6sqft | NYC local news, events, and apartments

A Trashcan Inspired the Design of Rafael Viñoly’s 432 Park Avenue $18 Million Townhouse in Greenwich Village Will Speak to Your Inner Historian and Artist Interior Renderings Revealed for Central Park South’s Brand New 1,210-Foot Supertall Bjarke Ingels Confirmed to Replace Norman Foster in the Design of 2 World Trade Center Elizabeth Roberts Brings Light […]

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June 5, 2015

New Yorker Spotlight: Michael Schneider on Telling Tales of Immigration on Ellis Island Using Technology

By Susan Cohen

Modern-day storytelling ranges from the age-old tradition of oration to the modern take of 140 characters. But what happens when the story is a mix of old and new and is intended for an audience that ranges from elementary school students to centenarians? That's where ESI Design, a firm dedicated to enriching the human experience, steps in. ESI was founded in 1977 by Edwin Schlossberg. Their unique focus on melding traditional techniques with modern technology made them the perfect fit to design the recently launched Peopling of America Center at the Ellis Island National Museum of Immigration. The center–conceived with the vision and support of the Statue of Liberty – Ellis Island Foundation and its president Stephen Briganti and the National Parks Service–highlights journeys undertaken before Ellis Island opened in 1892 with "Journeys: The Peopling of America - 1550s-1890," which opened in 2011. On May 20th, another wing called "The Journey: New Eras of Immigration" opened to give visitors the chance to look at immigration that took place after Ellis Island closed in 1954. One of the visionaries at ESI is senior designer of media and technology Michael Schneider. For the Peopling of America Center, he was responsible for figuring out which of the available technologies worked best for the new exhibits and their audience. We recently spoke with Michael to learn how ESI approaches storytelling and, specifically, how the firm designed the galleries for the Peopling of America Center.
Read our interview with Michael here

June 5, 2015

Inventor D.H. Burrell’s Little Falls Mansion Will Transport You Back to the Victorian Age

By Shiloh Frederick

Comfortably nestled within the Mohawk Valley in upstate New York, the Burrell Overlook Mansion is seemingly untouched by time. This former farmstead built between 1886-1889 was the home of inventor and engineer D.H. Burrell. Burrell, a quirky genius in his own right, paired the Victorian mansion with a self-sustaining hydroelectric power generator that amazingly remains functional to this day. But while the mansion once served as a playground for madcap ideas, today it operates as a peaceful bed and breakfast and historical hideaway for those passing through the valley. And now, for a mere $725,000, you can make this beauty your very own personal retreat.
Read more about this historic home

June 5, 2015

QUIZ: Play 6sqft Trivia to Test Your Knowledge of NYC History, Architecture, and Real Estate

On Tuesday, 6sqft celebrated its first birthday with a party attended by some of our biggest supporters and readers. The evening included an intense three-round game of trivia, where our guests tested their knowledge of New York City history, architecture and real estate. Some of the questions stumped all ten teams, while others turned out to be well-known factoids. Didn't make it to the party? We've created an online version of our trivia game just for you. No Googling allowed!
TAKE THE QUIZ

June 5, 2015

Pier55 Floating Park Gets New Renderings and Updated Design Details

Back in April, the city introduced a plan B for Barry Diller's Pier 55 floating park, but it was far less exciting than the original futuristic design. Thankfully, the latest set of renderings, revealed by Curbed, show that the whimsical nature of the park hasn't gone anywhere. Mathews Nielsen, the landscape architect for the project who is working with designer Thomas Heatherwick, unveiled the latest set of images at a meeting this week. They take into account concerns from the local community board, including its height (the platform will now be 62 feet at its highest point as opposed to 70), circulation (the winding pathways are being designed with congestion in mind), and the issue of people jumping off (the periphery will be lined with shrubbery and a fence).
More details ahead

Architecture And Design

June 5, 2015

Jon Bon Jovi Unloads His Mercer Street Penthouse for $34M

By Annie Doge

It's official, rocker Jon Bon Jovi is now free of the 158 Mercer Street digs he's been trying to unload for the past for two years. First reported by The Real Deal, city records filed this afternoon show that the home traded hands for a whopping $34 million; although at first this seems like a pretty penny, it's actually way down from its original ask of $42 million. The buyer is Austrian-American businessman and investor Gerhard Andlinger, who previously called a sprawling 8,300-square-footer at the Time Warner Center his home.
Have a look inside the penthouse

