Search Results for: -fifth avenue

February 26, 2016

Spotlight: François Vaxelaire Blasts Tunes from a Shipping Container in a Williamsburg Parking Lot

An independent online radio featuring live DJ sets, located in a shipping container on an empty piece of land on the Williamsburg/Greenpoint border -- if your inclination is to roll your eyes at just how Brooklyn this is, you might want to reconsider. The Lot Radio was founded by 34-year-old Brussels native François Vaxelaire, who has been living in the neighborhood for the past three years. After passing by the vacant triangle day after day, and growing more and more infatuated with its strange beauty, he decided it would be the perfect home for an online radio similar to those in Europe. And after getting through the city's red tape, Lot Radio is officially up and running, save for its adjacent coffee shop and outdoor seating area that are both awaiting permits from the Department of Health. What's most interesting about Vaxelaire is that he is committed to steering clear of the Brooklyn cliches. His goal is to grow an internationally focused, New York-based radio, but in terms of the physical location, he wants local residents exiting the nearby church to feel just as welcome hanging out as would an experimental music aficionado. 6sqft recently visited him at the shipping container to learn more about this very unique idea.
The full story from François
February 26, 2016

This $18M Prewar Co-op Is the Kind of Apartment That Invented Central Park Views

In addition to celebrity residents like Robert DeNiro, Paul Simon and, more recently, Annie Liebovitz, the 1928 co-op building at 88 Central Park West has bragging rights to the kind of views that were being enjoyed by the fortunate before trophy towers like 432 Park Avenue were even a glimmer in any developer’s eye. The classic Central Park West residence known as the Brentmore has only 12 floors, but it possesses a Gilded-Age cachet that’s lost very little of its appeal even in the 21st century. Residents add upper-floors and next-doors rather than move, and floor plans are generous and always include foyers and maids’ rooms (almost all units were built with seven rooms). And the location, of course, needs no introduction.
See more of this gracious West Side home
February 25, 2016

City Planning Commission Approves Controversial East New York Rezoning Plan in 12-1 Vote

The New York City Planning Commission voted 12-1 in approval of Mayor de Blasio's controversial rezoning plan for East New York, Gothamist reports. It's the first of 15 low-income neighborhoods scheduled for rezoning as part of the Mayor's affordable housing plan, which promises to create or preserve 200,000 units of affordable housing. The City Council is scheduled to vote on the rezoning this spring. As part of what is known as Mandatory Inclusionary Housing (MIH), rezoning plans for East New York's Cypress Hills neighborhood and adjacent Ocean Hill in Bed-Stuy would have 7,000 new apartments built by 2030, 3,447 of which will be designated affordable, in addition to one million square feet of commercial space. Of those affordable units, 80 percent would be reserved for families (defined as a household of three, with any number of earners) making no more than 60 percent of the Area Median Income (AMI), or $46,000; 27 percent would go to families making 40 percent of the AMI or $31,000.
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February 23, 2016

Groundwork Begins on Bjarke Ingels’ Curvaceous East Harlem Development

With approved permits in place, Blumenfield Development Group is ready to move forward on their Bjarke Ingels Group-designed mixed-use project at 146 East 125th Street between Lexington and Third Avenues. Initial ground testing has taken place, and a construction fence has been erected along the lot's northern 126th Street frontage. According to permits filed in December 2014, the upcoming 230,000-square-foot building will contain 40,000 square feet of commercial space and 233 apartments, 20 percent of which will be designated as affordable.
More details ahead
February 23, 2016

Minimalist Subway Map Posters Are More About Beautiful Design Than Finding Your Way

Cartographer Andrew Lynch has spent a lot of time looking at the NYC subway system. The CUNY Hunter alum recently perfected the entire system in a series of hypothetical but geographically accurate "Future NYC Subway" maps. But while studying the paths of the city's most important people mover, Lynch noticed they looked rather lovely, but just too, well, cluttered. From this thought came a series of colorful minimalist subway line posters (h/t CityLab) that Lynch calls "totally accurate, totally useless," but nice to look at nonetheless.
Get your own, this way
February 23, 2016

Renderings Revealed for Upper East Side’s First Supertall at Former Subway Inn Site

