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On Monday, after initially expressing concerns over City Council Speaker Corey Johnson's "Streets Master Plan," Mayor Bill de Blasio and the City Council came to an agreement over the bill, which passed yesterday. The sweeping $1.7 billion plan will require the city to build 250 miles of protected bike lanes and 150 miles of protected bus lanes. In addition, it will add one million square feet of pedestrian space over the first two years.
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Anish Kapoor’s bean sculpture at 56 Leonard Street will finally get installed

Rendering of Anish Kapoor sculpture at 56 Leonard St. © Anish Kapoor, 2017

October 31, 2019

Anish Kapoor’s bean sculpture at 56 Leonard Street will finally get installed

Tribeca's "Jenga Building," officially known as 56 Leonard Street, welcomed residents over two years ago, but one piece of the tower is still missing--the mirrored, bean-shaped sculpture by Anish Kapoor planned for the sidewalk outside its entrance. The sculptor is best known in the U.S. for his 2005 Cloud Gate installation in Chicago's Millenium Park, and his Tribeca piece, his first permanent work in New York City, will be a similar, smaller version of this. Back in March, we spotted a spray-painted installation guide for the sculpture outside 56 Leonard, but it's taken until now for the official word that the install will begin in November.
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Events & Things To Do

The Shed, the Whitney, and the Apollo join IDNYC’s free membership program

Photo by Ajay Suresh via Wikimedia Commons

October 31, 2019

The Shed, the Whitney, and the Apollo join IDNYC’s free membership program

Beginning in 2020, the list of 50+ cultural institutions offering free membership through the city's IDNYC program will grow to include the Apollo Theater, Jazz at Lincoln Center, National Sawdust, The Shed, and the Whitney Museum. Started in 2015 as a way to provide identification cards to those who may not otherwise have access, such as the homeless and undocumented immigrants, IDNYC now has more than 1.3 million cardholders (it's the country's largest municipal ID program) who have saved over $55 million on memberships, discounts, and other fees.
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For $50M, Demi Moore’s former San Remo penthouse has park views and famous neighbors

Photo credit: Evan Joseph courtesy of Douglas Elliman.

October 31, 2019

For $50M, Demi Moore’s former San Remo penthouse has park views and famous neighbors

Demi Moore may have sold her remarkable apartment in the San Remo at 145 Central Park West for $45 million in 2007–two years after first attempting to sell at a whopping $75M–but the rare penthouse in one of the venerable building's two beaux-arts towers is still a star. And the south tower triplex is for sale again, this time asking $50 million, the Wall Street Journal reports. As if the 8,000-square-foot sky mansion didn't have enough of its own cachet, neighbor Bono–who bought his apartment from Steve Jobs–can always add more. The seller is known only via the LLC “M2 Trust.”
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Designs revealed for Phillips auction house’s new home in 432 Park Avenue’s white cube base

Rendering by studioMDA

October 30, 2019

Designs revealed for Phillips auction house’s new home in 432 Park Avenue’s white cube base

British auction house Phillips will move its headquarters into the white cube base of the supertall at 432 Park Avenue next year. As first reported by the New York Post, architecture firm studioMDA has been tapped to design the 55,000-square-foot auction house and will replace the ground floor the existing space with a sunken mezzanine. The new Billionaires' Row spot will open in the summer of 2020.
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Architecture And Design

First and tallest tower in Manhattan West complex is now open

Image courtesy of James M Hooker / CTC Creative

October 30, 2019

First and tallest tower in Manhattan West complex is now open

The doors of One Manhattan West have officially opened. The Skidmore, Owings & Merrill-designed tower spans across 67 stories and 2.1 million square feet of office space, and at 995 feet, it’s the tallest building in the development. Located at the corner of Ninth Avenue and 33rd Street, the tower is the first building within Brookfield Properties’ eight-acre Manhattan West complex to open. It’s already 90 percent leased, with tenants including Accenture, the National Hockey League, Skadden Arps, and Slate.
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New Developments

City has repaired just two of 35 NYCHA developments damaged by Hurricane Sandy

Red Hook after Sandy; Photo by Michael Fleshman on Flickr

October 30, 2019

City has repaired just two of 35 NYCHA developments damaged by Hurricane Sandy

Seven years after Hurricane Sandy hit New York City, a majority of the city's public housing developments damaged by the storm have not been repaired. Of the 35 NYCHA complexes wrecked in 2012, totaling roughly 200 buildings, upgrades have been completed at just two of them, THE CITY reported Tuesday. The slow recovery at sites in Red Hook, Coney Island and the Lower East Side stems from a lack of federal funding and shady contracts.
Details here

This landmarked English Gothic Harlem church seeks a $6.25M buyer to create its next chapter

Photo credit: Matt Vacca courtesy of Compass.

