Search Results for: urban elie apartment

Why Weehawken? Short commutes and NYC skyline views along the waterfront

Photo of Weehawken via Michel G’s Flickr

April 19, 2018

Why Weehawken? Short commutes and NYC skyline views along the waterfront

Lin Manuel Miranda, the creator of the musical phenom Hamilton, tweeted in January that he changed three lyrics for the show’s London opening: John Adams, the Potomac River and Weehawken. According to Miranda, those words were too specific to America. According to Broadway Buzz, “Burr's proposal of a duel in ‘Your Obedient Servant’ now specifically points to New Jersey rather than the town of Weehawken. The Broadway lyric "Weehawken, dawn, guns drawn" has become ‘New Jersey, dawn, guns drawn.’” In July 1804, Alexander Hamilton was mortally wounded during a duel with Aaron Burr in Weehawken and died the following day in New York City. Tragically, Hamilton’s son was killed on the same spot three years earlier. One of the plaques in Alexander Hamilton Park describes many of the other unknown “duelists” who “all came to Weehawken to defend their honor according to the custom of the day. Located on the Hudson River, Weehawken does have a very “American” history but it should be highlighted, not diminished. Ahead, learn the ins and outs of Weehawken, from its historic waterfront parks and duel grounds to its burgeoning real estate scene.
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Real Estate Trends

March 30, 2018

Our 1,400sqft: A vibrant couple in their 80s ditches the suburbs for the West 70s

By Dana Schulz

Marv and Fran Lifson have been married for 32 years. After combining their families (she had five children, he four), and spending three decades in Westchester, this self-described "active, older couple" decided to sell their home and relocate not to Florida or the Carolinas, but the Upper West Side. Luckily for them, Fran's son David Katz has his own architecture firm and he stepped right in to help them with their search and, ultimately, renovation. After finding their dream home two years ago, a fixer-upper on 72nd Street and Central Park West, David combined a studio and one-bedroom into a spacious two-bedroom that's just as fresh and modern as its residents. 6sqft recently visited Fran and Marv to learn about why they'd grown tired of the suburbs, what they love about their new urban lifestyle, and how the renovation process went.
See the whole place and hear from Fran and Marv

March 28, 2018

The final frontier of history and hip: Developments and amenities shaping the Lower East Side

By Michelle Sinclair Colman

For many New Yorkers, the Lower East Side is one neighborhood that still has a lot of authenticities and good 'ole New York grit left. It has been described as Manhattan’s "last frontier of cool. The promised land of old as well as new... Where the Godfather lives side by side with a hipster movie." Put more tangibly by Benjamin Baccash of Taconic Investment Partners, the developer of LES's Essex Crossing, "The Lower East Side has wonderful restaurants, art galleries, and great street life. It’s a real neighborhood and that’s what a lot of people are looking for." In addition to great diversity, personality, and transportation, the city is undertaking huge improvements on the east river waterfront, and developers are erecting new developments at all corners of the 'hood. Ahead, 6sqft takes a look at everything that's keeping the Lower East Side a vestige of old New York during its contemporary resurgence, from massive projects like Essex Crossing to a booming art gallery scene.
As Irving Berlin once said, “Everybody ought to have a Lower East Side in their life.”

Real Estate Trends

Image via Pixabay

February 22, 2018

NYC developments get smart: A look at the latest residential building technologies

By Michelle Sinclair Colman

In a refreshingly non-"Black Mirror" way, many NYC residential developments are taking advantage of new technologies, like keyless door entry systems and digital concierges, not to replace humans but rather enhance them. These building technologies are making residents’ lives easier while prioritizing the importance of face-to-face interaction. According to a joint cnet/Coldwell Banker survey, “81 percent of current smart-home device owners say they would be more willing to buy a home with connected tech in place.” Clearly, developers got that message. Many new buildings in NYC are incorporating technology into their developments to enhance service as well as increase residents' personal security and privacy.
Get the scoop on all the latest tech

Our 1,600sqft: The owners of NYC’s oldest dog boutique mix classic styles on Central Park West

6sqft’s series “My sqft” checks out the homes of New Yorkers across all the boroughs. Our latest interior adventure brings us to the Upper West Side apartment of Canine Styles owners Mark Drendel and Chad Conway. Want to see your home featured here? Get in touch!

