All articles by Dana Schulz

Dana is a writer and preservationist with a passion for all things New York.  After graduating from New York University with a BA in Urban Design & Architecture Studies, she worked at the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation, where she planned the organization's public programs and wrote for their blog Off the Grid. In her free time, she leads walking tours about the social and cultural history of city neighborhoods. Follow her on Twitter @danaschulzNYC.
Live in Singer Roberta Flack’s Dakota Apartment for $9.5M
June 19, 2015

Live in Singer Roberta Flack’s Dakota Apartment for $9.5M

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The glory days of the Dakota definitely seem to be coming to an end...legendary singer Roberta Flack has listed her apartment in the famed Upper West Side building for $9.5 million, according to the Daily News. The residence was a celebrity playground at its height–Flack counted as her neighbors John Lennon, Yoko Ono (her next-door neighbor), Leonard Bernstein, and Lauren Bacall, whose apartment also recently hit the market for $26 million. Flack, the Grammy winner who produced such songs as "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" and "Killing Me Softly with His Song," has lived in the Dakota for almost 40 years. So as the listing states, this is "a rare chance to acquire a historic residence, in a legendary building, from an Iconic Star."
More ahead
Bjarke Ingels Picks Up $4M Dumbo Penthouse with Views of 2 World Trade Center
June 18, 2015

Bjarke Ingels Picks Up $4M Dumbo Penthouse with Views of 2 World Trade Center

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When we have something to celebrate we usually do it with a glass of wine and some cake, but starchitect Bjarke Ingels is toasting his recently revealed design for 2 World Trade Center with a $3.89 million Dumbo penthouse. The Daily News reports that Ingels will be moving into the three-bedroom duplex at 205 Water Street, which offers a whopping 2,344 square feet of outdoor space, spread across four terraces, that provides the perfect view of the architect's impending Financial District tower. The sellers of the industrial-chic pad are interior designer and lifestyle guru Athena Calderone and her music producer husband, DJ Victor Calderone, who bought the home for $2.3 million in 2012 and originally listed it for $4.3 million back in January.
Take a look around the impressive home
Lucky Family Lives in a Cabin with a Meadow…on the Roof of Their West Village Building

Photo by George Steinmetz via Gothamist

June 18, 2015

Lucky Family Lives in a Cabin with a Meadow…on the Roof of Their West Village Building

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Most New Yorkers looking for a bit of suburban living move to areas of Brooklyn like Ditmas Park that offer free-standing houses with yards, or they abandon ship altogether and pack it in for Jersey or Westchester. But this lucky family fulfilled their country dreams–complete with a cottage and attached porch, green meadow, and stone garden walkway–without leaving the island of Manhattan. Located at 719 Greenwich Street, in the heart of the West Village, this bucolic dwelling isn't visible from the street. Instead, you'll need to take a helicopter ride to scope it out, which is exactly how photographer George Steinmetz discovered this one-of-a-kind rooftop paradise.
Get the scoop on this unusual home
This Poster Displays All 468 Subway Station Signs
June 18, 2015

This Poster Displays All 468 Subway Station Signs

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For all intents and purposes, we do not want any visual of the subway hanging in our apartments. The grimy stations don't really complement our decor, and we'd prefer not to be reminded of the daily bloodbath that is trying to squeeze onto the 6 train. But this poster is the exception to our no-MTA-in-the-house rule. Printed using 11 Pantone® spot colors, this snappy piece of wall art displays all 468 subway station signs throughout the city, arranged in alphabetical order. It was designed by Hamish Smyth, one member of the duo who reprinted Massimo Vignelli's iconic Standards Manual last year. Once again inspired by Vignelli's graphic visual approach, Smyth created the new poster because he feels "this is an iconic design that should be remembered and celebrated, and we think a beautifully printed poster is a great way to get it into many people's hands."
Find out how to get your own copy and watch a video from the design team
Little Italy Townhouse Designed by the Novogratz Duo Is Looking for a New Bachelor
June 18, 2015

Little Italy Townhouse Designed by the Novogratz Duo Is Looking for a New Bachelor

