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.
March 13, 2017

First Trump Tower condo sells since Inauguration; Harlem may get a floating military-themed restaurant

Trump Tower sold its first condo since the President’s Inauguration, interestingly the buyer of the $2.2 million home is a Ukrainian shipping magnate heavily involved with Russian military equipment. [Mansion Global] A former Navy freight ship may become a military-themed restaurant floating in the Hudson in Harlem. [West Side Rag] Industry City-based designer Danielle Trofe talks […]

March 13, 2017

Related adding 15 art galleries around Zaha Hadid’s 520 West 28th Street

Related Companies is looking to expand on Chelsea's cultural character as a world-famous art district, as well as expand this "gallery corridor" north towards Hudson Yards, as part of an initiative called The New West Chelsea. According to a press release from the developer, they're adding 15 new gallery spaces around their luxury condo at 520 West 28th Street, the late Zaha Hadid's undulating High Line stunner. A new space called High Line Nine, which will be located next to the condo and under the elevated park, will be modeled on a European galleria, complete with nine "boutique exhibition spaces," a cafe/wine bar with outdoor seating, catering kitchen, and amenity packages. They'll also add four galleries within the base of the condo, as well as two stand-alone spaces on the block.
More renderings and details ahead
March 10, 2017

Renderings revealed for former Citicorp Center’s proposed new ‘Market Building’

The Midtown East skyscraper formerly known as the Citicorp Center, now called simply 601 Lexington Avenue, was made an official city landmark this past December, thanks to distinctive features including its 45-degree angular roof and base of four columns that resemble stilts. When designed by Hugh A. Stubbins & Associates in 1978, the site also included a privately owned public space with a connection to the Lexington Avenue-53rd Street subway station, which co-owner Boston Properties is now looking to update. They've tapped the designers at Gensler to envision a 200,000-square-foot "Market Building," which will consist of a new outdoor plaza and terraces, as well as an interior atrium space that will host trendy dining and retail options.
More renderings and details
March 10, 2017

Petition wants to keep the ‘Fearless Girl’ statue; Why does Trump want to buried in the middle of NJ?

Donald Trump proposed a mysterious pair of graveyards at the site of his tony golf course in Bedminster, NJ, one of which is for himself and his family. [Washington Post] Staten Island’s 139-year-old Holtermann’s Bakery offers staples from bygone eras like Pullman loaves, santarts, and their signature meltaway cake. [NYT] You can sign a petition urging Mayor […]

March 10, 2017

First look at the undulating outdoor decks and pools at CetraRuddy’s Midtown West rental tower

Algin Management's 700-foot-tall Midtown West rental tower recently reached 35 stories of its total 62-story height and now its lower floors are receiving their "sexy facade of curved glass and aluminum panels," according to CityRealty. Located at 242 West 53rd Street (the former site of Roseland Ballroom), the building was designed by CetraRuddy, who said their curvaceous silhouette was imagined as "a contextual sculpture surrounded by space, creating apartments that captured the views on all sides." These curving forms are mimicked on the multi-level deck from Terrain Work, who have just shared renderings of these undulating outdoor spaces, including the open-air swimming pool, rock garden that doubles as a rainwater collection source, and multiple gardens and patio areas.
More details and all the renderings
March 9, 2017

More renderings, details released for massive South Bronx waterfront development

Just two days ago, 6sqft brought you a brand new rendering of the second parcel at Somerset Partners and Chetrit Group's massive South Bronx waterfront development, and now, YIMBY has uncovered even more views of the full seven-tower, 1,300-unit residential project, along with some more specific details. The renderings come courtesy of Hill West Architects and also show the publicly accessible 25,500-square-foot public waterfront esplanade.
More details and another rendering
March 9, 2017

The hidden ferry history of NYC; Bjarke Ingels launches in-house engineering department