October 30, 2019

This landmarked English Gothic Harlem church seeks a $6.25M buyer to create its next chapter

New York City's church conversions always draw interest and curiosity; whether they symbolize tranquility–or just offer a unique setting that often includes stained-glass windows with heavenly light and miles-high cathedral ceilings–they transcend the ordinary. This historic, landmarked Harlem church, built in 1897, is now on the market for $6.25 million. Home to the Greater Metropolitan Baptist Church since 1985, the building is zoned residential, so, according to the listing, it can become a single-family home. Built in the English Gothic style and first dedicated as St. Paul’s German Evangelical Lutheran Church, the house of worship is a reflection of the neighborhood's many layers of history. The listing calls on "sophisticated buyers and developers" to seize the chance to be responsible for the next chapter in the life of this neighborhood icon.
From 80-foot spires to a classic church basement

Distinctive Homes

This $3.75M co-op is an architect-designed masterpiece in a classic Village loft

$4M Prospect Heights penthouse has three bedrooms, a wraparound terrace, and views in every direction

For $950K, a condo with a terrace that puts the 'green' in Greenpoint

Lily Allen's Brooklyn townhouse is for sale for $8M

$22M Cobble Hill brownstone is five floors of architectural perfection, from the wine cellar to the rooftop deck

Asking $6.35M, this restored 1804 Tribeca townhouse is one of the last remaining homes from the period

Turn this $6.9M Brooklyn Heights three-family townhouse into an urban mansion with original details galore

This $585K Village studio makes a fine pied-à-terre in a fabulous neighborhood

World's highest duplex lists for $128M at Central Park Tower

$10.25M Chelsea condo atop Shigeru Ban's Metal Shutter Houses is everything a penthouse should be

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Soho loft from first ‘Real World’ season is back on the market for $6.8M

Listing images courtesy of Brown Harris Stevens

October 30, 2019

Soho loft from first ‘Real World’ season is back on the market for $6.8M

This iconic Soho loft at 565 Broadway comes with a storied past and a newly reduced price: $6.8 million. Located on the corner of Prince Street and Broadway, the building was originally designed by John Kellum as the headquarters of Ball, Black & Co, the top 19th-century jeweler before Tiffany’s. In 1992, the loft was the inaugural setting for MTV's first season of "The Real World." A few years later in 1995, sculptor Edwina Sandys—the granddaughter of Sir Winston Churchill—bought the duplex with her husband, architect Richard Kaplan, for $950,000, according to the New York Post. Originally listed in 2013 for $10.95 million, it's been on and off the market since.
Take a look around

Distinctive Homes

Photo by Alyson Lubow, courtesy of The Corcoran Group.

October 30, 2019

This $4M Bay Ridge home has a garage, a guest studio, a medical office, a mudroom and a sun porch

If you're a doctor, dentist or therapist, this Federal-style Bay Ridge home at 7600 Ridge Boulevard, asking $3.95 million, could make your daily commute a whole lot shorter, as the house is anchored by a medical professional's office at ground level. Even if there's no doctor in your house, there's income to be made on the space–along with the self-contained guest suite over the home's two-car garage. And you've still got a 6,000-square-foot Brooklyn mansion on a corner lot loaded with lovely decorative details and plenty of possibilities for living.
House tour, this way

Distinctive Homes

See inside SHoP’s slender supertall at 111 West 57th Street

The living room of the 43rd-floor unit; Photo by Peter Murdock

October 29, 2019

See inside SHoP’s slender supertall at 111 West 57th Street

The skinny skyscraper perfectly positioned over Central Park has officially topped out at 1,428 feet, becoming the world's second tallest residential building. Designed by SHoP Architects, 111 West 57th Street's super-slender frame allows each of the 46 full-floor and duplex condos to feel like a penthouse. In addition to the Billionaires' Row tower reaching its pinnacle height at 91 stories, new images released Tuesday provide a first look inside the residences, with 360-degree views of Manhattan and bold interiors conceived by Studio Sofield.
See inside the supertall

New Developments

The neighborhood of Mariner’s Harbor, near the wetlands in question. Image: Wikimedia cc.

