Did you know NYC’s only surviving cycling track is in Flushing?

1964 US Olympic Trials at Kissena Velodrome. From page 47 of “30 years of progress, 1934-1964 : Department of Parks : 300th anniversary of the City of New York : New York World’s Fair.” (1964). Via Internet Archive Book Images on Flickr

March 22, 2019

Did you know NYC’s only surviving cycling track is in Flushing?

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From the late 1890s through the 1920s, tens of thousands of New Yorkers turned out to witness the high drama of competitive bicycle speed racing. In New York, there were Velodromes (cycling tracks) at Coney Island, in the Bronx, and even at the original Madison Square Garden, where grueling six-day races called “Madisons” pushed riders to their limits. The sport fell prey to the Depression, and today there are just 26 Velodromes in the United States, including one in New York City, the Kissena Velodrome in Flushing’s Kissena Park, known to Velodrome enthusiasts as “the Track of Dreams.”
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Lower East Side residents sue city to stop development of Two Bridges ‘megatowers’

Rendering via Handel Architects

March 22, 2019

Lower East Side residents sue city to stop development of Two Bridges ‘megatowers’

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A group of Lower East Side residents on Friday filed a lawsuit against New York City to stop three luxury developments planned for Two Bridges. The residents, who are being represented by the Lower East Side Organized Neighbors (LESON) and the Asian-American Legal Defense Fund, argue the new skyscrapers violate zoning rules meant to protect against out-of-scale development (h/t Bowery Boogie).
Learn more
Discover Prospect Park through these interactive, guided tours

Image via Flickr

March 22, 2019

Discover Prospect Park through these interactive, guided tours

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With the weather finally warming up, there’s no better time to plan your spring and summer weekend excursions. In partnership with the Prospect Park Alliance, Turnstile Tours is offering a range of walking tours this season, exploring the history, architecture, and nature of the iconic park (h/t Brownstoner). New and seasoned visitors of the park alike will be able to discover hidden treasures, little-known tales, and learn about the Alliance’s new facilities and ongoing conservation efforts.
More info
This $3.2M Tribeca loft in a former coconut factory has polish and poise
March 22, 2019

This $3.2M Tribeca loft in a former coconut factory has polish and poise

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Designed by noted architect Stephen Decatur Hatch, the classic loft building at 165 Duane Street, now a boutique co-op residence, was built in 1882 as coconut processing and packaging factory. This Tribeca loft retains the foundation of its industrial past with exposed wooden beams and columns and 14 windows, yet this three-bedroom home set high above Duane Park has the polished appearance of a classic Manhattan co-op. Asking $3.195 million, the loft has been fully renovated, adding modern convenience and considered design choices in fixtures and finishes.
Take a tour
MTA chooses consultant to oversee L train tunnel project

Via Flickr

March 22, 2019

MTA chooses consultant to oversee L train tunnel project

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The Metropolitan Transportation Authority has chosen a consultant to oversee the reconstruction of the 100-year-old L train tunnel, the Wall Street Journal reported Thursday. The agency tapped JMT of NY Inc. to review construction timelines and safety and environmental concerns for the never-been-done-before project. After Gov. Andrew Cuomo intervened earlier this year, the MTA revised its original Carnasie Tunnel repair plan to not require the L train to shut down for 15 months, but instead have construction work take place on nights and weekends. But the $1.2 million contract--which must be approved by the MTA board next week--does not include a review of the feasibility of the updated L train plan before construction is set to begin on April 27.
More here
For $1.4M, this Upper West Side two-bedroom blends old-world charm with sleek, modern lines

Listing photos by Travis Mark

March 22, 2019

For $1.4M, this Upper West Side two-bedroom blends old-world charm with sleek, modern lines

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This floor-through two-bedroom on the Upper West Side melds the old and the new in one of the city's most coveted neighborhoods. Located in a boutique townhouse at 121 West 80th Street, the $1,395,000 co-op was recently renovated and decked out with marble accents and top-of-the-line amenities to bring modern comforts into the home. But its old-world charm still comes through in the restored moldings and millwork. 
Take a look inside
Riders of the 3, 4, 6, and L trains luck out this weekend—most other lines will get significant service changes

Image via Flickr cc

March 22, 2019

Riders of the 3, 4, 6, and L trains luck out this weekend—most other lines will get significant service changes

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While there are no planned changes for the 3, 4, 6, and L trains this weekend, most other lines are not so lucky. The M isn't running between Queens and Manhattan, the J continues to take a break between Brooklyn and Queens, and there will be a significant amount of skipped stops across the board. Check out the full damage below.
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New proposal turns the BQE’s triple cantilever into a three-level linear park