In October, 6sqft reported that a 1,000+ foot condo tower could rise on the former site of beloved dive bar the Subway Inn (which, after 77 years, had to relocate to a site around the corner in August 2014). The news came nearly two years after the World Wide Group bought a six-parcel assemblage on 60th Street between Third and Lexington Avenues. Then, this past summer, World Wide enlisted Cushman & Wakefield to sell the property, "using renderings of a glassy supertall tower and talk of nearby Billionaires Row to sweeten the deal." Kuafu Properties bought the 19,685-square-foot plot for $300 million in the fall, and now Yimby has uncovered renderings of a glassy, slender tower proposed for the site.
Who designed the supertall tower?
February 22, 2016

Harper Lee Had a Crazy-Cheap Hideout on the Upper East Side for 50 Years

Famed author Harper Lee, who passed away at age 89 on Friday in her hometown of Monroeville, Alabama, was known for being extremely private and somewhat reclusive. So it's not entirely surprising that for the past 49 years, the "To Kill a Mockingbird" novelist has maintained a secret Upper East Side apartment. What is surprising is that after all that time, her rent was less than $1,000 a month. Lee moved to New York City in 1949 when working as an airline reservation agent and writing in her spare time. When the building that housed her cold-water flat was demolished in 1967, she moved to apartment 1E across the street at 433 East 82nd Street (between 1st and York Avenues), reports the Post, using it as a kind of hideout when not in Alabama (even the tenant directly below her had no idea she was a resident). Though she hadn't spent time there since having a stroke in 2007, she renewed her lease for two more years just a couple months ago. Property manager Steven Austern said she was up to date on her rent, and even though he could've terminated the lease since she was living elsewhere, he chose not to, stating "She was a personal friend of mine."
What was the average day like for Harper Lee?
February 22, 2016

Pricing and Renderings Released for the Jackson, Industrial-Inspired Condo in Long Island City

Situated squarely between Long Island City's waterfront towers and its burgeoning Court Square and Queens Plaza business districts, an upcoming industrially-inspired condominium named the Jackson is beginning construction work. On Friday, the New York Times unveiled pricing information for the 70,000-square-foot project, and a polished set of renderings has been published on the developer's website. The 11-story, 54-unit project is being shepherded by a joint-venture among Charney Construction & Development, Ascent Development, and Tavros Capital. The development site, located around the corner from MoMA PS1, was formerly occupied by a parking lot and a nondescript two-story building. Fogarty Finger, the building's architects, have designed several other low- to mid-scale residential projects in LIC that complement the fleetingly-gritty neighborhood's aesthetic. Here they accomplish that by using raw material such as steel, concrete, and wood, as well as oversized windows that feel like an old industrial loft building.
This way for details, renderings, and pricing
February 22, 2016

‘Fatal Flaw Analysis’ Says Brooklyn-Queens Streetcar Could Require Two New Bridges

The proposed Brooklyn-Queens Connector (BQX) streetcar may require the construction of two new bridges, one over Newtown Creek and another over the Gowanus Canal. The New York Times reported that the potential need for the new bridges–the Pulaski Bridge and the bridge across the Gowanus Canal at Hamilton Avenue might not be able to accommodate streetcars–was one of the more substantial details released by Deputy Mayor Alicia Glen and other top officials Friday. In a "fatal-flaw analysis," it was found that that though there would be "major challenges" to creating the system, it was feasible, Ms. Glen said. Like all things New York City, the proposed BQX proposal "would dwarf other recent streetcar systems in the United States." The cost involved in constructing the new bridges is already included in the project's $2.5 billion cost estimate. They would include bicycle and pedestrian paths.
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February 20, 2016

Williamsburg’s William Vale Hotel Launches Website, New Renderings & Video

Williamsburg likely has the highest concentration of awful new buildings in the city. The neighborhood has lots of things going for it, but architecture has not been one of them. However, just north of Kiss + Cathcart's noteworthy Bushwick Inlet Park is a cluster of development that finally flaunts the design creativity for which the borough has become renowned. Centered around the Walentas' Wythe Hotel, four exciting new hotels and office buildings are in the works. Tallest of them all, and farthest along, is the 21-story, 250-foot William Vale Hotel between North 12th and North 13th Streets. The striking pile of structural acrobatics topped off last fall and recently launched their website with a handful of new renderings.
More info and all the renderings
February 19, 2016

