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.

September 1, 2017

Mixed-income Mott Haven building opens lottery for 163 affordable units, starting at $788/month

By Dana Schulz

Not only has Mott Haven been dubbed the next "it" 'hood, but it's become one of the city's top areas for large, new affordable housing sites. One such development, the three-building Crossroads Plaza, is a $157 million project from Douglaston Development that will all together bring 425 units of affordable housing to the South Bronx, as well as a 20,000-square-foot public plaza. The first building opened in 2015, the second the following year, and now the city is accepting applications for the final phase at 828 East 149th Street. The 163-unit building is open to those earning 60, 100, 110, and 120 percent of the area median income, and apartments range from $788/month studios to $2,120/month three-bedrooms.
Find out if you qualify here

Affordable Housing

City will convert long-vacant Greenpoint Hospital into hundreds of affordable housing units

View of the vacant hospital complex, via Google Street View

August 31, 2017

City will convert long-vacant Greenpoint Hospital into hundreds of affordable housing units

By Dana Schulz

It's been 35 years since the Greenpoint Hospital shut its doors, since which time the city has tried and failed to convert the vacant 146,100-square-foot complex into affordable housing. But Mayor de Blasio, explaining that the "the need for affordable housing in Greenpoint and Williamsburg is too high to leave even one stone unturned," will now seek proposals from developers to transform the site into anywhere between 300 to 600 below-market rate apartments and supportive housing, along with green space, commercial space, and a relocated 200-bed shelter and clinic (h/t DNAinfo).
The past and future of the site

August 31, 2017

Mod Connecticut home built for an original ‘Mad Men’ exec asks under $1M

By Dana Schulz

Just an hour outside of NYC in Stamford, Connecticut, a mid-century modern gem is available for sale for the first time in 65+ years, and it's got some serious celeb history. The Post reports that the late Oscar-winning actress Luise Rainer and her husband, publisher Robert Knittel, bought a 6.64-acre site in 1950, "where they enjoyed weekend getaways in a 600-square-foot cottage." After just a couple years, though, they sold the property to Lester Rossin, one of the original Madison Avenue "Mad Men" advertising executives. He added a stunning modern home, which was designed to host his "lavish, Hollywood star-lit parties," according to the listing. Both this main home and Rainer's cottage have now hit the market for $995,000.
Take a look around

Lottery opens for 74 affordable units at new Downtown Brooklyn rental, from $947/month

Image via Handel Architects

August 31, 2017

Lottery opens for 74 affordable units at new Downtown Brooklyn rental, from $947/month

By Dana Schulz

At the beginning of the year, Downtown Brooklyn's new 26-story rental tower at 210 Livingston Street, best known for having its own subway entrance, topped out, and it's now accepting applications for the 20 percent of units reserved as affordable housing. These 74 brand-new apartments are set aside for those earning 60 percent of the area median income and range from $947/month studios to $1,230/month two-bedrooms. In addition to the super-convenient location, all tenants will have access to an impressive suite of amenities (though many will require an additional fee), including a courtyard, 15th-floor landscaped terrace, roof deck with grills and a sun deck, lounge, game room, business center, laundry room, fitness center, and an underground parking garage.
Find out if you qualify

Affordable Housing

107 affordable units up for grabs in Brownsville’s Prospect Plaza, starting at $558/month

428 Saratoga Avenue, courtesy of Dattner Architects

August 30, 2017

107 affordable units up for grabs in Brownsville’s Prospect Plaza, starting at $558/month

By Dana Schulz

Back in April of 2016, 6sqft shared the first affordable housing lottery to come online at the Dattner Architects-designed Prospect Plaza. Located in the Brownsville section of East New York--which has seen a slew of new below-market rate housing after a controversial rezoning--the 4.5-acre development will include a total of 364 units of of affordable and public housing, a 22,000-square-foot supermarket, 12,000-square-foot community facility, and a rooftop greenhouse. As of today, New Yorkers earning 40, 50, and 60 percent of the area median income can apply for 107 of these apartments at 428 Saratoga Avenue, ranging from $558/month one-bedrooms to $1,224/month three-bedrooms.
Find out if you qualify

Affordable Housing

August 30, 2017

Katharine Hepburn’s former waterfront Connecticut estate sells for $11.5M

By Dana Schulz

The Old Saybrook, Connecticut home where Katharine Hepburn lived until her death in 2003 has sold for $11.5 million, according to the Post. New York-based developer and builder Frank Sciame paid $6 million for the 3.4-acre waterfront estate in 2004, first listing it for $14.8 million in 2014. The 8,368-square-foot home, built in 1939, sits on 1.5 acres and overlooks a private pond and 220 feet of secluded Long Island Sound beachfront. It also has another claim to fame--in the 1930s and '40s, Howard Hughes would land his seaplane on the property's private dock.
Tour the whole property

