All articles by Devin Gannon

January 31, 2024

$72.5M Greenwich Village townhouse sale is priciest in downtown Manhattan

An unnamed buyer paid $72.5 million for a townhouse in Greenwich Village, setting a new record for the property type in downtown Manhattan. As first reported by the Wall Street Journal, the home at 138-140 West 11th Street is a combination of two four-story 19th-century homes. The seller was Dexter Goi, the former CEO of Altice USA, according to the Journal.
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January 31, 2024

New York icon Pastrami Queen opening in Brooklyn

A classic New York delicatessen is moving to Brooklyn. Pastrami Queen, which has served pastrami sandwiches and other Jewish staples for nearly 70 years, will open in Dumbo’s Time Out Market, a waterfront food hall with an impressive number of highly-rated local restaurants. Pastrami Queen will open at 55 Water Street on Thursday, February 1, according to Time Out New York.
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January 30, 2024

Major Cycladic art installation opens at The Met

A historic collaboration between the Greek state and The Metropolitan Museum of Art is bringing an installation of Cycladic masterpieces to New York City. Last week the museum unveiled a display of 161 works made in the Cyclades, a group of islands in the Aegean Sea, mostly in the Early Bronze Age, from the private collection of billionaire philanthropist Leonard N. Stern. Objects on display include the major types of Cycladic marble figurines and range in size from a small-scale figure to a reclining female figure that is more than four feet long.
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January 29, 2024

Frank Lloyd Wright’s horseshoe-shaped home in Connecticut sells for $6M

A 1950s Connecticut home designed by Frank Lloyd Wright has sold for $6 million. Known as "Tirranna," an Australian Aboriginal word meaning "running waters," the home at 432 Frogtown Road in New Canaan measures over 7,000 square feet and sits on 14 acres, making it one of the largest private residences ever completed by the famous architect. The horseshoe-shaped home, which cantilevers over a pond and waterfall, has had only four owners in the last 70 years, according to Mansion Global. The property was listed in May by Coldwell Banker Realty's Marsha Charles and Albert Safdie for $8 million and closed last week.
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January 25, 2024

Longtime UES home of Barbara Walters back on the market for $17M after deal falls through

The Upper East Side home of late journalist Barbara Walters is back on the market after the buyer backed out of a deal signed last year, the New York Post reported. The apartment at 944 Fifth Avenue was first listed in April 2023 for $19,750,000 before dropping in price to $17,750,000 and entering contract in November. 
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January 24, 2024

Adams looks to develop 24 affordable housing projects on public sites across NYC

The city will push forward 24 residential developments on city-owned properties across the five boroughs. During his State of the City address on Wednesday, Mayor Eric Adams unveiled several proposals addressing the ongoing housing crisis, including a new initiative called "24 in 24." The plan calls for two dozen affordable housing projects on public land, which could create and preserve over 12,000 affordable apartments.
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January 23, 2024

NYC to curb ‘community preference’ policy in affordable housing lotteries

New York City will restrict the preference it gives to residents applying for an affordable apartment within their community district according to a settlement reached on Monday. Under the current policy, 50 percent of affordable apartments are set aside for New Yorkers who live in the same neighborhood as the development, known as “community preference." After a lawsuit first filed in 2015 challenging the policy as discriminatory, a new order signed Monday caps the preference to 20 percent of units through 2029 and then to 15 percent after that.
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January 22, 2024

NYC’s latest film studio is opening in Long Island City this year

New York City's latest film studio will open in Long Island City this year. Taking up the upper three floors of a five-story development at 23-30 Borden Avenue, Borden Studios includes four sound stages, office and support space, and more than 8,800 square feet of outdoor space, including a rooftop terrace. Developed by Innovo Property Group and operated by The MBS Group, the studio is expected to open this spring.
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January 18, 2024

