Midtown West

There are 2.5 miles of public viewing along the parade route in NYC; this interactive map can help you find a great spot instead of getting lost in the crowd. The map, from the fine folks behind the parade, outlines when the parade will pass by, which streets have the best public views (6th Avenue from West 59th to West 38th Streets gets the thumbs-up) and which ones are restricted, such as Central Park South at Columbus Circle. Also marked are all-important things like coffee, food, and restrooms.
More info, this way

Events & Things To Do

November 14, 2018

NYC’s highest residential outdoor space revealed at Hudson Yards

The first phase of the Hudson Yards megaproject, including the public square and gardens and its centerpiece, Vessel, as well as The Shops & Restaurants at Hudson Yards, anchored by NYC’s first Neiman Marcus store, is preparing to open this spring. Now, Fifteen Hudson Yards has revealed Skytop, the highest outdoor residential space in NYC at 900 feet in the air, and an equally dizzying suite of amenities for residents at the Rockwell Group and Diller Scofidio + Renfro-designed 88-story tower.
Cast your eyes heavenward

Surpassing 1,000-foot mark, SHoP’s skinny supertall shows off incredible Central Park views

Photo by Michael Toolan

November 2, 2018

Surpassing 1,000-foot mark, SHoP’s skinny supertall shows off incredible Central Park views

Without even reaching its final height of 1,428 feet tall, SHoP Architect's Midtown supertall is already boasting amazing views. New photos released this week of 111 West 57th Street, which recently surpassed 1,000 feet high, show off views from the tower's 64th, 72nd, and 73rd floors. Upon completion, the Billionaires' Row tower will become the tallest residential building in the world, taking the title from 1,396-foot 432 Park Avenue, (until 1,500-foot Central Park Tower tops out). With a super slender frame (a ratio of 1:24), 111 West 57th Street is also set to become the skinniest skyscraper in the world.
See the views

After five years, supermodel Adriana Lima sells Midtown West condo at a not-pretty discount

Photo of Adriana Lima via Wikimedia

November 1, 2018

After five years, supermodel Adriana Lima sells Midtown West condo at a not-pretty discount

By Annie Doge

Sure, she sold her former Midtown West condo at nearly 50 percent off, but considering she's Victoria's Secret's longest-running and "most valuable" Angel, we're guessing Adriana Lima will be just fine to take the blow. The Brazilian supermodel bought the three-bedroom apartment at 146 West 57th Street in 2003 for $1,995,000. Six years later, she married NBA player Marko Jarić, and after the couple had two children, they put the 42nd-floor pad on the market for $5.5 million in 2013. But after five years, a 2016 divorce, and four price chops, the pad has finally sold, reports the Post, for the much-discounted price of $3.3 million.
Look around

October 31, 2018

Vornado releases new renderings of $200M Penn Plaza redevelopment

REIT Vornado Realty Trust expects to be starting work on the first phase of renovation at Pennsylvania Plaza before the end of this year according to CEO Steve Roth, The Real Deal reports. The $200 million "megacampus" redevelopment project plan for the 2.5 million-square-foot building at One Penn Plaza–including a double-height lobby–is expected to be completed in two years. In 2016 Vornado released renderings for Two Penn Plaza by starchitect Bjarke Ingels. New renderings were released Wednesday on the company's website.
See more renderings, this way

Architecture And Design

12-ton Norway spruce is headed for Rockefeller Center’s 2018 holiday HQ

The Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree-to-be in its birthplace in Walkill, New York.

October 30, 2018

12-ton Norway spruce is headed for Rockefeller Center’s 2018 holiday HQ

That's right, it's not even Halloween yet, but the 2018 Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree has been selected and is now being groomed for duty as the centerpiece of New York City's treasured holiday tableau. The tree, a 72-foot Norway spruce, born and raised in Walkill, New York, is 45 feet in diameter and weighs about 12 tons. The tree will be lifted by crane onto Rockefeller Plaza on Saturday, November 10. After being wrapped with five miles of LED lights, the enormous evergreen will be crowned with a new Swarovski star designed by architect Daniel Libeskind for the free, public tree-lighting extravaganza happening this year on November 28.
Find out more

