Architecture And Design

June 29, 2020

13 things you didn’t know about the Woolworth Building

When the neo-Gothic Woolworth Building at 233 Broadway was erected in 1913 as the world’s tallest building, it cost a total of $13.5 million to construct. Though many have surpassed it in height, the instantly-recognizable Lower Manhattan landmark has remained one of the world’s most iconic buildings, admired for its terra cotta facade and detailed ornamentation–and its representation of the ambitious era in which it arose. Developer and five-and-dime store entrepreneur Frank Winfield Woolworth dreamed of an unforgettable skyscraper; the building’s architect, Cass Gilbert, designed and delivered just that, even as Woolworth's vision grew progressively loftier. The Woolworth Building has remained an anchor of New York City life with its storied past and still-impressive 792-foot height.
Find the city's history in the Woolworth Building
June 26, 2020

Brooklyn-based company repurposes shipping containers for pop-up COVID-19 testing labs

As the country enters the fourth month of fighting the coronavirus pandemic, public health experts and officials say the best way to keep the virus under control is expansive diagnostic testing. Harvard research group Global Health Institute says states should greatly ramp up testing to contain the spread of COVID-19, to at least 900,000 tests per day; currently, the U.S. is testing about 500,000 people per day. Paul Galvin realized his company, SG Blocks, which repurposes shipping containers for a variety of uses, could meet this crisis head-on. The Brooklyn-based construction organization has designed a new product line of medical pop-up clinics and COVID-19 testing facilities that are affordable, eco-friendly, and can be constructed just about anywhere.
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June 23, 2020

See inside the enviable amenity spaces of Dahlia, a new condo on the Upper West Side

As the construction of new condo tower Dahlia wraps up on the Upper West Side, we're taking a look at the 20-story building's impressive amenity package. Designed by CetraRuddy and RKTB Architects, the building at 212 West 95th Street manages to mix the pre-war aesthetic of its neighbors with modern design elements. In addition to its sleek look, Dahlia also offers perks unheard of in New York City, including a huge 5,100-square-foot private elevated park with recreation space for both adults and kids and private parking garage.
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June 23, 2020

Funky North Fork loft with a greenhouse roof and attached cottage asks $1.3M

First spotted by Curbed, this funky home in Greenport, Long Island was built in 1930 as the town's laundry and has since been converted into this very cool live-work loft. Listed for $1.3 million, the 4,400-square-foot building has an exposed greenhouse-inspired roof and big, open rooms full of original woodwork and pops of lime green. Also included in the sale is an adjacent cottage that could be used as a guest house or additional workspace.
Take the tour
June 22, 2020

Landscape architects West 8 created NYC’s largest private outdoor garden at One Manhattan Square

The coronavirus pandemic--which forced New Yorkers to shelter in place and adhere to social distancing rules--has many apartment dwellers longing for private outdoor space. While a lot of us would be content with a balcony or rooftop access, Extell, the developer behind One Manhattan Square, has taken the idea of residential outdoor space to the next level. At the Lower East Side condo tower, residents have access to 45,000 square feet of green space designed by landscape architecture firm West 8. Considered to be one of the largest private gardens in the city, the East River-facing green space is uniquely located on an incline and contains several distinct areas designed for active and passive use. Ahead, hear from the team at West 8 on creating an urban oasis in one of the city's busiest neighborhoods as well as the many perks of the space, including an adult treehouse, tea pavilion, star-gazing observatory, and more.
Hear from the architects
June 19, 2020

In Bushwick, this 1885 former Brewery can be your personal mansion for $4M

Every so often a truly unique listing comes our way, and this is one of those times. This stately building at 31 Belvidere Street in Bushwick was originally the office for the adjacent William Ulmer Brewery when it was built in 1885. Today, it's been converted to an incredible two-family mansion, complete with massive arched windows, giant windows, a cobblestone courtyard, and that beautiful mansard roof.
Look around inside
June 18, 2020

Plan for mini beach and waterfront esplanade at Bushwick Inlet Park moves forward

The city's plan to bring a waterfront park and small beach to Greenpoint is moving forward. The Parks and Waterfront Committee of Brooklyn's Community Board 1 earlier this month approved a revised design from New York City Parks and architect firm Abel Bainnson Butz for a 1.9-acre passive park at Bushwick Inlet Park. The nearly $10 million project redevelops and remediates a section of land known a the Motiva parcel, which is bounded by Kent Avenue and Quay Street and North 14th Streets.
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June 16, 2020

INTERVIEW: Architect Morris Adjmi on how Nomad’s 30 East 31st Street helps define a changing city

