Search Results for: times square

Constructed between the 18th and 20th centuries to resemble massive European fortresses and serve as headquarters, housing, and arms storage for state volunteer militia, most of America’s armories that stand today had shed their military affiliations by the later part of the 20th century. Though a number of them did not survive, many of New York City’s historic armories still stand. While some remain in a state of limbo–a recent setback in the redevelopment plans of Brooklyn's controversial Bedford-Union Armory in Crown Heights raises a familiar battle cry–the ways in which they've adapted to the city’s rollercoaster of change are as diverse as the neighborhoods that surround them.
Find out how the city's armories have fared

Trader Joe’s opening second 14th Street location

Rendering of 432-438 East 14th Street via Benenson Capital Partners, LLC

May 26, 2017

Trader Joe’s opening second 14th Street location

By Dana Schulz

It's been 11 years since Trader Joe's opened its first NYC location on Union Square, and now the discount grocer has three others in Manhattan, one in Brooklyn, and one in Queens. This past year, they announced that new outposts will open in Brooklyn Heights, the Upper West Side (their second in the neighborhood), Soho, and on the Lower East Side at Essex Crossing, and today The Real Deal reports they've inked a deal for a 23,000-square-foot space across from Stuyvesant Town, just three avenues east on 14th Street from their original store. The site at 432 East 14th Street is replacing the former Stuyvesant Post Office, a controversial closure that even launched a local "save the post office" campaign.
Get the whole scoop

Uncategorized

Ahead of L train shutdown, developers flock to properties along G, J, M and Z lines

G Train at Court Square via Wikipedia

May 26, 2017

Ahead of L train shutdown, developers flock to properties along G, J, M and Z lines

In response to the looming 15th-month L train shutdown, which will affect its nearly 225,000 daily riders beginning April 2019, real estate developers have started looking at Williamsburg’s hip and slightly cheaper neighbors, Greenpoint and South Williamsburg. Both areas sit nearby the G, J, M and Z trains, and in the past have offered a variety of housing options at cheaper prices. According to the New York Times, as developers begin their plunge into Greenpoint, sites along these train lines have become pricier and more difficult to lock down.
Find out more

The Shed via Wikipedia

May 24, 2017

Michael Bloomberg gives $75 million to Hudson Yards arts center The Shed

Michael R. Bloomberg has added a $75 million contribution to what the New York Times calls "New York's first new cultural institution in recent memory," the arts center known as The Shed, part of the new Hudson Yards development on Manhattan's far west side. The former mayor's gift brings the total raised for the project to $421 million of its $500 million capital campaign. The new arts center has gotten much of its funding from a small group of billionaires that includes Related Companies' Stephen M. Ross and media mogul Barry Diller. Set for completion in 2019, the eight-level structure, designed by Diller Scofidio & Renfro in partnership with the Rockwell Group, will host performances, concerts, visual art, music and other events.
A 'tool kit for artists'

Image via Alan Bloom/Flickr

May 24, 2017

Governor Cuomo and the MTA announce a competition to fix the NYC subway system

Image via Alan Bloom/Flickr Seeking innovative solutions to fix the mess that is the New York City transit system, Governor Cuomo on Tuesday launched a competition called the “MTA Genius Transit Challenge.” Just one of the governor’s recently proposed ideas to fix the subway, the international competition challenges participants to develop ideas for better signaling, new car designs, and WiFi throughout the system, including in tunnels. The winner of each category will receive $1 million and a possible contract deal with the state. In addition to the challenge, Cuomo announced he has created a Penn Station Task Force to devise alternative transportation solutions during Amtrak’s track work at the station this summer.
Find out more

Midtown’s tiny Greenacre Park fights for light among sky-high skyscrapers

Terry Tynes via flickr (CC)

May 23, 2017

Midtown’s tiny Greenacre Park fights for light among sky-high skyscrapers

As a small oasis in the center of Manhattan, Greenacre Park is home to honey locust trees, azaleas, pansies and a 25-foot-high waterfall, all taking up just 6,360 square feet of space. However, the city’s plan to rezone Midtown East to allow for more commercial buildings worries some advocates who say it may deplete Greenacre Park from any sunlight, as the Times reported. But the Municipal Art Society, New Yorkers for Parks, Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer and Councilmember Daniel Garodnick, are backing a campaign called "Fight For Light" to protect the park's right to sunlight.
Get the full scoop

Policy

May 17, 2017

46 years ago, a herd of circus animals trekked through the Lincoln Tunnel

On May 17, 1971, a nationwide rail workers strike left a number of circus animals from the Ringling Brothers and Barnum Bailey Circus stranded five miles from their performance at Madison Square Garden. While most of the circus caravan traveled to the show by truck, 19 elephants, a zebra, a llama and a pony marched from South Kearny, N.J. to MSG via the Lincoln Tunnel.
Find out more

