6sqft | NYC local news, events, and apartments

At a press conference this morning, Governor Cuomo announced that New York State is beginning to produce 100,000 gallons of its own hand sanitizer every week, with that amount expected to increase. Called New York Clean, the sanitizer was introduced to deal with the incredible price gouging on the product taking place on Amazon and Ebay. It has a higher alcohol content than Purell--75 percent versus 70 (the CDC recommends 60).
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Policy

$1.97M Central Park West penthouse is rich in color, architecture, and private outdoor space

Photo credit: Evan Joseph and Alyssa Brody courtesy of Compass

March 9, 2020

$1.97M Central Park West penthouse is rich in color, architecture, and private outdoor space

This Upper West Side brownstone duplex co-op at 31 West 70th Street, asking $1,968,300, is a confluence of Manhattan apartment dream factors: It's half a block from Central Park, has a wealth of private outdoor space, and is filled with rich architectural details that keep the cookie-cutter blues far away. The renovated pre-war duplex is currently set up as a two-bedroom home with two and a half baths, but it can easily be expanded to include three bedrooms with plenty of space left to spare.
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Distinctive Homes

With coronavirus cases expected to surge in NYC, de Blasio urges staggered commute times

Photo via WNYC/Flickr cc

March 9, 2020

With coronavirus cases expected to surge in NYC, de Blasio urges staggered commute times

Photo via WNYC/Flickr cc The city thus far has said that public transportation will continue to operate normally (with increased cleaning measures, of course), but this weekend, after Governor Cuomo declared a state of emergency over the coronavirus outbreak, Mayor de Blasio urged NYC residents to stagger their commute times to avoid rush hour. He also promoted biking or walking to work (despite the fact that the latter is not a feasible option for most), telecommuting, and avoiding crowded subway cars.
See what else the Mayor has to say

New York implements ‘cancel for any reason’ travel policies amid coronavirus outbreak

Photo by Philip Morris via Flickr cc

March 7, 2020

New York implements ‘cancel for any reason’ travel policies amid coronavirus outbreak

The night before declaring a State of Emergency in New York State, Governor Cuomo announced that travel agents and travel insurers will offer "cancel for any reason" travel policies, joined by six global and national insurance companies. According to a press release, the Department of Financial Services (DFS) put in place this action "to provide reassurance to New York businesses and residents who are seeking to make plans that may involve travel to locations that are not currently under travel advisories due to COVID-19."
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Policy

This incredibly detailed 3D replica of Manhattan took 1,000 hours to complete

Photos courtesy of Empire State Realty Trust

March 6, 2020

This incredibly detailed 3D replica of Manhattan took 1,000 hours to complete

French artist Johann Perathoner has created a panoramic 3D replica of Manhattan that is currently on view in the Empire State Building’s lobby. Though compact in scale, the composition is ambitious in scope and captures an incredible amount of detail in its small size. Made up of vibrant colors and 100 different textures that include rhinestones and fake diamonds, the piece took Perathoner more than 1,000 hours to complete.
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Events & Things To Do

Well-known author sells Upper East Side carriage house with an artist’s studio for $11M

Photos by Devin Groody/Rise Media courtesy of Compass

March 6, 2020

Well-known author sells Upper East Side carriage house with an artist’s studio for $11M

Fans of "The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants" series will love getting a look inside author Ann Brashares's gorgeous Upper East Side carriage house, which she just sold for $11 million, reports the Post. Brashare and her husband, painter Jacob Collins, bought the 7,200-square-foot home at 167 East 69th Street in 2001 for $3.65 million from the Sculpture Center. They first listed it in 2018 for $18.95 million, with a price chop to $15 million this past July. Not only does the home have beautiful interior architecture, but it boasts a huge artist's studio and a garage with a curb cut.
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Real Estate Trends

$5M north Slope townhouse on Prospect Park has original woodwork and deeded parking

Photo credit: Allyson Lubow courtesy of The Corcoran Group.

