Search Results for: green

It's build-your-own-dream-home time! Here's a look at a completely gutted brownstone triplex right off Central Park. This 2,100-square-foot pad provides the perfect excuse to grab your interior designer and unleash your imagination. The space includes the parlor, garden level, and basement of a prewar co-op, with a 750-square-foot backyard. And it can be yours for $2.495 million.
More pics inside

Distinctive Homes

April 23, 2015

Billionaire Wins Deposit Back After Ditched Penthouse Purchase; LGA’s $4B Revamp Could Be Delayed Again

A billionaire who canceled his purchase of a $27.5M penthouse at 1107 Fifth Avenue—which also happens to be NYC’s first-ever penthouse—will get his $2.75M deposit refunded to him. Carlos Rodriguez Pastor didn’t want to share his terrace with neighbors in the building. [NYDN] If the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey doesn’t pick a winning […]

Real Estate Trends

United Nations Tower Has Floating Wrap-Around Gardens, Will Be New World’s Skinniest Tower

Renderings via ODA

April 23, 2015

United Nations Tower Has Floating Wrap-Around Gardens, Will Be New World’s Skinniest Tower

Just last month, Perkins + Will announced a new 65-story, 700-foot, pencil-thin tower coming to 37th Street. But it wasn't the height or slender design that got our attention; it was the sky-high gardens, five clusters of shared amenity and park spaces located at specific intervals on the building. Now, this project will be joined by another urban garden wonder near the United Nations. The Daily News reveals today renderings from ODA Architects of a super-skinny, 41-story, 600-foot skyscraper at 303 East 44th Street that will feature "six 16-foot-high gaps in the façade — each filled with a full-floor, canopied green space that will wrap around the core of the tower." These floating gardens will occupy the 2,600-square-foot floor plates, which are far smaller than the 4,800-square-foot floor plates at 111 West 57th Street, which has therefore lost its title of will-be world's skinniest tower.
More details ahead

April 23, 2015

A Clawfoot Tub Resides in the Middle of This $2.7M Soho Loft’s Bedroom

By Stephanie Hoina

Oh how we love Soho’s Cast Iron District. Its cobblestone streets and classic facades set the stage so beautifully for the lofts within. Wide open floor plans showered with an abundance of natural light courtesy of big, bold windows. Soaring 12-foot ceilings and original cast iron columns scattered about serving as a lovely reminder of the area’s industrial roots. And the 1,800-square-foot residence at 19 Greene Street is no exception—plus it comes with a little something extra for its $2.7M price tag: an unusually placed clawfoot tub in the home’s sleeping quarters. Though we’ve written about showers and bathtubs in kitchens (and scratched our heads at the thought), the current owner of this loft just might be on to something. How nice would it be to take a long, luxurious soak and then slip into bed for the evening? Of course, if the virtually wall-less layout leaves you feeling a bit too exposed, you can always avail yourself of the rain shower in the more traditional bathroom.
See more of this classic Soho loft

Distinctive Homes

April 23, 2015

Architectural Saviors: NYC Landmarks Saved from Destruction

Yesterday we rounded up some of the most heinous crimes committed against architecture in New York City, but today we're taking a look at the sunnier side of things. Our list of architectural saviors includes sites saved from the wrecking ball, as well as those that have remained intact and been adaptively reused. And with city-wide preservationists celebrating this year's 50th anniversary of the landmarks law, what better time to take a look back?
View our list of architectural saviors

April 23, 2015

One New York Passerby a Month Is Injured from Construction Work

After last month's construction accident at the Greenwich Lane site in the Village, in which a piece of flying plywood killed a young woman named Tina Nguyen who was just walking by, the Wall Street Journal investigated construction injuries to passersby (not construction workers). Their analysis of Department of Buildings data shows that on average one passerby per month is injured at a New York City construction site. According to the paper, "From 2008 through 2014, there were 96 construction accidents involving pedestrians and other passersby in New York City, resulting in 155 injuries. More than three-quarters of the accidents took place in Manhattan."
More details ahead

