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The long-awaited Hunters Point Library will open in Long Island City next month, more than eight years after its futuristic design was revealed, library officials announced Thursday. Designed by Steven Holl Architects, the concrete building with carved windows sits on the East River and boasts sweeping Manhattan views. After many construction and financial delays, the library will officially open on September 24.
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Architecture And Design

Sales at contested 200 Amsterdam Avenue will launch soon, including two $40M penthouses

Renderings courtesy of Binyan Studios

August 23, 2019

Sales at contested 200 Amsterdam Avenue will launch soon, including two $40M penthouses

Last week, construction of the residential floors at 200 Amsterdam Avenue topped out and now we’re getting a little peek at what the luxury, CetraRuddy-designed interiors will look like. There will be a total of 112 apartments in the controversial Upper West Side tower, including eight full-floor residences and two duplex penthouses. Sales are set to launch in September, with prices starting at $2.625 million for a one-bedroom and exceeding $40 million for the penthouses.
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This $745K co-op has historic vaulted ceilings and a present-day Billionaires’ Row location

Photo Credit: Zigna for Sotheby’s International Realty.

August 23, 2019

This $745K co-op has historic vaulted ceilings and a present-day Billionaires’ Row location

This one-bedroom co-op in the Osborne at 205 West 57th Street is situated on what's now known as Billionaires' Row, and for well under $1 million you can include bragging rights to one of the New York City's finest historic residential buildings. Built in 1883 and designated an official city landmark in 1991, the Osborne also boasts one of the city's most sumptuous and dazzling lobbies.
Take a look

Distinctive Homes

Last available home in upstate ‘eco community’ Hudson Woods asks $1.18M

Image credit: Deborah De Graffenreid for Hudson Woods.

August 22, 2019

Last available home in upstate ‘eco community’ Hudson Woods asks $1.18M

The last house in the Hudson Woods modern development is for sale. The $1.18 million home was, like its neighbors in the 131-acre Hudson Valley community, designed by Lang Architecture with a modern aesthetic, quality craftsmanship and premium finishes. The 26-family community was constructed in a scenic corner of the Catskills characterized by wooded rolling hills and a large river; it's a two-hour drive from New York City.
See more, this way

DeKalb Market founder tapped to create new food hall in Midtown’s Citigroup building

Rendering of the Market Building from 2017 LPC presentation materials by Gensler

August 22, 2019

DeKalb Market founder tapped to create new food hall in Midtown’s Citigroup building

The creator behind City Point's DeKalb Market Hall has signed a 15-year lease to open a 10,000-square-foot food hall at the retail annex of the landmarked Citigroup tower at 601 Lexington Avenue. As The Real Deal reported, Anna Castellani's company, Local Culture Management, opened the popular Downtown Brooklyn market in 2017 with 40 vendors. She's expected to bring a similar vibe to Midtown with her latest creation, which will be called "The Hugh" and is scheduled to open in just three to four months.
More details ahead

Food & Dining

New 2.5-acre complex will bring 500+ rentals to the Astoria waterfront

30-77 Vernon Boulevard. Renderings by Pax Brooklyn, courtesy of Fogarty Finger

August 22, 2019

New 2.5-acre complex will bring 500+ rentals to the Astoria waterfront

By Andrew Berman of Village Preservation

A sprawling new residential development at 30-77 Vernon Boulevard from Cape Advisors and Wainbridge Capital will bring over 500 rental apartments to the Astoria waterfront area (h/t Yimby). The 522,000-square-foot construction site on two-and-a-half acres of land will be comprised of three adjacent buildings designed by Fogarty Finger. New renderings show a white and gray façade with rooftop recreation areas; amenity spaces will include a private courtyard, indoor and outdoor lounges, a fitness center and a rooftop pool East River and Manhattan skyline views.
Find out more

Sandra Lee and Governor Cuomo chop $300K off their country home in Westchester

Photo of Andrew Cuomo via Wikimedia; Photo of Sandra Lee via Wikimedia; Listing photos courtesy of Houlihan Lawrence