February 21, 2018

Our 1,600sqft: The owners of NYC’s oldest dog boutique mix classic styles on Central Park West

By Dana Schulz

When Mark Drendel and Chad Conway met on Fire Island 21 years ago, they didn't know that they'd one day claim ownership of "the world’s only Dog Lifestyle brand." Despite the wild success of Canine Styles, also the oldest dog emporium in New York City, this couple remains down-to-earth and grounded in their family, which includes their high school-aged son, 13-year-old border terrier Katie, and year-old miniature schnauzer Izzy. But of course, their home, located in the Art Deco Central Park West building The Century, is just as fashionable as their business. They describe Canine Styles as having "a flair for traditional, classic but up-to-date design," which holds true for their recently renovated apartment, too. Mark and Chad's basic design concept was wanting guests to not be completely sure what city or era they're in. By mixing the space's Art Deco bones with their modern art collection, contemporary furnishings, and antiques spanning from the 18th century to the 1960s, they've created a uniquely stylish space. 6sqft recently took a tour and chatted with this lovely couple about the history and future of Canine Styles, what a normal day at home looks like, and their thoughts on raising a family (human or four-legged!) in NYC.
All of that, this way

On this day in 1935, a 125-pound alligator was wrangled in an East Harlem sewer

Clipping from the 1935 New York Times article (L); Tom Otterness sculpture at the 14th Street/8th Avenue subway station depicting the event, via MTA Arts (R)

February 9, 2018

On this day in 1935, a 125-pound alligator was wrangled in an East Harlem sewer

By Dana Schulz

Have you ever heard of "Alligators in the Sewers Day"? According to the New York Times, on February 9, 1935, a group of teenagers allegedly caught and killed an eight-foot, 125-pound alligator in a manhole on East 123rd Street while shoveling snow. A headline in the paper the next day read, "Alligator Found in Uptown Sewer," fueling an urban legend of an entire underground alligator population. Michael Miscione, the Manhattan borough historian, is so intrigued by the tale, that he annually observes this unofficial holiday "to honor discarded pets or escaped beasts that have grown large below our streets."
So, how did the gator get here?

History

February 8, 2018

The long-awaited Bayonne boom: Transit options, adaptive reuse, and affordability

By Michelle Sinclair Colman

Bayonne, located on the southern peninsula of New Jersey’s Gold Coast, is ripe for a construction boom. That being said, it has been awaiting this boom for over 18 years - since the light rail system was installed. As Newport and Jersey City’s markets are on fire, Bayonne hopes that development momentum is headed their way. But with its Hudson River location, city views, access to Manhattan via light rail and the PATH (it is about 30 minutes to take the light rail to the PATH to the World Trade Center), Bayonne has taken its future into its own hands and massively revised its master plan for the first time since 2000. Bayonne considers its proximity to New York City and lower prices its greatest assets. The average home sales are around $400,000 versus $800,000 in Jersey City. The new master plan aims to transform Bayonne into a walkable, bikeable, mixed-use community with densely settled areas (which they call “transit villages”) around the light rail stations. The town’s 22nd Street Light Rail stop connects residents to the rest of the Gold Coast and PATH trains running to Manhattan. Bayonne City Planner Suzanne Mack is quoted as saying, “Our assets are our charm and home life...We’ve moved from being an industrial giant, an oil tank farm basically, into more of a bedroom community with a lot of community resources.”
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Real Estate Trends

How NYC’s 2012 Olympic Village would have transformed the Queens waterfront

Renderings of the winning design by Morphosis

February 7, 2018

How NYC’s 2012 Olympic Village would have transformed the Queens waterfront

By Ondel Hylton

With the 2018 Olympic Winter Games in PyeongChang, South Korea kicking off in just two days, we can't help but think what an incredible 17 days it would have been if they were here in New York City (logistical concerns aside). The city came closest in 2004 when it was chosen by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) as one of the five finalists to host the 2012 Olympics. London, Paris, Moscow and Madrid were the other four. Splashy renderings planted 27 venues across all five boroughs, New Jersey and Long Island, but the winning, and perhaps most eye-catching, proposal was the Olympic Village in Long Island City's Hunter's Point South by Thom Mayne's Morphosis.
Get the full history here

Former IRT Powerhouse on West 59th Street, once the world’s largest, gets landmark status

Image via NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission.

