Search Results for: 84 New York Ave

This gigantic three-penthouse combo is owned by the celebrity photographer Ken Nahoum, who's captured everyone from Robert De Niro to Michael Douglas to Dr. Dre to Johnny Cash. According to Mansion Global, he began living in the cast iron SoHo building, 95 Greene Street, in the 1980s after it was converted to residential use. In 1999, he bought up a 1,231-square-foot apartment here with his now ex-girlfriend, Victoria’s Secret model Basia Milewicz. Then in 2002, he bought the two adjacent penthouses and the rooftop section. Now it's a massive showpiece penthouse, with 8,200 square feet of interior living space alongside five outdoor terraces totaling 4,000 square feet.
There are glass staircases, too

October 4, 2017

INTERVIEW: LOT-EK’s Giuseppe Lignano talks sustainability and shipping container architecture

After completing architecture school at Universita’ di Napoli, Italy, Ada Tolla and Giuseppe Lignano fell in love with New York City, deciding in 1995 to establish an innovative firm in Manhattan called LOT-EK. Early experiments in the art world grew into a substantial architecture practice, but their philosophy has always been the same: Both Ada and Giuseppe are focused on a concept they call "up-cycling," taking existing objects and elevating them through art, design, and architecture. The firm has done its most innovative work re-using shipping containers and received a wave of attention this year for a Brooklyn residential project that utilized 21 shipping containers in surprising, stunning ways. The firm has just released its second monograph, LOT-EK: Objects and Operations, a photo-heavy showcase of dozens of projects the firm produced around the world over the past 15 years. "LOT-EK is a design practice that believes in being unoriginal, ugly, and cheap," the book states. "Also in being revolutionary, gorgeous, and completely luxurious." With 6sqft, co-founder Giuseppe Lignano talks about the early days of running a firm and waiting tables in 1990s New York, explains the firm's philosophy behind sustainability and re-use, and discusses the inspiration behind their notable Williamsburg project.
This way for the interview

October 4, 2017

Tribeca townhouse with an address once used for John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s ‘Nutopia’ is for rent

John Lennon and Yoko Ono never lived at this Tribeca townhouse—it's well known they preferred the Upper West Side—but they certainly have a unique connection to it. Here's the story, per the New York Times: in 1973, Lennon and Ono announced the birth of Nutopia, "a conceptual country" with no boundaries and "no laws other than cosmic." Mr. Lennon, who was being threatened with deportation because of a 1968 marijuana conviction in England, was seeking diplomatic immunity and United Nations recognition as a Nutopian ambassador. The iconic couple gave 1 White Street as the embassy address.
Check out the interior

October 4, 2017

Tatum O’Neal’s former mezzanine apartment in the LES Forward Building asks $2.5M

Dramatic historic details elevate this mezzanine loft in the Forward Building at 175 East Broadway, one of the Lower East Side/Two Bridges neighborhood's most coveted pre-war apartment buildings, as well as being one of its most interesting landmarks. Designed in the Beaux-Arts style, the building is the former headquarters of the Jewish Daily Forward newspaper–previously Forverts, founded in 1897 by a group of Yiddish-speaking socialists. This unique two-bedroom home–it was owned by actress Tatum O'Neal from 2006 to 2013 when she sold it for $1.72 million–asking $2.495 million, boasts a dramatic original decorative plaster ceiling dome with a sunburst centerpiece in the living room; both of its bedrooms have an original stained glass window.
Take a peek inside this unusual residence

October 3, 2017

Single-room treehouse in an Upstate forest was constructed by its owners for just $20K

Located within the forest of the Catskills town of Barryville is the Half-Tree House, designed by the Manhattan firm JacobsChang. This remote 60 acres of land, about two hours outside of New York, is a second-growth forest in a steep, isolated area with no vehicular access, no piped water, and no electricity. The firm designed this 360-square-foot cabin on a $20,000 budget for the clients, who also decided to construct the structure entirely by themselves with only weekend assistance. JacobsChang made building on the difficult site easier by lifting the structure above the ground and bringing in support from the surrounding trees. It was an apparent success, with a compact and modern cabin sitting gracefully within its surroundings.
The interior is simple yet stunning

October 3, 2017

MAP: Watch 1 million+ NYC buildings being constructed since 1880

A walk down any block in today's New York City feels like taking a tour of a giant, noisy, scaffolded construction site. But the map mavens at Esri show us that this is definitely not the only time in history when living in the city felt like occupying a giant beaver colony. Their fascinating New York construction map brings new life to the word "built environment" with time lapse coverage of over a million buildings being built in NYC starting in 1880.
Check out the map

