Search Results for: gentrification

Brooklyn Artists Plan a Dance Party Funeral for Williamsburg

Funeral invitation via CHERYL

December 3, 2014

Brooklyn Artists Plan a Dance Party Funeral for Williamsburg

We've all been talking and writing about the "death" of Williamsburg for years now, and every time a new neighborhood is compared to it (i.e. Quooklyn) we begin the debate anew. But now the Brooklyn-based artists' collective CHERYL is taking matters into their own hands, hosting a dance party funeral in memoriam of the hip 'hood that once was. As the Daily News states, they're "dancing on Williamsburg's grave." The cause of death? "The cancer of mass gentrification and the proliferation of the luxury condo."
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Events & Things To Do

<b>Forest Hills Gardens: A Hidden NYC Haven of Historic Modernity</b>

Forest Hills Gardens via Joe Shlabotnik via photopin cc

November 20, 2014

Forest Hills Gardens: A Hidden NYC Haven of Historic Modernity

By Michelle Cohen

This unique sheltered enclave might be the perfect spot for residents who can handle the rules; just don't call it FoHiGa. Occupying a 175-acre wedge just south of the Forest Hills LIRR station and within the greater Queens neighborhood of Forest Hills, Forest Hills Gardens is one of America’s oldest planned communities. Modeled after England’s “garden cities,” originally intended to create an ideal environment that incorporated shared green space with urban convenience for the working classes, the Gardens (as it's known) is home to about 4,500 residents. The private community is managed by the Forest Hills Gardens Corporation, an organization made up of property owners. This unique community consisting of over 800 free-standing and attached houses and 11 apartment buildings as well as churches, parks and storefronts, dates from 1909, when architect Grosvenor Atterbury and landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted Jr.–-son of Frederick Law Olmsted, landscape architect who helped design Central Park–-were commissioned to plan a new town. Though the community lies within the boundaries of one of the world’s most modern and populous cities, it has retained much of its co-operative, idyllic nature.
Find out more about this unique community

<b>The ‘Hood Kids Are All Right: Why ‘Inner-City’ Doesn’t Always Mean a Tragic Ending</b>

Image © Reed Young

November 17, 2014

The ‘Hood Kids Are All Right: Why ‘Inner-City’ Doesn’t Always Mean a Tragic Ending

By Andrew Cotto

Most of the reported stories out of NYC’s “inner city” (code for ‘hoods) are tragic ones. We hear about stabbings and shootings and neglected children struggling to survive. We hear of turf wars and rampant addiction and people generally unable to take care of themselves. And it is from these dispatches that certain neighborhoods become notorious, their reputations inflated by our fearful imaginations and general unfamiliarity along with a harsh reality that cannot be denied. To the uninformed, these are dangerous places, war zones, to be avoided at all costs, at least, until the sheriff of gentrification rides into town to dispense safety through the pacifying panacea of increased rents and artisanal pickles. I like fancy pickles, though the idea of people being forced from their homes is troubling. But this is not a rant against gentrification; it’s a shout out to the “inner city” neighborhoods that may someday get gentrified. More specifically, it’s about the good folks that populate those neighborhoods who manage to hold down the ‘hood and live their lives with dignity in the face of tremendous obstacles.
Andrew shares his experience as a teacher in the hood

City Living

<b>Home and Away: Is Airbnb a Threat to the Affordable Housing Market?</b>

Photo courtesy of Airbnb via Facebook.

November 10, 2014

Home and Away: Is Airbnb a Threat to the Affordable Housing Market?

