Brooklyn

January 31, 2017

$4.75M Park Slope townhouse offers original 1910 details with 21st century improvements

Even before you open the front door, this limestone townhouse on one of the prettiest blocks in the heart of Park Slope has more going for it than location. Built in 1910, the three-story home at 542 Third Street was designed by notable and prolific Swedish-American architect Axel Hedman. Along with partner Magnus Dahlander, Hedman is thought to have built more elegant rowhouses in Brooklyn neighborhoods like Crown Heights, Prospect Heights, Bedford Stuyvesant, Clinton Hill, Park Slope, Sunset Park and Prospect Lefferts Gardens/Lefferts Manor than any other in his profession. Guided by the current owners’ high standards and exacting design principles, the home's finest historic details have been preserved while modern comforts and conveniences have been seamlessly integrated.
Take the tour, floor by floor
January 27, 2017

FREE RENT: A roundup of NYC’s latest rental concessions

No Security Deposit + One Month Free for Full-Floor Apartments on Lower East Side [link] Glenwood Offering Free Rent at Lincoln Square High-Rise, Hawthorn Park [link] One Month Free on All Units at Luxury High Rise LINC LIC; Studios from $2,395 [link] Now 95% Leased, 180 Franklin Avenue in Clinton Hill Offers Two Months Free […]

January 26, 2017

NYU announces $500M expansion of Downtown Brooklyn tech campus

In 2012, NYU signed a 99-year lease for the Downtown Brooklyn building at 370 Jay Street, a former MTA headquarters. Two years later, the University opened its Tandon School of Engineering in the neighborhood, and now that 5,212 students are enrolled, NYU is moving ahead with a $500 million renovation, restoration, and expansion of the Jay Street building, adding 500,000 square feet of space for areas of study such as computer coding, video game design, and digital forensics. The Daily News first shared the news, and they report that the new facility will open this coming summer, in time to welcome students for the Fall semester.
More views and details
January 26, 2017

‘Girls’ and ‘Star Wars’ actor Adam Driver checks out a $4.79M fixer-upper in Brooklyn Heights

Indie stud Adam Driver's star is quickly rising thanks to his chameleon-like abilities to play characters ranging from Hannah Horvath's troubled and emotionally rich boyfriend on "Girls" to the diabolical villain Kylo Ren in the new "Star Wars" films. Now it appears Driver is looking to take on yet another role: homeowner. Like his "Girls" cohorts, Driver's interest in multi-million dollar properties has been piqued, and The Post reports the actor was recently spotted touring a townhouse at 154 Hicks Street in Brooklyn Heights (the nabe where Girls' creator and lead Lena Dunham also lives). The now-vacant home was formerly used as a multiple-unit rental property and is currently listed for $4.79 million as a 5,444-square-foot single-family residence.
more photos inside
January 26, 2017

Live in John Catsimatidis’ curvy Downtown Brooklyn rental tower from $833/month

Way back in 1982, the CEO and owner of Red Apple Group, John Catsimatidis (you may know him better as the billionaire owner of Gristedes or for his failed Republican run in the last mayoral election) paid $500,000 for a 2.5-acre, four-block site in Downtown Brooklyn, on the western edge of Fort Greene. Thirty-five years later, construction is wrapping up on the final, and by far the tallest, of the four-tower development. The curving glass building at 86 Fleet Place was designed by Goldstein, Hill & West and will rise 32 stories/350 feet and house 440 rentals, 29 of which are set aside as affordable and have just come online through the city's affordable housing lottery. They range from $833/month studios to $1,247/month three-bedrooms and are available for those earning 45 to 60 percent of the area media income.
Find out if you qualify here
January 24, 2017

Art dealers’ Cobble Hill townhouse has gym, wine cellar, and city views for $6.5M

Two Manhattan gallerists, one six-story Brooklyn townhouse—you'd think it would be a match made in heaven. But the home's current owners—his Madison Avenue gallery specializes in Surrealist and Modern art, her company looks out for new talent and helps clients build contemporary art collections—bought the house in 2015 for $4 million, and they've just listed it for $6.5M. 124 Congress Street is one of nine units that comprise the Morris Adjmi-designed Cobble Hill Townhouses. Completed in 2014, the development features a mix of restored and newly-constructed homes. With four bedrooms, a private garden and a roof terrace with Manhattan views—but no elevator—the home's interiors were clearly designed by a pro, but they're surprisingly low-key given the sellers' contemporary art milieu.
Take the tour. Hope you like stairs
January 20, 2017

