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Image © 6sqft The city's subways of today have machines that can test air samples and look for potentially dangerous gas build-up or biological and chemical agents. However, before such technology was invented, the city hired James “Smelly” Kelly to walk the tracks using just his nose and a few homemade inventions, to find and report any leaks or hazardous smells. As Atlas Obscura discovered, Kelly and his team would walk underground for allegedly ten miles of track each day, and by the end of his career, it is said Kelly walked over 100,000 miles of track.
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June 27, 2017

Young Projects upended the traditional Brooklyn townhouse design for this Williamsburg renovation

You wouldn't guess it from first glance, but this property on the corner of Wythe Avenue in Williamsburg was originally a modest 1900s brick townhouse. Architecture and design firm Young Projects was tasked with modernizing and expanding the existing structure, for which they took a bold approach that they call "a radical break from Brooklyn’s traditional townhouse typology." The massive rear addition is clad in perforated, corrugated zinc, "subtly playing off the scale, proportion, fenestration and texture of the existing townhouse." The interior is just as dramatic, with a massive, curving staircase that wraps around a double height living room.
You have to take a look inside

Amazon has patented a drone skyscraper designed for city delivery

Image courtesy of the United States Patent Office

June 27, 2017

Amazon has patented a drone skyscraper designed for city delivery

The massive online retailer company Amazon, which recently acquired the grocery chain Whole Foods for $13.4 billion, is attempting to push even further into the future of internet commerce. The company has recently patented a “multi-level fulfillment center for unmanned vehicles," or in simpler terms, a drone skyscraper. As co.design discovered, while patents do not necessarily mean this tower will be created, the plan has detailed sketches showing a giant beehive from where drones would fly in and out.
See the design

June 26, 2017

90 years ago today, Coney Island’s iconic Cyclone roller coaster opened

On June 26, 1927 the Coney Island Cyclone opened in Brooklyn. The iconic wooden coaster, located on the corner of Surf Avenue and West 10th Street, is one of the oldest functional amusement rides in the United States. While it only cost $.25 to ride when it first opened, today it costs about $10. Found at Luna Park, the coaster takes you over 2,640 feet of track at 60 miles per hour, with 12 drops (the highest an 85-foot, 60-degree plunge) and 27 elevation changes in roughly two minutes.
See a historic video of the coaster in action

History

June 26, 2017

INTERVIEW: Architect Thomas Kosbau on the exciting future of sustainable design in NYC

Since Thomas Kosbau began working for a New York consultancy firm running its sustainable development group, in 2008, much has changed in the city's attitude toward green design. Kosbau has gone from "selling" the idea of LEED certification to building developers, to designing some of the most innovative sustainable projects in New York to meet demand. He founded his firm, ORE Design, in 2010. Soon after, he picked up two big commissions that went on to embody the firm's priority toward projects that marry great design alongside sustainability. At one commission, the Dekalb Market, ORE transformed 86 salvaged shipping containers into an incubator farm, community kitchen, event space, community garden, 14 restaurants and 82 retail spaces. At another, Riverpark Farm, he worked with Riverpark restaurant owners Tom Colicchio, Sisha Ortuzar and Jeffrey Zurofsky to build a temporary farm at a stalled development site to provide their kitchen with fresh produce. From there, ORE has tackled everything from the outdoor dining area at the popular Brooklyn restaurant Pok Pok to the combination of two Madison Avenue studios. Last November, ORE launched designs for miniature indoor growhouses at the Brooklyn headquarters of Square Roots, an urban farming accelerator.
ORE's latest project

June 25, 2017

$850K for this 1899 Victorian home in Ridgewood with a charming front porch

This historic frame home is looking picture perfect in Ridgewood, Queens. It's located at 62-46 61st Street, a block off the neighborhood's main drag of Metropolitan Avenue. The listing says you "step back into 1899 every evening in this beautiful two-story Victorian." We have to admit the property remains impressively intact, from the front porch to the ornate woodwork and pocket doors inside. After selling back in 2014 for $560,000, then getting some modern structural upgrades, it's now on the market for $850,000.
Go inside

