Search Results for: 84 New York Ave

December 28, 2017

Nuclear fallout shelter signs being removed around the city

New York City has started taking down the yellow nuclear fallout shelter signs slapped on thousands of buildings across the city in the 1960s. According to AM New York, city officials believe these metal black-and-yellow signs "are misleading Cold War relics that no longer denote functional shelters." But back in the '60s, they were considered emblematic of the era. President John F. Kennedy created a shelter program in 1961 across U.S. cities as anxieties grew high over the nuclear arms race between the United States and the former Soviet Union. By 1963, an estimated 18,000 shelters had been designated across the five boroughs, and the Department of Defense had plans to add another 34,000 shelters citywide. Most were no more than basements marked by an official government sign--and now the remnants of such signs are coming down.
Read more history of New York's fallout shelters

Where I Work: Artistic duo Strosberg Mandel show off their Soho studio and glam portraits

David Mandel (L) and Serge Strosberg (R) in their studio, photo by James and Karla Murray

December 27, 2017

Where I Work: Artistic duo Strosberg Mandel show off their Soho studio and glam portraits

By Dana Schulz

6sqft’s series “Where I Work” takes us into the studios, offices, and off-beat workspaces of New Yorkers across the city. In this installment, we’re touring artistic duo Strosberg Mandel's Soho studio.Want to see your business featured here? Get in touch! Last year, Belgian-American figurative painter Serge Strosberg had an exhibit about feminism in the East Village. The show's curator introduced him to David Mandel, a theatrical stylist, jewelry designer, and former drag queen. Though the two came from very different artistic backgrounds, they immediately hit it off on both a personal and professional level. Fast forward to today, and they've formed the NYC-based artistic duo Strosberg Mandel, creating large-scale assemblage portraits--mostly of rock n' roll icons such as Prince, David Bowie, Elvis, and Cher--using found materials and glamorous add-ons like Swarovski diamonds and luxury fabrics. In anticipation of their upcoming debut solo exhibition "Troubadours of Eternity" at Lichtundfire from January 24th to February 4th, in which they'll unveil the full portrait series as "a celebration of authentic musicianship and timeless spirits," Serge and David invited us into their Soho studio to get an advanced preview of the pieces and learn about their unique work and partnership.
Tour the studio and hear from David and Serge

December 27, 2017

Greta Garbo fans buy the actress’ longtime Sutton Place co-op for $2.5M over ask

By Dana Schulz

This sprawling three-bedroom at the exclusive Sutton Place co-op The Campanile may have a private location, incredible East River views, and old-world details such as wall-to-wall pine wood paneling, working fireplaces, and tons of built-ins, but it was its longtime resident who encited a bidding war. Mansion Global reports that Greta Garbo's longtime home (she lived there from 1954 until her death in 1990) has sold for $8.5 million, 43 percent higher than the $5.95 million it listed for back in March. The late actress' great-nephew Craig Reisfield said the buyers have “a reverence for my great aunt” and added that he anticipates them being "great stewards" of the home that's very much intact from Garbo's days.
See the high-end apartment here

December 22, 2017

The Urban Lens: How Temple Court went from an abandoned shell to a romantically restored landmark

By James and Karla Murray

In 1883, one of NYC's first skyscrapers opened at the corner of Nassau and Beekman Streets. Known as Temple Court, the nine-story red brick and terra cotta structure was designed in the Queen Anne style by architect James M. Farnworth to attract accountants and lawyers who needed to be close to the city's courthouses. Its most impressive feature was its central atrium that rises the full height and is topped by a large pyramid-shaped skylight and two rooftop turrets. In the 1940s, this romantic atrium was walled in from top to bottom, and by 2001, the last commercial tenant moved out, ultimately sending the building into disrepair, a crumbling shell open to the elements. Plans to restore Temple Court into The Beekman hotel and add an adjacent 51-story condominium tower first surfaced in 2008, but before work got underway in 2012, we were granted the rare opportunity to explore the architectural gem in its eerily beautiful derelict state. And now that guests are filling up the 287 hotel rooms, the main floor is buzzing with restaurants from restaurateurs Tom Colicchio and Keith McNally, and the atrium's skylight and Victorian cast iron railings and ornamentation have been restored, we went back in to document how this one-of-a-kind landmark has been restored.
See the before-and-after photos and learn about our experience

Renderings revealed for Dattner Architect’s nine-story building at the Brooklyn Navy Yard

Rendering of Admirals Row via S9 Architecture and 399 Sands Street via Dattner Architects

December 21, 2017

Renderings revealed for Dattner Architect’s nine-story building at the Brooklyn Navy Yard

