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.
Apartable Website Helps Renters Find Out if a Building Has a Negligent Landlord
February 26, 2015

Apartable Website Helps Renters Find Out if a Building Has a Negligent Landlord

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Looking to buy in NYC is a task, but finding the right place to rent can be a veritable nightmare. While apartments may look spic 'n span on the surface, oftentimes tenants find out the hard way (e.g. after hastily throwing down thousands on a broker fee and signing a two-year lease for fear of losing out on the space) that their landlord is pretty terrible when it comes to maintenance and safety. Enter Apartable, a new website that helps potential tenants investigate whether or not a building they're interested in is a slum they need to avoid, or if it's up to snuff.
Find out more here
Do You Really Know Your Neighborhood? Interactive Map Helps You Find Out More on Who’s Around
February 25, 2015

Do You Really Know Your Neighborhood? Interactive Map Helps You Find Out More on Who’s Around

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No, this isn't a celebrity stalker map. This cool new map from PlaceILive lets you find out more about how your neighborhood rates when it comes to everything from demographics to health to transportation to daily life, safety, sports and leisure and entertainment, which even takes into account how many ramen houses and cheese shops are within reach.
Find out more here
Rents Rising Faster Than Inflation; Tour the Brooklyn Kings Theatre
February 25, 2015

Rents Rising Faster Than Inflation; Tour the Brooklyn Kings Theatre

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NYC rents have been rising faster than inflation over the last three years. [NYT] East New Yorkers are trying to stop some of the “new frontier” developments big-wigs are looking to bring to the neighborhood at the center of the de Blasio administration’s affordable housing plan. [Village Voice] A worker at Barclays Center installing the arena’s green […]

Citigroup Will Sell Site to Feed Long Island City’s Growing Skyline

Image via LICtalk.com

February 24, 2015

Citigroup Will Sell Site to Feed Long Island City’s Growing Skyline

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Long Island City's most recognizable tenant is about to sell a prime piece of property in the heart of the neighborhood. According to the New York Times, the financial giant is putting up a one-acre development site, bound by 44th Road, 23rd Street and 44th Drive in Court Square, and it could fetch up to $150 million. Court Square's proximity to Manhattan and plentiful transit has made the enclave one of Queens' most sought-after areas for residential development. Mayor de Blasio is all for the sale and has plans of his own to rezone LIC to spur even more construction.
Find out more here
The U.S. Trails Behind in the Global Skyscraper Race
February 23, 2015

The U.S. Trails Behind in the Global Skyscraper Race

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New York is most certainly experiencing a skyscraper boom, but you may be surprised to find out that the number of supertalls going up in the city account for only a small percentage of what's going up globally. According to CBS News, just 20 percent of the world's towers are being built stateside, and of all the tall buildings completed last year, we had only four in the top 20 (One World Trade Center topped the list). So if we aren't number one in this race, then where is this new crop of towers creeping up?
Find out here
Interactive Map Pinpoints Where in NYC Tourists Flock (and Locals Avoid)
February 23, 2015

Interactive Map Pinpoints Where in NYC Tourists Flock (and Locals Avoid)

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If you're a New Yorker who grumbles at the sight of slowpoke tourists lollygagging down Manhattan's crowded streets, you'll want to see this map created by data artist Eric Fischer called "Locals & Tourists." Fischer collected tweets from across the five boroughs (and beyond) to determine what areas were most concentrated with out-of-towners (the red) and what areas were dominated by locals (the blue).
Find out more here
New Yorker Spotlight: Min Liao of Whole Foods on Ditching Take-Out and Cooking Fresh at Home
February 20, 2015

New Yorker Spotlight: Min Liao of Whole Foods on Ditching Take-Out and Cooking Fresh at Home

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For many, Whole Foods still automatically means "Whole Paycheck," but Min Liao is set on changing our thinking that fresh, organic food and fine dining are reserved for just a few. Min is the Culinary Center director at the Whole Foods Market (WFM) on Bowery and the brains behind the school's incredible course offering where menus range from handmade pasta dishes to "Les Essentiels-Chocolate" and whipping up eggs the way the Israelis do. The center is a delight designed specifically for the average New Yorker, focusing on growing culinary confidence, even in a small kitchen that might not have all the right tools. And best of all? The classes are inexpensive and often cost no more than $50. (There are even free ones!) We recently caught up with Min to find out how she got into the business of food and to find out what makes the WFM Culinary Center different from other cooking schools in the city. Keep reading for our interview ahead, and if you want to give a class a try, enter our latest giveaway. Min and her team are hosting a "Dumplings of the World" private cooking class for eight 6sqft readers at the center (enter here).
Let's get cookin' with Min here
Rent-Stabilized Tenant Gets Evicted for Listing His Apartment on Airbnb in a Landmark Decision

Inside the apartment. Image via Airbnb

February 20, 2015

Rent-Stabilized Tenant Gets Evicted for Listing His Apartment on Airbnb in a Landmark Decision