October 29, 2019

State grants permit for developer to build BJ’s Wholesale Club on Staten Island wetlands

Despite opposition from residents and public officials, 18 acres of forest wetlands near Staten Island's north shore will be turned into a BJ's Wholesale Club, a gas station and a parking lot. Gothamist reports that the state has said it will issue a permit to allow the land's owner, real estate magnate Charles Alpert (operating as holding company Josif A. LLC), to destroy what activists say is an invaluable natural storm barrier in order for the project to move forward.
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New Developments

First new Delta concourse will open next week at LaGuardia Airport as part of $8B overhaul

Rendering of Terminal C, courtesy of the Governor’s Office

October 29, 2019

First new Delta concourse will open next week at LaGuardia Airport as part of $8B overhaul

It's been nearly a year since the first new gates and concourse opened at LaGuardia Airport, and now the second terminal is opening to passengers, announced Governor Cuomo today. Last year, Terminal B opened to serve Air Canada, American Airlines, Southwest Airlines, and United Airlines, along with a food hall and a plethora of modern amenities. Delta's Terminal C will start serving passengers on Monday, November 4th from one of its four new concourses. Not only will this terminal have floor-to-ceiling views of Citi Field and Flushing Bay, but it will also boast a slew of foodie options and tech-focused designs.
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Ahead of proposed rezoning, Gowanus gains five individual landmarks

Photos courtesy of LPC

October 29, 2019

Ahead of proposed rezoning, Gowanus gains five individual landmarks

The city's Landmarks Preservation Commission on Tuesday designated five properties in Gowanus as individual landmarks ahead of the neighborhood's impending rezoning. The buildings are architecturally significant examples of Brooklyn's industrial past with relationships to the Canal, according to the commission. "These buildings stand out in the neighborhood as tangible reminders of the rich history of the neighborhood and the Gowanus Canal," LPC Chair Sarah Carroll said. "They are all inherently connected to the manufacturing industries and institutions that developed around the canal in the late-19th and early-20th century."
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Policy

Stunning 1845 Brooklyn Heights townhouse transformed by The Brooklyn Home Company asks $14.5M

Listing images courtesy of Lindsay Barton Barrett/Douglas Elliman

October 29, 2019

Stunning 1845 Brooklyn Heights townhouse transformed by The Brooklyn Home Company asks $14.5M

Recently renovated by The Brooklyn Home Company, this 1845 Greek Revival townhouse in the Brooklyn Heights Historic District strikes a beautiful balance between historic details and modern design. The 8,250-square-foot residence at 81 Pierrepont Street is filled with ornate millwork, organic finishes, and lots of natural light. The turnkey property is seeking $14.5 million, making it one of the most expensive properties currently on the market in Brooklyn.
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Distinctive Homes

25,000 shoppers flocked to Brooklyn’s Wegmans Sunday for record opening day sales

Wegmans on opening day, photo credit: Steiner NYC

October 29, 2019

25,000 shoppers flocked to Brooklyn’s Wegmans Sunday for record opening day sales

Fans of the Rochester-based Wegmans grocery chain were waiting in the rain before sunrise on Sunday for the new Brooklyn Navy Yard store to open, the New York Times reports. According to a store spokeswoman, more than 25,000 shoppers arrived for the grand opening, breaking the store chain's record for opening day sales.
More Wegmania, this way

Photo by Matt Nelson on Unsplash

October 29, 2019

9 best dog breeds for NYC apartments

By Cait Etherington

Many New Yorkers live in spaces that barely appear large enough for their human occupants, but this doesn’t prevent them from adopting dogs of all breeds and sizes. By one estimate, there are more than half a million dogs in New York City (that’s more than the human population of Atlanta and most U.S. cities). To find out which dogs are best for NYC’s finicky indoor and outdoor environments, 6sqft reached out to Lauren McDevitt, the founder of Good Dog, which is, in essence, an online platform designed to promote responsible breeding and make it easier for people looking to adopt a dog to avoid scams. Ahead, McDevitt shares some tips for New Yorkers looking to adopt a canine companion and helps us put together a list of the best dog breeds for apartment dwellers (French Bulldogs, Boxers, and Golden Retrievers all made the cut!).
Check out the full list

Stuck in traffic? Blame the internet.

