Manhattan

Gov. Kathy Hochul last week announced 21 nominations for possible placement on the State and National Registers of Historic Places. The list of nominations includes a diverse set of locations that are intricate to the history of New York. Nominations include early automobile manufacturing sites in Buffalo and Syracuse, a Mohawk Valley cemetery home to the author of the Pledge of Allegiance, and the only remaining 19-century textile mile in Troy. Of the total nominated places, five are located in New York City, including an abandoned Bronx train station designed by Cass Gilbert and an area in Hell's Kitchen once home to a famed open-air market.
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Fernando Botero’s 8-foot ‘Sphinx’ sculpture has landed in the Meatpacking District

Photos courtesy of David Benrimon Fine Art

March 11, 2022

Fernando Botero’s 8-foot ‘Sphinx’ sculpture has landed in the Meatpacking District

Concurrent with an exhibition of celebrated Colombian artist Fernando Botero's work at David Benrimon Fine Art, Botero’s iconic "Sphinx" will be holding court in the Meatpacking District’s 14th Street Square until April 19. The exhibition and sculpture also mark the 90th birthday of Colombia’s most successful living artist. Botero's familiar style interprets mythological and everyday subjects with exaggerated, voluptuous proportions and flat, bright colors. The latest Meatpacking addition features the iconic creature with a human head, a lion's body and a falcon's wings in classic zaftig Botero style; there's no indication that it will be offering riddles.
International flair for a downtown square

Events & Things To Do

A guide to the Gilded Age mansions of 5th Avenue’s millionaire row

The Cornelius Vanderbilt II Mansion on 57th Street and 5th Avenue, now demolished. Photo via A.D. White Architectural Photographs, Cornell University Library.

March 10, 2022

A guide to the Gilded Age mansions of 5th Avenue’s millionaire row

By Michelle Young

New York City's Fifth Avenue has always been pretty special, although you'd probably never guess that it began with a rather ordinary and functional name: Middle Road. Like the 1811 Commissioner's Plan for Manhattan, which laid out the city's future expansion in a rational manner, Middle Road was part of an earlier real estate plan by the City Council. As its name suggests, Middle Road was situated in the middle of a large land parcel that was sold by the council in 1785 to raise municipal funds for the newly established nation. Initially, it was the only road to provide access to this yet-undeveloped portion of Manhattan, but two additional roads were built later (eventually becoming Park Avenue and Sixth Avenue). The steady northwards march of upscale residences, and the retail to match, has its origins where Fifth Avenue literally begins: in the mansions on Washington Square Park. Madison Square was next, but it would take a combination of real-estate clairvoyance and social standing to firmly establish Fifth Avenue as the center of society.
More on how the gilded mansions of 5th Avenue came to be

Photo credit: Russ Ross for The Corcoran Group

March 10, 2022

This $899K West Village co-op is bright and tranquil from top to bottom

Situated in a sliver of the West Village that embodies many a downtown NYC fantasy, this one-bedroom (convertible to two) pre-war co-op at 8 Bethune Street is the picture of Village charm. Asking $899,000, the walk-up apartment is only a two-flight hike, and nine-foot-plus ceilings, white-painted wood floors, pale brick walls, and treetop views make the walk worthwhile.
Take a peek

Distinctive Homes

Looking East; Rendering: DBOX

March 9, 2022

See the new $550M home for the New York Philharmonic, set to open in October

Nearly two decades after the project was first proposed, the New York Philharmonic's new state-of-the-art concert hall will open this October, two years ahead of schedule, officials announced Wednesday. The revamped David Geffen Hall aims to create a more intimate space, "a living room for New York City," as a press release describes, by moving the audience closer to the stage and improving sightlines. Plus, the project fixes the hall's poor acoustics and reduces the total number of seats by about 500. In addition to announcing the $550 million project was finishing on time, officials also released new renderings of the theater and public space.
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Architecture And Design

Penn Station’s transformation takes next steps with removal of low-hanging beams

All images courtesy of Marc A. Hermann / MTA

March 9, 2022

Penn Station’s transformation takes next steps with removal of low-hanging beams

A major step in the transformation of Penn Station has begun. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) on Tuesday announced they would begin the removal of seven massive low-hanging beams known as "head knockers," dated structural beams that have limited the height of passageways in Penn Station's Long Island Rail Road Concourse to under 7 feet. The removal of these beams will help project crews reach their goal of increasing the ceiling height to 18 feet across the entire concourse, doubling the width of the 33rd Street corridor to 57 feet, and improving lighting.
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First skyline-view sleepover at Top of the Rock will be an all-night celebration of spring