By Michelle Cohen

Controversial room-sharing startup Airbnb, one of the most visible players in what is being called the “sharing economy,” has recently awakened the innovation vs. regulation argument in all the usual ways–and a few new ones, including the accusation that these short-term rentals are depleting the already-scarce affordable housing stock in pricey metro areas like San Francisco and New York City.
What the latest data reveals–and what's being done about it

<b>Quooklyn: The Rise of Ridgewood and Why Your Friends Will be Moving There</b>

Photo © Cameron Baylock

November 10, 2014

Quooklyn: The Rise of Ridgewood and Why Your Friends Will be Moving There

By Michelle Cohen

Among neighborhoods primed to be the next untapped frontier, Ridgewood isn’t a newcomer. This low-key community on the western border of Queens has seen a steady migration of L-train riders, including the young and restless fleeing Williamsburg and professionals looking for a safe, accessible, quiet ‘hood to call home. In New York City, where every square foot vies for “next big thing” status, Ridgewood is a smart alternative to its headline-stealing North Brooklyn neighbors, Bushwick and Williamsburg, for anyone looking to invest in an up-and-coming residential area.
More on the rise of Ridgewood this way

November 6, 2014

New York City’s Residential Skyscraper Boom: Living in the Sky Part II

By Ondel Hylton

You've probably realized that New York is in the midst of a skyscraper boom, but if the ubiquitous scaffolding and sidewalk detours haven't given it away, we bring you further proof — with part two of our series detailing the tallest residential towers set to rise high above the city, forever changing New York's skyline. Compared to the previous 26 projects — the tallest of the tall that included ultra-luxury and super-tall towers such as 432 Park Avenue and 125 Greenwich Street — this second batch is composed of smaller buildings ranging from 500 to 700 feet tall and features greater geographical diversity and lots more rentals. With developers scouring the city for less expensive areas to assemble properties, these often-controversial projects are slated to rise in some of our more human-scaled 'hoods such as East Harlem, South Street Seaport, and Williamsburg.
Will they all get built? Unlikely, but in any case here's our list

October 16, 2014

New Proposal Could Pave the Way for a Harlem High Line Park

By Diane Pham

The success of the High Line Park continues to inspire all corners of the world—including Queens—and now the latest neighborhood to jump on the elevated park bandwagon is Harlem. DNA Info reports a nonprofit called the Housing Partnership has proposed a plan to bring 2,000 affordable housing units and $170 million dedicated to public projects in Hamilton Heights. The new park encompassed within the nonprofit's 'Harlem Promenade' plan would run alongside the West Side Highway atop a portion of Amtrak rail lines.
More on the proposed harlem high line project here

Photo by brandon king cc

October 15, 2014

Bed-Stuy: From Harlem and Hip-Hop to Hipsters, Hassids and High Rents

By Annie Doge

Brooklyn is changing fast and at the forefront of this is Bedford-Stuyvesant—or as it's more commonly known, Bed-Stuy. Like most New York neighborhoods, Bed-Stuy has had its ups and downs, its most notable down being the 80s and 90s when crime and drugs were at a record high. But as hard as the times may have gotten, the neighborhood has maintained itself as one of the city's most culturally significant. Bed-Stuy has long been home to one of the largest concentrations of African-Americans in New York, it boasts beautiful well-preserved architecture spanning countless styles and centuries, and of course, there is the neighborhood's central role in the hip-hop movement.
More on the history and future of Bed-Stuy

October 13, 2014

A Google Maps Comparison of How Much Williamsburg Has Changed Since 2007

By Aisha Carter

My, the difference a few years makes. Never was that more apparent than with Google Maps Street View’s new function that allows you to take a peek back in time and see how much your neighborhood has gentrifi--err--transformed since 2007. The photos culled by the WSJ ahead focus in on the unprecedented changes Williamsburg has undergone over the last six years. The alterations are particularly apparent at Bedford Avenue and North 7th Street, where some cosmetic improvements have been made to the building facades. However, the transformation is rather mind-blowing when you see the difference new developments by the waterfront have made to the neighborhood’s aesthetic.
Take a look at Williamsburg's astonishing transformation here

October 3, 2014

Real Estate Wire: Residential Developers Pulling Out of the Game; Rockaway Boardwalk Renewal Delayed

By Diane Pham

Related Companies is the latest landlord to ask property managers to turn in tenants for listing their apartments on AirBnb. [TRD] Another potential residential development site in Tribeca could fetch $50M. [Crain’s] A Hudson Yards strip club may be turned into a 46-story residential tower. [TRD] Are too many luxury buildings being constructed? Some developers are opting to […]

