Midtown East

July 11, 2014

NYC Events 7/11: Art Battle in Staten Island; Tour the Woolworth Building

This week, we've got a well-rounded roster of events for you, spanning from sticker art to rare architecture to dance and film. Pay a visit to one of our fair city's oft forgotten boroughs and sail the high seas on over to Staten Island for Saturday's take over, which will transform Artist Alley into a festival of live art making, drinks, and music. Next week, break out the picnic blanket and catch a free summer flick in Midtown's best park, or wake yourself up with not only a coffee and fresh juice, but a raging (pre-work) dance party. Treat your architectural side to a private tour of very private sites—the newly renovated United Nations chambers or the closed-to-the-public lobby of the Woolworth building—and then finish the week off by satiating your inner modern art nerd with the contemporary abstractions of Carly Ivan Garcia.
All the best events here
June 30, 2014

Seamless Fusion of Units Makes $3.8M Sutton Place Gem Largest Apartment Ever Offered at Plaza 400

Let’s just cut to the chase. Someone, somewhere along the way, had the brilliant idea (and a bank account to match) to combine three adjacent apartments at Plaza 400 into this sprawling 2,800-square-foot home. So if city living with suburban-sized rooms is on your bucket list and you've got $3.8 million to spare, look no further than this 5BR/4BA apartment located at 400 East 56th Street.
See the end result
June 23, 2014

Temporary Treasures: Frank Lloyd Wright’s Demolished New York Buildings

Frank Lloyd Wright is one of architecture's most important figures, and you can see his work in five countries and 37 of 50 states. But when it comes to New York City, there is only one major Wright construction to be found: The Guggenheim. There is also a pre-fab house in Staten Island and one in Blauvelt just north of the city, but what other work did he do in the five boroughs? It turns out that Wright designed two other major projects in NYC, but both have been demolished. Here's a look at these lost works by the great architect.
See the historic Frank Lloyd Wright works here
June 13, 2014

GLUCK+’s Showstopping Facade on This Midtown Townhouse Hides a Space-Efficient Home

There's no doubt that the aluminium facade of this Midtown townhouse is a showstopper. Set between two traditional red brick homes on East 51st Street, the building's shiny, punctuated front is sure to get every passersby's attention. But it wasn't designed just to become talk of the town — it's also meant to give the owners some much-needed privacy.
The interiors are just as unique
June 11, 2014

Silvershore Investors Attempt a Flip for the Record Books on a Sutton Place Townhouse

Last month, Jason Silverstein and David Shorenstein of Silvershore Properties along with investor Norman P. Rappaport purchased a $7.8 million Sutton Place townhouse. And just like that, they’re flipping it with an asking price of… wait for it… $19.95 million. We’re not sure what rabbit Brown Harris Stevens listing agent Paula Del Nunzio plans to pull out of the hat but achieving a flip that big would be nothing short of spectacular. However, according to her webpage, she already has a few record-breaking sales under her belt.
More photos of the townhouse here
June 10, 2014

Philip Johnson-Designed Sony Building to Get 96 Luxury Condos by Chetrit Group

The Philip Johnson-designed Sony Tower at 550 Madison Avenue, one of the most notable postmodern office towers in New York City, is set to be partially converted to high-end condos, as states planes filed by developer Chetrit Group.  It's not known which of the building's 37 floors the residential units will occupy, but Chetrit, led by Joseph Chetrit, has said in the past that it will convert the upper floors and either keep the lower floors as offices or turn them into a luxury hotel. Construction likely won't begin for at least one to two years since Sony still leases office space.  When the developer purchased the building from Sony in 2013 for $1.1 billion at auction, Sony committed to remaining in the offices for around three years until moving to a new space near Madison Square.  Chetrit outbid 21 rivals and paid $685 million more for the building than Sony did in 2002.
Find out more about the development here
May 30, 2014

One Vanderbilt: New 65-Story Tower Near Grand Central to Stand Taller Than the Chrysler Building

