June 14, 2018

Take an insider’s tour of Flushing’s ethnic food at the Flushing’s World Fair this weekend

Flushing, Queens is a dining destination for serious foodies and fans of any of a cornucopia of authentic Asian and Indian delights; from June 15-17, you can sample the international cuisine with discounts and a tour to help you with the highlights; the Flushing's World Fair is a three-day expo that brings together the businesses, cultural institutions and historic landmarks of the diverse and dynamic community.
Find out more about the food tour
June 14, 2018

Photographer Ray Simone restores negatives of NYC’s past, pixel by pixel

6sqft’s series The Urban Lens invites photographers to share work exploring a theme or a place within New York City. In this installment, Ray Simone shares vintage photographs of New York City he has lovingly restored to stunning quality. Are you a photographer who’d like to see your work featured on The Urban Lens? Get in touch with us at [email protected]. Born-and-raised Manhattanite Ray Simone has a native knowledge of New York, as well as an intimate understanding of its past lives. When he’s not taking current photos of the city, he's in his Williamsburg studio, restoring its past, negative by negative to shocking quality. While some negatives take under an hour to restore, the more badly damaged ones can require more than 40 hours of painstaking work, going pixel by pixel. “You can only work at something a certain amount of hours at a time,” Simone reflects, “You get tunnel vision after a while; carpal tunnel.” Ahead, 6sqft talks to Simone about his photo restoration business and his thoughts on NYC's history and future, and we get a special look at some of his greatest restoration works.
Travel back in time
June 14, 2018

Construction kicks off on Dattner Architects’ nine-story Brooklyn Navy Yard building

Just six months after filing permits for a nine-story mixed-use building at the Brooklyn Navy Yard, city officials and developers broke ground Wednesday on 399 Sands Street. Designed by Dattner Architects, the building will feature a parking structure on four levels, four floors of manufacturing space and one floor for creative office space. The construction of 399 Sands Street is a key part of the Navy Yard's $1 billion expansion, overseen by Steiner Equities Group, which will add $2 million square feet. Deputy Mayor for Housing and Economic Development Alicia Glen also announced Wednesday a $40 million investment from the city to fund 230,000 square feet of leasable space above the parking area. "New York City grew up around the Brooklyn Navy Yard - and thanks to the City’s $40 million New York Works investment in 399 Sands Street, the Yard will continue to fuel growth, and provide manufacturing and creative jobs for generations to come," Glen said in a statement.
Find out more
June 14, 2018

SHoP Architects design a food hall, co-working, and retail space for Midwood

Midwood might not yet be considered an up-and-coming 'hood, but this new mixed-use project from trendy architects SHoP might be the first step. CityRealty spotted renderings for a 10-story commercial building at 1508 Coney Island Avenue, which will be one of the largest in the area. Preliminary outlines detail three floors of medical offices, three floors for non-profit offices, and two floors for co-working. Plus, there will be two levels of parking, two levels of retail, an event space, restaurant, and, of course, food hall. And while SHoP's design for the exterior seems pretty straightforward, the interiors take on a bit more of a fantastical approach.
Check it all out
June 14, 2018

The slow death of the MetroCard begins next spring

It’s the end of an era but one that might not be too sentimental. As of May 2019, the MTA is launching its new fare payment method for the 4, 5, and 6 lines and all bus routes on Staten Island, reports amNY. No more steel bars karate chopping your abdomen when you realize your MetroCard is out of credit. Starting next spring, riders can use credit cards, mobile phones, smart watches, and mobile wallets to travel... but you'll still be able to swipe your old MetroCard until 2023.
READ MORE
June 14, 2018

First look at the latest huge residential project proposed for Greenpoint’s waterfront

On the site immediately south of the former Greenpoint Terminal Market, which was destroyed in a massive fire in 2006, three high-rise buildings are planned, containing hundreds of apartments. As of now, Halcyon Management Group has filed permits for a 19-story, 234-unit tower at 29 West Street, a 14-story, 92-unit tower at 37 West Street and a 33-story, 410-unit tower at 65 Private Drive. CityRealty recently uncovered the first renderings of the Brooklyn project, which show a total of four towers, with two 400-foot towers overlooking the East River, and two smaller buildings situated further inland. SLCE Architects is listed as the architect of record for the three buildings filed.
More this way
June 14, 2018

Tom Brokaw lists 56-acre Westchester family compound on a private lake for $6.3M

Newscaster/household name Tom Brokaw has listed the 56-acre estate in Pound Ridge, NY that he and his wife, Meredith Auld, have owned for nearly 20 years, The Real Deal reports. The listing, asking $6.3 million, appeared on Tuesday according to property records. The family compound includes a 4,000-square-foot main house, a pool house and a caretaker's cottage, all on a private five-acre lake.
Take a 56-acre tour
June 14, 2018

For $2.75M, a stately stunner in Prospect-Lefferts Gardens with a magical garden

Designed in 1889 by William M. Miller, a prominent architect for Cornell University during the late 1800s, this stately, single family home is located in the charming Prospect Lefferts Gardens Historic District, one block from Prospect Park. 52 Midwood Street is a 20-foot-wide home with almost 3,800 square feet on a deep, 100-foot lot asking $2,750,000. Totally renovated, the house perfectly blends old and new bringing together quintessential Brownstone Brooklyn charm with all the modern conveniences.
Take the tour
June 13, 2018

Zaha Hadid Architects designed a hat inspired by the firm’s curvy High Line condo

