Bed-Stuy

Built in 1891, this three-story brick townhouse at 401A Monroe Street in Bed-Stuy uses each of its three floors to the best advantage of whomever's lucky enough to be in residence. The single-family home is available for rent for $5,500 per month beginning September 15. Within are four bedrooms, two baths, a finished basement and a private backyard.
Tour the triplex, consider the options

Distinctive Homes

Stuyvesant Heights Historic District’s oldest home asks $1.6M after modern renovation

Listing images by Anton Brookes, H5 Photography; courtesy of The Corcoran Group

July 25, 2019

Stuyvesant Heights Historic District’s oldest home asks $1.6M after modern renovation

By Alexandra Alexa

This charming 20-foot wide Victorian home at 47 Chauncey Street in Bed-Stuy is not only part of the Stuyvesant Heights Historic District—it’s one of the four oldest remaining rowhouses in the district, dating back to circa 1870. Last year, the two-bedroom home was sold in a pretty run-down state and has since undergone a gut renovation that brought modern finishes and conveniences to the historic property. It's now on the market for $1.599 million.
Take a look inside

My 1,200sqft: Finger painting pioneer Iris Scott shows off her bright Bed-Stuy studio

Our series “

May 28, 2019

My 1,200sqft: Finger painting pioneer Iris Scott shows off her bright Bed-Stuy studio

My sqft” checks out the homes of New Yorkers across all the boroughs. Our latest interior adventure brings us to artist Iris Scott's Bed-Stuy loft. Want to see your home featured here? Get in touch! Nearly ten years ago, while living in Taiwan, artist Iris Scott didn’t feel like washing her blue-stained paint brushes. Instead, she used her finger to finish the piece and, to her surprise, discovered that this childhood arts and crafts project works really well on her own oil paintings. She searched online to see if any artists out there were already dedicated to finger painting and found no one. “I was like, it’s my purpose!” she told 6sqft during a recent tour of her Bed-Stuy studio. Iris, who grew up on a farm outside of Seattle, started posting photos and videos of her vibrant animal and nature-centric artwork on Facebook and instantly received feedback from what she calls a "virtual crit group." She began selling her paintings online and because her Taiwan apartment was just $100 per month, was able to immediately work full time as a finger painter. Iris, credited with starting the Instinctualist movement, calls her career trajectory a “magical path.” “I’ve always wanted what I have and I’ve always felt what I have is more than I expected I could have.” Now, a decade later, Iris has her first big solo exhibition in New York City, a Ritual in Pairing, at Filo Sofi Art’s pop up space at the High Line Nine, which closes June 6. Ahead, see inside Iris's sun-drenched corner loft in Brooklyn and learn about her 20-piece solo show, her fierce love of animals, and why she finds it flattering when children like her paintings.
Meet Iris and tour her studio

New looks and pricing details for Extell’s Central Park Tower

New rendering of Central Park Tower’s indoor pool, via Extell

May 17, 2019

New looks and pricing details for Extell’s Central Park Tower

In March, Extell Development's supertall on Billionaires' Row became the tallest residential tower in the world, surpassing the 1,396-foot-tall 432 Park Avenue. Now, ahead of Central Park Tower's official topping out scheduled this summer, the developers have released new renderings of its exclusive amenity space, including the indoor pool and full-service lobby. And a handful of the building's 179 residences will be listed for the first time next week, ranging from a two-bedroom for $6.9 million to a five-bedroom for $63 million.
More this way

Architecture And Design

There’s plenty of natural light for your plant collection at this $999K Bed-Stuy loft

Listing images by Shannon Dupre, Donna Dotan, DDreps; courtesy of Compass

May 3, 2019

There’s plenty of natural light for your plant collection at this $999K Bed-Stuy loft

By Alexandra Alexa

Built in 1947 as the Cocoline Chocolate Factory, the pale-orange brick building at 689 Myrtle Avenue in Bed-Stuy now houses 45 condo apartments with unique, spacious layouts. This two-bedroom corner unit offers a quintessential Brooklyn loft, spruced up with a fresh renovation, pops of color, and clever space-maximizing ideas. The 1,182 square-foot residence just hit the market seeking $999,000.
Get the full tour