Ten fun ferry-related historical facts about the New York City waterfront. [Untapped] Tomorrow is the last day to apply for Stuyvesant Town’s affordable housing lottery. [6sqft inbox] Mets right fielder Jay Bruce is renting a luxury pad in Midtown’s Aalto 57. [NYP] Bjarke Ingels‘ firm BIG launched an in-house engineering department, catering to their technically ambitious projects. [Dezeen] […]

March 9, 2017

As the Mayor weighs options for loss of public housing funding, Trump considers $6B in HUD cuts

Just two days after newly appointed Secretary of HUD (the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development) Ben Carson went along with plans to cut federal funding to NYCHA by at least $35 million, the Trump administration is reportedly considering decreasing HUD's total budget by a staggering $6 billion, or 14 percent, according to a leaked budget draft obtained by the Washington Post. Though it's not clear how the cuts will affect NYC specifically, previous estimates said cuts to NYCHA's federal aid could easily balloon to $150 million this year, and Mayor de Blasio was already weighing his options for how to deal with the blow. The Wall Street Journal reports that he said yesterday he plans to put aside city money to help fill the gap, but if the city is "cut on many, many fronts simultaneously," there won't be enough to cover the loss in federal funding.
What happens next?
March 9, 2017

Take a virtual tour of the Waldorf Astoria’s freshly landmarked interiors

On Tuesday, the Landmarks Preservation Commission voted unanimously to designate most of the famed Waldorf Astoria's first three floors an official interior landmark. The decision came just a week after the iconic hotel closed for what's expected to be a three-year renovation and condo conversion. But for those who missed their chance to get inside before the doors shut, Google Maps has released a virtual 3D tour of the Art Deco interiors, including the Park Avenue lobby with its bronze-and-mahogany clock tower, Peacock Alley restaurant, the grand ballroom and balconies, and Louis Rigal's "Wheel of Life" mosaic made from 140,000 marble tiles (h/t Crain's). You can even go inside the Guerlain Spa and some hotel rooms.
Take the walk through here
March 8, 2017

New rendering for the Sheepshead Bay condo that’s the tallest residential building in South Brooklyn

As 6sqft noted just over a year ago when the project was first revealed, a 331-foot tower isn't even news in Manhattan or much of western Brooklyn and Queens, but "in the once-sleepy waterfront community of Sheepshead Bay" it's quite the headline maker. The 30-story building from Perkins Eastman Architects will, in fact, be the tallest residential building in South Brooklyn. Just last week, developer AvalonBay Communities launched a new website with info on the project's rental component Avalon Brooklyn Bay, and now, Muss Development, who's behind the condo portion known as 1 Brooklyn Bay Condominiums, has revealed details on these 56 luxury, high-rise units, as well as a brand new rendering of the glassy behemoth and how it's set to dwarf its surroundings.
Find out more
March 8, 2017

Airbnb may get into the long-term rental business; Tour Park Slope with Patrick Stewart

Airbnb is conducting a competitive analysis of Craigslist to assess getting into the sublet and temporary rental market. [Bloomberg] The neighbor of the late Joan Rivers, who had a five-year legal battle with the building and Rivers, is now trying her “shabby” apartment as a rental. [Douglas Elliman] A look inside Jacques Torres‘ new chocolate museum. [NBC] Here are […]

March 8, 2017

My 2,400sqft: Preservationist and arts champion Samuel Brooks shows off his Mott Haven rowhouse

Samuel Brooks has been living in the Mott Haven section of the South Bronx for the better part of 43 years, never budging in his passion for this vibrant area that's recently been dubbed the next "it" neighborhood. After buying a historic rowhouse within the Mott Haven Historic District 12 years ago (and then spending about nine of those scraping paint off the beautiful moldings!), Samuel is now a major player in Mott Haven's local community efforts--he's the President of the Mott Haven Historic Districts Association, runs an art gallery in his basement to exhibit local artists, and spearheaded the effort to transform his home this summer into the first ever Mott Haven Decorator Show House as a way to promote Bronx-based and up-and-coming designers. 6sqft recently paid Samuel a visit and toured his historic-meets-artsy home and learned all about his work putting Mott Haven on the map for reasons other than real estate development and food halls.
Tour the home and learn more about Samuel's preservation and community efforts
March 7, 2017

