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.
January 12, 2017

Jeanne Gang’s $340M Museum of Natural History expansion gets new interior renderings, details

After the architects at Studio Gang tweaked their proposal for the American Museum of Natural History expansion to preserve more public parkland out front, the Landmarks Preservation Commission unanimously approved the plans in October. And now that things are moving ahead, and the price has jumped from $325 to $340 million, the institution shared new details about how the 235,000-square-foot Richard Gilder Center for Science, Education and Innovation will operate. The update comes with a fresh set of interior renderings, which include views of the Butterfly Vivarium, Insectarium, and other educational spaces.
All the renderings and details this way
January 11, 2017

Iconic ‘Miss Manhattan’ and ‘Miss Brooklyn’ statues return to the Manhattan Bridge

“Miss Manhattan” by Daniel Chester French. It was originally alongside the Manhattan Bridge, but was moved to the entrance of the Brooklyn Museum. Courtesy of the Brooklyn Museum. In the early 1900s, renowned sculptor Daniel Chester French was asked to create "two allegorical figures," a Miss Manhattan and a Miss Brooklyn, to stand at the Brooklyn entrance to the Manhattan Bridge. The granite women were removed, however, in the 1960s when Robert Moses decided to move them. They were then relocated to their current home at the Brooklyn Museum's entrance, but after a 10-year, $450,000 project, a resin replica of the original has returned to the bridge. As the Times tells us, sculptor and installation artist Brian Tolle (he's also responsible for the Irish Hunger Memorial) designed the new version to glow at night with interior LED lights and rotate "on two lamppost-like arms."
See the ladies in action
January 11, 2017

New mini documentary profiles Santiago Calatrava; Williamsburg’s Harry Potter-themed pasta restaurant

Pasta Wiz in Williamsburg is the Harry Potter-themed pasta restaurant you didn’t know you needed. [Gothamist] A new short documentary explores the life of Santiago Calatrava, specifically his work on the World Trade Center Transportation Hub. [Nowness] The city has a new dashboard with data from dozens of city agencies updated in real time. [Fast Co. […]

January 11, 2017

Live in ODA’s new Crown Heights rental from $845/month, lottery opening for 24 units

It's been over two years since ODA Architects first released a rendering of their rental project at 1040 Dean Street (formerly 608 Franklin Avenue) in Crown Heights. Featuring the firm's signature glassy, boxy aesthetic, the eight-story, 133,582-square-foot project rose on part of the site of the shuttered Nassau Brewery, just a block away from hot-spot food hall Berg'n. Of its 120 units, 20 percent will be reserved for those earning no more than 60 percent of the area media income, and starting tomorrow, qualifying New Yorkers can apply to these affordable units, ranging from $845/month studios to $1,022 two-bedrooms.
Find out more
January 11, 2017

From just $368/month, lottery opens for 107 affordable apartments in Crotona Park East

In April, the affordable housing lottery commenced for 79 units at Building A of the Bronx's Crotona Terrace development in Crotona Park East. Now, 107 additional apartments are up for grabs at Building B, ranging from $368/month studios to $1,740/month three-bedrooms, broken down for those earning no more than 30, 40, 50, 60, or 100 percent of the area media income. This mixed-income setup is similar to other projects in the Crotona Park East neighborhood, which was rezoned nearly six years ago to allow more residential in a historically industrial area to create increased affordable housing.
Find out if you qualify
January 11, 2017

First look at the $30M penthouse at Robert A.M. Stern’s 30 Park Place

The top-floor units at Robert A.M. Stern's 930-foot 30 Park Place have a way of making headlines. The 82nd floor penthouse, for instance, boasts the highest private outdoor space in the city, and the building's own developer, Larry Silverstein, recently snatched up the massive 80th floor spread for $34 million. But below these units are two duplex penthouses that span the 78th and 79th floors, notable for their double-height loggias that, as Curbed notes, have become a fixture in classic Stern buildings like 15 Central Park West and 520 Park Avenue. Curbed also got their hands on new photos of penthouse 78B, on the market for $29.5 million, which not only showcase the incredible views from the terrace, but new looks at the interiors.
More looks ahead
January 11, 2017

Norman Foster’s 50 Hudson Yards gets $195M in tax breaks from the city

When completed, Related Companies‘ and Oxford Properties Group’s 50 Hudson Yards will be the city's most expensive office building, coming in at $3.94 billion. To make starchitect Norman Foster's pricey vision a reality, the developers had filed an application with the New York City Industrial Development Agency to take advantage of financial incentives that were enacted in 2006 to encourage development in Hudson Yards. And according to a new report in Crain's, the agency has approved $195 million in such tax breaks, which include making fixed payments towards the 985-foot tower's development costs instead of paying property taxes that vary from year to year, as well as receiving a discount on the mortgage recording taxes.
Find out more right here
January 10, 2017

Vote to replace all of Monopoly’s tokens; Will NYC cultural institutions close on Inauguration Day?