History

Olsen twins’ former West Village penthouse hits the market for $25M

Olsen twins photo via Wikipedia

October 3, 2017

Olsen twins’ former West Village penthouse hits the market for $25M

A massive penthouse with star power has just hit the market for a cool $25 million. The apartment, located atop luxury West Village condo 1 Morton Square, was previously owned by Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen. According to Curbed, the famous twins bought the pad for $7.3 million in 2009 while the building was still under construction, put it on the market soon after buying, and finally sold in 2010. Well-known New York developer Bruce Eichner of the Continuum Company was the buyer--for $7.7 million--and now he's looking to make quite the profit. The apartment is impressive, though, with interior details imported from France, a sculptural glass wine refrigerator, and a gallery to display art and sculptures.
You've got to see inside

October 3, 2017

One57’s 85th-floor unit comes back on the market for $70M after a full reno

In the building known for the city's most expensive residential sale ever (a dizzying duplex on the 89th and 90th floors of the iconic skyscraper at 157 West 57th Street whose $100 million sale closed in 2014), big-ticket buys hardly turn heads. But that same year, the headline-grabbing supertall saw its third most expensive unit change hands when Canadian investor and Ferrari collector Lawrence Stroll dropped $55.6 million on a 6,240-square-foot 85th-floor home in the building's tower. Now he's put the full-floor pad back on the market for an even more noteworthy $70 million. According to the listing, the apartment had a complete renovation even in its short lifetime–and clearly, Stroll, worth an estimated $2.4 billion spared no expense, including woven suede walls, a sculptural wall by artist Peter Lane, and a double-sided marble fireplace.
Get a look at this big bank account in the sky this way

Distinctive Homes

October 2, 2017

A 1934 engineer’s plan fills in the Hudson River for traffic and housing

In mid-20th century America–particularly in New York City–a roaring economy emboldened by our ascendant international stature filled many a scholar of public infrastructure with eagerness to execute grand ideas. This proposal to drain the East River to alleviate traffic congestion, for example. Another ambitious but unrealized plan–one that would make it a lot easier to get to New Jersey–was championed in 1934 by one Norman Sper, "noted publicist and engineering scholar," as detailed in Modern Mechanix magazine. In order to address New York City’s traffic and housing problems, Sper proposed that if we were to "plug up the Hudson river at both ends of Manhattan,” and dam and fill the resulting space, the ten square miles gained would provide land to build thousands of additional buildings, as well as to add streets and twice the number of avenues to alleviate an increasingly menacing gridlock.
So how much would it cost?

Obamas scope out apartments in posh Upper East Side building

Barack and Michelle Obama via Wiki Commons; One of 10 Gracie Square’s terraces overlooking the East River, via CityRealty

October 2, 2017

Obamas scope out apartments in posh Upper East Side building

Yorkville's 10 Gracie Square is considered "one of New York City's most prestigious addresses" and "the most desirable residential building overlooking Carl Schurz Park," over the years attracting the likes of Alexander Woollcott, conductor Andre Kostelanetz, Gloria Vanderbilt, and Madame Chiang Kai-Shek. And now Barack and Michelle Obama may be added to that list, as "multiple sources" told the Post that the former President and First Lady were seen arriving at the Upper East Side building to view apartments. The co-op, located just down the block from the Mayor's residence Gracie Mansion, has plenty of perks that would likely attract the Obamas, including an indoor basketball court for the hoops-loving Prez, pet-friendly policy (we can't imagine they'd leave Bo behind), and a super-secure underground drive-in garage that would allow them to enter privately.
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Celebrities

Subway delays could cost the city’s economy up to $389M annually

Image © 6sqft

October 2, 2017

Subway delays could cost the city’s economy up to $389M annually

By Devin Gannon

New York City Comptroller Scott Stringer released an analysis on Sunday that found the economic cost of subway delays could range from $170 million per year to $389 million in lost wages and productivity for businesses. The comptroller’s office used data from the MTA that looks at train schedules, passenger volumes and wait assessments by each subway line (h/t NY Times). Stringer’s analysis listed five subway lines that cause the biggest economic losses: 5, 7, A, F, and 4 trains. During a news conference Sunday, Stinger said, "The summer of hell is turning into the fall of frustration for subway commuters."
Find out more

September 29, 2017

Live among pro athletes at Midtown West’s Sky for just $613/month

Thanks to the building’s Carmelo Anthony-designed NBA regulation-sized basketball court and 70,000-square-foot recreation facility, Midtown West's swanky Sky rental has been attracting pro athletes since it opened under the Moinian Group in 2015. Current residents include the Knicks' Kristaps Porzingis and Sasha Vujacic and Met pitcher A.J. Ramos. And now the 60-story glass slab tower at 605 West 42nd Street is offering 166 low- and middle-income units through the city's affordable housing lottery. Available to New Yorkers earning 40 or 120 of the area median income, the apartments range from $613/month studios to $2,520/month two-bedrooms. Comparatively, market-rate listings in the building range from $2,982/month studios to $4,260/month two-bedrooms.
Find out if you qualify