August 22, 2019

Sandra Lee and Governor Cuomo chop $300K off their country home in Westchester

By Annie Doge

Gov. Andrew Cuomo and his longtime girlfriend, cookbook author and TV chef Sandra Lee, are selling their four-bedroom country home in Westchester. Lee, who recently denied rumors that the couple had split, told the New York Times that they no longer need the large house because the governor's three daughters are now adults. The four-bedroom home in Mount Kisco sits on a tranquil three acres, which include a pond and gazebo. The pair originally listed the home at the end of May for $2 million, but it's now received a price chop to $1,699,000, according to lohud.
Get a look inside

August 22, 2019

Elevated rails, rooftops, and McSorley’s: How painter John Sloan captured 20th-century Manhattan

Many artists have been inspired by the scenes of life in New York City, particularly Lower Manhattan. But perhaps no artist captures the feeling of New York during the hot, heavy days of August like the painter John Sloan. Sloan was one of the leading figures of the "Ashcan School" of artists of the early 20th century, a loosely-defined movement which took its name from a derisive reference to the supposed lowbrow quality and themes of their work, and the smudgy, impressionistic brushstrokes they utilized. His workaday subjects and hazy images of city life capture the heaviness of the air of New York during its dog days. Here’s a look at some of those paintings of life in our city 100 years ago.
See NYC through the eyes of Sloan

Events & Things To Do

Distinctive Homes

Color, drama, and detail define this $12.5M Upper East Side co-op

A loft-sized Harlem studio in a former school asks $599K

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

This $4M Park Slope duplex is house-sized, with condo simplicity and outdoor space

For $9M, a Noho penthouse that captures the spirit of the neighborhood's past, and then some

The kitchen in this $1.53M Murray Hill co-op is like a ray of sunshine

A pop duo's $3.65M Williamsburg condo turns up the fun factor on white-box chic

This $18.5M penthouse is Village living on a luxury level

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

Amy Schumer sells Brooklyn Heights townhouse at $1.25M loss

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Rendering courtesy of Museum of Ice Cream

August 22, 2019

The future of retail: Museum of Ice Cream to launch 25,000-square-foot NYC Soho flagship

After a celebrity-sprinkled Meatpacking District pop-up three-years ago drew raves and Instagram likes from Beyonce and Kim Kardashian, The Museum of Ice Cream (MOIC) will open a 25,000-square-foot "flagship" location at 558 Broadway in Soho. The three-story permanent paean to frozen dessert will feature 13 installations devoted to creating "IRL experiences" in New York; the museum calls it "the future of retail" in a press release–and given the number of vacant storefronts in the neighborhood, they could well be right.
MMore MOIC this way

City Living

East Williamsburg’s historic Moore Street Market is getting a $2.7M makeover

Images courtesy of NYCEDC

August 22, 2019

East Williamsburg’s historic Moore Street Market is getting a $2.7M makeover

City officials have announced that a major renovation is coming to East Williamsburg’s Moore Street Market, one of Brooklyn’s oldest public markets. $2.7 million will go toward improving the 15,000- square-foot facilities at 110 Moore Street. The market, which opened in 1941 and is also known as La Marqueta de Williamsburg, currently houses 15 vendors—fresh produce, seafood, groceries, specialty foods, and even a barbershop—and offers year-round events including cooking classes and small business seminars.
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Uncategorized

Help plant 500,000 daffodils around NYC to remember 9/11

Image via Flickr cc

August 21, 2019

Help plant 500,000 daffodils around NYC to remember 9/11

The annual Daffodil Project--launched by New Yorkers for Parks and NYC Parks in 2001 as a living memorial to September 11th--is now open for bulb requests. Each year, the initiative gives out approximately 500,000 free daffodil bulbs to individuals and groups to plant throughout New York City's public spaces—in parks, schoolyards, community gardens, and street tree pits. More than 7.5 million bulbs have been planted since the project started. If you're interested in participating, all you have to do is submit a request before September 5.
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City updates housing lottery policy to ease process for immigrants and low-income New Yorkers

Via Creative Commons

August 21, 2019

City updates housing lottery policy to ease process for immigrants and low-income New Yorkers

