Brooklyn

Topanga Canyon retreat? Stinson Beach surf shack? If you guessed either you'd be wrong, but this fully-detached single-family home at 71 Dikeman Street in Red Hook, asking $2.5 million, definitely has a California bohemian vibe that's perfect for the laid-back waterfront neighborhood. In addition to a well-executed renovation, the two-story house has a 50-foot landscaped garden with an outdoor kitchen that's the picture of summer leisure living.
Tour this laid-back beach shack

Distinctive Homes

July 6, 2017

Two chances to live in prime Bed-Stuy for $1,114/month

Starting today, New Yorkers earning 60 percent of the area median income can apply for two, $1,114/month two-bedroom apartments at 183 Tompkins Avenue in Bed-Stuy, quite the deal considering market-rate two-bedrooms are renting for $2,600. The new six-story building has just 10 units total and is a five-minute walk from the Myrtle- Willoughby G train and 10 minutes from the Myrtle Ave J, M, and Z. Apartments have large windows, high ceilings, wood floors, and kitchens with dishwashers and stainless steel appliances, and the building offers some private balconies, a rooftop, and a virtual doorman.
The full details

Affordable Housing

July 5, 2017

Pretty pre-war co-op in Fort Greene has two bedrooms and stylish details for under $1M

In the heart of the lovely neighborhood of Fort Greene, Brooklyn at 141 Lafayette Avenue, just a block from Fort Greene Park and a few minutes from BAM, this graciously-sized and thoughtfully-appointed pre-war co-op is asking $995,000. With two real bedrooms, central A/C, and a nice renovation, that seems like a pretty good deal for this pricey neighborhood.
Take a look around

Distinctive Homes

July 3, 2017

Affordable housing lottery opens for 14 East Williamsburg units, starting at $589/month

Back in early 2016, 6sqft shared a new housing lottery for three Williamsburg buildings, one of which was 37 Ten Eyck Street in East Williamsburg between Union Avenue and Lorimer Street. The vacant lots were purchased in 2014, along with a fourth site at 33 Ten Eyck Street, by the Housing Development Corporation to build 100 percent affordable buildings. That final building is now complete and its 14 units are available to those earning 40 or 60 percent of the area media income. They range from $589/month one-bedrooms to $1,121/month two-bedrooms, and the building offers an elevator, outdoor area, intercom system, bicycle storage, and laundry facilities.
All the details here

Affordable Housing

FREE RENT: This week’s roundup of NYC rental news

Images (L to R): Frank 57 West, 237 11th Street, 180 Water Street and 1 QPS Tower

June 30, 2017

FREE RENT: This week’s roundup of NYC rental news

By Emrys Fitzgerald

Prices Drop at East Harlem Luxury Rental by Karim Rashid; Units Now Start at $2,000/Month [link] Clinton Hill’s 1007 Atlantic Avenue Launches Leasing & Affordable Housing Lottery [link] Flex Layouts in the Financial District; No-Fee, 1 Month Free & Guarantors Accepted [link] Special Offer at Charming Upper West Side Rental; Flex Lease Dates & $1,000 […]

Real Estate Trends

June 30, 2017

$3,250/month Williamsburg apartment comes furnished with chic, tropical decor

This Williamsburg condo at 259 Ainslie Street isn't massive at 652 square feet, but it's furnished and full of chic, creative decor--from the sunny bedroom to a living room packed with patterned pillows, rugs and greenery. There's a little outdoor space, too, with a private balcony off the living room. If you're digging the zen, tropical aesthetic, this is up for rent at $3,250 a month.
Tour the space

Distinctive Homes

June 30, 2017

This Stuyvesant Heights brownstone with a perfect Brooklyn back yard asks $4,500/month

This compact brownstone rental in Bed-Stuy's pretty Stuyvesant Heights historic district of awaits summer festivities on a landscaped private back terrace. $4,500 a month gets you three bedrooms on two stories and a finished basement plus covetable private outdoor space in one of the borough's most buzzed-about neighborhoods.
Take the tour