March 6, 2020

$5M north Slope townhouse on Prospect Park has original woodwork and deeded parking

Though the neighborhood may be lovely and its amenities many, it's not for nothing that Park Slope is known as "no place to park Slope." This gracious 23.5-foot-wide four-story home at 559 1st Street, asking $4,995 million, is in a prime spot right on the park; even better, deeded parking is available for trade with the sale. The two-family home is being used as a single-family townhouse, but the opportunity for rental income exists if the new owner wants to change the configuration.
House tour, this way

Distinctive Homes

Distinctive Homes

This $1.4M Astoria home is all about flexible, fabulous, and fun townhouse living

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

19th-century townhouse in Hudson, NY has three units, retail space, and a three-bay garage for $2M

This $12.5M Chelsea carriage house has a garage, three outdoor spaces, and a two-bedroom flat

For $55K, spend a post-modernist summer in a designer's Long Island home and studio

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

Yorkville duplex has five balconies, floor-to-ceiling windows, and a philanthropic tie for $6.5M

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

This $3.5M Westchester estate is a private refuge surrounded by village life

$14M penthouse atop landmarked Astor building has pre-war details and palatial private terrace

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Four permanent artworks will transform LaGuardia Airport

Rendering of Terminal B courtesy of the Governor’s Office

March 6, 2020

Four permanent artworks will transform LaGuardia Airport

The ongoing $8 billion transformation of LaGuardia Airport has focused on bringing the airport's functionality into the 21st century, but a series of major art commissions will also enhance how travelers experience the overhauled spaces. On Thursday Governor Cuomo announced a partnership with the nonprofit Public Art Fund that will bring site-specific works by four renowned artists —Jeppe Hein, Sabine Hornig, Laura Owens, and Sarah Sze—to the new Arrivals and Departures Hall opening later this year at Terminal B.
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The Lower East Side’s ‘vertical village’ at One Manhattan Square unveils interior amenities

Image courtesy of Extell/One Manhattan Square

March 6, 2020

The Lower East Side’s ‘vertical village’ at One Manhattan Square unveils interior amenities

Extell Development Company's largest-ever luxury residential property, One Manhattan Square, has introduced a standout collection of indoor amenities twice the size of the White House, including four pools, a full-sized basketball court, a bowling alley and a cinema, Located on Manhattan's Lower East Side on the East River waterfront, the 847-foot-tall, 815-unit condominium tower–it was 6sqft's 2017 Building of the Year–boasts unobstructed panoramic water and skyline views, but its amenities package is the real standout. Extell has called the residence "a true vertical village," with 100,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor amenities–more than anywhere else, the company claims, in New York City.
Have a look at some of those fab amenities

Tenants at Stuy Town sue Blackstone in anticipation of rent increases this summer

Photo by Kelly on Wiki Commons

March 5, 2020

Tenants at Stuy Town sue Blackstone in anticipation of rent increases this summer

When Blackstone and Ivanhoé Cambridge bought Stuy Town for $5.3 billion in 2015, they reached a deal with the city that would allow them to deregulate and raise rents on 6,200 rent-regulated units beginning in July 2020. On Wednesday, tenants filed a lawsuit to block Blackstone from going forward with the rent hikes, The Real Deal reports. As part of the original agreement, the city allowed Blackstone to cap rent increases at 5 percent each year, which is considerably more than the 1.5 percent outlined in last year's new rent laws. The lawsuit argues that this conflict should require Blackstone to adjust the agreement in accordance with the new law.
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Policy

How a new soccer stadium could be a catalyst for neighborhood growth in the South Bronx

Image by A.V. Flores from Pixabay

March 5, 2020

How a new soccer stadium could be a catalyst for neighborhood growth in the South Bronx

With a deal between the New York City Football Club and developer Maddd Equities to build a new soccer stadium in the South Bronx on the horizon, the Urban Land Institute New York (ULI NY) and Bronx Community Board 4 (CB4) have issued a report outlining how the new stadium could best impact the surrounding community. ULI New York recommendations outline important strategies that would allow the proposed stadium to become a catalyst for neighborhood growth.
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New Developments