Rendering by Kameny Design and Taylor Davenport, courtesy of Mark Baker

March 21, 2019

New proposal turns the BQE’s triple cantilever into a three-level linear park

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A longtime Brooklyn resident is offering his own innovative solution to fix the Brooklyn Queens Expressway. Mark Baker's proposal involves transforming the BQE's triple cantilever into the "Tri-Line," a three-tiered park that extends from Brooklyn Bridge Park. Modeled after Manhattan's High Line, the Tri-Line parks would measure 1,880 feet long and include gardens, seating, walking paths, and bike lanes. As the Brooklyn Eagle reported, cars and trucks would be rerouted along a new highway on Furman Street, preserving the Brooklyn Heights Promenade and adding eight acres of park space in the process.
See the proposal
13 places in Greenwich Village where the course of history was changed

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the designation of the Greenwich Village Historic District.  One of the city’s oldest and largest landmark districts, it’s a treasure trove of rich history, pioneering culture, and charming architecture. Village Preservation will be spending 2019 marking this anniversary with events, lectures, and new interactive online resources, including a celebration and district-wide weekend-long “Open House” starting on Saturday, April 13 in Washington Square.  Check here for updates and more details. This is part of a series of posts about the Greenwich Village Historic District marking its golden anniversary.

March 21, 2019

13 places in Greenwich Village where the course of history was changed

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It’s not that often you can pinpoint a time and place and say the course of history was forever changed as a result of it. It’s even less common for such a thing to happen over and over again in one small neighborhood. But from its earliest days, Greenwich Village is where history has been made, much of it within the Greenwich Village Historic District, which lies at its heart. Here are a baker’s dozen of such events located within those one hundred blocks, from the first free black settlement in North America and the birth of the modern LGBT rights movement to the first museum dedicated to contemporary American art and the publication of "The Autobiography of Malcolm X."
All the history right this way

Distinctive Homes

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Lottery opens for 149 units at amenity-packed new construction in the Bronx, from $462 a month

Rendering courtesy of The Wilfrid

March 21, 2019

Lottery opens for 149 units at amenity-packed new construction in the Bronx, from $462 a month

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Rendering courtesy of The Wilfrid 149 affordable units are becoming available at a newly constructed building in the East Tremont neighborhood of the Bronx. Located at 4181 3rd Avenue and 1888 Bathgate Avenue, the rental building, known as The Wilfrid, offers an impressive menu of amenities including an on-site resident super, a virtual doorman, an outdoor terrace, a fitness room, a residents' lounge in each tower, laundry, parking and bicycle storage. Qualifying applicants earning 40, 50, 60, 90 and 110 percent of the area median income can apply for units that range from a $462/month studio to a $2,136/month three-bedroom.
Find out how to apply
Live next to Sarah Jessica Parker in the West Village for $28.6M

Photo of Sarah Jessica Parker via Wikimedia; 271 West 11th Street via Leslie J. Garfield

March 21, 2019

Live next to Sarah Jessica Parker in the West Village for $28.6M

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A mansion on an affluent block in the West Village hit the market this week for $28.6 million. Located at 271 West 11th Street, the property sits next to "Sex and the City" star Sarah Jessica Parker and actor Matthew Broderick's two townhouses, which are currently being combined into a megamansion. Other A-list New Yorkers on the block, which stretches between West 4th and Bleecker, include Chipotle founder Steve Ells, Liv Tyler, and Sprint CEO Marcelo Claure, Curbed NY noted.
Take a tour
$1.75M Gramercy co-op feels Parisian but comes with keys to NYC’s most exclusive park

Listing photos by Elizabeth Dooley, Dooley Images; Staging by Jason Saft from StagedToSell LLC

March 21, 2019

$1.75M Gramercy co-op feels Parisian but comes with keys to NYC’s most exclusive park

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Originally built in 1883, Manhattan's first co-op at 34 Gramercy Park East was described as “a craggy, mysterious red brick and red terra-cotta pile whose Queen Anne forms are among the city's most spectacular," in the 1988 AIA Guide to New York. A rare listing in the nine-unit building has just hit the market for $1,750,000, and it comes with a coveted set of keys to Gramercy Park. The two-bedroom unit features beautiful original moldings, wood floors, a decorative fireplace, and exposed brick accents.
Take a look inside
Sales at Zaha Hadid’s High Line condo lag despite high hopes and hype

