Search Results for: Long Island City

NYPL Fountains Are Back in Action; How Often Does Your Subway Station Get Cleaned?
July 10, 2015

NYPL Fountains Are Back in Action; How Often Does Your Subway Station Get Cleaned?

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Patience and Fortitude, the NYPL’s marble lions, are now joined by Beauty and Truth, the grand fountains flanking the entrance that just started flowing again. [NYT] Smorgasburg Queens launches tomorrow in Long Island City. [Brownstoner Queens] The designers of the subway station poster talk about the Transit Authority Graphic Standards Manual, Massimo Vignelli, and people’s love […]

5Pointz Artists Sue Developer for Whitewashing Iconic Graffiti Facade

Photo via Garrett Ziegler/Flickr

June 15, 2015

5Pointz Artists Sue Developer for Whitewashing Iconic Graffiti Facade

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Photo via Garrett Ziegler/Flickr It's been 19 months since the 5Pointz graffiti mecca was secretly whitewashed overnight by the developers who have since razed the site to make way for the two residential towers that will replace it. Then, to pour salt in the wound, this past November G&M Realty announced that they planned to use the iconic 5Pointz name for their new project, infuriating the artists whose work adorned the building and leading them to launch a petition to stop the title. Now, the plot has thickened. Nine graffiti artists filed a lawsuit on Friday "seeking unspecified damages from the owner who whitewashed away their artwork," reports the Daily News. The plaintiffs claim they're owed financial compensation as they were not given the opportunity to retrieve their work, much of which could have ended up in museums or the artists' personal collections. The lost collection amounts to more than 350 graffiti pieces.
More details here
How the Whitney Installed an Invisible Flood Barrier After Hurricane Sandy
May 28, 2015

How the Whitney Installed an Invisible Flood Barrier After Hurricane Sandy

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For the past few months, all eyes have been on the new Whitney. From architecture reviews of Renzo Piano's modern museum to insider looks at the galleries, New Yorkers can't stop talking about the design of this game-changing structure. It wasn't all sunshine and roses for the building, though. In 2012, halfway through construction, Hurricane Sandy flooded the museum with more than five million gallons of water, causing the architects to rethink the site. The Whitney now boasts a custom flood-mitigation system that was "designed like a submarine," according to engineer Kevin Schorn, one of Piano's assistants. As The Atlantic reports, the system has a 15,500-pound water-tight door that was designed by engineers who work on the U.S. Navy's Destroyers and can protect against a flood level of 16.5 feet (seven feet higher than the waters during Sandy) and withstand an impact from 6,750 pounds of debris. But what's just as amazing as these figures is the fact that this huge system is invisible to the average person.
Find out more here
What’s Your Favorite Building in NYC? 6sqft’s Writers and Friends Square Off
May 15, 2015

What’s Your Favorite Building in NYC? 6sqft’s Writers and Friends Square Off

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Once upon a time, when 6sqft was not yet launched, a group of writers were asked for their thoughts on their favorite building in New York City. Their choices, some easily recognizable and others a little further from the beaten path, were mixed together with those of a few folks a lot like our readers—interested in and passionate about all things New York. The result? A wonderful blend of what makes this city great: its diversity, not simply demographically but also in the opinions of those eight million souls who weave together the fabric of all five boroughs to create the most interesting city in the world. And it stands to reason the most interesting city in the world is home to quite a few interesting buildings. As one might expect, there was barely a duplicate in the bunch. Some weren't even on our radar! Is your favorite on the list? If not, we’d love to know what you think in the comments.
Read on to see if you agree with our selections
Crimes Against Architecture: Treasured NYC Landmarks Purposely Destroyed or Damaged
April 22, 2015

Crimes Against Architecture: Treasured NYC Landmarks Purposely Destroyed or Damaged

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At Monday's MCNY symposium “Redefining Preservation for the 21st Century,” starchitect Robert A.M. Stern lamented about 2 Columbus Circle and its renovation that rendered it completely unrecognizable. What Stern saw as a modernist architectural wonder, notable for its esthetics, cultural importance (it was built to challenge MoMA and the prevailing architectural style at the time), and history (the building originally served as a museum for the art collection of Huntington Hartford), others saw as a hulking grey slab. Despite the efforts of Stern and others to have the building landmarked, it was ultimately altered completely. This story is not unique; there are plenty of worthy historic buildings in New York City that have been heavily changed, let to fall into disrepair, or altogether demolished. And in many of these cases, the general public realized their significance only after they were destroyed. In honor of the 50th anniversary of the NYC landmarks law, we've rounded up some of the most cringe-worthy crimes committed against architecture.
Check out our list right here
Brooklyn’s Most Expensive Condo Relists for $32M, Is So Large Owners Can’t Find Each Other
April 7, 2015

