Search Results for: architecture firm

Marvel Architects say they were drawn to their Tribeca office space 25 years ago because of its connection to NYC history and its openness, qualities that also resonate throughout the firm and its practice. They regularly work on cultural projects (like TheatreSquared and the Northeast Bronx YMCA), adaptive reuse projects (such as St. Ann's Warehouse and the Bedford Armory in Brooklyn) and affordable housing developments (like the Stonewall House and Rockaway Village) and they are receptive to community feedback (as was the case with their current One Clinton project). With another office in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Marvel continues this open dialogue throughout its team, as staff members contribute reciprocally to projects in both cities. To learn more about this unique firm, 6sqft had a chat with founding principal Jonathan Marvel and founding partners Lissa So and Guido Hartray and toured their open and airy office that brings a bit of tropical flair to Tribeca.
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Where I Work

The Rite Aid at 81 1st Avenue. Photo © Adam Friedberg

January 16, 2020

Photo exhibit highlights the disappearing single-story buildings of the East Village and LES

In 2015, photographer Adam Friedberg was passing through Astor Place and took notice of the two single-story buildings on Third Avenue and St. Marks Place--the one that housed Continental Bar and the other a McDonald's. From there, Friedberg began a project to photograph all the single-story buildings throughout the changing East Village and Lower East Side neighborhoods and the negative space they created. After capturing 97 of the roughly 105 structures, his work is now on view at the Center for Architecture in an exhibit titled "Single-Story Project."
See more of the photos

Events & Things To Do

$1.3M upstate house is a Modernist vision by Frank Lloyd Wright’s colleagues

All images by Ren Nickson, courtesy of Sothebys International Realty.

January 10, 2020

$1.3M upstate house is a Modernist vision by Frank Lloyd Wright’s colleagues

According to the listing, this unique home in the remote upstate town of Canaan, NY was built by "two prominent colleagues of Frank Lloyd Wright," who employed stonework techniques used at Taliesin West, Usonian design, and a high peaked roof to make this stunning modern house "a paean to nature." Situated on 17 acres at 121 Top of Dean Hill Road, the property, asking $1.3 million, includes an equally fabulous guest house with a 3.5-car garage, woodland paths, and perennial gardens.
Tour this unusual Upstate home

Lantern House, Thomas Heatherwick’s quirky High Line condo, rises and reveals residences

Photo of Lantern House on 1/3/20 by CityRealty

January 10, 2020

Lantern House, Thomas Heatherwick’s quirky High Line condo, rises and reveals residences

Related Companies has released new renderings of the residential interiors in Thomas Heatherwick’s Lantern House condo development on the High Line. The quirky towers—one is ten stories tall and the other rises to 22 stories—flank the High Line at 18th Street and stand out with their billowing glass walls that reinterpret “the modern bay window.”
Check out the renderings

Snøhetta’s transformed public garden at 550 Madison Avenue receives final city approvals

Renderings courtesy of Snøhetta and MOARE

January 7, 2020

Snøhetta’s transformed public garden at 550 Madison Avenue receives final city approvals

The privately-owned public space (POPS) on the ground floor of Philip Johnson and John Burgee’s Postmodern skyscraper at 550 Madison Avenue declined over time due to multiple alterations and was often described as being “tall, skinny, and dark.” As part of Snøhetta’s transformation of the landmark, the garden is receiving a lot of attention. In December, developer Olayan Group revealed plans to increase the public space by 50 percent while creating “a welcoming sensory retreat in the heart of East Midtown.” After being approved by the Landmarks Preservation Commission last year, the open space has now received its final approval from the Department of City Planning.
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Architecture And Design

NYC real estate experts offer their 2020 predictions

Photo by Leonhard Niederwimmer via Pixabay

December 16, 2019

NYC real estate experts offer their 2020 predictions

By Emily Nonko

In some ways, 2019 was a continuation of the past few years: political and global uncertainty loomed over the New York real estate market, development continued at a steady pace, and prices were as high as ever. (Oh wait -- they were actually higher.) But the year also brought notable changes, from a total overhaul of rent and tenant protections, increased urgency in regards to climate change, an increasingly buyer's market, and dry-up of the once pervasive rental concessions. So what's in store for the year ahead? Real estate experts believe sustained political uncertainty -- particularly around an election year -- could mean buyers proceed cautiously. The new rent laws will undoubtedly shape New York, as both the rental and condo markets tighten. Pre-war design will make a comeback in defiance of glassy modern architecture, while the focus on sustainability will increase and amenities will become more flexible.
Keep reading for the 6sqft's full roundup of 2020 predictions.