New Yorkers applying for affordable housing no longer need to provide credit scores or social security numbers, making it easier for low-income and undocumented immigrant households to qualify, the city announced Wednesday. The Department of Housing Preservation and Development expanded the guidelines of its affordable housing lottery policy to allow applicants to show 12 months of positive rental history instead of a credit check run by a landlord. This erases the need for adult household members to provide a social security number or an individual tax identification number.
Get the details

New renderings reveal Prospect-Lefferts tower with luxury amenities and Verrazano Bridge views

Renderings courtesy of the Moinian Group

August 21, 2019

New renderings reveal Prospect-Lefferts tower with luxury amenities and Verrazano Bridge views

The Moinian Group and Bushburg Properties have released interior renderings of the new 26-story tower with 467 rental residences at 123 Linden Boulevard in Brooklyn's Prospect Lefferts Gardens. The new rental tower, known as PLG, was designed by Hill West Architects and Whitehall Interiors and will offer more than 50,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor amenity space including indoor and rooftop pools, a lounge, a fitness center with a sauna and steam room, a dog run, a game room, a co-working lounge and a golf simulator. The new building also boasts Downtown Brooklyn, Manhattan and Verrazano Bridge views. Studios start at $2,300/month; one-bedrooms at $2,475/month; two-bedrooms at $3,600/month; and three-bedrooms from $4,500/month; 30 percent of the building's units will be below-market-rate housing.
Fancy amenities, this way

Photo courtesy of sarahtarno on Flickr

August 21, 2019

JetBlue installs its logo on Long Island City’s landmarked Pepsi-Cola sign

The iconic red Pepsi-Cola sign in Long Island City got a new look on Tuesday. In partnership with the soda company, JetBlue began installing this week an illuminated logo, a blue arrow, and a picture of an airplane on the sign that overlooks the East River, as first reported by the Wall Street Journal. The signage, which will only be up until Oct. 1, advertises the airline's switch from serving Coca-Cola to PepsiCo products earlier this summer.
More here

Uncategorized

De Blasio vows to save legendary Di Fara Pizza after tax seizure

Image via Flickr cc

August 21, 2019

De Blasio vows to save legendary Di Fara Pizza after tax seizure

When news broke yesterday that legendary Midwood pizzeria Di Fara was seized by authorities for failure to pay $167,506 in state taxes, many New Yorkers lamented the loss of what is widely considered to be the city's best pizza—including Mayor Bill de Blasio. "Di Fara is THE best pizza place in New York City," de Blasio tweeted early this morning. "I'm ready to do anything I can to get them reopened—as are thousands of New York City pizza-lovers."
More info

Food & Dining

The Italian side of Williamsburg: History, famous joints, and today’s culture

Photo via Flickr cc

August 21, 2019

The Italian side of Williamsburg: History, famous joints, and today’s culture

A bustling Brooklyn enclave that is today an impossibly trendy and diverse mix of glassy condos, hip new restaurants and storefronts, and unassuming multi-family homes in the northeast section of Williamsburg was one of New York City’s notable Italian-American neighborhoods for much of the 20th century. While it may not have the tourist cachet of Manhattan’s Little Italy–or the old-fashioned village-y coziness of Carroll Gardens–this swath of the ‘burg, bounded roughly by Montrose, Union, Richardson, and Humboldt Streets, was a little bit of Italy in its own right from the 1800s until as late as the 1990s. The north end of Graham Avenue was even christened Via Vespucci to commemorate the historic Italian-American community.
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August 21, 2019

This waterfront Connecticut home comes with a private island for $6.25M

Just in case panoramic water views from one of the East Coast's most sought-after spots isn't enough, this meticulously renovated traditional home at 16 Marlow Court at the mouth of Cos Cob harbor on Long Island Sound in Fairfield County, CT, comes with its own .15 acre private island. Consider it an extension of your back porch, just another part of your $6.25 million private estate on 200 feet of direct water frontage with views of the harbor and the Riverside Yacht Club.
Get an eyeful of those views