City Living

April 23, 2015

$5.2M Retro-Glam Tribeca Duplex Is a True Labor of Love

It's already a brag-worthy feat to own an apartment that was designed by an award-winning architect, but it's even more brag-worthy to own one that was lovingly designed by that architect for her very own sister and her family. That's why when we tell you that this 2,783-square-foot Tribeca pad in the landmarked Sugar Warehouse condominium is a gem, we mean it. The retro glam duplex loft was a collaboration between designer Stacey Ruhle Kliesch, her mother Louise Ruhle, and her sister, the homeowner, Stephanie Ruhle Hubbard. That's right, even Mom was involved. So you know that every nook and cranny of this $5.2 million duplex loft was lovingly tended to.
More pics inside

Distinctive Homes

April 22, 2015

S. Bronx Next ‘It’ Area According to Experts; Liam Gallagher Slashes Price of His Essex House Pad

More and more hipsters are flocking to South Bronx. Real estate experts are eyeing it as the next big thing. [DNA Info] We’re not sure why leopard print walls would be a hard sell, but Oasis singer Liam Gallagher has cut the price his Central Park South pad to $3.1 million, down from $4 million. […]

Real Estate Trends

April 21, 2015

Asking Double Its 2012 Price, Brooding West Village Townhouse Features a Two-Story Wall of Glass

By Stephanie Hoina

Every now and then a Cool Listing comes along that is so spectacular we find ourselves at a loss for words. Well, not today. That’s because there’s so much to share about this incredibly sumptuous home at 75 Bedford Street in the West Village we’re afraid we’ll run out of room! Let’s start with those responsible for our enthusiasm–namely, M.N. Ahari, architect for the recent renovation, and interior designer Fernando Santangelo, the genius behind one of Hollywood’s havens for the rich-and-famous, the Chateau Marmont, who transformed this historic townhouse from an all-white Zen oasis into a brooding bachelor pad for his friend James Oakley, a filmmaker who originally hails from Tennessee. Oakley, whose stepfather owns the Cleveland Browns, bought the home in 2012 for $5.8 million, but after the extensive renovation he's now looking to unload the residence for $12.5 million.
See why there's so much to talk about

Distinctive Homes

April 21, 2015

Charming ‘Back House’ Apartment Is a Tiny Treasure in the West Village

The cool thing about tiny living spaces is how it makes you so aware of all the wasted space you have in your own home. This micro apartment at 340A West 11th Street makes the most of every inch of its usable space, and if storage is key, then this pad has the combination. We think you’ll quickly see that inside this red brick “back house” less really is more.
More pics inside

Distinctive Homes

First Look at MCNY’s New Exhibit ‘Saving Place: Fifty Years of New York City Landmarks’

The exhibit’s title image © Iwan Baan for the Museum of the City of New York

April 21, 2015

First Look at MCNY’s New Exhibit ‘Saving Place: Fifty Years of New York City Landmarks’

Last night we attended the Museum of the City of New York's symposium, "Redefining Preservation for the 21st Century," which explored the challenges and the opportunities of the preservation movement today and in the future. The event included such distinguished speakers as New York Times architecture critic Michael Kimmelman, starchitect Robert A.M. Stern, preservation guru Roberta Gratz, and president of the Real Estate Board of New York Steven Spinola (needless to say, it was quite the lively discussion), and it kicked off the opening of the museum's exciting new exhibit "Saving Place: Fifty Years of New York City Landmarks," which marks the 50th anniversary of the landmarks law in NYC. As part of the symposium we got a first look at the exhibit, which opens to the public today.
Check out Saving Place here

Events & Things To Do

April 17, 2015

Long Island City’s Hot New Park-Front Project Liv@ Murray Park North Set to Begin Sales