August 30, 2017

Foreclosure moves ahead at Billionaires’ Row supertall 111 West 57th Street

By Dana Schulz

Things have been shaky for 111 West 57th Street since it came to light last month that construction on the world's will-be skinniest skyscraper was stalled at just 20 stories after Property Markets Group's Kevin Maloney and JDS Development’s Michael Stern were sued by real estate investment corporation and owner AmBase. Trying to salvage their $66 million investment, Ambase filed an injunction to stop lender Spruce Capital from seizing the $1 billion project, but yesterday a Supreme Court judge ruled that a strict foreclosure could move forward, meaning AmBase will likely lose its majority ownership, according to Crain's. On the flip side, the developers will now be able to proceed with construction on the 1,421-foot Billionaires' Row tower, whose units started going into contract earlier this month.
The full story

De Blasio suggests adding contextual plaques to controversial city statues

Mayor de Blasio via Wiki Commons (L); Columbus Circle’s Christopher Columbus statue via Eden, Janine and Jim/Flickr

August 29, 2017

De Blasio suggests adding contextual plaques to controversial city statues

By Dana Schulz

Peter Stuyvesant and Christopher Columbus might stick around if Mayor de Blasio's "plan B" regarding controversial statues takes shape, according to the Post. In response to a proposal from City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito to remove Central Park’s Columbus statue based on accounts that he enslaved and killed indigenous people he met during his explorations, the Mayor said that many of the monuments in question may receive plaques that put their history in context instead of being completely razed. This came just moments after he announced that he'll still be walking in the Columbus Day Parade as it's about "ethnic pride." He also urged concerned parties "to take a step back" and not "prejudge" before an official city commission is assembled to review such monuments.
READ MORE

Policy

3 Hudson Boulevard gets new spire-less rendering as construction commences

Rendering via FXFOWLE/Moinian Group (L); Current construction shot via CityRealty (R)

August 29, 2017

3 Hudson Boulevard gets new spire-less rendering as construction commences

By Dana Schulz

Earlier this month, a new view of 3 Hudson Boulevard added a 300-foot spire, bringing its total height to 1,350 and setting it up to become the tallest tower in Hudson Yards and the fifth tallest in the entire city. However, CityRealty has uncovered another new rendering of the FXFOWLE-designed supertall, which was posted at the work site now that construction has commenced, and noticeably absent is the spire. While the superlative height isn't confirmed, the new rendering does maintain the updated design of a five-story retail podium, tapered body, terraces and "sky gardens," and a rooftop terrace surrounded by glass windscreens.
More details ahead

The Urban Lens: ‘Fifth Avenuers’ is a visual registry of the iconic street’s vibrancy and diversity

Photos © Nei Valente

August 25, 2017

The Urban Lens: ‘Fifth Avenuers’ is a visual registry of the iconic street’s vibrancy and diversity

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 Brazilian designer and street photographer Nei Valente presents his series "Fifth Avenuers." Are you a photographer who’d like to see your work featured on The Urban Lens? Get in touch with us at [email protected]. Fifth Avenue: the street that divides Manhattan east to west; home to many of the world's most prestigious museums and famous buildings; high-end shopping destination; the road to Central Park; office district. There's no one way to describe the thoroughfare, nor is there one type of person associated with it. It's this vibrancy that branding designer and street photographer Nei Valente set out to capture in his new series "Fifth Avenuers." Over several months, Nei used his lunch breaks to capture "the unusual mix of tourists, blue- and white-collar professionals, and shoppers," creating "a visual registry of people and moments from one of the most iconic avenues in the world." His editorial style and candid technique is not dissimilar from that in "Newsstands," in which he documented the changing face of newsstands around the city. Ahead, Nei shares all his photos from "Fifth Avenuers" and fills us in on what went on behind the scenes.
Get it all right here

Jewish rights group wants Peter Stuyvesant monuments removed over anti-semitism

By Dana Schulz

Earlier this week, the de Blasio administration said it would give "immediate attention" to a proposal from City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito to remove Central Park's Christopher Columbus statue based on accounts that the explorer enslaved and killed many indigenous people. And it looks like Peter Stuyvesant might be next on the chopping block. The Post reports that Jewish rights group Shurat HaDin-Israel Law Center is "demanding Mayor de Blasio scrub all traces of the anti-Semitic Dutch governor from city property" as part of the city's 90-day review of symbols of hate. Not only do they want monuments of him removed, but his name erased on everything from the public Stuyvesant High School to Stuyvesant Square Park to the entire neighborhood of Bedford-Stuyvesant.
Find out the full history