History

May 15, 2017

NYCxDesign 2017: The 6sqft guide to finding the best design events this month

NYCxDesign 2017, New York City’s official turn to celebrate all things design, hits town from May 3 – May 24. NYC is among the world’s design capitals and home to more designers than any other U.S. metro area. NYCxDesign spotlights the city’s diverse design community and its contributions to our economy and everyday life, and increases awareness of and appreciation for design with a collaborative mix of cultural, professional, educational and commercial offerings. This year’s celebration is the longest-running one to date. You can head in any direction and you'll stumble into a design-related event, but we've compiled a guide to a few of the top collaborative efforts and highlighted some of our picks.
Check out our NYCxD picks, this way

Pan Am Boeing 707-100 via Wikipedia

May 15, 2017

Before JFK, there was Idlewild Airport

By Penelope Bareau

Changes are afoot at JFK International Airport; construction has already begun on the transformation of Eero Saarinen's masterful TWA terminal, out of commission since TWA folded in 2001, into a 505-room first class hotel, and just a few months ago, Governor Cuomo announced a massive $10 billion overhaul of the whole airport, which will involve interconnecting the terminals, redesigning roads, and improving parking, amenities and security. When finished, the airport will bear little resemblance to what it once was, which has a much more interesting history than one might think. Ahead, 6sqft delves into how JFK changed from a playground for the rich to a major international airport, with some interesting debacles in between.
The whole history ahead

History

May 12, 2017

INTERVIEW: Urban archaeologist Joan Geismar on the artifacts she’s dug up across New York

Joan Geismar boasts a job that'll make any urban explorer jealous. For the past 32 years, she's operated her own business as an archaeological consultant, digging underneath the streets of New York City to find what historical remnants remain. Her career kicked off in 1982, with the major discovery of an 18th-century merchant ship at a construction site near the South Street Seaport. (The land is now home to the 30-story tower 175 Water Street.) Other discoveries include digging up intact remnants of wooden water pipes, components of the city’s first water system, at Coenties Slip Park; studying the long-defunct burial ground at the Brooklyn Navy Yard; and working alongside the renovation in Washington Square Park, in which she made a major revelation about the former Potter's Field there. With 6sqft, she discusses what it felt like unearthing a ship in Lower Manhattan, the curious headstone she found underneath Washington Square Park, and what people's trash can tell us about New York history.
The full interview ahead

Developer turns marketing new condos into a three-ring circus, complete with life-sized zoo animals

Photo: DBOX for Macklowe Properties

May 4, 2017

Developer turns marketing new condos into a three-ring circus, complete with life-sized zoo animals

Harry Macklowe, the P.T. Barnum of developers and never one to miss a chance to nibble the tallest branches, has found an 18-foot fiberglass giraffe (plus elephants and rhinos) to do just that. And not to be outdone by the live giraffe used in marketing a Rem Koolhaas (the P.T. Barnum of starchitects, if you will) building outside Paris (Or by Richard Pandiscio’s now-retired beaver) Macklowe has decided that an entire life-sized safari of zoo animals is just the thing to remind people that the vast terraces at his new glass-walled condo at 200 East 59th Street with a “Miami Beach look” are big enough to house an entire circus, the Wall Street Journal reports. Macklowe said the idea was born in a staff meeting where said terraces were touted, and that the critters were sourced in Southampton, NY.
Step right up for more

New Developments

May 2, 2017

Acclaimed novelist Jonathan Safran Foer lists lovely Boerum Hill townhouse for $10.4M

By Annie Doge

Award-winning novelist Jonathan Safran Foer, author of "Everything Is Illuminated" and "Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close," has listed his brownstone at 374 Pacific Street in Boerum Hill for $10.4 million, according to Variety. When his first book in ten years, "Here I am," was published last year, the Times referred to it as "often brilliant, always original but sometimes problematic," and though we can't find anything at all problematic about this 1899 Greek Revival residence, the former two accolades certainly apply. It was brilliantly renovated to include a three-story atrium cut through its core and a full rear wall of kitchen windows that overlook the private garden, and it's full of original touches like a charming mix of mid-century-modern and rustic furniture and plenty of built-in bookshelves (of course). Perhaps all of this, plus the fact that there's a separate garden floor apartment, is why Foer thinks he can double his profits after paying $5.4 million for it just a few years ago.
Take the full tour