Distinctive Homes

June 28, 2017

Map: Where to watch the Macy’s fireworks this July 4th

Here's a handy guide outlining some prime spots for experiencing Macy's Fourth of July live fireworks extravaganza this Tuesday evening; in addition, the folks that put on the show have provided a helpful interactive neighborhood finder so you're well situated when things go boom. Take a fun quiz here, then find out the best spots to watch from. Or just check out some prime spots here.
More info this way

My 1100sqft: Designers Laura Yeh and Zach Jenkins turn a blank Bushwick loft into a pastel dreamscape

6sqft’s ongoing series “My sqft” checks out the homes of New Yorkers across all the boroughs. Our latest interior adventure brings us to the Bushwick loft of designers Laura Yeh and Zach Jenkins. Want to see your home featured here? Get in touch!

June 27, 2017

My 1100sqft: Designers Laura Yeh and Zach Jenkins turn a blank Bushwick loft into a pastel dreamscape

By Diane Pham

Creativity runs high in this Bushwick loft, which comes as no surprise when you learn that it's the home of Laura Yeh, a designer at cult beauty brand Glossier, and Zach Jenkins, a furniture and lighting designer at the ultra-luxe Hellman-Chang. The duo moved into their space roughly one year ago following a cross-country road trip that brought them from their previous home in San Francisco to NYC. Although Laura, having studied at Parsons, was no stranger to the city, Zach had never lived in New York. Thus, as new beginnings go, the couple opted to start fresh in Bushwick with an 1100-square-foot cavern with plenty of room to flex their creative prowess. Ahead, see how Laura and Zach use airy style, refined textures, and beautiful furniture designed, built, or restored themselves to turn a nondescript space into a perfectly edited pastel dreamscape.
go inside their dreamy loft

June 27, 2017

Young Projects upended the traditional Brooklyn townhouse design for this Williamsburg renovation

You wouldn't guess it from first glance, but this property on the corner of Wythe Avenue in Williamsburg was originally a modest 1900s brick townhouse. Architecture and design firm Young Projects was tasked with modernizing and expanding the existing structure, for which they took a bold approach that they call "a radical break from Brooklyn’s traditional townhouse typology." The massive rear addition is clad in perforated, corrugated zinc, "subtly playing off the scale, proportion, fenestration and texture of the existing townhouse." The interior is just as dramatic, with a massive, curving staircase that wraps around a double height living room.
You have to take a look inside

June 27, 2017

Brooklyn’s iconic ‘Watchtower’ sign coming down to make way for Kushner’s Panorama office complex

For nearly 50 years, the neon red 15-foot-tall ‘Watchtower’ sign has sat atop the former headquarters of the Jehovah’s Witnesses luminously overlooking Brooklyn Heights. However, earlier this month, the religious group filed a permit application seeking to remove the sign. According to The Real Deal, this comes almost a year after developers Kushner Companies, CIM Group and LIVWRK Holdings purchased the spot at 25-30 Columbia Heights for $340 million with plans to convert the building into a 635,000-square-foot office complex, “Panorama.”
Find out more

New Developments

June 26, 2017

90 years ago today, Coney Island’s iconic Cyclone roller coaster opened

On June 26, 1927 the Coney Island Cyclone opened in Brooklyn. The iconic wooden coaster, located on the corner of Surf Avenue and West 10th Street, is one of the oldest functional amusement rides in the United States. While it only cost $.25 to ride when it first opened, today it costs about $10. Found at Luna Park, the coaster takes you over 2,640 feet of track at 60 miles per hour, with 12 drops (the highest an 85-foot, 60-degree plunge) and 27 elevation changes in roughly two minutes.
See a historic video of the coaster in action

History

June 26, 2017

Live in Al Capone’s former Park Slope home for $2.85M

No bribes or back-door deals necessary. Al Capone's former Park Slope townhouse, where he lived in the 1920s before heading to Chicago, has just hit the market for $2.85 million, reports the Post. "Scarface" may not recognize his former home today, as listing broker Bren Salamon notes that while the exterior remains nondescript, inside, the three-family residence has been completely renovated with high-end appliances, outdoor decks, and all new finishes.
Get a look