Here’s what you need to know about NYC’s first dog restaurant week

It's officially the dog days of summer. This week, New Yorkers can dine out with their four-legged friends at a number of restaurants during the city's first-ever Dog Restaurant Week. Hosted by Petminded, an organization that helps owners travel with pets, the weeklong event includes special promotions at more than a dozen dog-friendly restaurants across the city.
More this way

NYC’s newest Whole Foods will open in Nomad office tower

Whole Foods on the Upper East Side via Flickr

August 20, 2019

NYC’s newest Whole Foods will open in Nomad office tower

New York City is getting another Whole Foods Market. The specialty supermarket chain will open a new location on the ground floor of 63 Madison Avenue, an office tower in Nomad. The lease includes 50,000 square feet on the second level and 10,000 square feet at street level, as the New York Post first reported.
More details here

Uncategorized

Brooklyn Grange Sunset Park, courtesy of Brooklyn Grange

August 20, 2019

Brooklyn Grange opens NYC’s largest rooftop farm in Sunset Park

Brooklyn Grange has opened its third rooftop farm at the Liberty View building along the Sunset Park waterfront. The new facility is the largest rooftop farm in New York City, encompassing 140,000 square feet. In addition to a 55,000-square-foot garden, the space also features a 5,000-square-foot greenhouse with microgreen and hydroponic growing areas and a 6,000-square-foot indoor space that will host a range of community events throughout the year.
Get the details

You can buy this house on a private island upstate for $850K, but you can only get there by boat

Images courtesy of Houlihan Lawrence

August 20, 2019

You can buy this house on a private island upstate for $850K, but you can only get there by boat

Though we've all probably dreamed at some point of owning a private island–and they're more common than you may think–the serene and very private Willow Island on Putnam Lake in Patterson, N.Y., on the market for $850,000, is less out of reach than some others. On the one hand, it's accessible only by boat. On the other, it's less than 60 miles north of New York City in Putnam County. There's a private driveway and garage on the mainland and multiple docks on the property. The lake is "non-motorized," but the island comes with a solar-powered boat.
See the whole island and go inside

Lyft will bring grocery access to Brownsville as part of program to supply ‘food deserts’ with healthy choices

Rockaway Avenue subway station in Brownsville. Image via Wikimedia cc.

August 20, 2019

Lyft will bring grocery access to Brownsville as part of program to supply ‘food deserts’ with healthy choices

Car hire company Lyft has announced that it will expand its Grocery Access Program to New York City. The program, first launched in Washington, D.C. and Atlanta, aims to provide access to healthy foods to residents who don't live near full-service grocery stores and farmers markets. Lyft, in partnership with GrowNYC and BMS Family Health and Wellness Centers, will launch the program in NYC by improving access to healthy food options for low-income residents in Brownsville, Brooklyn.
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Transit

August 19, 2019

Clean lines highlight this $810K Usonia home in Westchester by a Frank Lloyd Wright apprentice

The Usonia community in Pleasantville, NY, was created as a tribute to legendary architect Frank Lloyd Wright to celebrate his "Usonian" home ideal–design that would integrate with a home's natural surroundings and live and grow with its inhabitants. The site plan, road system, and a handful of homes in the community were designed by Wright himself, but most of its houses were created by his associates and admirers, David Henken and Aaron Resnick. Henken designed the three-bedroom home at 6 Usonia Road in 1950. In true Wright style, this mid-century modern property, known as the Anderson House, is surrounded by greenery, with floor to ceiling windows and a wraparound deck. The house is now on the market for $810,000.
Get a closer look

10 things you might not know about the Statue of Liberty

Photo © James and Karla Murray for 6sqft

August 19, 2019

10 things you might not know about the Statue of Liberty

By Lucie Levine

The debate around American immigration policy has become so contentious and dispiriting that the acting director of US Citizenship and Immigration Services has actually suggested amending “The New Colossus,” Emma Lazarus' immortal words of welcome inscribed on the base of the Statue of Liberty. But at the same time, writer Joan Marans Dim and artist Antonio Masi have brought out "Lady Liberty: An Illustrated History of America’s Most Storied Woman." After getting a sneak peek of the new book, it seemed timely to take a deep dive into the history of the Statue of Liberty, which represents not only our city but one of the most vital and necessary of all American values. Ahead, discover 10 things you might not know about the Statue of Liberty, from its beginnings on "Love Island" to early suffragette protests to its sister in Paris.
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History

