Meatpacking District

March 30, 2017

From the Westside Cowboys to the Oreo cookie: 10 secrets of Chelsea Market

Today it seems like there's a new food hall popping up every day, but one of the first incarnations of this trend was at Chelsea Market, when Irwin Cohen and Vandenberg Architects transformed the former Nabisco factory in the 1990s into an office building, television production facility, and food-related retail hub. New York City history buffs likely know that this is where a certain famous cookie was invented, but there are plenty of other fun facts about the location that are much less well known. Therefore, 6sqft has rounded up the top 10 most intriguing secrets of Chelsea Market.
Find out everything here
March 24, 2017

Judge once again stops work at Pier 55 over environmental concerns

If you thought the roller coaster that is Pier 55 was over since construction began in November, you may not want to step off the ride just yet. Just yesterday, a federal judge ruled in favor of the City Club of New York, who took legal action against the $200 million Barry Diller-funded offshore park way back in the summer of 2015. As reported by the Times, Judge Lorna G. Schofield agreed with the group's claim that the Army Corps of Engineers had not conducted a sufficient environmental review on how the 2.4-acre park would affect fish and wildlife. She ordered that work stop at the site and called for a review of alternatives for building along Hudson River Park, a maritime sanctuary.
Get the whole legal saga
February 23, 2017

Jeanne Gang reveals sparkly new renderings of High Line-hugging Solar Carve Tower

Renderings © Neoscape for Studio Gang Architects Just yesterday, 6sqft shared the news that Jeanne Gang's first ground-up project in NYC--the Solar Carve Tower at 40 Tenth Avenue--had begun construction along the High Line. Now, the Post shares new renderings of the jewel-like, glassy structure, which is so named for its employment of the firm's strategy that uses the sun's angles to shape a building. Along with these views of its chiseled edges, connection to the park, terraces, and interior spaces, comes word that developers Aurora Capital and William Gottlieb Real Estate have tapped Bruce Mosler of Cushman & Wakefield to begin leasing the 139,000-square-foot, 12-story boutique office building in anticipation of its 2019 opening.
Lots more details and renderings ahead
February 22, 2017

Jeanne Gang’s ‘Solar Carve Tower’ begins its rise on the High Line

For an architect who had yet to break into the NYC scene, Jeanne Gang is now moving full steam ahead. Her firm, Studio Gang, received LPC approvals back in October for their much-hyped, $340 million Museum of Natural History expansion, and now, CityRealty tells us that construction has begun on their razor-edged glass tower along the High Line. Dubbed "Solar Carve Tower" for the firm's strategy that "uses the incident angles of the sun’s ray to form the gem-like shape," the 12-story office building will be Gang's first ground-up project when completed.
Find out more
January 30, 2017

Pier 55 offshore park may be flatter than originally proposed

Despite the fact that the 535 concrete piles that will support the planned undulating base of the Pier 55 offshore park have already been erected, the Hudson River Park Trust is now looking towards a flatter design. The Architect's Newspaper obtained a copy of a permit modification request that the group submitted to the Army Corps of Engineers that reduces the park's overall size slightly from 2.7 to 2.4 acres and replaces many of the hollow pentagonal pots that would have sat on top of the columns with "a flat structural base sandwiches between the piles and the landscaping."
Find out the reason for the major change
January 26, 2017

Bjarke Ingels’ ‘bold yet graceful’ High Line towers get new website and flashy signage

When HFZ Capital Group chairman Ziel Feldman needed a bold design for what will be Chelsea's largest development in more than a decade, he knew the very-visible, block-long site wanted nothing short of an architectural icon to house the future 950,000-square-foot mix of parking, retail and office space, a 137-room Six Senses Hotels Resorts Spa and 240 condominium apartments. So it should come as no surprise that Bjarke Ingels' BIG was chosen to design what would be the firm's second Hudson River-front tower (after Via 57 West). Straddling the High Line and offering sunset river views, the two towers penned by the Danish wunderkind sit atop a four-floor base at 76 Eleventh Avenue, rising to 28 and 38 floors, respectively. CityRealty now brings us a collection of new views and a concept development slideshow of the $1.9 billion project recently published by BIG on their website.
See new images from the slideshow and some scintillating site prep
January 24, 2017

Construction update: Google’s Pier 57 expansion gets glassed

Work is moving along at the waterfront development that is rehabilitating and revitalizing Pier 57, Manhattan's new "SuperPier;" newly-installed, canted glass panels can be seen along the pier’s rows of exterior columns, CityRealty reports. The $350 million transformation of the former freight terminal, a joint venture by Young Woo & Associates and RXR will include 250,000 square feet of offices for Google, a 170,000-square-foot food market curated by Anthony Bourdain and provide an elevated two-acre park with a rooftop movie and performance amphitheater. The project's design is being handled by Handel Architects and !Melk Landscape Architecture and Urban Design.
Check out new construction photos
December 7, 2016

