Architecture And Design

In mid-20th century America–particularly in New York City–a roaring economy emboldened by our ascendant international stature filled many a scholar of public infrastructure with eagerness to execute grand ideas. This proposal to drain the East River to alleviate traffic congestion, for example. Another ambitious but unrealized plan–one that would make it a lot easier to get to New Jersey–was championed in 1934 by one Norman Sper, "noted publicist and engineering scholar," as detailed in Modern Mechanix magazine. In order to address New York City’s traffic and housing problems, Sper proposed that if we were to "plug up the Hudson river at both ends of Manhattan,” and dam and fill the resulting space, the ten square miles gained would provide land to build thousands of additional buildings, as well as to add streets and twice the number of avenues to alleviate an increasingly menacing gridlock.
So how much would it cost?

October 2, 2017

VIDEO: Watch the 78-year-old Kosciuszko Bridge crumble in minutes in ‘energetic felling’

As of 8 a.m. Sunday morning, the old, traffic-snarling Kosciuszko Bridge is no more. The decaying bridge, which was officially closed in April when the eastbound span of its replacement opened, crumbled and fell to the ground in a matter of minutes in a process known as "energetic felling, the city's first ever implosion of a major bridge using explosives.
See the full video footage of the bridge getting blown to bits

October 1, 2017

$895K upstate home has stained glass from Brooklyn Navy Yard and an archway from Jackie O’s estate

This is only one of a few estates still standing in the historic district of the upstate New York town of Tappan, and it's on the market for $895,000 (h/t CIRCA). Built in 1835, the Victorian home boasts everything from 10-foot ceilings, five fireplaces, wood floors, stained glass made at the Brooklyn Navy Yard, and a grand archway in the dining room from Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis' estate. It's currently configured as a two-family home, but some TLC and elbow grease could turn this back into an impressive and stately single-family showpiece.
Check out the stained glass

Out with the old: The new Kosciuszko Bridge in the foreground, with the old bridge behind it. Image: Wikimedia commons.

September 29, 2017

Kosciuszko bridge officially getting blown up this Sunday

The long-delayed demolition of two old sections of the Kosciuszko Bridge has been scheduled for this Sunday, October 1, according to AM New York. The demolition will herald the first stage of the $825 million construction of the new Kosciuszko Bridge. The first section of the new bridge was opened to eastbound and westbound traffic in April. The implosion of the 78-year-old bridge–still subject to change depending on weather conditions–has been scheduled for 8 a.m. according to Councilman Stephen Levin's office.
Find out more

September 29, 2017

INTERVIEW: Architect Lee H. Skolnick on designing New York City’s 9/11 Tribute Museum

By Diane Pham

This summer, the 9/11 Tribute Museum opened in a brand-new space at 92 Greenwich Street in the Financial District. The 36,000-square-foot gallery became the second iteration of the museum which originally occupied the former Liberty Deli from 2006 until earlier this year. While many are more likely to be familiar with the 9/11 Memorial Museum just a few blocks up the street, the Tribute Museum differs in that rather than focusing on the implications of the tragedy, documenting the events as they unfolded and examining its lasting impact, it assumes a more inspired take, dedicating its exhibits and installations to the stories of the survivors, first responders, relatives of victims, and others with close connections to the tragedy who found hope in the terror and stepped up to help their fellow New Yorkers. Ahead, Lee Skolnick, principal of LHSA+DP and lead architect of the 9/11 Tribute Museum, speaks to 6sqft about the design and programming of this important institution, and how he hopes its message will inspire visitors to do good in their communities during these uncertain times.
read 6sqft's interview with Skolnick here

HFZ Capital Group taps Bjarke Ingels to design 33-floor office tower in NoMad

Photo of Bjarke Ingels via Wikimedia

September 29, 2017

HFZ Capital Group taps Bjarke Ingels to design 33-floor office tower in NoMad

Adding to the sudden skyscraper boom in NoMad, HFZ Capital Group is moving forward with plans for a project at 3 West 29th Street. HFZ’s original idea for the redevelopment of the site, which once held the now-demolished 1898 Bancroft Building, included iconic architect Moshe Safdie designing a 64-floor, 830-foot tall condo. However, instead, a pre-filed building application from earlier this month calls for a 33-foot office tower designed by Bjarke Ingels of BIG Architects, as CityRealty learned.
Find out more

