Architecture And Design

June 25, 2018

PHOTOS: NYC’s first LGBTQ monument opens in Greenwich Village

New York's first public monument to the LGBTQ community opened Sunday in the Greenwich Village, a historically significant neighborhood for the gay rights movement. Located in Hudson River Park and designed by local artist Anthony Goicolea, the monument honors the victims of the 2016 Pulse nightclub shooting, as well as all victims of hate and violence. "This memorial saddens us, when we think about the Orlando 49 senseless deaths, but it also enlightens us, and it also inspires us," Cuomo said on Sunday. "It inspires New Yorkers to do what New Yorkers have always done - what Anthony was referring to: to push forward, to keep going forward on that journey until we reach the destination that the Statue of Liberty promised in the first place."
Find out more
June 25, 2018

Get a first look at the amenities at Bjarke Ingels’ High Line towers

Less than two weeks after HFZ Capital revealed the marble-clad interior renderings for Bjarke Ingels’ High Line-facing XI condo/hotel project at 76 Eleventh Avenue, they've now launched the official website. First spotted by Curbed, the site gives us our first view of the amenities such as the huge, glass-enclosed pool, as well as an up-close look at the "Bridge Lounge," the swanky amenity space located within the development's skybridge. The double-height podium bridge, which connects the asymmetrical, twisting towers, will have a retractable movie screen, private wine tasting room, bar, and library.
See all this and more
June 25, 2018

New renderings and details for Perkins Eastman’s 730-foot tower at controversial Two Bridges site

Additional details and a new rendering have been unveiled this week for a 62-story Lower East Side skyscraper designed by Perkins Eastman Architects, nearly two years after 6sqft first wrote about the project. Located at 259 Clinton Street, the tower is a part of a controversial three-building project coming to the waterfront of the Two Bridges neighborhood. According to YIMBY, latest plans for 259 Clinton Street, developed by Starret Development, call for a 730-foot tower, slightly higher than an earlier 724-foot proposal.
More this way
June 22, 2018

INTERVIEW: Architect Glen Coben dishes on his passion for design and restaurants

New York City architect Glen Coben's An Architect’s Cookbook: A Culinary Journey Through Design is part journal, part cookbook. The book shares Coben’s experience over the last 18+ years working with some of the world’s greatest chefs to create magical culinary experiences: Empellon/Alex Stupak, Del Posto/Mario Batali, Gabriel Kreuther, Carbone, The Marrow and Romera. Each chapter includes: the narrative between Glen and Chef – their story together throughout the process, sketches and renderings, followed by the final photos of the restaurant and recipes contributed by each chef. Coben loves what he does and it shows. To him, working with chefs to design their dreams means “there is another creative partner at the table.” 6sqft recently spoke with Coben and learned how it all started, about his restaurant inspirations and what the architectural equivalent of adding that special spice to meatballs is to make us all sigh in delight, ahhhhh.
Dive to learn more about Glen
June 21, 2018

Construction well underway for interactive LGBTQ monument in Greenwich Village

A monument to the LGBTQ community is taking shape in Hudson River Park along the Greenwich Village waterfront. Last year, Gov. Andrew Cuomo chose Brooklyn-based artist Anthony Goicolea to design the monument, aimed at honoring both the LGBT rights movement and the victims of the 2016 Orlando Pulse nightclub shooting. Although the Hudson River Park Trust told 6sqft an opening date of the installation isn't known yet, Urban Omnibus reported the monument is expected to be completed this month, coinciding with Pride Month.
More here
June 21, 2018

PHOTOS: See Moynihan Train Hall’s massive skylight being installed

After starting construction last summer, Skidmore Owings & Merrill (SOM)'s reimagined Moynihan Train Hall is now beginning to take shape. Part of Governor Cuomo's Empire Station Complex revamp of Penn Station, the old James A. Farley Post Office will be transformed into a crystal palace-esque boarding concourse with a 92-foot high skylight atop the 1913 building's original steel trusses. CityRealty recently got an exclusive aerial look at how construction is progressing on the glass skylights ahead of the Train Hall's anticipated 2020 opening.
See more construction shots
June 20, 2018

This rustic Finger Lakes cabin and taxidermy factory on 90 acres could be yours for just $1M

Located near the remote Ithaca-area village of Van Etten, NY, is a genuine, authentic, real live (or, mostly not) taxidermy factory for sale, asking $1.05 million. You don’t see a listing for a stuffed fauna foundry every day, but this one, it turns out, is enough to cover all the days. The 90-acre parcel in the heart of the state's Finger Lakes region includes a 2,927-square-foot classic log-and-stone three-home with hillside views. Also on the property are a tiny cottage overlooking a two-acre pond, 20 acres of fenced pastures, 70 acres of hardwood forest, an orchard, a fenced garden, a pole barn with tack room and an outdoor arena, a garage, and a woodshed–plus a workshop and office (more about those later).
Now, about that wildlife
June 20, 2018