May 2, 2017

Mapping New York City’s 280 miles of scaffolding

Sidewalk sheds, or scaffolding, are so pervasive in New York City they almost become part of a neighborhood’s landscape. While used to protect people from falling debris, scaffolding continues to be an omnipresent eyesore that blocks sunlight and views, attracts crime and slows foot traffic. Now, thanks to a new map by the city’s Department of Buildings, residents can explore more than 7,700 sidewalk sheds, each labeled with a color-coded dot highlighting the reason for its construction, its age, and its size. As the New York Times covered, there are currently 280 miles of sidewalk scaffolding in front of 7,752 buildings in the city (way up from the 190 miles we covered just a little over a year ago), which is enough to encircle Manhattan nearly nine times.
Find out more

April 26, 2017

Hear the natural sounds that made up life in 17th century Manhattan (interactive)

For most modern New Yorkers, it’s hard to imagine the city being anything more than a crowded, noisy, concrete jungle. However, with the website Unsung.NYC, users can now explore the natural sounds of Manhattan, present during the 1600s before European settlers arrived. As the Times reports, “Calling Thunder” lets listeners hear all the chirps, croaks, and laps of waves, all of which coincide with images from four main points in Manhattan—the Collect Pond Park, the High Line, the American Museum of Natural History, and the Inwood Hill Park.
learn more here

April 26, 2017

New Jane Jacobs documentary spotlights her achievements in NYC and lessons to be carried forward

One of the most iconic battles to decide the fate of New York City was waged, in the 1950s and '60s, by Jane Jacobs and Robert Moses. He, a Parks Commissioner turned power broker, was known for his aggressive urban renewal projects, tearing tenements down to build higher, denser housing. She, often dismissed as a housewife, emerged as his most vocal critic—not to mention a skilled organizer with the ability to stop some of Moses' most ambitious plans. A new documentary, Citizen Jane: Battle for the City, takes a close look at the groundbreaking work of Jane Jacobs and its importance in our urbanizing world today. Matt Tyrnauer, the director behind Valentino: The Last Emperor, compiled footage of both Jacobs and Moses alongside 1950s and '60s New York, which is paired with voiceovers of Marissa Tomei and Vincent D’Onofrio as the battling duo. Experts in urban planning—everyone from Paul Goldberger to Robert A.M. Stern—also discuss Jacobs’ massive influence on housing policy and urban planning, as the film makes a convincing argument that Jacobs' planning philosophies are needed now more than ever.
Read our review of the film

My 360sqft: Realtor Michael Miarecki brings calming beach vibes and clever storage to the Upper East Side

6sqft’s ongoing series “My sqft” checks out the homes of New Yorkers across all the boroughs. Our latest interior adventure brings us to the Upper East Side studio of real estate broker Michael Miarecki. Want to see your home featured here? Get in touch!

April 25, 2017

My 360sqft: Realtor Michael Miarecki brings calming beach vibes and clever storage to the Upper East Side

By Dana Schulz

When Michael Miarecki moved from a huge house in Miami Beach to a 360-square-foot studio on the Upper East Side he knew he needed to get creative. As a busy real estate agent with Sotheby’s International, he says his space "is a good example of taking a small space and creating a big story in it." By combining a beachy vibe of neutral tones, light fabrics, and comfortable furniture with clever small-space fixes like his custom-built bed platform, hidden shelving, and a carefully curated selection of mementos, he's created a calming oasis that feels twice its size. He's even worked out how to host eight guests over for a movie, six for a dinner party, and four to sleep. 6sqft recently paid Michael a visit to see how he does it and what a typical day uptown is like for him.
Take the tour

April 20, 2017

Demi Moore finally sells San Remo penthouse for a much-reduced $45M

By Annie Doge

It's been exactly two years since Demi Moore first listed her incredible San Remo penthouse for $75 million. But after sitting idly on the market for 14 months, she reduced the price way down to $59 million, and The Real Deal now got wind that she's finally sold the 17-room triplex for an even more reduced $45 million. Despite the major price chop, this is still the biggest sale ever at the iconic Central Park West co-op.
READ MORE

April 19, 2017

This bold corner loft will remind you of Williamsburg’s early artist outpost days

The 1,800-square-foot pre-war loft in the Northside Arts Industries Condominium is as classic as it gets, with impossibly high ceilings, exposed brick, wood beams and pipes and a flexible layout. The New York Times tells us that the building was developed back in 1983, when the neighborhood's north side was a burned-out jumble of factories, ethnic enclaves and a smattering of artists. The latter had come to escape Soho rents, taking over abandoned factories and warehouses and paying rents that averaged around $550 a month for a one-bedroom apartment. In 1986, a loft space in the building could be rented for $5 a square foot. Today, a sprawling home at 119 North 11th Street asks $8,500 a month ($57 a foot) and the trendy and amenity-packed neighborhood's artists have (mostly) escaped eastward once again.
Find out more about this totally 21st century loft

Distinctive Homes

My 1400sqft: Inside creative couple Molly Young and Teddy Blanks’ perfectly outfitted Williamsburg loft

Our ongoing series “My sqft” checks out the homes of 6sqft’s friends, family and fellow New Yorkers across all the boroughs. Our latest interior adventure brings us to the Williamsburg loft of Molly Young and Teddy Blanks. Want to see your home featured here? Get in touch!