June 5, 2015

Ten Arquitectos Develop All-Purpose ‘Casitas’ for Community Gardens Around the City

By Shiloh Frederick

Over the past year, "casitas" have been sprouting up in community gardens from Puerto Rico to the South Bronx. These "little houses" are the result of a collaboration between the New York Restoration Project (NYRP) and the Urban Air Foundation (UAF) to develop an adaptable structure for community gardens. Taking on former mayor Mike Bloomberg's post-Sandy challenge to create resilient infrastructure throughout the city, the two organizations partnered with Ten Arquitectos to create the shed-like structures. The modular timber casitas are multi-functional and can be converted to food preparation stations, performance stages, storage spaces, or just a spot for shade.
More design details here

Distinctive Homes

The Clinton Hill townhouse where Patti Smith and Robert Mapplethorpe lived is asking $17.5K/month

Jackson Pollock’s former Greenwich Village loft returns to market for $1.99M

This $2.3M Murray Hill co-op offers historic townhouse living without the price, upkeep, and daily stair-climbing

The Tribeca loft with an original Keith Haring mural is back on the market for $25M

This $1.8M Park Slope co-op feels like a townhouse, private deck included

Village penthouse with rooftop 'country cottage' is for sale, asking $10.5M

This $5M Soho co-op will give your friends loft envy

East Village 'Peace House' asks $6.95M

This $15M Westchester home is a work of modern architecture that reflects the surrounding forest

For $2.4M, this artfully renovated Williamsburg duplex takes loft living to a new level

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June 5, 2015

The High Bridge Is Reopening After 40 Years; Mapping NYC Hip-Hop Artists

The High Bridge, the city’s oldest bridge that spans the Harlem River and connects Manhattan and the Bronx, will reopen to foot and bicycle traffic for the first time in 40 years. [NYT] HidrateMe is a smart water bottle that tracks your hydration and glows when you need to take a sip. [Business Insider] The […]

Uncategorized

June 5, 2015

Historic Riverside Mansion Designed by Notable Architect Asks $14 Million

Within the Riverside Drive-West 80th-81st Street Historic District on the Upper West Side, there's a row of eight stunning townhouses built in the Elizabethan Renaissance Revival style. The row was designed by the prominent architect Clarence True, who contributed greatly to the development surrounding Riverside Park. Elegant properties like this one at 320 West 80th Street attracted the New York City elite around the turn of the century, and not much has changed today. Now the mansion is on the market for $14 million.
See the beautiful interior

June 5, 2015

Charming Apartment in One of Harlem’s Oldest Co-ops Asks $1.1M

If you want to live in one of the oldest private co-ops in Harlem, here's your chance. The 25-foot-wide, 102-foot-long unit at 152 West 131st Street has an interesting floor plan with the living room and dining room on complete opposite sides of a long narrow hallway. But it has charming original details, nice finishes, and it's in an adorable brownstone, so the $1.1 million pad is definitely worth a look.
More pics inside

Distinctive Homes

June 4, 2015

According to Real Estate Brokers, All of Brooklyn Is an Extension of Williamsburg

A hilarious new map on Reddit pokes fun at real estate brokers’ tendency to stretch the truth to when it comes to an apartment’s proximity to desirable Williamsburg. Here, Coney Island is South-SouthSouth Williamsburg, East New York is South EastWilliamsburg, but only a tiny little triangle in Brownsville gets a reprieve from the hipster treatment […]

Real Estate Trends

Art Nerd New York’s Top Event Picks for the Week, 6/4-6/10

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!