The sleepover space: Weather Room at Top of the Rock; image courtesy of Rockefeller Center

March 9, 2022

First skyline-view sleepover at Top of the Rock will be an all-night celebration of spring

As we slowly make our way toward spending time out there among our fellow New Yorkers, Rockefeller Center is hosting a new way to celebrate spring. Star Party at Top of the Rock will be the first-ever overnight musical experience at the famous skyline-view venue, held in celebration of the spring equinox as the evening of March 19 becomes March 20. The first of a new quarterly series offers a small audience the opportunity to experience all-night meditation and ambient sound against the sparkle of the city skyline.
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Events & Things To Do

The Met Opera will host benefit concert for Ukraine relief efforts

Photo by Ajay Suresh on Flickr

March 8, 2022

The Met Opera will host benefit concert for Ukraine relief efforts

The Metropolitan Opera next week will host a benefit performance to support the people of Ukraine. A Concert for Ukraine will be held on March 14, with all ticket sales and proceeds going to relief efforts in Ukraine. The 70-minute program will be led by Met Music Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin and feature some of the opera's star soloists. Tickets are $50 and go on sale this Wednesday.
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Events & Things To Do

Gloria Vanderbilt’s childhood home on the UES has sold for $32.2M

Photos courtesy of Douglas Elliman

March 8, 2022

Gloria Vanderbilt’s childhood home on the UES has sold for $32.2M

After hitting the market for $50 million in 2019, the seven-story Gilded-Age Upper East Side townhouse where late socialite Gloria Vanderbilt lived as a child has sold for $32.2 million. According to the New York Post, a group of Russian investors bought the 27-foot-wide mansion for $19 million in 2014 with plans to transform the property into three separate condo units and sell for $70 million. The investors sold the home at 39 East 72nd Street to an unknown buyer using an LLC, according to the newspaper.
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Get lost on two sprawling floors of this $7.5M 12-room Upper East Side co-op

Photo Credit: Coldwell Banker Warburg

March 7, 2022

Get lost on two sprawling floors of this $7.5M 12-room Upper East Side co-op

If the location of this five-bedroom co-op at 1165 Fifth Avenue–with Central Park just out the window and across the street–weren't enough to make it a big deal, it's a veritable sky-townhouse with co-op convenience. Asking $7,495,000, the 12-room duplex is a combination of two apartments, resulting in space galore, divided among colorful, livable, renovated rooms.
Take the two-floor tour

Distinctive Homes

Explore hidden gems and lesser-known artists at the Hispanic Society Museum & Library’s new exhibit

All images courtesy of Alfonso Lozano

March 7, 2022

Explore hidden gems and lesser-known artists at the Hispanic Society Museum & Library’s new exhibit

The Hispanic Society Museum & Library has opened a new exhibition that brings attention to the wide variety of art, literature, and history from the Iberian Peninsula and South America. Curated by art historian Dr. Madeleine Haddon, Nuestra Casa: Rediscovering the Treasures of The Hispanic Society Museum & Library features select "hidden gems" from the museum's expansive collection of more than 750,000 pieces, including artworks by El Greco and Goya to masterpieces by lesser-known Latin American artists. The exhibition is open at the Washington Heights museum now through April 17.
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A luxurious wellness spa is now open on Governors Island

All images courtesy of QC NY

March 4, 2022

A luxurious wellness spa is now open on Governors Island

QC Terme Spas & Resorts' long-anticipated day spa has opened today within three historic buildings on Governors Island. QC NY is the luxury resort brand's first property outside of Europe and features relaxation rooms, themed saunas, Vichy showers, infrared beds, foot baths, hydro jets, steam baths, and other amenities meant to induce bliss. The resort will be the island's first year-round commercial tenant.
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City Living

For $3.25M, this pretty Gramercy co-op has a near-perfect layout and a key to the park

Photo credit: Brown Harris Stevens

March 4, 2022

For $3.25M, this pretty Gramercy co-op has a near-perfect layout and a key to the park

Only a fortunate few residences in the Gramercy Park neighborhood come with keys to the actual park, and this two-bedroom co-op at 32 Gramercy Park South is one of them. The apartment–a two-unit combo asking $3,250,000–is fully renovated without the awkwardness sometimes found when units merge. Spacious bedrooms and extra living space make the layout just right, and city skyline views add to the perfect Manhattan apartment equation.
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Distinctive Homes

