Architecture And Design

November 15, 2018

MVRDV’s vibrant ‘vertical village’ hotel breaks ground in Washington Heights

Netherlands-based architecture firm MVRDV on Thursday broke ground on its first major project in the United States: a 22-story tower in Manhattan's Washington Heights neighborhood. Dubbed the Radio Tower & Hotel, the mixed-use building will feature a hotel, retail, and office space all in a colorful, boxy structure. According to the architects, the vibrant boxes take inspiration from the colors of "storefronts in the majority-Hispanic neighborhood" and keeps them the same size as other buildings in the area.
See it here
November 15, 2018

Daniel Libeskind’s 900-pound star brings the bling to this year’s Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree

The star that tops the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree each year never fails to dazzle; this year is no exception. The 12-ton Norway Spruce has been crowned by architect Daniel Libeskind's creation consisting of 3 million Swarovski crystals and weighing in at 900 pounds. The World Trade Center master site planner, known for his geometric, angular designs, called the star “a symbol that represents our greatest ambitions for hope, unity and peace.” And we can all use plenty of that.
106,400 lumens of white light, this way
November 14, 2018

My 3,400sqft: How an extensive renovation revived this eclectic, century-old Ditmas Park home

Advertising professional Stephanie Berman went into a design consultation with designer Fauzia Khanani, of Studio Fōr, simply seeking advice on decor for her Ditmas Park home. “I figured that Fauzia might help me choose a few new throw pillows and maybe a rug or two," Stephanie told us, "but once we sat down to talk, I realized that soft furnishings were not going to do it." After the free two-hour session, won through a silent auction at work, Stephanie and her husband Drummond concluded they actually wanted a full renovation of their century-old home, where their family has lived for over a decade. Through an in-depth collaboration with Fauzia, the Bermans' home was refreshed with brightly painted walls, Mid-century modern touches, eclectic elements, and, of course, new throw pillows. For this project, the first in the neighborhood for Studio Fōr, Fauzia told us: "We wanted to add some modernity to the house but also be respectful of the original design and context."
See inside Stephanie's cozy home
November 14, 2018

New renderings of Sunshine Cinema-replacing office tower reveal “Houston Alleyway”

Nearly a year ago, we got our first look at the glassy box that would replace the Lower East Side's formerly iconic Sunshine Cinema. And now, developer East End Capital has launched an official website to market the office spaces at 141 East Houston Street that includes a trio of new renderings. First uncovered by CityRealty, not only do they show an interior commercial space and the ground-level retail, but they reveal "Houston Alleyway," a new green-walled passageway that will run south from Houston Street.
See all the renderings
November 8, 2018

Zaha Hadid Gallery pop-up comes to the ground floor of 520 West 28th Street

A new public pop-up exhibition opened on Thursday that features architectural models and design products from Zaha Hadid Architects. The exhibition is located on the ground level of 520 West 28th Street, the futuristic High Line condo designed by late starchitect Zaha Hadid. The 2,000-square-foot gallery space is a part of Related Companies' High Line Nine, a collection of boutique exhibition space under the High Line. Gallery-goers will see models of 520 W 28th and other projects as well as the latest collaborations from Zaha Hadid Design.
Get the details
November 8, 2018

Tribeca’s historic skybridge building gets a major price chop to $35M

Just about three years ago, 6sqft reported that one of Tribeca's more unusual architectural offerings, the 8,170-square-foot townhouse at 9 Jay Street that includes the famous Staple Street Skybridge, was for sale. The building, the pedestrian skybridge and loft condo it connects to–once the home and studio of iconic 1980s fashion designer Zoran Ladicorbic–were asking $50 million. Now, the quirky collection is back on the market with a hefty $15 million price chop, asking $35 million. The new ask comes with 4,080 square feet of air rights, and from the looks of the building's wide open interiors, the options for a new buyer are many.
What's inside?
November 7, 2018

Bjarke Ingels’ design for WeWork’s Lord & Taylor takeover shows few changes

The first set of renderings of Bjarke Ingels' restoration of the landmarked Lord & Taylor building was released last month and it appears the starchitect's firm will not sway too far from the original structure's design. WeWork hired BIG last year to preserve the 104-year-old store, which will become the co-working company's new global headquarters. In its presentation on Oct. 30 to Manhattan's Community Board 5, the firm explained its plan to reconfigure the ground-floor, install canopies, replace signage, and more, as first reported by the Associated Press.
See the design
November 7, 2018

Rent a turreted 10-room wing of the Upper West Side’s famous Ansonia co-op for $21K a month

Here’s a chance rent a sprawling space in the famous Ansonia on the Upper West Side for $21,000 a month. The 2,900-square-foot pad offers stunning views from east, south, and west exposures. The capacious co-op is the result of combining three units that formed their own wing of the building, representing the largest original layout ever designed by the building’s architect, Duboy of Graves and Duboy. The apartment was listed for sale in back in 2015 for $12M.
Take the tour
November 2, 2018

