Midtown East

Construction halted at 800-foot Sutton Place tower after City Council approves rezoning

The original rendering of 3 Sutton Place by Foster + Partners

December 1, 2017

Construction halted at 800-foot Sutton Place tower after City Council approves rezoning

Gamma Real Estate will stop work on Sutton 58, a proposed 800-foot-tall residential tower at 3 Sutton Place, after the New York City Council voted on Thursday to rezone 10 blocks on the Upper East Side. According to The Real Deal, the rezoning requires properties between 51st and 59th Streets east of First Avenue to follow ‘tower-on-a-base” rules, meaning 45 to 50 percent of the building must be built below 150 feet. This drastically changes the developer's plan for a soaring skyscraper and also caps the height of future buildings.
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Policy

City Planning gives the go ahead for controversial 800-foot Sutton Place tower

The original rendering of 3 Sutton Place by Foster + Partners

November 16, 2017

City Planning gives the go ahead for controversial 800-foot Sutton Place tower

By Devin Gannon

The City Planning Commission approved a resident-proposed plan to curb the development of supertall, skinny towers in Sutton Place on Wednesday, capping the height of future buildings. However, because of a clause inserted by the commission, projects already under construction will be grandfathered into the current zoning rules. This comes as good news for Gamma Real Estate, the developer currently constructing an 800-foot-tall residential tower, now called Sutton 58, at 3 Sutton Place. Gamma needs to finish the foundation planned for their luxury condominium tower before the city votes on the rezoning proposal, to be immune from new height restrictions (h/t Crain's).
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Waldorf Astoria will lose 1,000 hotel rooms in renovation

Photo via Wiki Commons

November 13, 2017

Waldorf Astoria will lose 1,000 hotel rooms in renovation

By Emily Nonko

In the coming weeks, the renovation of the Waldorf Astoria Hotel will finally begin--a three-year process to convert much of the building to luxury condos. Hilton Worldwide Holdings, who had owned the landmark since 1972, agreed in 2014 to sell the 1,413-room hotel to Beijing-based financial and insurance company Anbang Insurance Group for $1.95 billion. Since then, the interior was landmarked, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill was tapped to design the project, and the building closed to begin work. Now the New York Post reports that post reno, the Waldorf will only hold 350 hotel rooms--a number that's "at the low end of recent estimates and much smaller than the number former Waldorf owner Hilton had expected," according to the paper.
It's caused some tension

Photo of Trump Tower via Krystal T’s Flickr

November 10, 2017

Trump Tower prices slide since 2015 presidential campaign

By Michelle Cohen

Sales prices at the tony Midtown condo building at 721 Fifth Avenue have dropped sharply since Donald Trump began his presidential campaign, according to the Wall Street Journal. The median sale price and average price per square foot are down since 2015 and are now reaching the lows experienced during the last financial crisis. Brokers aren't exactly sure whether the "Trump effect" has caused the slump–including issues specific to the tower such as heightened security, protests, and a general antipathy toward all things Trump–or it's part of an overall softening of the luxury condo market.
Is it the Curse of Trump?

Real Estate Trends

Robert A.M. Stern joins fight against Snøhetta’s plan to renovate Philip Johnson’s AT&T Building

Photo of the protest courtesy of Nathan Eddy

November 6, 2017

Robert A.M. Stern joins fight against Snøhetta’s plan to renovate Philip Johnson’s AT&T Building

By Devin Gannon

After Olayan America and Chelsfield revealed plans last week for a $300 million renovation of the building at 550 Madison Avenue, known as the AT&T Building, criticism quickly followed. Members of the architecture community, including New York architect Robert A.M. Stern, rallied together last Friday at the base of the Philip Johnson-designed skyscraper, to protest Snøhetta's proposal to replace the building's base with a scalloped glass front (h/t Dezeen). Protestors held signs that read "Hands off my Johnson," "Save the Stone," and "Save AT&T." Plus, a petition is currently being circulated on Change.org in an attempt to preserve Johnson's iconic AT&T Building by having the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission officially designate it as a city landmark.
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November 1, 2017

