All articles by Devin Gannon

This nitrogen ice cream parlor in the Bronx is a pastel-painted dream

All photos courtesy of Costas Picadas

May 1, 2019

This nitrogen ice cream parlor in the Bronx is a pastel-painted dream

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Last December, Ice Scream opened at the Mall at Bay Plaza, giving the Bronx its first liquid nitrogen ice cream parlor. In addition to serving up futuristic frozen treats, the shop provides a fun and relaxing rest stop in between shopping. Founded by New Yorker Julien Albertini and Alina Pimkina, from Moscow, interior design firm Asthetíque specializes in luxury hospitality and residential design. Although developing a brand for a family business tailored to children was a totally new concept for Julien and Alina, the duo took on the design for Ice Scream and came up with a concept that "benefits society and makes peoples’ lives and businesses more beautiful and functional," according to the designers. Inspired by the 1980s Memphis design movement, Asthetíque has created a space for guests to have “plenty of Instagrammable moments.” From the ceiling's coordinated light show to the fun mantras written in neon script throughout the 24-seat store (ie: "Ice Scream is better than therapy" and "Count your sprinkles, not your problems"), Ice Scream's design not only provides a spot for families to make memories, but as a declaration that the "Bronx can contribute to the world of design." For its innovative and playful ice cream parlor design, Asthetíque was a winner in the 46th annual IIDA Interior Design Competition this year. Ahead, see inside the eye-catching ice cream parlor and hear from Julien and Alina on the brand development process.
Get the scoop on Ice Scream
NYC still has no plan for vacant New York Wheel site, six months after project was terminated

Via New York Wheel

May 1, 2019

NYC still has no plan for vacant New York Wheel site, six months after project was terminated

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The city has not put forth a plan for the vacant Staten Island site of the New York Wheel, a project which was called off last year after nearly a decade of planning. According to the Staten Island Advance, the city's Economic Development Corporation, which oversees the property, has not released any request for proposals for the site. Construction of the project, sold as the world's tallest Ferris wheel, was halted two years ago when the contractor walked off site over unpaid bills. Last October, with $450 million already invested, the project was called off.
More here
City can open a homeless shelter on Billionaires’ Row, judge rules

Via Wikimedia

April 30, 2019

City can open a homeless shelter on Billionaires’ Row, judge rules

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A judge on Monday approved the city's plan to open a homeless shelter near Manhattan's Billionaires' Row neighborhood. Manhattan Supreme Court Judge Alexander Tisch dismissed the lawsuit from the West 58th Street Coalition, a group of residents who claimed the shelter would have "an enormous impact on our densely populated, narrow, high-pedestrian-traffic street." The ruling comes more than a year after Mayor Bill de Blasio first announced plans to open a shelter for 140 single men at the converted Park Savoy hotel, located next to One57, a supertall with a penthouse that sold for $100 million in 2015.
Find out more
See more renderings of historic Times Square Theater’s $100M overhaul
April 30, 2019

See more renderings of historic Times Square Theater’s $100M overhaul

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In October 2017, Stillman Development International signed a 73-year lease on the Times Square Theater, with plans to overhaul the historic venue, which has been closed for the last 30 years, with a $100 million renovation. Headed by Beyer Blinder Belle, the project includes lifting the limestone facade of the theater five feet, restoring original design elements, and adding 52,000 square feet of retail. With the plaster removal process officially underway, more renderings have been released that show off the large terraces, an outdoor rooftop restaurant, and two-story glass box that will cantilever over 42nd Street.
More here
In NJ, this massive Mediterranean-style mansion is back on the market after $29M price cut
April 29, 2019

In NJ, this massive Mediterranean-style mansion is back on the market after $29M price cut

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A mansion in New Jersey once referred to as the "White House of Englewood," is back on the market after a major price cut of $29 million. Located at 83 North Woodland Street in a suburb less than 10 miles from Manhattan, the home is asking $9.99 million. In 2013, the property was listed for $39 million, one of the most expensive listings in the state at the time. Built on five acres of land in 1926, the 24,000-square-foot home boasts a Mediterranean-style design and contains eight bedrooms, a home theater, an infinity pool, and a private lake, all enclosed by a 10-foot-high wall.
Take a tour
Rockefeller Center office tower will be converted into Airbnb rentals

75 Rockefeller Plaza via Google Street View

April 29, 2019

Rockefeller Center office tower will be converted into Airbnb rentals

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Ten floors of an office tower in Rockefeller Center will be converted into short-term rentals, the Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday. RXR Realty, which has leased the tower at 75 Rockefeller Plaza since 2012, has partnered with Airbnb to transform a portion of the 87-year-old building into roughly 200 units of high-end lodging. In a press release, RXR CEO Scott Rechler described the new venture as a "travel experience that immerses guests in a dynamic, thriving community in the heart of Rockefeller Center that's vastly different than anything else in the market today."
Get the scoop
Noguchi Museum to expand LIC campus, open the sculptor’s studio to the public for the first time

