All articles by Devin Gannon

Rent increase between 2% and 5% likely for NYC’s stabilized apartments

Photo by Avi Werde on Unsplash

May 3, 2023

Rent increase between 2% and 5% likely for NYC’s stabilized apartments

By Devin Gannon

The roughly two million New Yorkers who live in rent-stabilized apartments will likely see rents go up by the largest percentage in 10 years. In a preliminary vote on Tuesday, the Rent Guidelines Board, a nine-member panel responsible for adjusting the cost of rent for stabilized apartments, approved increases on one-year leases between 2 and 5 percent and increases on two-year leases between 4 and 7 percent. A vote determining the final increases will take place in June; the board historically has adopted rent hike proposals that fall within the preliminary range.
Details here

Policy

Lottery opens for 70 mixed-income units at High Line-facing rental in Hudson Yards, from $772/month

Photo courtesy of The All-Nite Images on Flickr

May 1, 2023

Lottery opens for 70 mixed-income units at High Line-facing rental in Hudson Yards, from $772/month

By Devin Gannon

A new high-rise tower in Hudson Yards launched a housing lottery last week for 70 mixed-income apartments. Dubbed the 30th and 11th Apartments, the mixed-use building at 606 West 30th Street sits across from the High Line and just south of New York City's newest neighborhood. Qualifying New Yorkers earning 40, 60, and 100 percent of the area median income can apply for the apartments, priced from $772/month studios to $2,592/month two-bedroom apartments.
Find out if you qualify

Affordable Housing

NYPL president buys Parisian-like penthouse in Nomad for $2.45M

Photo credit: Kristina Crane with Evan Joseph Studios

April 27, 2023

NYPL president buys Parisian-like penthouse in Nomad for $2.45M

By Devin Gannon

The latest notable New Yorker to own this unusual Nomad penthouse is Anthony W. Marx, president of the New York Public Library. Marx, who has overseen the nation's largest library system since 2011, picked up the pretty pad at 66 Madison Avenue this month for $2,450,000, according to city records. Previous owners of the one-bedroom co-op include an Emmy-award-winning casting director and a designer and fashion PR executive.
Details here

Real Estate Trends

Lincoln Center to host public celebration of Harry Belafonte’s life

Photo via Wikimedia

April 26, 2023

Lincoln Center to host public celebration of Harry Belafonte’s life

By Devin Gannon

New Yorkers will come together this week to remember one of their own. Harlem native Harry Belafonte, who died Tuesday at the age of 96, was not only a legendary performer and EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony) winner but a political activist who befriended and supported Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. during the Civil Rights Movement. At 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Lincoln Center will host a public celebration of Belafonte's life and his influence.
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7 ways to celebrate Earth Day in NYC

April 20, 2023

7 ways to celebrate Earth Day in NYC

By Devin Gannon

New Yorkers have been celebrating Earth Day ever since the holiday was created over 50 years ago. During the first observation on April 22, 1970, the city closed Fifth Avenue to traffic from Union Square to Central Park as part of an "ecological carnival." For the last several decades, New York City has marked Earth Day with environment-focused events, volunteer opportunities, and educational workshops. This year, honor Mother Nature by attending the city's largest-ever car-free celebration, taking in artwork that explores our relationship with Earth, learning about NYC's edible plants, shopping sustainably, volunteering at a park clean-up, and more.
Our picks here

Events & Things To Do

Carnegie Hill co-op owned by FDR’s granddaughter lists for $7M

All photos courtesy of Brown Harris Stevens

April 18, 2023

Carnegie Hill co-op owned by FDR’s granddaughter lists for $7M

By Devin Gannon

The Upper East Side home of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt's granddaughter hit the market this week. Sara Delano Roosevelt Whitney Wilford, the daughter of Betsey Cushing Roosevelt Whitney and James Roosevelt, the oldest son of FDR and Eleanor Roosevelt, lived in this nine-room residence at 1120 Fifth Avenue in Carnegie Hill. Wilford, who died in 2021, was a psychologist and professor at Sarah Lawrence College for more than three decades. Asking $6,995,000, the 3,000-square-foot co-op has picture-perfect views of Central Park and the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Reservoir.
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New Penn Station overhaul proposal adds Vishaan Chakrabarti to design team

