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.
October 24, 2016

Trinity Church reveals plans for $300M Pelli Clarke Pelli-designed tower to rise behind historic church

Trinity Church Wall Street was built in 1846 by Richard Upjohn and is considered one of the first and best examples of Neo-Gothic architecture in the entire country. But behind its historic steeple, which made it the city's tallest building until 1890, will soon rise a modern, 26-story, mixed-use tower. The Wall Street Journal reports that Trinity has revealed its design for a Pelli Clarke Pelli-designed building, which will be linked to the church by a foot bridge over Trinity Place. The new 310,000-square-foot structure will house the Trinity Church Parish Center at its base, along with a cafe, gymnasium, flexible space for classrooms or art/music studios, and church offices. Above the Center, on floors 10 through 26, will be commercial office space
More details ahead
October 24, 2016

Airbnb files federal suit against Governor Cuomo’s $7,500 fines on illegal listings

Back in June, the NYC legislature passed a bill that would impose fines of up to $7,500 on those offering illegal short-term Airbnb rentals, and at the end of last week, Governor Cuomo signed the bill into effect, reports the Times. The new regulation piggybacks on what's been the state law since 2010--that apartments can't be rented out for less than 30 days if the lease holder isn't present. Despite the fact that a recent report estimates 56 percent of the site's 2015 listings fell into this category, Airbnb is taking aim against the Governor, filing a federal lawsuit that says the new law "would impose significant immediate burdens and irreparable harm on Airbnb."
Find out more this way
October 22, 2016

Weekly highlights: Top picks from the 6sqft staff

Lottery opens for new Crotona Park East affordable development, units from $788/month SL Green breaks ground on One Vanderbilt, NYC’s second tallest tower – see new renderings Bethenny Frankel checks out Robert DeNiro’s former $20M West Village penthouse Amid declining bookings, new Trump hotel brand drops his name Listings go live for Extell’s amenity-filled Hudson […]

October 21, 2016

App would be the first to combine subway and bus maps; should the new Port Authority rise on the same site?

Every single real estate reference on the first season of “Sex and the City.” [Brick Underground] Governor Cuomo is seeking artists to design an LGBT memorial in the West Village. [DNAinfo] When the Statue of Liberty was renovated in the ’80s, this man spent $3 million on 50,000+ pounds of discarded materials from the statue and a historic […]

October 21, 2016

Renderings revealed for Gensler’s communal sky lobby at One World Trade Center

Tenants at One World Trade Center who occupy floors above 65 are required to change elevators at the 64th floor. When the building opened its doors two summers ago, the Durst Organization noticed that these elevator banks became a natural mingling area, and so decided to forego plans to make the space into offices and instead keep it open as an open sky lobby. Commercial Observer got a first look at renderings of the commons designed by Gensler, whose principal and design director Tom Vecchione referred to it as "a shared piazza for the entire building." In addition to a cafe, it will offer a game room and a 180-person meeting room that can be split into two or host fitness and yoga classes.
More renderings and details ahead
October 20, 2016

Annabelle Selldorf will design Frick Collection renovation

It's been almost a year and a half since the Frick Collection scrapped plans for a controversial expansion from Davis Brody Bond that would have gotten rid of the property's gated garden to make way for a six-story addition. The Times reports today, though, that the Board is moving ahead with a new version of the renovation, selecting starchitect Annabelle Selldorf from a pool of 20 firms who submitted proposals. She's already worked on museum renovations at the Neue Galerie and the Clark Art Institute in Massachusetts, and according to Frick director Ian Wardropper, "She’s somebody who has a clear vision of respect for historical buildings but at the same time has a clean, elegant, modernist aesthetic that is very much about welcoming visitors today."
Get the full scoop
October 20, 2016

Donald Trump’s childhood home goes to auction; $82M penthouse could be 432 Park’s second most expensive

