Donald Trump

As a symbol of resistance to the Trump administration, Chelsea-based contemporary art gallery BravinLee created a Kickstarter to raise $10,000 for an inflatable, 15-foot rat sporting a comb-over and an ill-fitting suit (complete with an inflatable piece of scotch tape to ensure his tie won’t blow in the wind) that will be placed outside Trump Tower. As the A.V. Club learned, artist Jeffrey Beebe was inspired by Scabby the Rat, the inflatable rat that attends union strikes to signal unfair and unsafe practices by management. With the deadline to fund “Trumpy the Rat” set for April 19, the project has raked in just over $5,500.
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City Living

Remembering New York City’s days of deadly smog

Smog covering the Empire State Building. New York, NY, US, November 21, 1953, LIFE Magazine.

March 22, 2017

Remembering New York City’s days of deadly smog

Over Thanksgiving weekend in 1966, the layer of smog that hung above New York City killed about 200 people. An estimated 300–405 people died during a two-week smog episode in 1963. In 1953, as many as 260 died from breathing the city's air over a six-day stretch. 6sqft reported recently on Donald Trump's proposed budget and subsequent concerns about the impact significant funding cuts to the Environmental Protection Agency totaling $2.6 billion or 31 percent–including staff reductions and program eliminations–might have on the city’s drinking water and air quality. A spokesman for Mayor de Blasio assured us that these federal cuts won't impact NYC’s high quality water supply. But what about the air?
But what about the air?

March 17, 2017

NYC schools, housing, and transit to lose hundreds of millions in federal aid under Trump’s budget

Under President Trump’s first budget proposal, New York City will lose hundreds of millions of dollars for schools, housing, transportation, homeland security, and other city agencies. According to the Daily News, city schools and afterschool programs can be expected to lose $140 million, homeland security grants will be cut $190 million, and NYCHA will lose $370 million, which is on top of the $76 million cut they were already expecting. Ironically, the budget also slashes transit projects by $2 billion, which means completing projects like the Second Avenue Subway and the Gateway trans-Hudson River tunnel may be on the chopping block, despite the fact that they were specifically called out in Trump's previous $1 trillion infrastructure plan to receive $14.2 billion and $12 billion respectively.
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Policy

March 16, 2017

NYC’s drinking water may be at risk after Trump’s environmental cuts

President Trump released his budget proposal Thursday that lays out his plan to bulk up defense and homeland security spending, and thereby dramatically cut funds to the Environmental Protection Agency (as well as foreign aid, the arts, and public broadcasting). As reported by amNewYork, these proposed EPA cuts, which total $2.6 billion or 31 percent, include staff reductions and program eliminations, which may make the city’s drinking water and air quality vulnerable to pollution.
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Policy

March 15, 2017

After 10 years on the market, Donald Trump’s trust looks to make $35M on lavish penthouse

The penthouse at Trump Park Avenue has been on and off the market for an entire decade, first listing for $45 million in 2007, and now returning for $35 million. As LL NYC reports, the President transferred ownership of the 6,278-square-foot apartment in January to the Donald J. Trump Revocable Trust, of which he's the exclusive beneficiary. The massive duplex is as ornate as you'd expect from Trump, complete with 22 arched windows, custom tray ceilings with intricate moldings and dripping crystal chandeliers, bathrooms bathed in marble, and two large terraces with panoramic views.
Take the tour and get the full scoop

March 14, 2017

Fewer young foreigners traveling to NYC because of Trump

New York City expected tourism from foreigners to fall after President Trump’s chaotic announcement of his first executive order in January which banned travel from seven majority-Muslim countries because it was unclear which travelers would be allowed into the country. However, as reported by Crain’s, it’s not just money-spending travelers that have avoided the Big Apple; it’s student and youth groups that are canceling trips to the city.
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March 14, 2017

NYPD vetting 30-40 officers with ‘solid records’ for full-time Trump Tower detail

Although the President has not visited Trump Tower since his inauguration, the NYPD plans on increasing the number of officers who guard the tower after struggling with ways to effectively man the building. As reported by TMZ, the police department will choose between 30 and 40 full-time officers with "solid records" to work 12-hour shifts at the skyscraper.
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Celebrities

March 9, 2017

As the Mayor weighs options for loss of public housing funding, Trump considers $6B in HUD cuts

Just two days after newly appointed Secretary of HUD (the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development) Ben Carson went along with plans to cut federal funding to NYCHA by at least $35 million, the Trump administration is reportedly considering decreasing HUD's total budget by a staggering $6 billion, or 14 percent, according to a leaked budget draft obtained by the Washington Post. Though it's not clear how the cuts will affect NYC specifically, previous estimates said cuts to NYCHA's federal aid could easily balloon to $150 million this year, and Mayor de Blasio was already weighing his options for how to deal with the blow. The Wall Street Journal reports that he said yesterday he plans to put aside city money to help fill the gap, but if the city is "cut on many, many fronts simultaneously," there won't be enough to cover the loss in federal funding.
What happens next?

