Midtown

The Urban Lens: Harlan Erskine explores an eerie Midtown after midnight in 2008
December 9, 2016

The Urban Lens: Harlan Erskine explores an eerie Midtown after midnight in 2008

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6sqft’s ongoing series The Urban Lens invites photographers to share work exploring a theme or a place within New York City. In this installment Brooklyn resident Harlan Erskine highlights the Midtown lobbies and streets past midnight, during the Great Recession. Are you a photographer who’d like to see your work featured on The Urban Lens? Get in touch with us at [email protected]. Though Midtown is now booming with larger-than-life skyscrapers and blockbuster condos along the likes of Billionaires' Row, 9 years ago at the peak of the Great Recession, it was a much different story. In 2008, Brooklyn photographer Harlan Erskine took to the city after dark and documented the ghost town that was Midtown. While New Yorkers are today used to seeing bustling crowds spilling into the streets at all hours, Harlan's photographs depict the polar opposite: empty office lobbies, streets and sidewalks.
photos this way
Congress will only cover $7M of NYC’s $35M Trump security bill
December 7, 2016

Congress will only cover $7M of NYC’s $35M Trump security bill

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Just two days after Mayor de Blasio formally requested $35 million in federal funding to cover security at Trump Tower for the 73 days from the November 8th election to inauguration day on January 20th, republicans in Congress decided to earmark a mere $7 million towards protecting the President Elect while he's in the Big Apple. Of the pending decision, the Mayor said, "NYC taxpayers shouldn’t be on the hook for 80 percent of the national bill to protect Trump Tower. DC must step up to pay us back what we’re owed," reports the Post.
The full scoop
De Blasio asks feds for $35M to cover 73 days of Trump Tower security
December 5, 2016

De Blasio asks feds for $35M to cover 73 days of Trump Tower security

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White House North, Dump Tower--call it what you will, but Trump Tower has been causing a major headache for the city ever since the President Elect announced that he hopes to spend weekends in his penthouse at the Midtown tower and that wife Melania and son Barron will continue to reside there during his presidency. Initial estimates put the cost of protecting the building at $1 million a day, but after City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito and Council Member Dan Garodnick launched a petition last week demanding that the federal government cover these costs, Mayor de Blasio has officially asked for a total of "$35 million to cover the 73 days stretching from the election on Nov. 8 to Jan. 20, inauguration day," reports the Post, a lesser amount of roughly $480,000 a day.
More details ahead
Officials launch petition to have federal government pay for Trump Tower security, not New Yorkers
December 2, 2016

Officials launch petition to have federal government pay for Trump Tower security, not New Yorkers

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City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito and Council Member Dan Garodnick won't have New York City shafted with the bill for “White House North.” The pair have launched a petition demanding that the federal government pony up whatever cash is needed to keep Trump Tower secure during the president-elect's term of office. As 6sqft previously reported, Trump hopes to spend weekends and even some weeknights at the Midtown tower over the next four years, particularly as wife Melania will stay put until son Barron finishes school—and more simply because Trump likes waking up in his own bed. It has been estimated that turning Trump Tower into a 24/7 armed fortress will cost New York City taxpayers $1 million a day, and the total bill over the president-elect's four-year term could swell beyond $1 billion.
more details here

Image timothygo_

November 21, 2016

Fifth Avenue shutdown won’t happen even though Trump’s family will stay put

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Between swarms of protestors outside the building and Donald Trump's claims that he'll spend weekends at his penthouse, the NYPD has spent the last week mulling a shutdown of Fifth Avenue in and around Trump Tower. And even though Melania and ten-year-old Barron will remain in the 24-karat gold-covered triplex instead of moving to the White House, Mayor de Blasio announced that the stretch of the Avenue in front of the building will remain open to vehicular traffic, adding that, "We have never had a situation where the president of the United States would be here on such a regular basis. But the N.Y.P.D. is up to the challenge, and the City of New York is up to the challenge."
And it's quite the challenge
NYPL reveals first image for its $200M Mid-Manhattan Library renovation

Image: Mecanoo with Beyer Blinder Belle

November 17, 2016

NYPL reveals first image for its $200M Mid-Manhattan Library renovation

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Hot on the heels of wrapping a major renovation and hosting an epic reopening for the Rose Reading Room at their flagship Stephen A. Schwarzman Building, the NYPL is now moving forward with another mammoth revamp on its Mid-Manhattan Library. Last September, the library revealed that Dutch architecture firm Mecanoo had been tasked with the $300 million overhaul of both the flagship and the Mid-Manhattan branch at Fifth Avenue and 40th Street. And now, the NYPL is offering us our first look at the latter, a project they are calling a "state-of-the-art library that will serve as both a model and catalyst for a rejuvenated library system."
all the details here
VIDEO: Go inside Donald Trump’s personal office in Trump Tower
November 16, 2016