The Tiles for America are back on display in Greenwich Village’s Mulry Square. [Untapped] Donald Trump‘s childhood home in Jamaica Estates has hit the auction block for $849,000, after originally listing for $1.65 million in July. [Crain’s] Explore Bob Dylan’s New York with this interactive map. [NYT] A 95th floor penthouse at 432 Park listed for $82 million, […]

October 20, 2016

Jean Nouvel’s MoMA Tower is getting the first of its intricate, diagrid skin

News at starchitect Jean Nouvel's condominium MoMA Tower (officially called 53W53) has been relatively quiet since units hit the market just over a year ago. But CityRealty brings us an update from the Billionaires' Row construction site, where the 1,050-foot-tall, tapered tower is currently getting the first of its intricate, diagrid skin, which the architect once said will resemble blood running the veins with its nighttime lighting.
More details and views this way
October 20, 2016

Listings go live for Extell’s amenity-filled Hudson Yards Skyscraper 555Ten

After launching its affordable housing lottery for 120 below-market rate units back in May, 555Ten has revealed pricing for its 478 market-rate rentals, ranging from $3,150/month studios to $6,250/month two-bedrooms. Designed by SLCE Architects and developed by Extell, the 610-foot, 53-story glassy skyscraper will offer an over-the-top amenity package (including a dog run, two salt water pools, and a bowling alley) and custom-designed interiors from McGinley Design. The model units are open for business, and we're told that the amenity spaces will start to reveal themselves later this week in anticipation of November occupancies.
Find out more here and get a first look at the model units
October 19, 2016

Inside the WTC Oculus’ Apple store; Indian fashion designer Sabyasachi Mukherjee’s new Pottery Barn collection

Bohlin Cywinski Jackson has revealed the design of their seventh Apple store in NYC, this one in Santiago Calatrava’s World Trade Center Oculus. [Architizer] Forget combining Gwyneth Paltrow’s penthouse with the apartment below; her downstairs neighbor just sold her loft for $3 million. [NYO] The number of cideries in New York has tripled since 2014, thanks […]

October 19, 2016

My 1,400sqft: Inside Puppet Maker Ralph Lee’s Live/Work Space in Westbeth Artists Housing

When the old Bell Telephone Laboratories building was transformed to the Westbeth affordable artists' housing in 1970, one of the original creatives to move in was Ralph Lee, a theater jack-of-all trades who is best known for his larger-than-life puppets and masks. His whimsical creations served as the props for the very first Village Halloween Parade, an event that has since grown into an annual, nationally-known event. Today, his characters from the early days of the parade adorn his eclectic live/work studio in Westbeth, where he still lives and continues to make puppets and masks for his company the Mettawee River Theatre. Ralph recently invited 6sqft into his space, where we got up close and personal with the puppets and were able to see how the magic happens.
Learn about Ralph's storied career and get a special look at his home and studio
October 19, 2016

Work begins on Norman Foster’s Red Hook office project, will be the continent’s largest timber structure

After revealing plans in June for Norman Foster's first commission in Brooklyn, Thor Equities now announces that work has commenced on Red Hoek Point, the 7.7-acre waterfront office campus. The press release also brings news that the project's two buildings, totaling 818,000 square feet, will become "the largest new heavy timber structure in North America."
More details ahead
October 19, 2016

Listings go live at 15 Hudson Yards, the development’s first residential building

In anticipation of its sales launch, 15 Hudson Yards released a slew of new renderings last month, showcasing "new views of the bundled quad of cylinders that make up its body, as well as its rectilinear base that will abut the Shed," as 6sqft reported. And now without further ado, listings for the 285 market-rate condos (there will also be 106 affordable rentals) have officially come online, ranging from a $3.7 million two-bedroom on the 25th floor to a $13.8 million penthouse on the 84th floor, according to Curbed.
Find out more and see renderings and floorplans
October 19, 2016