Central Park Tower penthouse last listed for $149.5M finds buyer

Only two weeks into 2024 and New York City is already seeing record real estate deals. A 12,557-square-foot penthouse in Central Park Tower at 217 West 57th Street has entered contract, as first reported by the Wall Street Journal. The duplex condo at the Billionaires’ Row tower, considered the tallest residential building in the Western Hemisphere, was first listed in March for $175 million and most recently asked $149.5 million, according to CityRealty. The final deal turned out to be closer to $115 million, according to the Journal. The buyer has not been named.
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January 9, 2024

Hochul wants to extend the Second Avenue Subway west into Harlem

The Q train may go even further. During her State of the State address Tuesday, Gov. Kathy Hochul backed a plan to extend the Second Avenue Subway west along 125th Street with three new stops at Lenox Avenue, St. Nicholas Avenue, and Broadway. The announcement comes as construction prepares to kick off on the second phase of the line, bringing the Q line up to 125th Street in East Harlem.
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January 9, 2024

NYC developers filed plans for just 9,909 housing units in 2023

In 2023, housing production in New York City slowed dramatically. According to a new Real Estate Board of New York report, developers filed 285 multi-family foundation plan applications with just 9,909 apartments proposed, a 78 percent drop in total unit filings from 2022 when there were over 45,500 units proposed. The number of dwelling units proposed last year is 50 percent of the roughly 20,000 units produced per year between 2000 and 2020. REBNY blames the expiration of the 421-a tax break for the major decline.
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January 8, 2024

Plans to demolish landmarked West-Park Presbyterian Church on hold

A historic Upper West Side church lives to fight another day. The West-Park Presbyterian Church on Friday withdrew its request to the Landmarks Preservation Commission to demolish the 19th-century Romanesque Revival building at Amsterdam Avenue and West 86th Street. The congregation could not afford the estimated $50 million in urgent repairs needed at the 135-year-old property and sought permission from the commission to demolish the landmarked building with the hopes of selling it to a developer. The church’s application was withdrawn ahead of a vote by LPC scheduled for this Tuesday, but the congregation said it will resubmit in the future.
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January 5, 2024

Apply for 87 income-restricted apartments in prime Fort Greene, from $910/month

Applications are now being accepted for 87 affordable apartments at a new mixed-use project in Fort Greene. The Hanson Place Community Plaza development at 142 South Portland Avenue has 104 apartments, 10,000 square feet of community space, and a prime location, just a block from the mall and transit hub at Atlantic Avenue and the Barclays Center. Qualifying New Yorkers earning 50, 60, and 140 percent of the area median income can apply for the apartments, priced from $910/ month for studios to $3,654/month for three-bedrooms.
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January 4, 2024

NYC subway trains collide near 96th Street, causing minor derailment

Service on the 1, 2, and 3 trains in Manhattan remains disrupted Friday morning after a subway train on the Upper West Side derailed. Around 3 p.m. on Thursday, a 1 train with roughly 300 commuters on board hit a work train as it was merging onto the northbound track north of 96th Street. According to emergency personnel, 24 passengers sustained injuries, none of which were life-threatening.
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December 28, 2023

Announcing 6sqft’s 2023 Building of the Year!

The votes are in. 6sqft's 2023 Building of the Year is 50 West 66th Street, a striking skyscraper currently under construction on the Upper West Side. Soon to be the neighborhood's tallest building, 50 West 66th Street snagged first place in our annual competition, receiving 334 votes of the nearly 1,200 total votes cast. Developed by Extell and designed by Snøhetta, the 775-foot-tall residential tower will offer 127 luxury homes and over 50,000 square feet of amenities.
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December 22, 2023

Queensboro Plaza station will be closed every weekend in January

The Queensboro Plaza subway station will shut down every weekend in January to allow for accessibility upgrades, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority announced on Thursday. The Long Island City station, home to the 7, N, and W trains, will be closed starting the weekend of January 6 through the weekend of January 27, beginning at 12:01 a.m. on Saturdays and ending at 5 a.m. on Mondays.
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December 20, 2023

Vote for 6sqft’s 2023 Building of the Year!