December 5, 2017

Former IRT Powerhouse on West 59th Street, once the world’s largest, gets landmark status

By Michelle Cohen

This morning, the Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) designated the former IRT Powerhouse (now the Con Ed Powerhouse) at 12th Avenue and 59th Street an official New York City landmark. The Beaux-Arts style building, designed in 1904 by McKim, Mead & White, is considered a remarkable example of the style applied to a utilitarian building. It was bestowed with such grandeur to convince the public to embrace the subway, a newly-created transportation option at the time. The monumental building not only powered the city's the first subway line but upon completion 111 years ago it was the largest powerhouse in the world.
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New York City was home to America’s first-ever electrically lit Christmas tree

The first electrically-illuminated Christmas tree in 1882, courtesy of the Thomas Edison Museum

December 4, 2017

New York City was home to America’s first-ever electrically lit Christmas tree

By Devin Gannon

At a townhouse on East 36th Street in 1882, the first Christmas tree to ever be adorned with electrical lights was lit, paving the way for the frenzy surrounding tree lightings around the world today. As an engineer and vice president of the Edison Electric Light Company, as well as Thomas Edison’s business partner, Edward Hibberd Johnson, was quite familiar with light bulbs. While festively decorating his apartment ahead of the holiday that year, Johnson had a very bright idea: wiring 80 red, white and blue light bulbs together around the tree and placing it in his parlor window.
More history this way

Gerard Butler lists his bohemian-baroque Chelsea loft for $6M

Photo of Gerard Butler via Wikimedia

November 30, 2017

Gerard Butler lists his bohemian-baroque Chelsea loft for $6M

By Annie Doge

Gerard Butler, the Scottish actor best known for his role in the movie "300," is selling his sprawling 3,150-square-foot home in Chelsea for $5.99 million. Located at 139 West 19th Street, it was featured on the cover of Architectural Digest magazine in 2010, and with good reason: the converted manufacturing warehouse boasts 11-foot tall mahogany doors, a ceiling fresco in the foyer, countless crystal chandeliers, and a wooden arch support from a Bronx cathedral. According to the New York Post, Gerard first purchased the duplex loft in 2004 for $2.575 million.
See inside

My 824sqft: Extell Development’s VP of Architecture moves into Hudson Square’s 70 Charlton

6sqft’s series “My sqft” checks out the homes of New Yorkers across all the boroughs. Our latest interior adventure brings us to the Hudson Square apartment of architect Brooks McDaniel. Want to see your home featured here? Get in touch!

November 6, 2017

My 824sqft: Extell Development’s VP of Architecture moves into Hudson Square’s 70 Charlton

By Dana Schulz

In 2013, the Hudson Square area was rezoned to allow residential development for the first time, and the first building to welcome tenants into the neighborhood was Extell Development's 70 Charlton Street. Though Beyer Blinder Belle are responsible for the industrial-style facade, it's actually Extell's team of in-house architects who got the ball rolling, as they do with all projects, from Billionaires' Row blockbusters like One57 and the Central Park Tower to downtown game changers like 555Ten and One Manhattan Square. For the past three years, Brooks McDaniel has worked as Extell's Vice President of Architecture. After experiencing first-hand their "level of design, quality of construction, and attention to detail," he decided to live in an Extell building. Wanting to move back to Manhattan from Brooklyn, he chose 70 Charlton for its clean, modern aesthetic and easy access to so many great areas. He recently gave us a tour of his custom-designed pad and filled us in on what it's like working for one of NYC's biggest developers.
Take the tour

October 19, 2017

Off the grid: The little Flatiron Buildings of the Village

By Andrew Berman of Village Preservation

The Flatiron Building is one of the city’s most iconic and beloved landmarks. Since 1902 it’s been a symbol of New York, though ironically its acute angle formed by the intersection of Broadway and Fifth Avenue makes it an unusual sight in our otherwise orthogonal city on a grid. But while the Flatiron Building may be the most famous product of quirky street angles, it’s far from the only one. In fact, the "off-the-grid" streets of Greenwich Village and the East Village contain scores of them, most of which pre-date the 23rd Street landmark.
Take a tour of the little Flatirons

October 4, 2017

INTERVIEW: LOT-EK’s Giuseppe Lignano talks sustainability and shipping container architecture