This $845K Chelsea studio’s sleep loft, brick walls and terrace are dreamy

This Chelsea-meets-Meatpacking studio at 221 West 14th Street checks the boxes for charm, neighborhood amenities and convenience, and it possesses that elusive bonus item: an attractive outdoor space with at least enough room for a rosé al fresco. For $845,000 it's not exactly a steal, though if neighborhood comps are a factor—which of course they are—then it becomes one. The second-floor townhouse condominium's layout works, allowing the space to be a small studio, yet solving the problem of having your bed next to the fridge.
What else do we love about it?
November 18, 2016

Construction update: Pier 55’s 535 concrete columns rise from the Hudson River

Now that the Barry Diller-funded Pier 55 offshore park can proceed freely, the Wall Street Journal took a look at how construction is progressing on the $200 million project. Currently, the 535 concrete columns, each three feet wide and ranging from 70 to 200 feet long, that will support the 2.75-acre park have been erected, poking out of the Hudson River amidst the historic wooden piles that once supported Pier 54, where the Titanic was supposed to dock (these will remain to sustain marine life development). On top of them will be pots, "hollow pentagonal forms" that weigh as much as 60 tons and will be "linked with concrete to create a rectangular platform of about 104,000 square feet."
More new details this way
November 17, 2016

Meatpacking condo once home to Glenn Beck, Jason Reitman, and Trey Parker lists for $5M

Don't worry, this interesting trio of notables didn't live in this Meatpacking District condo at the same time. "South Park" co-creator Trey Parker lived in the loft-style, three-bedroom spread at the Porter House during the initial run of his Tony-winning Broadway show "Book of Mormon," according to the Post, who also note that Academy Award-winning director Jason Batemen, best known for "Juno" and "Up in the Air," as well as uber-conservative political commentator Glenn Beck have called this apartment home. And it's currently on the market for $4.9 million or as a $13,900/month rental.
See the rest
October 26, 2016

Pier 55 appeal dismissed in court; park construction can move ahead

After nearly a year and a half of yo-yo-ing back and forth between stop work orders and lawsuits, the Barry Diller-funded Pier 55 park can finally move ahead freely. The New York Law Journal reports that yesterday the state Court of Appeals denied the City Club of New York's appeal of September's ruling in favor of Pier 55 and the Hudson River Park Trust (HRPT) that said construction could continue on the 2.75-acre offshore park, dismissing the opponents' claims that the park failed to go through adequate environmental impact evaluations and violated the public trust doctrine by planning to host private events.
What this means for Pier 55
October 6, 2016

New renderings and hotel details for Bjarke Ingels’ High Line towers, now dubbed ‘The Eleventh’

In a press release announcing that HFZ Capital Group is bringing a 137-key luxury Six Senses hotel and spa to Bjarke Ingels' pair of travertine-and-bronze towers along the High Line, 6sqft has learned that the $1.9 billion project at 76 Eleventh Avenue will officially be known as The Eleventh. The hotel announcement --which is interesting because in December 2015, the original plans for a hotel were replaced with office space--also came with several new renderings of the 28- and 38-story buildings, which are distinguished by their twisting silhouettes, glowing crowns, and two amenity-filled podium bridges that connect them.
More new views and details ahead
September 8, 2016

Pier55 prevails in court, construction to continue on Barry Diller-funded offshore park

All systems are go for the Barry Diller-funded Pier55 park, as a State Appellate court ruled today that work can continue on the 2.75-acre project sited along the Hudson River. As 6sqft previously reported, the main opponent of the park—better known as The City Club of New York—has been aiming to thwart the project under the claim that those involved, namely the Hudson River Park Trust (HRPT) and Pier55 Inc. (the nonprofit manager established by Diller), failed to go through adequate environmental impact evaluations. City Club served the pair with a lawsuit that eventually led to a stop work order in June. However, an appeals court lifted the stop work order shortly after, and by the end of August, the first nine piles were installed. Today's ruling upholds a lower court's decision that HRPT and Pier55 Inc. did in fact do a proper environmental review, and moreover, that HRPT was not required to put out an RFP to solicit other ideas for the site from other developers—another major point of contention. The court also decided that the park reserves the right to use the space for non-public events like ticketed concerts, although it is noted that "the lease requires that 51 percent of the performances be free or low-cost."
find out more here
September 7, 2016

POLL: Are you in favor of the Pier 55 offshore park moving ahead?