Driving from point A to point B in New York City is actually getting slower despite brand new bridges, tolls, congestion pricing, and public transportation options, and it has a lot to do with all the stuff we're ordering online. A recent story in the New York Times outlines how massive growth in online ordering from companies like Amazon has added a whole new layer to the delivery truck traffic and parked vehicles that clog city streets each day. But the real news may be the new layer of infrastructure that's being added to the city's economy in the form of "last mile" fulfillment centers to get it all to consumers overnight.
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Lottery launches for 57 low-income units for LGBT seniors across the street from Crotona Park

Photo via CC on Wikimedia

October 28, 2019

Lottery launches for 57 low-income units for LGBT seniors across the street from Crotona Park

Seniors who identify as LGBT often experience housing discrimination, but dozens of affordable openings at one of New York City's first subsidized developments targeted to this vulnerable population aim to create a different experience. Non-profit developer HELP USA partnered with advocacy group SAGE to create the mixed-use development at 775 Crotona Park North in the Bronx, which will combine low-income housing with an LGBT-oriented Senior Center on the ground floor. Starting Tuesday, individuals or households that have at least one household member who is 62 years of age or older and who qualify for Section 8 can apply for the 57 available units. Eligible residents will pay 30 percent of their income for rent.
Here's everything you need to know to apply

Affordable Housing

October 28, 2019

8 of New York City’s spookiest abandoned sites

By Lucie Levine

It often seems as if the jackhammer is the soundtrack to New York, as construction is a constant in this city. Given the frenetic pace of development in the five boroughs, it feels almost unbelievable that there are abandoned sites all over New York, left to go to seed as the steel skeletons of ever higher, newer, glassier structures rise around them. Here are eight of the most interesting abandoned sites in NYC, from the site of the city's first airport to a defunct freight line.
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History

Image: Business Wire

October 28, 2019

Yayoi Kusama’s ‘Love Flies Up to the Sky’ balloon to join Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade

Work by Yayoi Kusama, the celebrated contemporary artist who gave us those famous polka-dot pumpkins and insanely popular Infinity Rooms, will be brightening the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. The Japanese artist's creation, “Love Flies Up to the Sky,” will be part of the parade's Blue Sky Gallery, a series of balloons that reflect art from the world's best-known contemporary artists.
Inflatable art, this way

Events & Things To Do

Co-op in Nolita’s historic Astor Memorial School, featured in ‘Modern Love’ series, asks $3.5M

Listing images by Donna Dotan; courtesy of Compass

October 28, 2019

Co-op in Nolita’s historic Astor Memorial School, featured in ‘Modern Love’ series, asks $3.5M

Fans of Amazon’s popular Modern Love series will remember this co-op as the building where Anne Hathaway’s character lives in Episode 3. But architecture buffs may recognize that the striking Victorian Gothic structure was designed by none other than Calvert Vaux as the Astor Memorial School in the late 1880s. The parlor floor unit inside this landmarked building at 256 Mott Street has just listed for $3.5 million, offering the rare chance to own a truly historic residence with a prime Nolita address right across the street from Old St. Patrick’s Cathedral.
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Distinctive Homes

Images courtesy of The Corcoran Group.

October 28, 2019

Ample outdoor space and cozy pre-war interiors at this $949K Brooklyn Heights co-op

The intimate residential charm of the 19th-century Federal townhouse at 30 Remsen Street is immediately apparent even in the Brooklyn Heights neighborhood of picturesque row houses, starting with water views from the front stoop. This one-bedroom home, on the market for $949,000, has two choices in covetable Brooklyn outdoor space: a private back yard garden and a 55-foot mini-forest for residents of the nine-unit co-op building.
Get a closer look

Distinctive Homes

94 affordable units up for grabs in the South Bronx, from $748/month

Photo by Fletcher6 on Wikimedia

October 25, 2019

94 affordable units up for grabs in the South Bronx, from $748/month

Ninety-four newly constructed units are up for grabs at 985 Bruckner Boulevard in Woodstock, the Bronx. Non-profit Community Access worked with Think! Architecture and Design on the project, which spans across ten floors and 170,000 square feet and includes 215 residential units and a 70,300 square foot community facility. Qualifying applicants earning 60 percent of the area median income can apply for units that range from $748/month studios to $1,148/month two-bedrooms.
Here's everything you need to know

Affordable Housing

This $6M Norman Jaffe-designed waterfront home is a classic sculpture with views of the Hudson

Photo credit: Alon Koppel courtesy of Heather Croner Real Estate/Sotheby’s International Realty.

