All articles by Devin Gannon

May 5, 2021

See restoration plans for the historic Orchard Beach Pavilion in the Bronx

The landmarked bathhouse and pavilion at Orchard Beach in the Bronx will be restored to its original 1930s design and become more accessible to the public. The Landmarks Preservation Commission on Tuesday voted to approve plans from architecture firm Marvel, the Parks Department, and the city's Economic Development Corporation to reconstruct the deteriorating architectural gem. The project includes reinstalling and restoring limestone cladding, repairing the upper-level loggias, adding an ADA accessible ramp, and building an enclosed restaurant or event space.
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May 5, 2021

Landmarks approves scaled-down South Street Seaport mixed-use project

The Landmarks Preservation Commission on Tuesday voted to approve plans for a debated mixed-use project and a new museum in the South Street Seaport. The Howard Hughes Corporation presented a revised proposal for 250 Water Street that includes one 324-foot tower to be built on a parking lot instead of the two 470-foot structures originally proposed in January. The project also involves constructing a new building for the South Street Seaport Museum at 89 South Street.
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May 4, 2021

$7.9M hilltop brick mansion on Long Island has its own heliport

Not comfortable traveling via commercial airline yet? A mansion on Long Island with a private heliport is now available for $7,950,000. The grand property is found at 18 Gwynne Road in Melville, a wealthy hamlet located within the town of Huntington. In addition to the easy access to personal air travel, other special features of the home include an in-ground pool, home theater, indoor basketball court, and a fitness center.
Full tour here
May 3, 2021

Most capacity restrictions to be lifted in New York on May 19

Most state-mandated capacity restrictions in New York will be lifted on May 19, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced on Monday. According to the governor, this means restaurants, stores, gyms, salons, amusement parks, and offices can reopen at 100 percent capacity for the first time in 14 months. The six-foot social distancing guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will remain in effect at these places, which could still limit capacity depending on the space available. In anticipation of the reopening, on May 17, 24/7 subway service will resume.
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May 3, 2021

Macy’s annual Flower Show blossoms with hope and love

The 46th annual Macy's Flower Show opened on Sunday, transforming the Herald Square store into a whimsical floral oasis. This year's theme, Give. Love. Bloom., aims to inspire hope for New Yorkers after a tough year with grand gardens, flower displays, and larger-than-life butterflies taking over the store, the iconic windows, and even outside, at Herald Square Park.
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April 30, 2021

$12M modern home in Connecticut has a Greek temple-inspired amphitheater

A sprawling property in Connecticut that has a five-bedroom main residence, a 50-seat Greek-style amphitheater, tennis courts, and an indoor-outdoor pool, all spread across 100 acres, is on the market for $11,950,000. Designed by Gray and Organschi Architecture, the modern gem at 46 Senff Road was actually built into the hillside, constructed with a mix of granite, limestone, and Alaskan cedar to fit more seamlessly with the surrounding landscape.
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April 30, 2021

NYPL celebrates AAPI Heritage Month with books by Asian American and Pacific Islander authors

To mark Asian American Pacific Islander Month in May, the New York Public Library this week released a recommended reading list featuring books written by AAPI authors. The curated list includes books for adults, young adults, and children that "celebrate and foster a better understanding of the AAPI experience," according to the library.
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April 30, 2021

NYC’s Open Streets program to be made permanent under new legislation

The popular program that closed streets to cars for pedestrian use will be made permanent under legislation passed by the New York City Council on Thursday. The "Open Streets" initiative first launched last spring as a way to make social distancing easier and to reduce crowds at parks during the height of the coronavirus pandemic in the city. The bill, sponsored by Council Member Carlina Rivera, would provide some funding and resources to the largely volunteer-led program while ensuring the open streets are fairly allocated among communities.
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April 29, 2021

For $2.4M, this harborside Southampton cottage comes with a private beach

This available three-bedroom home is much more low-key than your typical beachfront Hamptons property. Located at 278 Towd Point Road in the Southampton hamlet of North Sea, the storybook cottage faces the North Sea Harbor and has its own private beach. Asking $2,350,000, the single-family home also has two outdoor decks, ideal for entertaining and enjoying the serene views.
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April 28, 2021