Affordable Housing

Donald Trump’s Empire State Building doodle expected to fetch $12,000 at auction

Sketch via Julien’s Auctions; Donald Trump via Wiki Commons

September 28, 2017

Donald Trump’s Empire State Building doodle expected to fetch $12,000 at auction

Update 10/20/17: Crain's reports that Trump’s doodle has sold at auction for $16,000. The buyer has not been named, but a portion of the sale will benefit Connecticut National Public Radio station WHDD-FM. He may not have had any formal political experience before taking office, but Donald Trump was certainly well versed in doodling. In July, a 2005 charity auction sketch he made of the NYC skyline, which not surprisingly depicts Trump Tower front and center among anonymous buildings, sold at auction for an incredible $29,184. And now, as reported by the Guardian, a similarly elementary sketch he did of the Empire State Building is also headed to auction, where it's expected to fetch up to $12,000, a portion of which will be donated to National Public Radio (NPR). Interestingly, Trump did the signed drawing in 1995, the year after he began his fraught attempt to take ownership of the landmark building.
Find out more

My 550sqft: A textile designer fits a studio and warehouse into his railroad Ridgewood home

6sqft’s series “My sqft” checks out the homes of New Yorkers across all the boroughs. Our latest interior adventure brings us to the Ridgewood apartment of textile designer Christian Rathbone. Want to see your home featured here? Get in touch!

September 27, 2017

My 550sqft: A textile designer fits a studio and warehouse into his railroad Ridgewood home

For most New Yorkers, 550 square feet would be a fairly comfortable one-bedroom apartment, but for textile designer Christian Rathbone it's that, plus his studio and warehouse. For the past 15 years, Christian has been working with native dyers and weavers in Turkey, who help bring his organic Kilim designs to life, using traditional vegetation dyes and hand-spun wool. And for the past six years, he's been running his business out of his apartment in Ridgewood, Queens. Not only has he built his own extensive shelving systems, but he's done so in a narrow, railroad unit. 6sqft recently paid Christian a visit to get a first-hand look at how he makes this live-work setup work and to learn more about his process and inspirations.
Take the tour and hear from Christian

City approves the Upper West Side’s tallest building, a 668-foot tower in Lincoln Square

Rendering of 200 Amsterdam Avenue via SJP Properties

September 27, 2017

City approves the Upper West Side’s tallest building, a 668-foot tower in Lincoln Square

By Devin Gannon

The Department of Buildings gave developers on Tuesday the go-ahead to construct a 668-foot residential tower on the Upper West Side. In a partnership between SJP Properties and Mitsui Fudosan America, the project at 200 Amsterdam Avenue will be the neighborhood's tallest tower, surpassing the current title-holder, Trump International, by more than 80 feet. As Crain's reported, construction was stalled after opponents argued the project did not follow required open space regulations and the buildings department shut down the site in July until the issue was resolved.
Find out more

New Developments

September 22, 2017

Bought in the ’70s for $170K, showbiz couple’s massive Upper West Side townhouse asks $20M

Built in 1897 in the Elizabethan Renaissance Revival style by renowned architect Clarence True, this brick and limestone mansion occupies a 43-foot-wide lot, not in Forest Hills or Riverdale, but at 323 West 80th Street on the Upper West Side. The New York Post writes that the owners, a Broadway producer who ran the downtown rock club the Bitter End and his wife, Donna, a casting director who happens to be the sister of Bernadette Peters, bought the house–then a rundown SRO–for $170,000 in the 1970s. Even then, they could see the potential in this grand, gothy 10,000-square-foot palace, at the time carved up into 20 rooms. A few years have passed, but we can't help but wonder if they imagined they'd list the spruced-up house, complete with garage, elevator and enchanted garden, for almost $20 million.
Check out the details of this amazing property

September 22, 2017

Top 10 can’t-miss events for NYC’s Archtober 2017

By Andrew Berman of Village Preservation

Archtober is New York City’s annual month-long architecture and design festival of tours, lectures, films, and exhibitions taking place during October when a full calendar of events turns a focus on the importance of architecture and design throughout our city in everyday life. Organized by the Center for Architecture, in collaboration with over 60 partner organizations across the city, the festival raises awareness of the important role of design and the richness of New York’s built environment. Now in its seventh year, Archtober offers something for everyone—from the arch-intellectual who wants to talk Jane Jacobs to the armchair architect with a thing for skyscrapers, parks or historic buildings—in the 100+ event roster. Ahead, 6sqft has hand-picked 10 don't-miss highlights in this year’s program.
Learn about the architecture of NYC at these cool events