Real Estate Trends

September 30, 2014

Real Estate Wire: Karim Rashid’s HAP Four Hits a Pricey Snag; More High Line Condos Coming

By Diane Pham

HAP Investment Developers’ plans for a Karim Rashid-designed rental at 653-667 West 187th Street have hit a bump in the road—they’re missing the parcel at 653 West 187th Street. [TRD] 36 new condos are coming to the High Line and they’ll be designed by Brazilian architect Isay Weinfeld. [Curbed] A downtown development site at 112, 114, 116 and 118 […]

Real Estate Trends

<b>Goldilocks Blocks: Vanderbilt Avenue in Wallabout, Brooklyn</b>

Between hyper-developed hotspots, main drags in up-and-comers, and those genuinely avoidable areas, there can often be found a city’s “just-right” zones. They aren’t commonly known, but these micro-neighborhoods often hide within them real estate gems coupled with perfectly offbeat vibes. Continuing our Goldilocks Blocks series, this week we turn to Brooklyn.

September 29, 2014

Goldilocks Blocks: Vanderbilt Avenue in Wallabout, Brooklyn

By Michelle Cohen

The culturally rich, architecturally stunning Brooklyn neighborhoods of Fort Greene and Clinton Hill need little introduction. The Brooklyn Navy Yard to the north is busily growing as a start-up business incubator and creative and commercial hub. An “in-between” zone—the sort of area that engenders a question mark and a furrowed brow when perusing neighborhood maps—lies just north of Myrtle Avenue and south of the Navy Yard. Known as Wallabout, the area was named for Wallabout Bay to the north, much of which was filled in to create the Navy Yard in the 19th century. Unique among its neighbors, a block-long stretch of this border district feels more like a small-town side street than a growing urban crossroads.
Find out what makes this historic block so special, and why it’s likely to stay that way.

September 23, 2014

City Kids: Why Parents Pick City Living Over the Suburbs

By Michelle Cohen

The 'American Dream' may have dominated the last few decades, causing a mass exodus to the suburbs, but today's families are reversing the trend and turning their attention back to the city. The reasons are many: An appreciation for cultural offerings, the camaraderie and creative cross-pollination of networks of colleagues, friends and family, the convenience of being able to walk or bike to school, work or child care without a long commute—just to name a few. New York City has always been a haven for the forward-thinking, albeit a challenging one. And its newly-”discovered” outer boroughs as well as an unprecedentedly low crime rate have made the city a prime choice for family living. But what is it about those city kids—the ones with parents who planned from the start to raise their kids in a non-stop urban environment? We interrupted the busy schedules of five families currently raising school-age (or soon-to-be) children in New York City's many diverse and multifaceted neighborhoods to get some insight about why they wouldn’t have it any other way.
Hear what five parents of city kids have to say

September 23, 2014

Artists Who Converted Ink & Brush Factory into Their Own Masterpiece List it for $4.4M

By Stephanie Hoina

By their very nature artists are visionaries blessed with an innate ability to create something out of nothing. Time and time again some of New York City’s most industrialized areas have seen rebirth as residential enclaves courtesy of these imaginative souls. Examples of such artist-led gentrification abound - think SoHo, Chelsea, and Williamsburg, to name a few. So it should come as no surprise that it was two artists who came to the rescue of this former ink and brush factory located at 459 Carroll Street in Carroll Gardens and gave it new life as a practical-yet-cutting-edge home. Stripped to its core in 2006, the four-story manufacturing building built in 1888 was completely renovated into two distinct condominium residences, one of which is now on the market for $4.4 million.
From manufacturing-to-masterpiece right this way

Distinctive Homes

<b>Mapping the Evolution of the Lower East Side Through a Jewish Lens, 1880-2014</b>

