Search Results for: own village

July 6, 2016

The History of Bowery Bay Beach, the ‘Coney Island of Queens’

This past holiday weekend, New Yorkers flocked to Coney Island for the annual Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest, the fireworks display, and to enjoy the beach and boardwalk. For some, though, traveling all the way out to the end of Brooklyn with beach chairs and coolers is daunting, which is why it's sad to learn that back in the 19th century, there was another amusement destination in the city, at the site of present-day LaGuardia Airport. Bowery Bay Beach (later named North Beach) opened in 1886 on the shores of Bowery and Flushing Bays. Built by noted piano manufacturer William Steinway in partnership with brewer George Ehret, it included beaches, swimming pavilions, a huge beer hall, zoo, and the Gala Amusement Park. At one time it was more popular than the parks in Brooklyn, earning it the moniker "the Coney Island of Queens."
So what happened?
July 6, 2016

Jimmy Choo Co-Founder Offers UES Mansion Penthouse for $60K/Month

Jimmy Choo co-founder Tamara Mellon has long been trying to sell her palatial penthouse pad, which sits atop the Carhart Mansion at 3 East 95th Street. The Carnegie Hill apartment, which boasts five bedrooms and one of the most impressive shoe closets of all time, recently reduced its price from $34 million to $27 million. And now it's on the rental market for $60,000 a month. The 7,000-square-foot penthouse has a long line of impressive owners—Mellon bought this from the Seagram heir Charles Bronfman Jr.
Check out that closet
July 5, 2016

Where to Find the Most Incredible Staircases in New York City

Stairs let interior designers show off their best combination of form and function. The flagship stores, public works, and designer condos of New York make for the perfect opportunities to test the boundaries of practicality and beauty in design. Here are seven of the most beautiful and interesting staircase designs to be found in New York City.
See our staircase gallery here
July 2, 2016

June’s 10 Most-Read Stories and This Week’s Features

June’s 10 Most-Read Stories Lottery Opens for 41 Units at Related’s Hudson Square Rental, Starting at $788/Month Landmarks Approves Roman Abramovich’s $80M UES Makeshift Mansion Taylor Swift Staying in a $40K/Month Village House During Tribeca Penthouse Renovations My 1200sqft: Inside Model Summer Rayne Oakes’ Williamsburg Oasis Filled With 500+ Plants POLL: Do You Prefer Bjarke […]

June 28, 2016

Former Soho Loft of Artist Bill Alpert Hits the Market for $3.1M

Here's a rare opportunity to own a Soho loft that was the longtime home of an artist--most of the artist apartments of the 60s and 70s have since changed hands. This apartment at 64 Grand Street belonged to Bill Alpert, who was known for his abstract paintings and lived here from 1967 until his death last year. It is very much a raw space, with the original hardwood floors, exposed ceiling pipes, a fire escape view and walls high enough to hang nothing but artwork. We can't imagine the price for it back in 1968, but now it's asking just a hair over $3 million.
Take a tour
June 25, 2016

Weekly Highlights: Top Picks From the 6sqft Staff

Donald Trump’s Secret ‘Public’ Gardens Gave Him Extra Height at Trump Tower Buy Christie Brinkley’s 21-Acre Hamptons Estate for $30M Sleep in a Cozy, Converted Taxi in Long Island City for Just $39 a Night Take in the Views From Extell’s 850-Foot-Tall One Manhattan Square Massive Maya Lin-Designed Tribeca Townhouse Gets Thumbs Up From Landmarks […]

June 24, 2016

Spotlight: Kristin Heckler Delivers Bouquets on Wheels at Uprooted Flower Truck

In a city where ever-rising rents often hamper potential small business owners from opening a storefront, mobile retail has become a popular alternative. Food trucks certainly led the way over the last few years, but the business model has spread beyond the culinary world and now includes a flower shop on wheels. A year ago, Ashley Custer and Kristin Heckler introduced New York to Uprooted Flower Truck. The business parks in neighborhoods around Manhattan to sell their New York-inspired, hand-tied bouquets available in three sizes: studio, loft, and penthouse. The driving force behind Uprooted is to not only bring flowers directly to New Yorkers, but to help people engage with and hopefully gain a deeper appreciation for them. 6sqft recently spoke with Kristin to learn more about this budding business and how it’s developing a unique identity in the city.
Read our interview with Kristin
June 22, 2016

Britney Spears’ Former Noho Penthouse Returns As a $24K/Month Rental

Britney Spears' old Noho penthouse at 14 East 4th Street (the Silk Building) is making a go on the market "one more time." The Observer noticed that the 4,400-square-foot apartment, which hit the market for $7.6 million at the beginning of the year, has returned as a $24,000 a month rental. Though the four-floor spread is large and lovely, it's had quite a "toxic" sales history.
Take a look around
June 18, 2016

Weekly Highlights: Top Picks From the 6sqft Staff

Landmarks Approves Roman Abramovich’s $80M UES Makeshift Mansion Taylor Swift Staying in a $40K/Month Village House During Tribeca Penthouse Renovations Design Teams Propose Inflatable Tunnel, New Train Lines As Solutions to L Train Shutdown Developer Wants to Erect the World’s Tallest Free-Fall Ride Atop Penn Station Lottery Launches for 10 Brand New Theater District Apartments, […]

