Search Results for: urban elie apartment

March 16, 2015

5,484 Affordable Housing Units Could Be Lost if 421-a Abatement Isn’t Renewed, Says New Report

This morning the Real Estate Board of New York (REBNY) released a report today saying if the city fails to renew the existing 421-a partial tax exemption program, we could stand to lose thousands of affordable units. REBNY took a look at a sample of projects in the pipeline—including Essex Crossing, 5Pointz, Domino and Pacific Park, amongst others—and found that 421-a is responsible for 5,484 affordable apartments and 13,801 market-rate units in these developments. They argue that without the abatement the theses units would be in jeopardy and be "immediately be sent back to the drawing board." They add that some of the units could even end up as high-end luxury condominiums and some of the middle- and low-income housing now in the works would be lost forever.
Find out more
February 10, 2015

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

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
January 29, 2015

Historic $1.4M Brooklyn Heights Charmer Solves Dilemma of Classic 1960s TV Series

As soon as we saw the country charm inside this city dwelling we couldn't help be reminded of the classic TV series Green Acres. Even if you're too young to remember the clash of wills between attorney-turned-farmer Oliver Wendell Douglas (played by Eddie Albert) and his metropolis-loving and glamorous wife Lisa (played by Eva Gabor), it doesn't mean you can't appreciate the exquisite juxtaposition of rustic beauty and urban convenience found in this historic wood frame home at 80 Poplar Street in Brooklyn Heights.
See more of this country-meets-city home
December 31, 2014

6SQFT’S TOP STORIES OF 2014!

5, 4, 3, 2..... It's hard to believe but 2014 has almost come to a close, so we thought what better time than now to reflect on the past year's stories. We launched 6sqft back in May and since then, New York's lively, dynamic, and ever-evolving urbanscape and inhabitants have kept us on our toes. From architecture and new developments to celebs and your fellow New Yorkers, here are the 6sqft stories that really caught our and—more importantly—your eyes this year.
See all the top 6sqft stories here!
December 18, 2014

INTERVIEW: HS2 Architecture’s Tom and Jane Talk Residential Design and Their 20-Year Collaboration

HS2 Architecture's name may not ring all that familiar, but you've certainly come across their projects before—and we're not just talking on 6sqft. HS2's power pair, Tom Hut and Jane Sachs, have been working together since 1994, enduring the ups and downs of the NYC market and putting some spectacular and very recognizable designs out there while at it. Does the Gramercy Park Hotel ring a bell? Maybe the Palazzo Chupi? Or maybe you've shopped at the Ralph Lauren Store on Madison and 72nd. Easily one of the most underrated architecture firms working today, HS2 is really a force to be reckoned with when it comes to the built environment. In celebration of their 20th anniversary, we recently sat down with founders Tom and Jane to talk about their studio, their work, and the roller coaster ride that has been New York City architecture over the past two decades.
Read the interview with HS2's principals here
October 31, 2014

Grave Concerns: Do Cemeteries Affect Real Estate Prices in New York?

Not so surprisingly, Manhattan has a slew of cemeteries, graveyards and built-over potter’s fields (for unclaimed bodies). Madison Square Park was originally used as a potter’s field, as was Bryant Park. And though these swaths of land served many purposes over the years, it took an eternity before they were lovely public parks. From the late 1600s, burial grounds were generally confined to what would now be just south of City Hall, but more began popping up further uptown during the 1800s as the city’s population grew in leaps and bounds. With Halloween upon us, tis’ the season for checking out if living near one might give a buyer a bit of a ghostly scare or whether it takes an eternity to sell when the living room window overlooks tombstones marking coffins buried six feet under. Hear what experts say, and then learn about the city's most notable graveyards.
Do homes near cemeteries sell at a discount in NYC?
October 16, 2014

A History of New York in 101 Objects: 6sqft Edition

As urbanists we tend to define the city by locations and the historic events that unfolded at them. But what about getting even more specific and looking at New York's past through tangible objects? That's exactly what New York Times urban affairs correspondent Sam Roberts has assembled in a new book, A History of New York in 101 Objects. And a corresponding exhibit at the New York Historical Society puts Roberts' choices, along with objects from the Society's collection, on view. We were so intrigued by this idea that we decided to put together a 6sqft version of the list. From preservationists to architects to real estate brokers, we've asked ten people to give us the ten objects that they feel best define New York City's history. There are definitely some favorites that emerged like cobblestones, Metrocards, and pizza, as well as an eclectic mix of items that speak to our participants' personal connections to New York.
See the lists here
September 23, 2014

City Kids: Why Parents Pick City Living Over the Suburbs

The 'American Dream' may have dominated the last few decades, causing a mass exodus to the suburbs, but today's families are reversing the trend and turning their attention back to the city. The reasons are many: An appreciation for cultural offerings, the camaraderie and creative cross-pollination of networks of colleagues, friends and family, the convenience of being able to walk or bike to school, work or child care without a long commute—just to name a few. New York City has always been a haven for the forward-thinking, albeit a challenging one. And its newly-”discovered” outer boroughs as well as an unprecedentedly low crime rate have made the city a prime choice for family living. But what is it about those city kids—the ones with parents who planned from the start to raise their kids in a non-stop urban environment? We interrupted the busy schedules of five families currently raising school-age (or soon-to-be) children in New York City's many diverse and multifaceted neighborhoods to get some insight about why they wouldn’t have it any other way.
Hear what five parents of city kids have to say
September 17, 2014

