Midtown

Former Anthony Bourdain food hall team to open Singaporean hawker center in Midtown

Photo of a hawker center in Singapore by Aapo Haapanen on Flickr

November 2, 2021

Former Anthony Bourdain food hall team to open Singaporean hawker center in Midtown

By Devin Gannon

Roughly four years since late chef and author Anthony Bourdain canceled his proposal to build a massive Singaporean-inspired food hall in New York City, the plan for the market has been revived. Urbanspace and KF Seetoh, founder of Makansutra, which runs several food courts in Singapore, are teaming up to bring a food market with 18 street-food vendors to 135 West 50th Street in Midtown Manhattan. The market, described as the first authentic Singaporean hawker center in the United States, will open in early 2022.
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Food & Dining

Bryant Park’s Winter Village is now open for the season

Photo: Angelito Jusay

October 29, 2021

Bryant Park’s Winter Village is now open for the season

By Devin Gannon

Bryant Park has once again transformed into a winter wonderland. The Bank of America Winter Village opened for the season on Friday, offering New Yorkers the only free admission ice skating rink in the city, an open-air holiday market, and cocktails rinkside. The village, now in its 20th year, will be open daily from October 29 through March 6, 2022.
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Events & Things To Do

See the Mexican folk-art sculptures on display around Rockefeller Center for Day of the Dead

All photos courtesy of Tishman Speyer

October 25, 2021

See the Mexican folk-art sculptures on display around Rockefeller Center for Day of the Dead

By Devin Gannon

Rockefeller Center last week kicked off a nearly two-week celebration of Mexican culture and Día de Los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, with the installation of larger-than-life Mexican folk-art sculptures and other artworks around the plaza. As part of the campus-wide commemoration, see an 11-foot dragon and a 13.5-foot feathered jaguar, an exhibition of fashionably dressed skeleton figures, a Día de Los Muertos display altar, and a floral installation adorning the center's iconic bronze statue Atlas.
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Events & Things To Do

The faces of 1,200 New Yorkers now greet visitors outside of the Port Authority bus terminal

All photos: Alexandre Ayer / @DiversityPics for the Garment District Alliance.

October 15, 2021

The faces of 1,200 New Yorkers now greet visitors outside of the Port Authority bus terminal

By Michelle Cohen

The Port Authority bus terminal in Midtown may not be one of New York City's most beautiful places, but the world’s busiest terminal recently got a beauty boost in the form of a 40-foot-high, 600-foot-wide gallery wall that features the diverse and fabulous faces of over 1,200 New Yorkers. The Garment District Alliance (GDA) and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ) have collaborated to bring the giant photo gallery, "Inside Out: NY Together," part of an international initiative by world-renowned artist JR, to the Manhattan bus gateway.
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Events & Things To Do

For $650K, this salon-style Midtown studio has a ritzy kitchen and Parisian vibes

Listing photos courtesy of Warburg Realty

September 24, 2021

For $650K, this salon-style Midtown studio has a ritzy kitchen and Parisian vibes

By the looks of this beautiful kitchen, you'd never know the apartment is only a studio. Instead of the usual cramped, galley kitchen, this one is large, high-end, and even has space for a full-size dining table. The entire place has been finished in a Parisian, salon-style, complete with delicate panel moldings and ceiling medallions, black-and-white marble floors, textured wall and ceiling treatments, and a claw-foot tub. Located at 372 Fifth Avenue, it's on the market for $650,000.
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Distinctive Homes

Supersized origami sculptures land in NYC’s Garment District

Photos courtesy of Alexandre Ayer / @DiversityPics for the Garment District Alliance

September 22, 2021

Supersized origami sculptures land in NYC’s Garment District

By Devin Gannon

Seven supersized origami-inspired sculptures are now on display in Midtown Manhattan as part of the neighborhood's latest public art exhibit. Installed by the Garment District Alliance and the Department of Transportation, the exhibition, Hacer: Transformations, features brightly colored steel sculptures of animals that vary in size and resemble the paper-folding art. Created by California-based artist Hacer, the installation will be on display along Broadway between 36th and 39th Streets through November 23.
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Events & Things To Do