Real Estate Trends

Swedish photography museum Fotografiska to open in the historic Church Missions House

Renderings courtesy of CetraRuddy

December 10, 2019

Swedish photography museum Fotografiska to open in the historic Church Missions House

Stockholm-based photography museum Fotografiska is opening its first stateside outpost in New York City this month. Housed inside the former Church Missions House at 281 Park Avenue South, the organization will bring 45,000 square feet of exhibition and event spaces, alongside a restaurant inspired by European “grand cafés.” New York firm CetraRuddy led the restoration and redesign of the landmarked space, working with Higgins Quasebarth & Partners to preserve the stained-glass windows and limestone and granite facade of the Renaissance Revival building.
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2019 holiday gift guide: The best gifts for kids in New York City

Photo by @lordmaui via Unsplash

December 10, 2019

2019 holiday gift guide: The best gifts for kids in New York City

Nobody appreciates a great gift like a child, but New York City kids are a tough audience. They've already got the world at their feet, even if they're not possessed of a pile of material goods. Fortunately, there are lots of options for cool presents for your favorite pint-sized architects, athletes, fashionistas and foodies as well as the Big Apple babies on your list. Check out our list below for a handful of gift ideas for New York City kids.
Great gifts for NYC kids, this way

Construction begins on Fort Greene’s newest cultural center at 300 Ashland Place

Renderings courtesy of TEN Arquitectos and Andrea Steele Architecture

December 5, 2019

Construction begins on Fort Greene’s newest cultural center at 300 Ashland Place

The city’s Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) and Department of Cultural Affairs (DCLA) is starting construction on a new cultural center housed within the 32-story tower at 300 Ashland Place in Fort Greene. The new L10 Arts and Cultural Center will span across 50,000 square feet and host a range of institutions, including new gallery and performance spaces for the Museum of Contemporary African Diasporan Arts (MoCADA), three cinemas for the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM), rehearsal studios and performance space for 651 ARTS, and a new branch of the Brooklyn Public Library.
More info

Events & Things To Do

Take a tour of the NYBG’s Holiday Train Show, now with a new Central Park section

All photos by James and Karla Murray exclusively for 6sqft

November 26, 2019

Take a tour of the NYBG’s Holiday Train Show, now with a new Central Park section

The New York Botanical Garden's 28th annual Holiday Train Show is back for the season, and this year it has an entirely new Central Park section, featuring iconic spots like Belvedere Castle, Bethesda Terrace, and the Bow Bridge--all made entirely from natural materials including bark, seeds, berries acorns, and cinnamon sticks. 6sqft took a special tour of the exhibit, which features a total of 175 New York landmarks, and went behind-the-scenes with Laura Busse Dolan, President and CEO of Applied Imagination, the design firm that works all year long to make this whimsical show a reality. From the exhibit's 2,000 plants to its 25,000 pounds of cedar bark and 200 boxes of moss, Laura fills us in on all the fun and little-known facts about the Holiday Train Show.
Take a tour

Get a first look inside Renzo Piano’s first NYC residential tower at 565 Broome Street

Photo by Adrian Gaut/Edge Reps (L); Photo by Joshua McHugh (R)

November 25, 2019

Get a first look inside Renzo Piano’s first NYC residential tower at 565 Broome Street

Known for his work on The New York Times Building, the Whitney Museum, and the Morgan Library expansion, Pritzker Prize-winning architect Renzo Piano has completed his first residential building in NYC at 565 Broome Street. The Soho tower has 115 residences, ranging from studios to four-bedroom condos. Uber’s Travis Kalanick and tennis star Novak Djokovic have already scooped up units in the building, where sales launched last September.
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All photos by Floto + Warner

November 1, 2019

Check out the cocktail bar at Nordstrom’s new Billionaires’ Row flagship

After much anticipation, Nordstrom opened its new NYC flagship last week. Located inside Billionaires' Row supertall Central Park Tower (the current world's tallest residential building), the seven-story department store offers such perks as stroller cleaning and shoe repairs and stocks "more than 10,000 handbags, 100,000 pairs of shoes, and 6,000 pairs of jeans," according to amNY. And in addition to all this retail excess, the store also has seven food and beverage options, including Broadway Bar, a cocktails and small plates restaurant on the third and fourth floors. Designed by Rafael de Cárdenas / Architecture at Large, Broadway Bar uses muted hues and subtly curved geometry to create a calm escape within the store. Ahead, get a better look at the space.
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Co-op in Nolita’s historic Astor Memorial School, featured in ‘Modern Love’ series, asks $3.5M