$12,000/month to rent this triplex townhouse beauty in Boerum Hill

Renters can enjoy Brooklyn townhouse living in all its glory here at 306 State Street, a Boerum Hill property now asking $12,000 a month. The 25-foot landmark home spans three floors and holds five bedrooms, four-and-a-half bathrooms and an upgraded chef's kitchen. Better yet, a dramatic glass extension was added to the back of the home, making for a sunroom you don't see in many historic New York townhouses.
Check it out
January 20, 2017

FREE RENT: A roundup of NYC’s latest rental concessions

Midtown Rental Skyscraper ‘Tower 31‘ Offering One Month Free or One Month OP on Select Leases [link] Leasing Launches at 531 Myrtle Avenue; First to Open for New Clinton Hill Rental Duo ‘Myrtle & Steuben’ [link] Month of Free Rent at The Giovanni, 81 Fleet Place in Downtown Brooklyn [link] SLCE-Designed Downtown High Rise, The […]

January 20, 2017

The Urban Lens: Inside ‘Little Odessa,’ Brighton Beach’s quaint beachfront Russian community

6sqft’s ongoing series The Urban Lens invites photographers to share work exploring a theme or a place within New York City. In this installment, Chaz Langley explores the people and establishments that breathe life into Brighton Beach. Are you a photographer who’d like to see your work featured on The Urban Lens? Get in touch with us at [email protected]. 6sqft recently featured Chaz Langley's photo series "A Stroll in Chinatown," where he captured the neighborhood's unique cultural establishments and the everyday comings and goings of its residents. He's now taken the same approach with Brighton Beach, Brooklyn's beach-front community that's often referred to as "Little Odessa" for its strong Russian community. Langley, a Nashville native who moved to New York almost a decade ago to pursue a career as a singer/songwriter/actor/model, has taken to sharing his location-specific collections on Instagram, integrating his graphic design background in their presentation. From a fruit stand to boardwalk, his Brighton Beach series certainly paints a picture of the neighborhood.
See all the photos here
January 20, 2017

Whole Foods will open a lower-priced ‘365’ store in Downtown Brooklyn

Downtown Brooklyn is quickly becoming one of NYC's most desirable commercial hubs. On top of hosting a lengthy roster of big name retailers and entertainment centers—which include a new Target, Trader Joe's, Century 21, Apple store, Alamo Drafthouse cinema, and Barclays Center—the neighborhood will also welcome a brand new, lower-priced Whole Foods concept store called "365." According to a press release, the store will open in early 2018 at Two Trees' 300 Ashland Place, and be set up as a no-frills version of the grocery giant.
more details this way
January 19, 2017

Pop singer Santigold lists her ornate Bed-Stuy brownstone for $1.95 million

Singer and songwriter Santi "Santigold" White—best known for her singles "Creator" and "LES Artistes," and more recently her video "Can't Get Enough of Myself" which featured cameos by Jay Z, Pharrell, Olivia Wilde, amongst other A-listers—has just listed her stunning Bed-Stuy brownstone for $1,950,000. White originally purchased the property back in 2010 for just $775,000, meaning if she can make a sale, she'll walk away with quite a tidy profit. With that said, the home at 786 Putnam Avenue should have no issues drawing in buyers. In addition to offering generous quarters as a "one-of-a-kind 2-family brownstone, currently used as an extra-large one-family residence," plenty of lavish details make this home a standout.
Get a closer look inside here
January 19, 2017

New renderings and photos show Brooklyn Bridge Park’s Pier 5 uplands are almost complete

You won't need to see more than a few renderings and photos of new park space slated for Brooklyn Bridge Park to feel ready for summertime. First posted by Curbed from the park's landscape architect Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates, renderings show the final design for one of the last undeveloped sections of the park between Montague and Joralemon streets. Known as the Pier 5 uplands, the hilly green space will be comprised of a stepped lawn, shaded grove, waterfront seating and new entrance off Joralemon Street. A sound-dampening berm will reduce noise from the nearby roadways. And it's all on track to wrap construction right before summer.
More images and details this way
January 19, 2017

