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The History of Symphony Space: From the Astor Market to the Leonard Nimoy Thalia
March 4, 2015

The History of Symphony Space: From the Astor Market to the Leonard Nimoy Thalia

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We were saddened here at 6sqft to hear about the passing last week of Leonard Nimoy, an extraordinary actor, director, poet, singer, and photographer, known worldwide for his role as Mr. Spock in "Star Trek." Closer to home, though, Nimoy was also known as a dedicated philanthropist who adored the Upper West Side's Symphony Space. In fact, in 2002 the multi-disciplinary performing arts organization renamed its historic Thalia Theater the Leonard Nimoy Thalia to reflect their patron's generosity. Just like the storied career of Nimoy, Symphony Space has its own eclectic past, from its beginnings as a food market funded by Vincent Astor to the Crystal Palace skating rink and, finally, to a neighborhood institution frequented by the likes of Stephen Colbert and Cynthia Nixon.
Learn about this history of Symphony Space here
Live in a Haunted, Grey Gardens-esque Staten Island Mansion for $2M
February 26, 2015

Live in a Haunted, Grey Gardens-esque Staten Island Mansion for $2M

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For many New Yorkers, living on Staten Island is scary enough (just kidding!), but for those looking for an extra thrill, a historic, landmarked haunted mansion just hit the market for $2.31 million. The 7,700-square-foot, 10-bedroom Italianate villa-style home is located at 2475 Richmond Road in Egbertville and is known as the Gustav Mayer House for its original owner, an inventor who created the recipe for Nabisco's Nilla Wafers. Built in 1885, the house served as a Grey Gardens-esque residence for Mayer's two daughters, who stayed sequestered inside until their 100th birthdays. It's said that their ghosts still roam the hallways, along with the presence of their father, according to the Post.
Get the full story here
Citigroup Will Sell Site to Feed Long Island City’s Growing Skyline

Image via LICtalk.com

February 24, 2015

Citigroup Will Sell Site to Feed Long Island City’s Growing Skyline

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Long Island City's most recognizable tenant is about to sell a prime piece of property in the heart of the neighborhood. According to the New York Times, the financial giant is putting up a one-acre development site, bound by 44th Road, 23rd Street and 44th Drive in Court Square, and it could fetch up to $150 million. Court Square's proximity to Manhattan and plentiful transit has made the enclave one of Queens' most sought-after areas for residential development. Mayor de Blasio is all for the sale and has plans of his own to rezone LIC to spur even more construction.
Find out more here
Troubled Plaza Penthouse Returns with the Same $59M Asking Price
February 20, 2015

Troubled Plaza Penthouse Returns with the Same $59M Asking Price

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This troubled triplex penthouse at The Plaza just can’t seem to catch a break. It’s been a steady fall from grace ever since 2008, when an unhappy buyer who bought the $53.5 million place sight unseen sued for his $10.7 million deposit plus damages, claiming the home was misrepresented. Well, London-based developer Christian Candy purchased the pad for a comparatively dirt cheap $25.4 million in 2012 and tried to sell it for $59 million a couple of times in 2013. Now the plagued penthouse is back at the same $59 million asking. There’s something to be said for consistency. Let’s just hope the stars align this time and this “townhouse in the sky” finds an owner.
More pics inside
Proposed Condo Tower Could Stall Entire South Street Seaport Redevelopment Plan

Rendering of the proposed tower

February 17, 2015

Proposed Condo Tower Could Stall Entire South Street Seaport Redevelopment Plan

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Less than a week after it was revealed that the Howard Hughes Corporation paid $31 million for more than 300,000 square feet of air rights at the South Street Seaport, it looks like the entire $1.5 billion redevelopment project could be stalled. The overall plan would breathe new life into the downtown historic district by rehabilitating crumbling piers, preserving and finding new use for landmark buildings and constructing a 42-story waterfront condo tower at the foot of Beekman Street. And it's this last point that has local officials, civic groups, preservationists and some community residents worried or downright angry. The 494-foot-tall, SHoP Architects-designed tower has already been scaled back from its original 650 feet, but concerned parties still feel that the building would "obscure views of the Brooklyn Bridge and clash with the low-scaled, early-19th-century brick buildings that make up the 11-block seaport district, once the center of the city’s maritime industry," according to the New York Times.
More on the debate
February 12, 2015