Skyline Wars: What’s Rising in Hudson Yards, the Nation’s Largest Construction Site

Carter Uncut brings New York City’s breaking development news under the critical eye of resident architecture critic Carter B. Horsley. This week Carter brings us the third installment of “Skyline Wars,” a series that examines the explosive and unprecedented supertall phenomenon that is transforming the city’s silhouette. In this post Carter zooms in on Hudson Yards. The Hudson Yards neighborhood in Far Midtown West is one of the country’s most active construction areas. Construction cranes dot its emerging skyline and dozens more are promised now with the district's improved connection to the rest of the city. Last fall, the 7-line subway station at Eleventh Avenue and 34th Street opened with one-stop access to Times Square. The newly-minted station features a lengthy diagonal escalator bringing commuters to the front-door of the huge mixed-use project being created over the rail yards west of Tenth Avenue between 30th and 33rd streets. Originally, a second station was contemplated on 41st Street and Tenth Avenue but transit officials claimed it could not afford the $500 million expenditure, despite the enormous amount of new residential construction occurring along the far West 42nd Street corridor. Nevertheless, the finished Hudson Yards station deposits straphangers into a new diagonal boulevard and park between 10th and 11th Avenues that will ultimately stretch from the Related Companies / Oxford Property Group's Hudson Yards master plan northward to 42nd Street.
read more from carter here
February 19, 2016

Reasonably Priced Condos at NINE52 in Hell’s Kitchen Hit the Market, Starting at $679K

After years of decay, the second building of the old Saint Clare's Hospital in Hell's Kitchen has been reborn. Named NINE52, due to its address near Ninth Avenue at 416 West 52nd Street, the seven-story red-brick structure has been rehabilitated into 155 affordably-priced condominium homes. Seven units at NINE52 hit the market earlier this week with asking prices starting at $679,000 for 450-square-foot studios, $859,000 for 725-square-foot one-bedrooms, and $1.319 million for an 875-square-foot two-bedroom. According to CityRealty's February Market Report, the median price-per-square-foot for closed condominium sales in Midtown West over the past 30 days stood at $1,833, a bit above the $1,603-per-square-foot asking prices at NINE52.
Get a look at the apartments
February 18, 2016

New Rendering, Details of Brooklyn’s Future Tallest Tower

A little over a month ago, 6sqft learned that Brooklyn’s first 1,000+ foot tower, designed by SHoP Architects, would rise a whopping 1,066 feet, amounting to 556,164 square feet of total space. It all started back in 2014 when developers Michael Stern and Joe Chetrit purchased 340 Flatbush Avenue Extension (a five-story mid-century building that takes up about one third of the triangular site in Downtown Brooklyn) for $46 million with plans to demolish it. Then, in December, they closed on the adjacent Dime Savings Bank building for $90 million, providing 300,000 square feet of air rights needed to construct the 73-story tower. Along with a new rendering, a piece today in the Times reveals some additional details, namely that the supertall will have nearly 500 rental units, at least 20 percent of which will be affordable under the city's 421-a program. But there's one issue that could make things a little complicated...
More on that, here
February 18, 2016

Common’s Shared Living Concept Brings $3,000 Bedrooms to Williamsburg

The perpetual waves of recent graduates and other young professional hopefuls streaming into New York City seem to be finding themselves stuck when it comes to finding a place to bunk between cubicle and pub. So it's no surprise that a growing field of enterprising entrepreneurs--after observing the moderate success of the co-working model and the mind-melting success of Airbnb–have stepped in with a hybrid of all of the above. 6sqft previously noted the Wall Street launch of co-working startup WeWork's communal living concept. Now, another co-living player, Common, who recently brought upscale shared housing to Crown Heights, will be opening the doors on a communal residence in prosaically trendy Williamsburg at the corner of South 3rd Street and Havemeyer. Common CEO Brad Hargreaves with partner Henry Development is building a 12-suite, 51-bedroom, 20,000-square-foot residence, the company's first ground-up effort here. The most buzz-worthy bit about this new addition is that members will pay $1,800 to $2,700 a month for a bedroom in one of 12 duplex suites, with one, two or three other roommates. The higher-end numbers represent rooms with a private bath–essentially a studio with friends with benefits.
What's the story here
February 18, 2016