Brooklyn’s Most Expensive Condo Relists for $32M, Is So Large Owners Can’t Find Each Other

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Imagine this: You and your spouse have both been home for three hours, but neither one of you knows the other is there because your home is that big. It's a "problem" most New Yorkers can't fathom, but for one Brooklyn couple it's encouraged them to relist their 11,000-square-foot triplex for $32 million, making it the borough's most expensive condo listing ever. Stuart and Claire Leaf originally listed their home in May, but then took it off the market in February after getting cold feet about moving. As the Wall Street Journal reports, "The apartment is a combination of no less than nine units spanning the 10th, 11th and 12th floors of the waterfront condo One Brooklyn Bridge Park." It includes six bedrooms, two deeded parking spaces, a 3,500-bottle wine room, a gym with a rock-climbing wall, a screening room, and a 75-foot-long terrace.
Take a look around the mega-home here
NYC Planning Commission Approves One Vanderbilt; A New ‘World’s Skinniest Tower’ Coming
March 30, 2015

NYC Planning Commission Approves One Vanderbilt; A New ‘World’s Skinniest Tower’ Coming

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One Vanderbilt gets the green light. The City Planning Commission gave unanimous approval (12-0; 1 recusal) to the controversial Midtown project slated to rise on a site adjacent to Grand Central Station. [6sqft inbox] More units at 432 Park are coming to the market. Nine new listings, including a $76.5 million penthouse, have been posted in the last seven […]

New Yorker Spotlight: Gil Shapiro of Urban Archaeology Re-Imagines Beautiful Old Things
March 27, 2015

New Yorker Spotlight: Gil Shapiro of Urban Archaeology Re-Imagines Beautiful Old Things

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Native New Yorker Gil Shapiro founded Urban Archaeology in the early 1970s, when the salvaging movement was just catching on. With a collector’s–and creator's–eye and an entrepreneurial spirit, he began re-imagining architectural remnants as treasured additions to the home environment. This month the company has been preparing for an auction taking place on March 27th and 28th, handled by Guernsey’s auction house, when nearly 1,000 of their long-treasured pieces of history will be sold to prepare for a move to a new location. First opened in Soho in 1978, the store's early customers–including Andy Warhol and other denizens of what was undisputedly the epicenter of the art world–adored the unique and time-treasured aspects of Shapiro's restored architectural salvage pieces, yet they would always find ways they wished they could customize their favorite items. Finding that he excelled at bringing a fresh perspective to pieces of historical and architectural importance, he started reproducing individual pieces as well as creating new lines of bath fixtures and lighting, many of which originated in places like the Plaza Hotel, New York’s Yale Club and the St. Regis Hotel.
Read our interview with Gil here
Railfan Atlas Maps Train Porn Photos from All Over the World
March 16, 2015

Railfan Atlas Maps Train Porn Photos from All Over the World

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Though many of us would rather not look at another train once we get done with our daily commutes, others of us revel in the images of railfandom, a subculture of train enthusiasts. One self-professed rail geek, Nick Benson, even went so far as to create the Railfan Atlas, a worldwide collection of Flickr train photos. The images are geotagged, and there's a heat map that shows the hottest spots for train porn.
Click here to see the most popular spots in NYC for railfandom
February’s 10 Most-Read Stories and This Week’s Features
February 28, 2015

February’s 10 Most-Read Stories and This Week’s Features

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February’s 10 Most-Read Stories Orlando Bloom Looks to Flip His Tribeca Loft for $5.5M Map Revealed for de Blasio’s City-Wide Ferry System Mapping Where in NYC Millennials Live Modern Family’s Jesse Tyler Ferguson Buys $1.2M Gramercy Co-op One Vanderbilt May Offer Sky-High Observation Deck REVEALED: Lions Group Developing Complementary Skyscrapers in Long Island City What […]

Revealed: AB Architekten’s 29 Clay Street to Bring Manhattan Modernism to Greenpoint
February 27, 2015

Revealed: AB Architekten’s 29 Clay Street to Bring Manhattan Modernism to Greenpoint

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A proposed 12-story residential building near the mouth of Newtown Creek in Greenpoint may bring some avante-garde design to a neighborhood better known for its low-slung factories, unpretentious row-houses, hearty Polish community, and an immense wastewater treatment plant. Coming from the office of AB Architekten, led by Alexander Blakely, a 70,000-square-foot proposal at 19-29 Clay Street is envisioned to rise directly across from the long-promised Box Street Park, and it may be the first of a multitude of high-rises set to radically transform the neighborhood's waterfront.
More information on the proposed project
Weekly Highlights: Top Picks from the 6sqft Staff
February 21, 2015