June 4, 2015

Art Nerd New York’s Top Event Picks for the Week, 6/4-6/10

By Lori Zimmer

Kim Gordon, the unstoppable, inspirational Jane-of-all-trades leads the week with the opening of her latest fine art exhibition—as if playing in two bands and penning a best-selling memoir were not enough already. Novice art collectors can have their day at Cotton Candy for their very popular annual Tiny Trifecta, where all works by renowned artists are just $100. And being thrifty is in the air with the Museum Mile Festival which is offering free admission to nine museums along 5th Avenue. But if art isn't your thing, there's still lots more to do: get cultured with a French flick in Washington Square Park, or schooled at Lost Lectures as it returns to a secret, former ship-building warehouse somewhere in the Brooklyn Navy Yard.
All the best events here

Events & Things To Do

June 4, 2015

Ben Affleck Spotted Checking Out a $25M Time Warner Center Condo

By Annie Doge

Amidst rumors that Ben Affleck and wife Jennifer Garner are heading to splitsville, the Post now reports that Affleck is on the hunt for a NYC pad. The actor was spotted scoping out a duplex condo at the Time Warner Center at 25 Columbus Circle, currently priced at $24.995 million. The home was originally listed at $50 million last year, the Post writes, then popping back on the market early in January at almost half the price at $28 million. With 3,582 square feet at his disposal, this sprawling unit most definitely offers more than enough room for the actor and family to stretch out in, plus or minus Garner.
Let's have a look inside

June 4, 2015

Mipsterz Are on the Rise in NYC, and They’re Cooler Than Your Average Hipster

We all have one of those friends: you ask them if they consider themselves a hipster (which by all accounts they are) and you're met with a very sardonic "I hate hipsters..." While it's pretty much an unspoken rule that those who knowingly fall within hipsterdom should never acknowledge such, there is a unique group of young folks in the city wholly embracing the label as part of their identity. In fact, they've come up with their own play on the word: Mipsterz, or Muslim hipsters.
more here

June 4, 2015

All the Details Are Intact at This $1.5M Historic Bed-Stuy Brownstone

If you're in the market for a classic Brooklyn brownstone with all its details intact, check out this home for sale at 454 Jefferson Avenue in Bed-Stuy. The Second Empire-style house, which is four stories and holds two units, is boasting well-kept interior details alongside some more modern renovations. Simply put, it's a solid brownstone property without any special frills–just the exposed brick, wood floors and large windows. It's asking $1.55 million.
See the interior

June 4, 2015

A $500M Mansion Will Be the Country’s Most Expensive; The Naked Cowboy Rents in Queens

A CUNY professor is looking for plot to park his tiny, eco-friendly prefab home. [BU] A French financier is the buyer of 737 Park‘s $32M penthouse. [TRD] Who knew? Times Square’s Naked Cowboy rents in Queens. [BU] Think NYC’s penthouses are pricey? Apparently there’s a $500M mansion coming to Los Angeles. [Bloomberg] The $500M mansion […]

Real Estate Trends

Know of something cool happening in New York? Let us know:

June 4, 2015

Ai Weiwei and HHF’s Artfarm Displays Contemporary Chinese Art Inside an Agricultural Building

By Ana Lisa Alperovich

HHF Architects and Ai Weiwei have come up with a super cool, ready-made and affordable solution for an art gallery in a rural environment. They blended art and a farm, resulting in Artfarm. Using a pre-engineered agricultural structure commonly used in the area, they created a versatile and expansive display for the public exhibition of Chinese art from private collections worldwide.
Learn more about this rural art gallery in upstate NY

June 4, 2015

Ikea Is Using Meatballs to Trick You into Buying Furniture; How ‘Seinfeld’ Had a Subway Set

Check out these crazy NYC-inspired tattoos. [Refinery 29] Why can you get an entire Swedish meatball meal at Ikea for $5.99? So you’ll automatically assume everything else in the store is a steal. [NYP] The story behind Seinfeld’s very realistic, but fake subway set. [Gothamist] This skull ash tray uses functional form to prod smokers to […]

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June 4, 2015

Cobble Hill Townhouse Sets Record for Most Expensive Home Sale in Brooklyn at $15.5M

You know the real estate market is getting shaken up when Brooklynites are abandoning their beloved borough for the cheaper island of Manhattan. And today's record breaker just goes to show how hot Brooklyn is right now. The Daily News reports that the super-modernized Cobble Hill carriage house at 177 Pacific Street sold for $15.5 million, setting the record for most expensive home sale ever in the borough. The four-story, six-bedroom house takes the top spot from Truman Capote's former home at 70 Willow Street in Brooklyn Heights, which sold in 2012 for $12.5 million.
More details about this Brooklyn record breaker