The Meatpacking District: From the Original Farmers’ Market to High-End Fashion Scene

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Why is it called the Meatpacking District when there are only six meat packers there, down from about 250?  Inertia, most likely. The area has seen so many different uses over time, and they're so often mercantile ones that Gansevoort Market would probably be a better name for it. Located on the shore of the Hudson River, it's a relatively small district in Manhattan stretching from Gansevoort Street at the foot of the High Line north to and including West 14th Street and from the river three blocks east to Hudson Street. Until its recent life as a go-to high fashion mecca, it was for almost 150 years a working market: dirty, gritty, and blood-stained.
Read the full history here
My 3,900sqft: Four Ladies Turn a Clinton Hill Townhouse into a ‘Pop-Up Mansion’

Our new series “My sqft” checks out the homes of 6sqft’s friends, family and fellow New Yorkers across all the boroughs. On our first interior adventure, we check out a home in Clinton Hill.

February 10, 2015

My 3,900sqft: Four Ladies Turn a Clinton Hill Townhouse into a ‘Pop-Up Mansion’

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What happens when you let four ladies run loose in a four-story Clinton Hill townhouse? Closets, corners and a pantry spilling over with shoes and coats, apparently. "There are shoes lining the kitchen pantry shelves; the tiny third bedroom upstairs that resembles a Swiss chalet in the twilight zone is filled with racks of vintage frocks, coats and designer handbags. You can really tell almost everyone in this house either works in fashion or hoards it," says owner and 6sqft writer extraordinaire Michelle Cohen.  We recently visited Michelle in her Brooklyn home to see the pretty amazing setup she has created for herself. Michelle, whose house you've certainly seen on our site before, is currently undertaking a major renovation that will turn her and her fiance Stanley's brick-clad buy into a modern-meets-historic home with a rental garden apartment. But while Michelle's poring over drawings with her architect, she's found a few friends to share the journey, and the house; namely three fabulous women with wonderfully different personalities. "Stanley likes to call it a sorority for outstanding ascendant young creative professional women," she muses. Jump ahead to meet Michelle and the girls—who range from a Vogue fashion stylist to a creative producer to a journalist who covers evolution, disease and health policy—in their home to get a closer look.
See more here
Building on Sunnyside Yards Comes with a Slew of Political, Cost and Engineering Complications
February 9, 2015

Building on Sunnyside Yards Comes with a Slew of Political, Cost and Engineering Complications

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Of the new city initiatives laid out by Bill de Blasio last week during his State of the City address, few were as ambitious as the mayor's plan to build 11,250 affordable apartments on Sunnyside Yards. But, as it turns out, more than just the mayor are looking to turn the 200-acre property into their legacy project. Crain's reports that since the plan was announced, Governor Cuomo has emerged with his own ideas, namely tunnels that would bring the Long Island Rail Road into the heart of Midtown. Former Bloomberg administration Deputy Mayor Daniel Doctoroff has also chimed in with a plan of his own that encompasses a huge new money-spinning convention center. But it doesn't stop there; the clashing of ideas is just one of the burdens that comes with building on this coveted site—meaning we probably won't see any affordable housing here for more than several decades.
More on the complications here
Chinese Real Estate Investors Expanding Their Search to the Long Island Suburbs

Old Westbury Gardens, a Gold Coast mansion also known as “the Gatsby House”, © Old Westbury Gardens

February 6, 2015

Chinese Real Estate Investors Expanding Their Search to the Long Island Suburbs

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In recent years, the Manhattan real estate scene has had a major upswing in the amount of wealthy buyers from China, who feel that New York City condos and other properties are a safe place for their money. In fact, high-profile real estate firms are even tapping Chinese brokers to cater to this growing clientele. But now the trend is moving east, with Chinese buyers eyeing the stately mansions that make up the Gold Coast suburbs of Long Island. According to the Times, "Some Chinese buyers are parking money in what they see as a low-risk investment. Others are seeking a trophy home. Still others are intent on living in these places full time while their children attend the area’s high-performing schools."
More details ahead
Grand Central Owner Enlists Harvard Professor to Stop 1 Vanderbilt and ‘Unconstitutional’ Seizing of His Rights
February 5, 2015