February 24, 2017

Ivanka Trump’s Park Avenue starter pad, still without a buyer, gets a rental price chop to $13K a month

As 6sqft previously reported, Ms. Trump and husband Jared Kushner, now senior adviser to President Donald Trump, first listed their apartment at 502 Park Avenue for $4.1 million in December; Ivanka purchased the home for $1.52 million in 2004. The classic and somewhat girly Park Avenue pad with Tiffany-box blue walls has also been on the rental market, first at $15K and, as Mansion Global reports, just reduced to $13,000 a month. Ivanka also owns one of the building’s penthouses–it's the Trump/Kushner family's main home when they're in town– that she bought for $16 million nearly six years ago.
Tour the classic uptown condo

Hidden tennis courts in Grand Central Station were also once Trump’s exclusive club

Even the city's most public places conceal secrets paved over by the years, some more hidden than others. Grand Central Station is no exception despite the 750,000 or so people who make their way through its halls each day. You may already know of the terminal's secret train track and whispering walls, but did you know that there are tennis courts in Grand Central? Once an exclusive club run by Donald Trump, the courts are now open to the public—and you can reserve a court at midnight.
From a Hungarian immigrant to Donald Trump to Night Owl Tennis

History

February 8, 2017

Pentagon may lease space in Trump Tower at taxpayers’ expense

By Diane Pham

The line separating Trump's personal business interests and his role as President of the United States continues to blur, as the Washington Post reports today that the Pentagon may lease "a limited amount of space" in Trump Tower. In doing so, the U.S. Defense Department says it will be able to better protect Trump's family, as Melania and Barron have decided to remain in the couple's gilded Trump Tower penthouse, and Donald himself when he is town. The move, however, has one major and obvious sticking point: rent on the space would need to be paid to the Trump Organization—and taxpayer dollars would be used to foot the bill.
more details here

Policy

January 31, 2017

De Blasio defends sanctuary city status, saying withheld funds would be millions, not billions

In the state's capital on Monday, Mayor de Blasio spoke in defense of various policies including NYC's "sanctuary city" designation, WNYC reports. The mayor was in Albany to ask state legislators for funding for items like education, public health and affordable housing. In the face of criticism from Staten Island assembly members Nicole Malliotakis and Ron Castorina (both Republicans), who questioned the mayor's pledge not to aid in the mass deportation of undocumented immigrants by the new administration, de Blasio said he had discussed the issue with then-President-elect Trump, and would continue to resist mass deportation for "moral, economic and security reasons." Though Castorina said de Blasio would be risking the loss of billions of dollars in federal aid, the mayor said the money withheld by the federal government would only be $100-150 million and that his legal advisers say the city could fight back in court.
Sanctuary cities are safer

January 25, 2017

Trump’s modest childhood home sells at auction, see new photos inside

By Diane Pham

Going, going, gone... Today reports that Donald Trump's childhood home has traded hands once again, officially selling at auction last week to an undisclosed buyer for an undisclosed amount. As 6sqft previously reported, the Jamaica, Queens house was purchased by Manhattan real estate developer Michael Davis for $1.4 million in January from a couple who had owned the Trump memento since 2008 (they shelled out just $782,500). Davis' intent from the outset was to flip the property for a hefty return, and while no auction price has been revealed, early estimates projected a closing figure of around $10 million—much thanks to the Donald's presidential win (Trump himself even joked about buying it on the Tonight Show). New photos from the auction also give us additional views into the modest Tudor abode.
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Celebrities

January 25, 2017

Trump’s infrastructure plan may include $26B+ for NYC’s Gateway Project and Second Avenue Subway

Reporters at McClatchy obtained documents that the Trump transition team provided to the National Governor’s Association detailing 50 projects across the country that would take priority under the President's proposed $1 trillion infrastructure plan, and among them are two NYC-based projects. The Gateway Project, which would repair the aging and Sandy-damaged Hudson River rail tunnels and build a new one, would cost $12 billion and create 34,000 jobs. Phases two and three of the Second Avenue Subway would cost $14.2 billion and create 16,000 direct jobs.
Get more details this way

January 23, 2017

Driving Barron Trump to school won’t leave NYC in total traffic chaos

By Annie Doge

It appears the Secret Service and NYPD are indeed taking measures to minimize the disruption caused by Melania and Barron staying put in NYC. TMZ writes that instead of implementing full street closures any time the young Trump moves to and from school, streets will be blocked off in a rolling pattern to accommodate the boy's armed motorcade.
more on the plan set out here

January 17, 2017

Trump to name New York developers Richard LeFrak and Steven Roth to oversee new infrastructure council

President-elect Donald Trump has previously outlined his $1 trillion infrastructure plan not just as a means to repair and build bridges and roads, but as a real estate platform for private entities to build and subsequently own public works such as schools, hospitals, or energy pipeline expansions through $137 billion in tax credits. So it comes as no surprise that he's tapped two of his longtime buddies and big-time New York real estate developers to head up the new council that will monitor this spending. The Wall Street Journal reports that Trump asked Richard LeFrak and Vornado's Steven Roth to manage this council of 15 to 20 builders and engineers, referring to the men as "pros" because "...all their lives, they build. They build under-budget, ahead of schedule."
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Policy

