Search Results for: times square

January 4, 2018

Live inside a castle-like turret in Crown Heights for $4,400/month

A home with an incredible, well-documented history has a unit up for rent inside its turret. The townhouse in question is 1372 Dean Street in Crown Heights. The castle-like, three-story Romanesque Revival brick residence was built in 1888 for $8,000 with a slate-shingled turret. A few years back, its seller was featured in the New York Times--she had bought the property in 1983 for $66,000 and then sold it to an investor for $1.32 million in 2013. It has since been converted to rental apartments.
The master is inside the turret
January 2, 2018

Battle heats up over East Harlem park where a 760-foot tower is planned

Located on Second Avenue between East 96th Street and East 97th Street, the Marx Brothers Playground boasts a jungle gym and ball fields spread out over 1.5 acres. The East Harlem green space, which first opened in 1947 on land formerly occupied by the car barn of the Second Avenue Railway, has found itself at the center of a debate between preservationists and developers. As the New York Times reported, park advocates and city officials disagree on whether the parcel is considered a park or a playground. If it's a park, any plans to modify it require the approval from the State Legislature and the governor; playgrounds do not. While it seems irrelevant, the categorization of the land will determine whether a 68-story mixed-use tower will rise on its site, a project backed by city officials and affordable housing advocates.
More this way
December 27, 2017

Where I Work: Artistic duo Strosberg Mandel show off their Soho studio and glam portraits

6sqft’s series “Where I Work” takes us into the studios, offices, and off-beat workspaces of New Yorkers across the city. In this installment, we’re touring artistic duo Strosberg Mandel's Soho studio.Want to see your business featured here? Get in touch! Last year, Belgian-American figurative painter Serge Strosberg had an exhibit about feminism in the East Village. The show's curator introduced him to David Mandel, a theatrical stylist, jewelry designer, and former drag queen. Though the two came from very different artistic backgrounds, they immediately hit it off on both a personal and professional level. Fast forward to today, and they've formed the NYC-based artistic duo Strosberg Mandel, creating large-scale assemblage portraits--mostly of rock n' roll icons such as Prince, David Bowie, Elvis, and Cher--using found materials and glamorous add-ons like Swarovski diamonds and luxury fabrics. In anticipation of their upcoming debut solo exhibition "Troubadours of Eternity" at Lichtundfire from January 24th to February 4th, in which they'll unveil the full portrait series as "a celebration of authentic musicianship and timeless spirits," Serge and David invited us into their Soho studio to get an advanced preview of the pieces and learn about their unique work and partnership.
Tour the studio and hear from David and Serge
December 14, 2017

NYC’s first elevated train and the world’s first streetcar began in Greenwich Village

Greenwich Village is known as the birthplace of many things – the modern gay rights movement, Off-Broadway theater, the New York School of artists and poets, the “new urbanism” pioneered by Jane Jacobs, among many other trailblazing firsts. Less closely associated with the Village, however, are radical and transformative innovations in transportation technology. But while little known, the Village was in fact home to the first elevated rail line, and the first streetcar.
The whole history right this way
December 13, 2017

Essex Crossing rental gets new renderings and a new name to honor jazz legend Sonny Rollins

Legendary jazz saxophonist and New York City native Sonny Rollins lived in an apartment on the Lower East Side home for many years during the late 1950s. Although the building he called home has long been demolished, the sprawling development rising on the same site, Essex Crossing, will pay tribute to the iconic artist by naming one of the buildings after him. The Rollins, a 15-story rental building at 145 Clinton Street, sits near the entrance of the Williamsburg Bridge, a spot where Rollins practiced every day for two years. As the New York Times reported, the Rollins, designed by Beyer Blinder Belle, will include 107 market-rate apartments, which start at $3,150 for a studio, $4,450 for a one-bedroom, $5,800 for a two-bedroom and $8,450 for a three-bedroom. Leasing will begin in January for these market-rate units.
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December 11, 2017

Extell’s proposal for the Upper West Side’s tallest tower faces backlash from the community

Architecture firm Snøhetta revealed last month their design for a 775-foot condominium tower at 50 West 66th Street, slated to be the tallest building on the Upper West Side. Developed by Extell, the condo will rise 69 stories and contain 127 units, featuring series of “sculptural excavations” that are “evocative of the chiseled stone of Manhattan’s geologic legacy,” according to the architects. As the New York Times reported, critics of the project from the UWS community say the tower would violate zoning restrictions in the area. Local advocate groups, joined by Council Member Helen Rosenthal and Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer, are pushing back against the construction of Extell's ultra-luxury tower. In a statement, Rosenthal said, "We will fight this project with every tool at our disposal."
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December 4, 2017

$4.35M Connecticut home Marcel Breuer designed for himself got a glass and steel addition

