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.
POLL: For $2.5 billion, is the Brooklyn-Queens Streetcar still a good idea?
August 24, 2016

POLL: For $2.5 billion, is the Brooklyn-Queens Streetcar still a good idea?

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When the Mayor officially endorsed the plan for a Brooklyn-Queens streetcar, the estimated cost to realize the project was pinned at $2.5 billion. Since then there have been plenty of purported roadblocks that some believe could balloon costs further, such as the claims that the 16-mile streetcar route would run entirely through flood zones and require two new bridges. But the latest comes via Crain's, who reports that the necessary train yard/maintenance facility for the cars may be the size of an entire city block and cost $100 million, which only adds to concerns that the Brooklyn Queens Connector (BQX) may become more of an economic burden than the city can take on. While that may or not be so, proponents maintain that the cars are absolutely necessary. Not only are a number of areas along the BQX's proposed routes underserved by existing transit, but with all of the new office and residential developments planned for Brooklyn's waterfront, the fact is, adding additional transit is a necessity, not an option.
More details on the train yard and share your opinion
MAP: Know where the city is spraying for mosquitoes and where there’s potential for West Nile
August 23, 2016

MAP: Know where the city is spraying for mosquitoes and where there’s potential for West Nile

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Thankfully, the city has found no mosquitoes carrying Zika, however, as of August 11, they've found 141 mosquito traps with the West Nile virus. If this makes you worry about every itchy bite you've gotten, this handy (albeit stomach-turning) map series may ease some anxiety. The Department of Health has created the Protecting NYC From Mosquitoes maps that show where and how many pests have been trapped on average each week, and what species they are, as well as the locations of catch basins, backpack larvaciding, helicopter and truck spraying, and standing water violations.
READ MORE
Donald Trump quintuples rent on his own campaign office now that he’s seeing donations
August 23, 2016

Donald Trump quintuples rent on his own campaign office now that he’s seeing donations

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Now that he's finally raking in funds from donors as opposed to cheaply self-funding his own campaign, Donald Trump is loosening the purse strings. The first order of business comes at his very own Trump Tower campaign headquarters, where he's nearly quintupled the monthly rent. According to a Huffington Post review of Federal Election Commission filings, his campaign was paying $35,458 a month from last summer until up March. But in July, when the donations started coming in, that skyrocketed to $169,758. This came with a reduction of paid employees and consultants, from 197 to 172.
What's going on?
Rent this historic-meets-modern Cobble Hill carriage house for $8,500/month
August 23, 2016

Rent this historic-meets-modern Cobble Hill carriage house for $8,500/month

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There's nothing quite like a converted carriage house, from the plethora of historic details to the petite frames hiding often lofty interiors. This beauty at 413 Degraw Street in Cobble Hill, currently renting for $8,500 a month, is no exception. Built around the turn of the century, its brick facade is punctuated by the signature double-wide doors with a cast iron transom, along with arched dental moldings and a handsome cornice. Inside, it's indeed spacious, and though the modern updates are welcome, some of the design choices seem to clash with the historic nature of the home.
See the whole place
Local writer raising $150,000 to save Langston Hughes’ $3M Harlem townhouse
August 22, 2016

Local writer raising $150,000 to save Langston Hughes’ $3M Harlem townhouse

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Prolific writer and leader of the Harlem Renaissance Langston Hughes lived at 20 East 127th Street, an 1896 brownstone, in the 1950s and '60s, until he passed away in 1967. As Curbed notes, in more recent years, the ivy-covered, landmarked home has been plagued by lawsuits over its use and maintenance. The current owner listed it for $1.2 million in 2009, but it didn't sell even after the price was lowered in 2010. Today, it's estimated to be worth more than $3 million, though it's sitting vacant with its paint chipping. But local writer Renee Watson has big plans for the house that don't involve a multi-million-dollar sale that could potentially gut the interior, where Hughes' typewriter still sits on a shelf. CNN Money reports that she's launched an Indiegogo campaign to raise $150,000 to rent the home, renovate it, and turn it into a cultural center for Harlem-based artists.
Find out more
Change the color of One WTC’s spire tonight; can NYC waterproof its subway?
August 22, 2016

Change the color of One WTC’s spire tonight; can NYC waterproof its subway?