$10.5M Federal-era house in Brooklyn Heights was Truman Capote’s muse

When he penned an essay about his neighborhood of Brooklyn Heights in 1959, it was this wood-frame house at 13 Pineapple Street that inspired Truman Capote. "Cheerfully austere, as elegant and other-era as formal calling cards, these houses bespeak an age of able servants and solid fireside ease; of horses in musical harness," he wrote, referencing the 1830 Federal-era home that was around the corner from his personal house. The Wall Street Journal reports that, for the past 26 years, the residence has been preserved by a couple who were drawn to its grey shingles as a reminder of the old houses in Nantucket they love. But now that their children are grown, they're looking to downsize and have listed the storied property for $10.5 million.
All the history right this way
January 17, 2017

Department of Health says it’s okay to eat Gowanus Canal fish in moderation and kayak in the water

The real estate community has been looking closely at Gowanus as of late thanks to rezoning plans that will likely spur high-end development and proposals for a public esplanade. To some, this waterfront vision seems a bit off due to the toxicity of the Canal and its history as a Superfund site, but naysayers may be changing their tune as a new report from the New York State Department of Health tells us that "limited direct contact with the canal's waters, through boating or fishing" doesn't increase the risk of cancer and other diseases, according to Gothamist. It's still not safe to swim in the water, but, believe it or not, men and women of certain ages can even eat some of the Canal's fish.
Find out more
January 17, 2017

$8.8M 20-room limestone Park Slope mansion was built in 1905 for a furniture tycoon

Even in the land of many mansions otherwise known as north Park Slope, 106 Eighth Avenue is, as the listing says, a rare Brooklyn treasure. Built in 1905 for furniture tycoon Henry Wallace Partridge, this Beaux Arts mansion built to accommodate "family, full time employees and guests" spans 8,000 square feet and 20 rooms, including seven bathrooms and nine fireplaces. Maintained with care, this extraordinary home has retained original details throughout, including hand-painted frescoes and a Tiffany stained glass atrium. It's currently on the market for $8.789 million (still far below the 17,500-square-foot Low mansion at 3 Pierrepont Place for $40 million), and awaits more family, full-time employees and guests to reimagine it for the 21st century.
Take the grand tour
January 13, 2017

FREE RENT: A roundup of NYC’s latest rental concessions

Renovated Apartments on West 30th Street Near Hudson Yards Offering One Month Free [link] Free Rent & Special Offers at Spencer Street Apartments in Bed-Stuy [link] Name Revealed for New Clinton Hill Rental, Leasing Site Launched for 5-Story ‘Myrtle & Steuben‘ [link] Stonehenge 57, Midtown East High-Rise in Sutton Place, Offering One Month Free [link] […]

January 13, 2017

Bright Park Slope condo with unique built-ins, details asks just $675K

We won't blame you if this Park Slope apartment makes you drool. Located at 85 Sixth Avenue, the 10-unit condo was built for the Brooklyn social club the Carleton Club in 1890. The historic brick building holds this bright and lofty apartment, which hits the right balance between simple, modern design and some more historic interior touches. It'll likely get snatched up quickly with an ask of $675,000.
Take a look
January 13, 2017

Lake Bell’s enchanting Clinton Hill townhouse gets a price chop and new photos

Back in 2013 director/actress/screenwriter Lake Bell and tattoo artist to the stars Scott Campbell bought this quaint townhouse in north Clinton Hill in the Wallabout Historic District for $1.55 million. Three years, a baby and some creative renovations later they listed the home at 119 Vanderbilt Avenue for an ambitious $3 million. After a price cut last November to $2.55 million and a broker switch, the home with the enchanted Zen garden and top-floor atelier is now asking $2.3 million with new photos to boot.
Check out the cool, quirky townhouse interiors
January 13, 2017

Third lottery opens at Pacific Park Brooklyn, apply for 303 affordable units from $532/month

Last spring, the first housing lottery opened at Pacific Park Brooklyn when 181 affordable units at SHoP's 461 Dean Street (the world's tallest modular tower) came online. It was followed a few months later by 298 openings at 535 Carlton Avenue, COOKFOX's entirely affordable building, and now the third set of apartments for low- to middle-income New Yorkers is open. SHoP Architects also designed an all-affordable building at 38 Sixth Avenue, adjacent to the Barclays Center, and as of today these 303 residences are up for grabs, ranging from $532/month studios to $3,695/month three-bedrooms. Households earning between 101 and 165 percent of the area media income (or up to $173,415 annually) are eligible for 198 of the units, while 105 units are set aside for those earning between 30 and 100 percent (as low as $20,126 a year).
More details and the whole qualification breakdown
January 11, 2017

Iconic ‘Miss Manhattan’ and ‘Miss Brooklyn’ statues return to the Manhattan Bridge

