Search Results for: rooftop garden

May 6, 2015

Gorgeous West Village Carriage House Boasts a Lovable Interior with Lots of Wood

New York City carriage homes tend to be lovable pieces of real estate, and we're totally swooning over this one at 29 Downing Street in the West Village (h/t Curbed). It was built in 1829 and has been owned by two artists, John Bennett and Karen Lee Grant, for the last 40 years. According to the listing, upon purchasing this building it only "had one light bulb on each level, no bathroom, and only a sprocket for water." The owners transformed it into a truly spectacular residence and artist studio that is now asking $13 million. The listing calls it "a completely unique piece of art," and "one of Manhattan's certified treasures."
Tour the interior here
May 5, 2015

Greenwich Village Townhouse from Infamous 1970 Explosion Gets a Price Cut and New Look

Justin Korsant's unique Greenwich Village townhouse that so famously suffered from an accidental explosion in 1970 has lowered its price from $13.5 million to $12.95 million. All eyes have been on the unique split level home with a slanted facade since word got out that Korsant had plans to overhaul the local landmark, which was redesigned by Hugh Hardy post-explosion. Instead, Korsant tabbed Hardy's own modern-day firm, H3 Hardy Collaboration Architecture, to come up with Landmarks-approved plans, which include six floors, a penthouse, and an elevator. Now all you have to do is grab your contractor and make it happen.
More pics inside
May 4, 2015

Architect Sharon Davis Builds Herself an Eco-Retreat Next to an Historic Upstate Road

The Old Albany Post Road is a 6.6-mile historic supply route in Philipstown, New York and one of the oldest unpaved roads still in use. One of the most charming places through which it winds is a hamlet called Garrison, where NYC-based architect Sharon Davis has had a house for more than 20 years. The visionary first bought the 70-acre plot to protect its land from developers, but ended up building herself a new home that is both cozy and modern, as well as an homage to the historic nature of the old road.
Learn more about this eco-friendly humble home
April 21, 2015

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

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
April 20, 2015

Going Green and Curbing Gentrification: How the Bronx Is Doing It Differently

“Ladies and gentlemen, the Bronx is burning." The infamous phrase, uttered in a 1977 broadcast of a Bronx fire, has stuck in the mind of many New Yorkers even today. Indeed, the Bronx saw a sharp decline in population and quality of life in the late 1960s and 1970s, which culminated in a wave of arson. By the early 1980s, the South Bronx was considered one of the most blighted neighborhoods in the country, with a 60 percent decline in population and 40 percent decline of housing units. Although revitalization picked up by the '90s, the Bronx never quite took off like its outer-borough counterparts Brooklyn and Queens. While media hype, quickly rising prices and a rush of development has come to characterize those two boroughs, the Bronx has flourished more quietly. The borough, nevertheless, has become home to growth and development distinct from the rest of New York City. Innovative affordable housing, adaptive reuse projects, green development and strong community involvement are redefining the area. As Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. said during this Municipal Arts Society discussion in 2014, this is "The New Bronx."
Keep Reading About What's Going on in the Bronx
April 17, 2015

Staten Island’s Revival Offers Brooklyn Cool Alongside $600,000 Six-Bedroom Homes

It's only a matter of time before Staten Island gets pinned as the next Brooklyn. As new developments pop up along the northern tip, the oft-forgotten borough is seeing the tides turn in its favor. Today the Times ran a piece on some of the biggest projects coming to the island, and unlike those popping up in Manhattan, this bunch is far more focused on livability and community building. Moreover, with rooftop beehives, shared vegetable gardens, small-batch espresso, pet spas, artisanal shops shilling specialty olive oils, and cheese caves in the pipeline, Staten Island is also starting to sound a lot like some of the city's most hipster-run areas. In fact, in casting its net for local testimonials, the Times was able to find Ridgewood and Bushwick refugees that have already high-tailed it southwest. And it's no wonder, with real estate being offered at just a fraction of the price—one couple in the story closed on a house with "numerous porches and six bedrooms, for $620,000"—it's only a matter of time before we turn to our significant others and say, "Let's move to Staten Island!"
More on Staten Island's next steps here
April 9, 2015

