Brooklyn

July 30, 2015

Bidding Wars and Over-Ask Sales on the Rise in Brownstone Brooklyn Neighborhoods

Homes in brownstone Brooklyn neighborhoods have been selling over the asking price and bidding wars are becoming even more commonplace, according to DNAinfo. In the second quarter of 2015, for example, homes in Prospect Heights and Park Slope were selling for 4 percent over their asking price–the highest percentage seen in Brooklyn or Manhattan.
Find out where to expect bidding wars

Real Estate Trends

July 29, 2015

$1.75 Million Bed-Stuy Townhouse in a Future Historic District Has Location, Space and Charm

By Michelle Cohen

For anyone looking to bet on Bed-Stuy–not a bad idea, we hear–this classic three-family townhouse at 44 Macon Street could be a fine opportunity. While the $1.75 million ask for this 2,720 square-foot, 13-room home might have been unheard-of even five years ago, anything this charming under $2 million in brownstone Brooklyn is going to get some attention these days. The multi-family layout gives you lots of options–while still getting the 1-3 family tax break. Currently set up as an upper duplex with two floor-through apartments below, there is one catch: There's a tenant in place in the garden apartment, which won't be delivered vacant; this should certainly be considered, but that leaves three floors, all tastefully renovated with a laid-back, loft-like aesthetic, to do as you please.
Check out this classic Bed-Stuy bet, this way

Distinctive Homes

July 28, 2015

$4.4M for Turnkey Updates and Designer Flair in an Historic Brooklyn Heights Townhouse

By Michelle Cohen

All told, $4.4 million isn't really a lot to ask for a four-story townhouse in prime Brooklyn Heights–in fact, the longtime sales record-holder, Truman Capote's former home at 70 Willow Street, sold for $12.5 million back in 2012 and was recently bested by the $15.5 million sale of a Cobble Hill townhouse. And this landmarked home at 73 Joralemon Street is no fixer-upper; quite the opposite. A top-to-toe, no-expense-spared redesign was just completed, helmed by designer Nick Olsen. Not only were the home's interiors transformed with dramatic flair, modern updates took place throughout: new windows were installed, stairs replaced and hardwood floors refinished; all mechanicals were replaced including central heating and air.
Take a look inside, this way

Distinctive Homes

July 28, 2015

Where to Find the NYC Haunts and Houses of Famous Writers

By Jason Carpenter

New York City has always been a hub for writers. Whether they were living in luxury or getting their start as starving artists, famous writers have lived and worked all across New York, and you can still see many of these writerly abodes today. Whether you're a fan of the Beat Generation, Sci-Fi, or even Southern Gothic, you might be interested in tracking down a famous writer's home.
See where writers lived and worked here

July 28, 2015

Office of Architecture Brings Individuality and Adaptability to a Brooklyn Row House

By Shiloh Frederick

Usually, there isn't much individuality to be found among Brooklyn row houses, at least not until you step inside. When a Brooklyn couple approached Office of Architecture about gut renovating their row house, the firm took it upon themselves to create a home that not only would stand out, but would be adaptable to the pair's needs as their life progressed.
Get a closer look

Architecture And Design

July 28, 2015

Quirky Park Slope Duplex with Charming Backyard Asks $629K

By Emily Nonko

Talk about quirky... this is a property you don't see in Brooklyn every day. The unit in question is located at 429 7th Avenue, in Park Slope. It's a duplex with a kooky sleeping loft instead of a bedroom, a unique layout, and a really nice private backyard. It's not going to be for everyone but that outdoor space, plus a location two blocks west of Prospect Park, will certainly appeal to some. Don't mind the idea of curling up in a loft to go to bed? Well, the apartment is now for sale by owner asking $629,000.
See the rest of it

Distinctive Homes

July 23, 2015

6sqft Behind the Scenes: Take a Tour of MakerBot’s New 3D Printer Factory in Brooklyn

By Shiloh Frederick

MakerBot has officially opened its brand new factory in Industry City in Brooklyn's Sunset Park. The 170,000-square-foot space spans three floors, with the main production lines on the third floor of the building. The new location is four times larger than the company's previous Industry City location and will allow the company to double its production of 3D printers. This is far cry from the garage it started out in nearly two and a half years ago. MakerBot kicked off the opening of its new locale yesterday with a ribbon-cutting ceremony that featured MakerBot CEO Jonathan Jaglom and Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams. We were on the scene to capture this latest milestone for the 3D printer company.
Have a closer look here

Policy

July 23, 2015

Construction Begins on John Catsimatidis’ Curvy Rental Tower at 86 Fleet Place in Fort Greene