Image courtesy of MNCY

September 19, 2014

Mapping the Evolution of the Lower East Side Through a Jewish Lens, 1880-2014

By Lauren Price

Long considered the capital of Jewish America, this overpoweringly cramped neighborhood was considered by many to be the greatest concentration of Jewish life in nearly 2,000 years. Between 1880 and 1924, 2.5 million mostly-impoverished Ashkenazi Jews came to the US and nearly 75 percent took up residence on the Lower East Side. According to the Library of Congress, by 1900, more than 700 people per acre were settling in a neighborhood lined with tenements and factories. And as quickly as they descended on the streets, all sharing a common language (mostly Yiddish) and most certainly, similar backgrounds, they quickly established synagogues as early as 1865 (the landmarked Bialystoker Synagogue, whose congregants were mostly Polish immigrants from Bailystok), small shops, pushcarts teeming with goods, social clubs and even financial-aid societies. By 1910, the Lower East Side’s population was well over the five million mark, but sadly, such congestion habitually caused havoc.
Learn more about the history of the LES here

History

September 6, 2014

Weekly Highlights: Top Picks from the 6sqft Staff

By Dana Schulz

We talk to Sue Chin, the Wildlife Conservation Society’s Chief Architect, about designing for a very different clientele–tiger, sharks, gorillas, and more. We’ve got the dirt on Frank Gehry’s Ground Zero Performing Arts Center rejection. Coffee Culture: Are neighborhood cafes the first sign of gentrification? Travel back in time to Radio Row, the city’s original […]

Uncategorized

September 4, 2014

Archdiocese of New York Sells off St. Patrick’s School in Little Italy for $32M, Makes Way for Condos

By Diane Pham

On Christmas Eve 2013, the cash-strapped Archdiocese of New York put St. Patrick’s Old Cathedral School on the market for $29 million. Now it looks like Time Equities has purchased the Little Italy property, throwing down $32 million, according to city records filed today (233 Mott and 32 Prince). Plans to turn the school into condos have been in the works since October 2013, when it was reported that the building was in the process of being sold off to Hamlin Ventures, with re-vamps provided by Marvel Architects. Though records show Time as the buyer, the two developers are joining forces to turn the sprawling 14,925-square-foot former orphanage/convent/school into two single-family homes and eight luxury condos.
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Morningside Heights: From Revolutionary Battle to Columbia University Campus

Bloomingdale Road (now Broadway) and 114th Street in 1895

August 14, 2014

Morningside Heights: From Revolutionary Battle to Columbia University Campus

By Michelle Young

Today, it's hard to imagine Morningside Heights without the flurry of students hurrying to class at Columbia University. It may be even harder to imagine it without some of its signature architecture: the gothic Cathedral of St. John the Divine, the largest cathedral in the world, Riverside Church, with its former bowling alley, or Grant's Tomb along the Hudson River. But Morningside Heights got an exciting start in the history of New York City (and America, as it turns out)!
The incredible story of Morningside Heights, from past to present, this way

July 21, 2014

Real Estate Wire: Juul-Hansen’s Condos Hugging the High Line; Own a Villa on Staten Island

By Diane Pham

Juul-Hansen’s condos are on the rise and now flanking both sides of the High Line Park. [Curbed] Manhattan’s office buildings are being valued at pre-crash levels. [WSJ] Who owns New York? Chinese developers apparently. Here are four high-profile Chinese developers pouring their cash into Manhattan. [TRD] Own your own “Italian/French” villa… on Staten Island. [Curbed] New kid on the […]

Real Estate Trends

July 16, 2014

Your Daily Link Fix: Summer Retreats for Architects; Is Hurricane Sandy to Blame for New Jersey Boardwalk Fire?