Art Nerd New York’s Top Event Picks for the Week – 2/18-2/24

In a city where hundreds of interesting happenings occur each week, it can be hard to pick and choose your way to a fulfilling life. Art Nerd‘s philosophy is a combination of observation, participation, education and of course a party to create the ultimate well-rounded week. Jump ahead for Art Nerd founder Lori Zimmer’s top picks for 6sqft readers! This week's less-frigid temperatures mean a great opportunity to head to Doris C. Freedman Plaza at the bottom of Central Park to experience the Public Art Fund's latest installation before it closes next week. Across the park, the final performance of the New York City Ballet's collaboration with artist Marcel Dzama is guaranteed not to disappoint (those costumes!). Ground Floor Gallery in Brooklyn is opening a group show inspired by the rare stone lapis, and Charlie Chaplin lights up the theater at the Rubin Museum. Semi-autobiographical film "Candy Apple" will accompany a chance to chat with director Dean Dempsey, and iconic art critic Hal Foster speaks at the Pratt Institue. Finally, as the ultimate example of the Williamsburg rent hike, seminal Williamsburg gallery PIEROGI opens its doors in... Manhattan.
All the best events to check out here
February 17, 2016

This Map Explains the Historic Tile Color System Used in NYC Subway Stations

We know the crowds that pack into our city’s subway cars each day are more than colorful enough, but the system also has a super-geeky color-coded navigation system that exists even outside of the main map’s primary colored lines. The city-owned Independent Subway was opened between 1932 and 1940. Up until 1967, it was the last of three former competing subway systems, and contributed six major lines to what is now the unified New York Subway: A, B, C, D, E, F, G, Q (partial). Squire J. Vickers, the system’s architect, designed a special color coding system for each station. Color coded stations were then grouped between express stations to make riders aware of the zone they were passing through. At each express station, the color of the tiles would change. Some station tile color patterns have been altered with subsequent renovations. The system map is based on the original color coding sheet from 1930. After WWII, almost all new subway stations featured their own unique architectural designs and colors
Find out what color your stop is
February 16, 2016

Apply Now for 13 New Affordable Apartments Across Williamsburg, Starting at $756/Month

Last week, 6sqft announced that the affordable housing lottery had launched for 33 apartments at 149 Kent Avenue in Williamsburg. If you're in this income bracket and are looking to live in this trendy Brooklyn area, you can now up your chances, as 13 more brand-new affordable units are up for grabs at five sites around the neighborhood–568 Graham Avenue, 7 Stagg Street, 40 Scholes Street, 198 Montrose Avenue, and 44 Morgan Avenue–according to the NYC HDC. These addresses, which will offer/preserve 24 affordable units in total, are part of a project from the affordable housing developer St. Nicks Alliance. Currently available are one-, two-, and three-bedroom units for those earning between $30,446 and $60,120 annually, roughly 60 percent of the area median income.
More information this way
February 16, 2016

$775K Ridgewood Duplex Is an Urban Loft on the Brooklyn-Queens Border

Those who stake their claim beyond the fringes of New York City's upscale or trendy enclaves aren’t looking for the same things their more mainstream counterparts are. Every neighborhood can’t be the West Village–or even the Brooklyn version of it. Looking for lower prices and cheaper rent calls to the adventurous–Andy Warhol and his crew carved out their Factory scene in Midtown, for example. Similarly, in the ‘90s, a flock of young space-seekers moved into former industrial spaces in Bushwick. Ridgewood was a bit further on the L and so its notable population of new residents came a little later, but they brought the same spirit. Even for the early Bushwick crowd, Ridgewood, the quintessential border town, is different, with its mix of streetscapes from historic row houses (Ridgewood has one of the largest federal historic districts in the nation) to industrial blocks much like the one on which you’ll find this one-bedroom condominium at 852 Cypress Avenue on the Ridgewood-Bushwick border.
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February 12, 2016

Rafael Viñoly Files Plans to Construct a 60-Foot Addition for Pershing Square Capital