After four months, Norah Jones sells historic Cobble Hill townhouse

Photo by Christian Harder for Nest Seekers International

March 5, 2020

After four months, Norah Jones sells historic Cobble Hill townhouse

In early November, Grammy Award-winner Norah Jones listed her Greek Revival Cobble Hill townhouse for $8 million. She had purchased it for $4.9 million in 2009. Located at 166 Amity Street, the four-story, five-bedroom brick home boasts beautiful interiors with preserved 1800s details like wooden ceiling beams, marble mantles, and classical moldings, as well as a disappearing heated pool and hot tub in the lovely backyard. The sale, which was first reported by the Post, has not hit public records yet, so the exact sales price is unknown.
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From sea hospitals to sanatoriums: How NYC has contained contagious diseases over the last century

Sea Breeze Hospital in Coney Island via Library of Congress

March 5, 2020

From sea hospitals to sanatoriums: How NYC has contained contagious diseases over the last century

By Cait Etherington

At a press conference on Monday about the recent coronavirus cases confirmed in New York City and State, Governor Cuomo and Mayor de Blasio emphasized that this is not New York's "first rodeo" when it comes to pandemics. They pointed to the recent Ebola scare, as well as the 1968 Hong Kong flu and the 2009 Swine Flu, which closed 200 schools across the state. But even long before that, New York has had a gold standard for handling outbreaks of contagious diseases. From managing the flu pandemic of 1918 to the tuberculosis surge at the turn of the 19th century, the city’s public health officials have been containing outbreaks for well over a century. Ahead, we look at some of the ways this done, from quarantines to sea hospitals.
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History

All renderings by the Practice for Architecture and Urbanism (PAU)

March 5, 2020

Renderings released for massive Sunnyside Yard project that will bring 12,000 affordable apartments

According to the master plan for the 180-acre Sunnyside Yard development in Queens, the former storage and maintenance hub for Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor, New Jersey Transit, and Long Island Rail Road will include 12,000 affordable apartments, making it the largest affordable housing development to be built in NYC since the middle-income Co-op City in the Bronx was completed in 1973 (h/t Wall Street Journal). The plan by the New York City Economic Development Corp. (EDC) outlines a $14.4 billion deck over the train yard on which the complex would be built. Half the housing in the development would be rental apartments for low-income families earning less than 50 percent of the area median income, with the other half set aside for affordable homeownership programs through Mitchell-Lama. The Practice for Architecture and Urbanism (PAU) was identified to lead the planning process, and they have just released renderings and maps of the massive development.
See them all here

Photo credit: Drew Dies of Rise Media courtesy of The Corcoran Group.

March 5, 2020

188-year-old Brooklyn Heights home with trophy-townhouse renovation wants $9.5M

This landmarked 188-year-old wood-clad house at 59 Middagh Street in historic and lovely north Brooklyn Heights is among the borough’s oldest homes. But behind its iconic facade–now fortified with block and steel, the listing tells us–is just about every turn-key 21st-century perk imaginable, from an elevator and "penthouse" rooftop to a ground floor guest suite, yoga room and sauna, central air, two wet bars, two laundry rooms, an additional kitchen and five outdoor spaces. It's asking $9,496,000.
Take the new-old townhouse tour

The American Museum of Natural History’s most vibrant new exhibit is an in-depth exploration of color

Photo credit: R. Mickens/© AMNH

March 5, 2020

The American Museum of Natural History’s most vibrant new exhibit is an in-depth exploration of color

For most of us, color is such a seamless part of how we experience the world that we don’t think to stop and question it. But color is more than just a visual phenomenon, it carries symbolic and cultural meanings, has the ability to impact our mood, and in the natural world, it plays a critical role in the survival of many species. The many dimensions of color will be explored in The Nature of Color, a new exhibition opening at the American Museum of Natural History on March 9th.
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Events & Things To Do

REVEALED: Hudson Yards’ 1,100-foot-high sky deck Edge

Thanks to Rolling Stone's awesome Women Shaping the Future event today, 6sqft got a first look at Edge, Hudson Yards' observation platform that extends 80 feet from the 100th floor of 30 Hudson Yards. As though being 1,100 feet above ground wasn't dizzying enough, the Western Hemisphere’s highest outdoor sky deck also has a glass floor. Ahead, get a first look at this truly one-of-a-kind experience and its incredible 360-degree views before it opens to the public on March 11th.
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New Developments

Images courtesy of Douglas Elliman.