Weekly Highlights: Top Picks from the 6sqft Staff

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Orlando Bloom Looks to Flip His Tribeca Loft for $5.5M Douglas Manor Colonial for $2.7M Is Like Something Right out of ‘The Great Gatsby’ Proposed ‘Triboro Rx’ Subway Line Would Better Connect the Outer Boroughs Chinatown Loft by Buro Koray Duman Architects Mixes Tenement Details with Bright, Modern Geometry Modern Family’s Jesse Tyler Ferguson Buys […]

A Pierre One-Bedroom Going for $120,000/Month; Rem Koolhaas Design Coming to the High Line
February 17, 2015

A Pierre One-Bedroom Going for $120,000/Month; Rem Koolhaas Design Coming to the High Line

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Although someone’s rented out the Pierre’s $500,000/month presidential suite, there’s still a one-bedroom available for $120,000/month. [NYDN] Rem Koolhaas will design Related’s new building along the High Line. [Architizer] The Branson at Fifth is the city’s worst ‘illegal’ hotel. [Crain’s] Rafael Vinoly is designing a townhouse on East 64th Street. [Curbed] Teamsters have put a […]

Check Out Studio Benjamin Dillenburger’s Wild ‘Phenomena’ Submission for MoMA’s 2015 YAP
February 15, 2015

Check Out Studio Benjamin Dillenburger’s Wild ‘Phenomena’ Submission for MoMA’s 2015 YAP

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Last week, MoMA PS1 announced the winning design for this year’s Young Architects Program (YAP), which will be featured this summer in the Long Island City museum’s outdoor courtyard. The top spot went to Andrés Jaque of the Office for Political Innovation for COSMO, a moveable environmental artifact made out of customized irrigation components. And while this interactive water purification sculpture is highly deserving, the runners-up shouldn't be ignored. Among the short list of finalists was Phenomena by Benjamin Dillenburger and Michael Hansmeyer of Studio Benjamin Dillenburger, which "addressed the idea of phenomenology in design, creating an experiential space that stimulates all the senses and hosts multiple programs." It combines a performance space, a highly articulated projection screen, and an ornate fountain, challenging how people experience live events by making the viewer part of the production.
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Andrés Jaque/Office for Political Innovation wins the 2015 Young Architects Program at MoMA
February 5, 2015

Andrés Jaque/Office for Political Innovation wins the 2015 Young Architects Program at MoMA

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MoMA PS1 has just announced the winning design for this year's Young Architects Program (YAP), which will be featured this summer in the Long Island City museum's outdoor courtyard, setting the stage for the Warm Up summer music series. The top spot goes to Andrés Jaque of the Office for Political Innovation for COSMO: Give me a pipe and I will move/celebrate the Earth, a moveable environmental artifact made out of customized irrigation components that will make visible and enjoyable the typically hidden urbanism of pipes. According to MoMA PS1, COSMO "is engineered to filter and purify 3,000 gallons of water, eliminating suspended particles and nitrates, balancing the PH, and increasing the level of dissolved oxygen. It takes four days for the 3,000 gallons of water to become purified, then the cycle continues with the same body of water, becoming more purified with every cycle."
More on the winning design
Rents in Harlem Shoot Up, Brooklyn Studios Expensive as Ever
February 5, 2015

Rents in Harlem Shoot Up, Brooklyn Studios Expensive as Ever

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MNS has just released their 2014 report pointing to rental performance in the Manhattan and Brooklyn markets over past year. And as you've probably already guessed there are no surprises here—rents were up. Leading the charge in growth were Harlem where new luxury listings gave the area a major boost, and of course Brooklyn which continued see growth at remarkable rates, particularly with studio units which were up more than 20 percent in some nabes.
Find out more here
Park Here: Eyeing the Real Estate Surrounding Two of NYC’s Most Splendid State Parks

Riverbank State Park. Image via Dattner Architects

January 27, 2015

Park Here: Eyeing the Real Estate Surrounding Two of NYC’s Most Splendid State Parks