Marcel Breuer isn't just the architect behind the original Whitney Museum of Art--he's also known for his mid-century modern home designs. And now there's an incredible chance to buy the New Canaan, Connecticut home he actually designed for himself in 1951. The striking home has changed hands several times after Breuer's death, according to DesignBoom. But the current owner commissioned New York-based architect Toshiko Mori to extend the property. A steel and glass extension gives the property a modern edge, which also doubling its size to four bedrooms over 5,577 square feet. It's asking $4.35 million.
Get inside
December 1, 2017

$11K/month Ellipse tower penthouse is now Jersey City’s most expensive rental

An apartment in LeFrak Organization’s 41-story luxury tower, the Ellipse, just became the most expensive rental listing in Jersey City. According to The Real Deal, the unit is the biggest of the building’s five penthouses and features four bedrooms, four bathrooms and a terrace with city views. When LeFrak first launched leasing for the building at 25 Park Lane, the 2,300-square-foot pad was originally listed as $8,211 per month.
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November 20, 2017

NYC’s best art installations and exhibits to get you in the holiday spirit

The holiday season in New York is one of the most magical times, packed with lots of events to perpetuate the experience. Aside from ice skating, holiday-themed bars, and the tree at Rockefeller Center, be sure to tuck into these art exhibitions and events to get you into the spirit! From old standbys like the New York Botanical Garden's Holiday Train Show to contemporary offerings like Yayoi Kusama's glittering installations in Chelsea and Erwin Redl's haunting field of glowing orbs at Madison Square Park, we've rounded up the 14 best must-see artsy exhibits this year.
Our top picks right this way
November 17, 2017

First look at REX’s pleated-glass transformation of Brutalist 5 Manhattan West office tower

Brookfield Office Properties offered a look at the second building in the nearly-six-million-square-foot, six-building Manhattan West project to be completed. The 16-story office building known as 5 Manhattan West, where Amazon signed a lease for a 360,000-square-foot space, is approaching completion on Tenth Avenue between West 31st and 33rd Streets across from Hudson Yards. Archpaper shares images of the building's sparkling new look and interiors, the result of some fancy architectural footwork by REX. The 1969 Brutalist office building was nearly everyone's example of ugly since a 1980s renovation left it clad in brown metal and beige paint. The rechristened building's new facade wraps it in sleek, form-fitting pleated glass that does more than just look pretty.
More images of the 21st century transformation, this way
November 16, 2017

‘The View’ co-host Joy Behar drops $2.4M on a mod Upper West Side condo

According to city property records, "The View" co-host Joy Behar just dropped $2.4 million on a contemporary apartment at the Lincoln Square condo 62 West 62nd Street. Not only is the place a block away from both Central Park and Lincoln Center, but it's just four blocks from the talk show's ABC filming location on 66th Street. Ironically, it's also just a few blocks from the Trump International; Behar has been extremely vocal on her disdain for the building's namesake, even writing an entire Trump-bashing book.
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November 2, 2017

‘The Alamo’ turns 50: A history of the Astor Place cube

On November 1, 1967, an enigmatic 20-foot-tall cube first appeared on a lonely traffic island where Astor Place and 8th Street meet. Though several months before the release of "2001: A Space Odyssey," the one-ton Cor-Ten steel sculpture shared many qualities with the sci-fi classic’s inscrutable "black monolith," at once both opaque and impenetrable and yet strangely compelling, drawing passersby to touch or interact with it to unlock its mysteries. Fifty years later, Tony Rosenthal’s "Alamo" sculpture remains a beloved fixture in downtown New York. Like 2001’s monolith, it has witnessed a great deal of change, and yet continues to draw together the myriad people and communities which intersect at this location.
Learn about the cube's entire 50-year legacy
October 31, 2017

First 5Pointz-replacing tower tops out in Long Island City

The first tower of the controversial rental complex in Long Island City, 5Pointz, has officially topped out, although not without some roadblocks. Once an art studio and exhibition space, known for its vibrant graffiti-covered warehouse, the complex was whitewashed of its iconic murals in 2013, making way for the new development. Now, four years and several lawsuits later, construction of the development at 22-44 Jackson Avenue continues to chug along, with its first and tallest tower topping out this week. As CityRealty discovered, David Wolkoff's 1.4 million-square-foot plan calls for a 47-story tower and a 41-story tower, with 1,115 apartments total.
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October 26, 2017

Rare photos of the High Line being demolished in the 1960s tell the story of a changing West Village