March 4, 2020

$3.3M Chelsea condo has High Line views and a private terrace

This full-floor two-bedroom condo at 519 West 23rd Street is a 1,700-square-foot perch above the High Line elevated park in the center of the city's West Chelsea gallery district. The 11-unit High Line 519 was the first newcomer to rise along the park and has since been joined by a veritable "starchitects' alley" of notable buildings. Asking $3.3 million, the apartment has 10-foot ceilings, hardwood floors and direct views over High Line Park through floor-to-ceiling windows. Also among its highlights: A covered 75-square-foot private terrace off the bedroom.
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Distinctive Homes

Sales launch for Waldorf Astoria’s luxury condos, starting at $1.7M studios

Rendering by Noë & Associates/The Boundary

March 4, 2020

Sales launch for Waldorf Astoria’s luxury condos, starting at $1.7M studios

Residential condo sales have launched at the newly-imagined Waldorf Astoria, which has been closed for renovations since 2017. The launch, complete with a new website offering a sneak peek inside the iconic building, comes at a time when ultra-luxe apartments have become a tougher sell in a market loaded with competition and unsold units, as The Real Deal reports. The residential portion of the building sits above the renovated hotel, with 375 condos and 50,000 square feet of amenities including private bars, a 25-meter pool and a fitness center.
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City says 200 Amsterdam doesn’t have to chop 20 floors off (yet)

Rendering courtesy of Binyan Studios

March 4, 2020

City says 200 Amsterdam doesn’t have to chop 20 floors off (yet)

On Tuesday the city halted a judge’s order to stop construction–or, rather, deconstruction and demolition–on the 55-story condominium tower at 200 Amsterdam Avenue in Manhattan, the Wall Street Journal reports. Last month, 6sqft reported that State Supreme Court Judge W. Franc Perry ordered the city to revoke the building permit for the Upper West Side’s tallest tower north of 61st Street, ruling that developers SJP Properties and Mitsui Fudosan America would have to chop the building's height by as many as 20 stories to conform to zoning limits. This week's ruling means work can continue on construction of the skyscraper despite opposition from activists and critics.
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Policy

This $2.55M Westchester home has Arts & Crafts interiors and its own waterfall

Listing images courtesy of Houlihan Lawrence

March 4, 2020

This $2.55M Westchester home has Arts & Crafts interiors and its own waterfall

In the quiet Westchester county village of Larchmont, this five-bedroom home sits on nearly two scenic acres and boasts a cascading waterfall on the property which inspired its nickname: The Waterfall House. Originally built in 1910, the residence was redesigned and renovated by architect Imrey Culbert in collaboration with the current owner, the listing tells us. On the inside, natural materials and architectural elements echo the nature outdoors while large windows throughout amplify the views. It’s now on the market seeking $2.55 million.
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Distinctive Homes

March 4, 2020

15 ways to celebrate Women’s History Month in NYC

By Devin Gannon

What better place to celebrate women than in New York? The state hosted the country's first women's rights convention in 1848, Union Square held the first large-scale suffrage parade in 1908, and New Yorkers came up with the idea to honor women for one month every year. This Women's History Month, which marks the 100th anniversary of women's suffrage, honor the trailblazing New Yorkers who forged the paths for feminists today with lectures, art exhibits, and bites from women-owned vendors. Ahead, find our favorite events, from a Wikipedia edit-a-thon at the Museum of Modern Art to a trolley tour of Woodlawn Cemetery.
More here

Events & Things To Do

Prospect Park Picnic House will get a food and beverage concession

The second-floor entrance to the Picnic House, photo by Prospect Park Alliance via Flickr cc

March 3, 2020

Prospect Park Picnic House will get a food and beverage concession

The 10 million visitors who walk through Prospect Park each year will have a new place to stop for food and drink very soon. The Prospect Park Alliance has issued an RFP for "the sale of food and beverage items from the ground floor Picnic House concession space." Currently, the Picnic House's second floor is a popular event and wedding venue, but the first floor is mainly unused.
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Food & Dining

Cultural diversity and nature informed this Brooklyn photo series by two longtime residents