Since launching in 1933, Monopoly has updated its token to reflect the times. Now, they’re letting the internet decide on replacements for all their tokens. [Gizmodo] Meet Ariel Kennan, the director of design and product under Mayor de Blasio. [Fast Co. Design] More than 130 artists and critics signed a petition calling on cultural institutions to […]

January 10, 2017

Gowanus Alliance reveals plans to bring Kentile Floors sign to new park

Two summers ago, the Gowanus Alliance teamed up with Gowanus by Design on their vision to transform the land underneath the elevated subway tracks on 10th Street between Second and Third Avenues into a public park that would serve as a home for the iconic but dismantled Kentile Floors sign. Now that the MTA has completed its repairs on the tracks above, Brooklyn Paper reports that the group has tapped Loci Architecture for preliminary renderings of what this space, dubbed Under the Tracks Playground, could look like.
Find out more this way
January 10, 2017

Construction update: FXFOWLE’s Circa Central Park nears the finish line

Last we heard from Circa Central Park, the circle-hugging Central Park north condo from architects FXFOWLE and developers Artimus, the lottery had launched for 10 affordable units in the building. Seven months later, with occupancy slated for this year and nearly all apartments sold, CityRealty stopped by the Harlem site to check on construction. They've shared some great views of the nearly-completed glass, metal, and brick facade, which utilizes "a brise soleil system of horizontal louvers and vertical fins" to reduce solar gain and add depth to the structure by highlighting them in bright colors.
More details ahead
January 9, 2017

Tower 28, Queens’ soon-to-be second-tallest residential building, gets new renderings

When it's completed in March, Long Island City's Tower 28 (formerly 28 on 28th) will be the tallest residential building in Queens at 647 feet and 57 stories--that is, until it's taken over by the 66-story Court Square City View Tower nearby (this will also overtake the 673-foot 1 Court Square as the tallest overall building in the borough). Though its superlative will be short-lived, Heatherwood Communities' rental at 42-12 28th Street will still offer panoramic views, which new renderings from architects Hill West tell us will be taken in from a top-floor observatory, as well as a host of swanky amenities to "rival any vacation destination." According to CityRealty, the new exterior and interior views also come with news that leasing will begin in March, ranging from $1,900/month studios to $7,500/month three-bedrooms.
More renderings and details ahead
January 9, 2017

Governor Cuomo announces six investments to advance NYC’s outer boroughs

Continuing his 2017 State of the State proposals, Governor Cuomo made an announcement this morning that the state would invest in six regional projects "to move New York City's outer boroughs forward." In addition to healthcare-related initiatives, these include: up to 3,000 new units of affordable housing in Brooklyn with wellness-focused amenities; permanent toll reductions on the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge for Staten Island residents; $10 million towards the Orchard Beach pavilion redevelopment; and $108 million in financing for the Kingsbridge Armory in the Bronx to be transformed to an ice center.
Get all the details ahead
January 6, 2017

Four Seasons pop up headed to New Orleans; wear Gowanus for $188

The owners of the Four Seasons are opening a pop up at New Orleans’ 71-year-old restaurant Brennan’s. [Grub Street] Skidmore Owings & Merrill’s massive Hudson Yards-adjacent project Manhattan West gets new interior renderings and a new name–The Eugene. [Curbed] A deep dive into vertical farms. [The New Yorker] Anthropologie is selling a “Gowanus” dress for $188, […]

January 6, 2017

Five ‘one-seat ride’ options to JFK Airport proposed by Regional Plan Association

Earlier this week, Governor Cuomo unveiled his latest nine-figure infrastructure proposal, a $10 billion overhaul of JFK Airport. As 6sqft explained, the plan address three main issues: "unifying all the terminals with an interconnected layout so the airport is more easily navigable; improving road access to the airport; and expanding rail mass transit to meet projected passenger growth." This final point included a direct rail link so that passengers traveling to and from Manhattan wouldn't need to ride the subway to connect to the AirTrain. The Regional Plan Association decided to explore this idea further, and in a report out today they've detailed five different approaches for a "one-seat ride" to JFK, which includes an extension of the Second Avenue Subway and a new underground tunnel.
All the possibilities right this way
January 6, 2017

SOM reveals official rendering for American Bible Society-replacing condo-rental tower

In the fall of 2015, the American Bible Society moved from their long-time home at Broadway and 61st Street to Philadelphia. Their Columbus Circle/Lincoln Center headquarters was built in 1965 by architects Roy O. Allen Jr. and Donald C. Smith of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, who created a 12-story Brutalist structure that was the first in the city constructed with load-bearing, pre-cast concrete exterior walls. But with the institution's recent departure came the sale of the building at 1865 Broadway for $300 million to AvalonBay Communities. The developer returned to the original architectural firm to create a new condo-rental tower at the site, and CityRealty has now uncovered SOM's first official rendering of what will replace their former work, which, interestingly enough, harkens back to the Brutalist aesthetic.
Find out more this way
January 6, 2017