Rendering of the Noguchi Museum campus by Büro Koray Duman

April 26, 2019

Noguchi Museum to expand LIC campus, open the sculptor’s studio to the public for the first time

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The original studio and pied-à-terre of Japanese-American sculptor Isamu Noguchi will open to the public for the first time as part of a new unified campus, the Noguchi Museum announced earlier this month. The Long Island City museum plans to expand its existing museum and sculpture garden, founded by Noguchi in 1985, by adding a new 6,000-square-foot building and restoring the sculptor's studio.
Get the details
This Brooklyn brewery is selling beer made with bagels

Photo by Alex Ostroff

April 25, 2019

This Brooklyn brewery is selling beer made with bagels

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Fusing the two favorites of many New Yorkers, Carroll Gardens brewery Folksbier has partnered with Black Seed Bagels to brew a special bagel-based beer. Called Black Seed Glow Up, the Berliner Weisse-style sour wheat beer will be available at a select number of restaurants and bars starting Thursday. Instead of being brewed with wheat, the Glow Up beer includes leftover bagels and honey.
Get the 'hole' story
City releases Bushwick rezoning proposal

Photo via CityRealty

April 25, 2019

City releases Bushwick rezoning proposal

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The city unveiled on Tuesday its proposal to rezone Bushwick, five years after local residents and officials called on the Department of City Planning to study the growing out-of-context development in the neighborhood. The Bushwick Neighborhood Plan calls for creating and preserving affordable homes, improving public park space, protecting historic buildings, and supporting small businesses. The plan covers 300 blocks, bordered by Broadway to the south, Cypress Avenue to the north, Flushing Avenue to the west, and Trinity and Broadway Junction to the east.
See the plan
New Essex Market officially opens on the Lower East Side next month

Rendering by SHoP Architects via NYCEDC

April 24, 2019

New Essex Market officially opens on the Lower East Side next month

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Essex Market's new home on the ground floor of the mega-development Essex Crossing officially opens to the public on May 13. Located across the street from its nearly 80-year-old home, the market is hosting a free event on Saturday, May 18 at 88 Essex Street to celebrate, as Eater NY first reported. The market's more than 20 existing vendors will make the move across the street, to be joined by 18 new vendors and two restaurants. The old market will officially close its doors on May 5.
Find out more
With loan secured, Brooklyn’s tallest skyscraper is finally ready to rise

Rendering courtesy of SHoP Architects/JDS Development

April 24, 2019

With loan secured, Brooklyn’s tallest skyscraper is finally ready to rise

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The on-again, off-again construction of a Brooklyn skyscraper got a major push forward Tuesday. The Wall Street Journal reported that 9 DeKalb Avenue's developer Michael Stern of JDS Development has acquired a more than $664 million loan package to fund the development of the skyscraper. While the plan was first approved by the Landmarks Preservation Commission three years ago, lack of financing and a change of developers stalled the project. Expected to reach 1,066 feet high upon completion, the SHoP Architects-designed tower will become the borough's tallest.
Get the details
Where I Work: How Kerry Brodie helps empower refugees through food at Emma’s Torch in Brooklyn

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’re touring Carroll Gardens nonprofit-restaurant Emma’s Torch. Want to see your business featured here? Get in touch!

April 24, 2019

Where I Work: How Kerry Brodie helps empower refugees through food at Emma’s Torch in Brooklyn

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While volunteering at a Washington, D.C. homeless shelter a few years ago, Kerry Brodie witnessed how food can facilitate conversations among diverse groups of people. “If I have one background, someone else a different one, but we have this shared experience of cooking with our mothers and grandmothers, there’s got to be something else we can do to propel change,” Kerry said. With the idea to help those from disenfranchised communities find jobs and feel empowered doing so, she quit her job in public policy, moved to New York, and enrolled in culinary school. A month after graduating, Kerry founded Emma’s Torch, first as a pop-up in Red Hook to now a brick-and-mortar restaurant in Carroll Gardens, where it’s been for about a year. The nonprofit, named after Emma Lazarus whose poem is inscribed on the Statue of Liberty, serves as a culinary school for refugees, asylum seekers, and survivors of trafficking. Applicants who are accepted to the 12-week paid program not only learn how to cook in a high-pressure setting but also work on English language skills and career planning. 6sqft recently sat down with Kerry at Emma's Torch ahead of a graduation dinner, a night where the students take over the menu and "cook from the heart." Ahead, learn more about the mission of Emma's Torch, the challenges of operating as a nonprofit, and Kerry's plan to expand beyond New York City.
See the space and meet the founder of Emma's Torch
De Blasio’s Green New Deal would ban ‘inefficient’ all-glass and steel skyscrapers