Images (L to R): Hub, The Forge, The Corner and The Lane

June 24, 2017

FREE RENT: This week’s roundup of NYC rental news

By Emrys Fitzgerald

A Look Inside Harlem 125 as the New Rental Debuts on Harlem’s Main Street [link] Leasing Special on West 72nd Street: Apartments Above Trader Joe’s Listed with 1 Month Free [link] Newly Launched Jersey City Rental Partners with Airbnb, Achieves Record Price Per Square Foot [link] Live in Brooklyn’s Tallest Building: New ‘Hub’ Rental Tower […]

Real Estate Trends

June 21, 2017

Brooklyn casual gets colorful in this $2.8M Carroll Gardens townhouse

Starting with a planted front garden of the sort that earned the classic Brooklyn neighborhood of Carroll Gardens its name, this four-bedroom row house at 439 Sackett Street has historic Brooklyn-casual nailed, with charm and warmth throughout–and a bright dose of country caravan whimsy in the kitchen. Built in 1880, this 20-foot-wide home, asking $2.795 million, boasts wide-plank knotty pine floors along with original details like dramatic archways, ceiling medallions, crown molding and ornate stone fireplace surrounds.
Backyard fun, this way

Distinctive Homes

June 20, 2017

Hunt Architecture’s garden studio offers a tiny backyard retreat in Boerum Hill

By Ana Lisa Alperovich

Sometimes you don't need to go far to escape the frenzy of the city. Forget about charming mountain retreats or luxury seaside homes, this humble beauty provides the perfect place to escape it all right in a Boerum Hill, Brooklyn backyard. Crafted by local studio Hunt Architecture using salvaged cedar and fence pickets, the Brooklyn Garden Studio is a grown-up version of the classic treehouse.
Learn more about this small wooden shed

Architecture And Design

Politicians push for Brooklyn’s General Lee Avenue to be renamed

General Lee Avenue and Robert E. Lee’s former home on Fort Hamilton, via Jeremy Bender/Business Insider

June 20, 2017

Politicians push for Brooklyn’s General Lee Avenue to be renamed

When four Confederate statues were removed in New Orleans last month, many sided with Mayor Mitch Landrieu's plan, but others felt it was an attempt to erase history. Nevertheless, the monuments all came down, prompting national elected officials to take notice--even here in NYC. As 6sqft previously explained, there exists a General Lee Avenue and a Stonewall Jackson Drive in Brooklyn's Fort Hamilton, the city's last remaining active-duty military base, and a group of local politicians has sent a letter to Army Secretary Robert Speer asking that they both be renamed, with Colin Powell and Harriet Tubman suggested as possible replacements (h/t Gothamist).
Get the full story

10 things you never knew about Prospect Park

Image by Elizabeth Jeegin Colley for the Prospect Park Alliance

June 20, 2017

10 things you never knew about Prospect Park

Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux debuted Prospect Park to the Brooklyn masses in 1867. Though Olmsted and Vaux had already designed Central Park, they considered this their masterpiece, and much of the pair's innovative landscape design is still on display across all 585 acres. But it was the result of a lengthy, complicated construction process (Olmsted and Vaux weren't even the original designers!) as well as investment and dedication from the city and local preservationists throughout the years. After challenges like demolition, neglect, and crime, the Parks Department has spent the past few decades not only maintaining the park but restoring as much of Olmsted and Vaux's vision as possible. It's safe to say that these days, Prospect Park is just as impressive as when it first opened to the public. And of course, throughout its history the park has had no shortage of stories, secrets and little-known facts. 6sqft divulges the 10 things you might not have known.
All the juicy secrets ahead