Image: Flickr cc

March 21, 2019

Sales at Zaha Hadid’s High Line condo lag despite high hopes and hype

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Developer Related Companies' high-profile condominium at 520 West 28th Street, designed by the late Pritzker Prize-winning architect Zaha Hadid, launched sales in 2015 to a flurry of hype and hubris. The highly-anticipated West Side residence was Hadid's first ground-up structure in New York City, offering homes that ranged from $4,950,000 to a $50 million penthouse. Crains reports that since that glittering launch, though, only 16 of the building's 39 units have sold, calling the offering "a rare bust." The sales figures reflect about a 40 percent sell-through that looks even lower when square footage is considered: The building's biggest units remain unclaimed, including its three penthouses. Of the 16 apartments that have sold, 14 were bought in 2017. Only two units sold in 2018, and none so far this year.
Will Hudson Yards bring more buyers?
Self-driving shuttle service is coming to the Brooklyn Navy Yard

Brooklyn Navy Yard via Optimus 

March 21, 2019

Self-driving shuttle service is coming to the Brooklyn Navy Yard

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Self-driving vehicles are officially coming to New York City this year. The Boston-based startup Optimus Ride announced on Wednesday plans to deploy a fleet of autonomous shuttle vans to the Brooklyn Navy Yard, a 300-acre site in the midst of transforming from a World War II-era warship site to a modern tech-hub. When it launches in the second quarter of this year, the self-driving program will be the first of its kind in New York, according to the company.
Learn about it here
Trump sells a $2.9M Central Park South condo to an undisclosed buyer

Via Wikimedia

March 20, 2019

Trump sells a $2.9M Central Park South condo to an undisclosed buyer

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President Donald Trump this month sold a $2.9 million condo at his Central Park South building to an unknown buyer, Forbes reported Tuesday. According to public documents, the deal between the Trump Organization and an entity called Koctagon LLC occurred on March 8 for an apartment at Trump Parc East, an 79-unit building next to the south end of Central Park. A limited liability company, or LLC, is typically used to protect the identity of the buyer.
Get the details
Walt Whitman’s New York City: 10 sites where the poet left his mark

Walt Whitman (1881) courtesy of Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Smithsonian Institution

March 20, 2019

Walt Whitman’s New York City: 10 sites where the poet left his mark

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In his famous 1856 Poem, “Crossing Brooklyn Ferry,” Walt Whitman writes to future New Yorkers, “I am with you, you men and women of a generation, or ever so many generations hence, just as you feel when you look on the river and the sky, so I felt,…I too lived, Brooklyn of ample hills was mine, I too walk’d the streets of Manhattan Island.” Whitman, who so deeply captured the experience of living in this city, left his mark not only on Brooklyn and Manhattan, but also on the world as the father of free verse poetry, and one of America’s greatest artists. Since this year marks Whitman’s 200th birthday, we're joining the ongoing celebration of his life and work by returning to the streets he walked, following in his footstep to 10 sites across New York associated with the poet.
Walk With Whitman
Find your favorite spring blooms in Central Park with a map and interactive guide

Background image: Shinya Suzuki via Flickr

March 20, 2019

Find your favorite spring blooms in Central Park with a map and interactive guide

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Spring is officially here, and there's no better place to confirm the good news than Central Park, where the season brings a burst of color to every corner of the park's 840 acres. Warmer weather brings beautiful blooms and a flurry of activities and events along with photogenic landscapes. The park's Spring Guide has all you need to know about the park's prettiest places to visit; a handy map points out where the blooms are, and you can search for your favorites and learn more about them. There are also events for families, Conservancy members and the general public that will help you make the best of the season's beauty.
Where the blooms are, this way
Walnut finishes throughout this $3.1M Nomad loft combine glamour and utility
March 20, 2019

Walnut finishes throughout this $3.1M Nomad loft combine glamour and utility

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This four-bedroom loft in Park Avenue South Tower, a 1920's Art Deco industrial building that was converted to co-op loft apartments in 1980, just hit the market for a cool $3,100,000. The beautifully renovated corner unit boasts eleven large windows, beamed ceilings, hardwood floors throughout, and custom walnut cabinetry and storage built-ins that bring a mid-century glam vibe to the residence.
Look around
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A hotel in Long Island City will be converted into a ‘short stay’ co-living spot