Real Estate Trends

June 4, 2015

Soho’s Only Freestanding Home Already Back on the Market, Now a $22.5K Rental

If you thought you missed out on the chance to live in Soho's only freestanding home, you're in luck. Just two weeks after we broke the news that 514 Broome Street had sold for $6.887 million, it's back on the market with a new paint job and a rental price tag of $22,500 a month. Interestingly enough, "Million Dollar Listing" start Ryan Serhant is the broker once again.
More pics inside

Distinctive Homes

June 3, 2015

Starchitecture Firm Snøhetta Will Design Vornado’s Penn Station Area Overhaul

Back in April, we learned that Vornado Realty Trust was hoping to pour hundreds of millions of dollars into revitalizing the Penn Station area with new retail space, public plazas, and other infrastructure. Now, Crain's reports that the developer has tapped Oslo-based starchitecture firm Snøhetta to handle the overhaul's master plan, the same architects responsible for the 9/11 Memorial Museum Pavilion and the public plaza in Times Square. Snøhetta will be responsible for creating a "framework" for both Vornado's Penn Plaza buildings and the surrounding street-level spaces. And in a similar vein to the recently approved One Vanderbilt scheme at Grand Central, the master plan will include closing off part of West 33rd to vehicular traffic in the hopes of creating a permanent pedestrian plaza near Madison Square Garden.
More details and specifics on the street closures ahead

June 3, 2015

How Does the One WTC Observatory Stack Up Against the World’s Highest Tourist Spots?

It was a big day in New York City last Friday, when the One World Trade Center Observatory officially opened to the public, welcoming New Yorkers and tourists alike to the top of the tallest building in North America. While the view from 1,250 feet up in the air seems like the apex of the world, the folks over at the Skyscraper Museum put together this fun infographic, which compares the highest publicly-accessible tourist spaces around the world, including observation decks, bars, restaurants, and other sky-high thrills. Turns out, the One World Trade Observatory ranks 9th for observation decks and 11th for all publicly-accessible spaces.
More details ahead

Architecture And Design

June 3, 2015

Bjarke Ingels Confirmed to Replace Norman Foster in the Design of 2 World Trade Center

Back in April, word broke that starchitect Bjarke Ingels was in talks to re-design 2 World Trade Center, as News Corp. and 21st Century Fox mulled over a downtown move. Now the Post's Steve Cuozzo reports that the rumors are rapidly closing in on reality as both media companies have signed a non-binding but detailed letter of intent with developer Larry Silverstein to anchor the new 80-plus-story tower that pins Ingels as the architect. The news conglomerate would occupy 1.3 million square feet of the available 2.8 million square feet—a portion significant enough to jumpstart construction of the tower that has been stalled since 2008.
FInd out more here

Architecture And Design

June 3, 2015

This Verdant and Bright NoMad Loft Rental Is Channeling the Tropics

If you're looking for a loft with character, you'll want to check out this unit at 107 West 25th Street in Chelsea. It has all the original elements you look for, like refinished hardwoods, and whitewashed exposed brick, while throwing in some rare extras like original tin ceilings, exposed pipes painted red, and a 16-foot skylight. And it's available for rent for the first time ever for $6,500 a month.
More pics inside

Distinctive Homes

June 3, 2015

Artist David Salle Lists Home for $13M; What the World’s Richest One Percent Earn

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

Plans have been filed for Renzo Piano’s new residential project rising in Soho. [TRD] Here’s how much money the richest one percent make in 20 countries around the world. [Washington Post] Artist David Salle’s massive Fort Greene home has hit the market for $13M. [Curbed] How to give a crappy roommate the boot. [BrickUnderground] Images: The top floor […]

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

50 places to shop locally in NYC for that perfect gift

15 quintessential NYC gifts for the New Yorker in your life

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

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

10 best plants for apartment dwellers

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June 3, 2015

Bed-Stuy Townhouse with Flair and Flexibility Asks $2 Million

This four-family brownstone at 278 Clifton Place in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn, just hit the market for $1.995 million. It's a well-preserved historic brownstone that offers plenty of potential for conversion. It's currently set up as an owners duplex with two rental units above, but as the listing says, "You have the flexibility to make it a grand single family home, smart double duplex, triplex over garden rental or four floor-through income generating units." The house already has an extension that includes a terrace for the third-floor rental unit. The extra space and the flexible configuration gives the new buyer plenty of opportunity to use their imagination.
Check out the interior

Distinctive Homes

June 3, 2015

POLL: Can Snøhetta Transform Manhattan’s Most-Hated Area?