New York’s dining curfew ends, bar seating returns next month

Starting next month, the 12 a.m. curfew at New York restaurants and bars will end and bar seating will be allowed again, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced on Wednesday. Indoor bar seating, off-limits to customers in New York City since last March, will reopen on May 3. The midnight curfew will be lifted for outdoor dining on May 17 and for indoor dining on May 31.
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April 28, 2021

Leasing launches at Long Island City’s latest waterfront rental, from $2,900/month

One of the latest residential towers to rise on the Long Island City waterfront has officially kicked off leasing for its 200 market-rate apartments. Developed by TF Cornerstone as part of the redevelopment of Hunter's Point South, 5241 Center Boulevard is one half of a two-building project designed by ODA, with SLCE as the architect of record. One- and two-bedroom apartments start at roughly $2,900/month and $3,525/month, respectively, with concessions included, according to current availability.
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April 28, 2021

Share historic photos of your mom in New York City as part of a new crowdsourced map

A card and flowers are nice, but what about making your mom a documented piece of New York City's history? Tech nonprofit Urban Archive this week launched "NY <3 Moms," a new crowdsourced campaign in celebration of Mother's Day. The group is asking New Yorkers to submit photos of their moms or caregivers taken across the five boroughs that will then be added to their extensive digital map of historic images.
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April 27, 2021

Walk-up COVID vaccinations open for all New Yorkers at city- and state-run sites

In a press conference on Tuesday, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced that starting April 29, all state-operated mass vaccination sites will accept walk-in appointments for anyone age 16 and up. This includes the Javits Center, Medgar Evans College, and the Aqueduct Racetrack. Last Friday, the same rule went into effect for city-run sites. Previously, walk-up shots were restricted by age.
Details here
April 27, 2021

See the new $7M park coming to the Williamsburg waterfront

Construction officially kicked off this month at a new section of the Bushwick Inlet Park in Williamsburg. The long-awaited two-acre green space, dubbed 50 Kent, is scheduled to open in April 2022. Designs of the parkland, which was promised by the city as part of the 2005 rezoning of the Greenpoint and Williamsburg waterfront, were approved in 2018, but work stalled due to COVID-related budget cuts, as Brooklyn Paper reported.
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April 27, 2021

With a tourism comeback expected in NYC, the Plaza sets reopening date

A sign of New York City's recovery, The Plaza Hotel will reopen next month after closing its doors to guests for over a year. The iconic Central Park South hotel announced it will open its luxury rooms again on May 20, about 14 months after it first suspended services due to the pandemic. "For the past year you've been asked to stay home, The Plaza is now extending its formal invitation to return to New York," the hotel's website reads.
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April 26, 2021

Effort continues to restore New York’s Titanic Memorial Lighthouse to its original 1913 condition

The campaign to landmark and restore the Titanic Memorial Lighthouse, a monument in New York City built in 1913 to honor those who died aboard the Titanic, continues. Designed by Warren and Wetmore, the architecture firm behind Grand Central Terminal, the 60-foot-tall lighthouse originally sat atop the roof of the Seamen's Church Institute and featured a working time ball that dropped down the pole each day, along with a green light. Preservationists are now raising funds that would help restore the lighthouse, currently located at the entrance to the South Street Seaport, to its original condition.
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April 26, 2021

Cuomo expands capacity at museums, movie theaters, and sports arenas

Entertainment and cultural venues in New York will soon welcome more visitors. Starting April 26, capacity limits at museums and zoos will be raised to 50 percent and to 33 percent at movie theaters. Starting May 19, large indoor sports arenas can increase capacity from 10 percent to 25 percent, and outdoor venues from 20 to 33 percent. In addition, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced today that as of May 15, offices can increase capacity from 50 to 75 percent, casinos and gaming facilities from 25 to 50 percent, and gyms outside of NYC from 33 to 50 percent.
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April 26, 2021