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

With plans in place that call for a public waterfront bustling with creative industry and commerce rather than luxury residential developments, Sunset Park is not on its way to becoming the next hip NYC residential neighborhood–and that’s a good thing. Located on Brooklyn's western waterfront flank, there are really two sides to Sunset Park. The neighborhood, generally defined as the area between 65th Street, the Prospect Expressway, Eighth Avenue and the East River, has long been a thriving residential community. Sunset Park is also home to about 15 million square feet of warehouse and light industrial space. The key to the neighborhood’s future may be the point at which the two meet.
Find Out How Fashion May Give Sunset Park a Chance to Shine As the New Garment District
August 26, 2014

Everything Old Is New Again: The Rise, Fall, and Eventual Rise Again of Co-Op Living

The Rembrandt at 152 West 57th Street between Sixth and Seventh Avenues was built as Manhattan’s first co-op in 1881. Apartment ownership was already in fashion across the pond, particularly in France and Britain, but the concept of a resident-owned building was still an unknown to most of us. Developed by a syndicate led by Jared B. Flagg, a clergyman with an avid interest in real estate, and built by the notable architectural firm of Hubert & Pirsson, the group had come to the conclusion that potential buyers would be drawn to a building where they would have control over expenses. For instance, buying coal and ice in bulk in order to keep prices down, and hiring a full-time communal staff to take care of the owners’ laundry, cooking and the running the elevators. Built as a brick and brownstone building with terra-cotta trim and jerkin-head gable windows at the top, the unit mix—a result of an interlocking system of staggered floor heights to allow for very tall art studio spaces—included a few duplex apartments with as many as 12 rooms. Original brochure prices reportedly ranged between $4,000 and $5,000, with monthly maintenance as low as $50. Confident in the ultimate success of co-operative living, Mr. Flagg with Hubert & Pirsson continued to develop another six co-op projects that very same year.
The history of co-ops and their rise, fall, and rise again into popularity
August 4, 2014

Mythbusters: Shedding Light on 80/20 Affordable Housing and ‘Poor Doors’

There’s been lots of chatter on the street and in the media on the subject of “poor doors” in new developments for those who have qualified for affordable housing. And though this subject has created quite a bit of controversy, it's actually not quite what it seems. Rather than being outraged that our city allows real estate developers to “discriminate” against those who could never consider paying for the privilege of residing in their latest and greatest luxury building, naysayers should think about reading up on exactly what affordable housing is and isn’t—“rich” home seekers having an edge over the so-called “poor.”
We look at 80/20 and the 'poor door' controversy here
August 4, 2014

$20 Million Chelsea Penthouse Has Its Own Garage… in the Sky

Living in a pedestrian town has its perks. Everything is at your feet, and you don’t have to deal with grueling traffic if you don’t want to. But what about those days when you’re out in the elements and the weather is bad? Don’t you just wish you could hop in your car and go about your day? But then there’s parking… Oh wait, that’s not an issue for us because we’re living in the Selldorf Architects-designed Chelsea tower at 200 Eleventh Avenue, which means we have our own en suite sky garage. That’s right. You’re about to take a look inside the impressive 3,598-square-foot penthouse of this unprecedented building. You’re welcome.
You won't believe your eyes when you click here
May 21, 2014

Call Me Halal: Palatable Advice Straight from the Streets of Downtown Brooklyn

One of the saddest things I heard in the immediate aftermath of 9/11 was told to me by the wife of an acquaintance. She said, with a smug sense of pride, that her family — in an act of patriotic protest to the recent attacks on America — would be ending their long-standing Thanksgiving tradition of serving assorted meat and vegetable pies from Damascus Bakery on Atlantic Avenue in Brooklyn. It was a heartbreaking statement of staggering stupidity, offensive on so many levels, not the least of which was personal. I lived next door to Damascus Bakery in my first Brooklyn apartment. This was before Barney’s, Urban Outfitters and Trader Joe’s arrived. It was when that section of Atlantic Avenue was overwhelmingly Arabic, and I frequented the eateries as often as I could, feasting on delicacies from the Middle East, learning some geography and culture and a little Arabic along the way. And, of course, I met many wonderful people, including the family who owned and operated Damascus Bakery.
Read the rest of Andrew's story here
May 1, 2014

NYC Condos Designed by Pritzker Prize Winners

The Pritzker Architecture Prize is architecture’s most acclaimed honor. Since 1979, the award has been given away annually to honor one living architect whose built work demonstrates consistent and significant contributions to humanity and the built environment. New York City is home to structures built by 12 of the 36 past winners — ranging from Philip Johnson to I.M. Pei to this year's winner, Shigeru Ban — and currently holds 14 residential examples of their work. One other fascinating tidbit is that condos designed by Pritzker Prize winning architects are selling on average a whopping 44% higher (price/square foot) than those their respective neighborhoods, and 47.5% higher than the Manhattan market average. But are they worth the money? Learn more about them all ahead.
Are these Pritzker Laureate-designed condos worth their markup?