Director Baz Luhrmann lists vibrant Gramercy townhouse for $20M

All photos courtesy of Nina Poon/MW Studio for the Corcoran Group

March 4, 2022

Director Baz Luhrmann lists vibrant Gramercy townhouse for $20M

Writer and director Baz Luhrmann and his wife, costume designer Catherine Martin, are selling their Gramercy Park townhouse for $19,995,000, as the Wall Street Journal first reported. Located at 243 East 17th Street, the 28-foot-wide Anglo-Italianate-style six-bedroom home sits on Stuyvesant Square Park, within the area's historic district. Inside, the Australian couple put their own creative touch on the 19th-century home, with dramatic, patterned wallpaper, bright colors, and carefully curated furniture.
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NYC’s first ‘flying theater’ RiseNY opens in Times Square

All images courtesy of Jeremy Daniel

March 2, 2022

NYC’s first ‘flying theater’ RiseNY opens in Times Square

Starting Wednesday, visitors will be able to soar through the sky on an aerial tour of New York City in a flying theater. Located at 160 West 45th Street, RiseNY is a state-of-the-art virtual experience created and produced by Running Subway that takes participants on an exhilarating journey of the city skyline and cultural landmarks. The experience is a three-part journey starting with a film narrated by Jeff Goldblum, taking guests through the recreation of NYC's first subway station and delving into the city's global impact.
Details here

Events & Things To Do

This $15M UES mansion has six floors topped by a solarium and roof garden

Photo credit: DDreps/Sotheby’s International Realty

March 2, 2022

This $15M UES mansion has six floors topped by a solarium and roof garden

Appropriately situated on one of the Upper East Side's grandest blocks, the Adele Kneeland Mansion at 154 East 71st Street is a 20-foot-wide Neo-Georgian townhouse with more than 11,000 square feet of interior space. Asking $14,950,000, this six-story residence boasts both original and updated architecture on the inside and outside. An elevator serves all floors, including the glass-walled double-height solarium and 1,250-square-foot landscaped rooftop terrace at its crown. The options here are many on the live/work spectrum; in addition to a palatial private home, it would be well-suited for a medical practice, school, private art museum, or non-profit organization HQ.
More about this historic Manhattan mansion

Distinctive Homes

Harlem’s massive $700M Taystee Lab Building is complete

Renderings courtesy of Janus Property Group unless otherwise noted

March 1, 2022

Harlem’s massive $700M Taystee Lab Building is complete

A state-of-the-art building built for life science, academic, and creative tenants is officially complete in Harlem, serving as the anchor of a major new commercial district in the neighborhood. The 350,000-square-foot Taystee Lab Building, named after the bread bakery that once occupied the lot, is the largest building in the Manhattanville Factory District, a master-planned, multi-building campus stretching from West 125th Street to West 128th Street with dedicated commercial and community space.
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New Developments

$4M Tribeca loft offers privacy and plenty of room for living

Photo credit: Yale Wagner for Sotheby’s International Realty

March 1, 2022

$4M Tribeca loft offers privacy and plenty of room for living

For anyone who dreams of loft living but wants modern condo convenience and privacy, this freshly renovated Tribeca loft in the Sugar Warehouse at 79 Laight Street should hit a sweet spot. For $3,995,000 you get a private elevator landing, three well-distanced bedrooms, a huge entertaining space, and sparkling new finishes in an authentic, historic loft frame.
More modern loft goodness, this way

Pebble Bar to open at historic four-story townhouse at Rockefeller Center

Interior photos courtesy of Nicole Franzen, unless otherwise noted

February 25, 2022

Pebble Bar to open at historic four-story townhouse at Rockefeller Center

A 19th-century townhouse once home to a beloved Irish saloon that refused to move during the construction of Rockefeller Center is getting a new life as a glamorous multi-level bar. Set to open on February 28, Pebble Bar will stretch across three floors at 67 West 49th Street, where the pub named Hurley's served New Yorkers for over 100 years. Designed by Gachot Studios, Pebble Bar features a bar overlooking Sixth Avenue, a moody 35-seat dining room with a marble-lined oyster bar, and fourth-floor flexible event space and "secret" entrance.
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Food & Dining