By Emily Nonko

After completing architecture school at Universita’ di Napoli, Italy, Ada Tolla and Giuseppe Lignano fell in love with New York City, deciding in 1995 to establish an innovative firm in Manhattan called LOT-EK. Early experiments in the art world grew into a substantial architecture practice, but their philosophy has always been the same: Both Ada and Giuseppe are focused on a concept they call "up-cycling," taking existing objects and elevating them through art, design, and architecture. The firm has done its most innovative work re-using shipping containers and received a wave of attention this year for a Brooklyn residential project that utilized 21 shipping containers in surprising, stunning ways. The firm has just released its second monograph, LOT-EK: Objects and Operations, a photo-heavy showcase of dozens of projects the firm produced around the world over the past 15 years. "LOT-EK is a design practice that believes in being unoriginal, ugly, and cheap," the book states. "Also in being revolutionary, gorgeous, and completely luxurious." With 6sqft, co-founder Giuseppe Lignano talks about the early days of running a firm and waiting tables in 1990s New York, explains the firm's philosophy behind sustainability and re-use, and discusses the inspiration behind their notable Williamsburg project.
This way for the interview

The boarding house’s long history of hosting single New Yorkers

Images by Esther Bubley, 1943. Courtesy of the Esther Bubley Photo Archive

September 12, 2017

The boarding house’s long history of hosting single New Yorkers

By Cait Etherington

In the mid-19th century, as the city rapidly grew in area and population, many single New Yorkers faced difficult decisions on the housing market. Unlike the majority of today’s single New Yorkers, however, the decision was not whether to share an apartment with one or more roommates or squeeze into a studio apartment but rather which type of boarding house to inhabit. Ahead we'll go over the history of the New York City boarding house, as well as where you can still find the handful that remains.
read more here

July 31, 2017

INTERVIEW: Architect Rick Cook on the legacy of COOKFOX’s sustainable design in NYC

By Emily Nonko

Since its founding in 1990, COOKFOX Architects has become one of the most recognized names in New York City real estate. In the firm's early days, founding partner Rick Cook found a niche in historically-sensitive building design, looking for opportunities to "[fill] in the missing voids of the streetscape," as he put it. After teaming up with Bob Fox in 2003, the pair worked to establish COOKFOX as an expert in both contextual and sustainable development. They designed the first LEED Platinum skyscraper in New York City with the Durst family, the Bank of America Tower, then took on a number of projects with the goal of designing healthier workplaces. The firm also got attention for its work in landmarks districts, winning AIA-New York State awards for its mixed-use development at 401 West 14th Street (better known as the Apple store) and its revamp of the the Stephen Sondheim Theatre. (The firm also made it the first LEED-certified theater in the city.)
6sqft's conversation with Rick fox here

My 408sqft: A Tudor City historian lives maximally in a micro-studio using furniture on wheels

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 Tudor City studio of Brian Thompson. Want to see your home featured here? Get in touch!

June 19, 2017

My 408sqft: A Tudor City historian lives maximally in a micro-studio using furniture on wheels

By Diane Pham

We've seen many solutions for tiny living employed here at 6sqft, from transforming furniture to elaborate built-ins to adding color and patterns to trick the eye, but as far as living minimally has gone, we're not sure if we've seen a home opt for such a straightforward—but artful—setup. Located in the quaint and picturesque neighborhood of Tudor City is the 408-square-foot apartment of historian, activist, and real estate broker Brian Thompson. Rather than outfitting his apartment with built-in seating or complex hidden furniture (though he does have a Murphy bed), Brian has opted for an ultra-minimal setup that includes just three pieces of furniture: a couch, a bookshelf, and a desk—all of which can be arranged into an infinite number of livable layouts with just a simple push or a pull.
See more inside Brian's incredible tiny home

May 23, 2017

VIDEO: West 8’s proposal for NYC’s largest private garden at One Manhattan Square

By Devin Gannon

Adding to its unique character, Extell's One Manhattan Square will soon be home to NYC's largest outdoor private garden, detailed in a new video released today by the developer. The proposal, designed by urban planning and landscape architecture firm West 8, includes more than an acre of garden space for residents to both work and socialize, boasting indoor and outdoor grilling spaces, ping-pong tables, a putting green, children's playground, adult tree house, tea pavilion, and an observatory made for stargazing.
Watch the video here

May 8, 2017

Raad Studio gut renovated this sleek Tribeca condo, now asking $3.7M

By Emily Nonko

Raad Studio left its touch on this two-bedroom Tribeca condo, from the 1920s building 39 White Street. A gut renovation from the New York design firm, which has stunning projects all over the city and is behind the Lowline proposal, left this lofty apartment with both custom design elements and 19th-century details intact. From a 300-bottle wine rack to a customized floor-to-ceiling door to the master suite, this $3.7 million apartment is worth gawking over.
So take the interior tour

