Manhattan

Asking $325,000, this cozy co-op's Yorkville location at 321 East 89th Street between Central Park and Carl Schurz park means you've got a choice between the two green spaces–and the new Q line stops three blocks away. The tucked-away top-floor studio is served by an elevator, so getting home doesn't have to be a workout.
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Distinctive Homes

Judge overturns city’s plan to rezone Inwood

Photo by kathryn on Flickr

December 20, 2019

Judge overturns city’s plan to rezone Inwood

A state Supreme Court judge on Thursday overturned land-use changes approved by the City Council in 2018 to rezone the neighborhood of Inwood. A group of local residents and preservationists filed a lawsuit against the rezoning last December, claiming the plan did nothing to protect the community from displacement, as well as other effects of gentrification. In the decision, Judge Verna Saunders said the city "failed to take a hard look at the relevant areas of concern identified by the public" and did not comply with a state environmental quality review.
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Policy

Artist Kent Monkman’s new murals at The Met reexamine Manhattan’s colonial past

Photos by Anna-Marie Kellen

December 19, 2019

Artist Kent Monkman’s new murals at The Met reexamine Manhattan’s colonial past

By Andrew Berman of Village Preservation

Two new paintings by Canadian Cree artist Kent Monkman are now on view in the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Great Hall. As part of a new series in which the museum invites contemporary artists to make work in response to the Met collection, Monkman reappropriated motifs from Western artists such as Emanuel Leutze and Eugéne Delacroix to tell a different narrative that foregrounds themes of arrival, migration, displacement, and the Indigenous experience.
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Events & Things To Do

December 19, 2019

14 historic sites of the abolitionist movement in Greenwich Village

As this year marks 400 years since the first African slaves were brought to America, much attention has been paid to what that means and how to remember this solemn anniversary. The city's Landmarks Preservation Commission issued a story map highlighting landmarks of the abolitionist movement in New York City. Absent from the map were a number of incredibly important sites in Greenwich Village, the East Village, and Noho, which were a hotbed of abolitionist activity through the 19th century, as well as the home of the city’s largest African American community. Ahead, learn about 14 significant sites of the anti-slavery movement.
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History

For $24 million, a penthouse in Rafael Viñoly’s latest Nomad tower features an impressive loggia

Images by Colin Miller

December 19, 2019

For $24 million, a penthouse in Rafael Viñoly’s latest Nomad tower features an impressive loggia

As we’ve watched Rafael Viñoly’s Nomad tower at 277 Fifth Avenue rise, its pared-down yet distinctive facade has drawn our attention to the building’s double-height, open-air loggias that appear to be carved out of the building’s uppermost corners. Now that the building is complete, new images of a recently listed penthouse offer a glimpse of what those spaces are like from the other side. Seeking $24 million, the residence is one of four penthouses atop the 720-foot tower, spanning roughly 4,520 square feet.
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Photo credit: VHT courtesy of Compass

December 19, 2019

St. Mark’s studio with a working fireplace is a cozy little slice of East Village life for $475K

Though St. Mark's Place in the East Village may not be the colorful alt-culture adventure it once was, it's still central to a neighborhood that never stops moving. This compact co-op studio at 87 St. Mark's Place is in the center of it all, yet it's buttoned up, fitted out, and ready for the next adventurer to enjoy. Attributes like a working fireplace and a built-in Murphy bed make the space feel like home.
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Distinctive Homes

Chase, Joe Coffee, and By CHLOE. are now open in former Union Square Coffee Shop location

Photo by 6sqft

December 18, 2019

Chase, Joe Coffee, and By CHLOE. are now open in former Union Square Coffee Shop location

The prominent Union Square storefront on 16th Street and Union Square West that was home to sceney restaurant Coffee Shop for 28 years has changed quite a bit since the former diner closed its doors last October. Reports that yet another Chase branch and an outpost of vegan chain By CHLOE. would open in its place were confirmed a few months ago, and now the transformation is complete. A new location for Joe Coffee is also open in the building, and, interestingly, is part of a partnership with Chase, according to the Wall Street Journal. With an entrance on 16th Street, By CHLOE.'s colorful storefront stands where the former diner's back dining room used to be, while the Union Square side has lost its iconic neon sign for ubiquitous Chase branding.
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Food & Dining

Photo credit: Travis Mark courtesy of Compass

December 18, 2019

$3.2M FiDi loft stands out behind a historic Palladian window

Asking $3.15 million, this floor-through loft in a beautiful old Lower Manhattan building has the look of a timeless residence in a changing city. More ornate than most and definitely a standout on its block, 42 Ann Street is a landmarked 19th-century commercial building with only seven condominium units within. Spanning 2,700 square feet, the two-bedroom condo has been recently renovated with artfully-designed spaces and luxurious fixtures and finishes.
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Distinctive Homes