Distinctive Homes

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

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

$3.2M historic Bed-Stuy home keeps the details and gets the designer treatment

Photos by DD Reps, courtesy of Compass

April 9, 2019

$3.2M historic Bed-Stuy home keeps the details and gets the designer treatment

The landmarked 1894 row house at 386 Stuyvesant Avenue, among the elegant Beaux-Arts limestones of Brooklyn's Stuyvesant Heights neighborhood, has the impressive layout and scale of a trophy brownstone and the interiors of a designer show house. Brought back to life by designer duo Dahill Bunce, the two-family home is asking $3.195 million. Rich in original detail, the 19' x 48' home has a few surprises that set it apart, like a convenient "summer kitchen" leading to an enviable back garden.
Take the tour

April 8, 2019

Aussie artist Jeremyville’s renovated Bed-Stuy brownstone asks $2.7M

This two-family townhouse at 408 Macon Street in Bed-Stuy's Stuyvesant Heights Historic District was renovated a few years ago by Australian expats Jeremy Andrew–the artist Jeremyville whose colorful feel-good graphics have a sizable following–and Megan Mair. The creative pair–she's a creative director, curator and brand strategist–bought the home for $1.5 million in 2013, when it was divided up into three units. They gave it a top-to-toe renovation, as featured in Brownstoner. The 3,400-square-foot four-story Neo-Grec brownstone was built around 1880 by local builder Charles Isbill.
Townhouse tour, this way

Distinctive Homes

235-unit affordable building with farm and fresh food market coming to Atlantic Avenue in Bed-Stuy

Rendering of 1921 Atlantic Avenue via Dabar Development Partners.

April 4, 2019

235-unit affordable building with farm and fresh food market coming to Atlantic Avenue in Bed-Stuy

On March 27 the City Planning Commission voted unanimously to approve an application for a 14-story affordable development that will bring 235 residential units to 1921 Atlantic Avenue in Brooklyn's Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood, New York Law School's CityLand reports. The mixed-use project is funded by private developers Dabar Development Partners and Thorobird in partnership with a program run by the Department of Housing Preservation and Development that creates affordable housing and set-asides for the formerly homeless. The proposed project, which will be located on city-owned vacant land and three adjacent private lots, will feature a community facility run by Oko Farms and NHS as well as a fresh food grocery store.
Find out more

Affordable Housing

Central Park Tower rises above 432 Park, officially becomes tallest residential building in the world

Current view of construction via 6sqft (L); Rendering of the completed tower via Extell (R)

March 27, 2019

Central Park Tower rises above 432 Park, officially becomes tallest residential building in the world

Extell Development's supertall on Billionaires' Row is officially the tallest residential tower in the world. As YIMBY reported this week, Central Park Tower, at 225 West 57th Street, has reached its 92nd floor, surpassing the 1,396-foot-tall tower at 432 Park Avenue. Designed by Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture, Central Park Tower will top out at 95 stories, or 1,550 feet tall, making it stand out significantly among neighboring skyscrapers when construction wraps up next year.
Details here

David Adjaye to help design Bed Stuy’s Restoration Plaza revamp

Image courtesy of Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation.

March 26, 2019

David Adjaye to help design Bed Stuy’s Restoration Plaza revamp

Restoration Plaza, the commercial complex on Fulton Street in Bed-Stuy that has served as a neighborhood hub since it opened in 1972, is getting a major revamp, with British starchitect David Adjaye at the helm for its design. Curbed reports that the nonprofit Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation, which owns and operates the plaza, has announced the creation of a five-year plan for re-imagining the site, including improved services for the surrounding neighborhood and the addition of 400,000 square feet of office space to the complex that currently houses the Billie Holiday Theatre, office space, restaurants, grocery stores and the Brooklyn Business Center.
Find out more

Architecture And Design

New images of SHoP’s skinny supertall at 111 West 57th Street show facade progress

Progress images of 111 W57th Street; photo © Paul Clemence.

January 28, 2019

New images of SHoP’s skinny supertall at 111 West 57th Street show facade progress

Even before reaching its final height of 1,428 feet tall, SHoP Architect’s Midtown supertall 111 West 57th Street, which surpassed 1,000 feet a few months ago, wowed us with views from the tower’s 64th, 72nd, and 73rd floors. Upon completion, the Billionaires’ Row tower will become the tallest residential building in the world, taking the title from 1,396-foot 432 Park Avenue, (until 1,500-foot Central Park Tower tops out). With a super slender frame (a ratio of 1:24), 111 West 57th Street is also set to become one of the skinniest skyscraper in the world. The new year brings new progress–and new photos showing the 86-story tower's intricate terra cotta and bronze facade making its way skyward.
Terracotta and bronze: going up!