By Ondel Hylton

Construction has begun on the final building of the four-tower development on the western edge of Fort Greene. The 32-story tower at 86 Fleet Place will house 440 rental units and will be the culmination of a 15-year redevelopment of a low-slung, Robert Moses-era retail strip along Myrtle Avenue. The developer of 86 Fleet, and three other sibling buildings to the east, is Red Apple Group's CEO and owner John Catsimatidis, who we might better remember as the billionaire Republican candidate in the last mayoral election and the owner of the oft-maligned Gristedes grocery store chain. According to the Wall Street Journal, Red Apple picked up the 2.5-acre, four-block site for $500,000 from Long Island University in 1982. The site spans 900 feet along the southern frontage of Myrtle Avenue, between Flatbush Avenue Extension and Ashland Place, and shares its blocks with the Toren condominium to the west and the Fred Trump-built University Towers complex to the south.
More details on the development

July 23, 2015

Crown Heights Townhouse with 18 Rooms Asks $11,000 a Month

By Emily Nonko

Oftentimes renting in Brooklyn means cramming into a modest apartment with roommates or building out a loft bed in a former warehouse space. You don't typically think of sharing a massive three-story townhouse. But this historic home at 851 Park Place in Crown Heights is now on the rental market for $11,000 a month. There are eight bedrooms total (!), plenty of well-kept historic details, and extra spaces like a library and card room. Not a bad way to rent in Brooklyn.
Check it out

Distinctive Homes

July 22, 2015

How You Can Live in a Billionaire’s Row Condo for Free AND Make Six Figures

By Diane Pham

Get a job as one of their building managers. As DNA Info reports, if you're just a regular Joe or Jane looking to take up residence in one of the city's priciest towers, you don't need to be a billionaire—or even a millionaire for that matter. The resident managers at four headline-stealing, ultra-luxury towers will live rent-free, in very large apartments, while also earning respectable six-figure salaries for their services.
Find out more here

July 22, 2015

Everything About This Park Slope Co-op Is Cozy and Cute

By Emily Nonko

This Park Slope co-op at 348 12th Street, is by no means small–in fact, it has three bedrooms, which is sprawling when you compare it to most other Brooklyn co-op apartments. But there's still something about it that feels cozy, homey, and just downright cute. This unit is also located in a modest eight-unit brick building that's quite charming, in one of the loveliest areas of Park Slope. So how much for all this Brooklyn charm? It is now on the market for $1.175 million.
See the rest

Distinctive Homes

July 21, 2015

Owen Dippie Channels Both Renaissance and Modern Artists in His Bushwick Murals

By Shiloh Frederick

Owen Dippie is starting a modern renaissance in Brooklyn. Within the past couple of months, the New Zealand-born street artist has put up two pieces in Bushwick that skillfully remix the work of the Renaissance masters and contemporary art and culture. Dippie's clever pieces appeal to art lovers of all styles. For Dippie, creating these mashups is like paying homage to his idols. Growing up, Dippie's biggest influences were Biggie Smalls, Tupac Shakur, Michael Jackson, Andy Warhol, Basquiat and Keith Haring. As he grew older and became more exposed to other artists, the Renaissance masters began to grow on him as well. With such varying influences, it makes sense for Dippie to have created these pieces.
See the stunning mashups here

Events & Things To Do

July 20, 2015

Brooklyn Heights Penthouse Asking $1.75 Million Has 16-Foot Cathedral Ceilings

By Emily Nonko

In Brooklyn Heights, high-ticket real estate is usually a historic brownstone or townhouse. And while this co-op does reside on 105 Montague Street, in a circa-1885 Queen Anne building that was once a hotel, the interior is a lot more modern than you may expect. This top-floor penthouse unit takes advantage of the building's striking roof line. You've got skylights, soaring cathedral ceilings, and thoroughly modern finishes. It's all asking $1.75 million.
Check it out

Distinctive Homes

July 20, 2015

Live in a Rare Red Wood Cabin Near Prospect Park

By Diane Pham

One look at this unassuming wood home and you might find yourself rubbing your eyes, but rest assured this charming little cabin is indeed located in Brooklyn. Said to be the former "vacation home" of a wealthy 19th century Brooklyn Heights family, this 1800s construction has just been put on the market for $1.249 million. Interestingly, its 658 Vanderbilt Street locale in Windsor Terrace hasn't always been its address. The home was previously sited, oddly enough, in the middle of Prospect Park.
Find out more here

July 17, 2015

Brand New Photos for Bay Ridge’s Gingerbread House, Now Back on the Market for $11M