Where I Work: Tour FXCollaborative’s Flatiron architecture office with partner Dan Kaplan

6sqft’s series “Where I Work” takes us into the studios, offices, and off-beat workspaces of New Yorkers across the city. In this installment, we’re touring the Flatiron office of architecture firm FXCollaborative. Want to see your business featured here? Get in touch! To mark their 40th anniversary, architecture firm FXCollaborative recently debuted their new name (formerly FXFOWLE), along with a slew of big-name projects such as the Statue of Liberty Museum, a nearly 1,000-unit affordable housing development in the Bronx, and Downtown Brooklyn's One Willoughby Square, which will be the borough's tallest office building as well as the firm's new home. Ahead of their big move when the tower is completed in a few years, 6sqft paid a visit to FXCollaborative's current Flatiron office space to see how these prolific architects make their magic happen, thanks to a behind-the-scenes tour and talk with senior partner Dan Kaplan. From sustainable architecture and office design to equality in architecture and the importance of collaboration, learn how FXCollaborative remains one of NYC's top firms after four decades.
Take the tour and hear Dan’s thoughts
June 19, 2018

NYC is the focus of Bjarke Ingels’ ‘Humanhattan 2050’ vision for protecting cities from future storms

In 2014 6sqft reported on the Department of Housing and Urban Development's Rebuild By Design contest to develop ways to shore up the city from future flooding. Among the short list of winners whose projects will receive funding was "The Big U" from Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG), a flooding solution for Manhattan that doubles as a social environment, with over a third of the $920 million in prize money to go toward its development. Now BIG is making a bigger splash with a similar vision now on display at the 2018 Venice Architecture Biennale, the Observer reports. Called "Humanhattan 2050," the project, created for the Biennale, which the firm calls "an academic exploration in urban environments and resiliency" could someday represent the first effort to keep cities safe while creating a new, improved social space along the waterfront.
Take a look
June 19, 2018

David Adjaye reveals interiors for luxury FiDi condo, his first NYC tower

With construction officially underway at 130 William Street and sales launching for the 244 condos later this month, Sir David Adjaye hosted an event last night to reveal the interiors of his 800-foot Financial District tower. And they're just as chic as expected, with finishes made from materials sourced from all over the world and hardware designed by the starchitect himself. Adjaye Associates collaborated with Hill West Architects on the project. "In defining the design for 130 William, I not only sought to celebrate New York City’s heritage of masonry architecture, referencing the historical architecture once pervasive upon one of the city’s earliest streets," Adjaye said. "However, and more importantly, 130 William has been crafted to focus on the new possibilities of urban, vertical living."
See the renderings here
June 18, 2018

Historic Upper West Side mansion built for a Dow Jones founder asks $12M

Designed by prolific Upper West Side architect Charles T. Mott in 1891 for Dow Jones founder Edward Jones, the facade of this five-story townhouse at 325 West 76th Street hints at the rich history and the grand details within. The current owners renovated this 20-foot-wide, 7,515-square-foot home in the 21st century, slowly and meticulously preserving historic details in the transformation back to single-family mansion. This turn-key historic house is on the market for $11.9 million, including six bedrooms, an elevator, a screening room, a top-of-the-line kitchen and several entertaining spaces.
Take a five-story tour
June 15, 2018

Cole Porter’s former Manhattan townhouse in historic Sniffen Court enclave has sold for $4.8M

Tucked within the Sniffen Court Mews in Murray Hill, blocked from the public by a private gate off East 36th Street, composer and songwriter Cole Porter’s former townhouse has sold for $4.8 million (h/t New York Post). The former engraver's studio, located in one of just a few private mews in New York City at 156 East 36th Street originally served as stables during the Civil War era.
Find out more
June 14, 2018

Construction kicks off on Dattner Architects’ nine-story Brooklyn Navy Yard building

Just six months after filing permits for a nine-story mixed-use building at the Brooklyn Navy Yard, city officials and developers broke ground Wednesday on 399 Sands Street. Designed by Dattner Architects, the building will feature a parking structure on four levels, four floors of manufacturing space and one floor for creative office space. The construction of 399 Sands Street is a key part of the Navy Yard's $1 billion expansion, overseen by Steiner Equities Group, which will add $2 million square feet. Deputy Mayor for Housing and Economic Development Alicia Glen also announced Wednesday a $40 million investment from the city to fund 230,000 square feet of leasable space above the parking area. "New York City grew up around the Brooklyn Navy Yard - and thanks to the City’s $40 million New York Works investment in 399 Sands Street, the Yard will continue to fuel growth, and provide manufacturing and creative jobs for generations to come," Glen said in a statement.
Find out more
June 14, 2018