Listing images by Donna Dotan; courtesy of Compass

October 28, 2019

Co-op in Nolita’s historic Astor Memorial School, featured in ‘Modern Love’ series, asks $3.5M

By Andrew Berman of Village Preservation

Fans of Amazon’s popular Modern Love series will remember this co-op as the building where Anne Hathaway’s character lives in Episode 3. But architecture buffs may recognize that the striking Victorian Gothic structure was designed by none other than Calvert Vaux as the Astor Memorial School in the late 1880s. The parlor floor unit inside this landmarked building at 256 Mott Street has just listed for $3.5 million, offering the rare chance to own a truly historic residence with a prime Nolita address right across the street from Old St. Patrick’s Cathedral.
Get the full tour

Distinctive Homes

Photo by Beyond My Ken / Wiki Commons

October 17, 2019

Publishing giants, radical literature, and women’s suffrage: More secrets of Union Square South

The area south of Union Square, on the border between Greenwich Village and the East Village, is changing. The approval of the new 14th Street Tech Hub south of Union Square combined with an explosion of tech-related development in the area has resulted in the demolition of mid-19th-century hotels and Beaux-Arts style tenements, with new office towers like 809 Broadway taking their place. Aside from being rich in 19th- and early-20th-century architecture, this area is overflowing with history connected to many of the great American artists, writers, musicians, publishers, activists, innovators and artisans of the last century and a half. As part of Village Preservation's work to document and bring to light some of that often forgotten history, we wrote this piece last year exploring the connections to Mark Twain and Walt Whitman, Alexander Graham Bell and Leroi Jones (among many others). Now, we've uncovered even more history-making people and events connected to this area and its buildings, from Hammacher Schlemmer (NYC's first hardware store) to a slew of influential publishing houses (including that which published the first U.S. edition of "Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland") to the Women’s Suffrage League headquarters.
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History

The Arches of Harlem aims to turn the Riverside Drive Viaduct into a public light-art installation

Renderings by Focus Lighting

October 15, 2019

The Arches of Harlem aims to turn the Riverside Drive Viaduct into a public light-art installation

Harlem-based architectural lighting firm Focus Lighting has worked on some pretty impressive projects here in NYC, from the Times Square ball to the Waldorf Astoria. But they're also getting involved in their local community, thinking about how they can transform the Riverside Drive Viaduct--a 50-foot-tall elevated steel roadway that runs from 125th to 135th Streets. As the firm notes, during the day, the structure's grand arches serve as a picturesque background to the neighborhood and the Hudson River, but at night, they "go completely unlit and unutilized." Their proposal, called The Arches of Harlem, seeks to incorporate a new programmable lighting composition every three months, each one "inspired by select works of historic artists and emerging local talent."
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Rendering by DBOX

October 8, 2019

Brooklyn’s tallest office tower tops out; see new interior renderings

Brooklyn just keeps getting bigger. In April, the borough's tallest tower, the condo tower Brooklyn Point, topped out at 720 feet. Now, Brooklyn's tallest office tower has also reached its full 495-foot height. One Willoughby Square (or 1WSQ as it's now being called) is expected to open at the end of 2020, at which time its architect, FXCollaborative, will also become the anchor tenant. The 34-story building will contain 500,000 square feet of office space; all of the floor plans are column-free and many floors have private outdoor terraces.
More looks and details

September 27, 2019

Archtober 2019: Top 10 events and program highlights

Archtober is an annual architecture and design festival consisting of tours, events, films, lectures and exhibitions celebrating New York City's love affair with the built environment. During the month of October, a full calendar of events puts a focus on the importance–and the future–of architecture and design. Organized by the Center for Architecture, over 80 partner and sponsor organizations across the city add their voices to the festival. Now in its ninth year, Archtober offers something for everyone—from the arch-intellectual with a love for concept to the armchair designer with a thing for waterways, parks or sustainable design—in the 100+ event roster. Below, we pick 10 intriguing highlights from this year’s offerings.
Celebrate architecture and NYC at these cool events

Famed Clinton Hill Pfizer Mansion with a rock-n-roll past and a $5M renovation lowers ask to $10M

Photo credit: Rayon Richards and Connie Zhou, courtesy The Corcoran Group

September 25, 2019

Famed Clinton Hill Pfizer Mansion with a rock-n-roll past and a $5M renovation lowers ask to $10M