Waitlist reopens for ‘moderate-income’ rentals in Long Island City, with units up to $5,183/month

Via Flickr cc

August 19, 2019

Waitlist reopens for ‘moderate-income’ rentals in Long Island City, with units up to $5,183/month

Applications are currently being accepted to replenish the waitlist for moderate-income apartments at two Long Island City buildings. Located across from the newly opened Hunter's Point South Park, the towers at 1-50 50th Avenue and 1-55 Borden Avenue were developed in 2013 as part of the neighborhood's waterfront redevelopment, with a majority of the apartments set aside low- and middle-income households. But apartments available through the current waitlist are for households earning between $104,538 and $278,300 annually with units ranging from a $2,992/month one-bedroom to a $5,183/month three-bedroom. In 2017, the median household income in Queens was just over $64,500 per year.
Do you qualify?

Affordable Housing

NYCHA residents and SNAP recipients can get a free Citi Bike membership this month

Image via Flickr

August 19, 2019

NYCHA residents and SNAP recipients can get a free Citi Bike membership this month

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

To celebrate the one-year anniversary of its Reduced Fare Bike Share program, Citi Bike is now offering a free month of membership to NYCHA residents and SNAP recipients, amNY reports. The reduced fare program aims to increase accessibility to the popular bike share—which received criticism for its initial rollout in more affluent NYC neighborhoods—by offering no-commitment $5 monthly memberships for any NYCHA residents and SNAP recipients. The program has 3,400 active riders, just a small fraction of Citi Bike’s 150,000 annual members.
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Transit

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Image via Google Maps

August 19, 2019

Developer who wants to raze abolitionist home in Brooklyn says he’ll build a museum in basement

Update 8/19/19: The owner of 227 Duffield Street told Gothamist on Friday that he will build an African American museum in the basement of the property which has ties to the abolitionist movement. Samiel Hanasab, who applied for a demolition permit earlier this summer, told the website: "I have a high respect for African Americans. This project will be in the basement." The developer did not provide any additional details for the museum. Despite a series of last-minute preservation attempts after demolition plans for 227 Duffield Street were filed with the city’s Department of Buildings in June, the 19th-century Downtown Brooklyn house with abolitionist ties remains endangered. Gothamist reported that the owner, Samiel Hansab, has filed an application with the Department of Buildings to erect a 13-story mixed-use building in its place. The application is still under review and no permits have been issued, but as Gothamist noted, the best chance of saving the building would be an intervention by the Landmarks Preservation Commission.
More details

August 19, 2019

$400K cozy upstate A-frame puts a modern angle on a lakeside cottage retreat

This understated-yet-cool custom-crafted retreat, on the market for $395,000, isn't your average lakeside cottage. Built in 1965, the A-frame house at 39 Shore Road in the Columbia County hamlet of Ancram, N.Y. marries thorough modern renovations (central air, radiant heat, generator, washer/dryer, thermopane windows) and considered design for a completely unique hideaway.
Take a peek inside

Distinctive Homes

August 16, 2019

‘American Gigolo’ director Paul Schrader lists West Chelsea condo for $3.25M

Oscar-nominated film director, screenwriter ("Taxi Driver," "Raging Bull," “American Gigolo” and “The Last Temptation of Christ”) and Martin Scorsese collaborator and pal Paul Schrader just put his three-bedroom Chelsea condo on the market for $3.25 million. The sleek, contemporary home in the building known as Modern 23 at 350 West 23rd Street is just a block from the High Line and near the Hudson River Park and the recently-opened Hudson Yards.
Get a closer look

City sues landlords for listing rent-stabilized Hell’s Kitchen apartments on Airbnb

412 West 46th Street. Image via Google Street View.

August 16, 2019

City sues landlords for listing rent-stabilized Hell’s Kitchen apartments on Airbnb