Upper East Side townhouse once home to Michael Jackson and Marc Chagall sells for $32M

The six-story Beaux-Arts mansion at 4 East 74th Street on the Upper East Side has been home to several prominent occupants throughout history from President Grover Cleveland’s law partner to artist Marc Chagall; Michael Jackson rented the house the '90s, and it served as the exterior of Nate Archibald’s residence in “Gossip Girl.” According to The New York Times and property records, the 16-room mansion sold in October for nearly $32 million.
Have a last look
November 1, 2018

PHOTOS: One Vanderbilt reveals terra cotta facade and insane views

With less than two years left until it reaches its full 1,401-foot height, One Vanderbilt has released a slew of new construction photos that showcase its insane views of the MetLife Building, Empire State Building, Chrysler Building, and beyond, how it relates to its famous neighbor Grand Central, and an up-close look at its unique terra cotta facade. Developed by SL Green and designed by Kohn Pedersen Fox, the 77-story office tower will become NYC's fourth-tallest skyscraper when completed in the third quarter of 2020. The building is expected to reach 50 stories by the end of this year, and it's already 37 percent leased.
See all the photos
November 1, 2018

Norman Foster will design new Park Avenue headquarters for JPMorgan Chase

JPMorgan Chase has tapped starchitect Norman Foster to design its new 2.5 million-square-foot headquarters at 270 Park Avenue, as first reported by Bloomberg. The new 70-story tower would replace the bank's current offices, located in the Union Carbide building. Foster + Partners designed the nearby office tower at 425 Park Avenue, as well as Apple's spaceship-like headquarters in California.
Find out more
November 1, 2018

Bjarke Ingels tapped to design $110M upgrade for Central Park’s Delacorte Theater

Central Park's beloved Delacorte Theater will get its first major renovation since it was constructed over 50 years ago, the New York Times reported on Wednesday. The Public Theater announced it has tapped architect Bjarke Ingels' firm BIG to design a $110 million upgrade for the open-air theater, home to the free productions of Shakespeare in the Park. Kicking off in 2020, the project aims to reorganize the theater's space, improve its resiliency, and make it overall more safe and efficient.
More here
November 1, 2018

Historic Bronx General Post Office is for sale again after food market plans dissolve

The historic Bronx General Post Office on the Grand Concourse is once again for sale, Welcome2TheBronx reports. The familiar neighborhood landmark was purchased from the postal service in 2014 by developer Young Woo & Associates and the Bristol Group for $19 million, as 6sqft previously reported. After suggesting a new life for the 80+-year-old building as "a crossroads for community, commerce and culture" including a food market that could become a dining/drinking/shopping destination, the developer has put the building up for sale for an undisclosed price.
Find out more
October 31, 2018

Waterfront Access Map makes it easier for New Yorkers to get to the shoreline

Fresh off the news that the city will invest over $250 million to connect and green 32 miles of Manhattan waterfront, it's become easier for New Yorkers to access the existing waterfront spaces open to the public. The Department of City Planning has just released the Waterfront Access Map, a tool to help you find one of the 200 open spaces situated along the city’s 520 miles of shoreline. It was released to mark the 25th anniversary of a 1993 zoning change that mandated public access to the city’s shoreline whenever a waterfront property is redeveloped.
Check out the map
October 31, 2018

Vornado releases new renderings of $200M Penn Plaza redevelopment

REIT Vornado Realty Trust expects to be starting work on the first phase of renovation at Pennsylvania Plaza before the end of this year according to CEO Steve Roth, The Real Deal reports. The $200 million "megacampus" redevelopment project plan for the 2.5 million-square-foot building at One Penn Plaza–including a double-height lobby–is expected to be completed in two years. In 2016 Vornado released renderings for Two Penn Plaza by starchitect Bjarke Ingels. New renderings were released Wednesday on the company's website.
See more renderings, this way
October 30, 2018

The triplex penthouse at Zaha Hadid’s High Line condo relists for $50M

One of New York City's most illustrious penthouses has once again hit the market for $50 million, the same price it was listed for more than two years prior. The grand triplex apartment, Penthouse 37, is located in late starchitect Zaha Hadid's condo building in Chelsea, 520 West 28th Street. Measuring over 6,800 square feet, the apartment's three levels are connected by a sculptural staircase, the architectural centerpiece of this stunning home. The roof level includes a 2,000-square-foot terrace which offers views of the Chelsea skyline and the High Line.
Inside the crown jewel
October 30, 2018

Museum of Natural History expansion plans stalled by restraining order and lawsuit