June 20, 2017

Clinton Hill’s latest rental offers 10 affordable units, from $780/month

Less than two weeks ago, Clinton Hill's new mixed-use building at 1007 Atlantic Avenue launched leasing for its 40 market-rate rentals, offering one month of free rent on 13-month leases for units ranging from $2,169/month studios to $3,462/month two-bedrooms. But the remaining 10 units are an even sweeter deal, coming in at just $780 for studios and $973 for two-bedrooms and still getting access to the package room, bike storage, and landscaped roof deck with areas for lounging and grilling. These latter apartments are available as of tomorrow through the city's affordable housing lottery to those earning 60 percent of the area median income.
Find out if you qualify

Affordable Housing

June 20, 2017

For $2.4M, this sun-filled brick Greenpoint townhouse wraps modern comfort in historic charm

Greenpoint has quietly over the past decade become one of Brooklyn's most livable and lovable neighborhoods; its waterfront location, a diverse family-friendly vibe, proximity to McCarren Park and Williamsburg, and exciting new developments on the way are just a few of the reasons why. Townhouses here are rarer than lofts and condos, but they do pop up for lucky buyers, and this three-story home at 184 Calyer Street, asking $2.395 million, is a move-in ready example. The fully-renovated two-family house with a private garden is comprised of a spacious owners' duplex and a good-sized one-bedroom apartment with its own outdoor space.
Give the G line a try

Distinctive Homes

Rendering courtesy of SCAPE Landscape Architecture

June 19, 2017

Gowanus Canal Conservancy unveils renderings for SCAPE-designed Gowanus Lowlands

The Gowanus Canal Conservancy (GCC) has announced the launch of Gowanus Lowlands, a new comprehensive vision for the transformation of Brooklyn’s Gowanus neighborhood and a 'blueprint for NYC’s next great park.' As 6sqft has previously reported, between developers eyeing the pricey parcel of southwest Brooklyn land as Paris on the Gowanus and the city's ambitions to transform the long-embattled area into "Little Venice," all eyes have been on the neighborhood and the once-toxic, steadily improving Superfund canal that anchors it. With an important rezoning on the horizon–the process kicked off last October with meetings to gauge community opinion–passions are running high. The conservancy has identified SCAPE landscape architecture studio to guide the Lowlands vision toward reality.
Find out more

June 16, 2017

This $7.5M modern abode in Park Slope was once a humble carriage house

From an 1890s carriage house to this stunning modern home, the Park Slope property at 77 Prospect Place has quite the story behind it. According to Brownstoner, this building, along with two others, was purchased by the Brooklyn Union Gas company for use in an alternative energy experiment. 77 Prospect served as the company's show house, and they installed experimental fuel cells on the roofs, the design of which was inspired by the Apollo spacecraft. More recently, in 2004, the building was completely renovated by the architect Philippe Baumann. He built out a chic, modern interior and added a second floor with a stunning open space that opens to an outdoor patio with a hot tub. Now it's up for grabs, asking $7.495 million.
Check out the home's most recent iteration

Distinctive Homes

June 16, 2017

City scales back storm-protection project in Red Hook

Flooding during Hurricane Sandy left many residents of Red Hook without basic services for weeks. While many had hoped the city’s $100 million initiative would help protect the Brooklyn waterfront neighborhood from a 100-year flood event, a new feasibility study shows the plan would actually only protect it from a 10-year flood event. As the Wall Street Journal reported, the city plans on scaling back the flood-protection system in Red Hook because of its high costs, and the study revealed a larger project could cost about $300 to $500 million more.
Find out more

Policy

June 16, 2017

On this day in 1884, America’s first roller coaster opened at Coney Island

On June 16, 1884, the country’s first roller coaster opened at Coney Island, sparking Americans' obsession with amusement rides. Invented by LaMarcus Thompson, the ride, called the Switchback Railway, spanned 600 feet and traveled just six miles per hour. Unlike today’s coasters, the Switchback did not make a round trip loop, and passengers exited at the end of the track. The one-minute-long ride cost only five cents.
Get the whole history

History

June 14, 2017

$3.95M buys you a four-story townhouse with condo amenities in Dumbo