First renderings of Essex Crossing’s phase two reveal new buildings and huge public park

Rendering of Essex Crossing’s second phase, courtesy of Moso Studio via Curbed NY

September 28, 2017

First renderings of Essex Crossing’s phase two reveal new buildings and huge public park

Construction continues to progress at Essex Crossing, the roughly 1.9 million-square-foot mixed-use development planned to stretch several blocks on Manhattan’s Lower East Side. The site, also known as the Seward Park Urban Renewal Area, sat abandoned since 1967 until the city sold the nine sites to developers in 2013. While construction of the first phase of the massive project, which includes sites one, two, five and six, is underway, Curbed has acquired renderings for the development’s second phase, sites three and four. The third and fourth sites will be designed by CetraRuddy and Handel Architects, respectively, and feature residential, retail, office and outdoor space.
More this way

Architecture And Design

Octagonal ‘periscope’ tower proposed for Rafael Vinoly’s 249 East 62nd Street

Google Earth aerial rendering of 249 East 62nd Street’s proposed massing, via CityRealty

September 28, 2017

Octagonal ‘periscope’ tower proposed for Rafael Vinoly’s 249 East 62nd Street

Real Estate Inverlad's in-the-works residential project at 249 East 62nd Street is now one less ZD1 diagram away from being a reality. CityRealty reports that the customary diagram is now on file, giving us a look at the tower's proposed bulk–and the Department of Buildings has found the project, even with a few clever tricks up its sleeve, compliant with the city's zoning laws. The diagram shows that the skyscraper will elevate a number of the units within by using an octagonally-shaped core, periscope style, to peer out over their Upper East Side neighbors towards Central Park and the East River.
See how it works, this way

David Adjaye’s design for Harlem’s new Studio Museum building revealed

Exterior view from 125th Street Plaza. Courtesy Adjaye Associates

September 27, 2017

David Adjaye’s design for Harlem’s new Studio Museum building revealed

The Studio Museum in Harlem is scheduled to break ground on a new 82,000-square-foot home, designed by internationally renowned British architect David Adjaye, in late fall of 2018. Director and Chief Curator Thelma Golden and Chairman of the Board of Trustees Raymond J. Mc Guire unveiled designs for the new building Tuesday along with the announcement of a $175 million capital campaign to fund and maintain the new museum space. The groundbreaking coincides with the celebrated cultural institution's 50th anniversary year. In 2015, the museum announced that it would be working with Adjaye Associates in collaboration with Cooper Robertson on the new building, having outgrown its current home, a century-old building on West 125th Street that it has occupied since 1982.
See more renderings and find out more

New renderings of Lower Manhattan’s second tallest tower reveal golden Art Deco design

The Financial District’s second supertall located just one block south of the New York Stock Exchange is getting ready for construction. The tower, found at 45 Broad Street, will reach 1,115 feet, feature 66 floors and include about 200 condominiums. As CityRealty discovered, new on-site renderings show a slender structure with an Art Deco style and pointed Gothic architecture. Designed by CetraRuddy, the tower will be the second tallest tower in Downtown Manhattan after 1 WTC, and the architecture firm's tallest tower yet.
See the supertall

Architecture And Design

REVEALED: Pritzker Prize winner Álvaro Siza’s first U.S. building in NYC’s Hell’s Kitchen

Renderings of 611 West 56th Street, via Noe & Associates with The Boundary, courtesy of Sumaida + Khurana.

September 26, 2017

REVEALED: Pritzker Prize winner Álvaro Siza’s first U.S. building in NYC’s Hell’s Kitchen

Back in 2015 architects and design buffs were excited to hear that Portuguese Pritzker Prize-winner Álvaro Siza would be designing his highly-anticipated first U.S. building on Manhattan's west side in a neighborhood being called Hudson West. Now, CityRealty reports that developers Sumaida + Khurana and LENY have released renderings of the building at 611 West 56th Street on the former site of the Gristedes corporate headquarters. The development team has secured an acquisition loan, and demolition and foundation work have begun on the 35-story, 80-unit condo.
Find out more

September 25, 2017

Andrew Franz transformed this Chelsea apartment by replacing walls with glass partitions