All images courtesy of ASTM North America

April 17, 2023

New Penn Station overhaul proposal adds Vishaan Chakrabarti to design team

By Devin Gannon

Earlier this year, Vornado Realty Trust shelved plans to redevelop the area around Penn Station with several office buildings, citing poor economic conditions. Revenue from the proposed 18-million-square-foot redevelopment of Midtown West was expected to help fund the renovation of the despised transit hub. With that proposal on hold, an alternative plan has materialized that promises to leave Madison Square Garden in place and cost less money than the original project. And on Monday, the design team announced a new addition: Vishaan Chakrabarti of Practice for Architecture and Urbanism (PAU).
Details here

Architecture And Design

Yankees’ Aaron Judge reportedly scores Chelsea penthouse

All images courtesy of Related Companies

April 14, 2023

Yankees’ Aaron Judge reportedly scores Chelsea penthouse

By Devin Gannon

New York Yankee captain Aaron Judge has bought an apartment at a brand new luxury condo in Chelsea, possibly his home for at least the next nine years. According to the New York Post, the American League home run leader bought a condo at The Cortland at 555 West 22nd Street, a tower designed by Robert A.M. Stern near the Hudson River waterfront.
A real estate home run

NBA star and former Nets coach Steve Nash lists Cobble Hill townhouse for $6.25M

All photos courtesy of Leslie J. Garfield

April 12, 2023

NBA star and former Nets coach Steve Nash lists Cobble Hill townhouse for $6.25M

By Devin Gannon

About five months after he was fired as head coach by the Nets, Steve Nash has listed his Brooklyn townhouse for $6,250,000. As first reported by the New York Post, the NBA star bought the home at 82 Amity Street in Cobble Hill in November 2020 for just under $5 million. The 20-foot-wide five-bedroom townhouse measures roughly 4,200 square feet across four stories, in addition to a lovely private garden and a roof deck. A recently completed gut renovation makes the home move-in ready.
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Princeton manor designed by Mar-a-Lago architect lists for $4.3M

All photos courtesy of Callaway Henderson Sotheby’s International Realty

April 11, 2023

Princeton manor designed by Mar-a-Lago architect lists for $4.3M

By Devin Gannon

Over the course of his 50 year career, American architect Marion Sims Wyeth designed more than 700 projects in Palm Beach, Florida, including Mar-a-Lago, former President Donald Trump's current residence. Wyeth also designed this grand Princeton, New Jersey home, recently listed for $4,250,000. Built in 1927, the seven-bedroom manor at 91-93 Edgerstoune Road sits on a little more than three acres and boasts a bucolic backyard with an outdoor pool and a pond with a pagoda.
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Distinctive Homes

Popular Articles

The Upper East Side historic district’s oldest home asks $13.9M

All photos courtesy of Donna Dotan

April 6, 2023

The Upper East Side historic district’s oldest home asks $13.9M

By Devin Gannon

This remarkable Gothic Victorian rowhouse on the Upper East Side was built during the Civil War, making it the oldest building in the neighborhood's historic district. The red-brick townhouse at 129 East 70th Street was completed in 1863 as one of a group of five matching homes, of which only no. 129 remains. Located on a stretch of Lenox Hill called "millionaires' row," the home joins a block known for its mansions, affluent residents, and proximity to Central Park. Asking $13,900,000, the three-story, four-bedroom home has five wood-burning fireplaces, a front and back yard, and a stunning double-height conservatory.
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Distinctive Homes

A Bronxville home on the estate where the Kennedys lived asks $5.75M

Photo credit: Modern Angles/Julia B. Fee Sotheby’s International Realty

March 31, 2023

A Bronxville home on the estate where the Kennedys lived asks $5.75M

By Devin Gannon

A home on the Bronxville property where President John F. Kennedy once lived has hit the market. The Kennedy family lived on the six-acre estate known as Crownlands from 1929 to 1941. While the residence JFK called home for 12 years was demolished about a decade after the family moved, the property was later subdivided to make way for three new homes, as the New York Post first reported. One of the homes, a renovated 1950s Colonial, is now available for $5,750,000.
See it here