One Vanderbilt’s outdoor observation deck may tie for highest in NYC

By Dana Schulz

Nearly a year ago, developer SL Green confirmed that their 1,401-foot supertall One Vanderbilt, set to be the city's second tallest building behind One World Trade Center, would boast a 1,020-foot observation deck, which would have made it the third-highest indoor-outdoor observatory in the city after the forthcoming 1,100-foot deck at 30 Hudson Yards and the 1,050-foot deck at the Empire State Building (One World Observatory is at 1,250 feet, but it’s not outdoors). However, new details and diagrams uncovered by NY Yimby show that it may actually stand at 1,100 feet, tying for the city's highest.
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Snøhetta tapped as lead architect for $300M Sony Building restoration

Rendering of 550 Madison Avenue, via DBOX/ Snøhetta

October 30, 2017

Snøhetta tapped as lead architect for $300M Sony Building restoration

By Devin Gannon

Over the last few years, plans to refurbish the former headquarters of AT&T and Sony Building at 550 Madison Avenue have come and gone, including a proposal to convert the upper floors into luxury condos designed by Robert A.M. Stern. Now, with those plans long abandoned, Olayan America and Chelsfield revealed plans on Monday for a $300 million renovation of the tower, modernizing the lower levels of the building with high-quality amenities and a sprawling 21,000-square-foot public garden. With Snøhetta as lead architect, the renovation will be the first major project in East Midtown since its revitalization plan was approved earlier this year.
See the new design

Architecture And Design

Photo courtesy of the UN

October 24, 2017

The history of the United Nations in NYC

By Devin Gannon

Every year on October 24th, 193 countries celebrate United Nations Day, the international holiday commemorating the anniversary of the ratification of the 1945 UN Charter. Beginning in 1948, the holiday is part of a broader United Nations Week, which runs from October 20th to 26th. While the day is a global holiday, the UN and UN Day continue to be unique to New York City, home to the peacekeeping organization’s headquarters since 1952.
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A previous rendering of 666 Fifth Avenue, courtesy of Kushner Companies/Zaha Hadid Architects

October 16, 2017

Kushner Companies’ plan for extensive renovations at 666 Fifth Avenue rejected by Vornado

By Devin Gannon

Instead of the 41-story Midtown tower becoming an 80-story office building with hotel rooms and luxury housing, 666 Fifth Avenue will now get a much more simple upgrade. According to Bloomberg, Vornado Realty Trust, the project’s partner alongside Kushner Companies, told brokers the property will remain an office building, with“mundane” renovations planned. As one of the most financially troubled developments for Kushner Cos., the Fifth Ave project has been losing money since its purchase was first coordinated by Jared Kushner, currently a senior advisor to President Donald Trump, in 2007.
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Policy

MTA will replace Grand Central Terminal’s old eateries with more ritzy ones

Grand Central Terminal, photo via NYC & Company

October 12, 2017

MTA will replace Grand Central Terminal’s old eateries with more ritzy ones

By Devin Gannon

At Grand Central Terminal, it’s in with the new, out with the old. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority said it will replace stores that have served the busy terminal’s commuters for over two decades--Junior’s, Two Boots Pizza, Grand Harvest Wines--with more upscale shops. As the New York Post reported, new stores include Art Bird & Whiskey Bar, run by Oprah Winfrey’s former personal chef, Art Smith, and Tartinery, an open-face sandwich vendor. The restaurant refashioning process is expected to run through 2018.
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Construction of Norman Foster’s ritzy One Hundred East 53rd Street tower is complete!

One Hundred East 53rd Street, photo via CityRealty

October 5, 2017

Construction of Norman Foster’s ritzy One Hundred East 53rd Street tower is complete!