From Willem de Kooning’s loft to the threat of the wrecking ball: The history of 827-831 Broadway

827-831 Broadway today via Wiki Commons (L); Willem de Kooning in his Fourth Avenue studio, April 1946. Harry Bowden, photographer. Harry Bowden papers, Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.Via The Willem de Kooning Foundation. (R)

September 21, 2017

From Willem de Kooning’s loft to the threat of the wrecking ball: The history of 827-831 Broadway

Underneath the lyrical and much-admired sherbet-colored facades of the twin lofts at 827-831 Broadway lies a New York tale like no other. Incorporating snuff, sewing machines, and cigar store Indians; Abstract Expressionists; and the “antique dealer to the stars,” it also involves real estate and big money, and the very real threat of the wrecking ball. Ahead, explore the one-of-a-kind past of these buildings, which most notably served as the home to world-famous artist Willem de Kooning, and learn about the fight to preserve them not only for their architectural merit but unique cultural history.
Get the entire history

September 19, 2017

The best day trips this fall, from cemetery tours to historic mansions to corn mazes

These pretty-much-perfect months are a great time to escape the city, and with so many fun, scenic, and informative offerings nearby, you can go for the day and not have to worry about spending money on lodging. To help plan your autumn itinerary, 6sqft has put together a list of the best day trips outside of New York. From touring the Rockefeller estate in Tarrytown to a lantern-lit cemetery tour in Sleepy Hollow, we've got you history buffs covered. And for those looking for some more traditional fall fun, there's fall foliage at Bear Mountain's Oktoberfest, apple and pumpkin picking in New Jersey, and artistically carved jack o' lanterns on Long Island.
Click here for 6sqft's full list of fall day trips

September 14, 2017

Billionaire sports team owner gets $17M discount on Upper East Side mega-mansion

By Andrew Berman of Village Preservation

A massive Upper East Side single-family townhouse at 50 East 69th Street was just wrestled off the market for an equally monumental $45 million, sources have told the New York Post. Joshua Harris, co-founder of Apollo Global Management, owner of the Philadelphia 76ers and part owner of the NHL’s New Jersey Devils, just bought the 21,070-square-foot house, which was listed at $72 million last September and reduced to $59 million in June. The 44-foot-wide limestone-clad building, known as the Dommerich Mansion, was built in 1917 in a neo-French classic style by architect Henry C. Pelton for Otto Louis Dommerich, who ran his family's family cotton business. It was most recently being used as a cosmetic surgery facility.
More details this way

How Alphabet City’s ‘milk laboratory’ led to modern pasteurization

Nathan Straus’ First Milk Depot, opened in the summer of 1893, courtesy of the Augustus C. Long Health Sciences Library, Columbia University

September 14, 2017

How Alphabet City’s ‘milk laboratory’ led to modern pasteurization

The utilitarian building at 151 Avenue C between 9th and 10th Streets would hardly elicit a second glance from the casual passerby today. But its unassuming looks belie the incredible story of how Gilded Age science and philanthropy converged here to save thousands of children’s lives. In the 1800s, intestinal infections and diseases like tuberculosis caused by bad milk was running rampant in the city's child population, especially in poor communities like the Lower East Side. To combat the problem, Macy's co-owner Nathan Straus instituted a program to make pasteurized milk affordable or even free. And on Avenue C, he set up a “milk laboratory” to test the dairy and distribute millions of bottles.
The whole history here

History

September 14, 2017

Ben Affleck scopes out Mark Wahlberg’s former 15 Central Park West rental, now asking $39K/month

By Annie Doge

It's been over two years since newly single Ben Affleck started apartment hunting in NYC, and now that he has a new love interest, he's back at it. The Post reports that the actor and girlfriend Lindsay Shookus, a “Saturday Night Live” producer, checked out unit 26C in the Robert A.M. Stern-designed, celeb-filled 15 Central Park West. The three-bedroom unit, asking $39,000 a month, was rented by Mark Wahlberg in 2009 for $32,000 a month; Alex Rodriguez also bid on the unit last year, despite being banned from the building for allegedly hosting too many prostitutes while renting another apartment. Not known for any partying antics, Affleck will likely have better luck should he want to move forward with living in the city's most expensive condo.
See more of the apartment

Our 1,100sqft: A food writer and a financial pro bring hotel design into their Chelsea co-op

6sqft’s ongoing series “My sqft” checks out the homes of New Yorkers across all the boroughs. Our latest interior adventure brings us to the Chelsea apartment of food writer Lauren Shockey and hedge fund analyst Ross Fabricant. Want to see your home featured here? Get in touch!

September 13, 2017

Our 1,100sqft: A food writer and a financial pro bring hotel design into their Chelsea co-op