Lottery opens for nine $774/month SROs on foodie-friendly Hell’s Kitchen block

If you earn between $24,480 and $38,100 annually, live alone in Manhattan Community Board 4, and don't mind sharing a bathroom with your neighbors, this might be the housing lottery for you. Nine $774/month SROs are up for grabs at Stardom Hall at 330 West 51st Street in Hell's Kitchen. The brownstone tenement occupies half of a single room occupancy complex, one of only four left in the neighborhood. The units do come with kitchenettes, and there's a community room, backyard, laundry room, and on-site social services for low-income or formerly homeless households with special needs. Plus, it's located on one of the trendiest restaurant blocks in the 'hood (Ippudo, Aria Wine Bar, and Maria Pia, to name a few).
Find out about the controversy behind this project
October 18, 2016

Bill Ackman thinks he can flip One57 penthouse for $500M

When hedge fund manager Bill Ackman closed on a $91.5 million penthouse at One57 in April 2015, he had already boasted that he had no intention of ever living in the place, but that he'd host parties there and eventually flip it as a "fun" investment. It seems that over the past year and a half, Ackman, whose net worth is estimated at $1.6 billion, has gotten even more optimistic, as a source close to him told Vanity Fair that he thinks he'll be able to sell the 13,500-square-foot duplex for $500 million. As The Real Deal notes, this claim comes despite the fact that other units in the building have been recently listed at a loss and that his fund Pershing Square Capital is down to $11.4 billion under management from $20 billion in March of 2015.
More on this ahead
October 17, 2016

Oldest map of New York may become most expensive map ever sold at $10M

In 1531, Italian sailor and cartographer Vesconte Maggiolo created a "Portolan planisphere," a navigational chart of the known world, that included the first depiction of the eastern seaboard and therefore of New York harbor. Bloomberg tells us that the 6.7' x 3' map made of six goat skins is now in the possession of rare book and map dealer Daniel Crouch, who will put it up for sale for a whopping $10 million this Saturday at TEFAF art fair. If it fetches this price, it'll become the most expensive map ever publicly sold.
More on the map this way
October 17, 2016

These ‘Persian rugs’ are actually drawings; Will NYC’s TV production boom last?

Miami-based artist Jason Seife uses acrylic and ink to meticulously illustrate Persian carpets. [designboom] A closer look at Swale, the floating food forest docked at Brooklyn Bridge Park’s Pier 6. [Take Part] NYC is in the middle of a TV production boom, which contributed $8.7 billion to the local economy in 2015, a 21 percent increase since 2011. [Crain’s] […]

October 17, 2016

Amid declining bookings, new Trump hotel brand drops his name

Though sales at Donald Trump's Manhattan residential buildings are still selling at a premium, national real estate and business at his hotels are different stories. Politico reports that the Trump Organization--the umbrella under which all his self-branded ventures fall, from his clothing line to golf courses--has dubbed its newly launched hotel line Scion, clearly void of his moniker, but meaning "descendant of a notable family." Trump Hotels CEO Eric Danziger said in a press release, "We wanted a name that would be a nod to the Trump family and to the tremendous success it has had with its businesses, including Trump Hotels, while allowing for a clear distinction between our luxury and lifestyle brands." Though this may be true, it may also have something to do with the fact that, according to travel company Hipmunk, hotel bookings at Trump properties were down 58 percent in the first half of the year.
Find out more
October 17, 2016

Lottery opens for new Crotona Park East affordable development, units from $788/month

Almost exactly two years ago to the date, High Hawk LLC broke ground on a new 72-unit, mixed-income affordable housing development at a long-underutilized site at 1776 Boston Road in Crotona Park East. Known as the High Hawk Apartments, the eight-story building also offers three tenant recreation areas, commercial and retail space, a ground-floor community facility, and a below-grade parking garage. The city aimed to "increase income diversity" in the Bronx neighborhood by dividing the apartments with 18 reserved for households earning less than 60 percent of the area media income and 54 reserved for those earning less than 100 percent. The former group ranges from a $788/month studio to $1,182/month three-bedrooms, while the latter ranges from $1,208/month one-bedrooms to $1,683/month three-bedrooms.
Find out if you qualify
October 15, 2016