Real Estate Legend and ‘Shark Tank’ Star Barbara Corcoran Buys $10M UES Penthouse

Barbara Corcoran, founder of the Corcoran Group and investor on the popular television show "Shark Tank," has snatched up a fittingly glamorous Upper East Side penthouse for $10 million with her husband, former FBI agent William Higgins, according to a report yesterday by the Post and city records released today. When we ogled the listing at back in October, the 11-room duplex at 1158 Fifth Avenue had just dropped its price to $9.95 million, having originally gone on the market in 2013 for $14.5 million. The sellers are interior and landscape designer Pamela Scurry and her husband Richard. Though the home is currently filled with antique furnishings and old-world details, the real selling point was likely the massive terrace, conservatory, and solarium overlooking Central Park.
Take a look around the stunning home here
April 8, 2015

My 500sqft: Artist Hector Castaneda Invites Us into His Spanish Harlem One-Bedroom ‘Museum’

Located in an unassuming low-rise walk-up in Spanish Harlem is a tiny apartment with no views, a small living room, and thousands of pieces of one-of-a-kind art from around the world. Its owner, Hector Castaneda, is a world traveller who's visited more than 50 countries over the last 15 years. While most folks are happy simply snapping a few photos and heading home after a week or two, Hector is all about immersion and spends months at a time in some of the world's most exotic and extreme locales. As Hector travels the world he picks up art, tapestry, sculptures, furniture, and musical instruments from every country, which today magically fill every nook and cranny of his 500-square-foot apartment. "He is the only person I know who can turn a dingy walk-up building apartment into a work of art—it's really a private New York Museum and Hector is the curator," his friend Lisa Monroig told us. Once we heard that, we knew we had to pay him a visit.
Tour this miniature museum in the heart of Spanish Harlem here
March 20, 2015

REVEALED: ODA’s New Bushwick Rental Project Looks a Lot Like BIG’s 8 Tallet in Copenhagen

If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, then Bjarke Ingels should give himself a big pat on the back. A newly revealed residential design by architectural firm ODA for the Rheingold Brewery site in Bushwick looks a lot like Bjark Ingels Group's (BIG) 8 Tallet in Copenhagen. The Denmark building takes the shape of a figure 8 with a sloping ramp that runs from the base of the building to its roof, creating a large interior courtyard. Similarly, the 400-unit rental building planned for Bushwick at 10 Montieth Street has a subtle bow-tie shape with a sloping, zig-zagging green roof and amenity-laden courtyard. And just as 8 Tallet is the largest private development ever undertaken in Denmark, ODA's 400,000-square-foot building would be the largest residential building ever built in the area if completed.
More details on the proposed project
February 6, 2015

Photographer Jay Maisel Officially Sells 190 Bowery for $55M

It's being considered one of the greatest returns on investment in New York City real estate history, reports the Daily News. Photographer Jay Maisel bought the now-famous graffiti-covered home at 190 Bowery back in 1966 when it was abandoned for only $102,000, and he's now officially sold the Gilded Age bank building to developer Aby Rosen of RFR Realty for $55 million. Developers have been urging Maisel to sell ever since the Bowery changed from a seedy row of drugs and flop houses to a trendy destination for foodie-favorite restaurants and high-end boutiques. Rosen finally convinced the artist, who lived in the six-story, 72-room mansion with his wife and daughter, to sell on the basis that it had no heat and was in disrepair.
More on the epic sale
January 27, 2015

Ienami Bonkei Planters Are Tiny Houses with Green Roofs

We're big fans of green roofs here at 6sqft, so we were pretty excited when we found these planters that let us have our own miniature green roof right on our desks. A design of Metaphys, the Ienami Bonkei planters are simplistic models of homes with actual planted green roofs or gardens. The Japanese art of Bonkei refers to 3D, miniature landscapes created using dry materials like rock, cement, or sand. They often feature tiny figurines of people, buildings, and other outdoor elements.
More details on the Bonkei planters
January 21, 2015