Grand Central Owner Enlists Harvard Professor to Stop 1 Vanderbilt and ‘Unconstitutional’ Seizing of His Rights

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Discord around the construction of One Vanderbilt continues to grow, and the latest contender to enter the ring is Harvard Law professor, "liberal constitutional scholar" and President Barack Obama's former educator, Laurence H. Tribe. Grand Central owner Andrew Penson has tapped the big-time lawyer to battle the city in his fight against the 1,514-foot supertall, according to The New York Times. Yesterday, with Tribe in tow, Penson went head-to-head—yet again—with the tower's developer SL Green at the City Planning Commission hearing. The meeting got as heated as one would expect, and "unconstitutional" and "ridiculous" were just a couple of the words thrown around.
Find out more here
Tiny East Village Treasure Is Huge on Charm and Priced Well Under $1M
February 4, 2015

Tiny East Village Treasure Is Huge on Charm and Priced Well Under $1M

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In a city filled with space-challenged (okay, let’s just admit it, tiny) living spaces, one can only hope the expression “good things come in small packages” holds true. When we took one look at this adorable East Village co-op at 323 East 8th Street we felt compelled to take a little literary license with the well-known phrase because sometimes “great things come in small packages.”
Check out more of this East Village treasure
February 3, 2015

Then and Now: From Luchow’s German Restaurant to NYU Dorm

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For those of us who came to the city within the past decade, it's hard to imagine East 14th Street without its stretch of bulky NYU dorms, big-box supermarkets, and mini-chain restaurants. But of course this wasn't always what the area looked like. In the late 19th century, the area centered around Irving Place, was full of entertainment venues like the Academy of Music, the city's opera house, Steinway Hall, Tammany Hall, and the City Theatre movie house. And at the heart of it all was a restaurant that catered to both the theater crowd and the German population of the East Village–Luchow's. Luchow's was established in 1882 at 110 East 14th Street at Irving Place when German immigrant August Lüchow purchased the café/beer garden where he worked as a bartender and waiter. It remained in operation for a full century, becoming an unofficial neighborhood and city landmark, until it was replaced by NYU's University Hall dormitory.
Read the full history here
Luxe Penthouse at the Carlton House Sells at a Discounted $52 Million
February 3, 2015

Luxe Penthouse at the Carlton House Sells at a Discounted $52 Million

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It's been a couple weeks since we've seen a sale break the $50 million mark, but lo and behold, the penthouse at Extell Development's Carlton House has just sold for $52 million. According to city records filed today, the top unit sold at a markdown, originally listed for $65 million back when it first hit the market in October 2013. The price cut, however, shouldn't discount what's inside. The six-bedroom, six-plus-bathroom, 8,988-square-foot Upper East Side duplex features a private outdoor roof space (there's 5,261 square feet of outdoor space in total), en-suite bathrooms in all the bedrooms and wrap-around terraces. The building itself also boasts quite an interesting backstory. It was originally designed in 1940 by Kenneth B. Norton, but not completed until 1950 as construction was halted during World War II. After purchasing the building in 2010, Extell hired Beyer Blinder Belle to convert the structure into condos. The job cost a reported $350 million and Extell's President Gary Barnett told The New York Times that the decision to preserve the building was “actually more expensive than if we tore the damn building down and built it again.”
Check out the floor plan here
Bushwick Buzz: A Look at the Neighborhood That’s Dethroned Williamsburg as Brooklyn’s Most Hipster
January 29, 2015

Bushwick Buzz: A Look at the Neighborhood That’s Dethroned Williamsburg as Brooklyn’s Most Hipster