Weekly highlights: Top picks from the 6sqft staff

Saddam Hussein had a secret torture chamber across from Mayor Bloomberg’s UES mansion Live in Brooklyn’s tallest tower for $833/month, lottery launching for 150 units at 333 Schermerhorn Emily Blunt and John Krasinski drop $6M on a historic Park Slope townhouse George and Amal Clooney snag high-floor condo in Norman Foster’s Midtown tower Bethenny Frankel […]

October 14, 2016

Renderings revealed for High Line-adjacent condo on hot West Chelsea block

West 29th Street between Tenth and Eleventh Avenues is quickly becoming to Chelsea what Bond Street is to Noho--a delightfully concentrated mishmash of high-profile architecture projects. Over on the west side, this one-block stretch is already home to SCDA Architects' Soori High Line with its noted private pools, Cary Tamarkin's 550 West 29th Street, and Maestro West Chelsea, a 35-story trio of rentals. CityRealty now shares a look at the block's newest project, a 10-story, 61-unit condo at 519 West 29th Street from developer Six Sigma, which is distinguished by a glass facade punctuated by rectangular balcony alcoves flanked with green walls.
More news related to the project ahead
October 14, 2016

Win tickets to De Blasio’s Gracie Mansion Halloween parties; the architects who transformed the Guggenheim

Gracie Mansion is hosting three family-friendly parties during Halloween weekend for which you can enter to win tickets. [Gothamist] CBS is developing a new drama loosely based on the non-fiction architecture and urban design book “A Burglar’s Guide to the City.” [Fast Co. Design] Responding to surging construction accidents, SafetyCoverage.com is a new website that links developers and construction […]

October 14, 2016

Go ghost hunting at Mark Twain’s haunted and historic Connecticut manor

Edgar Allan Poe may be the American writer most closely associated with all things eerie and spooky, but surprisingly, the lovable Mark Twain has a haunted past of his own. The pristinely preserved Gothic mansion in Hartford, Connecticut where Samuel Clemens lived with his family between 1874 and 1891 (and where he wrote "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" and "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer") is said to be haunted by ghosts of Twain himself, his daughter Susy who died in 1896 of meningitis, and George Griffin, a freed slave who worked for the family. And if the paranormal activity associated with these spirits wasn't enough to give you goosebumps, just take a look at the dark, ominous house itself through these haunting photos by Imgur user Reacher that give us a taste of the hair-raising home.
Creepy photos and stories ahead
October 14, 2016

The Urban Lens: Meryl Meisler chronicles today’s artists and creatives of Bushwick

6sqft’s ongoing series The Urban Lens invites photographers to share work exploring a theme or a place within New York City. In this installment photographer Meryl Meisler documents the current artists and creatives of Bushwick. Are you a photographer who’d like to see your work featured on The Urban Lens? Get in touch with us at [email protected]. Earlier this year, TIME included Meryl Meisler on their list of "the greatest unsung female photographers of the past century," not surprising considering the great success she's had with her first monograph, "Disco Era Bushwick: A Tale of Two Cities," which documents the glam/gritty 1970s and ‘80s (more on that here). Now, after more than 40 years, she realized that Bushwick won't always be the artistic hub she's come to know and love, and therefore needed documentation. In her new exhibition "Bushwick Chronicle" (on view at Stout Projects until October 30th) she returns to her analog roots of printing in the dark room to display photos of "the artists, gallerists, journalists, and organizers of Bushwick." These images are paired with her illustrative painted photographs of Bushwick from the 1980s, as well as writer and art critic James Panero's musings on the area.
Get an inside look at Bushwick Chronicle