By Devin Gannon

Once a shipyard where World War II warships were produced, the 300-acre Brooklyn Navy Yard is undergoing a major development to become a multi-use industrial and commercial mecca. Steiner Equities Group is overseeing the area's reinvention and as YIMBY learned, the developer has filed permits for a mixed-use building at 399 Sands Street. Designed by Dattner Architects, renderings reveal a nine-story building with a concrete facade and lots of greenery on its roof, as well as new views of the site as a whole and the planned Wegmans grocery store.
More this way

Republican tax bill cuts critical funding for the MTA, report says

Photo via Wikimedia

December 18, 2017

Republican tax bill cuts critical funding for the MTA, report says

By Devin Gannon

If Congress passes the GOP-backed tax reform bill this week, the already-beleaguered Metropolitan Transportation Authority will find itself in even more financial trouble, says a joint study released by transit advocacy groups Riders Alliance and the Tri-State Transportation Campaign on Sunday. The legislation adds $1.46 trillion in debt by providing the wealthiest Americans and corporations with tax cuts. As amNY reported, the tax plan would jeopardize the financing of major projects from the MTA like expanding the Second Avenue subway and even everyday operations. The MTA relies on federal funds to pay for about 23 percent of capital needs.
Find out more

The history of the Rockettes: From St. Louis to Radio City

The Rockettes in 1925, courtesy of The Rockettes

December 18, 2017

The history of the Rockettes: From St. Louis to Radio City

By Emily Nonko

For nearly a century, the Rockettes have been an icon of Christmas in New York. From humble St. Louis origins (no, the troupe was not formed in the Big Apple) to performing when Radio City Music Hall was in disrepair and shuttering for weeks at a time, they've managed to continue dancing throughout the decades. Not only that, they've emerged as America’s best known dance troupe. Here's the incredible history of this small team of female dancers, who have pulled off astounding, razor-sharp choreography while also fighting for higher wages and the landmarks designation of Radio City. The Rockettes are a New York icon, but only after a hard-fought battle to keep performing in the city.
Keep reading to learn more

December 18, 2017

William Lescaze’s modernist Upper East Side townhouse asks $20 million after a gut reno

By Emily Nonko

One of New York City's earliest modern residences, designed by architect William Lescaze on the Upper East Side, is searching for a new owner after a gut renovation. Known as the Raymond C. and Mildred Kramer House, after its first owners, it was built at 32 East 74th Street in 1934. Lescaze was a Swiss-born, American architect credited with pioneering modernism in America. He designed New York's first modernist home for himself in Midtown East (pictured to the right) one year prior to this uptown commission (pictured to the left). At 32 East 74th, any remnants of his interior design have mostly disappeared after years on and off the market. The current owner paid $14.5 million for it in 2015, gutted it, and re-listed it as an investment property holding three duplex rental units. As Curbed points out, it's now asking a cool $20 million.
Take a look

Distinctive Homes

December 14, 2017

For $300, own a used subway trash can from the MTA

By Devin Gannon

Every month the MTA sells outgoing buses and subway cars, station signs, doors, seating and other fixtures from retired subways to lucky buyers who for some reason want to bring the underground experience into their homes. This holiday season, the MTA and the New York City Transit are offering discounted prices of memorabilia and collectibles until Dec. 18, making it easy to check off all holiday shopping lists. Brand new items up for grabs include a used "authentic, unique" refuse canister (read: trash can) for $300 and an "iconic" 10-foot-long wooden subway bench for a staggering $650.
Check out the full list of MTA memorbilia

Transit

NYC’s first elevated train and the world’s first streetcar began in Greenwich Village

The Ninth Avenue El near 14th Street c. 1914. Via Bain Collection, Library of Congress.

December 14, 2017

NYC’s first elevated train and the world’s first streetcar began in Greenwich Village

By Andrew Berman of Village Preservation

Greenwich Village is known as the birthplace of many things – the modern gay rights movement, Off-Broadway theater, the New York School of artists and poets, the “new urbanism” pioneered by Jane Jacobs, among many other trailblazing firsts. Less closely associated with the Village, however, are radical and transformative innovations in transportation technology. But while little known, the Village was in fact home to the first elevated rail line, and the first streetcar.
The whole history right this way

December 13, 2017

INTERVIEW: Zoning and land-use attorney Michael Hiller fights to uphold the Landmarks Law

By Penelope Bareau

Michael Hiller is a zoning and land-use attorney who has represented community groups in seemingly impossible quests for about 20 years. His high-profile cases have often been against the Landmarks Preservation Commission, notably Tribeca's iconic Clock Tower Building and new construction along historic Gansevoort Street, both of which are pending appeal by the defendants. As one legal observer commented, "He has become an expert in the nuances of the Landmarks Law from a legal perspective. In court, he is very talented on his feet before a very hot bench, before judges who ask a lot of tough questions." His successes have won him designation as a Super Lawyer every year since 2009 as well as the 2017 Grassroots Award from the Historic Districts Council. 6sqft recently visited Michael at his office to learn more about his work.
Ahead, hear from Michael and learn more about his current cases

Michael C. Hall buys $4.3M El Dorado classic six

Michael C. Hall image via Wikimedia Commons.