Alex Webb, Park Slope, 2018. Chromogenic development print. Courtesy of the artist

March 3, 2020

Cultural diversity and nature informed this Brooklyn photo series by two longtime residents

Photographer couple Alex Webb and Rebecca Norris Webb have lived in Park Slope for some 20 years and for just as long, they've been documenting the borough they call home. In 2014, the duo embarked on a collaborative series of photographs that show typically unseen corners of Brooklyn and tell the layered stories of its multicultural neighborhoods. A collection of 30 images from that series will be on view at the Museum of the City of New York beginning on March 11 in an exhibition titled The City Within.
More images, this way

Events & Things To Do

Listing photos courtesy of Morton Adams Photography

March 3, 2020

For just $839K, this 1730 stone house sits on 4 acres upstate and has two guest suites

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

Two hours north of New York City, right near hip New Paltz and the Mohonk Preserve, $839,000 will get you a meticulously preserved and restored farmhouse built in 1730 (h/t CIRCA). Not only that, but it sits on 3.9 acres and comes complete with a lower-level guest suite (which has been serving the current owners with Airbnb rental income) and a detached guest cottage.
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THE 6SQFT SHOP

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New York City's best holiday markets of 2023

15 quintessential NYC gifts for the New Yorker in your life

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

10 Ways to Decorate an Exposed Brick Wall Without Drilling

10 Great Places to Buy Affordable Art in New York City

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Parades, trivia, and live music: 20 ways to celebrate St. Patricks Day in NYC

Image by David Mark from Pixabay

March 3, 2020

Parades, trivia, and live music: 20 ways to celebrate St. Patricks Day in NYC

St. Patrick's Day takes place on Tuesday, March 17 this year but in NYC, it's much bigger than just the official holiday. Celebrations get an early start and run throughout the month with a whopping nine parades dedicated to the holiday (some have already taken place but you still have plenty to choose from). Of course, many of the festivities are known for being raucous and alcohol-fueled, but there are many other ways you can celebrate: from taking a walking tour in the former "Little Ireland" area of the Lower East Side, to learning how to bake Irish soda bread and shamrock macaroons, to getting competitive in an Irish-themed trivia night. Ahead, we rounded up 20 options and none of them involve waking up early to snag a seat at McSorley's.
Start your planning now!

Events & Things To Do

This $750K East Village co-op has more than its share of tranquility and closet space

Images courtesy of Douglas Elliman

March 3, 2020

This $750K East Village co-op has more than its share of tranquility and closet space

Though it's located on busy 14th Street at the crossroads of Union Square and the East Village, this just-right-sized one-bedroom co-op at 243 East 14th Street promises pin-drop quiet within its walls. It also offers more closet space than the average Village pad.
More closets, this way

Distinctive Homes

How the NYC subway is preparing for coronavirus

Photo by Marc A. Hermann / MTA New York City Transit, Flickr cc

March 3, 2020

How the NYC subway is preparing for coronavirus

After issuing their first response last Thursday, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) issued an update today on the precautions the agency is taking in response to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), joining a coordinated effort by New York City and state to remain ahead of an epidemic whose impact could depend on how well communities and authorities respond to it. Now that there's been a confirmed case in Manhattan, as well as one in Westchester, the agency has taken additional measures to inform and protect its employees–and the eight million people who ride its subways, commuter trains and buses daily. The MTA will make sure that none of its trains, cars, or buses go more than 72 hours without undergoing sanitization.
More on how New York City is preparing for coronavirus below

Image by Robert Jones from Pixabay

March 2, 2020

New energy code gets tougher on NYC construction

Beginning in May, construction in NYC is going to have to meet stricter sustainability and energy efficiency standards now that the 2020 NYC Energy Conservation Code passed into law last week. Part of the city's version of the Green New Deal, the new code is just one of several construction regulations that the Department of Buildings is revising, with further updates expected to roll out later in the year.
More details

Policy

By Friday, NYC will be able to get coronavirus test results in just hours

Image: US Department of Agriculture via Flickr.