October 25, 2019

This $6M Norman Jaffe-designed waterfront home is a classic sculpture with views of the Hudson

Known for the "romantic modernist" residential architecture of so many iconic angular beach houses in the Hamptons, Norman Jaffe was a prolific architect who designed more than 600 projects during his 35-year career. Jaffe, who died in 1993, used passive solar design and lots of glass and wood in his striking waterfront homes. Built in 1993, the 12,980-square-foot residence at 1981 Broadway, asking $5.9 million, diverges a bit from his usual style. Set high on a bluff over the Hudson River surrounded by 20 acres of waterfront land in Ulster County, New York, the home's design refers to classic Greek architecture along with Jaffe's usual attention to natural light and shadow.
Tour this unforgettable waterfront home

After 16 years and $5B, New Jersey’s American Dream mall is now (partially) open

Renderings courtesy of Triple Five/ American Dream.

October 25, 2019

After 16 years and $5B, New Jersey’s American Dream mall is now (partially) open

Snag the Greenest Seat in Town: Gufram's 1972 Pratone Chair is Shaped Like a Patch of Grass

As 6sqft reported in July, the three-million-square-foot American Dream mega-mall with an indoor water park, amusement rides, and a ski slope adjacent East Rutherford, New Jersey's Met Life Stadium, had announced an October 25 opening. Now, after what may add up to $1 billion in taxpayer incentives, the mall that was formerly known as Xanadu is open, the New York Times reports. The opening may disappoint anyone waiting to shop: The property's owner, Canadian real estate firm Triple Five Group, says the mall's first phase consists of an ice-skating rink, a Nickelodeon amusement park, and regular "slime" shows–with the rest to come in subsequent "chapters."
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New Developments

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Everything you need to know about using a guarantor in NYC

15 quintessential NYC gifts for the New Yorker in your life

Raising chickens in NYC: Laws, tips, and everything else you need to know

Everything you need to know about affordable housing: applying, getting in, and staying put

10 best plants for apartment dwellers

New York City's best holiday markets of 2023

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The restoration of Keith Haring’s ‘Crack is Wack’ mural is now complete

Images courtesy of NYC Parks

October 25, 2019

The restoration of Keith Haring’s ‘Crack is Wack’ mural is now complete

After a couple of months of work, Keith Haring’s iconic “Crack is Wack” mural in East Harlem is now fully restored. As 6sqft previously reported, Haring painted the 16-foot by 26-foot mural on a handball court at East 128th Street and the Harlem River Drive in 1986 to draw attention to the crack cocaine epidemic. Composed with the artist’s signature kinetic figures and bold abstract forms, the piece has been celebrated as one of his most important works. It was refurbished and repainted by artists Louise Hunnicutt and William Tibbals, with support from the Keith Haring Foundation.
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October 25, 2019

PHOTOS: See the best costumes from this year’s Tompkins Square Park Halloween Dog Parade

By James and Karla Murray

Some were spooky, others political, all were adorable. The 29th annual Tompkins Square Park Halloween Dog Parade took place last Sunday, bringing together hundreds of New Yorkers and their furry friends from all over. While the parade is no longer really a parade nor held at Tompkins Square Park, the event remains one of the year's best. Photographers James and Karla Murray witnessed first hand the canine costumes and shared with 6sqft photos of the cutest and most creative choices, including the ultimate winners: two Yorkshire terries as Snoopy and the Red Baron.
More dressed-up pups this way

For $575K, this cute landmarked studio in the West Village is laid out like a one-bedroom

Listing images by DDReps; courtesy of Compass

October 25, 2019

For $575K, this cute landmarked studio in the West Village is laid out like a one-bedroom

Part of the Greenwich Village Historic District, this bright studio at 715 Washington Street is now on the market for a cool $575,000. The floor-through unit—previously configured as a one-bedroom—might be small in space but it's big on charm, with pre-war details including original hardwood floors, painted brick walls, built-in shelving, and a decorative fireplace in the sleeping area.
See inside