VIDEO: Go inside Donald Trump’s personal office in Trump Tower

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Donald Trump has already made it clear that he hopes to ditch convention and spend weekends in his Trump Tower penthouse during his presidency (despite the unprecedented traffic snarls and security issues it'll cause). In addition to sleeping in his own bed, this will allow him to work out of his personal office. The 26th floor space is covered in awards, sports memorabilia, family photos, and an unsurprisingly narcissistic collection of magazines with yours truly on the cover. Business Insider uncovered two videos from last year--one from the Washington Post, one from the Wall Street Journal--where Trump provided tours of the office, and it looks like our next president may be working on international politics with one of Shaquille O'Neal's sneakers sitting next to him.
Watch both videos here

Image timothygo_

November 15, 2016

Officials contemplate 5th Avenue shutdown whenever Donald Trump is in town

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If you thought it was inconvenient whenever President Obama came to town, under a Trump presidency, things are going to get much worse. The Daily News reports that law enforcement officials are mulling a shutdown of 5th Avenue whenever the president-elect decides to stay in his penthouse in Trump Tower. As many know, the area is one of the busiest commercial hubs in the Manhattan, a mix of mid- and high-end retailers, paying top rents and pulling in millions of tourists annually. Moreover, it is also home to thousands of New Yorkers, a handful of which who live in Trump Tower and are already fed up with the disturbances that have emerged as of late. Immediately after the 2016 election results were announced, Trump Tower was swarmed by protestors—and guards wielding heavy ammunition.
what this could mean here
Trump hopes to spend weekends in NYC at Trump Tower during presidency

Interior image Refinery29

November 14, 2016

Trump hopes to spend weekends in NYC at Trump Tower during presidency

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It appears that Donald Trump missed the memo that being President is a round-the-clock job, not a 9-5 gig. As the Times reports, the president-elect has been asking aides how many nights he'll have to pass in D.C., and whether or not he'll be able to stay in his 5th Avenue penthouse on weekends. "He has told them he would like to do what he is used to, which is spending time in New York when he can," writes the paper. During the campaign, Trump would often forgo local hotels, opting instead to fly to NYC late at night just so he could sleep in his own bed.
find out more here
This $675K prewar studio is right across from the Museum of Modern Art
November 11, 2016

This $675K prewar studio is right across from the Museum of Modern Art

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This 650-square-foot pad is nestled inside a six-story, Beaux Arts brick and limestone townhouse located just across the street from the Museum of Modern Art. Located at 35 West 54th Street, in Midtown West, this is a former one-bedroom apartment renovated into a spacious, open studio by its owner architect. The reno retained some of the classic Beaux Arts details while giving the interior a modern look.
Take a peek
432 Park Avenue will become a beacon of light beginning Monday
November 11, 2016

432 Park Avenue will become a beacon of light beginning Monday

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Just in case you had trouble spotting the Western Hemisphere's tallest residential tower, beginning Monday, 432 Park Avenue will debut a brand new lighting feature that will turn the 1,396-foot supertall into a glowing beacon. As LLNYC reports, 32 LEDs will fill the tower's five open-air "drum floors" where the building's mechanicals are situated. 432 Park's starchitect, Rafael Viñoly, worked with HDLC Architectural Lighting Design to develop the scheme.
more details here
Trump Tower residents are sick of protestors; problem unlikely to improve

Photo via Kristal T/Flickr

November 11, 2016

Trump Tower residents are sick of protestors; problem unlikely to improve

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Since Donald Trump announced his run for office, Trump Tower, where the President-elect both lives and keeps his political headquarters, has been a hotspot for protestors. While in the past few months, inconveniences haven't escalated far beyond anti-Trumpers stopping by to give the building the finger, after the 2016 election results were announced, it's become veritable zoo outside the 5th Avenue tower as thousands have convened to denounce (and to be sure, support) a Trump presidency. The situation has become a major disruption for residents of the luxury skyscraper who are now annoyed with the crowds. As The Post so fittingly writes, "It’s not so easy being a member of the 1 percent if you live at Trump Tower."
more on the complaints here
Even more pricey condos are coming to Billionaires’ Row
November 8, 2016