By Aisha Carter

“Brooklyn Girls” Video a Guaranteed Hit: Brooklyn Mag has singer-songwriter Catey Shaw’s newly released video that is like a Brooklyn version of Katy Perry’s “California Girls”, and it’s pretty catchy. Summer Retreats for Architects: Architizer spotlights the top 10 summer retreats for architects, and once you’ve gotten excited about that, check out their article on […]

Uncategorized

July 2, 2014

Real Estate Wire: The Priciest Celebrity Homes in NYC; Developer Larry Silverstein’s Mega-Sized New Cause

By Jon Dioffa

Today's real estate news highlights: JDS is gearing up to build two luxury residential towers on the East Side on a $390M formerly owned by ConEd. [The Real Deal] What goes around comes back around right back into your real estate portfolio. Stephen Schwarzman’s Blackstone Group is buying the Park Avenue Tower, which it briefly owned in 2007. The property was flipped and sold it to Harry Macklowe for $625M. Blackstone just bought it back for $750M. [The Real Deal] The most expensive celebrity homes in NYC. Who has the most covetable pad in Manhattan? [Business Insider] Bushwick goes upscale with its gentrification. A 7-story building with valet parking may be coming to the nabe. [DNA Info] 'Jersey Boy' Bob Gaudio wants $6M for his San Remo apartment. Ohhhh what a deal? [Curbed] 50 West Street lists its units with condos starting at $1.615M [Curbed] For NY's tallest towers, the current rules require that they have mostly commercial space. Developer Larry Silverstein is championing for a change and wants that mix to favor far more lucrative residential space. [Crain's] The magazine everyone loves to hate continues to expand their media empire. Vice is investing $20M to renovate a 60,000-square-foot building on South Second Street and Kent Avenue, which will house its production facilities and a broadcasting station. [Crain's] Manhattan apartment inventory is at a low and the prices are up in the 2nd quarter. Read our brief after the break for all the details. Hugh Jackman in his luxurious 11,000 sq ft home (left); Larry Silverstein (right)
The 2nd quarter results here

Real Estate Trends

June 12, 2014

Crazy Futuristic Hotel at 55 Wythe in Williamsburg Now Under Construction, Developer Zelig Weiss Scores a $18.4M Loan for the Site

By Diane Pham

The new Level Hotel planned for 55 Wythe in Williamsburg wasn't much more than a rendering when it was revealed last month, but one of 6sqft's intrepid reporters swung by the site recently only to find that construction on the Jetson's-like building had commenced. Permits for the 320,000 square foot hotel were approved in early April, and according to locals, heavy equipment arrived on the scene a few weeks ago with groundwork now well underway. Now, further cementing Level's status as a hotel of the future, the hotel's developer, Zelig Weiss, closed on an $18.35 million loan from Madison Realty Capital to purchase the site for about $30 million, according to Crain's.
More details and photos here

June 6, 2014

New Yorker Spotlight: Natalie Vie, the Bushwick Artist and Olympic Hopeful

By Susan Cohen

“New York is the meeting place of the peoples, the only city where you can hardly find a typical American.” - Djuna Barnes Natalie Vie is an Olympic hopeful, a sculptor, and a resident of Bushwick. On any given day, she can be found fencing epee at Fencers Club in Chelsea, sculpting in her studio in Bushwick, curating a show, or out and about in her neighborhood's coffee shops and bookstores. What's interesting about Natalie is that she sounds like a native New Yorker; able to masterfully pursue multiple undertakings in a single day. However, she is actually a native of the desert. Natalie, 28, grew up in Phoenix where she earned a B.F.A in Sculpture at Arizona State University, and was on the University's club fencing team. She possesses a deep love for her home, but set her sights on New York. The city is home to a number of top ranked Women's Epee fencers, and Natalie wanted to train alongside them. Almost three years ago, she moved cross-country and immediately felt right at home. Fencing is referred to as physical chess. It's complex, rhythmic, and demanding. Epee, one of three fencing disciplines, has an entire body for target. Natalie can score a touch on the hand, the leg, or even the foot. When she fences, she must analyze her opponent's every move to find an opening and make a touch. Currently, she is in the midst of the World Cup season.
Our interview with Natalie here

May 5, 2014

Out-of-This-World Hotel Set for Wythe Avenue in Williamsburg

By Dana Schulz

For some longtime Williamsburg residents, the neighborhood already exhibits twilight-zone-like traits—the massive gentrification, glass waterfront towers, and skyrocketing rents—but the new Level Hotel planned for 55 Wythe Avenue is a literal translation of these possible feelings with its space-ship-looking design.
More photos this way

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