Few structures have had a more far-reaching impact upon the West Village and Chelsea than the High Line. Its construction in 1934, then partial demolition in the early '60s, and final preservation and conversion into a park a decade ago have profoundly shaped the way these neighborhoods have changed over the last 85 years. And while photos of its heyday and those of it today as an internationally recognized public space are plenty, few exist of those interim years. But GVSHP recently acquired some wonderful images of the High Line being demolished in 1962 at Perry Street, donated by the Fritsch Family who lived nearby at 141 Perry Street. The Fritschs’ photos say a lot about how the High Line, and its demolition, changed the West Village. It’s apparent from the images just how much more industrial, and gritty the Far West Village was in those days. But it also shows how the demolition of the High Line left a huge gap in this unpretentious neighborhood, which housed both disappearing industry and a diverse and vital residential community.
See the other photos and learn the whole history
October 24, 2017

Lord & Taylor’s iconic Fifth Avenue building will become WeWork’s global headquarters

With rising rents and a national shift towards e-commerce, retail vacancies in NYC have continued to rise, especially in affluent areas like the Fifth Avenue corridor. Old-school department stores, which once served as cultural destinations where shoppers would spend entire afternoons, have been hit especially hard since they occupy such large sites. One of Midtown's most iconic, the 103-year-old Lord & Taylor flagship at Fifth Avenue and 39th Street, has decided to stay afloat by selling its 676,000-square-foot Italian Renaissance building to WeWork for $850 million. The co-working company will relocate its global headquarters to the landmark, reports the Times, leaving less than a quarter of the space, roughly 150,000 square feet, to Lord & Taylor.
Get the whole scoop
October 23, 2017

Hamptons’ infamous Grey Gardens estate sells for the first time in 40 years

After two years as a rental and seven months on the market, the infamous Grey Gardens Estate has gone into contract for the first time in 40 years. The 28-room mansion was last listed for $18 million, but according to the Washington Post, the exact sales price and buyer haven't yet been revealed. Though now a stunning Hamptons home, as 6sqft previously explained, it gained notoriety as a "decrepit, crumbling, cat-infested, overgrown horror," after its isolated residents, Edith wing Bouvier Beale and her daughter Edith Bouvier Beale (the aunt and cousin to Jackie O), were featured in the 1975 documentary "Grey Gardens."
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October 17, 2017

My 865sqft: A treehouse bedroom grows inside the Williamsburg loft of two creatives

Raw, industrial loft spaces are increasingly difficult to come by these days in NYC, so when you walk into one that's been custom outfitted by its tenants to a tee, the experience is truly unique. Found inside none other than Williamsburg's infamous artists bunker, 475 Kent, is the 865-square-foot loft of French furniture designer Gregoire Abrial and Vietnamese-born marketing creative Hang Pham. Ahead the international duo offer up a tour of their inimitable Brooklyn space (that upon move-in seven years ago had nothing more than a bathtub, toilet, and kitchen sink) which they've outfitted with "slow designs" by Gregoire (more on that ahead), items bartered with neighbors, refuse found on the street, tchotchkes and treasures from family, friends and travels, and, of course, a pretty amazing DIY treehouse bedroom.
go inside their creative home
October 17, 2017

What happens if Amazon’s HQ2 doesn’t land in New York?

Amazon’s nationwide competition to find a home for its second headquarters draws to a close this week, with pitches from stakeholders due Thursday. While New York City meets most of the requirements the tech giant listed for its HQ2-- a population of at least 1 million people, proximity to an international airport, mass transit access and talented workforce--business costs in the city would be sky-high. However, as Crain’s reported, even if Amazon does not set up shop in NYC, politicians and developers have been preparing for a comparably-sized company to move in for over a decade. The failure of the city to win the 2012 Olympics bid back in 2005 actually turned into a success, allowing apartments to rise in Brooklyn where sports stadiums never did.
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October 13, 2017

Jennifer Connelly’s former Park Slope townhouse is back on the market for $14.5M

The Oscar-winning actress and her husband, Paul Bettany, bought the detail-laden limestone mansion overlooking Prospect Park in 2003 for $3.7 million; the 6,500-square-foot townhouse changed hands two more times since then: the couple sold it for $8.5 million to a Google exec who divested of it in 2015 for $12.4 million (a neighborhood record a the time). It's on the market once again asking $14.5 million. Filled with historic detail and dressed to the nines, the elegant home is exactly what you'd expect to find behind the elegant facade of a Park Slope limestone. Built in 1899 and designed by renowned architect Montrose W. Morris, the 25-foot-wide five-story home at 17 Prospect Park West is a showcase of stained glass windows, mahogany columns and herringbone floors, with five working gas fireplaces, a 600-bottle wine cellar and a verdant gated yard.
Take the tour
October 11, 2017

Why are the Second Avenue Subway’s newsstands still empty?