Even more pricey condos are coming to Billionaires’ Row

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Back in September, there were murmurs that the Feil Organization had plans to convert a 57th Street office building into residences. As it turns out, Billionaires' Row will indeed soon find itself with another 34 high-end condos in tow. As Yimby first reports, plans were filed last week to convert a 14-story, 1907 commercial tower at 140 West 57th Street into a mixed-use property that would keep an existing grocery story at its base, but transform the building's upper 12 floors into 70,885 square feet of upscale living space.
more details here
‘Scarface’ producer Martin Bregman cuts price of ornate Park Avenue pad by $2M
November 3, 2016

‘Scarface’ producer Martin Bregman cuts price of ornate Park Avenue pad by $2M

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Producer Martin Bregman--most famous for his work on "Scarface," but also for "Dog Day Afternoon," "Serpico," and "Carlito’s Way,"--first listed his lavish, European-style Midtown East apartment a year ago, asking $8.9 million. The co-op at 417 Park Avenue has since gotten a price chop to $7.9 million in January and back up to an ambitious $9.9 million in August, and the Post now reports that it's back down to $7.9 million, as well as an $18,000/month rental. The flip-flopping residence is located in a stately, Emory Roth-designed co-op at 55th Street and features posh details like ornately carved fireplace mantles, a wood-paneled library with a built-in wet bar and hidden movie projection screen, and a television that comes down from the master bedroom ceiling.
Check out the whole place
Tommy Hilfiger chops more than $20M off lavish Plaza penthouse
November 2, 2016

Tommy Hilfiger chops more than $20M off lavish Plaza penthouse

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All-American fashion designer Tommy Hilfiger bought three separate condos in the Plaza in 2008 for a combined $25 million. He and his wife Dee Ocleppo then embarked on a very internationally influenced, $20 million renovation that combined the units into one opulent, 5,600-square-foot duplex, complete with marble-clad rooms, vintage limestone fireplaces from England, and a domed room inside one of the building's iconic turrets that features a custom-designed "Eloise" mural by the books' illustrator Hilary Knight. The couple listed the apartment in 2013 for $80 million, but despite its lavish interiors, it's been on and off the market since then, its price dropping to $75 million in March 2015 and to $69 million a few months ago. The Wall Street Journal now reports that it's reappeared with even sharper discount, dropping 26 percent to $58.9 million.
Take a tour of the incredible home
Daredevil climber scales Robert A.M. Stern’s 220 Central Park South to capture these insane shots
November 2, 2016

Daredevil climber scales Robert A.M. Stern’s 220 Central Park South to capture these insane shots

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Robert A.M. Stern's 220 Central Park South will eventually rise 950 feet amongst the supertall and super-luxury towers of Billionaires' Row. As of August, the 66-story tower had risen 600 feet, and now that it's nearing the homestretch, urban explorer and photographer Viktor Thomas decided it was time to get past the construction zone and scale the limestone skyscraper. First shared by Untapped, he posted this vertigo-inducing set of photos on his Instagram account @vic.invades that show the truly insane views from the tower.
See all the photos right here
René Lalique’s windows saved this Fifth Avenue building from destruction in the 1980s
October 31, 2016

René Lalique’s windows saved this Fifth Avenue building from destruction in the 1980s

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In 1984, a series of grime-covered windows at 714 Fifth Avenue caught the attention of an architectural historian by the name of Andrew Dolkart. Seemingly innocuous, and almost industrial in aesthetic—at least from afar—the glass panes would later become the foundation for a preservation victory.
more this way
20 years ago, the city told Donald Trump he couldn’t put his name on the Columbus Circle globe
October 27, 2016

20 years ago, the city told Donald Trump he couldn’t put his name on the Columbus Circle globe

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These days, New Yorkers are going to great lengths to get Trump's name off their buildings, and even his company itself has personally shed his moniker from their hotel brand amid declining bookings. But back in the '80s and '90s, the Donald would freely slap his name on just about anything he wanted. That is until 1996, when the Giuliani administration (sense the irony here?) denied his request to brand the giant globe outside the Trump International Hotel & Tower. The Times recently got its hands on a 20-year-old City Planning Department memorandum that outlines how the agency deemed any lettering on the sculpture illegal.
Get the full story
POLL: Is Fifth Avenue losing its luster amid soaring rents and empty storefronts?
October 26, 2016

POLL: Is Fifth Avenue losing its luster amid soaring rents and empty storefronts?