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Of Brooklyn's gentrifying neighborhoods, few have seen such rapid change as Bushwick. The neighborhood, which sits in the northern portion of the borough, running from Flushing Avenue to Broadway to Conway Street and the Cemetery of the Evergreens, has grown as a natural extension of Williamsburg—a haven for creatives and young folks looking for lower rents. But well before its trendy vibe put it on the map, Bushwick was a forested enclave originally settled by the Dutch—its name is derived from a Dutch word "Boswijck,"defined as “little town in the woods”—and later, German immigrants who began building breweries and factories. Unfortunately, as the breweries along Brewer’s Row and factories closed and farms disappeared, derelict buildings and crime took hold—with the looting, arson and rioting after the city’s blackout during the summer of 1977 playing a starring role. According to the New York Times, "In a five-year period in the late 1960s and early 70s, the Bushwick neighborhood was transformed from a neatly maintained community of wood houses into what often approached a no man's land of abandoned buildings, empty lots, drugs and arson.”
More on Bushwick's past... and present
A 12-Acre Mixed-Use Project Is Set to Wake Up Sleepy Red Hook
January 28, 2015

A 12-Acre Mixed-Use Project Is Set to Wake Up Sleepy Red Hook

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If you've been to Red Hook lately chances are you were visiting the Fairway for lunch or taking the ferry to Ikea for a new $10 end table and some Swedish meatballs. But we soon may have many more reasons to visit the sleepy, industrial, square-mile Brooklyn neighborhood. The Red Hook Innovation District is a plan for a 12-acre, 1.2 million-square-foot, mixed-use project that would include offices, retail space, performance venues and a promenade. Last month, Los Angeles-based development firm Estate Four purchased the final property on the site. They now plan to roll out the $400 million project in phases over five years.
More details ahead
Churchill’s Granddaughter, Sculptor Edwina Sandys, Relists One-of-a-Kind Soho Loft for $10M
January 23, 2015

Churchill’s Granddaughter, Sculptor Edwina Sandys, Relists One-of-a-Kind Soho Loft for $10M

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You know an apartment is exceptional when Philip Johnson once referred to it as "the most beautiful loft in Soho." Home to sculptor Edwina Sandys, the granddaughter of Sir Winston Churchill, and her husband, architect Richard Kaplan, this one-of-a-kind space at 565 Broadway was also the location for the original season of "The Real World" in 1992 and has since seen the likes of architects Richard Meier and Rafael Vinoly, Barbara Taylor Bradford, Massimo Vignelli and Christine Ebersole pass through its doors for high-society parties hosted by Sandys and Kaplan. But the real draw here is the simply stunning historic architecture. Originally home to Ball Black & Co., the top 19th century jeweler before Tiffany's, the five-bedroom duplex boasts a double-height, 17-foot, exposed-brick vault ceiling, stately Corinthian columns, and a Carrara marble floor, which certainly justifies the $10 million price tag.
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Nearly Half of Luxury Condos Set to Hit the Market This Year Are Already in Contract
January 22, 2015

Nearly Half of Luxury Condos Set to Hit the Market This Year Are Already in Contract

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We know very well that 2015 will see a huge influx of new super-luxury condo units, but what we didn't know until now was that nearly half of these high-end homes set to hit the market are already in contract, making this year's forecast widely overblown. According to Crain's, a new report from Halstead Property Development Marketing suggests that of the 6,500 new condo listings that have been projected for 2015, only about 3,500 will actually be available for sale in the next 11 months, as 3,000 of them are already taken.
READ MORE
One57 Records Another Blockbuster Sale, 85th-Floor Pad Sells for $55.6 Million
January 21, 2015

One57 Records Another Blockbuster Sale, 85th-Floor Pad Sells for $55.6 Million

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There’s no slowing One57. Yet another blockbuster sale hit city records this morning, bringing the brash blue supertall its third most expensive sale to date—and the city its ninth most expensive condo sale in history. The ultra-luxe pad is the 6,240-square-foot 85th-floor unit, which boasts four bedrooms, four baths, and the lofty, breathtaking views that have have made One57 one […]

A Madcap Engineer Wanted to Pave Over the East River to Create a “Mega-Manhattan”

Part of the proposal, “A Really Greater New York”, that shows the East River infill and southern Manhattan peninsula

January 14, 2015

A Madcap Engineer Wanted to Pave Over the East River to Create a “Mega-Manhattan”