To bring light into this Chelsea apartment, architect Andrew Franz pulled out all the tricks. To open and brighten up every corner of the 800-square-foot pad, the firm removed walls, added full-height glass partitions and high-gloss lacquered ceilings. While some of the apartment's historic details were restored, the final product feels super modern and spacious—with each room, of course, awash in sunlight.
Take a tour

POP-UP concept is a floating parking garage with moving water reservoir and green space

Rendering of the facility during different weather, via THIRD NATURE

September 25, 2017

POP-UP concept is a floating parking garage with moving water reservoir and green space

Due to a combination of population growth, car dependency and climate change, coastal cities across the country face growing issues with flooding, parking and lack of green space. As a solution, Danish architecture firm THIRD NATURE designed a 3-in-1 facility that stacks a water reservoir, parking facility, and urban space on top of each other (h/t ArchDaily). The project, called POP-UP, combines a large water reservoir with a parking garage that can move up and down as the reservoir fills and empties with water. Embracing the Archimedes principle of flotation, POP-UP works like a “piece of cork in a glass of water,” allowing the parking structure to correspond to the weight of the displaced water.
See the design

September 22, 2017

Bought in the ’70s for $170K, showbiz couple’s massive Upper West Side townhouse asks $20M

Built in 1897 in the Elizabethan Renaissance Revival style by renowned architect Clarence True, this brick and limestone mansion occupies a 43-foot-wide lot, not in Forest Hills or Riverdale, but at 323 West 80th Street on the Upper West Side. The New York Post writes that the owners, a Broadway producer who ran the downtown rock club the Bitter End and his wife, Donna, a casting director who happens to be the sister of Bernadette Peters, bought the house–then a rundown SRO–for $170,000 in the 1970s. Even then, they could see the potential in this grand, gothy 10,000-square-foot palace, at the time carved up into 20 rooms. A few years have passed, but we can't help but wonder if they imagined they'd list the spruced-up house, complete with garage, elevator and enchanted garden, for almost $20 million.
Check out the details of this amazing property

Ai Weiwei exhibit will displace Washington Square Christmas tree this holiday

Ai Weiwei’s installation will be underneath the Washington Square Arch beginning this October, rendering via Ai Weiwei and Public Art Fund

September 22, 2017

Ai Weiwei exhibit will displace Washington Square Christmas tree this holiday

An art installation from internationally acclaimed artist-activist, Ai Weiwei, will be displayed at the same time as the Christmas tree underneath the Washington Square Arch this year, displacing the tree, which has been a holiday tradition since 1924. The exhibit serves as one part of the famed Chinese artist’s larger project, “Good Fences Make Good Neighbors,” which will feature ten large fence-themed works and more than 90 smaller installations across the five boroughs. As Bedford + Bowery learned, the plan is moving forward, despite objections from the Washington Square Association, who sought an appeal to have the project withdrawn because it will disrupt the usual holiday celebration, the second oldest tree lighting ceremony in New York City.
More this way

September 22, 2017

Top 10 can’t-miss events for NYC’s Archtober 2017

Archtober is New York City’s annual month-long architecture and design festival of tours, lectures, films, and exhibitions taking place during October when a full calendar of events turns a focus on the importance of architecture and design throughout our city in everyday life. Organized by the Center for Architecture, in collaboration with over 60 partner organizations across the city, the festival raises awareness of the important role of design and the richness of New York’s built environment. Now in its seventh year, Archtober offers something for everyone—from the arch-intellectual who wants to talk Jane Jacobs to the armchair architect with a thing for skyscrapers, parks or historic buildings—in the 100+ event roster. Ahead, 6sqft has hand-picked 10 don't-miss highlights in this year’s program.
Learn about the architecture of NYC at these cool events

September 22, 2017

Rare and historic Dumbo triplex once owned by artist Caro Heller hits the market for $2M

If you've visited Brooklyn Bridge Park then it's likely you've seen 8 Old Fulton Street, the historic brick cooperative--with the red door--directly facing the park. In the 1860s, this building was constructed for the Brooklyn City Railroad Company. Today the landmark holds just 10 co-ops, meaning it's rare to see apartments up for grabs. But this one-bedroom triplex has hit the market for $1.975 million, decked out with columns, exposed brick and twelve-foot ceilings. The previous owner was the artist Caro Heller, who passed away in 2014. According to public records, her children--an adventure writer and gallery owner--have listed the property for sale.
See the stunning interior