By Devin Gannon

The Midtown East tower designed by Norman Foster's Foster + Partners is finally finished. As CityRealty reported, the glassy design of One Hundred East 53rd Street takes into account the bronze hues of its historic neighbor, the Seagram Building, with a counter curtain wall. The luxurious residential building continues to be a magnet for celebrities, including couples like George and Amal Clooney and Cindy Crawford and Rande Gerber. The amenities are also of star quality: a wellness center, library lounge, swimming pool and a restaurant from the French chef Joël Robuchon who has earned 34 Michelin stars.
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Beyoncé sells swanky Midtown apartment for $10M

Photo of Beyoncé via Wikimedia

September 28, 2017

Beyoncé sells swanky Midtown apartment for $10M

By Annie Doge

It’s been a busy summer for superstar couple Beyoncé and Jay-Z. The twosome recently purchased an LA estate for $88 million in August and shortly after they bought a home on East Hampton’s Georgica Pond for nearly $26 million. Adding to their real estate hustle, Beyoncé just sold her apartment at 151 East 58th in Midtown East for $9.95 million, as the New York Post reported. The 44th-floor pad is located at One Beacon Court, the exclusive Manhattan skyscraper with a Pantheon-inspired elliptical court. Beyoncé’s former pad features three bedrooms, floor-to-ceiling windows and sweeping views of Central Park.
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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

By Devin Gannon

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.
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A rendering of 666 Fifth Avenue, courtesy of Kushner Companies/Zaha Hadid Architects

September 14, 2017

Problems at 666 Fifth Avenue tower linked to Jared Kushner’s White House role

By Devin Gannon

In 2007, Kushner Companies purchased a 41-story tower in Midtown for $1.8 billion, which was the most expensive real estate deal ever in the U.S. at the time. The transaction of 666 Fifth Avenue, coordinated by Jared Kushner, now a senior advisor to President Donald Trump, was ill-timed, making the purchase just before the economic recession. As the Washington Post reported, the Fifth Avenue project is one of the most financially troubled for Kushner Cos., with one-fourth of office space empty, and its lease revenue not covering monthly interest payments. While Kushner has divested his stake in the property to avoid conflicts of interest, the property's value has dropped and foreign entities have withdrawn financial support. Currently, Kushner’s dealings are under investigation by special counsel Robert Mueller, as part of the broader investigation into Russian collusion with the Trump campaign.
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September 8, 2017

Shoe guru Steve Madden steps into a $12.2M Billionaires’ Row condo

By Dana Schulz

Shoe brand honcho Steve Madden put his best foot forward and stepped into an impressive spread at 252 East 57th Street. The Journal reports that the company's founder and former CEO dropped $12.2 million on a five-bedroom condo at the 65-story Billionaires' Row tower designed by designed by Skidmore Owings & Merrill. Not only does his new home have a 38-foot-long living/dining area, balcony, and all the swanky fixtures and finishing one could hope for, but its 61st-floor location affords it incredible north, east, and west exposures with skyline, Central Park, and East River views.
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City Council unanimously approves Midtown East rezoning plan

Conceptual image depicting all of the proposed sites of the East Midtown rezoning fully built out, via CityRealty

August 10, 2017

City Council unanimously approves Midtown East rezoning plan

By Devin Gannon

After five years, the City Council approved a rezoning for Manhattan’s Midtown East on Wednesday, by a 42-0 vote. The proposal will rezone roughly 78 blocks, running from East 39th Street to East 57th Street and from Third Avenue to Madison Avenue, clearing the way for 6.5 million square feet of office space in the area. A new updated zoning code is expected to incentivize new, dense development, allowing Midtown to compete with other booming business districts in the borough like Hudson Yards and the Financial District. As the New York Times reported, this change which lets developers build to a higher floor area ratio could result in new supertall towers.
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Policy

August 8, 2017

Elizabeth Arden’s former Sutton Place townhouse hits the market for $16M

By Devin Gannon

A single-family townhouse in affluent Sutton Place has hit the market for $16 million. The home, located at 4 Sutton Square, was built in 1921 for Henry Sprague, the inventor of the Sprague gas meter. Beauty entrepreneur Florence M. Lewis, better known professionally as Elizabeth Arden, and Michael Jeffries, president of Abercrombie & Fitch, have also called the exclusive, five-story pad home. Last year, the 4,000-square-foot, four bedroom home was on the market for $19.95 million.
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August 1, 2017