Distinctive Homes

Plan to honor historic black settlement Seneca Village with statue in Central Park faces backlash

Photo by Si B on Flickr

October 24, 2019

Plan to honor historic black settlement Seneca Village with statue in Central Park faces backlash

As part of the city's plan to diversify public art and recognize figures overlooked by history in New York City, Central Park is getting another statue, as the New York Times reports. The privately-funded monument will commemorate Seneca Village, the predominantly black community that was thriving until the 1850s in what became Central Park. Once again, however, the city's commemorative statue planning has fallen afoul of historians. The proposed structure won’t be located at the site of Seneca Village, which for nearly three decades stretched between West 83rd and 89th streets in Central Park. Instead, the monument’s home will be in the park, but 20 blocks to the north on 106th street.
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Studio with an elaborately carved fireplace and prime UWS location asks $529K

Listing images by Melanie Greene; courtesy of Compass

October 24, 2019

Studio with an elaborately carved fireplace and prime UWS location asks $529K

The main living area in this charming Upper West Side studio at 123 West 80th Street only adds up to 240 square feet, but within that are all the old-world details you could ask for. For starters, there’s that enormous carved wood fireplace with a mirror that will at least add the perception of more space. Other features include original parquet wood floors, an elegant chandelier, and carved south-facing windows with restored shutters. The unit was originally listed at the beginning of the month for $539,000 and just got a $10,000 cut on its asking price. The central location—just steps away from the American Natural History Museum—certainly contributes to that.
Take a look around

Distinctive Homes

Photo credit: Russ Ross courtesy of Compass.

October 24, 2019

This $275K Tudor City studio co-op is in one of the world’s first residential skyscrapers

Completed in 1929, Tudor Tower at 25 Tudor City Place in Murray Hill's Tudor City historic district was one of the world's first three residential skyscrapers. Asking $275,000, this studio is among the least expensive units in the landmarked prewar co-op complex.
See more of this small wonder

Distinctive Homes

Tickets on sale today for Edge, Hudson Yards’ 1,100-foot-high observation deck

Image courtesy of Related Oxford.

October 24, 2019

Tickets on sale today for Edge, Hudson Yards’ 1,100-foot-high observation deck

6sqft reported back in March that Hudson Yards had opened a reservation list to experience Edge, the observation platform perched at a record-setting 1,100 feet in the sky. Now you can officially buy tickets to the Western Hemisphere's highest outdoor sky deck. Visitors can gaze out on a 360-degree view of New York City's iconic skyline from the champagne bar, or peer down through a glass floor. The platform-in-the-clouds will open on March 11, 2020; you'll be able to sip cocktails or get a light bite at the 100th-floor bar or dine at Peak, the 101st-floor restaurant, café and event space.
Tickets and more this way

Uncategorized

‘Welcome’ sign will soon replace the iconic Watchtower sign in Brooklyn Heights

Rendering courtesy of Columbia Heights Associates

October 24, 2019

‘Welcome’ sign will soon replace the iconic Watchtower sign in Brooklyn Heights

The Brooklyn skyline will soon get a new sign to replace the iconic ‘Watchtower’ one that was put in place by the Jehovah’s Witnesses in 1970 and removed in 2017. The 15-foot-tall red sign crowned the building at 25-30 Columbia Heights for nearly five decades while the Jehovah’s Witnesses owned the campus, which served as their headquarters. The new sign will read ‘Welcome’ in similar red lettering and will be installed before the end of the month, as first reported by the New York Post.
More details

Uncategorized

Upper West Side favorite Boat Basin Cafe has permanently closed

Photo by WalkingGeek on Flickr

October 24, 2019

Upper West Side favorite Boat Basin Cafe has permanently closed

Another beloved New York City establishment has shuttered. The Boat Basin Cafe, a laid-back waterfront restaurant at the 79th Street marina, will not reopen for the season next year, Gothamist reported on Wednesday. The Upper West Side hangout announced its permanent departure in a Facebook post, citing a "local construction project" as the reason for the closure.
Another favorite gone

Food & Dining

Late architect I.M. Pei’s self-designed Sutton Place townhouse hits the market for $8M

Photos courtesy of Christie’s International Real Estate

October 24, 2019

Late architect I.M. Pei’s self-designed Sutton Place townhouse hits the market for $8M