Via The Collective

March 20, 2019

A hotel in Long Island City will be converted into a ‘short stay’ co-living spot

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London-based communal living company The Collective has purchased a hotel in Long Island City with plans to convert the building into a space for co-living. The Paper Factory Hotel, located at 37-06 36th Street near the Astoria border, will be transformed into a space for "short-stay" co-living, which the company says will give members more flexibility in the length of their stay. The first phase of the conversion adds cultural and educational space to the building's ground floor; the second phase adds 100 more bedrooms to the hotel's existing 125 rooms.
More this way
The sordid, surreal, and spectacular history of Coney Island’s Elephant Hotel

“Elephant Bazar Coney Island,” NYPL Wallach Division Picture Collection via NYPL Digital Collections

March 19, 2019

The sordid, surreal, and spectacular history of Coney Island’s Elephant Hotel

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When Coney Island burst on the scene in the 1880s as “the People’s Playground,” becoming the last word in bawdy beachfront pleasure, every attraction was larger than life. But no attraction was as large as the “Elephantine Colossus,” a 12-story, 31-room, elephant-shaped hotel, stationed at Surf Avenue and West 12th Street. The elephant was a tin-clad wooden structure rising 150 feet high, and it was unlike any other elephant in the world: The animal’s forelegs featured a tobacco shop, its left lung was home to a museum, and visitors to the “cheek room” could look out of the elephant eyes to the ocean beyond.
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$8M Soho loft includes two units, no tax or co-op fees and a share of commercial rent
March 19, 2019

$8M Soho loft includes two units, no tax or co-op fees and a share of commercial rent

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$7.995 million might seem steep for this grand 3,600-square-foot cast iron loft at 148 Greene Street, but the Soho co-op property comes with some great perks in addition to keyed elevator access, 13-foot ceilings, and 12 massive windows. First, the space contains two units, giving you the flexibility to use it for live/work purposes or reconfigure it for one sprawling full-floor home. More benefits: There are no tax or maintenance fees. Also, owners in the building benefit from proceeds of the commercial lease space on the ground floor.
More loft loveliness, this way
Jersey City wants to open a High Line-style park

Sketch by Richard La Rovere courtesy of the Journal Square Community Association

March 19, 2019

Jersey City wants to open a High Line-style park

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A Jersey City community association wants to turn an abandoned rail cut into a 17-acre High Line-style park. The Journal Square Community Association is proposing turning what used to be the Erie Railroad's four-track cut through the Palisades into a public park. Better known as the Bergen Arches, the historic rail-cut borders Journal Square and opened in 1910, but has not been in use since the late 1950s. Since then, the Bergen Arches has become an overgrown wooded area in the expanding Journal Square neighborhood.
Details this way
Two-thirds of voters say losing Amazon deal was bad for New York

Image via NYCEDC

March 19, 2019

Two-thirds of voters say losing Amazon deal was bad for New York

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According to a new poll conducted by the Siena College Research Institute, nearly two-thirds of New York state registered voters think Amazon’s decision to cancel its plans for a second headquarters in Queens was bad for New York. Sixty-one percent of the people who were polled say they would approve of the deal—in which Amazon would receive up to $3 billion in state and city incentives and create up to 25,000 jobs—if the company were to reconsider. The results are clear: “While some may have celebrated Amazon’s announcement to pull the plug, the vast majority of New Yorkers of every stripe thought it was bad for the Empire State,” said Siena College pollster Steven Greenberg.
More info
IKEA’s Upper East Side location opens on April 15

Rendering via IKEA

March 19, 2019

IKEA’s Upper East Side location opens on April 15

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IKEA is finally coming to Manhattan next month. The Swedish furniture store announced Tuesday it will open a new Upper East Side location on April 15. Located at 999 Third Avenue, the IKEA Planning Studio will be delivery-only, with solutions tailored for city living and small spaces. "We conducted extensive research about city living, and we believe New Yorkers will see their needs reflected this new concept," Leontyne Greene Sykes, the CEO of IKEA Retail, said. The Planning Studio is the first of its kind in the United States.
Get the details
Affordable housing wait list opens for Mitchell-Lama apartments in Harlem, from $741/month

Google Street View of Bethune Towers

March 19, 2019

Affordable housing wait list opens for Mitchell-Lama apartments in Harlem, from $741/month

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A lottery for waiting list spots for Mitchell-Lama rental apartments in Bethune Towers at 650 Lenox Avenue is about to open for New York state residents. Rents range from $741 for a studio to $1,215 for a one-bedroom unit. Preference will be given to documented veterans who are selected in the lottery. The deadline to apply for all is April 2, 2019. Some apartments in the building have balconies and views of the Harlem River and the 145th Street Bridge, and the 3 subway is only a few blocks away.
Find out more about Mitchell-Lama and how to apply
$2.8M from Met admission fees will be allocated to 175 NYC cultural organizations