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Tonight, you can change the color of One World Trade Center’s spire using a giant digital circuitboard in Brooklyn Bridge Park. [Untapped] The city has committed $91 million to revitalizing Far Rockaway. [Politico] Queens native Dalilah Muhammad was the first American to win gold in the women’s 400-meter hurdles. [NY Mag] Using $4 billion in federal funding, the MTA […]

For $7M, spend the afterlife in a crypt at Nolita’s Old St. Patrick’s Cathedral
August 22, 2016

For $7M, spend the afterlife in a crypt at Nolita’s Old St. Patrick’s Cathedral

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When 6sqft learned of Manhattan's last two burial plots for sale at the New York Marble Cemetery for $350,000, we thought that was some steep real estate. But it looks like the Basilica of St. Patrick's Old Cathedral in Nolita has them beat, as the Post reports that the historic Mulberry Street location is opening "its 200-year-old crypt to the public for the first time — selling a six-person family vault in the catacombs for $7 million."
More on where you can spend the afterlife
Weekly highlights: Top picks from the 6sqft staff
August 20, 2016

Weekly highlights: Top picks from the 6sqft staff

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Food Network’s Ina Garten Buys Former House & Garden Editor’s Park Avenue Pad for $4.65M Live on the High Line for $596/Month, Lottery Launching for 75 Units at New West Chelsea Tower Hudson Heights’ Famed Cliffside ‘Pumpkin House’ Returns for $5.3M $700K Greenwich Village Studio Fits Maximum Storage Into 500 Square Feet Naomi Watts and […]

App-controlled toaster will sear emojis or the weather forecast onto your toast
August 19, 2016

App-controlled toaster will sear emojis or the weather forecast onto your toast

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Toast can be a bit boring, especially in the days of rainbow bagels and Eggs Benedict, but this app-controlled toaster offers quite a few ways to jazz up your standard morning bread. By working with bluetooth, not only can Toasteroid control the brownness of your toast from your smartphone, but its searing technology can print everything from weather forecasts, reminders, doodles, and emojis on your breakfast.
Find out more
Tour the American Copper Buildings’ skybridge and roof, first look at its floating lap pool
August 19, 2016

Tour the American Copper Buildings’ skybridge and roof, first look at its floating lap pool

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After last week's rush of news surrounding the American Copper Buildings--the launch of its affordable housing lottery for 160 units and the first reveal of its interior renderings--6sqft decided to take a tour inside the SHoP Architects-designed project. JDS Development Group's dancing East River towers have become best known for their copper facade (made up of 5,000 metal panels) and its three-story, amenity-filled skybridge that hovers 300 feet above the site at 626 First Avenue. Not only did we walk through the bridge, but we also took a peek at the buildings' already greening copper patina, had a first look at the lap pool on the 28th floor that will float between the towers, and also checked out the insane views from the roof.
See it all this way
Car company MINI creates stylish, micro co-living concept
August 19, 2016

Car company MINI creates stylish, micro co-living concept

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Automotive manufacturer MINI began as a solution to a global oil crisis, and now the company is looking to address another major issue--a lack of attractive, affordable housing in urban settings. Not surprisingly, they've turned to a micro version of co-living. Called MINI LIVING, the installation showcases 323-square-foot apartments with fold-out shelving units that serve multiple purposes and blur the lines behind public and private in what they're calling a larger "micro-neighborhood."
Take a look around the space
VIDEO: The MTA tells all about dumping its subway cars in the Atlantic Ocean
August 18, 2016

VIDEO: The MTA tells all about dumping its subway cars in the Atlantic Ocean

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6sqft first learned about the MTA's interesting history of dumping old subway cars into the Atlantic Ocean through Stephen Mallon's insane photo series. The initiative began in late 2000 as a way to create artificial reefs and revive marine life along the Eastern seabed. Today, 2,400 cars now rest on the ocean floor in six states from New Jersey to Georgia, and we even got a peek inside them thanks to footage from novice divers at Express Water Sports, who lead scuba tours of the Bill Perry Reef system in Myrtle Beach, SC. Now, a video from the MTA itself (h/t Tracks) explains the history of the program, its financial viability, the environmental measures involved in the process, and some concerns about the reefs in the future.
Watch the full video here
LEESER Architecture dreams up an 80-story supertall for Downtown Brooklyn Macy’s site
August 18, 2016

LEESER Architecture dreams up an 80-story supertall for Downtown Brooklyn Macy’s site