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When millionaire private investor and socialite Bradley Zipper bought this Little Italy townhouse in 2004, he wanted a massive bachelor pad where he could host celebrity soirees and lavish business events for up to 400 people. After dropping $3,385,000 on the property, he hired Cortney and Robert Novogratz, the famous husband-and-wife design team, to deck it out. The result is certainly A-list worthy, with its 900-bottle wine cellar that's a replica of one in a Meatpacking District club, a 14-foot mahogany and pewter bar shipped over from Paris, and a vintage 1940s pool table surrounded by graphite walls. But despite this intense personalization, Zipper started trying to unload the house two years ago, first for $15 million, then $13 million, next as a $35,000/month rental, and now it's back for $15.5 million.
See what else this party pad has to offer
Help Count How Many Street Trees Are in NYC
June 17, 2015

Help Count How Many Street Trees Are in NYC

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Just a couple of months ago, we shared a fun map that lets users explore New York City's 592,130 street trees by species and trunk thickness. Brooklyn web developer Jill Hubley used data from the 2005-2006 Street Tree Census to create the map, but a lot of trees have come and gone in the past nine years. This time around, the Parks Department is crowdsourcing to count the city's street trees as part of its Trees Count! 2015 project. As Brooklyn Magazine reports, "Participants will be armed like park rangers, walking around different neighborhoods with tree identification guides and tape measures, recording data that will eventually trickle into an interactive map that encompasses all five boroughs."
Find out how you can get in on the action
June 17, 2015

What Lena Dunham Would Do in the Lowline; Can Zoning Stop Chain Stores?

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https://d2pq0u4uni88oo.cloudfront.net/assets/003/998/006/1e2746d1af55164eb07a0c4058a93465_h264_high.mp4   As part of their Kickstarter campaign, the Lowline has released a fun video starring none other than Lena Dunham. Watch her eat sandwiches and play with kids in the future subterranean park. [The Lowline] This man rebuilt Harlem during the 1920s in virtual reality. [The Atlantic] You can win an overnight stay on […]

June 17, 2015

POLL: Is Eliot Spitzer’s Williamsburg Development ‘Offensive?’

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Yesterday, former New York governor Eliot Spitzer revealed the first official rendering for Spitzer Enterprises’ mega development on the South Williamsburg waterfront. The $700 million trio of 24-story rental towers was designed by ODA Architects, who referred to the project as a “molded iceberg.” Today, Lincoln Restler, a senior policy advisor to Mayor de Blasio, took to Facebook to […]

Renderings Revealed for Eliot Spitzer’s ODA-Designed Williamsburg Mega-Development
June 16, 2015

Renderings Revealed for Eliot Spitzer’s ODA-Designed Williamsburg Mega-Development

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Leaving his political career in the past, former New York governor Eliot Spitzer is taking on the development world. After his father's death in November, the controversial politician took over the family's real estate business, Spitzer Enterprises. And he's now revealed the first rendering for his Williamsburg mega-development in the New York Times (not Twitter), showcasing a trio of 24-story rental towers designed by ODA Architects. Located at 420-430 Kent Avenue in South Williamsburg, the project is in keeping with ODA's signature boxy, glassy aesthetic. It will cost $700 million, have 856 units, and boast two rooftop pools and a park with an esplanade.
More details here
Flatiron Building-Looking Condo Tower to Rise at Brooklyn Heights Library Site
June 16, 2015

Flatiron Building-Looking Condo Tower to Rise at Brooklyn Heights Library Site

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If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, the Flatiron Building should be highly honored by this fresh batch of renderings from Marvel Architects for the site at 280 Cadman Plaza West in Brooklyn Heights. The Daily News reports that "the 36-story tower, which will have 139 condo units, community space, retail and a new 21,500-square-foot library on the ground floor, looks like it will be Brooklyn's very own alternative to the Flatiron building, with its dramatic wedge-shaped structure." Back in September, the Brooklyn Heights Library agreed to sell their site to Hudson Companies for $52 million with the stipulation that the developer build 114 affordable housing units at two different locations nearby, as well as a new state-of-the-art library at the existing site. The project began the city's land use review process (ULURP) yesterday.
More on the development and additional renderings
This Man Dove off the Flatiron Building into a Collapsible Plastic Pool for 20 Years

Photo of 1974 jump via Daily News

June 15, 2015

This Man Dove off the Flatiron Building into a Collapsible Plastic Pool for 20 Years