Distinctive Homes

April 18, 2017

Residents in the noisiest NYC neighborhoods are healthier, says new study

By Devin Gannon

While loud noise has been found to be harmful, new research shows residents who live in the loudest NYC neighborhoods may be healthier than residents living in quieter nabes. According to a study by NYU Langone Medical Center, neighborhoods that called in the most noise complaints to 311 had residents with a lower body mass index and blood pressure (h/t Metro NY). While researchers do not believe the actual noise is behind the healthier numbers, the study points to an area’s walkability to be a contributing factor to the health of residents.
Find out more

City Living

March 20, 2017

Two Trees looks to local artists to help elevate everyday living

By 6sqft

Developers are increasingly using art as a way to turn their buildings into more than just stacks of expensive apartments. Many see adding sculptures or installations as ways to activate a place, making it an integral part of the urban experience. But while most are eager to jump on the biggest names in the business, there […]

March 16, 2017

Bid on a VIP tour of Yale with Robert A.M. Stern and other starchitect experiences

By Michelle Cohen

The Van Alen Institute announces their fourth annual Auction of Art + Design Experiences, offering a rare international sampling of curated events with leading names in the creative world. Like an omakase of "distinctive experiences" with some of today's most notable innovators in the architecture, design and culture spheres, the benefit auction, available via Paddle8, offers a Robert A.M. Stern-led VIP preview of the architect’s addition to the Yale University campus, an afternoon in the archives of Lina Bo Bardi’s Casa de Vidro outside São Paulo, a workout at Medellín Sports Coliseum with its architect, Giancarlo Mazzanti, a visit to a collection of stilted Miami beach houses with architect Terry Riley, meditation studio time with Winka Dubbeldam and a tour of John Lautner-designed horror story homes in the Hollywood hills, to name just a few.
More cool experiences to bid on, ahead

March 9, 2017

As the Mayor weighs options for loss of public housing funding, Trump considers $6B in HUD cuts

By Dana Schulz

Just two days after newly appointed Secretary of HUD (the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development) Ben Carson went along with plans to cut federal funding to NYCHA by at least $35 million, the Trump administration is reportedly considering decreasing HUD's total budget by a staggering $6 billion, or 14 percent, according to a leaked budget draft obtained by the Washington Post. Though it's not clear how the cuts will affect NYC specifically, previous estimates said cuts to NYCHA's federal aid could easily balloon to $150 million this year, and Mayor de Blasio was already weighing his options for how to deal with the blow. The Wall Street Journal reports that he said yesterday he plans to put aside city money to help fill the gap, but if the city is "cut on many, many fronts simultaneously," there won't be enough to cover the loss in federal funding.
What happens next?

March 7, 2017

NYCHA’s federal funding cut by $35M

By Dana Schulz

Just a day after Ben Carson's confirmation as Secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) last week, the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) penned a letter not only inviting him to tour the city's public housing stock (the largest in the country) but urging him not to support budget cuts that would ultimately affect its 400,000 residents. Roughly $2 billion of NYCHA's total $3.2 billion operating budget comes from HUD funding, which is immediately needed for the thousands of apartments in dire need of repairs. But their worst fears have come true, as the Wall Street Journal confirms that Trump's first budget cuts geared towards the city reduce NYCHA's support by $35 million, the agency's largest decrease in federal aid in five years, and this figure could very well grow to an unprecedented $150 million.
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Design team suggests a new mission-driven gentrification model geared toward artists and small businesses

Image: mx.org

February 23, 2017

Design team suggests a new mission-driven gentrification model geared toward artists and small businesses

By Michelle Cohen

We’ve definitely seen a lifetime’s worth of the trajectory that runs from warehouse to art studio to luxury loft, starting with neighborhoods like Soho and picking up speed as developers got into the act, anticipating the next "it" enclave with manageable rents attracting the young and creative. A team of New York-based designers developed a proposal for reaping the benefits of economic growth in the city's industrial areas without pricing out all but the wealthiest players. Soft City reports the details of this “mission-driven gentrification” concept, which suggests an all-new development model for the city's manufacturing neighborhoods (known as M1 districts), helmed by mission-based organizations and a building typology that caters to small businesses and artists.
Bright ideas, this way

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