As 6sqft previously reported, last October the architects at Studio Gang tweaked their proposal for the American Museum of Natural History expansion to preserve more public parkland–and the Landmarks Preservation Commission unanimously approved the plans. Now, Curbed reports, those expansion plans have been put on hold after a temporary restraining order (TRO) was issued against the Richard Gilder Center for Science, Education and Innovation by New York State Supreme Court justice Lynn Kotler. The TRO follows a lawsuit filed by a community group that has been opposed to the expansion, saying it will destroy the park, cause trees to be removed and endanger the safety and environment surrounding the construction area.
How big a setback is this?
October 30, 2018

Historic building at Brooklyn Navy Yard to be restored as modern manufacturing space

A former boat repair facility at the Brooklyn Navy Yard will get restored as a modern manufacturing space, the last adaptive reuse project at the 300-acre site. The Brooklyn Navy Yard Development Corporation (BNYDC) last month closed on $42 million in financing to restore Building 127, which was built in 1904 by the U.S. Navy for ship construction. S9 Architecture is handling the "historically sensitive" gut renovation, which will bring 95,000 square feet of modern industrial space to the Yard by 2020.
More here
October 29, 2018

The former Swedish American Athletic Club in Park Slope is now a $6M townhouse

Situated on an elegant Park Slope corner lot where Sixth Avenue meets Garfield Place, the house at 267 Sixth Avenue has a rare and unusual history. Built in the 1870s, the building is the former home of the Swedish American Athletic Club. In its current incarnation, the 7,200 square-foot house is comprised of a 5,400-square foot owner's triplex over a 1,800-square foot three-bedroom rental apartment–asking $5.999 million. In its athletic club days, the building featured a 90-foot ballroom, a billiard room, a bowling alley and a lounge with a 15-foot cocktail bar. The bar remains intact and the bowling alley (not pictured, unfortunately) lives partially unaltered on the home's lowest level.
Take the grand tour
October 29, 2018

FXCollaborative reveals new renderings of slender Fidi condo tower

Trinity Place Holding’s new residential tower rising at 77 Greenwich Street in lower Manhattan has just released a teaser site and new renderings showing the 500-foot-tall building in all its future glory. With architecture by FXCollaborative and interiors by Deborah Berke Partners, the tower is four stories in to its 42-story height; sales are scheduled to begin in spring of 2019.
More details and renderings, this way
October 25, 2018

Transformed from a wreck into pricey condos, Crown Heights’ oldest house is renting for $9.25K/month

The historic Elkins House at 1375 Dean Street, an 1850s wood-frame home in Crown Heights, is officially the neighborhood's oldest house–and  you can rent one of its duplex units from January to April of 2019 for $9,250 a month. The landmarked wood-frame building has been completely renovated with 2,033 square feet of living space including five  bedrooms (two with private balconies) and a private top-floor deck. The home's newly-converted condos were last seen on the market last spring, with two duplex units–including this one–asking $2.3 and $2.7 million.
Take a tour
October 24, 2018

For less than $600K, you can own this Gilded Age NJ mansion with NYC skyline views

Here in NYC, if you want skyline views, you're going to have to cough up some serious dough. But just 45 minutes away, in South Orange, New Jersey, you can get that, plus an entire historic mansion sitting on more than two acres, for less than $600,000 (h/t CIRCA). That is if the bidding doesn't get too out of control. This 11,000-square-foot Georgian-style home is headed to auction on November 18th and the minimum bid is set at $575,000. The winner will be living in Gilded Age glamour, as the 1924 home retains five ornate fireplaces, coffered ceilings, marble Corinthian columns, and an entire ballroom.
See inside
October 24, 2018

At $4.8M, this historic Upper West Side townhouse costs less than a Midtown condo

With its crimson brick facade, stepped gables, and graceful archways, this four-story 1886 townhouse at 383 West End Avenue is one in a row of eight. It's a legal two-family dwelling (so there's rental income potential) currently being used as a single-family home. The building's stained glass transoms, original fireplaces, and winding staircase reflect the artistry and Victorian stylings of designer Frederick B. White. Currently asking $4.795 million, it's a house in one of the city's most beloved neighborhoods with plenty of room for living, and it rings in at far less than the average luxury condominium, where you probably wouldn't even get a sunken garden and a magical third-floor terrace.
Gorgeous townhouse tour, this way
October 19, 2018

Updated looks for COOKFOX’s Domino Sugar building, Williamsburg’s will-be tallest

Fully above ground, the second tower to rise at the massive Domino Sugar site has a pair of new renderings. Designed by COOKFOX Architects, 1 South First (previously 260 Kent Avenue) is a 42-story mixed-use tower on the Williamsburg waterfront development, which was formerly home to the sugar manufacturing facility. When 1 South First opens next fall, it will join already opened 325 Kent Avenue and Domino Park, all developed by Two Trees Management.
See them here