Brooklyn

April 27, 2016

Greenpoint’s 533 Leonard Condos Hit the Market Asking Above Neighborhood Average

Along the southern border of Greenpoint, near Williamsburg's McCarren Park, a once charming 19th-century school building at 533 Leonard Street is completing its adaptive reuse into 13 condominiums. Three two-bedroom units were just listed on the market this week asking an average price per square foot of $1,411, a bit above Greenpoint's current average condo asking price of $1,152 per square foot. The 21,000-square-foot development is a synthesis of the Italianate-style Horace Greeley School married with a modern addition and gut-renovated interiors handled by local architects MDIM.
Check out the available units

April 26, 2016

Another Stubby Shotgun House Hits the Market in Brooklyn, This One Asking $999K

By Emily Nonko

This shotgun house in East Bed Stuy (asking $775K last December) needs to move over: there's another stubby property in town. And by town, we mean the neighborhood of Greenwood Heights, Brooklyn, located just south of Park Slope. The two-story home comes with two bedrooms, one-and-a-half bathroom and the opportunity to expand. The question is, would you pay just under $1 million for it?
Take a look

Distinctive Homes

April 26, 2016

$5K/Month Carroll Gardens Duplex in a Former Wine Cellar Has Plenty of Personality

By Michelle Cohen

In a rented apartment, visitors and friends won't necessarily hold you responsible for any infrastructure eccentricity–that's part of the ease of signing a lease. The problem is, it's often difficult to find a rental with any personailty. There's no floor plan available for this quirky Carroll Gardens garden duplex at 78 Douglass Street, but it certainly looks like there's a fair amount of space, and even if not, you've got two floors to call home. As is often the case with pre-war row house apartments, there do seem to be "plenty of unique features," as the listing says.
Check out the party-ready yard and the former wine cellar basement

Distinctive Homes

April 25, 2016

A Photographer’s Eye Makes This $3.25M Carroll Gardens Townhouse Pretty as a Picture

By Michelle Cohen

When a photographer who's worked for Martha Stewart Living puts her creative skills to work crafting a home in a classic Carroll Gardens townhouse, the results tend to photograph well. That's certainly the case with this gorgeous three-story brick house at 189 Huntington Street. Lifestyle, food, fashion and interiors photographer Dana Gallagher has clearly trained her editorial and design eye on every detail. Comprised of an upstairs owners' duplex and a beautifully outfitted one-bedroom garden apartment below–each with an outdoor oasis–this 20-foot-wide two-family property could also be transformed easily into a single-family dream house.
Get a closer look

Distinctive Homes

April 25, 2016

First Look StudiosC’s Bed Stuy Rental Underway at 1875 Atlantic Avenue

By Ondel Hylton and Julian Friedman

Over the next decade, Brooklyn's Atlantic Avenue will likely continue its transformation from high-speed deathtrap to high-density residential boulevard. With more than a dozen projects already taking shape near its western extents, such as the 16-tower Pacific Park project, Cobble Hill's LICH redevelopment, and a pair of towers at Brooklyn Bridge Park, it's not difficult to imagine infill developments progressing eastward, rising from the acres of underutilized land along the ten-mile artery. And in East New York, the City Council just approved a rezoning of the neighborhood that allows for 10- to 14-story apartment blocks to rise along Atlantic Avenue. In Bedford-Stuyvesant, in between the two much-discussed areas, StudiosC Architects has crafted an eight-story apartment block at 1875 Atlantic Avenue, which will contain 118 rental units.
Get all the details on the building

April 25, 2016

Award-Winning Contemporary Townhouse on the Columbia Street Waterfront Asks $3M

By Emily Nonko

The Columbia Street Waterfront is a quiet and historic waterfront enclave, just west of Cobble Hill, that's filled with small businesses and lined with cobblestone streets. Despite it's old-time Brooklyn vibe, it's home to at least one very contemporary townhouse at 48 Tiffany Place. The single-family, three-story home underwent a reno in 2013 and recently won the Remodelista Considered Design Award for its unique and dramatic interior.
See more

Distinctive Homes

April 22, 2016

Artist Hopes to Raise $25K to Build a Pedestrian Bridge from Red Hook to Governors Island