Photo credit: Rayon Richards and Connie Zhou, courtesy The Corcoran Group In brownstone Brooklyn, there are dozens of grand homes that have historic significance and even more that are dazzling showcases of considered design. The unique 10,000-square-foot double mansion at 280 Washington Avenue in Clinton Hill happens to be one of Brooklyn's finest examples of both. Known as the Pfizer Mansion–it was built in 1887 by Charles Erhart, co-founder of the Pfizer pharmaceutical company and brother-in-law to Charles Pfizer–the block-through property had a full slate of interesting inhabitants, from a library to industrial band rockers, before receiving an epic renovation from its current owner. That same owner, designer Jessica Warren, who purchased the property in 2007 for $3.2 million, spent many years and many millions restoring the house to a stunning degree that surpassed even its former glory. The home, which has been featured in numerous design publications, has most recently been a beloved B & B known as The Notorious B.N.B. The current owners put the house on the market in 2018 for $13.5 million. After a year and a broker switch, it's now asking $9.995 million–and it's worth every penny, from its graceful, curving windows to a working Otis elevator and private parking space.
Tour this colorful and beautiful Brooklyn home

The making of Hudson Yards’ Spanish market: Meet the team behind Mercado Little Spain

All photos taken by James and Karla Murray exclusively for 6sqft.

September 25, 2019

The making of Hudson Yards’ Spanish market: Meet the team behind Mercado Little Spain

When New York Times food critic Pete Wells visited José Andrés' Mercado Little Spain, he declared that it had "more great food and drinks per square foot than anywhere else in New York." From Ibérico hams and Peking duck to the seemingly simple yet ever-pleasing pan con tomate, the food at Hudson Yards' Spanish market has certainly made its mark on the gastronomy scene. But what sets Andrés apart from other chefs and restauranteurs is his entire vision. Mercado Little Spain is designed as a series of "streets," with the various kiosks leading guests on a curated experience. Most of the design elements and materials were sourced from Spain, and the artists commissioned represent different regions of the country. To bring his vision to life, Andrés assembled a stellar team, including Michael Doneff, the Chief Marketing Officer at his ThinkFoodGroup; Juli Capella, co-founder of Spanish architecture and design firm Capella Garcia Architecture; and NYC-based design studio (and NYC food hall experts) ICRAVE. Ahead, take a behind-the-scenes tour of Mercado Little Spain and hear from all these amazing and talented collaborators on what it was like working on the project.
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August 19, 2019

Clean lines highlight this $810K Usonia home in Westchester by a Frank Lloyd Wright apprentice

The Usonia community in Pleasantville, NY, was created as a tribute to legendary architect Frank Lloyd Wright to celebrate his "Usonian" home ideal–design that would integrate with a home's natural surroundings and live and grow with its inhabitants. The site plan, road system, and a handful of homes in the community were designed by Wright himself, but most of its houses were created by his associates and admirers, David Henken and Aaron Resnick. Henken designed the three-bedroom home at 6 Usonia Road in 1950. In true Wright style, this mid-century modern property, known as the Anderson House, is surrounded by greenery, with floor to ceiling windows and a wraparound deck. The house is now on the market for $810,000.
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Image via Google Maps

August 19, 2019

Developer who wants to raze abolitionist home in Brooklyn says he’ll build a museum in basement

Update 8/19/19: The owner of 227 Duffield Street told Gothamist on Friday that he will build an African American museum in the basement of the property which has ties to the abolitionist movement. Samiel Hanasab, who applied for a demolition permit earlier this summer, told the website: "I have a high respect for African Americans. This project will be in the basement." The developer did not provide any additional details for the museum. Despite a series of last-minute preservation attempts after demolition plans for 227 Duffield Street were filed with the city’s Department of Buildings in June, the 19th-century Downtown Brooklyn house with abolitionist ties remains endangered. Gothamist reported that the owner, Samiel Hansab, has filed an application with the Department of Buildings to erect a 13-story mixed-use building in its place. The application is still under review and no permits have been issued, but as Gothamist noted, the best chance of saving the building would be an intervention by the Landmarks Preservation Commission.
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August 14, 2019

A first look at Walker House, Newark’s historic Bell Telephone Building conversion

The first images of the finished Walker House in Downtown Newark have been released, giving us a peek inside the restored Art Deco masterpiece at 540 Broad Street. Designed by renowned architect Ralph Walker in 1929 as the corporate headquarters for the Bell Telephone Company and entered into the National Historic Register in 2005, the 21-story building has been redeveloped into a mixed-use building comprised of 264 apartments (a mix of market-rate and affordable units), amenities, offices, and retail space, including a brewery, a coffee shop, and Newark's first climbing wall.
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New Developments

Sting drops $66M on penthouse in millionaire-magnet 220 Central Park South

Photo of 220 CPS via CityRealty; photo of Sting via Wiki Commons

August 1, 2019

Sting drops $66M on penthouse in millionaire-magnet 220 Central Park South