For New York City real estate, 2023 was a year of reinvention and renewal. Projects on pause for years resumed construction, iconic 100-year-old buildings were revived, developments were rebranded and relaunched, and the city’s next tallest towers began to rise. This year also offered a glimpse into the future: the completion of the city's largest office-to-condo conversion and its first all-electric skyscraper. 6sqft has narrowed our picks down to 12 of the most notable residential projects of the year. Which do you think deserves to be crowned the 2023 Building of the Year? Polls for our ninth annual competition will remain open through noon on Wednesday, December 27. A winner will be announced on Thursday, December 28. Happy voting!
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December 8, 2023

Photos show off One High Line as new addition to Chelsea’s hub of high-end architecture

Work has wrapped up on One High Line, the two-tower residential development designed by Bjarke Ingels, marking a major milestone for a project that has hit a few bumps along the way. Located next to the iconic elevated park for which it shares a name, the distinctive condominium at 500 West 18th Street consists of a 36-story tower and a 26-story tower that twist in tandem away from each other, maximizing city and Hudson River views. One High Line joins several notable high-end architecture projects in West Chelsea, like Lantern House, 520 West 28th Street, and The Cortland.
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December 1, 2023

30 Rock opens new rooftop ride ‘The Beam’ recreating iconic construction photo

The observation deck at 30 Rockefeller Plaza is taking visitors to new heights. On Friday, the Top of the Rock debuted The Beam, a new rooftop ride on the 69th floor that recreates the iconic 1932 photo of ironworkers eating lunch on a beam during the construction of the building. During the experience, visitors sit on a beam and are lifted 12 feet above the platform then rotated 180 degrees to face Central Park. Tickets to The Beam cost $25 per person as an add-on for Top of the Rock general admission and come with a digital photo.
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November 29, 2023

Stephen Sondheim’s Turtle Bay townhouse sells for $7M

Late songsmith Stephen Sondheim's Turtle Bay townhouse has sold for the asking price of $7,000,000. As first reported by the Wall Street Journal, the unnamed buyer of 246 East 49th Street lives in New York and is a fan of the Broadway legend. The seven-bedroom home hit the market in July and entered contract the following month.
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November 27, 2023

All of New York City’s holiday tree lightings

From the very first public tree lighting ceremony in the country at Madison Square Park to the world's most famous holiday tree at Rockefeller Center, New York City has a strong connection to the sparkling Christmas tradition. Holiday trees can be found across the city, all with their own unique style and festive flair. Ahead, see the spirit of the holidays come to life at tree lighting ceremonies happening at iconic NYC spots, from Bryant Park and Central Park to the New York Stock Exchange and the Bronx's Little Italy.
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November 20, 2023

Middle Eastern grocer Sahadi’s opening at Pier 57 food hall in Chelsea

Brooklyn's beloved Middle Eastern grocery store Sahadi's is returning to Manhattan after 75 years. Opening in Chelsea at Pier 57's new food hall next week, the outpost will feature seated dining and bar service. Sahadi's has roots in the borough; its first store opened on Washington Street in 1895 in what was considered to be "Little Syria," before moving to Cobble Hill in 1948. Sahadi's will officially open at Market 57 on Monday, November 27.
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November 17, 2023

NYC public libraries end Sunday service due to budget cuts

Public libraries across New York City will soon be closed on Sunday in response to budget cuts announced by Mayor Eric Adams this week. Under the updated fiscal year 2024 budget released Thursday, every city agency will see a 5 percent budget reduction, including the police, sanitation, and education departments, as well as the public library system. New York, Brooklyn, and Queens public libraries said seven-day service will be eliminated, including ending Sunday service at most branches that offer it.
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November 15, 2023

Ladies’ Mile condo designed by DXA features a draping fabric-like facade

The design of a new 17-story condominium in the Ladies' Mile Historic District celebrates the history of the neighborhood and the spirit of innovation in New York City. Designed by DXA Studio, 10 West 17th Street features a facade of ultra-high-performance concrete molded to look like flowing fabric, a nod to the neighborhood's role in the garment industry and as a major shopping destination during the Gilded Age. The Landmarks Preservation Commission on Tuesday voted to approve the unique design.
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