Herzog & de Meuron will turn Gowanus’ graffiti-covered ‘Batcave’ into an art production factory

Despite its Superfund status, the Gowanus Canal has ushered in a Whole Foods, an artisanal ice cream factory, and more than one high-end residential development, but one vestige of its gritty, industrial days has remained--the so-called Batcave. Build in 1904 as the Brooklyn Rapid Transit Company's Central Power Station, the warehouse was taken out of service in the '50s, becoming in the 2000s a home for squatters, venue for impromptu dance parties, and unofficial street art display. But it looks like the former warehouse will now join the ranks of its Brooklyn-esque neighbors, as the Times reports that Pritzker Prize-winning Swiss architecture firm Herzog & de Meuron will transform the space into an art production factory and exhibition space to be called the Powerhouse Workshop, though it will preserve the iconic graffiti
Get the whole scoop
March 7, 2017

Lottery opens for historic brownstone-replacing apartments in Harlem, from $659/month

The block of East 126th Street between Madison and Park Avenues was once a rare, uninterrupted row of century-and-a-half-old brownstones. But many of them sat vacant in recent years, their windows boarded up and adorned with graffiti. One of these was number 58 in the middle of the block. In 2012, its roof was caving in and its floors collapsing. The city deemed it structurally unsound, as the Times reported at the time, and slated it for demolition. Despite arguments from local preservationists that this would destroy the historic block's uniformity, the site was replaced with a new modern, mixed-use rental building that extends through to 125th Street. The building, which goes by 69 East 125th Street, topped off this past summer and now its 15 affordable apartments--20 percent of the total 75 rentals--are available through the city's lottery process. They're available to those earning 60 percent of the area median income and range from $659/month studios to $797/month two-bedrooms.
Find out more
March 7, 2017

NYCHA’s federal funding cut by $35M

Just a day after Ben Carson's confirmation as Secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) last week, the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) penned a letter not only inviting him to tour the city's public housing stock (the largest in the country) but urging him not to support budget cuts that would ultimately affect its 400,000 residents. Roughly $2 billion of NYCHA's total $3.2 billion operating budget comes from HUD funding, which is immediately needed for the thousands of apartments in dire need of repairs. But their worst fears have come true, as the Wall Street Journal confirms that Trump's first budget cuts geared towards the city reduce NYCHA's support by $35 million, the agency's largest decrease in federal aid in five years, and this figure could very well grow to an unprecedented $150 million.
READ MORE
March 7, 2017

Apply for 50 affordable units along Bronx Park, from $734/month

The Bedford is a $22 million, 10-story, 60-unit affordable housing building in the Norwood section of the Bronx. Located at 3160 Webster Avenue, right alongside Bronx Park and just a quick walk to both the New York Botanical Garden/Bronx Zoo and Woodlawn Cemetery/Van Cortlandt Park, the project offers a small number of units for formerly homeless New Yorkers and 50 apartments reserved for those earning 50, 60, and 80 percent of the area median income. Applications are now being accepted through the city's affordable housing lottery for this larger group, which range from $734/studios to $1,745/month three-bedrooms.
See if you qualify
March 6, 2017

Williamsburg wannabe Ridgewood gets a creative hub; Ikea’s new furniture is tool-free

Ridgewoood’s the Box Factory, a new hub for retail, dining, and creative office space, hopes to lure tenants from Manhattan and Williamsburg. [Curbed] In 2016, one-bedroom rents in NYC rose the most in the South Bronx. [NYT] Attend a panel discussion on Tribeca’s windowless AT&T building, thought to be an NSA surveillance site. [Swiss Institute] Ikea’s new […]