NYC’s third-priciest apartment ever just sold at 220 Central Park South for $92.7M

Via Vornado Realty Trust and Robert A.M. Stern Architects

December 17, 2019

NYC’s third-priciest apartment ever just sold at 220 Central Park South for $92.7M

By Dana Schulz

Despite some trepidation about the luxury sales market, the year is finishing strong, at least near Billionaires' Row, which was just named the most expensive street in the entire world. As the NY Post first reported, property records filed today show a $92.7 million penthouse sale at 220 Central Park South, making it the third-most-expensive NYC sale ever, behind billionaire Ken Griffith’s $238 million purchase also at 220 CPS in early 2019 and Michael Dell's $100 million buy at One57 in 2015. Though it was purchased by an anonymous LLC, the Wall Street Journal uncovered that billionaire hedge-funder Daniel Och is the buyer.
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Real Estate Trends

Billionaire’s Row tops list of most expensive streets in the world

Looking north towards Billionaires’ Row in early October © 6sqft

December 17, 2019

Billionaire’s Row tops list of most expensive streets in the world

A new study of the top "ultra-prime" locations in the world dispels any doubt that Billionaire's Row is living up to its name. London-based property consultancy Knight Frank, along with Douglas Elliman, looked at the number of homes sold for over $25 million since 2015 and found the greatest concentration along Midtown's 57th Street, where 41 transactions have been closed in the last five years at an average price of $38.5 million. Manhattan cracked the top ten three more times, with Central Park South coming in third, followed by Park Avenue and Fifth Avenue in fourth and seventh place.
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Real Estate Trends

Photos courtesy of The Corcoran Group.

December 17, 2019

This $2.6M Upper West Side brownstone co-op has a beautiful back garden and a well-appointed cellar

On a gorgeous brownstone-lined street on the Upper West Side, this garden-floor co-op at 50 West 70th Street is less than a block from Central Park. In case you don't even want to venture that far, this $2.565 million home has a lovely landscaped private garden just beyond a wall of sliding glass doors. Technically a duplex, with several possibilities for bedrooms, this renovated co-op occupies the ground floor and the floor below in a 23-foot-wide 1893 townhouse. The renovation has incorporated well-considered finishings throughout, and an open layout gives it a loft-like feel. The large lower level means there's lots of space to use for whatever you need most.
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Distinctive Homes

Borough president rejects plan for five-building luxury development in Harlem

Aerial view of the project; Credit: Davis Brody Bond

December 17, 2019

Borough president rejects plan for five-building luxury development in Harlem

A developer's plan to rezone a neighborhood in Central Harlem to make way for a mixed-use development hit another roadblock this week. Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer on Monday rejected a rezoning application filed by the Olnick Organization to construct five 28-story luxury towers and one mid-rise building located at the existing Lenox Terrace complex. In her recommendation, Brewer said the project lacks the "public and private investments necessary to make it a prudent exercise of planning for future growth."
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Policy

Snap a photo with the ‘2020’ New Year’s Eve sign in Times Square

Photo by Ian Hardy for Countdown Entertainment

December 16, 2019

Snap a photo with the ‘2020’ New Year’s Eve sign in Times Square

The new year has arrived in New York City...at least in numbers. Two seven-foot-tall numerals, the "2" and "0" in 2020, are currently on display in Times Square, offering the public a chance to snap a photo with the famous digits before they are placed on top of One Times Square. The 2020 signage sits below the crystal-filled New Year's Eve ball and will light up at midnight on December 31, marking the start of a new decade.
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Events & Things To Do

Practice your putting at this $3.65M Tribeca penthouse, featuring three outdoor spaces

Listing images by DDreps; courtesy of Compass

December 16, 2019

Practice your putting at this $3.65M Tribeca penthouse, featuring three outdoor spaces

This duplex at 73 Worth Street in Tribeca comes with three terraces, one of which has been converted into a private putting green. Despite boasting a true rarity, the unit has a history of being competitively priced in one of Manhattan’s most expensive neighborhoods: It last sold in 2010 for $2.475 million and is now seeking $3.650 million, making it the only four-bedroom with outdoor space currently available in Tribeca under $5 million.
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Distinctive Homes

Asking $50M, the Greenwich Village Milbank House is twice as wide as the average townhouse

Photo credit: Cary Horowitz for Brown Harris Stevens.