Distinctive Homes

FREE RENT: This week’s roundup of NYC rental news

Images (L to R): Hub, The Forge, The Corner and The Lane

June 24, 2017

FREE RENT: This week’s roundup of NYC rental news

By Emrys Fitzgerald

A Look Inside Harlem 125 as the New Rental Debuts on Harlem’s Main Street [link] Leasing Special on West 72nd Street: Apartments Above Trader Joe’s Listed with 1 Month Free [link] Newly Launched Jersey City Rental Partners with Airbnb, Achieves Record Price Per Square Foot [link] Live in Brooklyn’s Tallest Building: New ‘Hub’ Rental Tower […]

Real Estate Trends

The history behind 42nd Street’s lost Airlines Terminal Building

A vintage postcard of the Airlines Terminal Building, via drivingfordeco.com

June 23, 2017

The history behind 42nd Street’s lost Airlines Terminal Building

For more than 30 years, the Art Deco-style Airlines Terminal Building served millions of travelers as a spot where flight tickets servicing New York could be purchased and where passengers could board shuttle buses to take them to the various airports. The building, located on the southwest corner of Park Avenue and 42nd Street, sat on the former site of the Hotel Belmont, which was built in 1906 and later demolished in 1930. Construction of the Airlines Terminal began in 1939 to create the chic, futuristic design, which included a steel frame and a crown flanked by two eagles.
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History

June 23, 2017

$1.5M UES co-op features 13-foot ceilings and floor-to-ceiling shelving

This south-facing apartment comes from the prewar cooperative known as Morgan Studios, at 170 East 78th Street on the Upper East Side. A thoughtful renovation didn't take anything away from the prewar charm---the living room still looks stunning with 13-foot ceilings and large casement windows, alongside a wood-burning fireplace with a custom mantle. A ladder helps access the floor-to-ceiling shelving, and a staircase leads to the upper-level bedroom and kitchen. This was just listed under $1.5 million, after last selling in 2009 for $1.35 million.
Take the grand tour

Distinctive Homes

June 23, 2017

PHOTOS: First steel column installed at 1401-foot One Vanderbilt, NYC’s second-tallest skyscraper

With the installation of its first steel column, One Vanderbilt, soon to be New York City’s second-tallest skyscraper, officially began vertical construction on Friday. Banker Steel Company provided the 26,000 tons of domestically milled and fabricated structural steel for development, which included the first 20-ton column installed. According to the team, the construction of One Vanderbilt is three weeks ahead of schedule. SL Green Realty and AECOM Tishman say the supertall skyscraper will add to the modernization of East Midtown’s business district, as the office building will boast column-free floors, floor-to-ceiling windows, and 360-degree views.
See more here

June 22, 2017

Rich wood and brick decorate this renovated East Village rental, for $13,995/month

This East Village rental, at the Pear Tree Place condo at 203 East 13th Street, is rich in prewar material. The 11-and-a-half-foot ceilings are lined with wood beams, the walls are covered with exposed brick and the floor with a maple wood. The three-bedroom pad, on the rental market for $13,995/month, also comes with some perks: a planted terrace off the kitchen, an audio/visual system with two drop-down movie screens, and heated floors in the bathrooms.
Now go see it

Distinctive Homes

June 21, 2017

$1.3M Arbor Close Tudor is a reminder of the 1920s ‘garden city’ movement

By Michelle Cohen

Just adjacent to the historic "secret" enclave of Forest Hills Gardens, Queens–a rare planned community founded in 1909–is the even more well-kept secret of Arbor Close. These garden-filled idylls share the same covenant to maintain their early 20th century "garden city" charm. Like its neighbor, Arbor Close consists of 1927-era Tudor rowhouses and apartment buildings with central gardens. Though it doesn't happen too often, one of those rare homes, an elegant, unassuming Tudor at 111-27 75th Road, is for sale, asking $1.275 million.
See more of this charming townhouse

Top architects and engineers present solutions for NYC’s soon-to-explode population

June 21, 2017

10 things you never knew about Prospect Park

Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux debuted Prospect Park to the Brooklyn masses in 1867. Though Olmsted and Vaux had already designed Central Park, they considered this their masterpiece, and much of the pair's innovative landscape design is still on display across all 585 acres. But it was the result of a lengthy, complicated construction process (Olmsted and Vaux weren't even the original designers!) as well as investment and dedication from the city and local preservationists throughout the years. After challenges like demolition, neglect, and crime, the Parks Department has spent the past few decades not only maintaining the park but restoring as much of Olmsted and Vaux's vision as possible. It's safe to say that these days, Prospect Park is just as impressive as when it first opened to the public. And of course, throughout its history the park has had no shortage of stories, secrets and little-known facts. 6sqft divulges the 10 things you might not have known.
All the juicy secrets ahead