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Fifth Avenue is known around the world as the high-end shopping address, but rising rents are leading to an increase in vacant space along the retail corridor. According to data from Cushman & Wakefield reported by Crain's, the availability rate spiked to 15.9 percent in the third quarter of this year, up 10 percent from the same time last year. On the stretch that has the world's highest rents, from 49th to 60th streets, retail space is listed at an average of $3,213 per square foot, up from $2,075 in 2011. To put this in perspective, current rents in Times Square are $2,104 per square foot after tripling over the past four years.
Do you think Fifth Avenue can get over the hump?
Diego Rivera’s psychedelic Rockefeller Center mural was destroyed before it was finished, 1934
October 17, 2016

Diego Rivera’s psychedelic Rockefeller Center mural was destroyed before it was finished, 1934

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In 1932, Mexican artist Diego Rivera was commissioned by Nelson Rockefeller to add a mural to the soaring lobby of Rockefeller Center. Despite being known for his petulant temper and loyalty to Communism, Rivera was still one of the most highly sought after artists of his time, lauded for his creative genius and his detailed paintings. But politics, artistic vision, power and wealth collided in 1934 when a displeased Rockefeller had the very mural he commissioned from Rivera chiseled off the wall the night before it was to be completed.
read about the mysterious mural here
The flagship New York Public Library shelves books by size, not subject matter

Image by timetrax23

October 14, 2016

The flagship New York Public Library shelves books by size, not subject matter

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With over four million research books in their possession, finding a place for each and every title has been an ongoing challenge for the New York Public Library (NYPL). First starchitect Norman Foster was brought in to help remedy the issue, but his plans for expansion were dropped when researchers realized a redesign would mean moving 1.5 million books to Jersey for an undefined amount of time; and more recently, the library unveiled a brand new $23M storage facility below Bryant Park, complete with a $2.3M "Book Train" able to zip miles of volumes across the library's 11 floors. But even with this new facility, space remains a challenge. So in hopes of increasing capacity, the NYPL has decided to abandon the Dewey Decimal System for a more space-friendly cataloging system. Yes, when it comes to sorting, subject is no longer of interest—rather, it's size that matters.
find out more here
Rande Gerber and Cindy Crawford to be George Clooney’s neighbor at Norman Foster’s Midtown tower
October 12, 2016

Rande Gerber and Cindy Crawford to be George Clooney’s neighbor at Norman Foster’s Midtown tower

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Rande Gerber and wife Cindy Crawford have purchased the apartment just upstairs from George and Amal Clooney's at the Norman Foster-designed One Hundred East Fifty Third Street, according to Page Six. As 6sqft recently reported, the Clooneys just scooped up a high-floor (though not the $65 million penthouse they reportedly viewed) apartment at the glassy tower. Longtime pals Clooney and Gerber recently sold their matched pair of adjoining Mexican villas, christened Casamigos–the same name as the duo's tequila brand, which is reportedly expanding its presence in New York City.
Check out the interiors at the new celebrity-approved tower
The Rockefeller Center ice skating rink reopens today
October 11, 2016

The Rockefeller Center ice skating rink reopens today

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Grab your skates kids, because the iconic ice rink at The Rockefeller Center is reopen for business today! This year The Rink at Rockefeller Center is celebrating its 80th year of operation (it opened on Christmas Day in 1936), and to mark the occasion the center held a grand opening ribbon-cutting ceremony this morning with figure skater and Olympic silver medalist Sasha Cohen. While this mid-60s sweater weather may not feel quite as festive as that Christmastime nip, hitting the ice now does have a number of advantages—namely not having to bundle up, and not having to fight the lines. More than a quarter-million skaters are anticipated to visit the rink this year.
more info here
The NYPL’s iconic Rose Reading Room reopens to the public today!
October 5, 2016

The NYPL’s iconic Rose Reading Room reopens to the public today!

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The New York Public Library’s Rose Reading Room and Bill Blass Public Catalog Room officially reopened to the public today at 10 AM. Early this morning, NYPL staff held a ribbon-cutting celebration for two adjacent spaces located on the third floor of the iconic Stephen A. Schwarzman Building on 5th Avenue. Both rooms had been closed to the public for more than two years for repairs and restorations.
more details this way
Beloved Carnegie Deli will shutter at the end of the year
September 30, 2016

Beloved Carnegie Deli will shutter at the end of the year

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Iconic New York City restaurant the Carnegie Deli, which first opened in 1937, will close at the end of the year. Restaurant owner Marian Harper Levine told employees of the eatery’s closing Friday morning, reports said. “I’m very sad to close the Carnegie Deli but I’ve reached the time of my life when I need to take […]

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