In December, the Post reported that Bill Ackman had tapped starchitect Rafael Vinoly (the designer of 432 Park Avenue) to re-imagine 787 Eleventh Avenue along Manhattan's "Automobile Row" in Hell's Kitchen. Ackman's Pershing Square Capital Management intends to relocate to the top floors of the building, and permits filed yesterday indicate that plans are moving forward. The 100-foot-tall structure will receive a two-story, 60-foot-tall addition, which will add nearly 20,000 square feet of construction floor area to the 460,000-square-foot building.
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February 12, 2016

Cute Two-Bedroom Condo in Prime Williamsburg Is Priced Under $1 Million

It seems like you can't find anything in Williamsburg for less than $1 million these days, but here's a condo that's priced just below seven digits. This two-bedroom unit at 211 Berry Street, an older condo complex in the neighborhood that's been slapped with a cool name (Northside Condo), has got a price tag of $995,000. This is not one of those North Brooklyn loft condos with a pool, roofdeck or resident lounges, which accounts for the lower price in the central Williamsburg location -- it's located right near the main drags of Bedford and Metropolitan avenues.
Take a look
February 11, 2016

Penny Marshall Lists $5.5M UWS Penthouse With Terrace, Views and a Fireplace in the Bathroom

Director, actress, producer and “Laverne & Shirley” star Penny Marshall is parting ways with the Upper West Side penthouse at 470 West End Avenue that she purchased back in the early 1980s. Marshall just listed the 1,800-square-foot penthouse with a wrap-around terrace and Hudson River views for $5.5 million. The Bronx-born actress, who has been based on the left coast for some time, used the two-bedroom pad as a pied-a-terre, and it certainly makes an impressive one. Though the interiors don't appear to have been updated recently, dramatic pre-war details (11-foot-plus beamed ceilings, wood-burning fireplaces, paneled doors and original hardware) and 1,050 square feet of private outdoor space don’t ever go out of style; with some updating, this will definitely be a "Big" beautiful space.
Check out the rest of the penthouse
February 11, 2016

HOK Architects Files Permits for 21-Story UES Condo Tower, Will Yield New Subway Entrance

Yesterday, Hellmuth Obata & Kassabaum (HOK) filed permit applications with the city's Department of Buildings to construct their first residential tower in the city–an 18-story, mixed-use condominium tower at 147 East 86th Street on the Upper East Side. The 210,000-square-foot project will anchor the northeast corner of Lexington Avenue and 86th Street and will sit directly atop the Lexington line's 86th Street subway station, for which the developers will build a new entrance. The $340 million project is being shepherded by a joint venture among Stillman Development, Ceruzzi Properties, and Kuafu Properties, who will build retail on the first few floors of the building and high-end condo units up top. Much of the site is owned by the the estate of real estate mogul Sol Goldman. Filed plans show that the development will contain 63 units and rise 210 feet, the maximum height allowed in the zoning district.
More details and renderings this way
February 11, 2016

Art Nerd New York’s Top Event Picks for the Week – 2/11-2/17

In a city where hundreds of interesting happenings occur each week, it can be hard to pick and choose your way to a fulfilling life. Art Nerd‘s philosophy is a combination of observation, participation, education and of course a party to create the ultimate well-rounded week. Jump ahead for Art Nerd founder Lori Zimmer’s top picks for 6sqft readers! Even if you’re not into Valentine’s Day, it's no excuse not to celebrate a love-filled weekend of art and design. For the next month, you can take your lover or best friend to play in the glittering "Heart of Hearts" installation in Times Square or experience true beauty at the Cooper Hewitt Design Triennial. Check out private arts club the Norwood without becoming a member for the Sweetheart Ball or try the Out to See arts and film celebrations happening down at the South Street Seaport. On the actual day, check out a tech-savvy sculpture show at Lyles & King, and then have the main event at House of Yes for LUST, an immersive and sexy arty dinner soiree. Then, wash off all the saccharin sweetness of Valentine’s Day with a good old nerdy film fest about infrastructures at the Van Alen Institute.
All the best events to check out here
February 11, 2016

Subway Maps for Tourists; The Last Four Phone Booths in the City

Five people have been charged with second-degree manslaughter related to the Second Avenue explosion last year. [EV Grieve] A Clinton Hill shop offers $300 “bespoke perfume consultations.” [DNAinfo] The new windows have been revealed at Aby Rosen’s 190 Bowery. [Bowery Boogie] These maps explain the subway for tourists and transplants. [Gothamist] In the 1880s partiers had […]