Get ‘Em While They’re Cheap: A Look at Crown Heights Real Estate Past and Present

What once seemed unheard-of in terms of where to rent or buy in tertiary neighborhoods is now a thing of the past—be it Harlem, Williamsburg, Hell’s Kitchen, Long Island City, or the Lower East Side. But one of the best examples of rapid transformation is Brooklyn. Certainly there are many coveted communities such as Brooklyn Heights, Prospect Heights, and Park Slope, but there is another neighborhood making what looks like a very successful run at gentrification: Crown Heights.
More on the Crown Heights renaissance here
January 15, 2015

First Four Essex Crossing Buildings Revealed

After 45 years of sitting vacant on the Lower East Side, the failed SPURA (Seward Park Urban Renewal Area) project site is being transformed to a $1.1 billion, 1.65 million-square-foot, mixed-use mega-development anchored by 1,000 residential units and a mix of cultural, community, and retail facilities. We've gotten snippets here and there on what the Essex Crossing project will look like–such as the Andy Warhol Museum and a 14-screen movie theater–but now Curbed has revealed renderings of the development's first four buildings. Construction on phase one of the project, which will occupy sites one, two, five and six (there are nine sites in total), is expected to commence this spring, and the notable architects who will spearhead the charge are SHoP, Handel Architects, Beyer Blinder Belle and Dattner Architects.
See what these architects have planned for Essex Crossing
January 12, 2015

Minimalist Prospect Heights Carriage House Asks $2.5M

This converted carriage house in Prospect Heights is back on the market with another price drop, this time, asking $2.499 million. The minimalist 22.5-foot wide home has a touch of European farmhouse charm in a raw modern warehouse, with some vintage accents like reclaimed sinks, found antique gates, repurposed mirrored French doors and tin ceilings. Not to mention the fact that the home comes with a private garage (currently being used as an artist studio space).
Take a look inside
November 21, 2014

Breathtaking Upper East Side Townhouse Boasts Four-Year Renovation Well Worth the Wait

Great architecture, whether it's here in New York or elsewhere, is fully realized when the physical shape of the building, the interior design, and the surrounding landscape are brought together through great design, and this amazing Upper East Side townhouse is an impeccable example of this magical combination. Led by Steven Harris Architects and interior designer Rees Roberts + Partners, the house recently underwent a four-year renovation and re-decoration, and the results were clearly well worth the wait. The property boasts over eight stories and 8,500 square feet of living space, and it includes a bedrock basement pool, wine cellar, gym, and workshop.
You've got to see the rest of this home
November 6, 2014

Lenox Hill Townhouse Near Andy Warhol’s Last Residence Asks $14.5M

Superstar broker Ryan Serhant has just listed a five-story townhouse at 56 East 66th Street, asking $14.49 million. This multi-family home has a lot going for it with a prime gold coast location, beautiful original details, and the potential to become a colossal 8,032-square-foot single-family conversion. So grab your architect and a little imagination because this prewar pad is just waiting to become somebody’s dream home.
See what else this mega-home has to offer
October 22, 2014

Industrial Chic Loft-Like Townhome in Williamsburg Asks $3.5M

What if we told you that you could have a one-of-a-kind, industrial loft-style triplex townhouse in one of Brooklyn’s hottest neighborhoods, just one subway stop from the city? Even better, what if we told you this converted warehouse came with a courtyard, a roof deck, and the ability to build even more square footage? Well, before you start running to 311 South 4th Street, take a second to look around at this fantastic $3.5 million home.
Take a look inside, here
October 20, 2014

Extraordinary Dwellings: These Amazing Homes Are Hidden in Plain Sight

It isn’t unusual to see old warehouses, churches and banks converted into luxury multi-unit condos and apartments. But far more rare, and often shrouded in myth and mystery, are one-of-a-kind buildings that had former lives as banks, schools, a synagogue, a public bath house, a Con Ed substation, even a public restroom and a hillside cave–and have more recently served as home and workspace for a lucky handful of bohemian dreamers (and hard-working homeowners).
Find out who lives behind the gates of those those cavernous, mysterious buildings
October 10, 2014