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If you were questioning how truly serious the city is about its beef against Airbnb, look no further than this landmark ruling to evict a rent-stabilized tenant from his ultra-luxe 450 West 42nd Street building. The Post reports that Henry Ikezi was just given the boot by a Manhattan Housing Court judge for posting his 46th-floor Hell's Kitchen apartment on the site for $649 per night, about triple what he was paying at $6,670 per month. The home's market value is upwards of $9,000.
More on the landmark case here
Anti-Gentrification Architecture; See Williamsburg as It Was in the Early ’80s
February 20, 2015

Anti-Gentrification Architecture; See Williamsburg as It Was in the Early ’80s

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Should we take note? Ugly architecture proves resilient against gentrification—at least in Amsterdam. [Failed Architecture] What did Williamsburg look like in ’80s? A 1984 documentary called Living Los Sures gives us an incredible look at the trendy neighborhood’s Latino past. [Brooklyn Magazine] Permits have been filed for a 305-unit property at 30 Sixth Avenue, part of Forest City […]

$300K Rental at the Surrey Hotel Is the City’s Most Expensive One-Bedroom
February 19, 2015

$300K Rental at the Surrey Hotel Is the City’s Most Expensive One-Bedroom

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Why buy a $3.6 million dollar home when you can pay the same amount of money to live in a modest one-bedroom for a year? The latest unit to join the city's ever-growing collection of priciest listings is a 1200-square-foot apartment in the Surrey Hotel at 20 East 76th Street. The Post reports that the pad—which is actually the 17th-floor penthouse if that sweetens the deal any—is currently renting for $300,000 a month and comes with one "oversized" bedroom, one-and-a-half bathrooms, and access to the hotel’s English rooftop garden and five-star amenities, which include a day spa and a place to pamper your pooch, amongst other perks.
Have a look around here
The Rise of the ‘Pencil Tower;’ Floor Plans and Prices Revealed for All Sony Tower Condos
February 19, 2015

The Rise of the ‘Pencil Tower;’ Floor Plans and Prices Revealed for All Sony Tower Condos

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What’s happening to NYC’s skyline? Get used to seeing more and more “pencil towers” everywhere. [NYT Opinion] We got a peek at the $150M penthouse yesterday. Now find out how much buyers will shell out for the converted Sony Tower condos, and what exactly they’ll get in exchange for their millions. [TRD] Citigroup CEO Michael Corbat announced […]

Extell’s UWS ‘Poor Door’ Building Now Taking Affordable Housing Applications
February 18, 2015

Extell’s UWS ‘Poor Door’ Building Now Taking Affordable Housing Applications

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Easily 2014's most controversial building, Extell's 40 Riverside Boulevard—a.k.a. the "Poor Door" building, and recently rechristened 50 Riverside Boulevard in light of the scandal—is back in the news, this time for reasons far less unsavory. Starting today, qualified New Yorkers can apply for one of the building's 55 subsidized rentals.
Find out how much units are going for
Why the Plan to Toll Bridges Will Succeed; Is NYC Becoming a ‘Gated Community?’
February 18, 2015

Why the Plan to Toll Bridges Will Succeed; Is NYC Becoming a ‘Gated Community?’

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Here’s why the new plan to toll NYC bridges—and other traffic pricing—will succeed. [Crain’s] With housing costs rising with no end in sight, NYC is in danger of becoming a “gated community.” [TRD] The rise of the “designer neighborhood” and a look at the developers turning the last of NYC’s undeveloped land into custom, mega-sized real estate […]

Developer Matthew Blesso Settles into a Spectacular Park Slope Townhouse for $4.05M
February 18, 2015

Developer Matthew Blesso Settles into a Spectacular Park Slope Townhouse for $4.05M

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Developer Matthew Blesso is doing a total architectural 180. Blesso, who used to call  this uber-sleek Noho penthouse home, has just closed on a far more cozy historic construction in the heart of Park Slope according to city records filed today. No official listing could be found for the three-story pre-war home, but previous reports show that it was last being rented out by its former owner William Lawrence for about $11,000 a month. The neighborhood and the townhouse are certainly quite a change for Blesso, whose last home was about as modern and metropolitan as they get.
Have a gander inside this architectural gem ahead
A Pierre One-Bedroom Going for $120,000/Month; Rem Koolhaas Design Coming to the High Line
February 17, 2015

A Pierre One-Bedroom Going for $120,000/Month; Rem Koolhaas Design Coming to the High Line

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Although someone’s rented out the Pierre’s $500,000/month presidential suite, there’s still a one-bedroom available for $120,000/month. [NYDN] Rem Koolhaas will design Related’s new building along the High Line. [Architizer] The Branson at Fifth is the city’s worst ‘illegal’ hotel. [Crain’s] Rafael Vinoly is designing a townhouse on East 64th Street. [Curbed] Teamsters have put a […]

