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.

Lottery opens for 160 affordable apartments near the High Line, starting at $702/month

Photo via Flickr cc

July 25, 2018

Lottery opens for 160 affordable apartments near the High Line, starting at $702/month

By Dana Schulz

The High Line and affordability don't typically go hand-in-hand, but the lottery opens tomorrow for a new, 160-unit affordable housing project at 425 West 18th Street, less than a block from the High Line. As part of a Bloomberg-era initiative to lease unused NYCHA land to private developers, the 18-story building took over the parking lot of the 1960s Fulton Houses complex. The low- and middle-income availabilities range all the way from $702/month studios to $3,216/month two-bedrooms, and amenities include a laundry room, bike storage, and outdoor space on the roof and first floor.
Find out if you qualify

Affordable Housing

July 24, 2018

Tommy Hilfiger’s former reality TV-famous Connecticut mansion lists for $6.75M

By Dana Schulz

This incredible Greenwich, Connecticut mansion looks like something out of a television show, and, in fact, it has made many an appearance in the reality tv world. Owned by Tommy Hilfiger until 2006, it was the setting for his CBS design show "The Cut" and his kids' MTV show "Rich Girls." Built in 1999 on nearly five acres, the residence, known as "Appleyard Estate," boasts stone walls and a cobblestone courtyard, a professional grade theater and music studio, a massive pool and hot tub, and tennis courts. And it's just hit the market for $6.75 million.
Get a full look around

July 20, 2018

Meet the man filling potholes with mosaics of NYC vermin (and Donald Trump)

By Dana Schulz

Update 10:15am on 7/20/18: Jim Bachor tells us that the NYC Department of Transportation has already pulled up the cockroach, bouquet, Trump, and pigeon mosaics. If you recently saw a construction worker filling potholes around Manhattan and Brooklyn with mosaics and thought it was a bit off, you were right. This was Chicago-based artist Jim Bachor in disguise for his latest public art piece, "Vermin of New York." For the past five years, Jim has been filling potholes in Chicago with mosaics of everything from flowers to trash, and after a successful Kickstarter campaign, he recently brought his work to NYC. The series includes a cockroach, a rat, a pigeon, and Donald Trump (yes, you can drive over his face). 6sqft was able to talk with Jim about how he got into such a unique form of "guerilla" art and what the meaning is behind his latest series.
Read on for more from Jim

July 18, 2018

First phase of Bjarke Ingels’ BIG U storm protection system begins planning process

By Dana Schulz

In the wake of Hurricane Sandy in 2013, the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Rebuild By Design contest sought proposals for flood protection systems. Among the seven finalists was Bjarke Ingels' and One Architecture & Urbanism's BIG U, a flooding solution for Manhattan that doubles as a social environment. Now after five years, the first phase of the 10-mile barrier system is getting underway. Rebuild By Design and Good Old Lower East Side (GOLES) have released an RFP for a stewardship partner for the BIG U's East Side Coastal Resiliency Project (ESCR), a $335 million reconstruction of the 64-acre, 1.5-mile East River Park. With construction expected to kick off in spring 2019, the partner will "explore stewardship models with funding mechanisms that could enhance the long-term operating budget while addressing issues of equity."
All the details

Our 1,000sqft: Creative couple Amy and Brian show off their newly renovated Prospect Park South co-op

6sqft’s series “My sqft” checks out the homes of New Yorkers across all the boroughs. Our latest interior adventure brings us to the Prospect Park South co-op of an adorable and creative couple. Want to see your home featured here? Get in touch!

July 17, 2018

Our 1,000sqft: Creative couple Amy and Brian show off their newly renovated Prospect Park South co-op

By Dana Schulz

Back in 2015, 6sqft visited bubbly Amy Sprague at her Boerum Hill studio. Three years, two dogs, and one adorable meet-cute story later, Amy has moved over to Prospect Park South with her fiance Brian Schundler. After their dogs, Charlie and Ladybug, brought them together in the dog park, these two lovebirds decided to not only become homeowners but to undertake a complete gut renovation of their pre-war co-op. Brian, a landscape architect, favors mid-century-modern decor and minimalism, while Amy, a packing designer, loves vintage finds and earthy vibes. Luckily, this creative couple was able to mix their styles to create a comfortable home that uses clean lines and crisp architectural elements as a backdrop for their more eclectic finds and textures. Amy and Brian recently gave 6sqft a tour of their recently completed two-bedroom apartment and shared how the reno process went, how they mixed their aesthetics, and what it's like living with two 80+ pound pups.
Take the tour!