Rendering courtesy of Wordsearch

January 18, 2019

Can Extell make Central Park Tower the most expensive condo in U.S. history?

"Some people wonder if Mr. Barnett will become a victim of the condo explosion he helped create," wrote the Wall Street Journal today in a rare expose of Extell's Gary Barnett, referring to the success he had with One57, considered the catalyst for the supertall, ultra-luxury condo boom, and the more challenging climate he's facing with the Central Park Tower. The latter, which will be the world's tallest residential building at 1,550 feet, launched sales in October, but in a soft luxury market, it's not a sure bet that the mega-developer will be able to achieve his projected $4 billion sellout and the title of the nation's most expensive condominium ever. In a likely noncoincidental move timed with the Journal story, Extell today launched the tower's new website (h/t Curbed), and it gives us mere mortals some of the first views inside the billionaire bunker.
See inside and hear from Barnett himself

January 4, 2019

This $799K Bed-Stuy condo ‘shakes’ things up with a clawfoot tub, wood stove, and roof deck

A condo full of Shaker woodwork detail in Brooklyn's Bed-Stuy neighborhood has hit the market for $799,000. The two-bedroom, two bath home at 464 Hancock Street boasts 10-foot-high ceilings, a functioning wood stove, and an envy-inducing windowed clawfoot tub. The sunlight-drenched home also features Shaker woodwork peg racks in most of the rooms and along the hallways, making for a unique storage addition.
Take the tour

Distinctive Homes

December 14, 2018

You can live on Billionaires’ Row for just $325K

It seems as if almost every day we hear of a new big-ticket sale on Manhattan's "Billionaire's Row," the glittering corridor just south of Central Park in Midtown. Eight-figure sales at a growing collection of supertalls like One57, 432 Park Avenue and 111 West 57th Street seem almost ordinary. But it's still possible to snag a home among the oligarchs and moguls: Two units on the market at the classic co-op building at 100 West 57th Street can be yours for $325K (for a studio) and $450K (for a spacious one-bedroom). If you're looking for more than a pied-a-terre, you could even combine both contiguous units and still come in under a mil.
Take a look at your options

Distinctive Homes

December 13, 2018

This $5.2K/month furnished Stuyvesant Heights townhouse is a mix of sophistication and charm

Available from January through August of 2019 at $5,250 per month, this freshly-renovated brownstone triplex at 458 Hancock Street in Bed-Stuy's coveted Stuyvesant Heights historic district presents a great opportunity to get to know the city and the neighborhood. Interiors are bright and spacious, and you don't need to bring anything but your family or friends, and your toothbrush. The four-bedroom home with lots of space to spare plus a private deck and yard comes ready for living, complete with cool furniture and plants.
Take the townhouse tour

November 2, 2018

New Bed-Stuy rental opens affordable housing lottery, starting at $1,102/month

A new rental building just a few blocks from the Myrtle-Willoughby Avenue G train stop in Bed-Stuy is opening an affordable housing lottery for 20 apartments. Conveniently, the 65-unit building at 633 Marcy Avenue will have a supermarket in its base, as well as a laundry room, gym and yoga room, kids room, and a landscaped roof terrace. The affordable units are open to households earning 80 or 130 percent of the area median income. Those on the lower end range from $1,102/month one-bedrooms to $1,327/month two-bedrooms. On the other end, however, the savings are minimal, as they range from $2,207 one/bedrooms to $2,665 two/bedrooms. Currently, the market-rate two bedrooms are going for $2,800/month.
See if you qualify

Affordable Housing

Surpassing 1,000-foot mark, SHoP’s skinny supertall shows off incredible Central Park views

Photo by Michael Toolan

November 2, 2018

Surpassing 1,000-foot mark, SHoP’s skinny supertall shows off incredible Central Park views

Without even reaching its final height of 1,428 feet tall, SHoP Architect's Midtown supertall is already boasting amazing views. New photos released this week of 111 West 57th Street, which recently surpassed 1,000 feet high, show off views from the tower's 64th, 72nd, and 73rd floors. Upon completion, the Billionaires' Row tower will become the tallest residential building in the world, taking the title from 1,396-foot 432 Park Avenue, (until 1,500-foot Central Park Tower tops out). With a super slender frame (a ratio of 1:24), 111 West 57th Street is also set to become the skinniest skyscraper in the world.
See the views