Asking $4.2M, this Billionaires’ Row condo is one of only two One57 units with a private balcony

Listing photos courtesy of Brown Harris Stevens

September 21, 2021

Asking $4.2M, this Billionaires’ Row condo is one of only two One57 units with a private balcony

One57 was the first supertall (and super pricey) tower to rise below Central Park on 57th Street, leading to an influx of similar developments and the creation of "Billionaires' Row." At the OG tower, only two of its nearly 100 units have private balconies, and one of these coveted condos just hit the market for $4,200,000 (a relative bargain for this location). The one-bedroom has a 30-foot-long, 400-square-foot terrace that sits behind One57's signature curving glass and offers amazing southern city views.
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Distinctive Homes

Colorful ‘Soundsuits’ mosaics by Nick Cave revealed at 42nd Street Shuttle passageway

All photos © Dana Schulz for 6sqft

September 10, 2021

Colorful ‘Soundsuits’ mosaics by Nick Cave revealed at 42nd Street Shuttle passageway

Artist Nick Cave is best known for his Soundsuits, wearable sculptures made of natural materials like dyed human hair and feathers that make noise when worn. For his latest endeavor, creating a public art piece for the passageway that connects the B, D, F, and M trains to the 42nd Street shuttle, Cave translated his Soundsuits into colorful, energetic mosaics of dancers in Soundsuits made of raffia and fur. According to the New York Times, the $1.8M project was commissioned by MTA Arts & Design as part of the larger $250 million undertaking to revamp the shuttle. In addition to more than 24 intricate mosaics, Cave's piece, titled "Every One," includes a series of 11 digital screens that play videos of people in actual Soundsuits dancing.
See the mosaics here

See the new observation deck and rooftop ride proposed for 30 Rock

All renderings courtesy of Tishman Speyer

September 10, 2021

See the new observation deck and rooftop ride proposed for 30 Rock

By Devin Gannon

One of the city's most popular observation decks could be getting a facelift. Tishman Speyer Properties has proposed several enhancements to the Top of the Rock deck at landmarked 30 Rockefeller Plaza, including a rotating attraction that lets visitors recreate the iconic "Lunch atop a Skyscraper" photo, a kinetic globe, and a new viewing platform on the 70th floor. The proposal was recommended for approval by Manhattan Community Board 5 last week and will be heard by the Landmarks Preservation Commission on Tuesday.
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Policy

Original copy of the Bill of Rights, lock of Beethoven’s hair on display at new NYPL treasures exhibit

Photo credit: Jonathan Blanc / NYPL

August 23, 2021

Original copy of the Bill of Rights, lock of Beethoven’s hair on display at new NYPL treasures exhibit

By Devin Gannon

The New York Public Library's much-anticipated permanent exhibition of rotating rare objects and artifacts finally opens to the public next month. First announced in 2018, the Polonsky Exhibition of The New York Public Library's Treasures features 250 unique, historic items from the library's incredible holdings, which includes more than 45 million objects in its research collections. Highlights include Thomas Jefferson's handwritten copy of the Declaration of Independence, Charles Dickens' writing desk, a letter written by James Baldwin to Angela Davis, the 1811 Comissioners' Map and Survey of Manhattan Island, and much more.
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1,300-foot-high duplex at Central Park Tower asks $150M

Courtesy of Extell Development

August 17, 2021

1,300-foot-high duplex at Central Park Tower asks $150M

By Devin Gannon

For $150,000,000, a luxury apartment situated 1,300 feet above ground can be yours. As first reported by Bloomberg, the available duplex is located on the 127th and 128th floors of Central Park Tower, the tallest residential building in the world. According to the listing, the eight-bedroom "trophy home" is the highest duplex in the skyscraper, which stands more than 1,500 feet tall over Central Park. If it fetches the asking price, it would become the third most expensive sale in New York City ever.
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Distinctive Homes