March 6, 2017

Airbnb listing at Trump Tower raises questions about security

Not even a $500,000 a day security bill or threat of frequent evacuations could stop Airbnb from infiltrating Trump Tower. The Times found a listing on the rental site for an apartment in the Midtown fortress that had been available since at least September until they last week contacted Airbnb, at which time it was taken down. The $300-$450 a night rental didn't explicitly state the address but was described as "the most secure and unique building" and asked that potential renters be "politically neutral" and not engage in political displays within the building. Despite these strange stipulations and the added nuisance of protestors and having to go through a Secret Service screening, the apartment is booked for most of the next few months, reviews are surprisingly positive, and it has a five-star rating.
But how did this all get past the secret service?
March 6, 2017

Luxe Noho developments embattled in a $10M lawsuit over a 20-foot alley

When the swanky new condo 1 Great Jones Alley began construction in 2015, part of the plan was to repave the 20-foot-wide, 137-foot-long Noho passageway with Belgian blocks and install a fancy new steel and mesh gate, turning this tiny street into a private walkway and driveway for residents. However, since the alley is not an official city street and is under the jurisdiction of the Department of Transportation, a 19th-century easement agreement said the other building that backs up to the alley, boutique co-op 684 Broadway, must also have access to it and retains part ownership. But the owners of the co-op are not happy with Madison Capital Realty's attempt to market the alley as a private amenity for 1 Great Jones Alley, and therefore have filed a $10 million lawsuit, according to the Post.
Get the full story
March 6, 2017

Waitlist opens for middle-income apartments at downtown’s historic Front Street

In 2005, the Durst Organization and COOKFOX Architects completed a restoration of 11 landmarked rowhouses along the historic, cobblestoned Front Street in the South Street Seaport, preserving the nearly 200-year-old structures. In addition, they constructed three new buildings on the block between Beekman Street and Peck Slip to offer a total of 13 street-level retail spaces and 95 residential units above. The New York State Housing Finance Agency provided more than $46 million in funding for the project, and as such stipulated that five percent of the apartments be reserved as below-market rate. Back in 2012, a waitlist opened for these units, and as of today, the next waitlist is accepting applications. The middle-income homes are available to those earning no more than 150 percent of the area median income and range from $2,268/month studios to $2,913/month two-bedrooms.
Find out if you qualify
March 3, 2017

Mapping the drinking habits of New Yorkers; the South Bronx’s affordable housing boom

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released maps that detail the health trends of New Yorkers, from diabetes and obesity to binge drinking to health insurance and checkups. [Gothamist] Looking at the slew of sophisticated, well-designed affordable housing developments coming to the South Bronx. [NYT] The Historic Districts Council has a fun new app […]

March 3, 2017

$10.6M Pierhouse is Brooklyn’s most expensive condo sold to date

It may pale in comparison to Manhattan's $100 million record-setter at One57, but a unit at Brooklyn Bridge Park's Pierhouse just closed for $10,669,579, setting the record for most expensive condo ever sold in the borough. Curbed first spotted the sale, which took the top spot from the $8.8 million penthouse sale in Dumbo's 1 Jay Street in September 2015.
Find out who the buyers are
March 3, 2017

With Ben Carson’s confirmation as HUD Secretary, NYCHA plans next steps

Retired neurosurgeon and failed Republican presidential nominee Dr. Ben Carson is officially the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), which will put him in charge of 8,000 federal employees and an agency with a $47 billion budget, tasked with overseeing most of the nation's affordable and public housing, enforcing fair housing laws, and providing low-income persons with mortgage insurance. The senate voted yesterday 58-41 to confirm his appointment; the relative lack of Democratic pushback was surprising considering Carson not only has no political experience, but no apparent knowledge of housing, development, or urban issues. Likely with this in mind, the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) has already extended an invitation for Carson to come tour the city's housing developments.
What's next for HUD?