All articles by Diane Pham

Diane is the founder and Editorial Director of 6sqft. After graduating from the University of Southern California with a B.S. in Real Estate Finance & Development and a minor in Architecture, she enjoyed stints at SCI-Arc, the A+D Museum Los Angeles, Perkins Eastman Architects and Resolution 4: Architecture. She also previously served as Senior Editor of Inhabitat.com and spent several years as an analyst at CB Richard Ellis Investments in Milan, Italy.
September 17, 2015

New Details of Tribeca’s Mysterious Skybridge House Emerge, Including Floorplan

Details were scarce when it was announced last week that one of Manhattan's last sky bridges was coming to the market. As it turns out, the property, which spans 9 Jay Street and 67 Hudson #3AB, is a pocket listing being marketed by brokers Ryan Serhant and Kaptan Unugur of Nestseekers. Tribeca Citizen, however, was able to score the floor plan of the massive home, and a pretty nifty rendering offering color-coded a street view of what you'd be buying—if you were to snap up the home, which is going for a reported $30 million.
See more here
September 17, 2015

How Two Women Live Comfortably in 350 Square Feet; NYC’s Leaning Tower of Pisa?

Residents of Chinatown and Little Italy want Historical District signs. The area received designation from the National Register of Historic Places nearly six years ago, yet no street signs have been updated to reflect such. [BB] Help get the 42nd Street theaters landmarked. [DNA Info] SHoP Architects First Avenue project is also taking shape. The building’s subtle […]

September 17, 2015

First Renderings of Moshe Safdie’s 800-Foot Bancroft Building Replacement Revealed

Plans for the Bancroft Building have been ultra-hush with much speculation swirling around the design that would ultimately replace the recently demolished, and much beloved, landmark building. But now, the NY Post has the first official rendering of the luxury condo tower that could rise in place of the historic structure located on a block-through site between West 29th and West 30th streets. Though 6sqft was previously told by reps of the development that the rendering seen here was in no way an affiliated project, the two designs do remain visually similar.
more details here
September 16, 2015

Where I Work: Inside Made in Americana’s Bed-Stuy workshop and collaborative

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 meet the founders of Brooklyn's Made in Americana. Want to see your business featured here? Get in touch! Many of us come to New York with certain goals in mind, but more often than not we're at the whim of the city which has plans of its own. But this is not always a bad thing. Case in point: When college friends Jordan Johnson and Joey Grimm moved to NYC a few years ago, they wanted to be performance artists; now they're running a burgeoning furniture business called Made in Americana. Today, the pair work out of a massive industrial studio at the border of Hasidic Bed-Stuy and Bed-Stuy Bedford, designing custom interiors and building modern pieces meant to last for generations. But that's not all, they've opened their very large and very well-equipped space to other newbie BK designers to create a collaborative environment that gives others the opportunity to not just get their works made, but refine them with top-of-the-line sustainable materials to get them showroom-ready—with their help, of course. Jump ahead to learn more about what Jordan and Joey are doing, exactly how they got to where they're at, and of course to tour of their quirky, and quite cool, DIY studio space.
Go inside their awesome studio here
September 16, 2015

Back in ’68 an East Village Hippy Ran for President Against Nixon

Before there was the wild presidential run of Donald Trump, there was another absurd (albeit much more endearing) campaign by an East Village hippy looking for political greatness. A fun and fascinating recollection by Ephemeral NY tells the tale of Louis Albolafia, a 27-year-old abstract expressionist artist, nudist, and the first person to establish a runaway shelter and hotline in New York, who ran on the "Love" party ticket. Though Albolafia was obviously not the term winner (that title goes to Richard Nixon), he did get a considerable number of write-ins during the race.
Find out more about his campaign here
September 16, 2015

Trader Joe’s to Open in Downtown Brooklyn’s City Point; REBNY Landmarking Report Flawed Says Data Source

Trader Joe’s has officially inked a 13,700-square-foot lease at the 1.9-million-square-foot site at City Point. It’s scheduled to open in 2016. [City Point; 6sqft inbox] Here are the before and afters of the numerous towers going up in Queens. [Rent Cafe] Red Hook’s upcoming massive waterfront tech campus has gotten an updated design. [Curbed] Airbnb […]

September 15, 2015

Is Bjarke Ingels Redesigning the New York Public Library Flagship?