Pritzker Prize-winning architect I.M. Pei passed away in May, leaving behind an unrivaled legacy that includes modern masterpieces such as the Louvre's glass pyramid in Paris and the National Gallery of Art's East Building in Washington D.C., as well as a slew of iconic projects here in NYC. His firm, Pei Cobb Freed & Partners, was based in New York City, where Pei also lived. For the past 45 years, he and his wife Eileen resided in a four-story townhouse at 11 Sutton Place, which has just been listed by Christie's International Real Estate for $8 million. Pei himself outfitted the home with appropriately stunning architectural features such as a spiral staircase, a geometric skylight, and a rear wall of windows to take advantage of the East River views.
Take the tour

Upper East Side duplex with an enchanting, Greek-inspired garden seeks $1.9M

Listing images by Alan Barry; courtesy of Compass

October 23, 2019

Upper East Side duplex with an enchanting, Greek-inspired garden seeks $1.9M

Around the corner from Madison Avenue at 42 East 73rd Street, this stylish Upper East Side duplex features a romantic, Greek-inspired garden complete with ionic columns and a variety of plantings. Inside, bronze columns frame an elegant living area on the first level, while the second floor provides a flexible guest suite or home office. The two-bedroom is seeking $1.895 million.
Take a look around

Distinctive Homes

400 bus stops in the Bronx to be cut as part of major network redesign

Photo by Adam Moreira on Wikimedia

October 23, 2019

400 bus stops in the Bronx to be cut as part of major network redesign

Four hundred local bus stops in the Bronx will be cut as part of a major system redesign, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority announced Tuesday. The large reduction is an attempt to speed up travel times by moving bus stops further apart, from an average of 882 feet to 1,092 feet between them. The new plan also brings two new local routes and an express route to the borough, providing commuters better peak-hour service between north Bronx and Midtown.
Details here

For $3.4M, this Dobbs Ferry Colonial has a terraced garden with a stone pool and grape arbor

Images courtesy of Houlihan Lawrence.

October 23, 2019

For $3.4M, this Dobbs Ferry Colonial has a terraced garden with a stone pool and grape arbor

Even in the Westchester County village of Dobbs Ferry, NY, the 4.2 acre Cricket Hill estate seems a world removed from modern life 20 miles away in New York City. The 6,000-square-foot stone and shingle country house is both characterful and updated for modern living, but the enchanted grounds, including a terraced walled garden, free-form pool and grape arbor, appear unaltered by time.
Tour the home and grounds

Distinctive Homes

Photo by subherwal on Flickr

October 23, 2019

Trump Organization removes president’s name from Central Park ice rinks

As New York City's many ice skating rinks start to open this month for the season, two Central Park arenas will debut a slightly updated look. The Trump Organization has removed President Donald Trump's name from Wollman Rink and Lasker Rink, marking the first time the business has voluntarily distanced itself from its owner, according to the Washington Post. City officials told the newspaper that the president's company informed them about the plan to remove the signage this past summer but provided no reason behind the change.
More here

Real Estate Trends

Now dubbed ‘Zero Irving,’ the contested Union Square tech hub releases new renderings

Renderings courtesy of RAL Development Services

October 23, 2019

Now dubbed ‘Zero Irving,’ the contested Union Square tech hub releases new renderings

The vision for a contested tech hub currently underway at 124 East 14th Street—the site of the former P.C. Richard & Son building—is coming into sharper focus. RAL Development Services released a new batch of renderings and rebranded the project with a new name, Zero Irving, presumably a nod to neighboring Irving Place. The 21-story building will include office space, a technology training center and incubator, co-working spaces, an event space, and a street-level food hall. The project broke ground over the summer and is slated for completion toward the end of 2020.
More details

New Developments

October 23, 2019

This year’s best NYC neighborhoods for Halloween trick-or-treating

October 31 brings New Yorkers of all sizes out of their crypts and crannies in search of treats and fun. This year, long-running favorite neighborhoods rise to the occasion once again, with a few recent additions. Trick-or-treating in the big city has its advantages: Apartment buildings can be like hitting the jackpot and friendly neighbors, stores, businesses and neighborhood events keep the little tricksters busy. Technology helps keep things safe and fun: Local-social site Nextdoor's annual trick-or-treat map is back; neighbors can add themselves to if they're handing out candy. Like so many other topics, New Yorkers love to argue over which neighborhoods offer the best bounty. Below are a few picks for the best treats.
Score more treats this Halloween

Will Midtown’s Lord & Taylor building be back on the market after multibillion-dollar WeWork bailout?