It looks like the Chrysler Building is about to get a new neighbor. According to the New York Times, SL Green has reportedly proposed the development of a 1,200-foot, 65-story tower that would occupy the block between 42nd and 43rd Streets, and Vanderbilt and Madison Avenues. This proposal will have to undergo a review process as part of a new de Blasio administration plan to rezone an area of Vanderbilt Avenue for larger buildings. De Blasio’s proposal is a 2.0 version of a failed bid by Michael Bloomberg that would rezone an area around Grand Central Terminal. Bloomberg’s proposal – which would affect a 73-block area around the terminal - concerned officials and preservationists, who were concerned that the plan would add to the congestion in the area. Fulfilling one of his campaign promises, de Blasio has devised a plan to mitigate those issues as well as keep the city competitive for decades to come, by creating more office space in the prime business location.
Learn more about the iconic tower's new neighbor
May 9, 2014

Rockefeller University Takes Next Step Towards New Research and Conference Space Above FDR Drive

The City Council’s Committee on Land Use gave approval to Rockefeller University’s plan to construct two new buildings over the Franklin D. Roosevelt Drive on Manhattan’s east side. In exchange, the school, which controls air rights over the 4-block stretch starting at East 64th, has agreed to invest $8 million to develop and maintain a portion of the East River Esplanade.
More on the development here
May 8, 2014

Why Was Norman Foster’s Design for the New York Public Library’s Flagship Building Dropped?

Though the famous marble lions that stand guard over the iconic Beaux-Arts building at Fifth Avenue and 42nd Street aren’t talking, the patience and fortitude of scholars and professors all over the tri-state area may have played some role in the shelving of a $300 million renovation plan for the New York Public Library’s flagship location. In the midst of three lawsuits and regular protests on the library steps, the library reversed course on revamping the midtown Manhattan building (which celebrated its 100 year anniversary in 2011) and moving 1.5 million books to New Jersey, a move that brought a sigh of relief to researchers worried about delays in gaining access to essential publications.
What shelved this $300 million renovation?
May 5, 2014

Wake Up to Stunning 180 Degree Views of the City That Never Sleeps

One look and you may never want to leave this exquisite sun-drenched and spacious home, part of The Residences, a gorgeous new Gwathmey Siegel designed masterpiece developed by Bizzi & Partners. Sitting 60 stories above one of the most desired streets in Manhattan, this 2BR/2.5 bath residence at 400 Fifth Avenue bestows breathtaking panoramic views from just about every room. Every detail, from the hardwood black oak flooring throughout to the ample closet space, ensures no matter where you are in this gracious home, life is better simply by being there. In fact, the residences at 500 Fifth are so beautiful the building even has its own coffee table book, 500 Fifth Avenue: A New Gwathmey Siegel Landmark, coming out this fall!
Take a peek inside this gorgeous residence
May 1, 2014

NYC Condos Designed by Pritzker Prize Winners

The Pritzker Architecture Prize is architecture’s most acclaimed honor. Since 1979, the award has been given away annually to honor one living architect whose built work demonstrates consistent and significant contributions to humanity and the built environment. New York City is home to structures built by 12 of the 36 past winners — ranging from Philip Johnson to I.M. Pei to this year's winner, Shigeru Ban — and currently holds 14 residential examples of their work. One other fascinating tidbit is that condos designed by Pritzker Prize winning architects are selling on average a whopping 44% higher (price/square foot) than those their respective neighborhoods, and 47.5% higher than the Manhattan market average. But are they worth the money? Learn more about them all ahead.
Are these Pritzker Laureate-designed condos worth their markup?
April 24, 2014

Mary-Kate Olsen and Olivier Sarkozy Scoop Up Painter David Deutsch’s Turtle Bay Townhome for $13.5 Million

After nearly nine months on the market, painter David Deutsch's Turtle Bay Gardens townhouse has been sold. Property records filed today show that Mary-Kate Olsen and her beau, Olivier Sarkozy, are the lucky buyers to scoop up Deutsch's beauty, paying $13.5 million for the home located at 226-228 East 49th Street. Deutsch's offer came in $3 million short of his $16.5 million ask, but it's worth mentioning that he bought the townhouse for just $2.45 million in 1997.
See more photos here