SHoP Architects design a food hall, co-working, and retail space for Midwood

Midwood might not yet be considered an up-and-coming 'hood, but this new mixed-use project from trendy architects SHoP might be the first step. CityRealty spotted renderings for a 10-story commercial building at 1508 Coney Island Avenue, which will be one of the largest in the area. Preliminary outlines detail three floors of medical offices, three floors for non-profit offices, and two floors for co-working. Plus, there will be two levels of parking, two levels of retail, an event space, restaurant, and, of course, food hall. And while SHoP's design for the exterior seems pretty straightforward, the interiors take on a bit more of a fantastical approach.
Check it all out
June 13, 2018

Zaha Hadid Architects designed a hat inspired by the firm’s curvy High Line condo

Photo by Luke Hayes On Thursday, Friends of the High Line are hosting their "first-ever High Line Hat Party, a raucous, downtown party for the creative and bold." What better to don for this party than a swooping, sinuous lined hat inspired by one of the most prominent High Line building's iconic curves? Zaha Hadid Architects (ZHA) director Patrik Schumacher designed the gorgeous, 3D printed, 520 West 28th-inspired hat for the party’s fashion show (h/t dezeen). Just as the building's beautiful swirls of glass are intersected with dark steel bands, this hat replicates that aesthetic.
Get the scoop
June 13, 2018

Renderings revealed for Morris Adjmi’s proposed luxury condo on East Village gas explosion site

Rendering by Morris Adjmi Architects Just over three years ago, an explosion from an illegal tap into the gas main destroyed three buildings on Second Avenue and killed two people in the East Village. Last year, two lots of the three at the site were sold for just over $9 million. And this week renderings have been revealed for a new condo building set to rise on the same plot. The images were found by EV Grieve in an application for a Certificate of Appropriateness by the new building's developer, Yaniv Shaky Cohen's Nexus Building Development Group. The plan will be reviewed by Community Board 3's Landmarks Committee next Monday. (A paper meeting notice was taped to the fence surrounding the property on Monday, according to EV Grieve). Designed by Morris Adjmi Architects, the renderings depict a single 21-apartment, six-story, grey brick luxury building to encompass both lots, with a detailed cornice and ground floor retail.
Find out more
June 13, 2018

Leasing launches for a glass-factory-turned-chic rental in Bushwick, from $2,500/month

Photo via N7 Bushwick’s newest rental development, Glassworks Bushwick, is a cool blend of new construction and reuse of the original Dannenhoffer Opalescent Glassworks stained glass factory. Located at 336 Himrod Street, real estate developer and designer ASH NYC, in partnership with Martin Lomazow and the owner of the factory, are developing the 77,000-square-foot mixed-use development in the bustling Brooklyn neighborhood. Ranging from $2,500/month studios to $3,800/month three-bedrooms, as well as a selection of penthouses, Glassworks Bushwick includes 63 rentals in the five-story building. The rental, currently under construction, will incorporate new construction, the rehabilitation of an existing factory space and the redevelopment of an existing garage building into a commercial space. The project is set to be complete this year.
See inside
June 12, 2018

New marble-clad interior renderings revealed for Bjarke Ingels’ High Line-facing XI

Renderings via Dbox for HFZ Capital Group Back in April, 6sqft brought you a new batch of renderings showing Bjarke Ingels and developer HFZ Capital's XI (or the Eleventh) at 76 Eleventh Avenue ahead of a May 7 sales launch. The West Chelsea hotel-condo project is notable not only for being Ingels’ first NYC condo project but for its asymmetrical, twisting silhouette. Those renderings showcased the pair of towers and their sky-bridge, along with, for the first time, the central courtyard and an apartment interior. Now, as Curbed learned, we get a preview of the project's interiors, clad in several different flavors of dramatically-veined creamy beige and white statement marble and pale chevron flooring with wood accents–and stunning NYC and river views in every direction.
See more, this way
June 12, 2018

An ornate 25-acre estate in Hudson Valley with ice rink and sculpture garden asks $30M

A massive, wildly decorated within an inch of its life, nine-bedroom, 11-bathroom, five-and-a-half-bath, approximately 32,000-square-foot home is for sale in Wappinger Falls. Referred to as the "Fifth Avenue of Country Living," this sprawling 25-acre estate is asking $30 million. With a sculpture garden, basketball and tennis courts, swimming pool with two cabanas, 8,000-square-foot veranda, three playgrounds, private guest cottages and an ice rink and more, this compound is truly unique.
Take a tour
June 11, 2018