Clive Davis chops the price of his ritzy Midtown duplex to $6.996M

By Annie Doge

Back in 2015, five-time Grammy Award-winning producer and Sony Music Entertainment's chief creative officer Clive Davis bought two units at 465 Park Avenue for $3.4 million, combining them to create a contemporary, art-filled duplex for an unknown family member. However, just a year later, "things changed" for this relative, and he listed the pad for $7.8 million. Despite the super-swanky design and ritzy decor, he's had a hard time unloading the home, and Mansion Global now reports that he's chopped the price by 10 percent to $6,995,000.
Take the tour

July 14, 2017

Rosie O’Donnell drops $8M on a swanky Midtown East penthouse

By Annie Doge

Nearly two years after selling her chic Greenwich Village penthouse, Rosie O'Donnell finally has a new NYC home (she spends the majority of her time at her other house in Nyack). According to city records, Rosie dropped $8 million on a triplex penthouse at Midtown East's 255 East 49th Street. The uber-modern residence is a sprawling 3,563 square feet and has swanky features like a black granite fireplace in the living room, a huge glass walled television in the master bathroom, a sculptural Guggenheim-inspired staircase, an indoor two-person Swedish sauna, and a giant rooftop terrace with views of the Empire and Chrysler Buildings and the East River.
Take a look around

July 6, 2017

Grand Central will temporarily restore intercity rail service for the first time in 26 years

By Devin Gannon

Ahead of repair work set to begin at Penn Station next week, Amtrak said it will reroute some trains each weekday to Grand Central Terminal. For the first time since 1991, passengers will use the iconic Beaux-Arts terminal to reach destinations along the Hudson River Valley, like Rhinecliff, Hudson and Albany. As the New York Times reported, Amtrak will reroute six of their Empire Service trains to Grand Central instead of Penn Station from July 10 to Sept. 1.
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Transit

Locals employ new zoning strategy to keep skyscrapers from rising in Midtown East

New rendering of the entrance to 430 East 58th Street, also known as Sutton 58. Photo: Thomas Juul-Hansen

July 6, 2017

Locals employ new zoning strategy to keep skyscrapers from rising in Midtown East

By Michelle Cohen

In what they're calling an "unprecedented citizens' application," the East River 50s Alliance, a Sutton Place/Midtown community group, has mounted a renewed campaign to oppose an 800-foot tall condo tower that's rising at 430 East 58th Street, the Wall Street Journal reports. As 6sqft previously reported, the developers of the new tower, Gamma Real Estate, closed on the $86 million site earlier this year in a bankruptcy sale and hired Danish-born architect Thomas Juul-Hansen to design the new skyscraper. The group has filed an application for a zoning change that calls for a ban on tall towers in a 10-square-block area; developers regularly file for zoning changes that cover only the property they're looking to build on.
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New Developments

The history behind 42nd Street’s lost Airlines Terminal Building

A vintage postcard of the Airlines Terminal Building, via drivingfordeco.com

June 23, 2017

The history behind 42nd Street’s lost Airlines Terminal Building

By Devin Gannon

For more than 30 years, the Art Deco-style Airlines Terminal Building served millions of travelers as a spot where flight tickets servicing New York could be purchased and where passengers could board shuttle buses to take them to the various airports. The building, located on the southwest corner of Park Avenue and 42nd Street, sat on the former site of the Hotel Belmont, which was built in 1906 and later demolished in 1930. Construction of the Airlines Terminal began in 1939 to create the chic, futuristic design, which included a steel frame and a crown flanked by two eagles.
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History

June 23, 2017

PHOTOS: First steel column installed at 1401-foot One Vanderbilt, NYC’s second-tallest skyscraper