December 13, 2017

Michael C. Hall buys $4.3M El Dorado classic six

By Michelle Cohen

The iconic El Dorado seems to have retained some of its celebrity cachet despite the decampment of Alec Baldwin and Bruce Willis; the New York Post reports that Michael C. Hall of "Dexter," "Six Feet Under" and David Bowie’s “Lazarus” fame just snagged a 10th floor apartment at 300 Central Park West. The Golden Globe winner and his wife Morgan paid $4.3 million for a newly-renovated 2,200 square-foot two-bedroom unit in the Emery Roth-designed co-op, according to city records. The Golden Globe-winner also owns a two-bedroom apartment in the pricey Greenwich Lane complex at 160 West 12th Street which was on the rental market last year for $15,000 a month.
Take a peek

December 12, 2017

Announcing 6sqft’s 2017 Building of the Year!

By Emily Nonko

The votes have been tallied, and so it's time to name the 2017 Building of the Year! The winning title belongs to no other than One Manhattan Square, the Lower East Side meets Chinatown skyscraper that will be home to NYC’s largest outdoor private garden when it opens next year. The 800-foot-tall tower beat out 11 other significant NYC buildings in a competitive two-week competition held by 6sqft. Out of 3,782 votes cast, the Extell-developed, Adamson Associates-designed structure took first place with 959 votes or 25.35% of the total.
More on this year's winner!

December 12, 2017

Waterline Square mega-development tops out on the Upper West Side

By Devin Gannon

Waterline Square, a mega-development consisting of three luxury residential high-rises and measuring 2.2 million square feet, officially topped out this week, one of the most ambitious projects to hit the Upper West Side in decades. GID Development Group commissioned three major New York City architecture firms, Richard Meier & Partners, Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates and Rafael Viñoly, to design One Waterline Square, Two Waterline Square and Three Waterline Square, respectively. The 263 condominiums of the development, located between West 59th Street and West 61st Street on the Hudson River, will commence closings in late 2018. There will also be 800 rental units available, with 20 percent of them below market rate. Hill West Architects serves as the executive architect on the project.
More this way

December 11, 2017

Last day to vote for 6sqft’s 2017 Building of the Year!

By Emily Nonko

This year was all about new development redefining the New York City skyline. Construction moved along at a rapid pace, whether it be the topping out of Richard Meier's tower at 685 First Avenue or foundational work kicking off at Brooklyn's first supertall 9 Dekalb. In the next several years we'll see these buildings open and show off apartments at sky-high prices, but for now, we get to enjoy the construction process on some of the most notable new architecture to come to New York. We’ve narrowed down a list of 12 news-making residential structures for the year. Which do you think deserves 6sqft’s title of 2017 Building of the Year? To have your say, polls for our third annual competition will be open up until midnight on Monday, December 11th and we will announce the winner on Tuesday, December 12th.
VOTE HERE! And learn more about the choices.

New Developments

The Urban Lens: The surprising beauty of Sunset Park’s Sims Municipal Recycling Facility

All photographs © James and Karla Murray for 6sqft

December 11, 2017

The Urban Lens: The surprising beauty of Sunset Park’s Sims Municipal Recycling Facility

By Hannah Frishberg

6sqft’s series The Urban Lens invites photographers to share work exploring a theme or a place within New York City. In this installment, we take a look at the inner workings of Sunset Park's Sims Municipal Recycling Facility, from trash heaps to machinery to a learning center. Are you a photographer who’d like to see your work featured on The Urban Lens? Get in touch with us at [email protected]. The beauty of trash is not often lauded, but out on the Brooklyn waterfront, at Sunset Park's Sims Municipal Recycling Facility, the process is oddly mesmerizing. En masse, the glass and plastic shards processed in the building's bowels become a disposable rainbow, the sharp shapes of residential recyclables a testament to the mesmerizing aesthetic of large-scale sustainability. Sims is located on the 11-acre 30th Street Pier, which also contains the city's first commercial-scale wind turbine. On Sims' second story is a recycling education center; surrounding its exterior are a number of nature-harboring reefs, moorings, and native plants; and on the roof is an observation deck. The plant sorts 800 tons of recyclables on 2.5 miles worth of conveyor belts and machines daily, the majority of NYC's "commingled curbside material," its site proudly purports. In total, the plant processes 200,000 tons of plastic, glass, and metal a year. Ahead, take a look at the Sims world, where trash is heaped so high it really does look like treasure if you squint.
Take a tour