By Michelle Cohen

From her back window on Columbia Street in Brooklyn, artist Nancy Nowacek could see Governors Island and Buttermilk Channel (the strait connecting Brooklyn to the island), and it seemed incredibly close. In fact, it's the equivalent of only about four city blocks away. So since 2012, Nowacek has been working on her vision of building Citizen Bridge over New York Harbor, a floating modular pedestrian bridge over the 1,400-foot span from Red Hook to Governor's Island. In what is currently planned as a one-day-only event, she sees Citizen Bridge as a completely new way to experience New York City harbor, rather than seeing it from the shore, from a bridge above, or from a boat. As noted by Mental Floss, Nowacek has turned to Kickstarter to raise money for a pilot phase. The project's goal of $25,000 would fund a proof-of-concept, which is the final phase before launching for real. So far, they've prototyped seven bridge designs in full-scale sections.
Find out more about this plan to walk on water

Architecture And Design

April 22, 2016

First Look at StudiosC’s Boutique Condominium Underway at 187 Bridge Street

By Ondel Hylton and Julian Friedman

Within Downtown Brooklyn's detached island of urbanity between the Manhattan Bridge on-ramp and the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway, local architecture firm StudiosC has designed a modestly scaled, ground-up condominium at the corner of Bridge and Nassau Streets. Re-approved plans filed by the architect of record Karl Fischer detail an eight-story building with 12,000 square feet of gross floor area.
More details ahead

April 21, 2016

Ansonia Loft With Exposed Wood Beams and Big Brick-Framed Windows Asks $1.9M

By Michelle Cohen

While keeping its turn-of-the-century industrial charm, this three-bedroom duplex loft was given an architect's renovation, with both details and space arranged to accommodate modern family life. The Ansonia Court Clock Factory at 420 12th Street may be a loft among the brownstones of Park Slope, but the co-op complex is a favorite in the area. A pretty central courtyard, warm-yet-industrial loft apartments and a laid-back, convenient South Slope location make homes here unique and sought-after. Residents generally put their own stamp on their own brick-clad lofts, and this three-bedroom duplex is no exception. The $1.9 million price tag does seem like a lot for the real space, and the co-op lacks the amenities of a full-service building, but people truly love the Ansonia's charm, so we're guessing this duplex will do pretty well.
Explore the lovely loft

Distinctive Homes

April 21, 2016

First Domino Sugar Refinery Tower at 325 Kent Avenue Now Rising Above Williamsburg

By Ondel Hylton

After breaking ground last spring, the first tower of Two Trees' three million-square-foot Domino Sugar Refinery Master Plan has finally lifted out of the ground. Addressed 325 Kent Avenue (Site E), the 400,000-square-foot building rises one block inland from the East River waterfront and the remaining five parcels of the master plan. The future 16-story, 189-foot-tall project covers three-quarters of its block bound by Kent and Wythe Avenues and South 3rd and 4th Streets. All in all, the two-winged tower will hold a whopping 522 rental units, making it the second largest residential building in Williamsburg after the also-in-construction 2 North 6th Street.
Find out more about the development

April 21, 2016

‘Gilmore Girls’ Alexis Bledel and ‘Mad Men’ Hubby Sell Brooklyn Heights Penthouse for $1.3M

By Annie Doge

The media frenzy surrounding the "Gilmore Girls" Netflix revival is hard at work trying to predict which love interest Rory will end up with. In real life, though, Alexis Bledel is already settled down with husband Vincent Kartheiser (Pete Campbell from "Mad Men"), and the pair just unloaded their classy Brooklyn Heights co-op, according to the Post. The couple first listed the duplex penthouse at 105 Montague Street last year for $1,560,000, slightly higher than the $1,325,000 sale price. The one-bedroom spread with a 500-square-foot roof deck was meticulously renovated and boasts lots of custom built-ins, a myriad of eclectic light fixtures, and a very Restoration Hardware-esque furniture selection.
See the whole place

April 21, 2016

Enjoy the Sunlight Inside and Out at This $1M Clinton Hill Co-op

By Emily Nonko

If you're the type of apartment dweller who wants their living space flooded in light, look no further than this Clinton Hill co-op at 451 Clinton Avenue. The two-bedroom unit comes from a prewar, landmarked building that offers gracious floorplans with nice big rooms. Large windows are nearly everywhere you turn, with views out onto the treetops. This apartment is probably looking picture-perfect with the sun out in full force this week.
See the interior