. The city has named the owners of three Hell's Kitchen buildings in a lawsuit filed this week in Manhattan Supreme Court for operating illegal short-term rentals in rent-stabilized apartments, the New York Observer reports. The city says the owners of 410 and 412 West 46th Street and 452 West 36th Street have neglected their buildings, harassed tenants to get them to move out, deregulated units and kept units vacant to rent out on a short-term basis. Tenants of one building were left without gas or a roof for six months in 2015 due to a fire; the other two are awash in building code violations.
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Policy

City releases plan to transform Brooklyn’s Broadway Junction into desirable transit hub

Rendering by WXY Architecture & Urban Design

August 16, 2019

City releases plan to transform Brooklyn’s Broadway Junction into desirable transit hub

The city released on Thursday its preliminary vision to revitalize Brooklyn's third busiest transit station. Council Member Rafael Espinal Jr. and Borough President Eric Adams, along with the city's Economic Development Corporation, laid out a plan to transform Broadway Junction, which connects six residential neighborhoods via five subway lines and six bus routes, into an accessible, attractive hub. The plan falls under the East New York Neighborhood Plan, a rezoning approved by the city in 2016.
See the plan

August 16, 2019

This $4M upstate Zen retreat is on a private island in the Hudson River

Located in the sleepy hamlet of New Hamburg in Dutchess County, separated from the banks of the Hudson River by a mere footbridge, this unique property asking $3.995 million is called Rabbit Island. And if you're into privacy and water views with an easy commute to anywhere, you'll want to hop on it. This pretty package includes a 4,427-square-foot house surrounded by decks and tranquil gardens, and it's a four-minute walk from the New Hamburg train station.
Zen-like tranquility, this way

Distinctive Homes

Photo courtesy of the DOT via Flickr

August 16, 2019

This Saturday is your final chance to enjoy Summer Streets

By Nicole Mondrus

Now in its 12th year, Summer Streets returns this Saturday for its third and final hurrah, where New Yorkers can experience over seven miles of car-free streets. Park Avenue will be closed from Chambers Street all the way to 72nd, and the path will be open to cyclists and pedestrians alike. Five “rest stops” will be set up along the route, each with different activities, performances, and free snacks.
Car-free fun this way

Apple expands its search for new Manhattan office space

Photo of Hudson Yards via Flickr

August 15, 2019

Apple expands its search for new Manhattan office space

Several of the world's biggest tech companies have been ramping up their Manhattan real estate search in recent months. The latest news comes from Apple, who is reportedly seeking up to 750,000 square feet of new office space, according to The Real Deal. In February, 6sqft reported that the California-based company was close to securing space at 55 Hudson Yards, but those plans have changed. Sources told The Real Deal that Apple is now considering leases at neighboring 50 Hudson Yards, the Farley Post Office, and One Madison Avenue, with brokers Martin "Mack" Horner and Peter Riguardi of JLL leading the search.
More details

Real Estate Trends

How brands owned by Stephen Ross have responded following the fallout from Trump fundraiser

Via Flickr

August 15, 2019

How brands owned by Stephen Ross have responded following the fallout from Trump fundraiser

After Related Companies CEO Stephen Ross's plan to host a fundraiser for President Donald Trump leaked to the public last week, there were calls to boycott organizations owned by his company. Much to the disappointment of many millennials, Ross's company owns Equinox, SoulCycle, and PureYoga, as well as foodie favorites Momofuku and Milk Bar. In response to the quick backlash, some of the brands released statements separating themselves from the Hamptons fundraiser, which raised millions of dollars for Trump's reelection campaign. Others announced plans to donate proceeds to charity.
The full list

Policy

August 15, 2019

This $1.35M townhouse in Crown Heights is a compact condo alternative with a Nordic vibe

This 2,450-square-foot new construction single-family townhouse at 1543 Dean Street near the Crown Heights-Bed-Stuy border may not be towering, but its 25-by-59-square-foot interior, backyard, deck and parking add the privacy and perks you won't get in a condo of the same size. Interiors have the bright, whitewashed good looks of a sunny Scandinavian home, with a wood-burning stove adding to the Euro-appeal.
More bright white space, this way

Distinctive Homes

Lottery opens for 16 units from $2,100/month across from Bushwick’s Maria Hernandez Park

Image: Google street view.