August 24, 2017

Hamptons estate that was F. Scott Fitzgerald’s inspiration for ‘The Great Gatsby’ asks $17M

By Dana Schulz

F. Scott Fitzgerald's cult-classic novel "The Great Gatsby," about hard-partying Long Island millionaires in the '20s, was inspired by actual soirees the author attended at mansions along the North Shore, aka the Gold Coast. One such locale, a French Normandy-style residence on Sands Point known as the Rumsey-Harriman Estate, is said to have inspired the book's fictional East Egg, and as the Post first reported it's just hit the market for $16,880,000. Designed in 1928 by none other than McKim, Mead & White, the 5.3-acre waterfront property was owned by Junior League founder Mary Harriman Rumsey, whose father was railroad tycoon E.H. Harriman and brother New York governor W. Averell Harriman. Fitzgerald spent a good deal of time at the home with Rumsey and her family, widely believed to have inspired Gatsby.
Take a tour

De Blasio considering removal of Christopher Columbus statue near Central Park

Photo via

August 23, 2017

De Blasio considering removal of Christopher Columbus statue near Central Park

By Dana Schulz

"Christopher Columbus is a controversial figure for many of us, particularly those that come from the Caribbean," said Puerto Rican-born City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito. According to DNAinfo, Viverito is calling on the city to consider removing the Columbus Circle statue of the Italian explorer as part of their larger 90-day review of "symbols of hate." She first introduced the proposal on Monday at a rally in East Harlem to remove another controversial statue, that of Dr. James Marion Sims, who achieved his title as the father of modern gynecology by performing experiments on slaves without consent and without anesthesia. Columbus, honored for discovering the Americas, is also believed to have enslaved and killed many of the indigenous people he encountered. In response, the Mayor's office said the proposal will receive "immediate attention." But of course, not everyone is happy about it.
Both sides of the debate

Policy

If you don’t mind sharing a bathroom, live in happening Hell’s Kitchen for $714/month

View of 330-332 West 51st Street via Google Stret View

August 23, 2017

If you don’t mind sharing a bathroom, live in happening Hell’s Kitchen for $714/month

By Dana Schulz

Just about a year ago, nine $774/month SROs at Stardom Hall at 330 West 51st Street became available through the city's affordable housing lottery. While it was quite the deal--more so for its location on what is arguably Hell's Kitchen's most foodie-friendly block--the units had shared-floor bathrooms and just kitchenettes. But if those aren't deterrents for you, 13 more units at the building next door, 332, are now up for grabs, asking $714/month. They're available to single persons currently residing in Manhattan Community Board 4 and earning 60 percent of the area median income.
See the qualifications

Affordable Housing

August 22, 2017

For $3M, a sprawling 1930s Tudor on Staten Island with pool and greenhouse

By Dana Schulz

The Staten Island enclave of Emerson Hill is one of the borough's most sought after thanks to tree-lined, winding roads, its secluded hill-top location offering panoramic views of New York Harbor, and, an impressive collection of just about 100 grand, historic estates. One such residence, a Tudor manor house located at 2 Emerson Drive, is currently on the market for $2,995,000 (h/t CIRCA). At an impressive, 5,000 square feet, the home is full of period details such as spider web stained glass, moldings and paneling galore, hand-carved fireplace mantles, and beamed ceilings. Plus, outside there's a large in-ground pool and a Gothic greenhouse, all surrounded by beautiful gardens.
Take the full tour

The top 12 websites and resources for no-fee NYC rentals

Lead image © Daxiao Productions – Fotolio

August 21, 2017

The top 12 websites and resources for no-fee NYC rentals

By Dana Schulz

6sqft's ongoing series Apartment Living 101 is aimed at helping New Yorkers navigate the challenges of creating a happy home in the big city. This week, now that the city is in high renting season, we’ve researched the best resources for finding a no-fee apartment. More than half of New Yorkers spend 30 percent or more of their income on rent. Tack on a broker's fee that could be as high as 15 percent of an apartment's annual rent, and that burden becomes even worse. Thankfully, there are more and more resources popping up to find no-fee rentals. Aside from the go-to listing aggregators, there's now roommate-share options, lease break sites, artist-centric search engines, and good old fashioned networking. 6sqft has put together our 12 favorite options, along with the basics of each so you can figure out what will work best for you and how to prioritize your search.
Check out the full list here