June 17, 2016

Con Ed Will Offer Rooftop Solar Panels to 300 NYC Homes

Con Edison announced Monday that the utility company will offer solar panels and batteries to 300 Brooklyn and Queens homes as part of a plan to create a virtual power plant for the city's power grid, as the company outlines in a "Clean Virtual Power Plant" implementation plan (pdf). Quartz reports that Con Ed, partnered with solar-panel manufacturer Sunpower and energy storage company SunVerge, plans to use these “grid assets” as backup power and as a source of electricity and balancing services for the grid. Residential Con Ed customers will be able to lease the solar and lithium-ion battery systems from the power company for a small fee that will appear on their bill. There is currently no net metering method in place for the homeowners to sell power back to the grid as some individual solar panel users do, though ConEd says that if the project is successful it will allow suppliers/aggregators of solar rooftop and battery systems to sell to the grid.
Find out how it works
June 15, 2016

First Look at BKSK Architect’s Upcoming Condo Tower Planned For 200 East 21st Street

It seems every major intersection in Gramercy between East 20th and 23rd Streets is being redeveloped these days. Last fall, 6sqft reported that a humble set of walk-up buildings at the southeast corner of East 21st Street and Third Avenue were hitting the chopping block. Since then, a new building application has been filed to construct a 20-story condominium designed by BKSK Architects with Alfa Development at the helm. A new rendering of the structure, addressed officially as 200 East 21st Street, was published on the project's EB-5 investors page and shows a two-tiered metal and glass building. There will be 29 one-bedroom units, 24 two-bedrooms, seven three-bedrooms, and three four-bedrooms, for a total of 63 apartments spread across 80,000 square feet. The ground level will host retail spaces and a shortlist of residential amenities includes a 24-hour doorman, concierge, tenants' storage, a bike room, fitness center, and residents' lounge.
Find out more
June 14, 2016

One-bedroom With Shower in the Kitchen Wants $1,850/Month in Williamsburg

Yep, it's a real one-bedroom, separate kitchen and all. Which is a good thing, because that's where the shower is. It seems as if we just got done marveling at that Lower East Side pad with a similar setup; now, Real Estate Weekly informs us, we're invited to behold this red hot value of a listing at 255 Powers Street. Let's take a look at what's included in that sounds-too-good-to-be-true rent in the L train-friendly environs of East Williamsburg.
Get a look
June 14, 2016

Aerial Photographer Peter Massini Captures NYC’s Hidden Rooftop Patios and Gardens

Peter Massini is a multi-disciplinary photographer, working on architecture, landscapes, and graphic patterns. But his specialty is aerial views, for which he hangs from the open door of a helicopter on almost a daily basis. 6sqft got a look at one of his recent aerial collections of New York City's rooftop patios and gardens that he shot from 1,500 feet in the air. These hidden oases reveal an entirely unique mashup of concrete jungle and green space. "What led me to shoot these from above was my interest in true green roofs and their benefits for the eye as well as the environment," Peter told us.
See all the photographs this way
June 13, 2016

Get Rid of Mosquitoes and Stop Bites This Summer With These Simple Tips

6sqft’s series Apartment Living 101 is aimed at helping New Yorkers navigate the challenges of creating a happy home in the big city. This week we’ve rounded up tips on how to get rid of and deal with mosquitoes this summer.  New York's hot and humid summers bring all sorts of agony, but the bites of unrelenting mosquitoes may be the worst of all. While in past years these buzzers haven't been much more than a itchy nuisance, this year, the Zika virus has everyone on high alert. In February, the World Health Organization declared the virus a threat to public health across the globe. To date, no vaccine exists. As of June 8th, there have been 133 cases of Zika reported in NYC. However, the species of mosquito spreading Zika (the Aedes aegypti) has not yet been spotted in the city and all cases caught the virus while abroad. Nonetheless, with a potential threat looming, the city has launched a campaign to get New Yorkers to do their part, which includes tips on how to prevent the mosquito population from propagating. Ahead we'll cover some of the same ground, on top of other tips to keep mosquitoes from entering your home and attacking your body—because any way you look at it, mosquito bites are no fun!
What you can do, this way
June 11, 2016

Weekly Highlights: Top Picks From the 6sqft Staff

Brooklyn Design Firm Creates Dramatic Living Spaces Inside a Williamsburg Loft Another Luxury Development May Rise on Billionaires’ Row New ‘Solar Canopy’ Can Be Installed Atop Any NYC Building to Provide Solar Power Apply Now For 63 Affordable Units Next to Woodlawn Cemetery, Starting at $865/Month Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick Pay $34.5M for […]

June 8, 2016

Last Apartment Left at Gothic Revival Church in Fort Greene Asks $8,200/Month

Gothic Revival church turned luxury rental apartment: only in New York. That's the story behind 232 Adelphi Street, a majestic Fort Greene church built in 1888. It fell into disrepair before being converted into 12 apartments in recent years. This is the last apartment left empty and it's a pricy one. It's also big: an 1,800-square-foot duplex with two bedrooms and two-and-a-half baths, all accessed via a private entrance.
Check out the church details that remain
June 8, 2016