Image via Pexels

March 19, 2019

$2.8M from Met admission fees will be allocated to 175 NYC cultural organizations

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When the Metropolitan Museum of Art announced it would start charging non-New Yorkers $25 for admission and waive its pay-what-you-wish policy for the first time since 1970, most people reacted with disapproval. But there was an under-the-radar benefit to this new policy: The Met agreed to share a portion of the new revenue from admission fees with the city, to be used by the Department of Cultural Affairs in support of the CreateNYC plan. A year after the admission fees went into effect, the de Blasio administration has announced that $2.8 million in additional funding will be allocated to over 175 cultural organizations in underserved communities throughout the five boroughs.
More info
113 chances to live beachfront in Far Rockaway, from $331/month

Courtesy of Curtis + Ginsberg Architects

March 18, 2019

113 chances to live beachfront in Far Rockaway, from $331/month

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A lottery launched this week for 113 mixed-income apartments in Edgemere, a beach-front neighborhood just outside of Far Rockaway in Queens. Designed by Curtis + Ginsburg, the eight-story building meets passive house certification by utilizing a geo-thermal cooling and heating system with a resilient, flood-proof design. Qualifying New Yorkers earning 30, 40, 50, 60 and 100 percent of the area median income can apply for the available units at 45-19 Rockaway Beach Boulevard, which range from a $331/month studio to a $1,910/month three-bedroom.
Find out if you qualify

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Dining guide: Where to eat and drink at Hudson Yards
March 18, 2019

Dining guide: Where to eat and drink at Hudson Yards

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The food offerings at Hudson Yards are among the biggest draws of the new neighborhood, bringing restaurants from acclaimed chefs like Thomas Keller, David Chang, Estiatorio Milos, and more, alongside Chef José Andrés’ Mercado Little Spain, a 35,000-square-foot Spanish food hall. The restaurants at the development were carefully co-curated by Chef Thomas Keller and Kenneth Himmel and will feature every type of dining experience you could want, from coffee to cocktails, to grab-and-go salads and lavish dinners. Below, check out a guide to everything that's already opened and more soon to come.
Hope you're hungry
Lou Reed archive opens at New York Public Library, complete with special edition library card

Image courtesy of NYPL.

March 18, 2019

Lou Reed archive opens at New York Public Library, complete with special edition library card

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The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, located in Lincoln Center, has just announced that the Lou Reed Archive is open to the public. The archive documents the life and history of the musician, composer, poet, writer, photographer and tai-chi student through his own extensive collection of papers, photographs, recordings and other materials that span Reed's creative life starting with his 1958 Freeport High School band, the Shades, right up to his last performances in 2013. In addition, the archive's opening is being celebrated with a special edition library card as well as a display of items in the collection and more events.
Find out more
Photos you take of the Vessel at Hudson Yards do not belong to you

Photo © James and Karla Murray for 6sqft

March 18, 2019

Photos you take of the Vessel at Hudson Yards do not belong to you

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Update 3/19/19: Related Companies will revise the language of its terms and conditions after facing backlash for its peculiar photo policy regarding the Vessel, Bloomberg reported Monday. "The intent of the policy is to allow Hudson Yards to amplify and reshare photos already shared on individual social channels through our website and social channels," a spokesperson told Bloomberg. New York City's latest landmark is fit for Instagram, its bronzed steel and concrete perfectly popping in photographs against its glassy super tall neighbors. But to take photos of the free and public centerpiece of Hudson Yards, known as the "Vessel," isn't actually so free. According to the terms and conditions for the sculpture, written by Hudson Yards developer Related Companies and found online, photos and video footage taken of the Vessel belong to the company, not the photographer.
More here
Westbeth reopens highly coveted waitlist for artist’s housing, starting at $900/month

Photo via Wiki Commons

March 18, 2019

Westbeth reopens highly coveted waitlist for artist’s housing, starting at $900/month

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Nearly 50 years ago, the old Bell Telephone Laboratories building at 55 Bethune Street in the Far West Village was converted to affordable live/work housing for artists, courtesy of a young, then-unknown architect named Richard Meier. Because of the building's prime Hudson River-front location, storied creative past, and collection of 384 units--most of which feature open, loft layouts and high ceilings perfect for a working artist--Westbeth Artists Housing has become one of the most coveted addresses in NYC. For the first time since 2007, the community has reopened its waitlist for working artists and their families. The annual income range starts at $69,445 for one person to $114,950 for a six-person household, and the units go from $900/month studios to $2,400/month three-bedrooms.
All the details
PHOTOS: See inside Hudson Yards’ climbable ‘Vessel’
March 18, 2019