April 12, 2017

My 1400sqft: Inside creative couple Molly Young and Teddy Blanks’ perfectly outfitted Williamsburg loft

By Diane Pham

Melding belongings is often a struggle for couples who take the leap and move in together. Many fear that their individuality will be lost to their partner’s vision, personal items packed away because there’s “just not enough room.” But for Molly Young, a New York Times Magazine contributor and crossword puzzle creator, and Teddy Blanks, a graphic designer and director, checking one’s ego and a co-regent rule are key to creativity and authenticity in the home. In this week's My sqft, Molly and Teddy bring us into their incredible 1400-square-foot loft, a hidden gem situated within an innocuous factory building along an even more innocuous Williamsburg street. Filled with color, whimsical artwork, and quirky objects procured everywhere from eBay to Etsy to a failed Sotheby's auction, this pair's apartment reveals that cohabitation can and should be a co-creative adventure that both inspires and amuses.
go inside molly and teddy's home

April 11, 2017

INTERVIEW: Paula Scher on designing the brands of New York’s most beloved institutions

Paula Scher is one of the most recognizable names in the design world, considered legendary in the industry for creating the identities of major New York institutions. Scher moved to New York in the 1970s to begin her design career and got her start in the music industry. As art director for CBS, she designed around 150 albums a year and produced numerous ads and posters. Her record covers include everything from the Rolling Stones' Still Life to Leonard Bernstein's Stravinky, four of which were recognized with Grammy nominations. As a record designer, Scher was credited with reviving historical typefaces and design styles—and typefaces still play heavily in her work today. Scher left Atlantic Records to begin her own design firm in 1982, and in 1991 she joined her current firm, Pentagram, as the company's first female principal. Although Pentagram is an international design company, its New York office is behind the identities of some of the city's most beloved establishments. It was at Pentagram Scher established her reputation as a New York designer who created unique, lasting identities.
more with Paula Scher here

April 7, 2017

Ari Onassis’ former Sutton Place townhouse hits the market for $30M

The exclusive neighborhood of Sutton Place has been described as a "riverside enclave for the well-to-do," and Sutton Square, which sits at the end of 58th Street and offers its residents an expansive shared garden perhaps best embodies this exclusivity. It makes sense then that Aristotle Onassis and his first wife Tina once lived in this magnificent townhouse at 16 Sutton Square; John Whitehead later lived in the same home for the last 26 years of his life. The 12-room house, now on the market for $29,950,000, also has a private backyard, as well as a terrace perfect for boat watching and a spectacular glass, circular staircase that "virtually cantilevers over the river."
See the exclusive townhouse here

Distinctive Homes

April 7, 2017

Townhouse once owned by President Martin Van Buren hits the market for the first time in 53 years

You could now own a piece of New York presidential history for $4.9 million. The Federalist-style townhouse at 150 East 38th Street, in Murray Hill, was once called home by President Martin Van Buren. This is, without a doubt, one of the most unique properties in New York--besides the presidential ownership, ironwork frames the entryway, a squat structure connected to the four-story townhouse. It was built in 1857, altered in 1935, and then restored in the early 2000s. The interior will bring you back in time, with fireplaces, wood paneling and coffered ceilings.
Don't miss the interior tour

April 5, 2017

Plans revealed for new creative office hub above revamped Downtown Brooklyn Macy’s

Tishman Speyer has released plans for the 422 Fulton Street Macy's renovation that will turn a new 10-story space above the department store into a 620,000 square foot creative office hub called The Wheeler. Reflecting a recent trend in snazzy work spaces that attract TAMI (technology, advertising, media and information) clients, the space will comprise "620,000 square feet of opportunity in the center of downtown Brooklyn," according to the developer. On offer will be the largest floor plates in Brooklyn with 15+ foot ceilings that "leave plenty of room for huge ideas," and a sprawling rooftop terrace, part of an acre of outdoor space that "provides fresh air for fresher thinking." There will also be 130 subterranean bike stations with lockers and showers for workers who bike to work.
Find out more

April 5, 2017

Ralph Lauren closing flagship store amid Fifth Avenue slowdown