Distinctive Homes

April 21, 2016

Checking in on Adam America’s Trio of Developments on a Single Boerum Hill Block

By Ondel Hylton and Julian Friedman

At the southern edge of Boerum Hill, where the quaint brownstone enclave meets Park Slope and Gowanus, a trio of sleek residential buildings is taking shape by developer Adam America Real Estate. Along a single block, bound by Third and Fourth Avenues and Baltic and Warren Streets, the Brooklyn-centric firm is busy constructing a 31-unit condo building at Six Ten Warren, a 70-unit rental at 595 Baltic Street, and a 21-unit rental 577 Baltic Street. 6sqft visited the block to see how construction is progressing and put together all the renderings and details for the projects.
Check it all out right here

April 20, 2016

Skyline Wars: Brooklyn Enters the Supertall Race

By Carter B. Horsley

Carter Uncut brings New York City’s latest development news under the critical eye of resident architecture critic Carter B. Horsley. Here, Carter brings us his fifth installment of “Skyline Wars,” a series that examines the explosive and unprecedented supertall phenomenon that is transforming the city’s silhouette. In this post Carter looks at Brooklyn's once demure skyline, soon to be Manhattan's rival. Downtown Brooklyn has had a modest but pleasant skyline highlighted by the 350-foot-high Court & Remsen Building and the 343-foot-high great ornate terraces of 75 Livingston Street, both erected in 1926, and the 462-foot-high flat top of the 1927 Montague Court Building. The borough’s tallest building, however, was the great 514-foot-high dome of the 1929 Williamsburg Savings Bank Tower, now known as One Hanson Place, a bit removed to the east from Downtown Brooklyn. It remained as the borough’s tallest for a very long time, from 1929 until 2009. A flurry of new towers in recent years has significantly enlarged Brooklyn’s skyline. Since 2008, nine new towers higher than 359 feet have sprouted there, in large part as a result of a rezoning by the city in 2007. A few other towers have also given its riverfront an impressive frontage. Whereas in the past the vast majority of towers were clustered about Borough Hall downtown, now there are several clusters with some around the Brooklyn Academy of Music and the former Williamsburg Savings Bank Tower and some around the Williamsburg riverfront.
more on Brooklyn's skyline here

April 19, 2016

LPC Approves Brooklyn’s First 1,000+ Foot Tower; New Renderings and Details

By Ondel Hylton and Dana Schulz

Brooklyn is finally getting a new skyscraper development worthy of its 2.6 million populace. Today, the Landmarks Preservation Commission approved SHoP Architects' vision for 9 DeKalb Avenue, a rehabilitation of the landmarked Dime Saving Bank that will marry it with a dramatic, supertall skyscraper behind, the first 1,000+ foot building to arrive in the borough. The Beaux-Arts banking hall, which is both an interior and exterior landmark, hosted a J.P. Morgan Chase branch up until last year. Now, its new owners, Michael Stern's JDS Development and the Chetrit Group, plan to transform the hall into a public and retail space that will complement their new tower. To bring back more of the building's grandeur, its exterior and interior spaces will be restored, and to accommodate the tower behind, the team is calling for the demolition of two nondescript one- and five-story rear annexes, which will then allow for a grand entrance to the skyscraper and a public through-space. The LPC was enamored with the project, calling it "flawless" and "enlightened urbanism at its best," as well as touting that it "improved the vision of this historic landmark." One commissioner even went so far as to say "It's similar to the Parthenon sitting on the Acropolis." The LPC had only a few minor modifications, the most notable being that the teller cages be retained until the team can show a plan detailing how the retail tenant (there will only be one) will use the space.
Get a look at all the presentation materials

April 19, 2016

Live the Park Slope Brownstone Life in This Regal Rental for $17.5K/Month, Sauna Included

By Michelle Cohen

In the coveted environs of north Park Slope, steps from Prospect Park on a pretty tree-lined and landmarked block, this Brooklyn townhouse beauty at 594 Second Street has all the historic details homeowners here work so diligently to preserve, yet with every modern comfort in place. Understated luxuries–like tall french doors that open out to a landscaped garden, two decks, three wood-burning fireplaces, a sauna, an upstairs family room and a laundry room make this historic house a home–albeit an expensive one. Starting in July, you can rent this regal residence for an equally regal $17,500 a month (furnished or unfurnished).
Tour the townhouse