PHOTOS: See inside Hudson Yards’ climbable ‘Vessel’

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The long-awaited Hudson Yards development opened on Friday and with it, the centerpiece of the 28-acre project: a 150-foot-tall climbable public art piece, known as "Vessel." Designed by Thomas Heatherwick, the impressive bronzed steel-and-concrete structure offers visitors a one-mile vertical climbing experience through 154 interconnected flights of stairs and 2,500 individual steps. On Friday, 6sqft joined the first group of people to ever climb the honeycomb-shaped sculpture. Ahead, get up close to the intricately-designed Vessel and learn how to reserve tickets to climb it.
See inside the sculpture
After seven years of construction, Hudson Yards is now OPEN
March 15, 2019

After seven years of construction, Hudson Yards is now OPEN

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It's been nearly two decades since city officials began plans and rezonings for Manhattan's West Side Yards and seven years since construction began on the selected $20 billion project, Hudson Yards. And as of today, the largest private development in the nation is officially open to the public. New Yorkers can visit the public squares and gardens, the one-million-square-foot shops and restaurants, and probably most anticipated, the Vessel, the 150-foot-tall, climbable public art piece. Ahead, watch a time-lapse video of the 28-acre development under construction and learn more about what's open and what's yet to come.
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Proposed 40-story tower in Downtown Brooklyn gets City Council approval

Rendering of 570 Fulton Street via Slate Property Group

March 15, 2019

Proposed 40-story tower in Downtown Brooklyn gets City Council approval

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The New York City Council this week voted to approve a proposed 40-story building in Downtown Brooklyn, adding to the slew of new high-rises coming to the historically low-slung neighborhood. According to the Brooklyn Eagle, the council voted to approve zoning measures that permit Slate Property Group to build at 570 Fulton Street. With council approval, the 200,000-square-foot mixed-use building will move on to Mayor Bill de Blasio's desk next, despite concerns from the local community board.
More here
WeWork Food Labs will open in West Chelsea to support innovative food-related startups

A rendering of the WeWork Food Labs space. Image courtesy of WeWork.

March 15, 2019

WeWork Food Labs will open in West Chelsea to support innovative food-related startups

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Coworking, office space leasing (and everything else) company WeWork has launched its second "innovation lab." WeWork Food Labs intends to nurture early-stage startups focused on the future of food. Food Labs will offer dedicated space, community, and programming to entrepreneurs who are tackling challenges in food-related industries from hospitality, consumer goods and kitchen appliances to supply chain management, agricultural technology, distribution software, robotics and more, all of which are apparently very much in need of innovation. A flagship New York City location will open in late 2019 at 511 West 25th Street adjacent to the High Line in West Chelsea.
Find out more
Court rules against the 668-foot tower already rising at 200 Amsterdam Avenue

Rendering of 200 Amsterdam Avenue via SJP Properties/ Elkus Manfredi

March 15, 2019

Court rules against the 668-foot tower already rising at 200 Amsterdam Avenue

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A state Supreme Court ruling on Thursday overruled the city’s decision to allow a permit for 200 Amsterdam Avenue, the controversial Upper West Side condo project that has been challenged by community groups and elected officials because of its oddly-shaped, gerrymandered lot. As Crain’s reports, the Board of Standards and Appeals, which approved the project last year, has been ordered to go back to the drawing board and re-evaluate the permit for the project led by developers SJP Properties and Mitsui Fudosan, who have already started construction at the 69th Street site.
More info
Photo exhibit shows 10 years of subway cars dropped in the Atlantic Ocean to become artificial reefs

Air Break, 2008. Photo by Stephen Mallon.

March 15, 2019

Photo exhibit shows 10 years of subway cars dropped in the Atlantic Ocean to become artificial reefs

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By now you may have seen Stephen Mallon’s mind-bending photo series showing thousands of decommissioned NYC subway cars being tossed into the Atlantic Ocean. The MTA initiative was undertaken more than 10 years ago with the goal of creating artificial reefs that would support sea life along the eastern seabed. The amazing photo series, briefly on view at NYU’s Kimmel Galleries, documented the train cars being heaved into the briny deep from Delaware to South Carolina over three years. Now, a new exhibit, "Sea Train: Subway Reef Photos by Stephen Mallon," opening March 20th at the New York Transit Museum’s Grand Central Gallery, features 19 large-format photographs that capture the iconic subway cars, dropped like toy trains from hulking barges as they're being deployed as sea-life-sustaining artificial reefs,
More amazing photos and their story, this way
This $3.3M Upper East Side penthouse is wrapped with terraces and classic casement windows
March 15, 2019