New renderings of Court Square City View Tower, Queens’ future tallest building

When plans were originally filed in February 2016, the Long Island City skyscraper since dubbed Court Square City View Tower was set to reach 964 feet. In April, it got bumped up to supertall status at 984 feet, making it Queens' future tallest building. It's since been dropped to 66 stories, but according to a new project page from architects Hill West (formerly Goldstein Hill & West), it will still be Long Island City's tallest tower, and therefore the tallest in the borough. CityRealty first noticed the updated details, which come with the first true renderings of the 800-unit condominium at 23-15 44th Drive. In addition to 360-degree views of Manhattan, the tower will offer an all-glass curtainwall facade, a retail base, and a slew of corner-apartment balconies.
More details ahead
January 6, 2017

Lottery opens for 44 affordable senior apartments on Staten Island’s Stapleton waterfront

Go-to affordable housing firm Aufgang Architects and developer Arker Companies revealed renderings for a six-story, 67-unit building along Staten Island's Stapleton waterfront back in 2014. The under-construction project at 533 Bay Street, which offers low-income apartments for those 62 years of age and older, is now accepting applications for 44 of its units--three $686/month studios and 41 $737/month one-bedrooms, available to seniors earning up to 50 percent of the area media income. In addition to living in a brand-new building, residents will be in an up-and-coming area, where just a block away the massive rental development Urby is underway (the project boasts NYC’s first residential urban farm, as well as tons of retail space).
READ MORE
January 5, 2017

High-income renters on the rise in the Bronx and Queens

In November, 6sqft shared an analysis from RentCafe that showed the number of high-income renters in NYC has tripled over the last decade, with the number of renter households earning more than $150,000 annually increasing by 217 percent between 2005 and 2015, from 551,000 to 1.75 million. Now, DNAinfo has asked the site to break the data down further by neighborhood, and what it tells us is that Eastchester and Baychester in the Bronx and East Elmhurst and Jackson Heights in Queens saw the largest increase in wealthy renters.
Learn more and explore RentCafe's interactive charts
January 4, 2017

New York Times names the South Bronx one of the world’s top travel destinations for 2017

In addition to far-flung and exotic locales such as Kazakhstan, the Great Barrier Reef in Australia, Sikkim, India, and Marrakesh, Morocco, the New York Times has added to its list of "52 Places to Go in 2017" several cities across the U.S. on the cusp of gentrification or about to make a comeback. One of these is the South Bronx, subtitled as "an industrial neighborhood's revival." They point to the 'hood's declining crime rates, wave of new development, and, of course, burgeoning foodie scene.
Read the whole travel blurb here
January 4, 2017

Mini Metros shrinks and simplifies 220 transit systems from around the world

When D.C.-based graphic designer and transit enthusiast Peter Dovak tried his hand at creating a transportation-based app, he was taken by the clean, simple appearance of the icons he'd made for the navigation bar--small circles containing shrunken versions of metro or light rail systems. He's now designed them for 220 cities as part of his ongoing Mini Metros series, and made the colorful maps available as prints, mugs, and magnets.
Get a closer look
January 4, 2017

Inside Brooklyn’s greenhouse on wheels; Illustrating the characters at Carnegie Deli’s last night

Brooklyn’s custom-designed Tula Plant Truck is a first-of-its-kind mobile greenhouse that lets New Yorkers shop for and learn about plants. [Design Sponge] Looking back at the construction of the Second Avenue Subway over the past six years. [Untapped] Check out the $5.5 million D.C. home where Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump are reportedly moving. [Business Insider] […]

January 4, 2017

Norman Foster’s 50 Hudson Yards will be city’s most expensive office building at $4B

It's been less than a month since it was revealed that starchitect Norman Foster would be designing the Related Companies' and Oxford Properties Group's 50 Hudson Yards commercial tower, but the developers have already pegged the cost of the project at $3.94 billion, which will make it the city's most expensive office building, reports The Real Deal. The 985-foot tower, where BlackRock has already signed a 20-year lease for 15 floors, will surpass One Vanderbilt's projected $3.14 billion price tag and Bjarke Ingels' planned $3 billion+ High Line tower known as The Spiral, as well as One World Trade Center's current record of $3.8 billion.
Find out more
January 3, 2017

IDNYC adds 10 new institutions to its roster of free offerings for 2017

For the third straight year, IDNYC will remain free to all New Yorkers over the age of 14, despite concerns related to Donald Trump's request for data from sanctuary cities (h/t DNAinfo). Currently, more than 900,000 people are cardholders, which makes them eligible for memberships and discounts at 38 cultural institutions, 10 of which are brand new this year and include the Museum of Arts and Design, Museum at Eldridge Street, Film Forum, St. George Theatre, and the Jacques Marchais Center for Tibetan Art. Other perks include a 15 percent discount for first-time Citi Bike members, a five percent discount during certain times at Food Bazaar supermarkets, and up to 25 percent off select events at the Barclay's Center.
Find out more right this way