August 15, 2019

Lottery opens for 16 units from $2,100/month across from Bushwick’s Maria Hernandez Park

A lottery has opened for 16 not-very-affordable units in a newly-constructed building across the street from Maria Hernandez Park in Bushwick. The building at 260 Knickerbocker Avenue is the first high rise adjoining the park. Qualifying New Yorkers earning a whopping 130 percent of the area median income can apply for the available units, including $2,100/month one-bedrooms and $2,300/month two-bedrooms.
Find out how to apply

Affordable Housing

August 15, 2019

Columbia’s Manhattanville campus will get a new food hall next year

Image © Frank Oudeman; courtesy of Columbia University A new food hall is slated to open at Columbia University’s Manhattanville campus next year. It doesn’t have a name yet but it will be helmed by chef Franklin Becker—known for his fast-casual lunch chain, Little Beet—and will service Columbia students as well as the general public. Food options may include everything from Southern cuisine to Sicilian-style pizza to Spanish tapas, according to early reports from the Wall Street Journal. Speaking to the Journal, Becker said that bringing in a range of independent vendors—versus national food chains—will raise the bar for campus food.
Here's what we know so far

Food & Dining

Over 275,000 sign petition to rename stretch of Fifth Ave in front of Trump Tower after Obama

Via Flickr

August 15, 2019

Over 275,000 sign petition to rename stretch of Fifth Ave in front of Trump Tower after Obama

An online petition to rename a stretch of Fifth Avenue in front of Trump Tower after former President Barack Obama has taken off in the last week, garnering over 275,000 signatures as of Thursday morning. The appeal, written by Elizabeth Rowin from Los Angeles, asks city officials to change the name of Fifth Avenue between 56th and 57th Avenues to "President Barack H. Obama Avenue."
A new address for Trump Tower?

Uncategorized

Large stretches of 1, 2, and 3 service will be suspended over the next two weekends

Image via Flickr

August 15, 2019

Large stretches of 1, 2, and 3 service will be suspended over the next two weekends

Service changes will get a little more painful this weekend as the MTA continues to upgrade the 1, 2, and 3 track switches north of the 96 Street station. The ongoing work is entering its final phase this weekend and will bring serious service outages. All 1, 2, and 3 service between Harlem and downtown Brooklyn will be suspended this week and next, beginning late each Friday evening.
Everything you need to know

Transit

The Queens County Fair will debut a three-acre corn maze inspired by the Unisphere

Image via Wiki Commons

August 14, 2019

The Queens County Fair will debut a three-acre corn maze inspired by the Unisphere

The 37th Annual Queens County Fair taking place in September at the Queens County Farm Museum will include a three-acre corn maze inspired by the iconic Unisphere in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, as Patch first reported. Commissioned for the New York World’s fair of 1964-65 and designed by landscape architect Gilmore Clarke, the Unisphere is a steel rendition of the Earth and has become one of the Borough’s most enduring symbols. Sponsored by Con Edison, “The Amazing Maize Maze” is set to debut during the fair on September 21 and remain open through October 26. It will be the only corn maze in New York City.
More details

Events & Things To Do

LPC approves 14-story complex behind East New York’s landmarked Empire State Dairy building

Revised rendering from August by Dattner Architects via LPC

August 14, 2019

LPC approves 14-story complex behind East New York’s landmarked Empire State Dairy building

Update 8/14/19: The Landmarks Preservation Commission on Tuesday approved Dattner Architects' plan to construct a 14-story building behind the Empire State Dairy. According to Brownstoner, the architects removed the cantilever element from the project's previous design and plan to preserve the chimney, instead of demolishing it. The new tower will replace two existing, but not landmarked, buildings, and include over 330 affordable apartments. An affordable housing developer on Tuesday presented plans to the Landmarks Preservation Commission for a new building that would cantilever over the Empire State Dairy building in East New York. HP Brooklyn Dairy Housing Development Fund Company, part of the nonprofit Housing Partnership Development Corporation, wants to construct a 14-story tower on top of the early 20th-century factory, located at 2840 Atlantic Avenue. Landmarked in 2017, the factory is notable for its architectural style and decorative tile murals. Dattner Architects created the designs for the proposed complex shown in the new renderings. The new construction would be a major change for the property, which was purchased by the developer for $16.75 million last year.
See more, this way