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In April, initial details were released about Downtown Brooklyn's Macy's $100 million interior makeover, which included new columns, fluted ceilings, metal and glass entrance canopies, and video screens surrounding the escalators. This came after Tishman Speyer inked a $170 million deal with the department store in January, in which they'll remodel the 11-story Art Deco building's top five floors into offices. As part of the deal, Tishman also took control of the connecting Hoyt Street parking garage, a site that was speculated may give way to a supertall, mixed-use tower. Today, CityRealty.com posted a set of renderings from architecture firm LEESER showing a glassy tower rising from the existing department store. Although it is not the design being considered by Tishman Speyer, it does give us a taste of the type of modern development that could climb from the coveted DoBro address.
See more renderings
Cuomo wants to revive 421-a program with wage subsidies
August 18, 2016

Cuomo wants to revive 421-a program with wage subsidies

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One of the biggest snags in Mayor de Blasio's ambitious affordable housing plan (to add/preserve 200,000 such units over the next decade) has been his contention with Governor Cuomo over the city's 421-a program, which provides tax breaks for up to 25 years to new residential buildings that reserve at least 20 percent of units as affordable. The program expired in January, fueling concerns that permits for new rental units would drop as developers face skyrocketing land prices and be replaced with even more luxury condos. Now, after months of uncertainty, the Times reports that the Governor "has offered developers and union officials a wage subsidy for construction workers in the hopes of reviving [421-a]." His proposal was sent out as a single-page memo to residential developers on Tuesday night, presumably unbeknownst to de Blasio. Though it doesn't require union work force or prevailing wages, it does set a $65/hour minimum for projects south of 96th Street in Manhattan with 300 or more units and a $50/hour minimum for those of the same size along the Brooklyn and Queens waterfronts, $15 of which will be paid for by the state. These projects will be required to set aside 25 to 30 percent of units as below-market rate rentals.
More details ahead
Prisma Coffeemaker Makes Cold Brew in Just 10 Minutes
August 17, 2016

Prisma Coffeemaker Makes Cold Brew in Just 10 Minutes

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Walk down any busy street in New York during the summer, and it seems like every other person is sipping an iced coffee. Over the past few years, the trend has shifted from the traditional cup of joe with some ice cubes to the more sophisticated cold brew, which is made by steeping grounds in cold or room temperature water for 12 to 24 hours to yield a more full-bodied, less-acidic coffee. Though tasty and a welcome caffeine boost, cold brew is often not the most economical (a regular-sized cup can easily set you back $5) and making your own can be an arduous task. This is where Prisma comes in (h/t Mental Floss). The cold brew coffeemaker from home appliance company FirstBuild can produce an entire carafe of the refreshing java in 10 minutes or less.
How do they do it?
How NJ Settled Donald Trump’s Casino Debt; Lineup Announced For Architecture and Design Film Festival
August 17, 2016

How NJ Settled Donald Trump’s Casino Debt; Lineup Announced For Architecture and Design Film Festival

By

Investment firm bigwig Daren Metropoulos bought the Playboy mansion for $100 million, half the original asking price. [NYP] Tour this luxuriously sustainable new model apartment at Tribeca’s 60 White, which recycled 80 percent of its materials from the original structure. [Inhabitat] Donald Trump’s NJ casinos had a $30 million tax debt by 2010. But under Chris […]

POLL: Will the New York Wheel Revitalize Staten Island?
August 17, 2016

POLL: Will the New York Wheel Revitalize Staten Island?

By
Though the New York Wheel got its first shipment of crane parts last month, its opening has been pushed back from late 2017 to April of 2018, reports DNAinfo. Construction on the $580 million Staten Island Ferris wheel is still on track to finish up next year, at which time it will resemble the renderings, but "the wheel requires rigorous testing and commissioning that must be conducted to the highest standards," said its CEO Rich Marin. This is not the first time the project has been delayed, and it's also been plagued by financial issues (it went $300 million over budget) and legal battles, but the developers are still optimistic. In fact, they're projecting that the attraction will be more lucrative than the Empire State Building’s observation deck and bring in more than four million visitors during its first year. But is a giant Ferris wheel enough to revitalize an entire borough, especially the one that's for so many years been the black sheep of NYC?
Share your opinion
Excavation Work Begins at One Vanderbilt, Follow Its Progress on Instagram
August 17, 2016