October 25, 2018

Why buy when you can pay $125K/month for a $53M condo at One57–the city’s priciest rental

An 80th floor condo unit in West Midtown billionaires' bunker One57 just hit the rental market for $125,000 a month, which Curbed informs us is the priciest rental ask in the city that isn't in a hotel. The apartment at 157 West 57th Street was purchased for an also-eyebrow-raising $53M in 2014 by a buyer using the Pasadena, CA-registered LLC Lapusny, Inc. Given the 6,240-square-foot home's high-floor status, it's no surprise that there are 360 degree views of the Manhattan skyline of Central Park, the Hudson and East Rivers and pretty much to the ends of the Earth.
More views, more drama, this way

Distinctive Homes

Photo via pxhere

October 25, 2018

If living in the theater district is your thing, 28 middle-income apartments are up for grabs

New Yorkers earning 130 percent of the area median income can now apply for 28 middle-income units at the Avalon Midtown West. The 41-story, 440-unit rental is located at the southeast corner of Eighth Avenue and 50th Street, so if living across from the Gershwin Theatre and swarms of "Wicked" fans doesn't sound appealing this may be a pass. The available units range from $2,138/month studios to $2,993/month two-bedrooms. This may not sound immediately "affordable," but market-rate apartments of that size are going for $3,329 and $5,827, meaning you're actually getting close to a 50-percent discount.
Find out if you qualify

Affordable Housing

October 15, 2018

15 Hudson Yards reveals model home with shoppable interiors by Neiman Marcus fashion director

The first phase of the Hudson Yards megaproject, including the public square and gardens and its centerpiece, Vessel, as well as The Shops & Restaurants at Hudson Yards, which will be anchored by NYC's first Neiman Marcus store, is preparing to open this March. Now, Fifteen Hudson Yards has announced that that Neiman Marcus fashion director Ken Downing has designed and styled the interiors for a new model home at the 88-story luxury condominium. Furthering the connection between the upper-crust department store and the development's high-end aspirations is a freshly-launched Neiman Marcus microsite that will allow people to purchase select items in the residence.
Interiors you can buy, this way

As it creates new fashion hub in Midtown, the city still pegs Sunset Park as next garment district

Image via Wally Gobetz/Flickr CC

October 4, 2018

As it creates new fashion hub in Midtown, the city still pegs Sunset Park as next garment district

The city is looking to partner with a nonprofit to buy a building in the Garment District that would become a new hub for fashion businesses. The New York City Economic Development Corporation on Thursday released a request for expressions of interest (RFEI) seeking realtors who want to work with the city to acquire a Midtown property, the Commercial Observer first reported. While the city is looking to preserve Midtown's Garment District, primed for a rezoning, at the same time, it is still luring apparel makers and other manufacturers to Sunset Park in Brooklyn.
Find out more

Policy

Photo Credit: Courtesy L&L Holding Company

September 24, 2018

Plans, new renderings revealed for $2.5B redevelopment of Times Square’s Palace Theatre

A year after renderings were released and three years after the project's approval by the Landmarks Preservation Commission, L&L Holding Company, Maefield Development, and Fortress Investment Group have revealed plans for TSX Broadway at 1568 Broadway, beginning with the demolition–planned for this winter–of the existing 1,700-seat landmarked Palace Theatre, which will be replaced by a 46-story tower with 550,000 square feet of retail and entertainment space. The theater will be elevated 30 feet and secured within the new building and will be completely renovated, after which an entirely new structure containing a 669-key luxury hotel will be built around it.
More renderings this way

Times Square Theater to get a $100M makeover; developer hopes for Apple, Amazon, or Coke

Rendering of the theater post-renovation. Image: Stillman Development International

September 19, 2018

Times Square Theater to get a $100M makeover; developer hopes for Apple, Amazon, or Coke

New York developer Stillman Development International LLC has signed a 73-year-maximum lease on the Times Square Theater on West 42nd Street with plans for a $100 million makeover in keeping with neighbors like Hershey’s Chocolate World and Old Navy, the Wall Street Journal reports. Shuttered for almost 30 years, the theater, which opened on September 30, 1920 with Florence Reed starring in "The Mirage," is seen by some as the last vestige of the neighborhood's descent into late 20th century blight before rising to new heights as a tourist mecca.
A new idea: Retail!