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The East River may not be the most beautiful body of water we've ever witnessed, but that certainly doesn't mean we'd like to see it paved over. That's exactly what T. Kennard Thomson, an engineer and planner, proposed in 1911, hoping to create a mega-Manhattan. Plus, he wanted to add a long hunk of infill at the southern tip of Manhattan, creating a new peninsula bolstered by Governor's Island, add more new land in the Hudson between Bayonne and Manhattan, and relocated the Brooklyn Navy Yard.
Let's take a closer look at this ambitious, but never realized, plan
Traditional Westchester Estate Gets a Glassy Modernist Addition and Green Roof
January 14, 2015

Traditional Westchester Estate Gets a Glassy Modernist Addition and Green Roof

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AbelowSherman Architects have given an historic mansion in Westchester a unique facelift, covering both ends of the architectural spectrum by adding a traditional conservatory and a modern glassy addition. The 16,000-square-foot gut renovation also added a flashy Corten steel staircase and concrete pool cabana to the sumptuous property. From the front, the home is stately and elegant, but a surprising modern twist awaits in the rear.
Tour the property here
EVENT: Is the Vanderbilt Corridor the Future of East Midtown?
January 12, 2015

EVENT: Is the Vanderbilt Corridor the Future of East Midtown?

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The proposed East Midtown Rezoning has been a hotly debated issue over the past few years. First introduced by Mayor Bloomberg, and backed by Mayor de Blasio, the rezoning would allow developers to build larger and taller than the current Grand Central Terminal district zoning allows in exchange for financial contributions to the area's infrastructure needs. The Department of City Planning feels the rezoning would ensure that the area maintains its spot as a global business center, but others think it would forever ruin the historic nature of the neighborhood. One of the most major components of the project is One Vanderbilt, a 68-story, 1,514-foot zigzag tower that will stand adjacent to Grand Central. Along with the building comes a reconfiguration of the Vanderbilt Corridor, the streetscape around the Terminal. A panel discussion at the Museum of the City of New York on January 20th will examine both the tower and the corridor and what they mean for Midtown East.
More about the event here
Checking In on 56 Leonard: The Rising Star in the Downtown Skyline
January 12, 2015

Checking In on 56 Leonard: The Rising Star in the Downtown Skyline

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Esteemed architect and historian Robert A.M. Stern once said that "New York is a constellation of magic moments. No city as complex as New York rebuilds itself so often, and often so well." Two stars are being born in that nebula of irregular streets we call Downtown. The taller of the two, 30 Park Place, is designed by the famed starchitect himself, and has recently surpassed its neighbor, the Woolworth Building, to soon take its place as the tallest residential perch in the district. The other star, 56 Leonard, may still shine brighter, however. While absent any height superlatives, 56 Leonard may very well end up being the most interesting skyscraper Downtown has produced in decades. Nicknamed the "Jenga-building" and the "tower of penthouses," 56 Leonard's design comes from the Swiss architectural firm of Herzog & de Meuron while working with the residential know-it-alls at Goldstein Hill & West. Currently, the concrete frame is approximately 700 feet tall with little more than 100 feet to rise before topping off. The floors progressively stagger at varying configurations creating cantilevered interior spaces as well as outdoor balconies for each of the residences.
More details ahead
The Lena Dunham Real Estate Effect: Looking at the Homes of the Stars of ‘Girls’
January 8, 2015

The Lena Dunham Real Estate Effect: Looking at the Homes of the Stars of ‘Girls’

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One of the reasons Girls became such an instant hit is because it was lauded as the anti-Sex & the City. Its characters live in Greenpoint, not the Upper West Side; they wear Converse instead of Manolos; they struggle to pay the rent rather than living in completely unrealistic apartments. But when it comes to their real lives in New York City, the cast of the HBO show is definitely not struggling to make ends meet, as is evidenced by their impressive collection of real estate. So, in anticipation for this Sunday's season four premier, let's take a look at how Lena Dunham and her posse actually live in the city, as compared with their characters' fictional digs.
See where the stars of 'Girls' live on and off the screen
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