Excavation Work Begins at One Vanderbilt, Follow Its Progress on Instagram

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Last week, a $1.1 billion lawsuit against One Vanderbilt was settled, giving the green light to the 1,401-foot project. Investors at Grand Central Terminal led the suit, claiming that the tower would divest them of the value of their air rights if developer SL Green was was allowed to proceed with construction as it was cleared to do under the controversial Midtown East Rezoning. Now that it's been dismissed, NY Yimby reports that excavation work is underway at the site of Midtown's future tallest tower, at the corner of 42nd Street and Vanderbilt Avenue. And Curbed points out that architecture buffs can stay apprised of construction progress through the building's new Instagram page.
Check out some construction shots
VIDEO: Watch One of NYC’s Largest Trees Get Taken Down and Turned Into Lumber
August 16, 2016

VIDEO: Watch One of NYC’s Largest Trees Get Taken Down and Turned Into Lumber

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When the Parks Department recently declared one of the city's largest trees dead (and therefore dangerous to those walking by), they turned to the experts at RE-CO BKLYN, a Ridgewood-based company that reclaims fallen NYC trees and produces live edge slabs and custom furniture. The circa 1870 European Elm tree lived in Prospect Park and was 75 feet high and more than seven feet in diameter with 18- and 24-inch limbs that were starting to break off in extreme weather events. But instead of simply ripping the tree up and dumping it in a landfill, Andrew Ullman, Brooklyn’s Director of Forestry, decided to enlist RE-CO to mill it and turn it into dry lumber that will be used to create a custom conference table for the NYC Parks Prospect Park offices.
Watch the full video here
3D-Printed Replica of Syria’s Lost Palmyra Arch Arrives Next Month; NYC’s Most Beautiful Streets
August 16, 2016

3D-Printed Replica of Syria’s Lost Palmyra Arch Arrives Next Month; NYC’s Most Beautiful Streets

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The most beautiful streets in the city. [Thrillist] A 12-ton, 3D-printed replica of Syria’s Arch of Palmyra (destroyed last fall) is coming from London to Manhattan on September 19th. The location has yet to be determined. [Untapped] The World Trade Center Mall opens today! [NYP] The city’s Economic Development Corporation set aside $10 million for “emerging” real estate […]

Where I Work: Tour Brooklyn wallpaper company Flavor Paper’s fun and futuristic ‘lair’
August 16, 2016

Where I Work: Tour Brooklyn wallpaper company Flavor Paper’s fun and futuristic ‘lair’

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6sqft’s series “Where I Work” takes us into the studios, offices, and off-beat workspaces of New Yorkers across the city. In this installment, we take a tour of the Cobble Hill studio of colorful wallpaper company Flavor Paper. Want to see your business featured here? Get in touch! Nestled among the charming streets and quaint rowhouses of Cobble Hill is the headquarters of a wallpaper company that's taken the art to a completely new level. Flavor Paper was founded in 2003 in New Orleans before moving to Brooklyn nine years ago. What started out as an attempt to salvage old equipment from a hand-screened wallpaper company on the Oregon coast has morphed into an internationally recognized brand--known for its bright colors, bold patterns, and plain-old fun aesthetic--with over 156 designs and collaborations with the likes of Lenny Kravitz and the Andy Warhol Foundation. 6sqft recently toured what the company calls their "Flavor Lair" (it houses their production facilities, offices and showroom) and chatted with founder Jon Sherman about what sets Flavor Paper apart from other wallpaper manufacturers, why he calls Brooklyn home, and the backstory on some of the most popular designs. We also got a sneak peak into Jon's personal home, a sexy abode located above the Skylab Architecture-designed Lair.
Take the tour this way
Harriet the Spy’s $5M Upper East Side Townhouse Finds a Buyer
August 16, 2016

Harriet the Spy’s $5M Upper East Side Townhouse Finds a Buyer

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In May, the Queen Anne-style townhouse said to have inspired the fictional Upper East Side home of "Harriet the Spy" hit the market for the first time in 70 years, asking $4.95 million. And in less than three months it's already entered entered contract, reports Curbed. Author Louise Fitzhugh lived on 85th Street, so it's no surprise that this gorgeous 1880s property at 558 East 87th Street sparked her creative juices. Located on the corner of a quiet and leafy Yorkville block in the Henderson Place Historic District, the 3,000-square-foot stunner overlooks Gracie Mansion, Carl Schurz Park, and the East River, "the perfect setting to get into covert shenanigans, à la Harriet," as 6sqft previously quipped.
See the whole place
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