March 2, 2020

By Friday, NYC will be able to get coronavirus test results in just hours

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced at a briefing on the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) in midtown Manhattan that the Wadsworth Center–a research-intensive public health laboratory located inside the State Department of Health–is partnering with hospitals to expand testing capacity to 1,000 tests a day statewide. Upon receipt of lab specimens, the Wadsworth Center can complete testing within three to five hours. The announcement followed Sunday's news that one person's test in New York came back with positive results.
More info this way

Renderings courtesy of Terreform ONE, Mitchell Joachim, PhD

March 2, 2020

An eight-story monarch butterfly sanctuary may be the façade of a new Nolita building

Architecture and urban design research group Terreform ONE has offered a proposal for a 12-story commercial building in the works across from Petrosino Square in Nolita that goes beyond any of the city's existing architectural curveballs, angles, and anomalies. The non-profit group has revealed plans to create an eight-story-high monarch butterfly sanctuary, or "Lepidoptera terrarium," that would serve as the building's façade and line its atrium.
More sanctuary in the city, this way

Marc Jacobs slashed $4M off his West Village townhouse and found a buyer the next day

Listing images by Rich Caplan; courtesy of the Ryan Serhant Team at Nest Seekers International

March 2, 2020

Marc Jacobs slashed $4M off his West Village townhouse and found a buyer the next day

Marc Jacobs' West Village townhouse had been on the market for almost a year when he relisted the property at 68 Bethune Street with a new agency and a price chop last week. The New York Post reports the property went into contract the very next day, proving that sometimes a price cut makes all the difference. The fashion designer first listed the four-story, nearly 4,800-square-foot home last April for $15.9 million after having purchased it for $10.5 million in 2009. The new listing hit the market at $12 million but the final sale price is still unknown.
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See the Waldorf Astoria’s glamorous, residents-only pool

Image credit: Noe & Associates/The Boundary

March 2, 2020

See the Waldorf Astoria’s glamorous, residents-only pool

The Waldorf Astoria is still closed for a major renovation, but it appears on track to becoming more luxurious than ever. The latest rendering to be released (which we spotted over on The Post) shows the skylit pool that will be available to residents of the recently branded Towers of the Waldorf Astoria, where 375 condos will be sold for the first time in the history of the storied property.
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Listing photos courtesy of Brown Harris Stevens

February 28, 2020

Consider this $1.4M Windsor Terrace townhouse a condo alternative with a garden and parking

As an alternative to a co-op or condo, this three-story townhouse at 550 20th Street in Brooklyn's Windsor Terrace neighborhood, asking $1,368,000 has a lot going for it. First, a gated private parking space is a rare New York City convenience. A sun-dappled bluestone-paved garden with a covered patio is ready for summer entertaining. And a tranquil, laid-back style and a thoroughly livable layout make the most of the petite townhouse's available interior space.
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Distinctive Homes

Billy Idol joins Mayor de Blasio in anti-idling message

Image courtesy of the Office of the Mayor

February 28, 2020

Billy Idol joins Mayor de Blasio in anti-idling message

Motorists are getting a new warning: If you idle on New York City's streets you'll get a fine from the city–and a snarl from rocker Billy Idol. The mayor’s penchant for geeky dad humor and a dose of Gen X nostalgia make the collab a natural, and while it might sound as if it's aimed at slackers in city government, the fresh and direct message is meant for the idling vehicles that befoul the city with noise and pollution.
More, more, more

The Brooklyn Public Library is joining forces with the Brooklyn Historical Society

Photo of the Brooklyn Public Library flagship by Ajay Suresh via Flickr

February 28, 2020

The Brooklyn Public Library is joining forces with the Brooklyn Historical Society

Two Brooklyn institutions are joining forces to broaden their impact and create “the premiere collection” of archival materials related to the history of the borough. The Brooklyn Public Library (BPL) and Brooklyn Historical Society (BHS) have announced a plan to unify their resources, which was approved by the boards of both organizations this week. The library will serve as the parent institution and the partnership is expected to bring greater financial stability to both while expanding the historical society’s reach through the library’s 59 branches.
More details

Events & Things To Do

Common brings modern co-living to historic Strivers’ Row in Harlem, from $1,600/month

Photos by Seth Caplan for Common

February 28, 2020

Common brings modern co-living to historic Strivers’ Row in Harlem, from $1,600/month