Your NYC library card will now get you free admission to 30+ museums

Photo inside the Guggenheim via Flickr cc

July 16, 2018

Your NYC library card will now get you free admission to 30+ museums

By Dana Schulz

For those New Yorkers who haven't gotten their IDNYC, there's now a new way to gain free access to museums across the city--your library card. Today, Brooklyn Public Library (BPL), the New York Public Library (NYPL), and Queens Library launched Culture Pass, "a joint library-led, city-wide initiative providing free access to more than 30 museums and cultural institutions across all five boroughs available to every NYC library card holder." According to a press release, all card holders have to do is go online to reserve a free day pass for themselves and up to three guests at 33 cultural organizations, from the Whitney Museum and MoMA (where regular adult entry is $25/person) to the Brooklyn Botanic Garden and Wave Hill.
All the details

July 13, 2018

The Urban Lens: Artist Paul Morris twists the NYC skyline into a colorful kaleidoscope

By Dana Schulz

6sqft’s series The Urban Lens invites photographers to share work exploring a theme or a place within New York City. In this installment, Paul Morris shares his digitally altered streetscapes. Are you a photographer who’d like to see your work featured on The Urban Lens? Get in touch with us at [email protected]. New York City is full of urban photographers, capturing streetscapes and buildings as they morph and grow and alter our neighborhoods. But very few can find a way to do this that is totally new, which is why the work of local artist Paul Morris is so refreshing. By juxtaposing his original photography with his graphic design skills, his large-scale patterns "capture and restructure elements discovered in urban landscapes to create innovative perspectives on objects found in everyday life." His latest series focuses on the city's biggest, and arguably most anticipated, new development--Hudson Yards. He's also created "False Mirror" images of everywhere from the Rockaways to the Financial District. Ahead, Paul shares with 6sqft an exclusive collection of his photos and chats with us about his unique process and inspiration.
See and learn about Paul's work

Places

Lottery opens for six middle-income apartments near the Greenpoint waterfront, from $2,100/month

197 Freeman Street via CityRealty

July 13, 2018

Lottery opens for six middle-income apartments near the Greenpoint waterfront, from $2,100/month

By Dana Schulz

197 Freeman Street via CityRealty A $2,255/month one-bedroom might not be the deal of the century, but compared to the fact that the same market-rate apartment is asking $3,115, it sure seems like a steal. At 197 Freeman Street in Greenpoint, just a few blocks from the waterfront and right near cool spots like the Lobster Join and Troost, six apartments are available through the city's affordable housing lottery to New Yorkers earning 130 percent of the area median income. They range from $2,100/month studios to $2,715/month two-bedrooms, and the newly constructed building offers a gym, roof deck, and laundry.
Find out if you qualify

Affordable Housing

Second Avenue Subway eases ridership at 4,5,6 stations by 30%

Photo via Flickr cc

July 13, 2018

Second Avenue Subway eases ridership at 4,5,6 stations by 30%

By Dana Schulz

The MTA has released updated ridership figures for 2017, giving an even better look at how the Second Avenue Subway is growing in popularity and impacting the Lexington Avenue line. By looking at the three comparative stations--96th Street, 86th, and 77th/72nd Streets--we can see that average weekday ridership on the 4,5,6 line has dropped 29.5, 29.2, and 23.6 percent respectively. More impressive is the fact that in 2017, the annual number of riders at the 96th Street station and 77th and 72nd Street stations were almost identical on both lines at roughly 8.5 million. And at 86th Street, the Q station hit 7.7 million riders, still impressive compared to the Lexington line's $14 million considering there are two express trains there, too.
A deeper dive

This Saturday, the off-limits Brooklyn Bridge Beach will open to the public

Photo via Flickr cc

July 12, 2018

This Saturday, the off-limits Brooklyn Bridge Beach will open to the public

By Dana Schulz

This Saturday is the 11th annual City of Water Day, a free festival organized by the Waterfront Alliance to get people to, on, and in New York Harbor and its surrounding waterways. The most anticipated event this year is the chance to access the normally off-limits Brooklyn Bridge Beach, located just north of Pier 17 in the Financial District. For years, Lower Manhattan civic groups have been advocating for the small, sandy beach under the Brooklyn Bridge to be opened to the public, and though it doesn't look like that'll be happening any time soon, the Alliance worked with the NYC EDC to grant access for this one special day.
Learn about all the events happening this Saturday

Events & Things To Do

Live one block from the G train in Bed-Stuy for just $1,074/month

By Dana Schulz

With the impending L train shutdown, the G train is looking better and better, and here's a chance to live less than a block from the Myrtle-Willoughby Avenues stop. The affordable housing lottery is for seven $1,074//month one-bedrooms, open to New Yorkers earning 60 percent of the area median income, at 901 Myrtle Avenue, a new 30-unit rental building.
Find out if you qualify