MTA will ‘modify’ Times Square subway mosaics that resemble the Confederate flag

Image via Wiki Commons

August 18, 2017

MTA will ‘modify’ Times Square subway mosaics that resemble the Confederate flag

By Dana Schulz

The day after Mayor de Blasio and Governor Cuomo announced plans to review and remove controversial public Confederate structures and markers throughout the city, the MTA says it will do the same. Well, sort of. Over 90 years ago, station architect Squire J. Vickers installed mosaics resembling the Confederate flag at the 40th Street entrance for the 1, 2, 3 trains to honor early New York Times owner and publisher Adolph S. Ochs, who had "strong ties to the Confederacy" and was buried with a Confederate flag when he died in 1935. But yesterday, MTA spokesperson Kevin Ortiz told Gothamist, "These are not confederate flags, it is a design based on geometric forms that represent the 'Crossroads of the World' and to avoid absolutely any confusion we will modify them to make that absolutely crystal clear."
READ MORE

Cuomo releases new renderings of Moynihan Station as major construction gets underway

Iage via the office of the Governor

August 17, 2017

Cuomo releases new renderings of Moynihan Station as major construction gets underway

By Dana Schulz

At a press conference this morning in the under-construction space, Governor Cuomo announced that major work has begun on transforming the James A. Farley Building into the state-of-the-art, 225,000-square-foot Moynihan Train Hall. Along with the news that the $1.6 billion project will create 12,000+ construction jobs and 2,500 permanent jobs, come new renderings of the station, showing more exterior views and looks at the 700,000-square-foot shopping and dining concourse.
All the renderings and more details this way

Stuyvesant Town goes green: How the 70-year-old complex is reinventing itself in a modern age

Photos courtesy of Stuyvesant Town

August 16, 2017

Stuyvesant Town goes green: How the 70-year-old complex is reinventing itself in a modern age

By Dana Schulz

"Think of us as a 1947 Cadillac retrofitted with a Tesla engine," says Marynia Kruk, Stuyvesant Town and Peter Cooper Village's Community Affairs Manager. Though the 80-acre residential complex's 110 red brick, cruciform-shaped buildings were constructed 70 years ago this month, their imposing facades are hiding an intense network of systems that, since 2011, have allowed the development to reduce its on-site carbon emissions by 6.8 percent, equal to over 17 million pounds of coal saved. To put this in perspective, that's roughly the same savings as 3,000 drivers deciding to bike or take the train for an entire year or planting a forest of 400,000 trees. This massive sustainability push, along with new ownership (Blackstone Group and Canadian investment firm Ivanhoe Cambridge bought the complex for $5.3 billion in October 2015), updated amenities, and an affordable housing commitment, is driving Manhattan's largest apartment complex into the future, and 6sqft recently got the inside scoop from CEO and General Manager Rick Hayduk and Tom Feeney, Vice President of Maintenance Operations, who is spearheading the green initiative.
READ MORE

August 14, 2017

Historic brick rowhouse asks $2.5M on a cobblestone street in Red Hook

By Dana Schulz

What Red Hook lacks in accessibility it certainly makes up for in charm, and this lovely two-family rowhouse at 168 Coffey Street is definitely worth some extra travel time. Built in 1867 as one of seven similar houses on the cobblestone block, it boasts a brick facade, quaint front garden, and a large backyard. Plus, if you don't mind commuting on the open seas, the $2.5 million home is just five blocks from the NYC Ferry stop.
Get a look

August 11, 2017

The Urban Lens: Fantastical photo manipulations reimagine Central Park and its surroundings

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, Spanish artist Dionisio González presents two series of digital photos showcasing Central Park. Are you a photographer who’d like to see your work featured on The Urban Lens? Get in touch with us at [email protected]. Architect and photographer Dionisio González has made a name for himself with his surrealist photo manipulations, which typically combine existing buildings and urban spaces with digitally drawn structures and landscapes. His latest two series take on Central Park and how the city's giant "void" relates to its surrounding skyscrapers. In his "Thinking Central Park" series, González fills the space with futuristic shelters. Conversely, in the black-and-white series "Dialectical Landscape" he adds empty spaces as aerial extensions of the park for recreation and transportation.
See them all right here