Among the recent architectural contributions to New York City designed by Morris Adjmi Architects, a tall, slender tower at 30 East 31st Street from developers EDG and The Pinnacle Group is quietly turning heads in the northern part of the Manhattan neighborhood known as Nomad. The 479-foot-high, 42-unit condominium tower, officially named 30E31, is now ready for occupancy. 6sqft caught up with architect and designer Morris Adjmi to get the creator's viewpoint on the notable new Manhattan residence, from his thoughts on the relatively new neighborhood to his contextual exterior design and custom interiors.
The full interview with Morris Adjmi, this way
June 11, 2020

Tour the striking residences of Morris Adjmi’s condo tower in Nomad

As the architecturally stunning residential tower at 30 East 31st Street nears completion, we're getting a look inside the 479-foot-tall skyscraper. Designed by Morris Adjmi Architects, the high-rise mixes Neo-Gothic and Art Deco styles present in the historic Nomad neighborhood to create one of the most distinctive new buildings in the city. The sleek design continues to the interiors of 30 E 31, where its 42 apartments boast custom woodwork and floor-to-ceiling windows.
See inside
June 9, 2020

$1.6M Tudor feels like a storybook castle in Westchester

Photos courtesy of Houlihan Lawrence This enchanting Tudor home in the Westchester town of Larchmont looks like something straight out of a fairytale, from its storybook facade to incredible architectural details like beamed and vaulted ceilings, arched stained-glass windows, and tons of moody work. Located at 1 Beechtree Drive on a quiet cul-de-sac, the six-bedroom home is asking $1,599,000 (h/t CIRCA).
Go inside
June 5, 2020

My 3,000sqft: Architect Wid Chapman renovated his Upper East Side home using color and openness

Wid Chapman's parents were profound modernists, his father an architect who worked for Marcel Breuer, and his mother an artist who studied with Josef Albers. The career that Wid has built for himself as an architect and interior designer who specializes in hospitality design is uniquely his own but showcases the influences of his parents. When it came time to design his personal apartment on the Upper East Side, it was his own family who influenced the renovation. "Providing space intimate enough for our small immediate family but room for an extended one, the project reconfigures and reshapes extant spaces to defer to the apartment’s sweeping Central Park views," said Wid, adding that "color and materiality" were also central to the project. Ahead, take a full tour of this one-of-a-kind apartment and hear from Wid about his background and career and the specifics of the renovation.
Take the tour here
May 27, 2020

New photos show ‘Little Island’ offshore park making progress at Pier 55

The much-anticipated offshore public park in the Hudson River is coming together, with its concrete tulip-shaped pots in place and the first trees planted. New photos of "Little Island" at Pier 55 show construction progressing ahead of its scheduled spring 2021 opening. The two-acre park, designed by Heatherwick Studio and MNLA, is meant to resemble a leaf floating on water, with its concrete base sitting above the river.
See it here
May 21, 2020

This summer, rent an upstate hideaway designed by Ai Weiwei for $125K

The only private residence designed by Chinese artist and activist Ai Weiwei is available to rent this summer for $125,000. Located in the quiet upstate town of Ancram, the three-bedroom home is described as "liveable art" in the listing, which was first spotted by the New York Post. The modern home, designed in collaboration between the artist and Swiss firm HHF Architects, is also for sale for $5.25 million.
More here
May 21, 2020

David Rockwell designs template for outdoor dining in NYC

The idea to turn New York City streets and sidewalks into space for al fresco dining when restaurants can eventually reopen has been supported by local officials, small businesses, and even architects. Designer David Rockwell and his firm the Rockwell Group have put together a template for ways to use outdoor space for restaurant use while maintaining safe and socially distant conditions.
See the design
May 20, 2020

Jackie Kennedy’s childhood summer home in the Hamptons hits the market for $7.5M

As was first reported by the Wall Street Journal, the historic home in the Hamptons where Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis spent her childhood summers has hit the market for $7.5 million. Known as Wildmoor, the home was built in 1865 and was owned by Jackie's grandfather John Vernou Bouvier Jr. in the early 1900s. By the time Jackie was a child in the 1930s, her grandparents had bought an even more impressive East Hampton home called Lasata, which left Wildmoor free for Jackie and her parents when they left Park Avenue for the Hamptons during the summer.
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May 19, 2020

See the observation deck proposed for the Chrysler Building

An observation deck will return to the Chrysler Building. During a Landmarks Preservation Commission hearing on Tuesday, Aby Rosen's RFR Realty, which bought the Art Deco landmark last year for $151 million, presented its proposal to revamp the skyscraper's 61st and 62nd floors to allow for public access. The Chrysler Building previously housed an observatory, which opened on the 71st floor in 1945 as the Celestial.
Details this way
May 19, 2020

Leasing launches at Williamsburg’s historic Dime Savings Bank, rentals from $3,000/month