Affordable Housing

July 10, 2018

$14M townhouse in exclusive Upper East Side historic district looks like a European villa

By Dana Schulz

This lavish townhouse could easily pass for a Parisian or Italian home, but it's, in fact, hiding behind a traditional brownstone facade on the Upper East Side. Located at 234 East 61st Street, the four-story residence is part of the ultra-exclusive Treadwell Farm Historic District, which encompasses only two blocks. Though it was built along with its neighbors in 1873, the house underwent a unique interior renovation in 1910 that added its 21-foot vaulted ceilings and rear, arched addition that opens to the magical south-facing garden. Other stylistically unique architectural elements that have made their way in include the wrought iron railings, ornately carved marble fireplace, and etched glass windows. After last selling in 2006 for $7.9 million, it's now asking $13.9 million.
You don't want to miss this one

Four chances to live off the J train in Bushwick, from $947/month

Photo via CityRealty

July 10, 2018

Four chances to live off the J train in Bushwick, from $947/month

By Dana Schulz

Bushwick may not be the affordable, artsy neighborhood it once was, but a new affordable housing lottery will give four lucky New Yorkers a chance to regain some of that long-lost Brooklyn cheap factor. At 894 Bushwick Avenue, just three blocks from the J train at Kosciuszko Street, two $947/month one-bedrooms and two $1,072/month two-bedrooms are available to households earning 60 percent of the area median income.
See if you make the cut

Affordable Housing

July 10, 2018

Live across from Lincoln Terrace Park in Crown Heights for $822/month

By Dana Schulz

Right across the street from Crown Heights' Lincoln Terrace/Arthur S. Somers Park, a new affordable housing opportunity has come online. Ten units at the newly built rental 12 Ford Street are available to New Yorkers earning 60 percent of the area median income, ranging from $822/month studios to $1,070/month two-bedrooms. In addition to building amenities including a bike room, laundry, on-site parking, roof terrace, and fitness center, the park offers baseball and football fields, handball, basketball, and tennis courts, playgrounds, water features, dog runs, and outdoor exercise equipment. Plus, the park is in the midst of a $4 million renovation which will only enhance this value.
Find out if you qualify

Affordable Housing

SHoP Architects reveal ‘vertical tech campus’ at 335 Madison

A new bar/terrace at 335 Madison overlooking Grand Central, © SHoP Architects

July 9, 2018

SHoP Architects reveal ‘vertical tech campus’ at 335 Madison

By Dana Schulz

Since the announcement of One Vanderbilt more than four years ago, much attention has been paid to the controversial Midtown East Rezoning, which was approved last summer. Howard Milstein was one of many developers looking to take advantage of the rezoning, proposing a plan to raze the Grand Central-adjacent office tower 335 Madison and replace it with a modern structure that would expand the building's tech incubator. But he ultimately decided to forego the demo and undertake a $150 million renovation by SHoP Architects that more than doubles the square footage of Grand Central Tech and creates a new lobby and retail/amenity spaces for tenants. Renderings for the new "vertical tech campus" known as Company have now been revealed by Arch Daily.
More details and all the renderings

Architecture And Design

Governors Island is now open late all weekend

Island Oyster, via Trust for Governors Island

July 6, 2018

Governors Island is now open late all weekend

By Dana Schulz

In April, the Trust for Governors Island announced extended Friday hours for the 2018 season, allowing visitors to explore the island until 10pm. And now, thanks to a sponsorship from Grey Goose, they'll also remain open late on Saturdays, all the way to 11pm. "Late Saturdays" begin tomorrow and run through September 1st, with all ferries free after 6pm. As Governors Island says, "Visitors can now enjoy stunning sunsets overlooking New York Harbor, take leisurely bike rides around the Hills and visit Island Oyster for a Grey Goose Fair Winds Fizz specialty cocktail."
All the details

July 6, 2018

Lottery opens for 30 middle-income units at Bushwick’s Gothic church conversion

By Dana Schulz

A little over a year ago, an affordable housing lottery opened for 20 low-income units at The Saint Marks, a Bushwick church-to-rental conversion at 618 Bushwick Avenue. And now, 30 more below-market-rate residences are up for grabs, this time for middle-income New Yorkers earning 130 percent of the area median income. They range from $2,013/month studios to $2,564/month two-bedrooms. The former St. Mark’s Lutheran School and Evangelical Church retains its 1890 Victorian Gothic church and four-story former school building but has a seven-story addition from developer Cayuga Capital at the corner.
Find out if you qualify