Via Flickr

April 23, 2019

De Blasio’s Green New Deal would ban ‘inefficient’ all-glass and steel skyscrapers

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New York City will prohibit the construction of new "inefficient"all-glass and steel skyscrapers, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Monday. Dubbed by the mayor as the city's version of the Green New Deal, the $14 billion plan aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 30 percent by 2030 as a way to fight climate change. Under the bill, developers would have to meet strict energy codes before getting a building permit from the city. During a press conference Monday, de Blasio said glass skyscrapers that do not meet strict performance guidelines "have no place in our city or on our Earth anymore."
Learn more
My 800sqft: Art curator Blair Russell brings Miami to Midtown with graffiti art and fluorescent finds

Our series “My sqft” checks out the homes of New Yorkers across all the boroughs. Our latest interior adventure brings us to Blair Russell’s Midtown

April 23, 2019

My 800sqft: Art curator Blair Russell brings Miami to Midtown with graffiti art and fluorescent finds

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 apartment. Want to see your home featured here? Get in touch! Florida native Blair Russell spends half of every month in Miami. And for the other two weeks, Miami comes with him to his New York City apartment. The curator-creative has decked out his Midtown abode, located in a 1910 building formerly home to an upscale children's apparel store, with fluorescent colors, graffiti art, and international finds, all while mixing in a mid-century modern flair. Blair first bought his home on 35th and 5th one month after September 11, at a time when living next to the Empire State Building wasn’t exactly a selling point. “It used to be called the dirty 30’s when I moved here in 2002,” Blair told us. A self-described third-generation artist, Blair made a career in Florida by helping developers outfit South Beach properties with art. Later, with housing experience under his belt, he began converting abandoned buildings into affordable housing for local artists. Now with real estate further in his rearview mirror, Blair is focusing on traveling and curating art for clients. “Everything I’ve done, I do it for one to 10 percent of the population. If more than 10 percent like it, it’s probably not going to happen with me," he said. Ahead, see Blair's eclectic apartment, from his orange-painted orgy centerpiece done by a Warhol protégé to a door he took from the last peep show on 42nd Street.
Take a tour
56 chances to live in an amenity-rich Crown Heights rental, from $1,168/month

Via 409 Eastern Parkway

April 23, 2019

56 chances to live in an amenity-rich Crown Heights rental, from $1,168/month

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Applications are now being accepted for 56 middle-income apartments at a brand new luxury building in Crown Heights. Facing Brooklyn's historic thoroughfare, 409 Eastern Parkway sits just one block from bustling Franklin Avenue and two blocks from the Brooklyn Museum, Botanic Garden, and Prospect Park. Plus, the building offers residents more than 17,000 square feet of amenities, including a fitness center, pet spa, children's playroom, co-working spaces, landscaped roof with bocce ball courts, and more. Qualifying New Yorkers earning 80 and 120 percent of the area median income can apply for the units, ranging from a $1,168/month studio to a $2,759/month two-bedroom.
Find out if you qualify
For $12M, a wooden West Village townhouse built two centuries ago

Photo by Allyson Lubow and Corcoran’s Dean DeCarlo, courtesy of The Corcoran Group

April 22, 2019

For $12M, a wooden West Village townhouse built two centuries ago

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One of the oldest buildings in the West Village is for sale. Located at 17 Grove Street, the rare, wood-frame townhouse built in 1822 is now on the market for $12 million. The unique property includes the main, three-bedroom house, and a two-story backhouse at 100 Bedford Street. Because the city banned the construction of wooden homes in the area in 1849, 17 Grove Street is one of the oldest remaining wood-frame homes in the Village, although not quite the overall oldest home in the neighborhood.
Take the tour
Staten Island’s Bay Street Corridor rezoning proposal moves forward

Rendering via Department of City Planning

April 22, 2019

Staten Island’s Bay Street Corridor rezoning proposal moves forward

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Update 4/23/19: The City Planning Commission voted on Monday to approve the Bay Street Corridor rezoning plan, despite opposition from Staten Island Borough President Jimmy Oddo and local community groups, City Limits reported. As the plan now goes in front of the City Council, housing advocates will continue to push for the rezoning to include deeply affordable units. The City Planning Commission will vote Monday on the rezoning proposal for Staten Island's Bay Street Corridor, an area between Tompkinsville Park and Tappan Park. Ahead of the agency's vote, questions remain about the plan's affordable housing portion, expected to bring 1,800 new residential units to the area. According to a report from Clifford Michel of THE CITY, the rezoning sets aside affordable housing for middle-class professionals, allowing developers to build units for households earning as much as $127,000 per year for a family of three. Based on that income requirement, the "affordable" apartments would rent for more than $3,000 per month.
More details this way
Barbra Streisand’s former Central Park West penthouse hits the market for $11.25M
April 19, 2019