This $3.3M Upper East Side penthouse is wrapped with terraces and classic casement windows

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This two-bedroom penthouse at 205 East 69th Street in the Upper East Side certainly has no dark side: The apartment's walls are lined with pre-war Deco-style casement windows and doors, just outside which you'll find spacious wrap-around terraces in every direction. Asking $3,295,000, this uptown oasis has cultural bragging rights as well: It was the New York City home of developer, preservationist and visionary David Wolkowsky, who is considered to be the most important transformational influence in modern-day Key West, Fla., and credited with creating the island's reputation as a quirky bohemian oasis and tourist destination. Wolkowsky, who was known as "Mr. Key West," passed away last year at the age of 99.
See what's outside all those fabulous windows
Everything you need to know about Saturday’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade: Route, street closings, and more

Image via Flickr

March 15, 2019

Everything you need to know about Saturday’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade: Route, street closings, and more

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The city will soon be looking very green as 150,000 marchers and two million spectators come together for the annual St. Patrick's Day parade. Bagpipers, marching bands and more will make their way from Midtown to the Upper East Side, as the oldest and largest St. Patrick’s Day Parade in the world celebrates its 257th year. This year's parade will take place on Saturday, the day before St. Patrick's Day, because March 17 falls on a Sunday. Read on for more details, how to avoid traffic, and how public transit will be affected.
Know before you go
Step back in time in this charming row house on Washington Heights’ Sylvan Terrace, asking $1.5M
March 14, 2019

Step back in time in this charming row house on Washington Heights’ Sylvan Terrace, asking $1.5M

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The quaint row houses of landmarked Sylvan Terrace are tucked away on one of the city’s “secret” streets in Washington Heights, which used to be the carriage drive to the Morris-Jumel Mansion, the oldest house in Manhattan where General George Washington held a temporary headquarters during the Revolutionary War. Residences on the charming street rarely become available, but the three-bedroom at 14 Sylvan Terrace just hit the market for $1,589,000. With plenty of original details, including two fireplaces, pocket doors, and period hardwood floors, here’s a chance to experience “romance from another era,” as the listing describes.
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223 mixed-income units available at new South Bronx rental, from $389/month

Rendering via L+M Development

March 14, 2019

223 mixed-income units available at new South Bronx rental, from $389/month

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A housing lottery has just launched for 223 mixed-income apartments in the new South Bronx building located at 1520 Story Avenue, known as Story Avenue West. The rental building is one of two new structures at the site, part of the Lafayette-Boynton residential complex in the Soundview neighborhood, developed by Nelson Management Group and L+M Development Partners. Qualifying New Yorkers earning 30, 50, 60, 90 and 110 percent of the area median income can apply for the units, which range from $389/month studios to $2,066/month three-bedrooms.
Find out how to apply
De Blasio unveils $10B plan to flood-proof Lower Manhattan by extending shoreline into the East River

Via Mayor Bill de Blasio’s office

March 14, 2019

De Blasio unveils $10B plan to flood-proof Lower Manhattan by extending shoreline into the East River

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Mayor Bill de Blasio unveiled on Thursday a $10 billion plan to extend the coastline of Lower Manhattan as much as 500 feet to protect from future floods. The Lower Manhattan Coastal Resiliency project is the result of a study that looked at ways to build resilience in low-lying neighborhoods like the Financial District and South Street Seaport. The study found the only feasible measure for these areas would be extending the shoreline about two city blocks into the East River by adding a new piece of land at or above 20 feet from current sea level.
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Sebastian Errazuriz’s Lower East Side sculpture live streams NASA satellite footage of the Earth

Photo taken by 6sqft

March 14, 2019

Sebastian Errazuriz’s Lower East Side sculpture live streams NASA satellite footage of the Earth

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When 6sqft visited designer, artist, and activist Sebastian Errazuriz in his Bronx studio last year, we noted that "nothing he does is cookie-cutter." This outside-the-box thinking is now on view for all of NYC to see in his latest public artwork titled blu Marble, a 20-foot, LED structure in a vacant Lower East Side lot that depicts live NASA satellite footage of the Earth. Located at 159 Ludlow Street, blue Marble will be on view until 14th to "inspire awareness and mindfulness in our everyday lives."
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Taylor Swift’s former West Village carriage house rental finds a buyer