September 21, 2017

Architensions transformed a Brooklyn townhouse into a stunning compound with a writing pavilion

This Brooklyn abode feels more like a compound than traditional townhouse, with a redesign that blurred the lines between inside and out, and added three pavilions to the backyard. Two pavilions extend from the rear of the townhouse, while the third was envisioned as a mini writers retreat. (We've swooned over this backyard pavilion before.) Inside the main house, the completely paired down, modern interiors were finished with light wood, gray tile and high ceilings.
Head inside

First look at Halletts Point’s phase two reveals pair of blocky, glass towers

Rendering of Halletts Point’s second set of buildings pulled from construction site, courtesy of The Durst Organization

September 20, 2017

First look at Halletts Point’s phase two reveals pair of blocky, glass towers

Construction of the Durst Organization’s first development outside of Manhattan, Halletts Point, a $1.5 billion waterfront development in Astoria, is moving full speed ahead. As CityRealty learned, new renderings hanging outside of the construction site reveal two blocky towers covered in glass, with rows of balconies at their corners. Earlier this month, construction topped out on the project’s first two towers at 26-01 1st Street, designed by Dattner Architects. Now, work has officially begun on the second pair of buildings at 26-02 1st Street and 26-40 1st Street.
Find out more

September 19, 2017

Williamsburg townhouse gets a ‘mullet’ reno with business in front and a party out back

Yes, you heard that right--the architects characterized this East Williamsburg townhouse renovation as having "a mullet strategy" of a "business/historically correct approach in the front and a party/modern attitude toward the back." The architects, BFDO, were tasked with restoring the facade of a historic wood frame house, while also modernizing and expanding it. The result? A pleasing blend of older historic details with a brightness and openness not often on display in a Brooklyn townhouse.
Check it out

Richard Meier’s first NYC skyscraper tops out, clad in black glass

Rendering courtesy of Richard Meier & Partners / Solow / BloomImages

September 19, 2017

Richard Meier’s first NYC skyscraper tops out, clad in black glass

Along the East River just south of the United Nations, Pritzker Prize-winner Richard Meier’s 42-story, 460-foot-tall tower has officially topped out, CityRealty learned. Developed by Sheldon Solow’s East River Realty Development, the skyscraper at 685 First Avenue has an all-black, glassy facade to offer residents privacy and create a uniform appearance on the outside. Upon completion in 2018, the Turtle Bay residential tower will feature 556 rental and condominium apartments, with incredible panoramic waterfront views.
More this way

September 18, 2017

Jersey City’s Harborside boardwalk to get $75M makeover and new food hall

By Dana Schulz

Over the past two decades, the Jersey City waterfront has seen a huge boom in both residential and commercial development, revealing an entirely new skyline of tall, glassy towers. And now real estate investor Mack-Cali wants to embrace this waterfront location in the way that new large-scale developments are doing in Manhattan (Waterline Square) and Brooklyn (Domino Sugar Factory). The firm's $75 million plan will piggyback on next month's opening of a new New York Waterway ferry station there and transform the waterfront promenade in front of their 4.3 million-square-foot Harborside office complex into a "one-of-a-kind cultural district" that will include a beer garden, European-style food hall known as The Marketplace, and the Harborside Atrium, an interconnected series of pedestrian routes and lobbies throughout the buildings that will also serve as cultural event space.
READ MORE

September 18, 2017

‘American Horror Story’ actor Denis O’Hare lists Fort Greene carriage house condo for $1.6M

Actor Denis O'Hare might be known for taking roles in creepy shows like "American Horror Story" and "True Blood," but his Fort Greene home is anything but. He bought the unique duplex at 159 Carlton Avenue, a landmarked 2,015-square-foot carriage house that was once the Feuchtwanger Stable, for just $175,000 in 1998 when he was still acting on Broadway (h/t WSJ). Over the past 19 years, his husband, interior designer Hugo Redwood, completely renovated the condo, preserving its amazing arched windows that once allowed horses and carriages to enter but creating a more open, loft-like space. And it's now on the market for $1,595,000.
Check out the layout

September 14, 2017

Billionaire sports team owner gets $17M discount on Upper East Side mega-mansion