Earlier today, we learned that Vornado Realty Trust tapped Oslo-based starchitecture firm Snøhetta to create a master plan for the redesign of the Penn Station area. Even the developer referred to Manhattan’s most-hated and most-congested location as “the collision of humanity.” But Snøhetta worked their magic creating the Times Square pedestrian plaza, so we want to know if […]

Real Estate Trends

June 3, 2015

Pommes Frites Finds Cheaper Rent in the West Village; What Keeps New Yorkers Up at Night

Priced out of the East Village following the Second Avenue explosion, everyone’s favorite French fry spot Pommes Frites will move to MacDougal Street. We can hear the NYU students cheering now. [DNAinfo] What’s scarier, getting trapped in an elevator or priced out of an apartment? Here’s a list of New Yorkers’ worst nightmares. [The Awl] Support […]

Uncategorized

June 3, 2015

Isabella Rossellini Buys a Lincoln Square One-Bedroom for $1.3M

By Annie Doge

While the Lincoln Square location of Isabella Rossellini's new condo matches up with her larger-than-life theatrical personality, we're hard pressed to see what exactly about this simple one-bedroom at the Element drew her in. According to city records filed yesterday afternoon, the famed actress has scooped up the apartment with private terrace for $1.275 million, which, based on our best guess, will serve as a pied-a-terre of sorts for Rossellini, who spends most of her days on her farm in Bellport, Long Island.
inside isabella's new condo here

Extell May Build Brooklyn’s Tallest Tower at City Point

Rendering of City Point with a previously envisioned 65-story tower

June 3, 2015

Extell May Build Brooklyn’s Tallest Tower at City Point

Extell, the development company best known for gobbling up billionaires' row sites and building supertall towers like One57, is venturing into Brooklyn, a place they've long avoided. The New York Times reports that Extell has bought the last development site at City Point, a huge, mixed-use complex in Downtown Brooklyn that will include residential and retail space, and, of course, a massive food hall. Extell will pay $120 million for the city-owned property, on which they will likely build a 500-unit rental building. What's more noteworthy than Extell's move into the borough, though, is the fact that the tower could reach 60 stories, according to Extell president Gary Barnett, which would make it the tallest building in Brooklyn.
READ MORE

June 2, 2015

INTERVIEW: noroof Architects on Tackling Tiny Apartment Design in NYC

The tiny house movement seems to be taking over the nation, but living in modest quarters has pretty much always been the norm for the average New Yorker. One architecture studio that's focused their energies on the challenges of designing the super small—versus the super tall—is Fort Greene-based noroof Architects. Led by the duo of Margarita McGrath and Scott Oliver, the studio has been developing ingenious ideas that address the space challenges that come with living in a dense city—and they often involve transforming furniture. Jump ahead to learn more about how the pair approach downsized living and designing for families, where they find inspiration, and then get some ideas on how you can make your cramped apartment feel far more capacious.
Meet Margarita and Scott

June 2, 2015

Interior Renderings Revealed for Central Park South’s Brand New 1,210-Foot Supertall

Last week, the first exterior images of Central Park South's new supertall 1 Park Lane surfaced. Now NY YIMBY has obtained additional renderings of the 1,210-foot condo tower being designed by Handel Architects, showing off what the interiors could look like, and, most notably, the kinds of views afforded by the multi-million-dollar perches above.
See more here

June 2, 2015

$2.5M Ditmas Park Beauty Has Awesome Green Space and an Artist Studio

The Brooklyn neighborhood of Ditmas Park is known for its freestanding houses and expansive front yards. It's a lot more like suburbia than New York City, but that's why so many people love the area. This home at 235 Stratford Road has some amazing green spaces to show off–a lush front yard that's literally overflowing with plants, a wraparound porch, a sunroom, a patio, a grassy backyard and a garage that's been converted to an artist studio. We officially declare this home the best place to enjoy this summer in New York. Now, you just need $2.55 million to buy it.
Go inside

Distinctive Homes

June 2, 2015

Construction Accidents Are Up in NYC; How an Apple Store’s Design Gets You to Spend Money