Photo courtesy of Lord & Taylor

October 23, 2019

Will Midtown’s Lord & Taylor building be back on the market after multibillion-dollar WeWork bailout?

The biggest news to surface in the turbulent waters of the WeWork saga may be the multibillion-dollar bailout and takeover by Japanese company SoftBank following a failed IPO and a company valuation that skidded from a reported $48 billion to $8 billion in a matter of months. And as part of a scramble for cash, the office space sublease and coworking disruptor has been expected to divest of the Lord & Taylor building at 424 Fifth Avenue; WeWork purchased the high-profile property–the former home of the department store's flagship location–with partners Rhone Capital and Hudson’s Bay for $850 million earlier this year. But, as Crain's reports, the company may be trying to lease the 660,000-square-foot property to high-paying office tenants as a way to raise the needed funds.
Will the building be back on the market soon?

Real Estate Trends

D.C.’s Newseum is closing, but it won’t give WTC Antenna to 9/11 Museum

Photo by Sagie / Flickr

October 22, 2019

D.C.’s Newseum is closing, but it won’t give WTC Antenna to 9/11 Museum

The Newseum in Washington D.C. will close for good at the end of this year due to financial issues, and when it does, it will put a piece of the World Trade Center antenna in storage instead of giving it to the 9/11 Memorial and Museum here in New York City, as Gothamist reports. The 360-foot television and radio antenna, which was located on the North Tower, has been part of the Newseum's September 11th exhibit since it opened at its current location in 2008.
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Events & Things To Do

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New renderings revealed for FXCollaborative-designed Brooklyn Music School expansion

Renderings courtesy of FXCollaborative

October 22, 2019

New renderings revealed for FXCollaborative-designed Brooklyn Music School expansion

The Brooklyn Music School has just announced plans for a new 20,000 square-foot facility as part of a 167,000 square-foot mixed-use development in the heart of the Brooklyn Cultural District. In addition to expanding the school’s existing facilities to meet growing demand, the FXCollaborative-designed project will also create 120 new residential units with 36 of those reserved for moderate-income households earning 70 to 100 percent of the area median income.
Details here

New Developments

All renderings courtesy of Gensler

October 22, 2019

New lobby renderings revealed for Phillip Johnson’s 550 Madison Avenue

It's been two years since developers unveiled their plans for a $300 million renovation of 550 Madison Avenue, helmed by architecture firm Snøhetta. Built in 1984 to the designs of Philip Johnson and John Burgee, the 647-foot building was the world’s first postmodern skyscraper. After several revisions, the renovation plans were approved by the LPC in February, and now, developer the Olayan Group has revealed the first renderings of the lobby. Most notably, the interior designs respect the 110-foot arched entryway and vaulted ceilings and add a window overlooking the proposed new public garden in the rear arcade.
More details ahead

Architecture And Design

Via CityRealty

October 22, 2019

City launches campaign to educate tenants on new rent reform laws

In June, New York state lawmakers passed landmark legislation to strengthen rent and tenant protections. Hoping to clear up any ambiguity over the new laws, Mayor Bill de Blasio is launching an ad campaign and new website to help renters understand their rights as well as hold landlords responsible. Starting Monday, ads will be displayed across subway stations, bus stops, local newspapers, small businesses, and Link kiosks until Dec. 15.
Learn more here

Policy

City seeks operator for long-planned memorial and cultural center at Harlem’s African burial ground site

Image of 126 Street Bus Depot courtesy of NYCEDC

October 22, 2019

City seeks operator for long-planned memorial and cultural center at Harlem’s African burial ground site

The city’s Economic Development Corporation (EDC) is now accepting bids for the long-planned redevelopment of the East 126th Street Metropolitan Transportation Authority Bus Depot into a memorial and cultural education center honoring the historic African burial ground found in the early 2000s at the site. In collaboration with the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs, the EDC has released a request for expressions of interest looking for a non-profit organization to operate the cultural center and outdoor memorial in Harlem.
More details

Uncategorized

City approves design for Central Park’s first statue of women

A 1/3 size clay model of the statue; Photo by Michael Bergmann

October 22, 2019

City approves design for Central Park’s first statue of women