Leasing has officially kicked off at The Dime, a rental building in South Williamsburg that combines the landmarked Dime Savings Bank of Williamsburgh with a new 23-story residential tower. Designed by Fogarty Finger Architecture, the project incorporates the century-old Neoclassical-style bank building as the tower's podium and includes 177 luxury apartments and office space above it. Apartments range from roughly $3,000/month for a studio to more than $6,000 for a three-bedroom. The two penthouse apartments available are starting at $13,000/month.
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May 18, 2020

Famous artist couple lists their 1797 Sag Harbor house for $3.5M

If you've been looking to buy property outside the city, here's your chance to do it before summer starts AND own a piece of history. This Federal-style home in Sag Harbor was built in 1797 as the original "pastor’s manse" that belonged to the Presbyterian Church. In the 20th century, its history turned more artistic; it was owned by screen actor Hurd Hatfield from 1951 to 1972 and then by celebrated Jazz musician Hal McKusick until 2017. Famed artist couple Eric Fischl and April Gornik bought it after that and undertook an extensive renovation that modernized the home while preserving its early American architectural features. They've now listed it for $3.5 million.
Go inside
May 6, 2020

See the immersive art museum proposed for a landmarked Lower Manhattan bank hall

An art center with immersive art exhibitions has been proposed for a landmarked former banking hall in Lower Manhattan. Culturespaces, a French museum operator, presented its plan to adapt the Emigrant Industrial Savings Bank into a center of digital art to the city's Landmarks Preservation Commission on Tuesday. The design proposal from Woods Bagot Architects includes alterations to the landmarked interior to accommodate a ticketing area and necessary audiovisual equipment for the art center, as well as modifications to the exterior of the building.
More here
May 1, 2020

For $1.3M, own a converted 1850s church in Connecticut

Photo credit: Pete’s Precision Photo For the price of a one-bedroom apartment in Manhattan, you can own an entire converted church in Connecticut. Located in the town of Essex, about a two-hour drive northwest of New York City, this 1849 building has been listed publicly for the first time in over 50 years. Asking $1,295,000, the 8,543-square-foot structure was converted into a three-bedroom home with soaring sanctuary ceilings, a large outdoor deck, and a solarium/roof patio in the former steeple.
Take a tour
April 29, 2020

Brooklyn Bridge Park’s rebuilt Squibb Bridge will reopen on May 4

After closing for good nearly two years ago, a new Squibb Bridge will open at Brooklyn Bridge Park on May 4 at 9am, as was first reported by Curbed. The 450-foot-long walkway over Furman Street connects the Squibb Park (which will also reopen) on the Brooklyn Bridge Promenade to Pier 1 in Brooklyn Bridge Park and has had quite a shaky history since first opening in 2013. Eric Landau, the president of the Brooklyn Bridge Park Corporation, told Curbed, "The new bridge has the same overall aesthetic feeling of the previous bridge that people loved, with full functionality."
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April 28, 2020

Rockefeller Center revamp gets Landmarks approval

A proposal to renovate Rockefeller Center's public realm was approved on Tuesday by the Landmarks Preservation Commission. Led by Tishman Speyer and designed by Gabellini Sheppard Associates, the project aims to restore the connection between the concourse and the sunken plaza, an element included in the original plans for the historic Midtown site. The design, which was revised following a public hearing in January, focuses on the pools of the channel gardens, the sunken plaza, and new seating and planting to maintain the plaza's well-defined edges.
More here
April 24, 2020

Celebrate NYC neighborhoods virtually with Jane’s Walk (from Home)

One of New York City's greatest annual events is going virtual. Jane's Walk honors urbanist Jane Jacobs with free volunteer-led walking tours across the city for one weekend every year. Adapting to the realities of the coronavirus pandemic, the Municipal Art Society (MAS) announced this week plans to host virtual activities that still celebrate the five boroughs, but safely from home.
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April 24, 2020

Coney Island nonprofit launches virtual face mask design contest

With the Mermaid Parade officially canceled, the Coney Island nonprofit behind the event is hoping to celebrate creativity in another way this year. Coney Island USA announced on Friday plans to host a "Put on a Funny Face Design Contest," described as the "world's first-ever mask design contest." The virtual contest is being presented by Spectrum News NY1 and will be judged by yet-to-be-announced celebrities of Coney Island.
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April 7, 2020

Before + After: A Hudson Heights co-op goes from drab to a modern, family-friendly home

When Erin and Chris first started their family, they bought a one-bedroom in Hudson Heights and fell in love with the neighborhood. But three kids and nine years later, Chris' job took them to the California Bay Area. After two years, they had the chance to come back to NYC and jumped at the chance to return to Hudson Heights. They found a three-bedroom in its "original, fifties-era condition," but knew the space and layout were perfect. Ahead, see how they came to Sweeten to find a contractor and took the co-op from drab to a contemporary and comfortable family home.
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