Coney Island’s Luna Park looks to the public to name new attractions

The new log flume ride. Photo Credit: NYCEDC

August 14, 2019

Coney Island’s Luna Park looks to the public to name new attractions

Luna Park, home of the Coney Island Cyclone and Steeplechase, will welcome three new attractions–a ropes course, a log flume ride and a roller coaster–next year. The iconic seaside amusement park has turned to the public to name the new additions, which are set to open in 2020, AM New York reports.
Taking names, this way

Events & Things To Do

114 mixed-income apartments up for grabs in Clinton Hill, from $896/month

Rendering of Athena North courtesy of Marvel Architects

August 14, 2019

114 mixed-income apartments up for grabs in Clinton Hill, from $896/month

A lottery opened this week for 114 mixed-income units at buildings that border the neighborhoods of Clinton Hill and Prospect Heights in Brooklyn. The newly constructed buildings are located at 909 Atlantic Avenue and 1043 Fulton Street, dubbed Athena South and Athena North, respectively. The affordable housing comes as part of the Hudson Companies' redevelopment of the Brooklyn Heights branch of the Brooklyn Public Library, which sits in the developer's new 38-story tower, One Clinton. Qualifying New Yorkers earning 60, 80, and 130 percent of the area median income can apply for the units, ranging from a $896/month studios to $2,952/month three-bedrooms.
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Affordable Housing

720 West End Avenue

Upper West Side

Serene Upper West Side homes near Riverside Park

1 beds starting at $1,005,000
2 beds starting at $2,495,000
3 beds starting at $3,495,000
4 beds starting at $5,850,000

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This $1.25M modernist house in Ossining was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright’s firm

Photos by Pedro Sousa of Jump Visual, courtesy of Compass

August 14, 2019

This $1.25M modernist house in Ossining was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright’s firm

It's pretty easy to guess that this mid-century modern-style home in Ossining, N.Y. was inspired by Frank Lloyd Wright. But the lakeside home at 17 Twin Ridges Road has a connection to the famed architect that goes beyond homage: It was designed by Wright's firm, Taliesin Associated Architects, based on the blueprints of Life Magazine’s 1997 American Dream Home.
House tour, this way

Distinctive Homes

August 14, 2019

A first look at Walker House, Newark’s historic Bell Telephone Building conversion

The first images of the finished Walker House in Downtown Newark have been released, giving us a peek inside the restored Art Deco masterpiece at 540 Broad Street. Designed by renowned architect Ralph Walker in 1929 as the corporate headquarters for the Bell Telephone Company and entered into the National Historic Register in 2005, the 21-story building has been redeveloped into a mixed-use building comprised of 264 apartments (a mix of market-rate and affordable units), amenities, offices, and retail space, including a brewery, a coffee shop, and Newark's first climbing wall.
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New Developments

New bill may bring hostels back to New York City

Image via CC.

August 13, 2019

New bill may bring hostels back to New York City

New York City could make hostels legal under a bill, set to be introduced this week in the City Council, that would permit the super-budget accommodations to operate again after a state law made them illegal, the Wall Street Journal reports. The bill would provide hostels with their own separate department and classification under city law. The city's hostels all but disappeared after a 2010 law covering multiple dwellings took aim at short-term rentals.
Will hostels thrive in the Airbnb era?

August 13, 2019

Test your NYC neighborhood knowledge at Historic Districts Council’s free trivia night

By 6sqft

Think you know New York City neighborhoods inside and out? Prove it this month at a trivia night about preservation and NYC history hosted by the Historic Districts Council. The free event takes place on Wednesday, August 21 at 6 p.m. and invites preservation buffs to enjoy a night of educational fun. Plus there will be prizes!
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Photo credit: Michael Weinstein courtesy of Compass.

August 13, 2019

Walk outside to your private garden from all sides of this $1.85M Cobble Hill duplex