April 18, 2016

$1.4M Parlor-Level Co-op Looks Pretty and Roomy in Clinton Hill

By Emily Nonko

This apartment at 385 Clinton Avenue in Brooklyn's Clinton Hill calls itself a parlor-floor co-op, but it's not actually in a brownstone. The apartment comes from a 16-unit co-op, with the listing boasting that it's "much larger and brighter than a brownstone floor-through." Indeed, it has three large bedrooms, an office and windows throughout this pretty, historic space.
Check out the rest

Distinctive Homes

April 18, 2016

Robert A.M. Stern’s 220 Central Park South Gets Stoned; New Renderings and Construction Shots

By Ondel Hylton

At the forefront of Midtown's high-rise sierra, a new peak is emerging. Simply addressed 220 Central Park South, the two-winged development is being designed by celebrated historian and poet of the city's skyline Robert A.M. Stern and developed by commercial and retail heavyweights Vornado Realty Trust. The tower portion of the complex has already ascended some 300 feet above street level and is noticeable from many parts of Central Park. Ultimately, it will stand 66 stories, 950 feet high, making it among the tallest residential buildings in the city. The exclusive, Central Park South-fronting wing, dubbed "The Villas" is up to the third of 17 stories and will be topped by a palatial quadplex penthouse. Earlier this month, the tower's warm limestone cladding was being applied to the lower mechanical floors, which will have 18- to 24-foot-high ceilings, boosting the building's height by more than 100 feet and allowing nearly all its residences to possess Central Park views. To coincide with the construction work, Vornado recently published a collection of new renderings in a property portfolio, showing us for the first time several new looks at the project, including three full-scale views from Central Park and close-up looks at the base, porte-cochere, and an upper-level interior.
Check out the renderings and construction shots right here

April 18, 2016

Live Across the Street From Michelle Williams in Ditmas Park for $679K

By Michelle Cohen

If you think it's pretty cool that Michelle Williams bought an historic townhouse in Prospect Park South and is restoring it to its former glory, here's a chance to live across the street at 1409 Albemarle Road–and maybe pick up a few renovation tips. You won't need them, though, as the two-bedroom co-op has been thoroughly renovated by previous owners, so you can move right in. The picturesque yet convenient neighborhood is no secret, but nearby destinations like The Farm on Adderley, Lark cafe and a host of others continue to draw attention and new neighbors.
Check out this co-op in a landmarked building

Distinctive Homes

April 15, 2016

Bed-Stuy Townhouse Beauty With Modern Upgrades Asks $2.75 Million

By Emily Nonko

Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn is known for its stock of townhouses, many of which still retain incredible amounts of historic details. This one, at 17 Madison Street, has been renovated in a way that tastefully retains features like woodwork, parquet floors, marble mantlepieces and wainscoting. And beautiful interior design, on top of that, is the icing on the cake.
Take an interior tour

Distinctive Homes

20-Unit Brooklyn Heights Apartment Building Hits the Market As a $22M Mega-Mansion

Photo by Rich Caplan

April 15, 2016

20-Unit Brooklyn Heights Apartment Building Hits the Market As a $22M Mega-Mansion

By Dana Schulz

If 2015 was the year of the nine-figure condo sale, 2016 may be the year of the makeshift mega-mansion. From Roman Abramovich's troubled attempt to combine three Upper East Side townhouses to a $50 million Tribeca spread with 18 toilets, wealthy New Yorkers are going to great lengths to create their dream homes. The latest over-the-top offering is in Brooklyn Heights, where a five-story, 20-unit rental building just hit the market as a $22 million single-family residence. As noted by the Wall Street Journal, the building at 50 Orange Street just sold in January for $13.5 million to Benchmark Real Estate Group, who quickly hired Lee Stahl of design/build firm The Renovated Home to draw up plans for how it could be converted to a single-family dwelling. These plans include four bedrooms (only four?), a gym, an 800-bottle wine cellar, and a roof terrace and would cost an additional $10.6 million to complete over a 16-month period.
But what about the tenants?