Museum of Broadway to open in Times Square next summer

Rendering by Paul Bennett Architects PC

August 16, 2021

Museum of Broadway to open in Times Square next summer

By Devin Gannon

The first permanent museum dedicated to Broadway will open in Times Square next year. Originally scheduled to debut in 2020 but delayed because of the pandemic, the Museum of Broadway will open at 145 West 45th Street in the summer of 2022, officials announced on Monday. The interactive experience will explore and celebrate the history and legacy of Broadway musicals, plays, and theatres.
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Events & Things To Do

KAWS unveils new 18-foot sculpture at Rockefeller Center

Courtesy of Diane Bondareff/AP Images for Tishman Speyer

August 12, 2021

KAWS unveils new 18-foot sculpture at Rockefeller Center

By Devin Gannon

The distinct art of KAWS is now on display at Rockefeller Center. The 18-foot tall bronze sculpture, dubbed SHARE, features two of the artist's signature cartoon-like figures, Companion and BFF. The installation, which coincides with the current sweeping exhibition at the Brooklyn Museum, "KAWS: WHAT PARTY," will be on view at the Center Plaza until October 29.
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Events & Things To Do

The history of Central Park’s Hooverville, the Great Depression shanty town

“A Scene in Shantytown, New York” appearing in the March 4, 1880 edition of the New York Daily Graphic, via Wikimedia Commons

August 4, 2021

The history of Central Park’s Hooverville, the Great Depression shanty town

By Rebecca Paul

Following the October stock market crash of 1929, there was an unprecedented number of people in the U.S. without homes or jobs. And as the Great Depression set in, demand grew and the overflow became far too overwhelming and unmanageable for government resources to manage. Homeless people in large cities began to build their own houses out of found materials, and some even built more permanent structures from brick. Small shanty towns—later named Hoovervilles after President Hoover—began to spring up in vacant lots, public land and empty alleys. Three of these pop-up villages were located in New York City, the largest of which was on what is now Central Park's Great Lawn.
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History

On the 66th floor of the world’s tallest residential building, a carefully curated condo for $22M

All photos by Evan Joseph

July 29, 2021

On the 66th floor of the world’s tallest residential building, a carefully curated condo for $22M

By Devin Gannon

As residents start to move into the world's tallest residential building, we're getting another look at one of the impressive residences there. The three-bedroom, three-bathroom on the 66th floor of the Central Park Tower, the 1,500-foot tall condo tower on Billionaires' Row, has interiors designed by Australian-based Blainey North & Associates and features bold and elegant, but welcoming, elements throughout. The 3,165-square-foot sky-high home with incredible city and Central Park views is asking $21,890,000.
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Under new Netflix management, historic Paris Theater will reopen next month

All photos by The Brinsons

July 21, 2021

Under new Netflix management, historic Paris Theater will reopen next month

Midtown's Paris Theater is New York City's longest-running arthouse cinema and only remaining single-screen movie theater. On August 6th, the historic theater on 58th Street will hold its grand re-opening following a renovation that added new carpeting, drapes, and a marquee. After opening in 1948, the 571-seat theater closed in 2019 when its lease expired. But later that same year, Netflix announced that it reached a lease agreement to preserve the landmark and keep it open for "special events, screenings, and theatrical releases of its films."
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Events & Things To Do

See inside the $169M penthouse at 432 Park Avenue

Listing photo by Donna Dotan

July 21, 2021

See inside the $169M penthouse at 432 Park Avenue

The top-floor penthouse at 1,396-foot-tall tower 432 Park Avenue has been publicly listed for the first time ever, asking $169 million. It is the most expensive listing currently in New York City, and if it fetches the asking price, it would become the second-biggest sale in the city's history and set a record with its $20,500 per square foot price tag. As 6sqft reported last month, the 96th-floor unit is currently owned by billionaire Saudi real estate developer Fawaz Alhokair, who bought the apartment for only $88 million in 2016. Listed with Ryan Serhant, founder and CEO of SERHANT., the unit spans 8,225 square feet and has six bedrooms and seven bathrooms, as well as 240 linear feet of glass windows. The home is being sold with all of its art and furniture, which includes pieces from Hermes, Fendi, and Bentley.
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Distinctive Homes