“Miss Manhattan” by Daniel Chester French. It was originally alongside the Manhattan Bridge, but was moved to the entrance of the Brooklyn Museum. Courtesy of the Brooklyn Museum. In the early 1900s, renowned sculptor Daniel Chester French was asked to create "two allegorical figures," a Miss Manhattan and a Miss Brooklyn, to stand at the Brooklyn entrance to the Manhattan Bridge. The granite women were removed, however, in the 1960s when Robert Moses decided to move them. They were then relocated to their current home at the Brooklyn Museum's entrance, but after a 10-year, $450,000 project, a resin replica of the original has returned to the bridge. As the Times tells us, sculptor and installation artist Brian Tolle (he's also responsible for the Irish Hunger Memorial) designed the new version to glow at night with interior LED lights and rotate "on two lamppost-like arms."
See the ladies in action
January 11, 2017

Live in ODA’s new Crown Heights rental from $845/month, lottery opening for 24 units

It's been over two years since ODA Architects first released a rendering of their rental project at 1040 Dean Street (formerly 608 Franklin Avenue) in Crown Heights. Featuring the firm's signature glassy, boxy aesthetic, the eight-story, 133,582-square-foot project rose on part of the site of the shuttered Nassau Brewery, just a block away from hot-spot food hall Berg'n. Of its 120 units, 20 percent will be reserved for those earning no more than 60 percent of the area media income, and starting tomorrow, qualifying New Yorkers can apply to these affordable units, ranging from $845/month studios to $1,022 two-bedrooms.
Find out more
January 11, 2017

FREE RENT: A roundup of NYC’s latest rental concessions

The Eugene, Midtown’s Tallest Rental Skyscraper, Gears Up for Early 2017 Leasing [link] Grand Opening: Leasing Begins at 681 Franklin in Crown Heights [link] Grand Opening: Leasing Begins on No Fee Bed-Stuy Apartments at 766 Lafayette Avenue [link] One Month Free on Select Units at Brodsky’s Midtown West High-Rise, One Columbus Place [link] One Month […]

January 10, 2017

My 600sqft: Journalist Alexandra King turns a schlumpy Park Slope rental into a stunning boho-chic pad

If you needed any more proof that British women just have "it" when it comes to style, place your gaze no further than Alexandra King. The expat journalist, writer and one half of downtown gallery Lyles & King seems to have a knack for turning naught into something noteworthy—just look at her apartment. Alexandra came to NYC seven years ago, first living on her own and then moving into a grimy Chinatown pad with her then-boyfriend-now-husband, Isaac. Following a somewhat traumatic event at their old building, the pair decided to leave Manhattan and high-tail it to leafy Park Slope. While their new neighborhood offered a different kind of charm than Chinatown, their one-bedroom rental still left a lot to be desired; the accent walls for example were painted in what Alexandra describes as "a bizarre shade of poop brown." But leave it to an enterprising creative to transform a turd into a gem. Alexandra saw plenty of potential in the dank space and jumped on the lease. Despite having a few what have I done?! moments, Alexandra worked her magic and completely transformed the apartment. Ahead she gives 6sqft a tour of her bright boho-chic abode, and shares her fail-safe plan for creating an inspiring home.
go inside
January 10, 2017

Gowanus Alliance reveals plans to bring Kentile Floors sign to new park

Two summers ago, the Gowanus Alliance teamed up with Gowanus by Design on their vision to transform the land underneath the elevated subway tracks on 10th Street between Second and Third Avenues into a public park that would serve as a home for the iconic but dismantled Kentile Floors sign. Now that the MTA has completed its repairs on the tracks above, Brooklyn Paper reports that the group has tapped Loci Architecture for preliminary renderings of what this space, dubbed Under the Tracks Playground, could look like.
Find out more this way
January 9, 2017

Built in Poland and shipped in pieces, NYC’s biggest modular hotel project is 55 percent complete

The 20-story, 300-room project at 185 Bowery was constructed in Poland and shipped to New York in 210 pieces. Owned by Dutch hotel developer/operator Citizen M with Brack Capital Real Estate, the high-rise hotel at 185 Bowery is more than half done, reports the Wall Street Journal. It will be the largest permanent modular hotel project ever in NYC. Modular construction is more common in Europe; the developer already has nine hotels up and running and 14 in the works. They’ve used the technique of stacking sealed, factory-made units containing finished hotel rooms on the majority of those projects.
Check out photos of the sealed hotel pods arriving