$80M Upper East Side mansion could set a record for most expensive townhouse ever sold in NYC

Google Streetview of 12 East 69th Street

December 11, 2017

$80M Upper East Side mansion could set a record for most expensive townhouse ever sold in NYC

By Emily Nonko

A 20,000-square-foot Upper East Side mansion--complete with its own red velvet movie theater, panic room, and double-height library, has entered contract priced at $80 million. And according to the Wall Street Journal, if it closes at that price the property will become the most expensive townhouse ever sold in New York City. The sale would beat out a record set just this year, when the 25,000-square-foot, 41-foot-wide townhouse at 19 East 64th Street belonging to art heir David Wildenstein closed for $79.5 million. This home, located at 12 East 69th Street, came on the market in 2013 for roughly $114 million but was delisted after a price cut to $98 million in 2014.
Find out more

City will replace Nolita’s Elizabeth Street Garden with 121 affordable apartments for seniors

Rendering courtesy of Curtis + Ginsberg Architects

December 8, 2017

City will replace Nolita’s Elizabeth Street Garden with 121 affordable apartments for seniors

By Devin Gannon

After years of public battles between open space advocates and public officials, the city announced on Friday that it will create an affordable senior housing development at the site of the Elizabeth Street Garden in Nolita. Dubbed Haven Green, the project will be an energy-efficient passive house, with units reserved for seniors earning between $20,040 and $40,080, as well as formerly homeless seniors. According to the Daily News, the project calls for 121 deeply affordable units with 7,600 square feet of public open space in a new garden. Developed by Pennrose Properties, Habitat for Humanity New York City, and RiseBoro Community Partnerships, Haven Green will use 60 to 70 percent less energy than a standard building of its kind and will be designed to manage and reuse stormwater through permeable surfaces.
More this way

December 8, 2017

The Macklowe Gallery’s Ben Macklowe shares the top reasons to start an antique collection

By Dana Schulz

"Vintage" furniture and decor is no stranger to young, urban professionals, with the proliferation of markets like Brooklyn Flea and do-good stores like Housing Works. But rarely do fine antiques enter the equation, often being tossed aside for their higher price points. But the antiques market has undergone a major shift in recent years, and no one has been more privy to it than Ben Macklowe, the second-generation president of the Macklowe Gallery who describes collecting as "the intersection of passion, taste and happenstance." After standing as a fixture on Madison Avenue for nearly 50 years, gaining international recognition for its collection of French Art Nouveau furniture and objects, Tiffany lamps and glassware, and antique and estate jewelry, the gallery recently relocated to a 6,000-square-foot space on 57th Street and Park Avenue, which, according to Ben is “thanks to our existing clients and a new generation of passionate collectors.” For this new generation, Ben believes the time is ripe to start collecting. Antiques are sustainable by nature, they lend themselves to cultural exploration, and, because of a generational shift, are more affordable than ever. Ahead, we break down the top-three reasons to start an antique collection.
READ MORE

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Port Authority approves more than $1B for construction at NYC airports

Interior rendering of LaGuardia Airport, via Governor Andrew Cuomo on Flickr

December 8, 2017

Port Authority approves more than $1B for construction at NYC airports

By Devin Gannon

With the approval of its $8 billion 2018 budget on Thursday, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey plans to spend more than $1 billion on major redevelopment projects at LaGuardia, Newark Liberty International and JFK Airports next year. The agency’s board of commissioners approved a budget that allocates $3.2 billion for operating expenses and $3.4 billion for capital expenses. According to the Wall Street Journal, $578 million will be put toward the $8 billion redevelopment of LaGuardia and $167 million toward a $2.3 billion redevelopment plan of Newark's Terminal A.
Find out more

Renderings revealed for the renovated Condé Nast cafeteria, Frank Gehry’s first NYC project

Renderings via the Durst Organization/Studios Architecture

December 6, 2017

Renderings revealed for the renovated Condé Nast cafeteria, Frank Gehry’s first NYC project

