go Green; There’s Asbestos in Gracie Mansion