3 World Trade Center officially opens, the fourth WTC building completed

Right on schedule for a June opening, developer Silverstein Properties took the lead in celebrating on Monday the highly anticipated opening of 3 World Trade Center with a ribbon-cutting ceremony. Led by CEO Larry Silverstein, the morning celebration at 3 World Trade Center at 175 Greenwich Street marked the official completion of four of the five buildings in the new World Trade Center complex. With nearly 40 percent of the building leased on opening day, the 80-floor tower designed by Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners rises to 1,079 feet. "Starting with 7 WTC and the rest of the towers that followed, we sought to create modern, environmentally-conscious and technologically-advanced offices," Larry Silverstein, the chairman of Silverstein Properties, said in a statement. "Places that foster creativity where young people would want to work and collaborate. That meant great architecture and sustainable design, but also improved transportation, a more vibrant streetscape, new shops and restaurants, great public spaces, and exciting and fun public space art."
Find out more
June 8, 2018

INTERVIEW: Lighting designer Joel Fitzpatrick on his desire to permanently illuminate Manhattan

Joel Fitzpatrick is a master of many trades. He has a diverse background in theater, fashion, interior design, and dance but the one common element through everything he does is light. Fitzpatrick started as a sculptor but yearned for more collaboration and found that through lighting. In his most recent work, a dynamic, multicolored light show called "Aurora" for Rafael Viñoly's 277 Fifth Avenue, his career has come full circle. After feeling the cosmos pulsate with the northern lights, there was no turning back. Now Fitzpatrick dreams of building an outdoor light show to permanently shine on the Manhattan skyline. 6sqft recently talked to Fitzpatrick, who shines a light on how his past informed his present and what to expect from him in the future. 
READ MORE
June 8, 2018

Progress, pricing and new renderings for David Adjaye’s 130 William Street skyscraper

Back in April 6sqft reported on the progress of British-Ghanian architect David Adjaye's first NYC skyscraper at 130 William street, with the nearly-800-foot tower at street level and rising. Adjaye, who has achieved international renown for projects like the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, has been knighted by Queen Elizabeth II and named one of TIME’s 2017 most influential people, was inspired by the  historic masonry architecture of the Financial District for the new building's anything-but-ordinary design. And we're now seeing more of that design: The New York Times reveals information on what the pricing for the building's 800 units is likely to be once sales launch, along with some new renderings of its unique architecture and interiors.
Let's hear those prices. And when can we move in?
June 7, 2018

$3.7M historic Hamilton Heights townhouse hits the market for the first time in 50 years

Here's a rare opportunity to own one of the gorgeous neo-Tudor townhouses on Convent Avenue in Hamilton Heights. Built in 1890 and offered for the first time in 50 years, 327 Convent Avenue is asking $3.7 million. Located a gorgeous block steeped in history (Alexander Hamilton's country estate was originally just one block away), this six-bedroom home is nearly 5,000 square feet with tons of original details and a sun-drenched backyard.
Get a look inside
June 6, 2018

Rafael Viñoly reveals new renderings of ‘Auto Row’ office addition

Historically, Auto Row, the stretch of eleventh in the 50s, has been somewhat a no-man's land to most, save for those rare New Yorkers who own a car. But with Hudson Yards pushing development westward, it's now coming out of the shadows. One of these projects is Rafael Viñoly Architects' addition to 787 Eleventh Avenue, an Art Deco industrial building that was originally home to the Packard Motor Company when it opened in 1927 to the designs of Albert Kahn. Viñoly's $100 million commission is adding two stories off office space to the top of the eight-story building, converting the other floors to commercial space, and retaining the current auto dealerships on the lower five levels. It's been more than two years since the first renderings were revealed, and now the firm has released an additional batch that show aerial views of the addition, more office views, and a closer look at the 12,000-square-foot roof deck.
More details and renderings ahead
June 6, 2018

City’s Gowanus rezoning draft calls for more public space, residential development

Attempts to rezone the area surrounding the Gowanus Canal, a neighborhood both affluent and in transition, have been in the works for over a decade. Now, Brownstoner reports, the long-anticipated Draft Planning and Land Use Framework of Gowanus has just been released by the Department of City Planning (DCP). The 188-page report is the result of 100 hours of outreach since the launch of the Gowanus PLACES Study in 2016 as well as information contained in a previous Bridging Gowanus Study released in 2014.
Find out more