By Devin Gannon, Thu, December 9, 2021 Photo by Charley Lhasa on Flickr
The Christmas Tree at Rockefeller Center may be the most popular conifer in New York City, with 125 million people visiting the tree each year, but it certainly is not the only one. Every holiday season, spruces adorned with colorful lights and ornaments pop up across the five boroughs. The city’s many holiday trees each offer a unique take on the tradition, which began in NYC in 1912 when the first public Christmas tree was erected in Madison Square Park. For those looking to skip the Midtown crowds this year, we’ve rounded up 15 of the best holiday trees, from the origami tree at the American Museum of Natural History to the flotilla of trees in Central Park’s Harlem Meer.
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By Devin Gannon, Fri, April 10, 2020 Photo by Kripa Chettiar on Flickr
Update 4/10/20: Plans to convert the Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine into an emergency field hospital have been canceled. ABC News reported on Thursday that tensions between the progressive church and the Samaritan’s Purse, known for its anti-LGBTQ and Islamaphobic views, may have halted the project. A spokesperson with the church told ABC the space could either become a hospital with a different agency, a morgue, or nothing if the number of hospitalizations continues to drop.
One of the largest churches in the world will be converted into a field hospital this week. The Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine in Manhattan’s Morningside Heights neighborhood said it will have nine climate-controlled medical tents installed in its 600-foot-long nave and underground crypt by the end of the week, the New York Times first reported. The site is expected to house at least 200 patients, who could start arriving as early as this week.
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By Lori Zimmer, Thu, May 25, 2017 Art Nerd founder Lori Zimmer shares her top art, design and architecture event picks for 6sqft readers!
Take advantage of this long weekend to get outside and enjoy the city. Sign up for a free walking tour of Central Park or Bryant Park, or head to Washington Square Park for the 82nd year of the Outdoor Art Exhibit. If adventure is your thing, ferry over to Governors Island for their new zip line adventure, or take the boat to Ellis Island for Untapped Cities’ insiders’ tour. Check out a sculpture by the Strokes’ Fabrizio Moretti at the beautiful Elizabeth Street Garden, or role play with Ryohei Kawanishi at the Museum of Arts and Design. Finally, treat yourself to a free concert by the New York Philharmonic, inside the history St. John the Divine Cathedral on Memorial Day.
Details on these events and more this way
By Michelle Cohen, Wed, February 22, 2017 Image via Wiki Commons
On Tuesday the Landmarks Preservation Commission voted unanimously to designate the 125-year-old Cathedral Church of St. John The Divine, the world’s largest cathedral; in addition, 115 neighboring buildings became the Morningside Heights Historic District. The designated district runs from West 109th to 119th streets between Riverside Drive and Amsterdam Avenue and includes the famously unfinished cathedral and surrounding campus. With the designation, calendared by the LPC in September, comes a 3-D online map that provides more information about the buildings in the district, most of which were constructed between 1900 and 1910, including townhouses dating back to the late 1800s as well as pre-war apartment buildings.
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By Dana Schulz, Fri, February 12, 2016 The Enclave at the Cathedral is a set of two brand-new rental buildings in Morningside Heights from the Brodsky Organization. Offering a total of 428 residential units, the 13- and 15-story undulating towers were involved in quite a bit of controversy for their position obstructing the 123-year-old Cathedral of St. John the Divine, which just happens to be the world’s largest cathedral. But if this little issue doesn’t bother you, and you earn between $29,726 and and $51,780 annually, you can apply starting today for one of 87 affordable units, according to the NYC HDC. They include 27 studios priced at $827/month; 40 one-bedrooms at $931/month; and 20 two-bedrooms at $1,123/month.
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By Dana Schulz, Fri, January 2, 2015
- Twice as many condo units as 2014 (6,500 to be exact) are expected to hit the market in 2015. [NYT]
- Two 14-story rental towers are coming very close to the Cathedral of St. John the Divine. [FC]
- Are boutique condos replacing major developments like One57 as the sexiest place to live in NYC? [NYP]
- Queens affordable housing development Hunter’s Point South gets 92,000 applications for 924 units. [NYDN]
- Michael Gross, author of books about living in 740 Park and 15CPW, buys a co-op at 860 United Nations Plaza. [NYO]
Images: 520 Park Avenue, where condo units will hit the market in 2015 (L); Boutique condo 560 West 24th Street via Urban Compass (R)
By Dana Schulz, Tue, December 9, 2014 New York Stock Exchange Christmas tree via Mille Fiori Favoriti
Last week, we took a look back at the history of the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree to mark the annual lighting celebration. Though this is probably the most famous Christmas tree in the world, many of us jaded New Yorkers would rather not deal with the crowds and traffic jams that come with visiting Rock Center. So as an equally festive alternative, we’ve rounded up some of the other huge trees illuminating the city this holiday season.
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