Affordable Housing

Live in new ‘hipster haven’ Washington Heights for $1,705/month

Coogan’s Restaurant in Washington Heights, via CityRealty

July 5, 2018

Live in new ‘hipster haven’ Washington Heights for $1,705/month

By Dana Schulz

A recent Post article dubbed Washington Heights "the new Williamsburg," referencing census data that shows the upper-Manhattan 'hood has more millennials than any other area in the entire city. Noting that New Yorkers age 20 to 34 have been priced out of places like Bushwick, NYU adjunct professor of urban planning Michael Keane said, "they’re thinking, ‘Hey, Washington Heights is in Manhattan, it’s easy to get to Midtown, crime is down and the rent is several hundred dollars less.’" And this new middle-income housing opportunity at 516 West 162nd Street, is even less, with five one-bedrooms up for grabs for $1,705 a month and one two-bedroom for $2,055. By comparison, market-rate one-beds in the building go for $2,300 and two-beds for $3,050.
Find out if you qualify

Affordable Housing

Qatari fund closes on $600M Plaza Hotel buy

Photo via Wally Gobetz/Flickr

July 5, 2018

Qatari fund closes on $600M Plaza Hotel buy

By Dana Schulz

In May, the minority owners of the iconic Plaza Hotel, Ashkenazy Acquisition Corporation and Saudi Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, went into contract on the landmarked building, matching the $600 million offer made earlier in the month by a separate group of investors. However, reports out today tell us that the deal closed on Monday, with Katara Hospitality, a subsidiary of Qatar's sovereign wealth fund, buying the minority owners' 25 percent stake, along with Indian business group Sahara's 70 percent stake and hotelier Sant Singh Chatwal's five percent stake. Katara is the Qatar Investment Authority’s hotel division and this is their first foray into the NYC market. According to sources referenced by The Real Deal, the minority group decided to drop its bid because Katara offered greater “certainty” of closing.
The long road to selling the Plaza

Uncategorized

Live in Williamsburg off the G, M, J trains for $2,250/month

Photo via Wiki Commons

July 3, 2018

Live in Williamsburg off the G, M, J trains for $2,250/month

By Dana Schulz

Fear not the L train shutdown; this Williamsburg middle-income housing opportunity puts you just one block away from the G train at Broadway and the M and J trains at Lorimer. There are three $2,250/month one-bedroom units up for grabs at 37 Montrose Avenue for households earning 130 percent of the area median income, or between $77,143 and $122,070 annually. The five-story rental building, which was recently completed, has just 10 units and offers a laundry room and rooftop patio. The building website says it has "an industrial warehouse vibe with high-end finishes [and] original art throughout.
READ MORE

Affordable Housing

July 2, 2018

Where I Work: Go inside NYC’s first sake brewery at Brooklyn Kura

By Dana Schulz

6sqft’s series “Where I Work” takes us into the studios, offices, and businesses of New Yorkers across the city. In this installment, we’re touring Industry City's Brooklyn Kura, New York's first sake brewery. Want to see your business featured here? Get in touch! "It was my first ‘oh, my God’ sake which was made in the U.S.A." said Japanese-born sake sommelier Chizuko Niikawa-Helton when he tasted the product of Brooklyn Kura, NYC's first sake brewery and one of only 15 in the nation. And this is exactly what co-founders Brian Polen and Brandon Doughan strive for. They're committed to respecting the thousands-year-old Japanese sake brewing traditions, but they also hope to inspire a new interest in this ancient beverage by using unique American ingredients and engaging New Yorkers in the process at their Sunset Park brewery and tap room. After meeting at a mutual friend's wedding in Japan and developing a passion for sake, Brian and Brandon teamed up and got to work on their 2,500-square-foot space in Industry City, which combines the functionality of traditional Japanese breweries with a contemporary Brooklyn design aesthetic. 6sqft recently paid them a visit and had a drink in the tap room (yes, we agree with Niikawa-Helton that the sakes are "so soft, so gentle"), got a look at the sake making process, and chatted with Brian and Brandon about their journey, life at Industry City, and how they're turning New Yorkers into sake lovers.
Read our interview with Brian and Brandon and see inside Brooklyn Kura

The Bronx Night Market opens this weekend with nearly 40 local vendors

Images via Bronx Night Market

June 29, 2018

The Bronx Night Market opens this weekend with nearly 40 local vendors

By Dana Schulz

Starting at 4pm tomorrow, June 30th, the Bronx Night Market will officially be open for business in Fordham Plaza. The first of its kind in the borough, the free open-air market will have 40 vendors, 99 percent of which will be from the area, who will serve up “dishes and libations from all corners of the world with an unmatchable layer of authenticity and passion.” Not only will the items be priced reasonably, from about $3 to $7, but there will also be handcrafted items for sale and live entertainment from local performers.
Get the deets