Billionaire Joe Tsai revealed as buyer of $157.5M condos at 220 Central Park South

220 Central Park South as seen in May 2020. Photo by Jim.henderson (cropped) via Wikimedia Commons.

July 20, 2021

Billionaire Joe Tsai revealed as buyer of $157.5M condos at 220 Central Park South

As was first reported by the Wall Street Journal in June, a buyer shelled out $157,500,000 for two units at 220 Central Park South. Property records showed the $82.5 million purchase of the 60th-floor unit and the $75 million purchase of the 61st-floor unit, both made using an LLC. But CNBC has now revealed that the buyer is billionaire Joe Tsai, Alibaba co-founder and owner of the Brooklyn Nets. The sale is the second biggest in New York City history and the third-largest ever in the U.S. The number-one spot occurred at the same Billionaires' Row tower, with billionaire Ken Griffin's $238 million purchase in early 2019.
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Huge new LEGO flagship opens at Rockefeller Center

All photos of the LEGO Store, 5th Avenue by Cindy Ord/Getty Images unless otherwise noted

June 29, 2021

Huge new LEGO flagship opens at Rockefeller Center

By Devin Gannon

A LEGO flagship store opened in Midtown this week with new hands-on experiences and New York City-inspired builds. Located at 630 Fifth Avenue within the Rockefeller Center complex, the store measures more than 7,100 square feet across two levels. The new shop celebrates the Big Apple with a classic yellow taxi cab, skyscrapers like the Empire State Building, and the lights and billboards of Times Square and Broadway theaters, all made of LEGO bricks.
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City Living

Top-floor penthouse at 432 Park lists for $169M, double the previous sale price

Photo by Sebastiandoe5 via Wikimedia Commons

June 29, 2021

Top-floor penthouse at 432 Park lists for $169M, double the previous sale price

An $88 million profit? That's what the current owner of the 96th-floor penthouse at supertall tower 432 Park Avenue is hoping to achieve. As the New York Times first reported, billionaire Saudi real estate developer Fawaz Alhokair has listed his apartment at the 1,400-foot-tall condo for $169 million, double what he paid for it in 2016. If it fetches the asking price, it would become the second most expensive home ever sold in New York City and would set a record with its $20,500 per square foot price tag.
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After $200M overhaul, NYPL’s central circulating library opens in Midtown with public rooftop terrace

Photo © John Bartelstone courtesy of Mecanoo, Beyer Blinder Belle, New York Public Library

June 4, 2021

After $200M overhaul, NYPL’s central circulating library opens in Midtown with public rooftop terrace

By Devin Gannon

The New York Public Library this week opened a new central circulating library in Midtown following a major $200 million renovation project. Located at 455 Fifth Avenue, the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Library (SNFL) was built within the shell and steel frame of the existing building formerly known as the Mid-Manhattan Library. Designed by Dutch architecture firm Mecanoo in collaboration with Beyer Blinder Belle Architects & Planners, the new 180,000 square foot library boasts a dramatic light-filled atrium and an incredible rooftop terrace, which is now the only free and publicly accessible rooftop in Midtown.
Details here

Architecture And Design

Asking $2.1M, author E.L. Doctorow’s former Sutton Place home is perfect for any aspiring writer

Photos by Erickson Jaquez, Empire Optix for Sotheby’s International Realty

May 26, 2021

Asking $2.1M, author E.L. Doctorow’s former Sutton Place home is perfect for any aspiring writer