Hochul says 190 homes at Inwood Tower will remain affordable for next 30 years

Image courtesy of Gov. Kathy Hochul’s Office

February 25, 2022

Hochul says 190 homes at Inwood Tower will remain affordable for next 30 years

Gov. Kathy Hochul on Thursday announced an agreement with New York State Homes and Community Renewal (NYHCR) to preserve affordability for 30 years for 190 households at Inwood Tower, a Mitchell-Lama cooperative development in Washington Heights. By terms of the agreement, NYHCR will grant the co-op a $7.6 million subsidy loan that the development will use for essential repairs. With this grant, the state has ensured that more than 22,000 Mitchell-Lama apartments remain affordable for low and moderate-income New Yorkers as part of its five-year housing plan.
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Affordable Housing

A lofted upper level gives this $2.75M Chelsea condo extra living space

Photo credit: Scott Wintrow for The Corcoran Group

February 25, 2022

A lofted upper level gives this $2.75M Chelsea condo extra living space

This two-bedroom condo at 121 West 20th Street, asking $2,750,000, has classic Manhattan loft details like 15-foot ceilings, oversized windows, and cast-iron columns. A lofted mezzanine provides the second bedroom, plus office space and closets, and a new renovation adds a sleek kitchen, designer fixtures and finishes, and contemporary convenience.
Take the tour

Jon Bon Jovi finds a buyer for $22M Greenwich Village condo

Photo credit: COMPASS / Shannon Dupré

February 24, 2022

Jon Bon Jovi finds a buyer for $22M Greenwich Village condo

Just a few weeks after hitting the market, the four-bedroom Greenwich Village home of musician Jon Bon Jovi has sold for $22 million. The New Jersey native listed his corner condo unit at the Greenwich Lane building earlier this month. As CityRealty reports, the apartment fetched the asking price.
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Everything is for sale, including the $6.5M apartment, at this Upper West Side interior design exhibition

Dining table in rosewood with red under-painted inset glass top designed by Joaquim Tenreiro, Brazil, 1948, $125,000.00; “First Chairs” in rosewood and cane seat designed by Joaquim Tenreiro, Brazil, 1942, $80,000.00 for set of eight; “Vine” illuminated sculpture with hand-blown round soda glass globes and fifteen sockets designed and made by Jeff Zimmerman, USA, 2018, $125,000.00; Photo courtesy of frenchCALIFORNIA

February 24, 2022

Everything is for sale, including the $6.5M apartment, at this Upper West Side interior design exhibition

The Belnord at 225 West 86th Street is getting plenty of attention recently. The Upper West Side condo building stars as the fictional Arconia in Hulu’s "Only Murders in the Building" series. Now, a three-bedroom unit, on the market since October for $6,475,000, is having a turn in the spotlight as an international interior design showcase. The Belnord Project presents the home's interiors and art in a shoppable exhibition curated by frenchCALIFORNIA in partnership with Evan Snyderman of modern and contemporary design gallery R & Company.
Check out the design collaboration, room by room

The contemporary curves of this $15.3M Village condo hold a family-sized home

Photo credit: Tim Waltman/Evan Joseph Images

February 22, 2022

The contemporary curves of this $15.3M Village condo hold a family-sized home

This 4,535-square-foot pre-war corner condo at 65 West 13th Street in Greenwich Village has the stylish contemporary lines of a gallery and the 12-foot ceilings of a loft, with sweeping city views. A renovation designed by Workshop/APD created a perfect canvas for an art collection–and a sprawling refuge for family living. Thanks to four bedrooms in separate wings, a playroom, den, and laundry room, living in the city doesn't have to mean giving up space–though it does mean parting with $15,300,000.
Take the grand tour

February 18, 2022

Paul McCartney sells Fifth Avenue apartment for $8.5M, at a $7M loss

Ex-Beatle Paul McCartney has just sold his Upper East Side co-op at 1045 Fifth Avenue for $8.5 million, The Real Deal reports. Sir Paul and his wife, Nancy Shevell, purchased the four-bedroom co-op in 2015 for $15.5 million. The duplex penthouse overlooking the Central Park reservoir was first listed in June for $12 million, then received another cut before going into contract in October.
More on this mid-century modern gem

New ‘Date Night’ at the Met Museum includes live music and drink specials

Photo by Shinya Suzuki on Flickr

February 18, 2022

New ‘Date Night’ at the Met Museum includes live music and drink specials

Bring your special someone, or come by yourself, to a special date night event hosted by the largest art museum in the Western Hemisphere. Every Friday and Saturday from 5 p.m. until 9 p.m., The Metropolitan Museum of Art will host "Date Night at The Met," an evening of live music, drink specials, and art.
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Events & Things To Do

Photo courtesy of Brown Harris Stevens

February 18, 2022

Sprawling Upper West Side pre-war ‘classic seven’ with city and river views asks $3.9M