41 affordable South Bronx studios available for $843/month

A new rental building in the South Bronx is now accepting applications for 41 affordable studio apartments. The 12-story project at 972 Washington Avenue is located in the Morrisania neighborhood, about a mile east of Yankee Stadium. Qualifying New Yorkers earning 60 percent of the area median income, between $31,406 and $50,160 annually for a one-person household and between $31,406 and $57,300 annually for a two-person household, can apply for the $843/month apartments.
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April 26, 2021

Classic Upper East Side cocktail bar Bemelmans to finally reopen in May

One of New York City's most storied bars will reopen next month following a year-long shutdown. Located inside the historic Carlyle Hotel on the Upper East Side, Bemelmans Bar will welcome guests back to the iconic mural-covered watering hole on May 11, the first time since last March. And for the first time in its nearly 75-year history, Bemelmans is now accepting online reservations.
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April 23, 2021

$3.9M penthouse sold at NJ’s tallest tower sets record in Jersey City

A penthouse at New Jersey's tallest residential building has sold for $3.9 million, setting a record for the priciest condo closing in Jersey City's history. As CityRealty reported, the 2,473-square-foot home sits on the 75th floor of 99 Hudson, an 889-foot-tall tower designed by Perkins Eastman and located on the waterfront.
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April 22, 2021

New details for 100% affordable housing complex planned for historic hospital site in Brooklyn

New details and images of an affordable housing development planned for the site of an abandoned hospital in Brooklyn were released earlier this month, ahead of the project's expected public review. During an April 13 meeting, Hudson Companies and St. Nicks Alliance presented Brooklyn Community Board 1 with an updated proposal for Cooper Park Commons, a four-building 100 percent affordable complex that will be built at the long-vacant Greenpoint Hospital site at 288 Jackson Street in East Williamsburg.
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April 22, 2021

See what a renovated Penn Station could look like

A dark and cramped Penn Station could soon be replaced with a light-filled transit hub with more space for commuters. Gov. Andrew Cuomo unveiled on Wednesday two possible options for the reconstruction of the Midtown train station as part of his broader Empire Station Complex project, which would unify an upgraded Penn Station and the new Moynihan Train Hall. The interconnected station would increase train capacity at the site, which is considered the busiest in the country. It could serve 830,000 daily passengers by 2038, up from 600,000 the station served each day before the pandemic.
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April 21, 2021

With panoramic views and rooftop observatory, this $4M Hamptons home resembles a lighthouse

A truly unique home in the Hamptons has just hit the market. Located at 14 Water Mill Heights Drive in the Southampton hamlet of Water Mill, the five-bedroom property sits nestled among trees, while also boasting panoramic water views thanks to its creative design. Asking $3,995,000, the home offers several living and dining areas, a curving wraparound deck, a heated outdoor pool, and a wine cellar.
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April 21, 2021

Here’s where to volunteer to keep NYC parks clean this Earth Day

This Earth Day, New Yorkers can give back to the green spaces that gave us so much during the last year by volunteering to help keep them beautiful. Several organizations and community groups are hosting cleanup sessions at parks across the five boroughs this week, allowing city residents to nurture their green thumbs, enjoy the springtime weather, and connect with nature. "There is no single greater resource than the natural world around us," Mitchell J. Silver, NYC Parks Commissioner, said in a press release. "The Earth offers us so much; it is our home and it is imperative that we work to protect, beautify, and preserve it." Ahead, find an Earth Day event happening in your neighborhood.
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April 20, 2021

Another Yayoi Kusama exhibition will be on view in NYC this summer

Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama's popular polka-dot pumpkins and grand floral sculptures have taken over the New York Botanical Garden this month as part of a new six-month installation. This summer, an exhibition featuring new paintings by the celebrated artist will open in Chelsea, providing New Yorkers another opportunity to enjoy Kusama's iconic work. Starting June 17, David Zwirner will display the latest art from her ongoing My Eternal Soul series, which first began in 2009.
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