Uncategorized

Cuomo reveals new LIRR entrance and public plaza at Penn Station

Rendering via the Governor’s office

September 6, 2018

Cuomo reveals new LIRR entrance and public plaza at Penn Station

Rendering via the Governor's office At a well-timed press event this morning, Governor Cuomo touted the state's $100 billion building program, the largest in the nation, and said if elected for another term, he'd increase that commitment to $150 billion. Among the many airport redesigns and the subway emergency plan, perhaps no project is more dear to Cuomo's heart than that of Penn Station. And after a tour of the Moynihan Train Hall, on budget and on track to open by the end of 2020, the Governor announced that the dire safety, security, and circulation situation at Penn Station cannot wait two more years. While construction wraps up at the LIRR and Amtrak's future home, the state will build a new LIRR facility in the existing Penn Station. The proposal will double access to the trains with new entrances and an enlarged concourse and will create a permanent public plaza at 33rd Street and 7th Avenue.
All the renderings and details ahead

PHOTOS: Get an up-close look at Moynihan Train Hall’s massive new skylights

Via Governor Cuomo’s office on Flickr

September 6, 2018

PHOTOS: Get an up-close look at Moynihan Train Hall’s massive new skylights

At a construction tour of Moynihan Train Hall this morning, 6sqft had the rare opportunity to get up close and personal with the massive skylights that will crown this new concourse. The transformation of the historic James A. Farley Post Office into a bright, modern transportation hub is on time and on budget for its late 2020 opening, at which time it will increase the footprint of Penn Station by 50 percent, providing a new home for the LIRR and Amtrak. To date, 800 people working every day have logged more than one million hours of labor, and the four, massive skylights are perhaps the most stunning example of their efforts.
See all the views

The West 35th Street/Hudson Blvd entrance under construction. Image via Wiki Commons.

September 4, 2018

The second entrance at 34th Street-Hudson Yards 7 station is finally open

The Manhattan 7 subway extension makes it the only line south of 59th Street to offer service west of Ninth Avenue, providing a long-awaited public transit option–with a station at 34th Street and Eleventh Avenue–for the Jacob Javits Convention Center, the High Line, and Hudson River Park and serving as a selling point for Hudson Yards and the many new developments rising on the far west side. Delays plagued the extension overall, with its opening in September of 2015 happening two years behind its original scheduled date. It was announced at the time that the station's second entrance on 35th Street would take longer to complete. Now, two years later, the second entrance is open.
More ways to hit the west side

Transit

July 31, 2018

1.5M Midtown duplex has every season covered with a roof deck and a wood-burning fireplace

This two-bedroom condominium at The Armory at 520 West 42nd Street may not have its own rooftop bocce court, but it has spring and summer sussed with a large private rooftop terrace for gardening, barbecuing, and entertaining. In colder months, head indoors where a working fireplace awaits, and watch the snow fall through big greenhouse windows. The Hell's Kitchen home is asking $1.499 million.
Get a closer look

Distinctive Homes

July 5, 2018

Live in Al Pacino’s former Central Park South condo for $2.7M

By Annie Doge

Before the stretch became known as Billionaires' Row, Al Pacino called 301 West 57th Street home. The Oscar-winning actor, best known for his roles in "Scarface" and "The Godfather," lived in different units in the building between 1988, when the building was built, and 2013, including a 14-floor corner condo that just hit the market for $2.7 million, reports the Post.
Check it out

July 3, 2018

Billionaires’ Row coalition sues NYC to keep homeless men out of their neighborhood

Image © 6sqft A group of New Yorkers who live near Billionaires' Row, an area with some of the most expensive residences in the world, filed a lawsuit on Monday to block a homeless shelter from opening in the Midtown West neighborhood. The West 58th Street Coalition sued New York City to stop the conversion of the old Park Savoy Hotel at 158 West 58th Street into a homeless shelter for men, a plan announced by Mayor Bill de Blasio in February. The coalition claims the shelter, which would house 140 single men, would have "an enormous impact on our densely populated, narrow, high-pedestrian-traffic street." While describing themselves as a group of "compassionate New Yorkers," the Change.org petition says instead of the city paying $50,000 per person to stay at the Park Savoy, "a homeless man could have his own apartment, living in the neighborhood where he came from." The new shelter sits behind One57, a known for the city’s most expensive residential sale ever: a penthouse that sold for $100 million in 2015.
More here