Ride a vintage subway car to Yankee Stadium for the home opener

Photo: Marc A. Hermann / MTA New York City Transit

March 30, 2023

Ride a vintage subway car to Yankee Stadium for the home opener

By Devin Gannon

Yankee fans headed to the team's home opener on Thursday can arrive in the Bronx in style. The New York Transit Museum will run its historic 1917 IRT Lo-V train and the beloved Train of Many Colors from Grand Central-42nd Street to 161st-Street Yankee Stadium. The trains will depart at 11 a.m. sharp, giving eager baseball fanatics plenty of time before the first pitch at 1:05 p.m.
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A new stinky corpse flower will soon bloom at the New York Botanical Garden

The corpse flower in 2018. Photo by Rhododendrites on Wikimedia

March 29, 2023

A new stinky corpse flower will soon bloom at the New York Botanical Garden

By Devin Gannon

New York City's famed foul-smelling flower is preparing to bloom. The Amorphophallus titanum, known as the "corpse flower" for the rancid odor it emits, is expected to bloom in the "next week or so" at the New York Botanical Garden. The unique flower, the largest unbranched inflorescence in the plant kingdom, takes years to form flower buds and has a bloom life cycle of just one or two days.
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Events & Things To Do

7-mile Harlem River Greenway expansion connects Randall’s Island to Van Cortlandt Park

Photo courtesy of Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office on Flickr

March 22, 2023

7-mile Harlem River Greenway expansion connects Randall’s Island to Van Cortlandt Park

By Devin Gannon

New York City is expanding the Harlem River Greenway to the Bronx. Mayor Eric Adams on Wednesday announced plans for a seven-mile continuous walking and biking path linking Randall's Island and Van Cortlandt Park. The new greenway aims to reconnect Bronxites to the Harlem River waterfront, which has been largely inaccessible since the construction of the Major Deegan Expressway in the 1930s.
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Bill Murray’s former 19th-century home in Snedens Landing asks $2M

All photos courtesy of Andrea B. Swenson/Ellis Sotheby’s International Realty

March 16, 2023

Bill Murray’s former 19th-century home in Snedens Landing asks $2M

By Devin Gannon

A 150-year-old Gothic Revival-style New York home that once belonged to actor Bill Murray is for sale. Built in the late 1860s, the charming four-bedroom abode at 124 Washington Spring Road sits within Snedens Landing, a quiet hamlet in Rockland County known for its many celebrity residents and Revolutionary War history. Murray lived at the home for several years during the 1980s before selling it in 1990, according to the New York Post. The home, known as "The Manse," is asking $2,075,000.
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Everything you should know about NYC’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade

Glucksman Ireland House NYU and NYU Pipes and Drums march in the NYC St. Patrick’s Day Parade, 2019 Credit: Kate Lord/New York University on Flickr

March 15, 2023

Everything you should know about NYC’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade

By Devin Gannon

One of New York City's longest-standing traditions returns this week. On Friday, March 17, the city's 261st annual St. Patrick's Day Parade will kick off on Fifth Avenue and 44th Street and travel up to 79th Street, with roughly 150,000 marchers in tow and two million onlookers. New York City hosted one of the world's very first St. Patrick's Day parades on March 17, 1762, more than a decade prior to the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
Plan your St. Patrick's Day

Events & Things To Do

Newark unveils monument honoring Harriet Tubman and the city’s Underground Railroad history

Photo by DreamPlay, Photographer Cesar Melgar; Courtesy of the City of Newark Press Office

March 10, 2023

Newark unveils monument honoring Harriet Tubman and the city’s Underground Railroad history

By Devin Gannon

A new monument to abolitionist Harriet Tubman was unveiled in a Newark, New Jersey park this week. Designed by NJ native and architect Nina Cooke John, Shadow of a Face comprises a two-story welded outline of Tubman with a circular wall that features a carving of Tubman's face, along with educational text and audio. Located in the recently renamed Harriet Tubman Square on Broad Street, the new monument replaces a statue of Christopher Columbus that the city removed in 2020.
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Events & Things To Do

Eugene Kohn, co-founder of prolific architecture firm KPF, dies at 92

Photo courtesy of Kohn Pedersen Fox (KPF)