Group Proposes $8 Toll on Popular East River Bridges to Raise Funds for the MTA

Image via Wikimedia Commons

February 17, 2015

Group Proposes $8 Toll on Popular East River Bridges to Raise Funds for the MTA

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Image via Wikimedia Commons Car-happy city folk are sure to grumble over this latest proposal from MoveNY to toll four East River bridges (Manhattan, Brooklyn, Williamsburg and Queensboro) and 60th Street in Manhattan. The group's plan, backed by former traffic commissioner Sam Schwartz, is looking to raise funds for the MTA's five-year capital plan (which is about $15.2 billion short of its target), and to make the cost of the city's transit more equitable. The new program would apply a $5.54 toll each way for bridge-crossers traveling with an E-ZPass, while drivers without an E-Zpass will have to shell out $8 to cross each time. The same tolls would also be applied to all avenue crossings at 60th Street.
Find out more here
VIDEO: Katz’s Deli Owner Shares Stories of the Shady LES of 20 Years Ago
February 16, 2015

VIDEO: Katz’s Deli Owner Shares Stories of the Shady LES of 20 Years Ago

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By now many of you have probably seen this amazing video showing a changing Lower East Side circa 1995. While plenty of colorful characters and weirdness abound, let's not forget that the area at the time was also one of the city's most unsafe. As part of the new video series called "True Yorkers," Katz's Deli owner Alan Dell reflects on the Lower East Side that once was—well before it transformed into the bar crawl we know today. Sharing his own memories of the neighborhood as a kid, and more poignantly his opinion of what it has become, Dell's recount really makes you think about just how severely pacified and homogenous today's version of New York is. "A lot of people from the neighborhood moved away...I just can't get used to it," Dell says in the episode. "I have customers talking about their million dollar penthouse on Rivington Street—it blows my mind. The Bowery was unsavory, there used to be bums, I don't even know if kids know what a bum is...You know, they call it progress, I'm not really sure about that. It's a mixed bag...15-20 years ago we were closing early. Unless you were coming to buy crack late at night over here, it was not safe...it's just changed. It's just different."
watch the video here
Would You Live on the 13th Floor of a Building? A Look at Our Irrational Fear of Numbers
February 13, 2015

Would You Live on the 13th Floor of a Building? A Look at Our Irrational Fear of Numbers

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In honor of Friday the 13th, The Atlantic took a look at the number 13—and namely how obsessively superstitious some individuals can be when it comes to certain digits and our inclination to apply a deeper meaning to them. 18, for instance, is chai in Hebrew, which means life; while number 2 represents balance and cooperation in Chinese; and of course we're all familiar with the divine and oh-so-lucky number 7. But then there's 13, a number generally looked upon as especially sinister, particularly in Western culture. In fact, 13 is so suspect that there's even a scientific name for the fear of the number: triskaidekaphobia (a fear of Friday the 13th the date is called paraskevidekatriaphobia, by the way). But here's the funnest bit in the piece that really grabbed our attention: Taking a closer look at New York's residential buildings with the help of CityRealty, they found that of the 629 buildings with 13 or more floors, only 55 had labeled the 13th floor as the 13th floor—that's only 9 percent of the total. Common placeholders they found were 14, 12B, 14A, M (the 13th letter in the alphabet) or simply "Penthouse" if the top unit sat on the 13th floor.
More from the 13th Floor here
Harlem’s Affordable Live/Work Space for Artists Complete; Why Long Island is Dying
February 13, 2015

Harlem’s Affordable Live/Work Space for Artists Complete; Why Long Island is Dying

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Leasing has begun at the newly renovated luxury homes at Shorecrest Towers at Trump Village. The homes, located in Coney Island, start at $1,500 for studios, $1,650 for one-bedrooms and $2,332 for two-bedrooms. [6sqft inbox] Three reasons Long Island isn’t seeing any growth when compared to other suburbs. [CityLab] HHL Architects has complete work on Artspace […]

A New Bjarke Ingels or Rem Koolhaas-Designed Development Could Be Coming to the High Line
February 11, 2015

A New Bjarke Ingels or Rem Koolhaas-Designed Development Could Be Coming to the High Line

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The High Line is continuing its trajectory as the destination for the city's most exciting new architecture, and it looks like another starchitect could soon join the already impressive roster of designers making their mark on the area. The New York Post reports that HFZ Capital Group is currently in the works to bring a "monumental" new structure to a lot located next to the elevated park at 76 11th Avenue—a site that spans from 17th to 18th and across 10th to 11th Avenues. Although the parcel is still in contract (expected to close in April), HFZ has reportedly already tapped Bjarke Ingels (BIG) and Rem Koolhaas for initial drawings, which were revealed by the company's head, Ziel Feldman, yesterday at the Young Men’s/Women’s Real Estate Association luncheon. The renderings are said to show "triangular structures that won't block views".
Find out more here
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