Distinctive Homes

April 15, 2016

Find Your Neighborhood on This Interactive Map Made From Local Brooklyn Litter

By Michelle Cohen

There's no shortage of trash in NYC–even better than seeing it picked up is when someone is doing something interesting with it. Atlas Obscura introduces us to artist-cartographer Jennifer Maravillas, who has transformed the litter found in neighborhoods throughout the 71 square miles (the map is called "71 Square Miles") of Brooklyn into a map of the borough. Each neighborhood on the map is made up of paper litter–like flyers, advertisements and notes–found in that same neighborhood. The result is a bright, multicolored collage on which each bit of litter corresponds the place Maravillas found it. You can enter your address and find it on the interactive map, along with the trash you might see every day.
Check out the trash on your block

Events & Things To Do

April 15, 2016

For $920K, a Park Slope Floor-Through With Old-World Brooklyn Charm

By Michelle Cohen

For just under $1 million, this two-bedroom condominium at 307 7th Street in Park Slope is a modern and comfortable home on the third floor of a classic prewar Brooklyn building. Built-ins, brick and a wood-burning fireplace join split-system zoned A/C, a thoroughly updated custom kitchen and two baths in a prime Center Slope spot steps from Fifth Avenue.
More this way

Distinctive Homes

April 14, 2016

There’s Room for the Whole Crew in This Pretty Brooklyn Heights Co-op, Asking $2.7M

By Michelle Cohen

The neighborhood's gorgeous, the block is gorgeous, and all the gorgeous things Brooklyn Heights is known for (the Promenade, shops and cafes on Montague Street, Brooklyn Bridge Park, Pierrepont Playground) are steps away -- and the inside of this $2.7 million apartment in the historic co-op at 61 Pierrepont Street has no trouble living up to its surroundings. With a gracious and logical layout, the three-plus bedroom apartment is tastefully renovated and custom-configured beyond the standard bedrooms-and-common-space, all kind of squished together. There's a living room and a dining room. Not only are the bedrooms on opposite sides, but one has a cozy den next door. Find an office. Find a guest suite. Got kids? No problem. In-laws? Did we mention the thing about the bedrooms being well separated? And, there's an elevator.
Take a look around

Distinctive Homes

April 14, 2016

LAST DAY to Win a ‘Burgopoly’ Board Game, A Williamsburg-Themed Monopoly!

By Diane Pham

The Bronx has its own hot sauce, Bushwick has its own candle, and now Williamsburg has its own board game, thanks to Compass broker and Williamsburg resident Ralph Modica! "Burgopoly" is a BK-themed version of the classic real estate game Monopoly, taking players through the trials and tribulations of living in NYC—think bedbug infestations, your tub overflowing and the end of tax abatements on your condo (eek)—while setting them in Brooklyn's trendiest neighborhood. Although the game isn't for sale (Ralph created it for clients who meet him at the closing table), 6sqft has paired up with the Modica team to give away THREE Burgopoly board games to THREE lucky readers. The last day to enter is Thursday, April 14, 2016.
Enter to win a burgopoly + read 6sqft's interview with ralph

Architecture And Design

April 13, 2016

Apply for 86 Affordable Apartments in Brownsville’s Prospect Plaza, Starting at $689/Month

By Dana Schulz

Through tools like rezonings, the city has been trying in recent years to increase affordable housing opportunities in lower-income Brooklyn neighborhoods like East New York and Brownsville, and the latter now has 86 brand new apartments available through the city's affordable housing lottery. The units are part of the much larger Prospect Plaza development by Dattner Architects, which altogether will transform a 4.5-acre site into 364 units of affordable and public housing, as well as a 22,000-square-foot supermarket, 12,000-square-foot community facility, and a rooftop greenhouse. The first batch of units to come online, located at 1740-1760 Prospect Place and 396 Saratoga Avenue, range from $689/month one-bedrooms to $1,181/month three-bedrooms for families earning between $24,995 and $63,060 annually. They'll feature "exquisitely finished kitchen and bathrooms," energy efficient appliances and fixtures, on-site laundry rooms, a fitness room, and parking for an additional fee.
Find out if you qualify

Affordable Housing

April 12, 2016

Miko Mercer Is Building a 160-Square-Foot Tiny House in Crown Heights

By Michelle Cohen

Brooklyn resident Miko Mercer, 30, joined the Tiny House Movement, and she's done more than just take a passing interest. The New York Times recently visited Ms. Mercer and the 160-square-foot DIY dwelling she's constructing, not on a homesteader's plot, but inside a big Crown Heights warehouse. Mercer, who runs the skin care division at popular beauty subscription service Birchbox and draws a six-figure income, still found that, as a single person, she couldn't afford to buy a home in a city where the average price of an apartment is $1.7 million. She ordered a trailer bed, leased the warehouse space and got to work, designing the house herself using a 3-D modeling application called Sketchup, meticulously managing the budget using a spreadsheet. She puts the estimated cost of her tiny house at about $30,000.
Find out what's in the plans for this tiny home

Architecture And Design

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