March 10, 2023

Eugene Kohn, co-founder of prolific architecture firm KPF, dies at 92

By Devin Gannon

Eugene Kohn, who co-founded the influential international architecture firm Kohn Pedersen Fox, died on Thursday at the age of 92. Founded in 1976 by Kohn, William Pedersen, and Sheldon Fox, KPF has designed hundreds of buildings across the globe, with numerous notable skyscrapers in New York. Recent additions to the New York City skyline by KPF include One Vanderbilt, 10, 30, and 55 Hudson Yards, Brooklyn Point, and Two Waterline Square, among others.
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Architecture And Design

Artist Ai Weiwei lists Chelsea condo for $2M

All photos courtesy of H5 Property

March 7, 2023

Artist Ai Weiwei lists Chelsea condo for $2M

By Devin Gannon

Artist and human rights activist Ai Weiwei is selling his New York City apartment for $2,000,000. The oversized one-bedroom at 420 West 25th Street measures 1,400 square feet and features a flexible floor plan and an abundance of natural light. As first reported by Bloomberg, the condo has been staged with several of Ai's works, none of which are for sale but highlight the home's gallery-like space.
See inside

The Wing’s former HQ at historic East Village building lists for $22.5M

All photos by Tory Williams

March 7, 2023

The Wing’s former HQ at historic East Village building lists for $22.5M

By Devin Gannon

The New York City headquarters of the now-defunct women's-only co-working company The Wing is for sale. As first reported by Curbed, the landmarked brick and terra-cotta building at 137 Second Avenue in the East Village hit the market last week for $22,500,000. The Wing, which shut down last summer as a result of the pandemic, moved into the building in 2019, bringing the company's signature pastel colors and cozy, custom furniture to the 1880s building, which was once home to the Stuyvesant Polyclinic Hospital.
Details here

Distinctive Homes

See Jersey City’s $500M plan to redevelop a public housing complex into massive mixed-use community

All renderings courtesy of PS&S Architects

March 6, 2023

See Jersey City’s $500M plan to redevelop a public housing complex into massive mixed-use community

By Devin Gannon

An innovative plan to redevelop a public housing project in downtown Jersey City into a massive new community with over 600 units of housing is moving forward. The Jersey City Housing Authority (JCHA) voted to select WinnDevelopment to oversee the revitalization of the 80-year-old Holland Gardens complex, which involves razing all five existing buildings and constructing four new high-rise towers that will be home to senior housing, for-sale condos, public housing units, market-rate rentals, and community space. The $500 million project will be about 50 percent affordable, Mayor Steven Fulop announced last week.
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New photo exhibit explores what ‘home’ means to New Yorkers

Cinthya Santos-Briones “Aerialists,” from the series “Living in Sanctuary” September 25, 2017 Courtesy of the artist

March 6, 2023

New photo exhibit explores what ‘home’ means to New Yorkers

By Devin Gannon

A photo exhibition opening this month examines what it means to make a home in New York City. Museum of the City of New York's New York Now: Home exhibit features the photography and video work of 33 artists who have captured the diverse definition of "home," be it a physical place, feeling, or chosen community. Opening on March 10, the exhibition is the first installation of an ongoing photography series at the museum.
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Events & Things To Do

Ex-Good Morning America anchor Amy Robach and husband Andrew Shue sell NYC co-op for $5.1M

Street view of 59 Barrow Street © Google

March 2, 2023

Ex-Good Morning America anchor Amy Robach and husband Andrew Shue sell NYC co-op for $5.1M

By Devin Gannon

Former "Good Morning America" anchor Amy Robach and her husband Andrew Shue have sold their West Village apartment for $5,100,000, according to property records. The estranged couple put their co-op at 59 Barrow Street on the market last September and the property entered contract in November, just before news broke of Robach's relationship with co-anchor T.J. Holmes. Records show the deal closed at the end of February.
Details here

17-story Clinton Hill rental opens lottery for middle-income units, from $2,700/month

Rendering courtesy of the NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development

February 28, 2023

17-story Clinton Hill rental opens lottery for middle-income units, from $2,700/month

By Devin Gannon

A residential building rising next to a landmarked Gothic Revival church in Brooklyn is currently accepting applications for 42 middle-income apartments. Designed by DXA Studio and located across the street from Clinton Hill, the Parish House is a 17-story rental with 138 one- and two-bedroom apartments. Qualifying New Yorkers earning 130 percent of the area median income can apply for the apartments, priced between $2,700/month and $3,400/month.
Find out if you qualify

Affordable Housing

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