Co-living startup Common has opened its third Harlem location in the St. Nicholas Historic District, better known as Strivers’ Row for the long list of African American luminaries who lived along the two-block stretch. Common brings its modern approach to the area, with a handful of private bedrooms now available at 267 West 139th Street from $1,600 to $2,200 a month.
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Distinctive Homes

Before + After: How an Upper West Side couple renovated their 440sqft studio after a building fire

Photos by Pixy Interiors for Sweeten

February 27, 2020

Before + After: How an Upper West Side couple renovated their 440sqft studio after a building fire

When a blaze broke out on the rooftop of Dianna and Todd's Upper West Side co-op building they luckily sustained no major damage, but their walls and floors did suffer some impairment. Since moving into the high-floor duplex three years prior, the couple had been planning to renovate their home, and after the incident, they took the plunge. Because the 444-square-foot studio duplex had an efficient layout, their contractors advised them to keep the current setup and focus the budget on modernizing the kitchen and bathroom, brightening up all the rooms with paint and stain jobs, and incorporating colorful decor and functional furnishings.
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Elevated country style and modern convenience define a $7.5M Hell’s Kitchen townhouse

Photo credit: Guillaume Gaudet courtesy of The Corcoran Group.

February 27, 2020

Elevated country style and modern convenience define a $7.5M Hell’s Kitchen townhouse

Amid the new tall towers of midtown Manhattan's west side, we may forget the streets of historic townhouses that have made Hell's Kitchen a unique residential neighborhood for so long. Asking $7.5 million, this beautifully renovated home at 438 West 44th Street sits on a tree-lined block, with 5,223 square feet of living space within, spread over six floors and two family-sized units. The entire home is served by an elevator and has been thoroughly updated with new mechanicals throughout, while retaining its historic character and charm.
Explore the many levels

Distinctive Homes

On the Jersey Shore, you can spend the night inside a 90-ton elephant

Photo by Acroterion via Wikimedia Commons

February 27, 2020

On the Jersey Shore, you can spend the night inside a 90-ton elephant

In the late 19th century, Atlantic City began its heydey as a booming resort town thanks to a new railroad connection. To attract prospective real estate investors and tourists, inventor James V. Lafferty received a patent to build a giant elephant statue in nearby Margate. Completed in 1881, Lucy the Elephant stood 65 feet tall (six stories) and weighed 90 tons. After a preservation battle in 1969, Lucy was restored in the '70s and has continued to be a spectacle for locals and vacationers alike. The 138-year-old attraction has even caught the attention of Airbnb, who announced that they'll be offering three overnight stays inside Lucy. The lucky Lucy fans will pay $138 (the same number as her age) for a stay on either March 17, 18, or 19.
Get a look inside

Getting Away

Massive Lenox Terrace redevelopment has been rejected by the City Council Zoning Committee

Rendering credit: Davis Brody Bond

February 27, 2020

Massive Lenox Terrace redevelopment has been rejected by the City Council Zoning Committee

The City Council's Zoning Committee voted unanimously to reject a proposed redevelopment of Harlem's Lenox Terrace housing complex on Wednesday. The site's owner, the Olnick Organization, has been seeking approval for a mixed-use development with five 28-story towers to be constructed at the complex. This week's decision is expected to be a sign of what's to come when the project comes to a vote before the full City Council next month. But Olnick has already signaled that they have a scaled-down backup plan for the site that won't require a rezoning.
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Policy

Thurgood Marshall’s former Hamilton Heights co-op hits the market for $550K

Photo credit: Rise Media, Courtesy of Compass

February 27, 2020

Thurgood Marshall’s former Hamilton Heights co-op hits the market for $550K

Thurgood Marshall, the Supreme Court's first African-American justice, lived in Harlem as a young adult, even serving as a vestryman at St. Philip's Protestant Episcopal Church at 134th Street and Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Boulevard. His home was a bit farther north in Hamilton Heights, at 409 Edgecombe Avenue near 154th Street. Notably, the building was also home to prominent African American figures such as W. E. B. Du Bois, painter Aaron Douglas, civil rights activist Roy Wilkins, and artist Elizabeth Catlett. Justice Marshall's former co-op, a spacious two-bedroom, is now owned by actress Erica Ash, known for her work on MadTV and The Big Gay Sketch Show. She's just put it on the market for $550,000.
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Museum of Natural History’s new Halls of Gems and Minerals will open this fall

A conceptual rendering of the Allison and Roberto Mignone Halls of Gems and Minerals, opening in fall 2020 at the American Museum of Natural History. Rendering courtesy American Museum of Natural History.