Girls Star Zosia Mamet Lists Bushwick House for $1.6M

In November 2013 Girls star Zosia Mamet (you may know her as Shosanna) and her boyfriend, actor Evan Jonigkeit, purchased a multi-family house at 896 Flushing Avenue in Bushwick (of course she wanted to live in the world's seventh coolest neighborhood) for a little over $1 million. The couple had planned to convert the entire 2,500-square-foot home as one single-family dwelling, but less than a year after moving in it's back on the market, now asking $1.6 million.
Take a look inside the short-lived Girls pad
October 9, 2014

Fifth Avenue Penthouse with Conservatory and Solarium Reduces Price to $10M

The penthouse at 1158 Fifth Avenue has just undergone yet another price chop nearly a year and a half after entering the market. The distinctive pad, initially listed for $17 million, has now made its way down to $9.95 million. Translation: someone is going to get a great deal on this Museum Mile penthouse with a lush terrace and a conservatory. The home’s antique furnishings and old-world details, compliments of its interior and landscape designer owner Pamela Scurry and her husband Richard, are admittedly specific although fitting in theme. Right now the many pieces and varying prints seem to compete with the architecture. Perhaps removing half the clutter would mitigate the distraction and bring out more of the home’s true beauty. However, whether you appreciate the décor or feel it needs to be significantly pared down, you won’t be able to deny this home is a rare and exquisite find.
See what's inside, here
September 29, 2014

The Top 15 Family-Friendly Buildings in NYC

Last week, we talked to five families currently raising children in New York City’s many diverse and multifaceted neighborhoods about why they pick city living over the suburbs, and most of our readers agreed that they prefer an urban upbringing to the more "traditional" suburban childhood. But once you've decided to raise your children in the Big Apple, it can be tough deciding which neighborhood is best for your family. Many factors come into play: What are the best schools in the area? What amenities does the building offer? Are there playgrounds nearby? How secure is the building? And the list goes on. But to make the process a little easier, we've rounded up 15 of the best family-friendly buildings in New York City.
Check out our list here
September 19, 2014

William Noble’s Private Central Park West Residence Is on the Market…Again

William Noble would roll over in his grave if he knew the fate of his beloved private residence. The prominent developer built a cluster of spec homes toward the end of the 19th century and chose 247 Central Park West for himself. This 10,745-square-foot home’s impressive history continues as it was once the home of Walt Disney’s grandniece and it remains one of the few single-family homes on Central Park. However, history turns a bit sour beginning in 2006 when Keith Monda, president of Coach, purchased the home and spent a year renovating it as a gallery for his art. He sold the remodeled home to Ukrainian businessman Igor Iankovsky in 2012. Iankovsky apparently never moved in, preferring his French residence instead, and he has been trying to sell the home ever since. We’re not sure if it’s the renovation’s mixed reviews or the sky-high prices, but for some reason this home toggles back and forth on the sales and rental markets. Well, now it’s back with another price drop, asking $27.75 million or $65,000 a month.
Let's take a look inside
September 17, 2014

Sunset Park: How Creativity and Commerce are Transforming This Waterfront Neighborhood

With plans in place that call for a public waterfront bustling with creative industry and commerce rather than luxury residential developments, Sunset Park is not on its way to becoming the next hip NYC residential neighborhood–and that’s a good thing. Located on Brooklyn's western waterfront flank, there are really two sides to Sunset Park. The neighborhood, generally defined as the area between 65th Street, the Prospect Expressway, Eighth Avenue and the East River, has long been a thriving residential community. Sunset Park is also home to about 15 million square feet of warehouse and light industrial space. The key to the neighborhood’s future may be the point at which the two meet.
Find Out How Fashion May Give Sunset Park a Chance to Shine As the New Garment District