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Picture this: You walk by the Flatiron Building, one of the most recognizable landmarks in the entire city, and see a man positioning himself to jump off. Today, you'd call 911 without hesitation, but 50 years ago it was annual spectacle. Ephemeral New York uncovered the story of Henri LaMothe, the "diving daredevil" who performed a stunt around the country where he did his "flying squirrel" dive from 40 feet above ground into a collapsible plastic pool with only four feet of water. On his birthday on April 2, 1954, he climbed to the 40-foot mark on the Flatiron Building and did his signature jump. For the next 20 years, he performed the feat annually on his birthday, decreasing the water level each year. On his 70th birthday in 1974, he dove into a pool filled with merely one foot of water, and many say when he stood up, his back was still dry thanks to his famous belly flop.
Find out more about this daredevil
Westchester Colonial from the Early Days of ‘Mad Men’ Lists for $1.1M
June 15, 2015

Westchester Colonial from the Early Days of ‘Mad Men’ Lists for $1.1M

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Take a trip down memory lane to the good old days when Betty and Don Draper were still married and living the upstate life. Their home, which was supposed to be in Ossining, is actually located at 90 Forest Avenue in the Forest Heights neighborhood of New Rochelle, and it's on the market for $1.1 million, affording you the chance to make some (hopefully happier) memories in the original "Mad Men" residence. The 3,544-square-foot, six-bedroom, center-hall Colonial was built in 1914 and offers original details like pocket doors, crown moldings, hardwood floors, nine-foot ceilings, and four fireplaces. It also has "black shutters and a fire engine-red front door, just waiting for a briefcase-toting Don Draper to park his Plymouth and come inside to greet his wife and kids, after a steamy rendezvous with his mistress," writes lohud. Well, maybe we'll scratch that last part.
See more of the house here
5Pointz Artists Sue Developer for Whitewashing Iconic Graffiti Facade

Photo via Garrett Ziegler/Flickr

June 15, 2015

5Pointz Artists Sue Developer for Whitewashing Iconic Graffiti Facade

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Photo via Garrett Ziegler/Flickr It's been 19 months since the 5Pointz graffiti mecca was secretly whitewashed overnight by the developers who have since razed the site to make way for the two residential towers that will replace it. Then, to pour salt in the wound, this past November G&M Realty announced that they planned to use the iconic 5Pointz name for their new project, infuriating the artists whose work adorned the building and leading them to launch a petition to stop the title. Now, the plot has thickened. Nine graffiti artists filed a lawsuit on Friday "seeking unspecified damages from the owner who whitewashed away their artwork," reports the Daily News. The plaintiffs claim they're owed financial compensation as they were not given the opportunity to retrieve their work, much of which could have ended up in museums or the artists' personal collections. The lost collection amounts to more than 350 graffiti pieces.
More details here
Weekly Highlights: Top Picks from the 6sqft Staff
June 13, 2015

Weekly Highlights: Top Picks from the 6sqft Staff

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Winston Marshall, Banjoist for Mumford & Sons, Buys $3.2M Nolita Pad Are Yuccies the New Hipsters? REVEALED: Bjarke Ingels Design for 2 World Trade Center Own a Charming Wood Frame Church in the Catskills for $99,000 J.P. Morgan’s 120-Year-Old ‘Great Camp Uncas’ in the Adirondacks Can Be Yours for $3.25M 98 Percent of Manhattan Rentals […]

New Yorker Spotlight: Al Diaz on NYC Street Art and Working with Jean-Michel Basquiat
June 12, 2015

New Yorker Spotlight: Al Diaz on NYC Street Art and Working with Jean-Michel Basquiat

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Artist Al Diaz is often asked to speak at panel discussions about Jean-Michel Basquiat or to lend his expertise for new exhibits about the world-famous artist. But Diaz was just as much a part of the downtown street art movement as his buddy Basquiat; in fact, the two got involved with the art form together. They met in high school and created the tag SAMO©, which appeared throughout lower Manhattan between 1977 and 1979 and put them on the map. They were first-generation NYC subway graffiti artists, and Diaz later became a text-oriented street artist. Today, you'll see his hand in the subway again with his WET PAINT series, which uses individually-cut-out letters to create "clever, surreal and sometimes poignant anagrams." We recently chatted with Al Diaz to get the inside scoop on street art history in New York City, what it was like to work with Basquiat, and how he and his art work are much more than a shadow of his famous friend.
Read the full interview here
Laser-Engraved Rolling Pins Leave Fun Prints on Your Baked Goods
June 12, 2015