By Emily Nonko

The fabled Condé Nast cafeteria--starchitect Frank Gehry's first ever project in New York--is getting a revamp and will reopen to new tenants in the Four Times Square office tower. The Post reports that the titanium-wrapped, fourth-floor venue is going to be integrated into a $35 million, tenants-only space in the 1.2-million-square-foot tower. The building's owner, the Durst Organization, says that while the space will have more seats, Gehry's signature elements have been preserved, like the curved-glass “curtains,” undulating titanium walls, and banquette seating nooks. 6sqft received a first look at
It'll now be run as a food hall

Architecture And Design

December 6, 2017

Mini-loft meets hobbit-hole in this $675K Hell’s Kitchen triplex

By Michelle Cohen

Part gnome-tastic rustic hobbit-hole and part "downtown loft," this cozy little triplex at 520 West 50th Street in the heart of Hell's Kitchen has the kind of rustic charm, wood details, and interesting layout that's classic to a neighborhood quickly filling up with fancy architecture. Asking $675,000, the one-bedroom co-op is perfect for a new, modern overhaul, but the kitchen and bath have been updated and it's definitely not a cookie-cutter box. And it is, after all, minutes from the Theater District and an explosion of things to do in Midtown and the far west side.
check out all the angles

Distinctive Homes

A holistic holiday gift guide of NYC experiences

Photo via Matthew Henry/Burst

December 5, 2017

A holistic holiday gift guide of NYC experiences

By Hannah Frishberg and Anjie Cho

The catharsis of shopping and gift giving does not come without monetary guilt, but in a city as commercially diverse as New York, it's possible to spend locally and come away with products bringing long-term relaxation and mental balance. No one wants to give or receive a gift that feels empty of emotional value and purpose. Here are some ideas for purposeful products and experiences that can be bought within the five boroughs for friends and family (or yourself!) this holiday season.
Check out our top picks

The long cultural and musical history of Jimi Hendrix’s Electric Lady Studios in Greenwich Village

Jimi Hendrix, via Wiki Commons

November 30, 2017

The long cultural and musical history of Jimi Hendrix’s Electric Lady Studios in Greenwich Village

By Andrew Berman of Village Preservation

Jimi Hendrix would have turned 75 this week. In his brief 27 years and even briefer musical career, Hendrix left an indelible mark upon guitar playing and rock music, permanently transforming both art forms. But perhaps in some ways his most lasting impact came from a project completed just three weeks before his death--the opening of Electric Lady Studios at 52 West 8th Street in Greenwich Village. On August 26th, 1970, the studio opened, the only recording artist-owned studio at the time. It provided Hendrix with affordable studio space that would also meet his personal technical and aesthetic specifications. Kicked off by an opening party near summer’s end, Electric Lady Studios was the location of Hendrix's last-ever studio recording--an instrumental known as "Slow Blues"--before his untimely passing on September 18, 1970. Fortunately, this was only the beginning of the studio’s incredible run recording some of the greatest rock, hip hop, and pop albums of the last nearly half-century and only the latest incarnation of one of the Village’s most unusual and storied structures.
The whole history here

History

November 28, 2017

INTERVIEW: Why SpareRoom and Breaking Ground partnered to combat NYC’s homelessness crisis

By Emily Nonko

Over the past few years, New York City's homeless crisis has gotten worse. A recent study reported a 39 percent increase in homelessness over 2016, making last year the highest homeless population since the survey began in 2005. While the city scrambles to address the rising population, a roommate company and nonprofit housing organization recently teamed up to help lessen the burden of New Yorkers who find themselves unable to afford housing. Despite operating on opposite ends of the housing market, roommate matching site SpareRoom partnered with Breaking Ground, the largest provider of supportive housing in NYC, this November. The partnership was suggested by the public after SpareRoom launched Live Rent Free, a contest where the company pays one roommate’s monthly rent and one person’s entire rent for a whole year. (It was inspired by founder Rupert Hunt's New York roommate search, in which he found two roomies to share his West Village loft for $1 a month.) The resulting partnership--which is running in tandem with the Live Rent Free contest--matches the monthly prize amount dollar-for-dollar with an in-kind donation to Breaking Ground to fund their Transitional Housing program. So far, SpareRoom has donated $3,314. With 6sqft, Matt Hutchinson, Director at SpareRoom, explained why the company felt motivated to address homelessness and its future plans to engage with Breaking Ground. Brenda Rosen, President and CEO of Breaking Ground, also explains how the organization's Transition Housing program works, and why the homelessness crisis is something all New Yorkers--regardless of what they pay in rent--should be aware of.
Continue reading for the Q&A

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