TodWhen the city first got a look inside the new Second Avenue Subway stations ahead of the line's New Year's Day 2017 opening, one of the shiniest, most colorful elements was the collection of newsstands. Ten months later, however, the kiosks still sit empty, decked out in the signature marketing of rainbow polka dots. According to the New York Times, the MTA says it's selected an operator for the newsstands, and though they won't reveal who, claim that they'll open soon. But is the fact that Q train riders seem overwhelmingly unaware and unaffected by the lack of newsstands a sign that they're not actually wanted or needed in a time when newspapers and magazines have been replaced by tablets and iPhones and candy and sodas with organic oatmeal and Juice Press?
Get the whole scoop
October 6, 2017

The Urban Lens: Documenting NYC’s vanishing ATMs

6sqft’s ongoing series The Urban Lens invites photographers to share work exploring a theme or a place within New York City. In this installment, Ivan Kosnyrev shares photos from his Instagram series Unreliable ATM. Are you a photographer who’d like to see your work featured on The Urban Lens? Get in touch with us at [email protected]. We recently shared photographer's before-and-after photos of Tribeca, a project that helped him learn about the history and present evolution of his neighborhood. Having only moved to NYC three years ago from Moscow, Ivan uses his documentary photography as a way to get acclimated with his new home. And when he wants to go outside his home base, he often does so through the lens of his Instagram account Unreliable ATM, which documents the vanishing street ATM. Not only does this disappearance represent changing times and technologies, but it's a visual reminder of how the city is losing its small businesses and culture. Ahead, Ivan shares some of his favorite ATM photos and talks about his inspiration for the project.
All that, this way
October 6, 2017

Jennifer Lopez lists enormous Nomad penthouse for $27M

Bronx native and superstar J.Lo is selling her duplex penthouse in the Whitman, a luxurious condominium conversion at 21 East 26th Street, for $26.95 million. Lopez, who currently stars in the television show “Shades of Blue,” first purchased the Nomad pad in 2014 for $20.16 million. As the New York Times reported, the four-bedroom apartment overlooks Madison Square Park, spans 6,540 square feet on the building’s top two floors, and includes an additional 3,000 square feet of outdoor space spread across four sprawling terraces. Though Jenny from the Block will be departing (and taking her Grammy pictured above with her!), the next owner can still hobnob with the building's other A-listers Chelsea Clinton and NASCAR driver Jeff Gordon.
See inside
October 4, 2017

Tribeca townhouse with an address once used for John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s ‘Nutopia’ is for rent

John Lennon and Yoko Ono never lived at this Tribeca townhouse—it's well known they preferred the Upper West Side—but they certainly have a unique connection to it. Here's the story, per the New York Times: in 1973, Lennon and Ono announced the birth of Nutopia, "a conceptual country" with no boundaries and "no laws other than cosmic." Mr. Lennon, who was being threatened with deportation because of a 1968 marijuana conviction in England, was seeking diplomatic immunity and United Nations recognition as a Nutopian ambassador. The iconic couple gave 1 White Street as the embassy address.
Check out the interior
October 2, 2017

A 1934 engineer’s plan fills in the Hudson River for traffic and housing

In mid-20th century America–particularly in New York City–a roaring economy emboldened by our ascendant international stature filled many a scholar of public infrastructure with eagerness to execute grand ideas. This proposal to drain the East River to alleviate traffic congestion, for example. Another ambitious but unrealized plan–one that would make it a lot easier to get to New Jersey–was championed in 1934 by one Norman Sper, "noted publicist and engineering scholar," as detailed in Modern Mechanix magazine. In order to address New York City’s traffic and housing problems, Sper proposed that if we were to "plug up the Hudson river at both ends of Manhattan,” and dam and fill the resulting space, the ten square miles gained would provide land to build thousands of additional buildings, as well as to add streets and twice the number of avenues to alleviate an increasingly menacing gridlock.
So how much would it cost?
September 29, 2017

INTERVIEW: Architect Lee H. Skolnick on designing New York City’s 9/11 Tribute Museum

This summer, the 9/11 Tribute Museum opened in a brand-new space at 92 Greenwich Street in the Financial District. The 36,000-square-foot gallery became the second iteration of the museum which originally occupied the former Liberty Deli from 2006 until earlier this year. While many are more likely to be familiar with the 9/11 Memorial Museum just a few blocks up the street, the Tribute Museum differs in that rather than focusing on the implications of the tragedy, documenting the events as they unfolded and examining its lasting impact, it assumes a more inspired take, dedicating its exhibits and installations to the stories of the survivors, first responders, relatives of victims, and others with close connections to the tragedy who found hope in the terror and stepped up to help their fellow New Yorkers. Ahead, Lee Skolnick, principal of LHSA+DP and lead architect of the 9/11 Tribute Museum, speaks to 6sqft about the design and programming of this important institution, and how he hopes its message will inspire visitors to do good in their communities during these uncertain times.
read 6sqft's interview with Skolnick here