As of late last month, summer construction work on the Barry Diller-funded Pier 55 was complete, with the first nine piles propping up the offshore park having been installed. It seemed as though all systems were a go at the $130 million futuristic park, but yesterday 6sqft reported that The City Club of New York, the civic group who was behind an earlier lawsuit and stop work order, may have a backer in none other than Douglas Durst. And today the Wall Street Journal shares that opponents had their first day in front a panel of state appellate-court judges to express environmental concerns and frustrations that the initial planning between billionaire Diller and the Hudson River Park Trust was done behind closed doors. What are your thoughts on the issue?
More details on the hearing, and tell us if you're in favor of Pier 55 moving ahead
September 6, 2016

Mogul vs. mogul: Is Douglas Durst trying to stop Barry Diller’s offshore park?

Once again in the news is media mogul Barry Diller's futuristic offshore cultural pier development at Pier 55 on the Hudson River. The proposed park project, known informally as Diller Park after its main backer, who is chairman of IAC/InterActiveCorp and is married to fashion designer Diane Von Furstenburg, is helmed by the Hudson River Park Trust. The New York Times reports that the project’s main opponent, a civic group called The City Club of New York, may have an equally powerful backer. According to Diller, there is a deep-pocketed "hidden hand” funding the legal actions against the park. In a recent interview, Diller said, “The backer of all this is one Douglas Durst.”
Find out more
August 24, 2016

Summer work on Barry Diller-funded futuristic offshore park complete

Work on the Barry Diller-funded Pier55 park is advancing nicely, even after being slapped with a lawsuit and a stop work order in June. As the Hudson River Park Trust (HRPT) and Pier55 Inc. announced this afternoon, the first nine piles propping up the 2.7-acre undulating park have been installed. Per the pair's press release, the milestone marks the completion of summer work and is part of the initial work of the first phase of construction.
more on the progress here
August 10, 2016

New Renderings of Bjarke Ingels’ High Line Towers Show Crowns and Amenity Bridges

It was all the way back in November 2015 that 6sqft got a first look at Bjarke Ingels' pair of asymmetric, twisting towers along the High Line at 76 Eleventh Avenue. At the beginning of this year, the design changed to a simpler silhouette with more space in between the 28- and 38-story buildings, and now NY Yimby has revealed yet another group of renderings that reveal even more revisions. The fresh images reveal the glass crowns at the 300- and 400-foot tops, the retail podium and plaza fronting the High Line, and two amenity-filled podium bridges that will connect the towers (an idea perhaps borrowed from SHoP's American Cooper Buildings).
See all the renderings here
August 4, 2016

If You’re Seeking Loft Perfection This $7,200/Month West Village Rental Is For You

This downtown Manhattan loft in a near-everything-cool spot at 321 West 13th Street between the West Village and the Meatpacking District may not be family-sized, but it definitely seems that no expense was spared in making this an authentic loft to call home. On the rental market for $7,200 a month ($7,500 furnished with Eames, Platner and an impressive art collection), the fifth-floor (by elevator), one-bedroom condo has a rare level of custom interior design that's understated and over-achieving when it comes to comfort and cool. Add open city views, a washer-dryer and plenty of closet space and you can see why that perfection theme keeps coming up.
View loft perfection from all angles
July 19, 2016

Court Says Work Can Proceed at Barry Diller’s Futuristic Offshore Park

At the end of last month, an appellate court issued an injunction that said work must temporarily stop at Barry Diller's Pier 55 until at least September when opponents of the futuristic offshore park (who claimed it had gone through inadequate environmental impact evaluations) could present their case again. But The Real Deal reports today that work has resumed much sooner than expected, as an appeals court lifted the stop work order yesterday.
Find out more
June 30, 2016

Court Temporarily Stops Construction on Barry Diller’s Futuristic Offshore Park

Last summer, a civic group known as City Club of New York slapped Barry Diller's Pier 55 with a lawsuit, claiming he and the Hudson River Park Trust had failed to thoroughly evaluate the environmental impact of the 2.7-acre offshore park. In April of this year, the Manhattan Supreme Court dismissed the case, and later that same month news broke that construction on the $130 million project would begin this summer after gaining regulatory approval from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. However, DNAinfo reports that today an appellate court issued an injunction that says work must temporarily stop until at least September when the opponents present their case again.
More details ahead
May 26, 2016