101 Murray Street will be shorter than previously reported. [Curbed] How to invest in real estate without actually buying up property. [AOL] Every square foot of an Apple Store is designed to make you spend more money. [TRD] Fatal construction accidents are on the rise. [NYT] Rupert Murdoch almost lost out on his recent $25M […]

Real Estate Trends

June 2, 2015

Elizabeth Roberts Brings Light Back into This 163-Year-Old Fort Greene Townhouse

By Shiloh Frederick

When Allison Freedman Weisberg and Peter Barker-Huelster bought this Fort Greene townhouse, it was the opposite of the home they envisioned. The couple wanted a house that was bright and uncluttered. Instead, the 163 year-old house was dark and decaying with its roof and back wall about to cave in. The family enlisted Elizabeth Roberts Design/Ensemble Architecture to put air and light back into the house, resulting in this indoor/outdoor blend thanks to a two-story addition, which features a wall of windows on the second floor and an operable glass door on the ground floor.
Look around the house here

June 2, 2015

Wake Up to the Smell of a Hot Croissant or Cut Grass with This Olfactory Alarm Clock

Caffeine fiends were pretty excited when we featured the Bariseur, a hybrid coffee brewer-alarm clock that wakes you up with a fresh cup of Joe. But what if you're not a coffee drinker or if some mornings you'd prefer to rise with the aroma of the seaside rather than espresso? Don't worry, we've got you covered. SensorWake is a scent-based alarm clock that wakes you up with the aroma of chocolate instead of the sound of a blaring horn. It uses interchangeable scent cartridges that include the aforementioned seaside and chocolate, coffee, of course, hot croissants, peaches, rose, peppermint, and, curiously, dollars, among others. Each cartridge is good for about 60 wake-up calls, and the company claims it will have your eyes open in two minutes. If you're still snoozing in three minutes, a traditional sound-based alarm will go off.
Watch the product video and learn more here

Policy
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June 2, 2015

One Man’s Quest to Quit Chain Stores; Cardboard Room Takes 10 Minutes to Assemble

Quitting chain stores cold turkey and shopping only local in NYC isn’t easy. [Jeremiah’s Vanishing NY] Charting the emotions of every room in the house. [CityLab] New York City, particularly Brooklyn, has more female-run startups than anywhere else in the country. [Animal] Can American art museums continue to afford to be free to the public? […]

Uncategorized

June 2, 2015

Jewelry Designer Asks $1.3M for Rego Park Condo Decked out in Gold and Crystal

Experts recently said that NYC apartments are a better investment than gold. But how does the formula work out when the apartment is dripping in gold? A Queens-based jewelry designer spent $150,000 to outfit her Rego Park condo with glittering and gilded touches like door handles made of Swarovski crystals, walls and ceilings painted with crystal dust, 24k white gold leaf mosaics on the kitchen backsplash and columns and gold-plated bathroom fixtures. And she appropriately named her home the Jewelry Box. DNAinfo reports that the apartment, located at the Millennium 99 luxury condo at 63-36 99th Street, has hit the market for $1,288,886, which might be the highest asking price to date in the neighborhood.
Check out the opulent pad here

June 2, 2015

This Historic $2.1 Million Bed-Stuy Townhouse Comes with a Koi Pond

For $2.1 million you can nab a turn-of-the-century Italianate brick townhouse on a tree-lined block in Bed-Stuy. The two-family home measures 20 feet wide and 45 feet deep, and offers period details like inlaid parquet floors, pocket doors, pier glass mirrors, and marble mantelpieces. And who doesn't want a koi pond?
More pics inside

Distinctive Homes

REVEALED: Rafael Viñoly’s Slender 52-Story Condo Tower Design for Nomad

Image via New York YIMBY

June 1, 2015

REVEALED: Rafael Viñoly’s Slender 52-Story Condo Tower Design for Nomad

Is there any architect more in demand than Rafael Viñoly these days? NY YIMBY has uncovered the first renderings of the starchitect's latest residential project, a tower slated to pierce the sky from a Nomad site at 281 Fifth Avenue. Though notably smaller than 432 Park Avenue at just 705 feet, the skyscraper does share the 432's stark and very geometrical shape. It will also be one of the tallest in the neighborhood once constructed.
Find out more here

June 1, 2015

$18 Million Townhouse in Greenwich Village Will Speak to Your Inner Historian and Artist