Bjarke Ingels is most certainly on his way to New York architectural greatness, and scattered on the path behind him are the remains of Norman Foster's abandoned designs. Curbed has caught wind that the baby-faced starchitect is currently being considered for the redesign of the New York Public Library's landmarked Stephen A. Schwarzman Building on 42nd Street. Yesterday afternoon, Theodore Grunewald, Vice President of the Committee to Save the New York Public Library, tweeted that both Bjarke Ingels and Ennead Architects were among the eight finalists being considered for the project—a list that also includes Studio Gang Architects and Robert A.M. Stern Architects.
Find out more here
September 15, 2015

Obama No Longer Staying at the Waldorf Astoria; 32nd Street Plaza to be Cleared of Homeless for Pope

Obama is no longer staying at the Waldorf Astoria, purportedly because of China’s Anbang Insurance Group’s takeover of the hotel. [Guardian] The city’s office building boom still isn’t enough to meet demand. [Crain’s] The homeless will be cleared from an area near the 32nd Street plaza between Penn Station and Herald Square in anticipation of the Pope’s arrival. [NYP] Brokerage […]

September 14, 2015

VIDEO: Take a Sweeping Drone Tour of Bjarke Ingels’ West Side Pyramid

Few NYC projects are as architecturally exciting as the massive tetrahedron on the rise along West 57th Street. The design, which is the creation of starchitect-of-the-moment Bjarke Ingels, will soar 460-feet from its site (fun fact: the Great Pyramid of Giza stands 455 feet tall) and is slated for completion later this year. While the final form can already be appreciated by passersby from street level at this point—the architect has by now led camera crews through what he calls the "courtscraper" ("the lovechild of a courtyard building and a skyscraper," to be exact)—here's a spectacular, and quite poetic we might add, new video produced by Dark Horse that gives us expansive ariel views of the whole thing through the eye of a drone.
watch the drone tour here
September 13, 2015

Get to Know New NYC Neighborhoods Through Food With Like A Local

If you're like most New Yorkers, you probably keep within a ten block radius of your home when you have downtime, maybe venturing out on a Sunday afternoon for brunch. A tired routine? Well, here's the perfect opportunity to spread your wings a bit. Like A Local is a cool startup that invites folks to chow on some of the best eats a neighborhood has to offer, while also giving them a taste of a place's history—from the art to architecture to the origin of what they're biting down on. Basically if you love eating and you love learning, they've got four tours worth your time.
Find out more here
September 10, 2015

Lose Yourself In History at the Notorious Grey Gardens Estate for $175K/Month

If you love historic homes and the macabre, it really doesn't get any better than the Grey Gardens Estate in East Hampton. As the Post reports, the beautiful home steeped in infamy is again up for rent starting September 15th through July of next year. The asking? You better dig deep into your pockets because it's going for an incredible $175,000 a month. Quite pricey, yes, but if you consider that designer Liz Lange has been paying $250,000 a month to call it her summer escape, it's kind of a deal.
Find out more here
September 9, 2015

Find Out When Your Nabe Will Be Sprayed for West Nile; How Important Are Big Name Brokers to Their Firms?

Activists are taking a stand against billionaire Barry Diller’s plan to build a floating park. [NY Post] How much do big firms rely on their top name brokers for revenue? [TRD] Here’s the city’s schedule of “West Nile Spraying Events.” Find out when your neighborhood is up. [NYC.gov] The artist-owned NY Studio Gallery at 154 Stanton Street in the Lower […]

September 8, 2015

Hamptons Island Could Go for $1B, Despite Being Contaminated With Foot-And-Mouth Disease

The Hamptons are increasingly a hotbed for crazy real estate offerings, from Andy Warhol's recently listed former compound now selling for $85 million to the teeny tiny trailer in Amagansett asking $1.2 million earlier this year. But now NPR reports that there's an 840-acre island just off the tip of Long Island complete with miles and miles of untouched shoreline, acres of undeveloped woods, a lighthouse and a ferry terminal that could go for as much as $1 billion when it hits the auction block. Oh, yes, and it's also contaminated with foot-and-mouth disease.
Find out more here
September 8, 2015