February 27, 2020

Museum of Natural History’s new Halls of Gems and Minerals will open this fall

The American Museum of Natural History announced this week that the new Allison and Roberto Mignone Halls of Gems and Minerals will be opening in fall of 2020. Named for longtime museum supporters Roberto and Allison Mignone, the long-awaited redesign will be a dazzling showcase for one of the greatest collections of its kind. The new Halls will be connected to Studio Gang’s 235,000-square-foot Richard Gilder Center for Science, Education and Innovation.
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F train service changes coming next year as work on the city’s last Sandy-damaged tunnel begins

Photo by Patrick Cashin courtesy of MTA via Flick

February 27, 2020

F train service changes coming next year as work on the city’s last Sandy-damaged tunnel begins

With L train repairs finally winding down in the Canarsie Tube, the MTA will soon shift its attention to the Rutgers Tube, the last of nine subway tunnels to be renovated after Superstorm Sandy took its toll on the structure nearly eight years ago. As THE CITY reported, the repairs will impact the F line this time around but won't be anywhere near as disruptive as the L train shutdown-turned-partial-slowdown.
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Transit

Photo by David Shankbone via Wikimedia Commons

February 26, 2020

Why did the Trump administration abruptly suspend a critical study of NYC storm protections?

Six weeks after President Trump derided a potential NYC sea wall on Twitter, his administration abruptly ended the study that was looking into the idea. Launched in 2017, the NY & NJ Harbor and Tributaries feasibility study was evaluating five measures that could "address severe coastal storm risks" and the sea wall was one of them. On Tuesday, the Army Corps of Engineers announced that the critical study had been shelved due to a lack of funding and a report that was due to come out this summer would be "indefinitely postponed," the New York Times reported. The curious timing relative to Trump's tweet has led many to speculate about the political underpinnings behind the decision. “This is dangerous,” Mayor Bill de Blasio said. “It’s another of Donald Trump’s blatant political hits on New York City.”
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Policy

See the approved plans for Trader Joe’s new Upper East Side store under the Queensboro Bridge

Renderings and photos by Madd Equities LLC, via LPC

February 26, 2020

See the approved plans for Trader Joe’s new Upper East Side store under the Queensboro Bridge

In a public hearing on Tuesday, the Landmarks Preservation Commission reviewed and approved an application to open a Trader Joe’s in the city-owned space underneath the Queensboro Bridge on Manhattan's Upper East Side. The cavernous space, known as Bridgemarket, is regarded for its 5,000-square-foot Guastavino-tiled arcade as well as its unique location. Former tenant Food Emporium moved out in 2015. The bridge and the space beneath it were designated a city landmark in 1974. The LPC applauded the proposal's "sensitive approach" to the space.
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Policy

Judge upholds decision to halt Two Bridges megatowers from rising

Rendering: Handel Architects.

February 26, 2020

Judge upholds decision to halt Two Bridges megatowers from rising

State Supreme Court Judge Arthur Engoron upheld an August 2019 ruling that four towers planned for the Lower East Side Two Bridges development cannot move forward. The judge’s decision invalidates the City Planning Commission’s 2018 approval of the towers on the grounds that City Council authority regarding the land-use review process was illegally bypassed and that the controversial skyscrapers must go through the city's full application process. The ruling prevents the Department of Buildings from issuing permits until the multi-billion dollar project has the proper approvals. The decision represents a rare victory for those opposed to the skyscrapers, including the City Council and Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer and several Lower East Side and Chinatown community groups.
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Live the Soho life in a former photographer’s live/work loft for $6.5K a month

Photo credit: Rise Media courtesy of The Corcoran Group

February 26, 2020

Live the Soho life in a former photographer’s live/work loft for $6.5K a month