December 16, 2019

Asking $50M, the Greenwich Village Milbank House is twice as wide as the average townhouse

Between Russian-born billionaire Roman Abramovitch's three-townhouse Upper East Side combo, Sarah Jessica Parker's Village two-fer plans, and the many similar but less newsworthy grandiose schemes by modern-day moguls to collect and build dream castles, the mega-mansion may seem like a sign of 21st-century excess. But the practice has a long history, as evidenced by this 54.5-foot-wide Greenwich Village property at 11 West 10th Street that just hit the market for a trophy-level $50 million, which could set a townhouse record below 34th Street, according to the New York Times. Built by renowned architect Ernest Flagg in the early 1800s, the duo was combined in the early 1900s by investor Jeremiah Milbank, creating a 16,560-square-foot, L-shaped property surrounded by 5,690 square feet of private terrace. Today, it's been renovated from stem to stern and is ready to welcome a new decade's decadence.
Megamansion tour, this way

Distinctive Homes

Gramercy Park will open to the public on Christmas Eve for one hour

Photo by Sean Brady, courtesy of the Gramercy Park Block Association

December 13, 2019

Gramercy Park will open to the public on Christmas Eve for one hour

Photo by Sean Brady, courtesy of the Gramercy Park Block Association It's a Christmas Eve miracle. The gates to Gramercy Park will open to all for one hour on Dec. 24, the only time of year the public can enjoy the exclusive greenspace. The Gramercy Park Block Association on Friday confirmed to 6sqft that the private park between East 20th and East 21st Street will once again open from 6 p.m. and 7 p.m. for caroling this Christmas Eve. All other times of the year, the park is only accessible to residents with one of the 400 keys, provided to those who live in the 39 buildings surrounding the square.
What you need to know

Events & Things To Do

Announcing 6sqft’s 2019 Building of the Year!

Rendering via DBOX; frame via Pixabay

December 13, 2019

Announcing 6sqft’s 2019 Building of the Year!

By 6sqft

The votes have been tallied, and it’s time to name the 2019 Building of the Year! The winning title belongs to none other than Nomad's Madison House at 15 East 30th Street. The 62-story tower beat out 11 other significant NYC buildings, taking first place with 1,284 votes, 34% of the 3,823 total votes cast. Not only is the building the tallest in Nomad at 805 feet, but its sleek design from Handel Architects was done in a unique decagon shape that allows all of the 199 apartments to have column-free corners. Plus, Nomad is an ever-burgeoning neighborhood full of hip restaurants, plenty of transit options, and one of the city's greatest concentrations of fitness studios.
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NYC’s third $100M+ real estate deal closes at 220 Central Park South

Image courtesy of Vornado Realty Trust and Robert A.M. Stern Architects

December 13, 2019

NYC’s third $100M+ real estate deal closes at 220 Central Park South

A penthouse at 220 Central Park South has sold for $100 million to an undisclosed buyer, the Wall Street Journal reports. The Billionaire's Row transaction is only the third nine-figure deal to close in New York City, following hedge-fund executive Ken Griffin’s whopping $240 million purchase in the same building earlier this year (the most expensive home ever sold in the U.S.) and tech mogul Michael Dell’s $100.47 million penthouse at nearby One57, which closed in 2014.
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Real Estate Trends

December 12, 2019

Plans filed to replace historic Greenwich Village houses with a 244-foot luxury tower

Developer Madison Equities filed plans on Thursday to demolish two five-story buildings at 14-16 Fifth Avenue in favor of a 21-story, 244-foot luxury apartment tower. According to The Real Deal, Madison Equities bought the property with City Urban Realty in 2015 for $27.5 million and at the time cited plans to renovate the existing apartments. The buildings currently contain 20 units of “relatively affordable housing” while the proposed new building would comprise 18 “super-luxury” units. The Gothic Revival townhouses date back to 1848 and are landmarked within the Greenwich Village Historic District so the plans can only proceed with approval from the Landmarks Preservation Commission.
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Policy

December 11, 2019

Residents say Columbia’s plan for 34-story tower breaks promise to redevelop public school

Columbia University this week filed plans to build a 34-story residential building in Harlem, as the school continues its campus expansion into the neighborhood. According to documents filed with the city's Department of Buildings, the project at 600 West 125th Street, formerly home to a McDonald's, would measure just under 400 feet tall and contain 142 apartments. But as Gothamist reported on Wednesday, local residents argue the plan breaks a longstanding promise from the university to redevelop a public school at the site.
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For just under $1M, this smart little Lower East Side co-op has a private roof deck

Images courtesy of Halstead.

December 11, 2019

For just under $1M, this smart little Lower East Side co-op has a private roof deck

Images courtesy of Halstead. In addition to top-floor light and a never-be-bored location, this one-bedroom Lower East Side walk-up at 118 Suffolk Street has an added bonus: a compact spiral staircase that ascends to a lofted den, which in turn accesses a private roof deck. For that, plus high ceilings, exposed brick, and fabulous finishes, the co-op is asking $950,000.
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Distinctive Homes

See inside The Wing’s newest location in Bryant Park

Images by Tory Williams; courtesy of The Wing

December 11, 2019

See inside The Wing’s newest location in Bryant Park