Barbra Streisand’s former Central Park West penthouse hits the market for $11.25M

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Barbra Streisand's former penthouse at an Emery Roth-designed building on the Upper West Side is asking $11.25 million. Found at 320 Central Park West in the Ardsley, one of the city's most notable Art Deco residential towers, the duplex includes four bedrooms, three and a half baths, and 2,500 square feet of terraces. The "EGOT" winner moved to the building in 1963 and remained there for over 30 years, according to the New York Times.
See inside
Parts of every NYC borough will go car free next weekend for Earth Day

Photo courtesy of NYC DOT on Flickr

April 19, 2019

Parts of every NYC borough will go car free next weekend for Earth Day

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To celebrate Earth Day next weekend, New York City is closing some of its streets to cars. As part of an annual event run by the city's Department of Transportation, 30 blocks of Broadway from Times Square to Union Square will be closed on April 27 to allow pedestrians and cyclists to roam and ride free between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. Along the nearly two-mile route, the city will offer some environmental programs and nonprofit organizations will be on-site to educate walkers about climate change and sustainability.
Learn more
Netflix to open new production centers in Bushwick and Flatiron

Netflix will open six sound stages and support spaces in Bushwick at 333 Johnson Avenue; photo via Google Streetview

April 18, 2019

Netflix to open new production centers in Bushwick and Flatiron

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Netflix plans to expand its New York City footprint with new production centers in Brooklyn and Manhattan. Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced on Thursday that the streaming-service company will take up 100,000 square feet at 888 Broadway in Flatiron and roughly 160,000 square feet at 333 Johnson Avenue in Bushwick. "Netflix is innovative, creative and bold - just like New Yorkers - and the expansion of this cutting-edge company in New York once again demonstrates the Empire State is open for business," Cuomo said.
More here
Proposed law forces big NYC buildings to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 40 percent by 2030

Via Pexels

April 18, 2019

Proposed law forces big NYC buildings to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 40 percent by 2030

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New York City is ramping up its fight against climate change with a plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from high-rise buildings by 40 percent over the next decade. The City Council is expected to pass on Thursday an eight-bill legislative package that has been called its own version of the Green New Deal. The most ambitious bill of the lot requires NYC buildings 25,000 square feet or bigger to meet new standards to reduce greenhouse gas outputs by upgrading them with energy-efficient technology.
Get the details
144 mixed-income units up for grabs at new East Harlem building, from $328/month
April 17, 2019

144 mixed-income units up for grabs at new East Harlem building, from $328/month

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Applications are now being accepted for 144 mixed-income apartments at a brand new East Harlem building. Developed by SKA Marin, the building at 1912 First Avenue, called The Gilbert on First, rises 16 stories and contains just over 150 apartments. Qualifying New Yorkers earning between $13,200 and $199,650 annually can apply for the apartments, which range from a $328/month studio to a $3,009/month three-bedroom.
Here's how to apply
Apply for 143 affordable units in East New York’s Spring Creek neighborhood, from $426/month

Rendering courtesy of Monadnock Development/ MHG Architects

April 16, 2019

Apply for 143 affordable units in East New York’s Spring Creek neighborhood, from $426/month

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An affordable housing lottery launched on Tuesday for 143 units in Spring Creek, a neighborhood in East New York once known only for its landfills and undeveloped marshland. As part of a multi-phase, decades-long project by the city, the area has been slowly transforming into a community of mixed-income and mixed-use developments. The fourth phase of a development called Nehemiah Spring Creek is now accepting applications for studios, one-, two-, and three-bedroom apartments, set aside for New Yorkers earning 30, 40, 50, 60, and 90 percent of the area median income. Apartments up for grabs range from a $426/month one-bedroom to a $1,660/month three-bedroom.
Find out if you qualify
MTA maps L train service changes and alternative transit options ahead of partial shutdown
April 16, 2019

MTA maps L train service changes and alternative transit options ahead of partial shutdown

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Starting Friday, April 26 through the summer of 2020, L train service will be suspended on weeknights and weekends. The halt of train service is part of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority's revised plan to repair the Canarsie Tunnel, proposed by Gov. Andrew Cuomo in January as an alternative to shuttering the line completely. While the L train will run normally during peak times for the next year and a half, service on the line will be reduced starting as early as 8 p.m. on weekdays. To ease the impending headache for commuters, the MTA has released a map that shows service alternatives, transfer points, and planned wait times for the L train.
Get the scoop
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