Events & Things To Do

Lottery opens for 231 affordable units at Flushing’s new mixed-use development

Rendering via Monadnock Development

June 28, 2018

Lottery opens for 231 affordable units at Flushing’s new mixed-use development

By Dana Schulz

Three-and-a-half years ago, the Department of City Planning enlisted Monadnock Development to build a mixed-use project in downtown Flushing, Queens. Located at 133-45 41st Avenue and dubbed One Flushing, the development has 22,000 square feet of retail space, along with 232 all-affordable apartments, nearly 40 percent of which is set aside as supportive senior housing. Including low- and middle-income units, the lottery for these residences has just opened, ranging from $548/month studios to $2,302/month three-bedrooms. In addition to being just around the corner from the 7 train and adjacent to the Flushing-Main Street LIRR Station, the building offers a 156-space public parking lot, 24-hour attended lobby, laundry room, bike storage, tenant lounge and terrace, fitness center, and rooftop garden.
Get all the details

Affordable Housing

June 28, 2018

Head to 116-year-old Glaser’s Bakery before they close Sunday for NYC’s best black-and-white cookie

By Dana Schulz

Four months after they announced their imminent closing, Yorkville’s 116-year-old German bakery Glaser’s will serve its final treats this Sunday. They shared the news via a bittersweet Facebook post that read, "After many years of daunting hours and hard work, the third generation of bakers have come to the difficult decision to hang up their bakers’ hat and move towards retirement." Since last weekend, the lines have been wrapping around the block, with the bakers whipping up 1,650 of their black-and-white cookies at a time (they're widely regarded as the original and the best in the city).
Get a look at those lines

Uncategorized

Executive director of Transportation Alternatives Paul Steely White drives a vintage Mustang as the last car in Central Park. Via NYC Parks.

June 27, 2018

Central Park is officially car-free!

By Dana Schulz

At 7pm last night, the last car to ever drive through Central Park marked all of the park’s loop drives being permanently closed to traffic. Mayor de Blasio first made the announcement in April that after banning cars north of 72nd Street three years ago, the city would now prohibit them south of 72nd. Although vehicles will still be able to travel along the transverses, the new policy frees up a significant amount of space for pedestrians, runners, and bikers. To that end, Transportation Alternatives, a nonprofit advocacy group that has been pushing for the car ban since the '70s, teamed up with city officials last night to host a celebratory bike ride that trailed the last car to drive through the park.
More info ahead

Transit

All articles by Dana Schulz

Lottery opens for 160 affordable apartments near the High Line, starting at $702/month

Tommy Hilfiger’s former reality TV-famous Connecticut mansion lists for $6.75M

Meet the man filling potholes with mosaics of NYC vermin (and Donald Trump)

First phase of Bjarke Ingels’ BIG U storm protection system begins planning process

Our 1,000sqft: Creative couple Amy and Brian show off their newly renovated Prospect Park South co-op

Your NYC library card will now get you free admission to 30+ museums

The Urban Lens: Artist Paul Morris twists the NYC skyline into a colorful kaleidoscope

Lottery opens for six middle-income apartments near the Greenpoint waterfront, from $2,100/month

Second Avenue Subway eases ridership at 4,5,6 stations by 30%

This Saturday, the off-limits Brooklyn Bridge Beach will open to the public

Live one block from the G train in Bed-Stuy for just $1,074/month

$14M townhouse in exclusive Upper East Side historic district looks like a European villa

Four chances to live off the J train in Bushwick, from $947/month

Live across from Lincoln Terrace Park in Crown Heights for $822/month

SHoP Architects reveal ‘vertical tech campus’ at 335 Madison

This $839K co-op in an Upper West Side mansion has a presidential connection

Governors Island is now open late all weekend

Lottery opens for 30 middle-income units at Bushwick’s Gothic church conversion

Live in new ‘hipster haven’ Washington Heights for $1,705/month

Qatari fund closes on $600M Plaza Hotel buy

Live in Williamsburg off the G, M, J trains for $2,250/month

Where I Work: Go inside NYC’s first sake brewery at Brooklyn Kura

The Bronx Night Market opens this weekend with nearly 40 local vendors

Lottery opens for 231 affordable units at Flushing’s new mixed-use development

Head to 116-year-old Glaser’s Bakery before they close Sunday for NYC’s best black-and-white cookie

Central Park is officially car-free!

9 DeKalb Avenue in Downtown Brooklyn

All articles by Dana Schulz

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