See Brooklyn Before and After Gentrification in This New Photo Series

Brooklyn's hipsterization is pretty much widely accepted as fact at this point, but still not a day goes by without some article, essay or artwork pointing to how the neighborhood has lost its authenticity. The latest photo series to emerge documenting the substitution of the borough's street cred for artisinal goods and overpriced organic cocktails is Kristy Chatelain's "Brooklyn Changing." Though Chatelain isn't quite what you'd call a longtime New Yorker—she moved to Greenpoint from New Orleans in 2006—unlike the rants of her fellow new-era Brooklynites who bemoan how different things are since they moved in, her series comes off as a thoughtful study in just how quickly things changed in North Brooklyn over just five years.
More photos here
September 8, 2015

The Nordstrom Tower Loses Its Spire; What Parents Should Consider When Buying or Renting in NYC

The Nordstrom Tower will no longer have a spire. Sans the architectural adornment, its height will now reach 1,550 feet. [Curbed] So you’ve decided that urban living is right for your family? Here are some things to consider when looking for a place to buy or rent. [BrickUnderground] A glass shortage is sending construction costs sky-high and causing […]

September 4, 2015

Infographic: Here’s How Much Every State Contributes to the U.S. Economy

Would you guess that Texas has a bigger or smaller economy than New York? Which state would you say is the smallest contributor to our nation's $17.3 trillion GDP? This fascinating chart created by HowMuch.net breaks down the relative economic value of each state (in 2014 dollars) into one digestible diagram that's sure to start a conversation—if not offer a whole new respect for states like Florida and New Jersey.
Get a more detailed look here
September 3, 2015

Leaks and Alignment Issues Plaguing Atlantic Yards’ B2 Tower Were More Severe Than Reported

When it was announced that Brooklyn would be host to the world's tallest prefab tower, many believed that a new era of construction was upon us. Called the B2 Tower, the building would rise as stacked 32-story structure, affording all the perks of a conventional edifice, but be quick and inexpensive to build. But as it has been well-documented, the project, announced way back in 2012, has been a major flop. Stricken with delays and countless lawsuits flying left and right, the building today has only reached about half of its height. So where did things go so wrong? A fascinating piece by the Atlantic Yards/Pacific Park Report's Norman Oder on City Limits provides some incredible insight into the project that has failed to deliver on just about every promise put forward.
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September 2, 2015

Liza Minnelli Makes an $8.4M Sale on Her Upper East Side Apartment

And it is indeed all that jazz. Legendary actress and singer Liza Minnelli has just sold her co-op at the Imperial House at 150 East 69th Street, reports The Real Deal. City records filed yesterday afternoon show that the star struck an $8.372 million deal with New York socialites Robert Beyer and Loren Pack. The 21st floor showstopper was designed by Timothy Macdonald, who created a tranquil and versatile living environment for Minnelli that could easily be reconfigured for entertaining. The apartment's walls are also adorned with plenty of Broadway memorabilia and an incredible Andy Warhol tribute to her mother, Judy Garland.
more inside minnelli's home here
September 2, 2015

Get a Personalized Pattern by Punching Your Address Into This App

Nope, this isn't some kind of spam mail scheme. Called A Place to Departure, this incredible app harnesses the power of Google Maps and pairs it with a clever algorithm to generate a pattern, unique to you, based on your location. With results ranging from leafy designs to Rubik's cube-like motifs, you're likely to find yourself inputting your entire address book before you know it.
Find out more here
September 1, 2015

Live in the City’s First Crowdfunded Condo Tower; Staten Island Making Million Dollar Penthouse Sales

There’s a new app available that connects individuals with professional movers with half-empty trucks. [AT] Units at Manhattan’s first crowdfunded condo building will soon hit the market. [Bloomberg] Spike Lee officially unveiled Do The Right Thing Way in Bed-Stuy on Saturday. [BKPaper] Has Staten Island finally arrived? A slew of $1+ million sales reveal increasing interest […]

September 1, 2015

Building Permits Decline by 90 Percent Following Changes to the 421-a Program

Early last month, we reported that building permits were soaring to levels not seen since the 1960s. Now Crain's tells us that the trend has taken a sharp decline with permits plunging a whopping 90 percent from June. The numbers, which were pulled from the latest stats released by the U.S. Census Bureau, point to changes in the very generous tax breaks provided by the 421-a tax abatement program as the culprit.
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