Policy

June 21, 2018

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

By Michelle Sinclair Colman

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

City unveils plan to keep fashion industry in the Garment District

Photo via via Alexandra Ferguson

June 5, 2018

City unveils plan to keep fashion industry in the Garment District

The city released on Monday a plan to preserve at least 300,000 square feet of production space in the Garment District for the fashion industry by providing tax breaks for owners who lease manufacturing space. While the district, bound by 35th and 40th Streets and Broadway and Ninth Avenue, was once home to hundreds of thousands of fashion jobs, it has lost 85 percent of firms in the last three decades. In addition to the tax incentives, the plan creates a new zoning rule that would help limit the construction of hotels by introducing a special permit. The Garment Center IDA program, backed by City Hall, the city's Economic Development Corporation, Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer and industry leaders, also includes lifting previous protections from a 1987 mandate that preserves millions of square feet of apparel-production space on certain side streets. According to the Wall Street Journal, if the plan is approved by the city council, owners would be allowed to convert buildings to other uses, like offices.
More here

Policy

FREE RENT: This week’s roundup of NYC rental news

Images (L to R): The Rollins, 63 Wall Street, 1 Flatbush Avenue and Sky

June 2, 2018

FREE RENT: This week’s roundup of NYC rental news

By Ondel Hylton

Images (L to R): The Rollins, 63 Wall Street, 1 Flatbush Avenue and Sky The Rollins in Essex Crossing Now 65% Leased: Up to Three Months Free on Remaining Units [link] Luxury Rental 63 Wall Street with Residents-Only Speakeasy, Now Leasing with 1 – 2 Months Free [link] Live at SKY: Coveted 42nd Street Rental […]

Real Estate Trends

May 9, 2018

Three gorgeous Osborne co-ops of the late Hollywood personality Robert Osborne hit the market

The building name might be coincidental, but it's certainly no fluke that the late Robert Osborne's historic apartments at the Osborne co-op are perfectly preserved and decorated impeccably. Best known for his 20+ year run as the host of Turner Classic Movies and as the author of the official history of the Academy Awards, Robert moved into the Midtown West building in 1988 after Carol Burnett mentioned a friend was selling a residence there. He told the Times in 2006, "I was interested that there was a building called the Osborne spelled the same way I spell my name," and so he toured that unit with Bette Davis. This became the first of three homes he'd purchase in the co-op, and as of today, all three of these are on the market--a one-bedroom unit on the third-floor asking $1.25 million, a second-floor one-bedroom asking $725,000, and a much smaller one-bedroom on the first floor asking $575,000.
See both units

Live in Manhattan West’s massive Eugene rental for just $613 month, lottery opens for 103 units

Renderings via The Eugene

May 3, 2018

Live in Manhattan West’s massive Eugene rental for just $613 month, lottery opens for 103 units

Between the adjacent mega-developments Hudson Yards and Manhattan West, the far west side is banking on becoming a city within a city. And if this amenity-rich lifestyle appeals to you, here's a chance to get in on the action for less. Starting tomorrow, the second phase of the affordable housing lottery at Manhattan West's massive rental the Eugene will be open for 103 low- and middle-income apartments, ranging from $613/month studios to $2,519/month two-bedrooms. Designed by Skidmore Owings & Merill (SOM), the 62-story glass tower at 435 West 31st Street offers amenities like a rock climbing wall, "sky lounge," pet spa, and fitness center. These are in addition to Manhattan West's two-acre public park and 240,000 square feet of curated food, retail and other pop-up events
Find out if you qualify

Affordable Housing

Vornado likely to keep Bjarke Ingels’ wave-like canopy design for 2 Penn Plaza overhaul

Rendering via BIG

May 2, 2018

Vornado likely to keep Bjarke Ingels’ wave-like canopy design for 2 Penn Plaza overhaul