Places

August 10, 2017

Cuomo gives Con Ed one year to repair the subway’s power system

By Dana Schulz

Just in the past month, power problems caused 32,000 subway delays, prompting Governor Cuomo to direct "Con Edison to take significant and immediate actions to improve the subway's power reliability and prevent future service failure," according to a press release. Less than two months after declaring a "state of emergency" for the subway system, Cuomo's given Con Ed and the MTA one year to identify and repair the problems, the most comprehensive power review ever done, leaving them on the hook to inspect 470 manholes, 1,100 boxes, and 221 power substations at street level and 1,100 energy distribution rooms, 300 signal relay rooms, 15,000 track circuits, 11,000 signals, 13,750 insulated joints, 11,000 trip stops, 220 interlockings, and 1,800 switch machines below ground. The cost? It's not yet been officially calculated, but Con Ed chairman John McAvoy says it's likely to be tens of millions of dollars.
Get all the info

New renderings of East Harlem’s Sendero Verde, the country’s will-be largest passive house project

Renderings via Handel Architects

August 9, 2017

New renderings of East Harlem’s Sendero Verde, the country’s will-be largest passive house project

By Dana Schulz

Despite Mayor de Blasio's success meeting his affordable housing goals, East Harlem has fallen behind. As 6sqft recently reported, out of the 21,963 new units added in 2016, just 249 were built in East Harlem, prompting the city to expedite the construction of 2,400 affordable units there over the next few years. A large chunk of this will come from Sendero Verde, a massive, mixed-use development that will bring 655 affordable rentals to the block bound by East 111th and 112th Streets and Park and Madison Avenues. Back in February, Jonathan Rose Companies and L+M Development Partners released a rendering from Handel Architects of the 751,000-square-foot project, but now CityRealty has uncovered an entire batch of drawings from the firm that detail how it will be the country's largest passive house project and weave together the residences, a school, supermarket, and four community gardens, all surrounding a multi-layered courtyard.
More looks and details ahead

‘Delayed’ is Blue Point’s exclusive new Penn Station beer

Photo courtesy of Blue Point Brewing Company

August 9, 2017

‘Delayed’ is Blue Point’s exclusive new Penn Station beer

By Dana Schulz

What to do when sitting in Penn Station for hours waiting for yet another late train? A cold beer sounds like a good idea. And that's exactly the mindset that Blue Point Brewing Company is capitalizing on with their clever albeit gimmicky new "Delayed" pilsner. The cans resemble the station's departure board with the Long Island destinations showing as, you guessed it, "delayed." Newsday tells us that the cans will be available at Penn Station's Shake Shack starting Monday, followed by elsewhere in the home of the "summer of hell."
Find out about the beer's launch party

All articles by Dana Schulz

Mixed-income Mott Haven building opens lottery for 163 affordable units, starting at $788/month

City will convert long-vacant Greenpoint Hospital into hundreds of affordable housing units

Mod Connecticut home built for an original ‘Mad Men’ exec asks under $1M

Lottery opens for 74 affordable units at new Downtown Brooklyn rental, from $947/month

107 affordable units up for grabs in Brownsville’s Prospect Plaza, starting at $558/month

Katharine Hepburn’s former waterfront Connecticut estate sells for $11.5M

Foreclosure moves ahead at Billionaires’ Row supertall 111 West 57th Street

De Blasio suggests adding contextual plaques to controversial city statues

3 Hudson Boulevard gets new spire-less rendering as construction commences

The Urban Lens: ‘Fifth Avenuers’ is a visual registry of the iconic street’s vibrancy and diversity

Jewish rights group wants Peter Stuyvesant monuments removed over anti-semitism

Hamptons estate that was F. Scott Fitzgerald’s inspiration for ‘The Great Gatsby’ asks $17M

De Blasio considering removal of Christopher Columbus statue near Central Park

If you don’t mind sharing a bathroom, live in happening Hell’s Kitchen for $714/month

For $3M, a sprawling 1930s Tudor on Staten Island with pool and greenhouse

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

The top 12 websites and resources for no-fee NYC rentals

MTA will ‘modify’ Times Square subway mosaics that resemble the Confederate flag

Cuomo releases new renderings of Moynihan Station as major construction gets underway

Stuyvesant Town goes green: How the 70-year-old complex is reinventing itself in a modern age

Historic brick rowhouse asks $2.5M on a cobblestone street in Red Hook

The Urban Lens: Fantastical photo manipulations reimagine Central Park and its surroundings

Cuomo gives Con Ed one year to repair the subway’s power system

New renderings of East Harlem’s Sendero Verde, the country’s will-be largest passive house project

‘Delayed’ is Blue Point’s exclusive new Penn Station beer

9 DeKalb Avenue in Downtown Brooklyn

All articles by Dana Schulz

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