January 11, 2017

Area businesses estimate $40M in lost revenue because of Trump Tower ‘occupied zone’

President-elect Donald Trump’s decision to remain in his Manhattan HQ is causing concern among businesses in the area. Business leaders and local officials spoke out Tuesday at a City Council hearing on the threat that blocked sidewalks and traffic snarls are posing to jobs, tax revenues, tourist appeal and “global reputation,” reports Crain’s. Local merchants claim they’ve taken a significant hit, and that many are considering not renewing their leases or moving elsewhere. Fifth Avenue Business Improvement District president Tom Cusack estimated that local businesses have lost $40 million in revenue since Election Day due to the security maze that the area surrounding Trump Tower has become.
Business leaders call for 'extraordinary action'

Celebrities

January 10, 2017

5th Avenue needs pedestrian lanes to accommodate Trump, says transit expert Janette Sadik-Khan

By Hannah Frishberg

Reserving three of 5th Avenue's five traffic lanes for pedestrians will ease the traffic paralysis that President-elect Donald Trump's continued residence in his 56th Street tower has caused, former NYC Department of Transportation Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan argues. In an op-ed for the New York Times yesterday Sadik-Khan, a principal with Bloomberg Associates and a key player in the introduction of the Times Square Pedestrian Plaza, angled 5th Avenue's traffic problem as a bipartisan issue that requires change to get better. With the President-elect saying he plans on visiting his Manhattan home frequently even once he has moved to the White House, it is clear New York will need to adapt or risk forever needing to budget an extra three hours to get through Midtown.
Without big changes, the chaos isn't going to improve

January 9, 2017

Jared Kushner will leave role as CEO of Kushner Companies

By Diane Pham

In just 11 more days, Donald Trump will take office as the 45th President of the United States. And just as Trump is gearing up for his four-year term, his son-in-law Jared Kushner and daughter Ivanka Trump are preparing to take on major roles as well. Last week it was revealed that the pair would be moving into a six-bedroom, $5.5 million mansion in D.C., and now the New York Times reports that Kushner will step down as CEO of Kushner Companies as he transitions from real estate mogul to full-time presidential advisor.
more details

January 9, 2017

Manhattan real estate investor bought Donald Trump’s childhood home sight unseen for $1.4M

By Annie Doge

At the end of last month, 6sqft revealed that an anonymous New York investor had bought Donald Trump's childhood home in Jamaica Estates, Queens with plans to flip it at auction this month and turn a hefty profit. The Post has now learned that the mystery buyer--and democrat-turned Marco Rubio supporter--is Manhattan real estate mogul Michael Davis. Without ever having driven past the Tudor-style home at 85-15 Wareham Place, Davis dropped $1,390,500 on the piece of Trump ephemera, which he still plans to bring to auction next week.
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December 28, 2016

City says Trump Tower evacuations to be ‘a common occurrence’

Yesterday afternoon, after a suspicious package was found in the building atrium, Trump Tower was evacuated along with the entire area between 50th and 59th Streets and Madison and 6th Avenues. Ultimately, it was found to be a bag of children's toys left behind, but in a tweet after the incident, de Blasio spokesman Eric Phillips said such evacuations at the Tower "will be a common occurrence." According to the Daily News, Trump spokesman Dan Scavino sent out a thank you tweet, to which Phillips replied, "No problem. We’ll send you the bill."
READ MORE

Celebrities

December 21, 2016

Mystery investor buys Donald Trump’s childhood home in hopes of flipping it

By Annie Doge

Hoping to cash in on Trump-mania, an anonymous New York investor scooped up the President Elect's childhood home in Jamaica Estates, Queens in the hopes of bringing it to auction next month and turning a profit. Mansion Global got the news from auctioneers Paramount Realty USA, who say the bidding will take place on January 17th. Previous reports have estimated that the six-bedroom, Tudor-style home that Trump's father Fred built could fetch up to ten times its most recent $1.2 million ask, or a whopping $10 million.
Get the full scoop

Celebrities

December 16, 2016

Trump isn’t the first president-elect with a New York City home base, FDR stayed close too

Just when you thought you'd get to enjoy a low-key pre-holiday Friday, the New York Times compares Donald Trump to Franklin Delano Roosevelt. While just 12 blocks away Trump Tower snarls traffic and confounds anything resembling daily life in the surrounding area with a round-the-clock hive of security details, reporters and protesters—and of course the prez-elect himself, his entourage and various cabinet-members-to-be—Hunter College’s Roosevelt House Public Policy Institute director Harold Holzer reminds us of another presidency whose earliest days were spent ensconced in a NYC residence. Of the century-old double-width townhouse at at 47-49 East 65th Street on Manhattan’s Upper East Side, now the Institute's home, Holzer says, “It was the Trump Tower of 1932-33.” The 65th Street residence was the longtime home of Franklin D. and Eleanor Roosevelt.
Definitely not an apples-to-apples comparison

History

December 15, 2016

NYPD says it needs 200 cops and $500,000 a day to secure Trump Tower