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In a city that moves so fast that the Sunday edition of the New York Times comes out on Saturday, it is not surprising that New Yorkers might overlook some interesting factoids. For instance, New York City is home seven state parks! So, instead of enjoying a day inside other state parks filled with the ubiquitous lush greenery and a plethora of activities that might surely mean a couple of hours of driving—cityside state parks are but a subway ride away or possibly a short walk to the likes of the East River State Park on Kent Avenue in Williamsburg, the Clay Pit Ponds State Park in Staten Island and the Roberto Clemente State Park in the Bronx. One of the most popular, with its grassy stretches of pastoral idyll against a spectacular backdrop, is the 28-acre Riverbank State Park near 143rd Street (seen in the two images above). A multi-level facility set 69 feet above the Hudson River on Riverside Drive, it opened in 1993. What’s more, this park is the only one of its kind in the Western Hemisphere. Inspired by Japan’s urban rooftop designs, it was created on top of a now-odorless sewage treatment facility on the Hudson.
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Patrick Stewart Wants a “Stroller Lane” in Park Slope; Harlem’s Renaissance Ballroom is Unsalvageable
January 16, 2015

Patrick Stewart Wants a “Stroller Lane” in Park Slope; Harlem’s Renaissance Ballroom is Unsalvageable

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Patrick Stewart wants a “stroller lane” in Park Slope and is willing to back a bill to make it happen. [NYO] It’s curtains for Harlem’s renaissance ballroom. To many’s dismay, the building’s owners have deemed it “unsalvageable”. [NYDN] A massive 40-story mixed-use building is coming to Coney Island. [TRD] It might have great views from the […]

Making the Cut: Is NYC Still the World’s Fashion Capital?

Via j-No via photopin cc

January 13, 2015

Making the Cut: Is NYC Still the World’s Fashion Capital?

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Will 21st century New York City be able to retain its fashion capital status? How does an aspiring fashionista build a brilliant career? The answers come from a winning combination of education, innovation and inspiration, plus financial and media support. Though styles come and go with dizzying speed and designers fall in and out of favor, New York City has held the title of global fashion capital since the mid 20th century, when it rose to prominence with the unprecedented idea of developing sportswear as fashion. Today’s NYC is home to some of the world's top fashion schools whose famous graduates add to the city’s fashion culture and networks. Foreign designers choose to live and work here because of this status and creative energy, adding even more to the fabric. We may share this pedestal with quirky London–and trés chic Paris, the brainy Belgians, the stylish Scandinavians and the ascendant Aussies make things more interesting–but NYC is known as the place where style ideas and trends are born and exchanged.
But is NYC still the world's fashion capital?
5Pointz Artists Petition Against Developer Using Iconic Name for New Residential Towers

5Pointz before being demolished via Garrett Ziegler/Flickr

January 13, 2015

5Pointz Artists Petition Against Developer Using Iconic Name for New Residential Towers

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Back in November we first got wind of G&M Realty's plan to trademark the 5Pointz name and use it for their new residential towers at the site; now artists connected to the Long Island City graffiti mecca are fighting back. Father-son developers Jerry and David Wolkoff had their trademark application denied twice, most recently on January 6th, for being too similar to a California real estate company. Before their third go, artist Jonathan Cohen (aka MeresOne), who ran 5Pointz for ten years, has started an online campaign advocating to protect the storied name. So far the petition has 2,050 signatures, with a goal of 3,000.
More details on the 5Pointz feud
Landmarks Drops Proposal to De-Calendar Nearly 100 Historic Sites After Public Outcry

Green-Wood Cemetery via wallyg via photopin cc

December 5, 2014

Landmarks Drops Proposal to De-Calendar Nearly 100 Historic Sites After Public Outcry

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Major controversy ensued earlier this week between preservationists and city officials when the Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) released a proposal to de-calendar 94 historic sites and two historic districts. The plan would have left these locations, including Long Island City’s Pepsi sign, Manhattan’s Bergdorf Goodman building, and Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn, completely unprotected and ripe for alterations […]

95 Historic Sites in Jeopardy After Landmarks Commission Proposes Mass “De-Calendaring”

The currently calendared Pepsi sign in Long Island City via gigi_nyc via photopin cc

December 2, 2014

95 Historic Sites in Jeopardy After Landmarks Commission Proposes Mass “De-Calendaring”

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Just a month before the year-long celebration of the landmarks law's 50th anniversary is set to commence, the preservation community was dealt what is perhaps its biggest blow since the demolition of Penn Station. The city's Landmarks Preservation Commission revealed in its public review meeting last Wednesday that it would de-calendar 95 historic sites and two historic districts throughout the five boroughs, removing the historic buildings and spaces from the landmarking to-do list and leaving them completely unprotected. Proponents of the plan argue that many places on the list have been there for 50 years, and their removal would free up the LPC's backlog. Preservationists dismiss this claim, citing that the fact that the historic sites have sat unlandmarked for so long is all the more reason this out-of-nowhere proposal is bad public policy. Some of the more high-profile locations under consideration include Long Island City’s Pepsi sign, Manhattan’s Bergdorf Goodman building, and Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn.
More on the de-calendaring and what it means
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