Listing photos by Chris Riccio, courtesy of the Corcoran Group

March 14, 2019

Taylor Swift’s former West Village carriage house rental finds a buyer

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The carriage house at 23 Cornelia Street in the West Village that Taylor Swift called home while her sprawling Franklin Street property was being renovated has sold for $11.5 million after several years on the market and a price chop of half its original ask of $24.5M, the New York Post reports. The pop star's hefty $39,500 monthly rent sounds a little more understandable when you've seen the private pool, garage and rooftop terrace with city views.
Take a last look
Chrysler Building sells for a discounted $150M, may become a hotel

Via Creative Commons

March 14, 2019

Chrysler Building sells for a discounted $150M, may become a hotel

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Update 3/14/19: A few days after Aby Rosen bought the Chrysler Building for the bargain price of $150 million, the real estate mogul told Bloomberg this week that he would consider converting the tower into a hotel.  Real estate mogul Aby Rosen has picked up another New York City landmark. Rosen's RFR Holding LLC, which controls the Seagram Building and Lever House, bought the Chrysler Building for $151 million, according to the Wall Street Journal. The sale represents a major loss for majority owner Abu Dhabi Investment Council, who paid $800 million in 2008 for a 90 percent stake in the 77-story Art Deco tower.
Details here
Without a firehouse, thousands of Hudson Yards residents and visitors are at risk, FDNY union says

Hudson Yards via Maciek Lulko on Flickr

March 14, 2019

Without a firehouse, thousands of Hudson Yards residents and visitors are at risk, FDNY union says

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While developers built the Hudson Yards mega-development with resiliency and security in mind, adding a powerful mechanical system and a plan to work with police, one major safety component remains missing. The 28-acre, $25 billion private development, the largest in the country, does not have its own firehouse. Members of the Uniformed Firefighters Association once again are calling on Mayor Bill de Blasio's administration on Thursday to build a new firehouse for Hudson Yards, which is expected to bring more than 125,000 new residents to Manhattan's west side.
More here
Greenpoint Avenue G station will get three elevators and full ADA-compliant features

Image via Wikimedia

March 14, 2019

Greenpoint Avenue G station will get three elevators and full ADA-compliant features

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The MTA is moving into the next phase of construction on the elevator installation project at the Greenpoint Avenue G station, but there’s good news for roughly 9,400 regular weekday customers: the MTA is expecting “significantly reduced impact” to service. Work will also focus on updating station infrastructure including stairs, handrails, turnstiles, powered gates, and braille signage—bringing the station to full ADA compliance.
More details
NYC Comptroller proposes turning the BQE into a truck-only roadway with a park on top

Via Wikimedia

March 13, 2019

NYC Comptroller proposes turning the BQE into a truck-only roadway with a park on top

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Adding another perspective to the many voices who are seeking a solution to the “most challenging project not only in New York City but arguably in the United States,” City Comptroller Scott Stringer has outlined his own proposal to save the crumbling BQE, advocating for a middle-ground solution to the heated debate. Stringer's idea (notably without a timeline or proposed budget) is to turn the BQE into a truck-only highway and build a linear park above. "We remain hopeful that the agency can view the BQE's deterioration not just as an engineering challenge, but as an opportunity to create something new and bold that both accommodates essential traffic and enhances surrounding neighborhoods,” he wrote in a March 7 letter to Department of Transportation Commissioner Polly Trottenberg.
See the new plan
‘It’s the Bronx’ arts and culture festival aims to be the ‘SXSW of the Bronx’
March 13, 2019

‘It’s the Bronx’ arts and culture festival aims to be the ‘SXSW of the Bronx’

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The creators of The Bronx Night Market will soon be launching a grand festival dedicated to "celebrating Bronx hustle." The It's the Bronx (@itsthebronx) festival will take place on March 22-24 at the Union Crossing building in Port Morris, featuring up-and-coming musicians, visual artists, discussion panels, video screening, a gallery exhibit and street performances plus plenty to eat and drink.
Find out more
Neighborhood association calls for a ‘slow street’ district in FiDi

Sketch of Nassau and Beekman Streets as slow streets; via FDNA

March 13, 2019

Neighborhood association calls for a ‘slow street’ district in FiDi

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A neighborhood association is calling for safer streets and sidewalks for pedestrians walking through Manhattan's Financial District. In a report released on Tuesday by the Financial District Neighborhood Association (FDNA), "Make Way for Lower Manhattan," the group calls for making the neighborhood a "slow street" district that would require cars to share space with pedestrians in an area stretching roughly between the foot of the Brooklyn Bridge and Battery Park.
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