By Emily Nonko

Bay Ridge's infamous Gingerbread House at 8220 Narrows Avenue is making headlines again. The incredible freestanding home is back on the market after a few different attempts to sell. As Curbed pointed out, the Arts and Crafts home was first asking $12 million in 2009, then the price was lowered a few times, then it was put on the rental market for $26,000 a month. (The broker tells us that it's only officially been on the market for around two years over a six-year period while the owners did renovations.) Now it's back again with brand new photos showing off its extravagant interior, alongside a price tag of $10.999 million. As the broker told us, "The overall market in Brooklyn is strong, particularly in Bay Ridge, which has become the new hot spot as buyers move south - this is an ideal time to put the house back on the market." We got our hands on the previously-unpublished new images, so take a look and decide if this is finally the time this special house will sell.
To the interior

July 16, 2015

SCDA’s Switchback Skyscraper Launches Teaser Site and Clears Its Midtown East Lot

By Ondel Hylton

Last November, 6sqft brought you news that a 29-unit boutique condominium would rise at the edge of Billionaires' Row, in that somewhat ambiguous zone occupied by Bloomingdale's and Bloomberg LLP. Now, the high-end development's teaser site has launched, which showcases a handful of images of the tower's common spaces, and we took a trip to the site to get a first look at the construction progress. Just last month, the two 4- and 6-story office buildings occupying the site at 116-118 East 59th Street were cleared, and recent Department of Buildings filings reveal that the envisioned $330 million tower will stand exactly 500 feet tall, making it spot-on-the-mark of what we (and other bean-counters) officially deem a skyscraper.
More details and renderings ahead

July 15, 2015

One57 Received $66M in Tax Breaks in Exchange for Just 66 Units of Affordable Housing

By Diane Pham

If you need more proof that there are some serious flaws with the 421-a program, once again, look no further than One57. As reported by the Journal, the super-luxe tower was the beneficiary of a whopping $65.6 million tax cut, an abatement granted in exchange for a paltry $5.9 million contribution to help cover the cost of 66 affordable apartments in the Bronx. That means your tax dollars subsidized apartments at nearly $1 million per unit—the highest known subsidy under the program—when affordable units on average cost a mere $179,000 apiece. It's estimated that the generous cut could have provided for 367 affordable apartments. The findings came from the latest review by the city’s Independent Budget Office (IBO).
FInd out more here

Affordable Housing

July 13, 2015

Park Slope Brownstone Has the Perfect Yard for Summer

By Emily Nonko

Talk about a garden to die for. This Park Slope brownstone at 121 Lincoln Place has a backyard we wish we could camp out in this summer. The "private, lush, botanical landscaped garden," as the listing calls it, impressively extends over 86 feet. There's a shade garden in the back and a sun garden in the middle, not to mention two separate patios. As for the greenery, you've got roses, hydrangeas, honeysuckle, a rhododendron, azaleas, lilies, evergreen shrubs, a cypress, hemlock and more. Is the outdoor space enough to sell you on this home? Luckily, the interior isn't too bad either. It's on the market now for $3.795 million.
Take a tour

Distinctive Homes

July 10, 2015

Charming Brooklyn Heights Duplex with Versatile Backyard Asks $1.25M

By Aisha Carter

Here's a nice two-bedroom garden duplex with oversized windows and prewar details, located on a serene block on Remsen Street in Brooklyn Heights. This $1.25 million, 1,000-square-foot pad offers a renovated kitchen and bathroom and a beautiful shared backyard with a private entrance onto Hunts Lane with its famed carriage houses.
More pics inside

Distinctive Homes

July 10, 2015

This Wrecked, Landmarked Townhouse in Fort Greene Is Asking $2 Million

By Emily Nonko

How much would you pay for a completely rundown townhouse in the heart of the Fort Greene Historic District? This home, at 183 Lafayette Avenue, is a three-story wood frame that is likely one of the older buildings in the neighborhood. Its age is apparent from the facade, with its peeling yellow paint. Inside, the story is even worse, with an interior that demands a pretty significant renovation. And yet, the asking price comes in at a hefty $1.995 million. Is the Brooklyn market so hot that this crumbling home could actually fetch this price?
See the rest of the interior to decide

Distinctive Homes

My 425sqft: Tour a Bubbly Packaging Designer’s Boerum Hill Studio Filled with Eclectic Finds

Our ongoing series “My sqft” checks out the homes of 6sqft’s friends, family and fellow New Yorkers across all the boroughs. Our latest interior adventure brings us to Boerum Hill, Brooklyn. Want your home to be featured here? Get in touch!