By Ondel Hylton

While Manhattan buyers typically pay a great premium for a park-front address, a single subway stop away in Long Island City, a new condominium aptly named Liv@ Murray Park North will begin sales with homes starting around $400,000. Developed by George Xu and Century Development Group, the six-story, 39-unit building will house a mix of studio, one- and two-bedroom apartments designed by Queens' own Raymond Chan Architects. Liv@ Murray Park North is located at 11-35 45th Avenue along the northern frontage of the 2.5 acre Murray Park/Murray Playground. Similar in size to downtown's Gramercy Park, the community jewel is LIC's largest green space not situated along the East River. The park is also across from the neighborhood's sole historic district and is positioned centrally between the area's two booming high-rise nodes–the master-planned Hunter's Point waterfront community and the Court Square-Queens Plaza business district.
More on the project ahead

April 16, 2015

New Clinton Hill Building with $1,064 Two-Bedroom Apartments Now Taking Applications

Clinton Hill rents may be skyrocketing, but there are a handful of units coming up sure to bring some peace of mind to those worried that the neighborhood is turning into another haven for the rich. DNA Info reports that a brand new building coming up at 490 Myrtle Avenue at Hall Street that will boast a terrace, veggie garden, reflecting pools with cabanas and $1,064 two-bedroom apartments. The building is sited along one of the more rapidly gentrifying areas of the neighborhood, just a block away from the Pratt Institute along a stretch of Myrtle Avenue that is about to see a serious boom in new developments and green space.
Find out more here and if you qualify for one of the units

April 16, 2015

Flashy Designer Loft in Tribeca Sells for $9.25M

It's always interesting to see how architects and designers outfit their personal homes, and in this case the answer is very lavishly. Jennifer Tonkel, an interior designer at Kemble Interiors, along with her husband Carlos Fierro, bought this 3,650-square-foot loft at 408 Greenwich Street in Tribeca for $7.64 million in 2008, and after decorating it to their hearts' content, listed it for $10.75 million just about a year ago. The impressive home has now sold for $9.25 million, according to city records released today.
Tour the designer pad here

April 14, 2015

This Map Lets You Explore NYC’s 592,130 Street Trees by Species and Trunk Thickness

If you feel like your allergies go into overdrive when you're in the city, don’t be so quick to blame it on all the dust and must being kicked up by passing cars. As it turns out, New York’s flora is far more diverse and abundant than you’d suspect. Jill Hubley, a Brooklyn web developer, took data from the 2005-2006 Street Tree Census and found that there are about 592,130 trees on public streets alone. But beyond pinpointing where each street tree sits, Hubley's map also identifies a tree's species and trunk thickness. What emerges from her study is a kaleidoscope of colors and a fascinating look at the city's biodiversity.
Find out more here

April 13, 2015

VIDEO: RuPaul Takes Us Around the 1980s Meatpacking District and the Jane Hotel

We know all about the Meatpacking District's beginnings as the Gansevoort Market and the epicenter of meat marketers, as well as its current status as a burgeoning office tower district, but in the 1980s, this neighborhood was one to which most people didn't pay much mind. It was fairly run down, with its industrial tenants having moved out, and became notorious for prostitution, sex clubs, and drug dealing. But there was much more to the area, including an accepting LGBT community and a downtown music and entertainment scene. In this video we found from 1986, a young RuPaul takes us into his penthouse suite at the Jane Hotel, then known as the Jane West Hotel and far seedier than it is today, as well as walks around the gritty streets of the Meatpacking District and into his friend's 9th Avenue rowhouse, which will undoubtedly look familiar to anyone who's walked these cobblestone streets.
Watch the video here

History

April 13, 2015

Piece of the Berlin Wall Returning to Midtown; Biggie Smalls Murals on the Rise

After a painstaking conservation job, a 33,000-pound, 20-foot section of the Berlin Wall belonging to Jerry I. Speyer, chairman of the Tishman Speyer real estate company, will return to Midtown. [NYT] Preservationists and local elected officials will try again to have Coney Island’s iconic boardwalk designated a scenic landmark. [Brooklyn Daily] Is Biggie Smalls becoming […]