$19.75M for the Former Gramercy Home of the Catholic Sisters of the Immaculate Heart

Yet another religious property has hit the market, although this is no typical church. These two townhouses, at 238 East 15th Street in Gramercy, have long served as the home for the Catholic Sisters of the Immaculate Heart. The sisters bought the first townhouse in 1948 and the second in 1952, combining them with a doorway on each floor. In the years that followed, according to the NY Times, hundreds of the sisters of the Immaculati Cordis Mariae (which began in Belgian) have passed through, decorating the townhouse interiors with souvenirs from missions around the world. Only one sister now lives in the 15,600-square-foot property, which has just hit the market for nearly $20 million.
See the interior
June 7, 2016

New ‘Solar Canopy’ Can Be Installed Atop Any NYC Building to Provide Solar Power

Brooklyn SolarWorks and Situ Studio have devised a clever and flexible solar panel system that not only adheres to the city's strict building codes, but has been developed specifically for the characteristically flat rooftops of NYC. The "Solar Canopy," as it has been named, is designed as a tent-like structure with a coverage of 2.5-feet by five-feet and a head clearance of ten feet above its pathway—plenty more than the nine feet required by the city. SolarWorks and Situ have already installed their Solar Canopy at several properties in Brooklyn, including atop homes in Bed-Stuy, Park Slope and Crown Heights.
find out more here
June 3, 2016

City Council Will Vote on Controversial Changes to the Landmarks Law

Over the past couple years, preservationists have waged two big battles pertaining to the 51-year-old landmarks law. First, there was Landmarks Preservation Commission's decision to de-calendar 95 historic sites--in other words, remove them from the "waiting list" to be considered for landmarking, leaving them in jeopardy. The LPC eventually withdrew this plan after massive public outcry, but then proposed a bill, Intro. 775, to implement timelines for reviewing possible landmarks, which was met with criticism again for a perceived catering to developers who want to demolish or alter a property. The proposal stalled, but the Council is back at it, now "proposing a half-dozen recommendations to simultaneously streamline and expand the landmarks process" that they will vote on this month, reports the Times.
Learn about all the points
June 3, 2016

Revealed: Morris Adjmi Pens Coffered Facade For Condos Next to Bowlmor Lanes Site

Here's our first look at the Morris Adjmi-designed condos slated for the southwest corner of West 13th Street and University Place in Greenwich Village. The project, tentatively addressed 34 East 13th Street, rubs shoulders with Annabelle Selldorf's 21 East 12th Street condo development, which replaced the large building that held Bowlmor Lanes. Last year, NYREJ reported that Ranger Properties and Sagamore Capital purchased the three-building corner assemblage for $22 million or $1,100 per square foot, one of the most expensive residential development transactions ever downtown.
More details ahead
May 27, 2016

Rent a Former Carriage House in the Historic Washington Mews for $30K/Month

Washington Mews might be one of the best blocks not just in Greenwich Village, but in all of New York City. It's a gated, cobblestone street that's lined with quaint carriage houses and one of them has just hit the market, asking $30,000 a month. Located at 64 Washington Mews, it's been totally renovated into a lofty and modern two-bedroom home with three levels connected by an open staircase and lit by skylights.
Take a look
May 27, 2016

Spotlight: Adam Blumenthal Keeps Magic Alive at 91-Year-Old Tannen’s

At a time when the inner workings of so many things have been demystified, magic still has the ability to stump us. But for magicians to make tricks look seamless, a tremendous amount of time is invested in perfecting the craft and engaging with colleagues who can help them grow and develop their skills. And in New York, magic is cultivated on a daily basis above the hustle and bustle of 34th Street at Tannen’s Magic. The business has been serving the magic community since Louis Tannen opened a street stand in 1925. He later took the business indoors, where it became a gathering place for magicians of all ages and skill levels to purchase and practice their tricks. The current keeper of Tannen’s tradition is Adam Blumenthal, who fell in love with magic at a young age, in part thanks to the store, and is now responsible for ensuring its legacy and introducing it to a new generation of magicians. 6sqft recently spoke with Adam to learn more about magic, Tannen’s, and New York’s magicians.
Read the interview here
May 26, 2016

C3D Architecture’s 232 Seventh Avenue Begins Its 17-Floor Climb in Chelsea

Near Chelsea's raggle-taggle intersection of Seventh Avenue and 23rd Street, a new residential building has begun its 17-floor rise skyward. The 53,135-square-foot tower designed by C3D Architecture will boast 50 rental apartments with first and cellar levels dedicated to commercial and retail uses. Floors two through 11 will be configured with four apartments per floor and floors 12-16 just two apartments apiece. According to C3D, the exterior will be clad in a subdued mix of limestone and metal panels with full-height glass windows wedged in between. The second floor will be provided a large rear terrace and all levels above will have west-facing balconies. The twelfth floor is setback and the uppermost four levels will be outfitted with street-facing balconies.
Find out more