July 9, 2015

My 425sqft: Tour a Bubbly Packaging Designer’s Boerum Hill Studio Filled with Eclectic Finds

By Dana Schulz

When we heard that freelance packaging designer Amy Sprague has traveled to 25 countries, we assumed her apartment would be filled to the brim with souvenirs from far-off places including Morocco, Germany, Cambodia, Australia, and Japan. We thought this would be even more true when we learned of her love for antiquing. But the charming Boerum Hill studio is perfectly edited, providing just the right amount of eclectic touches, while still maintaining the feeling of a calm oasis. This is especially true of her lovely outdoor space, where a canopy of trees provides a serene escape from bustling Brooklyn. Amy lived for several years in the Gramercy neighborhood of Manhattan, but after dividing her time in 2013 and 2014 between New York and Offenbach, Germany (a small city outside Frankfurt), she decided to make the move across the East River. We recently visited Amy at her 425-square-foot studio and saw that her apartment's decor is just as fun and bubbly as she is. Let's have a look at how this design-minded gal was able to tastefully display her collection of antiques and travel mementos.
Tour the super-cute space right here

July 9, 2015

This One-Bedroom Co-op in Park Slope Has the Parisian Touch

By Emily Nonko

Could this one-bedroom co-op, located at 404 3rd Street in Park Slope, blend right in in Paris? The broker seems to think so, calling the unit a "precious bijou on Park Slope's Champs Elysees!" Indeed, the apartment has a little French flair and is located in one of the nicest areas of the Slope, on a tree-lined block of historic townhouses. This particular unit is now on the market with an asking price of $575,000.
Tour l'intérieur

Distinctive Homes

Construction Update: Robert A.M. Stern’s 220 Central Park South Begins Race into the Sky

Image courtesy of Desimone Engineering

July 8, 2015

Construction Update: Robert A.M. Stern’s 220 Central Park South Begins Race into the Sky

By Ondel Hylton

Billionaire's Row's race into the sky continues. Two of its biggest projected selling towers are beginning to rise out of their gargantuan foundations and are rushing to claim their piece of coveted Central Park-fronting airspace. Construction of Vornado's 220 Central Park South development has an early lead against Extell Development's significantly larger Central Park Tower (formerly Nordstrom Tower) across West 58th Street. The first level of concrete and re-bar are now poking up above street level and the elevator/stairway cores are now clearly visible to pedestrian passersby.
See new images of the tower here

July 8, 2015

Park Slope Townhouse by Etelamaki Architecture Uses a Nondescript Facade to Stand Out

By Dana Schulz

This renovation of a Park Slope townhouse by Etelamaki Architecture puts into practice the old saying "less is more." According to Contemporist, the recently completed project "maximizes the potential of a non-descript building shell, and limited budget, to create a modern, light filled home that acknowledges the building’s past, while envisioning the neighborhood’s future." Since the block is filled with a mix of early 20th century apartment buildings and newer condos, the architects didn't have to worry as much about maintaining a historic style, giving them the opportunity to create something totally new and bold. The top three floors were transformed into an owner's duplex and the ground-floor into a rental.
Get a look inside here

July 2, 2015

Cute Cobble Hill Condo with Fun Pops of Pink Asks $800k

By Annie Doge

The listing calls this 800-square-foot condo a studio, but given its spacious duplex layout, we think it functions more like a one-bedroom. Located at 473 Hicks Street in Cobble Hill, the apartment puts a contemporary spin on its classic bones. The huge, geometric bookshelves, translucent kitchen stools, and funky bedroom wallpaper all elevate the home from a boring box to a designer-worthy pad. But what especially draws us in is the subtle use of pink, which doesn't read girly, but rather sophisticated and fun.
See the rest here

Distinctive Homes

July 1, 2015

You’ll Never Be Locked Out of This $2.75M Boerum Hill Townhouse

By Aisha Carter

Here's an interesting opportunity at the home of Miguel's Locks at 74 4th Avenue in Boerum Hill. The $2.75 million mixed-use building is 2,940 square feet, but has the potential to be built out to 9,942 square feet. That's either one heck of a mansion or one great income opportunity.
More pics inside

Distinctive Homes

June 29, 2015

Michelle Williams Buys Colonial Revival Mansion in Prospect Park South That Needs a Little TLC

By Annie Doge

Actress Michelle Williams is clearly a fan of big, beautiful Brooklyn houses. 6sqft got the scoop back in September that she was listing her lovely Boerum Hill townhouse for $7.5 million. The ivy-covered, corner-lot home came complete with a three-car garage and more space than is usual for the neighborhood. Likely for these reasons, she sold the house for well over the asking price ($8.8 million to be exact), just two months later. And after keeping us in suspense for seven long months as to where she and nine-year-old daughter Matilda would move, Ditmas Park Corner revealed today that Williams purchased an historic Colonial Revival-style home in Prospect Park South. Last listed for $2.45 million, the eight-bedroom home at 1440 Albemarle Road is referred to as "The Tara of Prospect Park South" in the listing. It boasts a two-story front porch with fluted Ionic columns, dormer windows, eight fireplaces, and leaded and stained glass windows. The landmarked house is definitely in need of some TLC, but that shouldn't be a problem for Williams, as she told a neighbor "I love living somewhere that feels like the suburbs but is next to an express train."
Check out the interiors, this way...

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