This Greenwich Village townhouse located at 52 West 9th Street is unique indeed. (And we're not just talking about that $18 million price tag). The home was constructed in 1848 for the physician Austin Sherman. And while it retains many of its period details, it was renovated to accommodate the influx of artists that moved to the Village in the early 20th century. The distinctive studio on the top floor of the townhouse was added around 1920. According to the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation, "the studio is not only unusually high (seemingly a nearly double-height space), but is recessed enough to supply a balcony with a balustrade for the lucky resident." So the building has a touch of both the historic and the artistic side of Greenwich Village, with a price that fits the market of 2015.
See the interior here

Distinctive Homes

The High and Low: Waterfront Living on Beekman Place

25 Beekman Place (L); 12 Beekman Place (r)

June 1, 2015

The High and Low: Waterfront Living on Beekman Place

By Michelle Cohen

While neighborhoods may seem to become hot-or-not at the drop of a hat, waterfront property retains its mystique through the ages. Open river and bridge views are a rare and covetable amenity that can’t be brought in with high-end consultants or approximated by joining a gym on the next block. These two homes on Beekman Place, an East Side enclave of pre-war apartment buildings and stately townhouses that has long been considered the essence of understated Manhattan elegance, form part of an enviable row of buildings along the East River possessed of waterfront living on one side and Manhattan excitement on the other. The tree-shaded block-long street near the United Nations and Peter Detmold Park, minutes from bustling Midtown, is often overlooked, yet no less magical should you find yourself on it–the New York Times recently called it, "about as far off the beaten path as one can get in Manhattan." On the market now are a $13 million duplex, complete with a raised deck that elevates the view to peerless, and a 12th-floor gem on the same short street asking a more palatable $1.5 million, also with panoramic river views and a smaller, but no less lovable deck from which to watch the ships pass in the night–or day.
Get an eyeful of these waterfront vistas this way

Distinctive Homes

June 1, 2015

Meet the Current Owner of the Spinning Upstate Dome Home; 10 Most Expensive NYC Apartments for Rent

Meet the woman who currently owns this amazing revolving dome home on the market for under $1M. [NYT] Here are the ten priciest apartments up for rent in NYC right now. [Curbed] De Blasio will crack down on unregulated “three-quarter houses” that are cramming addicts, recently released prisoners, and the mentally ill into apartments collecting state money. […]

Real Estate Trends

VIDEO: Driving Around NYC in the 1920s Was a Dangerous Task

Say, you crazy nut — where did you learn to drive?

June 1, 2015

VIDEO: Driving Around NYC in the 1920s Was a Dangerous Task

I didn't. It's a gift. Next time you're holding on for dear life in the back of a taxi, watch a few seconds of this video and you'll likely feel a bit better about your fate. In this 1928 parody of what bad drivers New Yorkers are (some things never change), actor Harold Lloyd, famous for his silent comedy films, assumes the role of a city cab driver who takes passengers on a bumpy ride, dodging street-level trains and weaving in and out of traffic. We then see that the alternative modes of transportation, horse and carriage or bus, are just as dangerous.
Watch the full video here

History

June 1, 2015

1100 Architect’s Long Island House Features Grassy Sand Dunes on Its Roof

By Ana Lisa Alperovich

1100 Architect is an architectural firm based in New York City responsible for building luxurious yet curious homes all over the globe. Their stunning Long Island House is located on the eastern shore of the outpost and is one of the finest examples of their work. In addition to big and bright interiors that let the outdoors in, its spectacular exteriors host a deck for sunbathing, an infinity pool for cooling off seaside, and a sloped green roof that mimics the surrounding dunes.
Learn more about this seaside retreat in disguise

June 1, 2015

Stonewall Inn Gets Closer to Landmarking; Robert Moses vs. Jane Jacobs in Opera Form

Just in time for LGBT Pride Month, the Landmarks Preservation Commission is looking to designate the Stonewall Inn as a city landmark. [NYT] Looking back at the Theater District’s 1982 Broadway Massacre. [Ephemeral NY] A forthcoming, untitled opera will depict the feud between Robert Moses and Jane Jacobs. [NYO] This map uses NYPD data to show […]

Uncategorized

June 1, 2015

UWS Co-op of the Late Andy Rooney Lists for $2.4M