Laser-Engraved Rolling Pins Leave Fun Prints on Your Baked Goods

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Why waste your time with sprinkles and icing when you can fancy up your cookies with nothing more than a rolling pin? These laser-engraved models from Valek are embossed with fun patterns like moustaches, deer, and swirly leaf motifs. There's even miniature versions for the kids that feature dinosaurs or robots. With just a roll of the pin, your dough instantly becomes a piece of art.
More here
How to Play an Historic Building; NYC Is Pretty Polluted Says the EPA
June 12, 2015

How to Play an Historic Building; NYC Is Pretty Polluted Says the EPA

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Forget the drums, why not play an historic building instead? Yup, Soho’s cast iron buildings can be used as musical instruments. [Off the Grid] Charting the age distribution at the top social networks. The youngsters really love Snapchat. [BI] A new interactive map from the Environmental Protection Agency shows neighborhood pollution, and the results aren’t […]

Own a Charles Gwathmey-Designed Mid-Century Marvel in East Hampton for $2.5M
June 12, 2015

Own a Charles Gwathmey-Designed Mid-Century Marvel in East Hampton for $2.5M

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If you've always dreamed of owning a piece of mid-century modern history, now's your chance. Located at 19 North West Landing Road in East Hampton, this abode was designed by famed New York Five architect Charles Gwathmey in 1968 for the graphic artist Joe Sedacca, hence its name the Sedacca House. It was only Gwathmey's third commission in a long line of projects that would include the addition to Frank Lloyd Wright's Guggenheim Museum, 445 Lafayette Street, and the United States Mission to the United Nations. The current owner of the home, Paul Amador, bought it in 1993 for only $245,000, reports Curbed Hamptons. At the time, he was quoted in the Times saying, "I feel like I won the lottery. I'm buying a piece of art for the cost of the raw materials." He's now looking to make a steep profit, asking $2.495 million for the "living sculpture."
Take a look around here
Bjarke Ingels Talks About His Design for 2 World Trade Center

Two World Trade Center rendering via Silverstein Properties

June 11, 2015

Bjarke Ingels Talks About His Design for 2 World Trade Center

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If you were still itching for more after Tuesday's reveal of Bjarke Ingels' design for Two World Trade Center, you're in luck. The starchitect himself chatted with NY Yimby about his design process and inspirations behind the tower. He also revealed an interesting tidbit of information when asked when asked when he started the design process. "Let's say in December," he responded. Keep in mind, though, that word only broke about him replacing Norman Foster in April. Controversy aside, Ingels has a lot to say about this world-famous project, including why he thinks Foster's plan was scrapped for his.
More revealing details right this way
Photographer Bob Estremera Shows Us That Greenwich Village Is Still Full of Character
June 11, 2015

Photographer Bob Estremera Shows Us That Greenwich Village Is Still Full of Character

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When we talk about the allure of Greenwich Village, we're often referring to it in past tense, reminiscing about the good old days of folk music, ridiculously cheap apartments for artists, and the free-spirited bohemians that transformed the enclave into a cultural hub. And when we do talk about the Village in present tense, it's often because we're examining gentrification, whining about those pesky NYU students, or looking at the ever-rising rents. But if we stop feeling bitter about the fact that we can't get a $600/month studio there anymore, the Village still has plenty of charming and quirky storefronts, buildings, and characters. Photographer Bob Estremera captured this essence of the neighborhood in an impromptu rainy-day photo shoot that reminds us to take the time to look around and appreciate the small things.
See all the amazing black-and-white photos here
$120M UES Townhouses-to-Mansion Combo Officially Hits the Market
June 10, 2015

$120M UES Townhouses-to-Mansion Combo Officially Hits the Market

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On Monday, news broke that the three Upper East Side townhouses owned by the billionaire Safra family were being quietly marketed as a $120 million combination to be turned into one giant mega-mansion. Today, the listing at 12-16 East 62nd Street has officially hit the market, and there's some pretty impressive floorplans to give prospective buyers an idea of how their palatial home could look. Also up for grabs is the brownstone next door to the trifecta at 18 East 62nd Street. This wouldn't combine as easily as the other three, as their cornices, ceilings, and floors all line up, but it could make a pretty spectacular guest house.
Ogle the floorplans here
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