October 31, 2018

$925K duplex with a secret arch and backyard fire pit is a Bed-Stuy oasis

Located in the Stuyvesant Heights section of "arguably the most beautiful block in Bedford Stuyvesant," according to the listing, this charming duplex has a ton of hidden magic for under $1 million. The one-bedroom-plus-den condo occupies the garden and lower levels in a brownstone at 579 Jefferson Avenue and boasts a lovely backyard complete with a patio, fire pit, and rustic wooden walls. Inside, more architectural and decorative surprises await.
See for yourself

Distinctive Homes

Sales launch at Extell’s Central Park Tower, the world’s tallest residential building

Via Extell

October 15, 2018

Sales launch at Extell’s Central Park Tower, the world’s tallest residential building

Sales have launched for Central Park Tower, the tallest residential tower in the world, Extell Development announced Monday. Located at 225 West 57th Street, the 1,550-foot tower is rising on Billionaires' Row, a strip of ultra-luxury residences at the southern end of Central Park in Midtown. While Extell hasn't officially released pricing for its 179 condos, the Real Deal reported last year that 20 of the units have a price tag of $60 million and higher, with a $95 million penthouse being the most expensive. If the building achieves its projected $4 billion sellout, the tower would become the most expensive condo project in New York City.
More here

Real Estate Trends

October 2, 2018

Listings go live at the world’s skinniest skyscraper, 111 West 57th Street

The race to build the tallest residential building in the world has long been underway along Billionaires' Row, but 111 West 57th Street not only boasts height (at 1,428 feet it'll surpass the current record holder, 1,396-foot 432 Park Avenue until the 1,500-foot Central Park Tower tops out) but a frame that is so slender (a ratio of 1:24) it garners it the title of skinniest skyscraper in the world. And after six years watching the development unfold, listings have finally gone live for the 46-unit condo, first spotted by Curbed. The first batch includes seven units, six of which are three-bedrooms ranging from $18 to $30 million, along with a $56 million penthouse.
Ogle the floorplan porn

September 6, 2018

Historic Bed-Stuy mansion smashes neighborhood record with $6.3M sale

Bedford-Stuyvesant's most expensive home has sold for $6.3 million, setting a record price for the neighborhood and sending a message that rising property prices are making their way further into Brooklyn, according to the Wall Street Journal. At nearly twice the previous record sale of $3.3 million in 2017, the Renaissance Revival-style John C. Kelley mansion at 247 Hancock Street is the most expensive single-family house ever sold in Bed-Stuy. The 8,000-square-foot, 10-bedroom townhouse was built in 1887 for water-meter magnate John Kelley, designed by noted architect Montrose Morris and modeled after a Gilded Age Vanderbilt mansion along Fifth Avenue.
Take a look inside this incredible mansion

Music fan behind ‘Aretha’ signs at Franklin Ave subway aims for permanent tribute mural

Images: Aretha Franklin, Franklin Avenue subway station via Wikimedia.

August 21, 2018

Music fan behind ‘Aretha’ signs at Franklin Ave subway aims for permanent tribute mural

Upon hearing of the death of Queen of Soul Aretha Franklin last week, music enthusiast and location manager LeRoy McCarthy corralled a street artist friend and got to work on a fitting sendoff–"Aretha," stenciled in magenta sprayable chalk lettering above each sign that identified the Franklin Avenue subway station in Brooklyn. Curbed reports that McCarthy, who was responsible for efforts to name streets for Notorious B.I.G. in Clinton Hill, Phife Dawg in Queens and the Beastie Boys in the Lower East Side, among others, hopes to create a more permanent tribute. The plan is to create the word R-E-S-P-E-C-T in large black letters on a blank wall just south of Fulton Street on the west side of Franklin Avenue.
more than a little respect, hopefully

August 16, 2018

Apply for 35 affordable apartments in Bed-Stuy, from $745/month

A six-story building in Bed-Stuy launched a lottery this week for 35 affordable apartments. Developed in collaboration between Comunilife and NYC Health + Hospitals, the Woodhull Residence at 179 Throop Avenue contains 89 studio apartments, designed as supportive and affordable housing. The apartments up for grabs through the lottery are set aside for individual New Yorkers earning 50 and 60 percent of the area median income, or between $27,463 and $43,860 annually, and include $746/month and $903/month studios.
Find out if you qualify

Affordable Housing

3 chances to live just steps from the G train in Bed-Stuy, from $1,912/month

Photo via Julien Magne/Flickr

August 14, 2018

3 chances to live just steps from the G train in Bed-Stuy, from $1,912/month