Uncategorized

April 13, 2015

Norman Foster’s 2 World Trade Center Could Get a Jumpstart Thanks to Rupert Murdoch

Norman Foster's 88-story tower, destined for the last unoccupied site of the World Trade Center complex, could finally get the legs it needs to move forward. The New York Times reports that media giants News Corporation and 21st Century Fox, both headed by Rupert Murdoch, are in talks with the Port Authority and developer Larry Silverstein to make the long-stalled 1,349-foot skyscraper their next home. The move would relocate a number of News Corp. and Fox's top brands—which include the NY Post and the Wall Street Journal—and give 2 WTC what it needs to resume construction as required by the Port Authority; namely a solid anchor tenant. Ground was broken on the tower way back in 2008 and slated for completion in 2016, but in 2013 the Port Authority put a hold on construction until tenants could be found for occupancy.
More on the move forward here

April 12, 2015

Construction Update: SOM’s 252 East 57th Street Getting Its Glass Skin

By Ondel Hylton

With foundation work complete, the World Wide Group / Rose Associates' tower at 252 East 57th Street is rapidly making its climb into the Midtown East skyline. The 57-story development composed of 93 condos and 173 rentals is designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP (SOM), with SLCE serving as the architects of record. Despite the tower's location along the eastern fringe of cloud-busting billionaire's row, the 715-foot building won't be competing for any height records–for instance, 111 West 57th Street is double its height at 1,428 feet. Instead, the tower is shaping up to be more of a typical Midtown East affair, falling in line with its Second Avenue context by providing a broad 80-foot-high base along the avenue and a sheer 50-story rectangular slab rising above. Recent residential towers along Second Avenue such as The Milan, The Veneto, and The Three Ten share 252's massing, which planners prescribed to conform new skyscrapers to the rows of existing walk-up buildings.
More details on the project here

April 10, 2015

UWS Brownstone Duplex with Private Terrace Asks $1.8 Million

By Emily Nonko

If you can't afford the multi-millions it takes to buy a townhouse off Central Park West, this duplex at 132 West 78th Street may do the trick. Of course, the price is still significant with an ask of $1,795,000. But it's a smaller sum for a lovely, historic pad–the co-op takes up two floors of a brownstone, which is located on a block of even more gorgeous brownstones. And did we mention it's located less than a block away from the Museum of Natural History, and one block from Central Park?
Take a look around here

Distinctive Homes

April 10, 2015

This Architectural Coloring Book Is Made for Adults

Instead of mindlessly scrolling through Instagram after a long day at the office, why not unwind by doing a little coloring? Yes, that's right, every child's favorite pastime is now being marketed to adults. As Business Insider reported earlier this week, the two best-selling books on Amazon right now are adult coloring books–"Secret Garden" and "Enchanted Forest" by Scottish illustrator Johanna Basford. The books feature nature scenes and geometric patterns of flowers, trees, and woodland creatures. But for those of us who prefer analyzing floor plans to arranging flowers, there's another adult coloring book called "Fantastic Cities." Created by artist Steve McDonald, it "features immersive aerial views of real cities from around the world alongside gorgeously illustrated, Inception-like architectural mandalas."
More here

April 10, 2015

Preservation Award Winners Announced; NYC Libraries Open Less than Anywhere in the State

See Staten Island like you’ve never seen it before during tomorrow’s Tour de Staten Island bike ride. [Transportation Alternatives] Then and now: The Brooklyn Eagle Building. [Brownstoner] Winners announced for the 25th Lucy G. Moses Preservation Awards. El Barrio’s Artspace PS 109, Kings Theatre, and the Times’ Streetscapes columnist Christopher Gray are among the recipients. […]

Uncategorized

April 10, 2015

Meticulously Renovated Jones Wood Garden Townhouse Looks to Nearly Double Its Price