By Devin Gannon

With the installation of its first steel column, One Vanderbilt, soon to be New York City’s second-tallest skyscraper, officially began vertical construction on Friday. Banker Steel Company provided the 26,000 tons of domestically milled and fabricated structural steel for development, which included the first 20-ton column installed. According to the team, the construction of One Vanderbilt is three weeks ahead of schedule. SL Green Realty and AECOM Tishman say the supertall skyscraper will add to the modernization of East Midtown’s business district, as the office building will boast column-free floors, floor-to-ceiling windows, and 360-degree views.
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My 408sqft: A Tudor City historian lives maximally in a micro-studio using furniture on wheels

6sqft’s ongoing series “My sqft” checks out the homes of New Yorkers across all the boroughs. Our latest interior adventure brings us to the Tudor City studio of Brian Thompson. Want to see your home featured here? Get in touch!

June 19, 2017

My 408sqft: A Tudor City historian lives maximally in a micro-studio using furniture on wheels

By Diane Pham

We've seen many solutions for tiny living employed here at 6sqft, from transforming furniture to elaborate built-ins to adding color and patterns to trick the eye, but as far as living minimally has gone, we're not sure if we've seen a home opt for such a straightforward—but artful—setup. Located in the quaint and picturesque neighborhood of Tudor City is the 408-square-foot apartment of historian, activist, and real estate broker Brian Thompson. Rather than outfitting his apartment with built-in seating or complex hidden furniture (though he does have a Murphy bed), Brian has opted for an ultra-minimal setup that includes just three pieces of furniture: a couch, a bookshelf, and a desk—all of which can be arranged into an infinite number of livable layouts with just a simple push or a pull.
See more inside Brian's incredible tiny home

June 9, 2017

Dramatic Sutton deco duplex that belonged to Sen. Jacob Javits asks $5.2M

By Michelle Cohen

New York City's classic pre-war co-ops are in an elegant class by themselves, with beamed high ceilings, big casement windows, entry halls and galleries, maid's rooms and gracious spaces in general. The more interesting among them tend to be those in which the customized luxury of their longtime residents has been preserved. Such is case with this spacious duplex at 322 East 57th Street in Sutton Place (where you'll find a lot of preserved customized luxury). The listing describes the three-bedroom deco-era co-op, listed for $5.195 million, as "exquisite, dramatic and unique." Designed in 1933 by renowned architect Joseph Urban, the 3,300 square-foot apartment was for 40 years the home of the late Senator Jacob Javits and his wife, Marian, who died earlier this year. And while it's likely that there are many updates to be made, there are also many surprising details that have returned with today's trends.
Check out the glass cube

City Planning Commission officially approves Midtown East Rezoning

Conceptual image depicting all of the proposed sites of the East Midtown rezoning fully built out, via CityRealty

June 7, 2017

City Planning Commission officially approves Midtown East Rezoning

By Devin Gannon

The City Planning Commission unanimously approved the long-awaited rezoning plan for Midtown East on Wednesday, which will rezone 78 blocks in hopes of modernizing the neighborhood. The plan, which was released last August, follows Mayor Bloomberg’s failed attempt to rezone the area in 2013. According to the Real Deal, the proposal would create 6.5 million square feet of new office space over the next twenty years. This would potentially encourage taller and more modern office towers, attracting more commercial and corporate tenants.
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Policy

Midtown’s tiny Greenacre Park fights for light among sky-high skyscrapers

Terry Tynes via flickr (CC)

May 23, 2017

Midtown’s tiny Greenacre Park fights for light among sky-high skyscrapers

By Devin Gannon

As a small oasis in the center of Manhattan, Greenacre Park is home to honey locust trees, azaleas, pansies and a 25-foot-high waterfall, all taking up just 6,360 square feet of space. However, the city’s plan to rezone Midtown East to allow for more commercial buildings worries some advocates who say it may deplete Greenacre Park from any sunlight, as the Times reported. But the Municipal Art Society, New Yorkers for Parks, Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer and Councilmember Daniel Garodnick, are backing a campaign called "Fight For Light" to protect the park's right to sunlight.
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Policy

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