June 20, 2017

MTA dismisses idea to extend G train into Manhattan during L train shutdown

Republican mayoral candidate, Paul Massey, unveiled a transit infrastructure plan Monday, that included an idea to create a G train loop that would travel to Manhattan to help commuters during the 15 month-L train shutdown next year. Although little details have been revealed, his plan would presumably travel through Midtown on the F train route, loop back into Queens on routes used by the M and R train and then reconnect with the G at the Court Square stop in Long Island City. While a notable idea, according to Crain’s the MTA looked over Massey’s plan and said its implementation would be impossible.
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June 20, 2017

Clinton Hill’s latest rental offers 10 affordable units, from $780/month

Less than two weeks ago, Clinton Hill's new mixed-use building at 1007 Atlantic Avenue launched leasing for its 40 market-rate rentals, offering one month of free rent on 13-month leases for units ranging from $2,169/month studios to $3,462/month two-bedrooms. But the remaining 10 units are an even sweeter deal, coming in at just $780 for studios and $973 for two-bedrooms and still getting access to the package room, bike storage, and landscaped roof deck with areas for lounging and grilling. These latter apartments are available as of tomorrow through the city's affordable housing lottery to those earning 60 percent of the area median income.
Find out if you qualify

Affordable Housing

June 19, 2017

124 chances to live in the burgeoning South Bronx, from $822/month

The South Bronx is arguably the city's largest hotbed of new affordable housing development, and the latest chance to live in the up-and-coming 'hood for less than market rate starts today for 124 units at 530 Exterior Street in Mott Haven. Here, New Yorkers earning 60 percent of the area median income can apply for apartments ranging from $822/month studios to $1,224/month three-bedrooms. The 13-story building is part of a larger, mixed-use project, right near Mill Pond Park on the Harlem River and the 145th Street Bridge to Harlem. The other two components are a similarly low- and moderate-income housing building at 491 Gerard Avenue and a 152-room Hampton Inn hotel with commercial space and ground-floor retail.
Find out if you qualify

Affordable Housing

June 19, 2017

‘Apartment in the sky’ with lofts and skylights asks $625K in Hell’s Kitchen

Located on the top floor of the Hell's Kitchen co-op 857 Ninth Avenue and decked out with skylights (with their own retractable shades!), this $625,000 pad feels like it's perched up in the clouds. 11.5-foot ceilings and two lofts, above the bedroom and kitchen, don't hurt either. Nor do the Manhattan cityscape views from the Eastern facing windows. This home last sold for $549,000 in 2016. We're guessing it got some upgrades before it was listed again this year.
See the interior for yourself

Distinctive Homes

Images (L to R): Harlem 125, 7 West 21st Street, Caesura and LEVEL

June 17, 2017

FREE RENT: This week’s roundup of NYC rental news

By Emrys Fitzgerald

Pricing Revealed for Paris Forino-Designed Williamsburg Rental [link] Fort Greene Rental Reveals New Renderings & Launches Affordable Housing Lottery [link] Leases at Morris Adjmi-Designed 7W21 Offer 2 Months of Free Rent [link] Summer Special in Sutton Place; Oriana Offers 14-Month Leases with 2 Months Free [link] New Bed-Stuy Rental Launches Leasing and Offers Modern Apartments […]

Real Estate Trends

June 16, 2017

Construction to finally begin on the new Penn Station – see new renderings!

Just a day after Penn Station‘s long-awaited West End Concourse revealed itself to the public, for the first time allowing Amtrak, Long Island Rail Road, and NJ Transit passengers to enter and board trains through the historic James A. Farley Post Office across 8th Avenue, Governor Cuomo has announced that Empire State Development signed the final financial agreement with Related Companies, Vornado Realty LP, and Skanska AB for the $1.6 billion Penn-Farley Complex. After decades of delays, construction will now begin to transform the historic post office into the Moynihan Train Hall, a new 255,000-square-foot train hall housing both Amtrak and LIRR ticketing and waiting areas, as well as 70,000 square feet of new commercial, retail, and dining space. But a development announcement from the Governor is never complete without a fresh set of renderings, and Cuomo did not disappoint this time.
All the renderings and details ahead

June 15, 2017

FIRST LOOK: See inside Penn Station’s brand new West End Concourse