Jamestown Will Spend up to $50M to Double Retail Space at Chelsea Market

Back in March, 6sqft got a first look at renderings for Jamestown Properties' 240,000-square-foot addition to Chelsea Market. Known as BLDG 18, the nine-story topper designed by Studios Architecture will sit atop the westernmost building of the complex. In addition, the developer plans to spend $35 to $50 million doubling the size of the retail space. Though there's no new images to accompany the news, Crain's explains that the additional 80,000 square feet of retail will go in the building's now mostly unused lower level. Here, among other renovations, Jamestown will convert a boiler room into a restaurant and add a central corridor similar to the existing one on the ground level.
More details ahead
April 27, 2016

It’s Official! Construction on Barry Diller’s Futuristic Offshore Park to Begin This Summer

Earlier this month, Barry Diller's futuristic offshore park got closer to reality when the Manhattan Supreme Court dismissed a case against the development that claimed it could have a negative environmental impact. And now the $130 million project known as Pier 55 has cleared its final hurdle, gaining regulatory approval from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. According to Crain's, the Hudson River Park Trust revealed today that construction will commence this summer.
More ahead
April 8, 2016

Judge Gives the Go Ahead to Barry Diller’s Pier 55 Offshore Park

Billionaire media mogul (and husband to Diane von Furstenberg) Barry Diller just had a big victory in his road to constructing Pier 55, a $130 million futuristic park off 14th Street in Hudson River Park. As reported by the Post, the Manhattan Supreme Court dismissed a case against the development that claimed it could have a negative environmental impact, wiping out local species such as the American eel and shortnose sturgeon. Justice Joan Lobis, who noted she enjoys biking along the Hudson, said the project did go through the appropriate environmental review process, which found that it "would not cause significant adverse impacts on the aquatic habitat." Though the plaintiffs, the civic group known as the City Club of New York, have vowed to appeal the decision, construction is currently set to begin later this year.
More information ahead
April 6, 2016

Rafael Viñoly’s Meatpacking Building to Include World’s Largest Starbucks, See New Renderings

News broke back in May that a low-rise Rafael Viñoly-designed building was coming to the former site of Prince Lumber at 61 Ninth Avenue in the Meatpacking District. Until now, no design details have emerged for the nine-story office and retail building, but 6sqft has uncovered Viñoly's renderings, which show a stacked cube design with many terraces along its asymmetrical glass facade. The address also made headlines today because its base will hold the largest Starbucks store in the world. The 20,000-square-foot facility known as the Starbucks Reserve Roastery and Tasting Room will be "part of a push to bolster growth with larger locations that offer experiences to customers," reports Crain's.
See more
March 4, 2016

VIDEO: Get a Digital Tour of the Chelsea Market’s New Addition

Annual office rents in the West Chelsea/Meatpacking District area have been topping $90 per square foot with many creative and technology tenants searching for boutique-sized spaces. So it seems like the perfect time for Jamestown Properties to move forward with their piggybacking plan for Chelsea Market. Branding and visualization firm Neoscape put together a cheery film to market the upcoming building's new 240,000 square feet of office space. To be known as BLDG 18, the structure is being designed by Studios Architecture and will rise nine stories atop the westernmost building of the Chelsea Market complex and the High Line. The film shows a private 16th Street entrance for tenants, 40,000-square-foot floor plates, 40-foot-wide column bays, multiple levels of landscaped terraces providing a total of 21,000 square feet of outdoor space, panoramic views, easy access to the High Line, and of course, the block-long Chelsea Market food concourse at ground level.
Watch the video here
January 12, 2016

New Renderings, Shape Shifts for Bjarke Ingels-Designed High Line Towers

New renderings have appeared via YIMBY for 76 Eleventh Avenue, the Bjarke Ingels-designed High Line-adjacent towers first revealed this past November. The planned project, developed by HFZ Capital with the goal of creating a "self contained kind of city," was expected to include a hotel, retail space, and around 300 luxury condos with prices to start at just below $4 million. The most noticeable changes from the earlier renderings, which showed the towers fitting together at an angle, show more space between the buildings, which now appear as more of a pair than two complementary parts of a "jigsaw-like" whole.
See what else has changed
December 23, 2015

Google Officially Signs Lease for 250,000 Square Feet at SuperPier

Just in time for construction to commence in the new year, things are swiftly moving ahead at Pier 57, aka the SuperPier. Last month, 6sqft uncovered a slew of new renderings of the the 450,000-square-foot, $350 million development, which is set to include 250,000 square feet of office space for a major technology company, a 170,000-square-foot food and retail market from Anthony Bourdain, and an elevated park with an outdoor movie and performance amphitheater on the roof to be used for screenings for the Tribeca Film Festival. Google has long been assumed as the office tenant, and according to the Wall Street Journal, it's official, as the company has "signed a 15-year lease with development team Youngwoo & Associates LLC and RXR Realty." Bourdain's food hall is also expected to close soon.
More details this way