By Devin Gannon

With a library, built-in bookshelves, and views that could cure writer's block, this Sutton Place home is perfect for any aspiring novelist. It worked for the apartment's former owner, the late author E.L. Doctorow, who penned The March, Homer & Langley, and Andrew's Brain here. Located at 333 East 57th Street, the 3,000-square-foot co-op is now on the market for $2,100,000.
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Daniel Boulud’s Le Pavillon opens at One Vanderbilt with lush greenery and city views

All photos courtesy of SL Green Realty

May 19, 2021

Daniel Boulud’s Le Pavillon opens at One Vanderbilt with lush greenery and city views

Chef Daniel Boulud this week officially opened Le Pavillon, a new restaurant in the Midtown office tower One Vanderbilt. Located directly across from Grand Central with views of the Chrysler Building, Le Pavillon boasts soaring, 57-foot ceilings and a nature-inspired design by Brazilian architect Isay Weinfeld that includes lots of greenery and natural elements.
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Food & Dining

25-foot tall sculpture designed by Sanford Biggers takes over Rockefeller Center

All photos courtesy of Diane Bondareff/AP Images for Tishman Speyer

May 6, 2021

25-foot tall sculpture designed by Sanford Biggers takes over Rockefeller Center

By Devin Gannon

A massive bronze sculpture has been installed at Rockefeller Center as part of a new multi-part public art exhibition. Designed by Sanford Biggers, Oracle stands 25 feet tall at the foot of the Channel Gardens and is a continuation of the artist's recent Chimera sculpture series. As the first campus-wide takeover by a solo artist at Rockefeller Center, the exhibition also includes a flag installation at the iconic flagpoles, small-scale sculptures, a virtual experience, and murals, in addition to the sculpture that weighs over 15,000 pounds.
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Events & Things To Do

Macy’s annual Flower Show blossoms with hope and love

Photos: Eugene Gologursky/Getty Images for Macy’s

May 3, 2021

Macy’s annual Flower Show blossoms with hope and love

By Devin Gannon

The 46th annual Macy's Flower Show opened on Sunday, transforming the Herald Square store into a whimsical floral oasis. This year's theme, Give. Love. Bloom., aims to inspire hope for New Yorkers after a tough year with grand gardens, flower displays, and larger-than-life butterflies taking over the store, the iconic windows, and even outside, at Herald Square Park.
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Events & Things To Do

See what a renovated Penn Station could look like

View from 33rd Street, a shared space for pedestrians

April 22, 2021

See what a renovated Penn Station could look like

By Devin Gannon

A dark and cramped Penn Station could soon be replaced with a light-filled transit hub with more space for commuters. Gov. Andrew Cuomo unveiled on Wednesday two possible options for the reconstruction of the Midtown train station as part of his broader Empire Station Complex project, which would unify an upgraded Penn Station and the new Moynihan Train Hall. The interconnected station would increase train capacity at the site, which is considered the busiest in the country. It could serve 830,000 daily passengers by 2038, up from 600,000 the station served each day before the pandemic.
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Transit

$350M redevelopment of century-old Textile Building reimagines office space with fresh air and greenery

Renderings courtesy of Tribeca Investment Group

April 20, 2021

$350M redevelopment of century-old Textile Building reimagines office space with fresh air and greenery

By Devin Gannon

A 100-year-old property in Midtown South will be reimagined as a modern office building with courtyards and terraces, flexible workspace, and lots of greenery, amenities the owners hope will draw tenants back to in-person work post-pandemic. Tribeca Investment Group, PGIM Real Estate, and Meadows Partners announced this week plans for a $350 million redevelopment of 295 Fifth Avenue, also known as the Textile Building. The owners acquired a 99-year ground lease for the 17-story building in 2019 for $375 million.
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New Developments

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Spring + Thompson

83 Thompson Street

Soho

Loft-like residences in Soho designed by Selldorf Architects

2 beds starting at $4,975,000
4 beds starting at $14,850,000