Photo by Luke Hayes On Thursday, Friends of the High Line are hosting their "first-ever High Line Hat Party, a raucous, downtown party for the creative and bold." What better to don for this party than a swooping, sinuous lined hat inspired by one of the most prominent High Line building's iconic curves? Zaha Hadid Architects (ZHA) director Patrik Schumacher designed the gorgeous, 3D printed, 520 West 28th-inspired hat for the party’s fashion show (h/t dezeen). Just as the building's beautiful swirls of glass are intersected with dark steel bands, this hat replicates that aesthetic.
Get the scoop
June 13, 2018

Renderings revealed for Morris Adjmi’s proposed luxury condo on East Village gas explosion site

Rendering by Morris Adjmi Architects Just over three years ago, an explosion from an illegal tap into the gas main destroyed three buildings on Second Avenue and killed two people in the East Village. Last year, two lots of the three at the site were sold for just over $9 million. And this week renderings have been revealed for a new condo building set to rise on the same plot. The images were found by EV Grieve in an application for a Certificate of Appropriateness by the new building's developer, Yaniv Shaky Cohen's Nexus Building Development Group. The plan will be reviewed by Community Board 3's Landmarks Committee next Monday. (A paper meeting notice was taped to the fence surrounding the property on Monday, according to EV Grieve). Designed by Morris Adjmi Architects, the renderings depict a single 21-apartment, six-story, grey brick luxury building to encompass both lots, with a detailed cornice and ground floor retail.
Find out more
June 13, 2018

Leasing launches for a glass-factory-turned-chic rental in Bushwick, from $2,500/month

Photo via N7 Bushwick’s newest rental development, Glassworks Bushwick, is a cool blend of new construction and reuse of the original Dannenhoffer Opalescent Glassworks stained glass factory. Located at 336 Himrod Street, real estate developer and designer ASH NYC, in partnership with Martin Lomazow and the owner of the factory, are developing the 77,000-square-foot mixed-use development in the bustling Brooklyn neighborhood. Ranging from $2,500/month studios to $3,800/month three-bedrooms, as well as a selection of penthouses, Glassworks Bushwick includes 63 rentals in the five-story building. The rental, currently under construction, will incorporate new construction, the rehabilitation of an existing factory space and the redevelopment of an existing garage building into a commercial space. The project is set to be complete this year.
See inside
June 13, 2018

17-foot stacked, bronze rhino sculpture finds new home in Downtown Brooklyn

Photo via Goodbye Rhinos project The iconic stacked rhino sculpture is switching boroughs. Designed by artists, Gillie and Marc Schattner, The Last Three is a 17-foot-tall, bronze sculpture depicting the last three Northern White Rhinos Najin, Fatu and Sudan, and represents a protest of rhino horn sales. The artists announced on Tuesday that the sculpture will move from its current home at Astor Place and be permanently installed at Forest City New York’s MetroTech Center in Downtown Brooklyn. The first public viewing will start Wednesday at 6 pm.
Get the details
June 13, 2018

NYC commits $500M in plan to build thousands of affordable apartments for seniors on unused land

As part of the new city budget, New York City has committed $500 million toward a plan to construct thousands of new apartments for low-income senior citizens on vacant public housing land, the Wall Street Journal reports. The new units would also free up existing NYCHA units currently occupied by seniors for people currently on wait lists for housing.
Find out more
June 13, 2018

Asking $3.75M, this corner townhouse in Clinton Hill has an art studio and romantic garden

Built 1892 by prestigious Brooklyn architect John G. Glover, the Romanesque Revival townhouse at 231 Washington Avenue in the heart of Clinton Hill anchors the corner of its block with a presence that matches the best of the historic neighborhood. With a three-sided projecting bay masked by an imposing arcade around arched windows on the parlor level, this one-time mansion of stone and Roman brick is accessed by a two-part stoop. The well-maintained 4,300-square-foot, three-family corner house is over 22 feet wide and filled with original details.
Take the tour
June 12, 2018

New marble-clad interior renderings revealed for Bjarke Ingels’ High Line-facing XI

Renderings via Dbox for HFZ Capital Group Back in April, 6sqft brought you a new batch of renderings showing Bjarke Ingels and developer HFZ Capital's XI (or the Eleventh) at 76 Eleventh Avenue ahead of a May 7 sales launch. The West Chelsea hotel-condo project is notable not only for being Ingels’ first NYC condo project but for its asymmetrical, twisting silhouette. Those renderings showcased the pair of towers and their sky-bridge, along with, for the first time, the central courtyard and an apartment interior. Now, as Curbed learned, we get a preview of the project's interiors, clad in several different flavors of dramatically-veined creamy beige and white statement marble and pale chevron flooring with wood accents–and stunning NYC and river views in every direction.
See more, this way
June 12, 2018

Apply for 65 mixed-income units at ODA’s futuristic waterfront rental in Williamsburg, from $565/month

Via 420 Kent A residential tower found along the Williamsburg waterfront as part of a collection of three-Lego-like high rises known as 420 Kent, has 65 mixed-income housing units up for grabs. Designed by ODA-Architects, these elegant, smoky-glass facade, offset box buildings jet out in different directions and contain a whopping 857 apartments. Qualifying New Yorkers earning 40, 60 and 130 percent of the area median income can apply for the units at 416 Kent ranging from $565/month studios to $2,733/month two-bedrooms.
Find out if you qualify
June 12, 2018

3 middle-income units up for grabs in a quiet section of Flushing in Queens, from $1,700/month

Photo via Wikimedia A newly constructed four-story residential building in Murray Hill is now accepting applications for three middle-income units. But it's not the Murray Hill of Manhattan you know, but instead a quiet enclave in Queens, part of the sprawling neighborhood of Flushing. Found at 168-05 Depot Road, the rental sits just four blocks from the Long Island Rail Road station at Broadway. Qualifying New Yorkers earning 130 percent of the area median income can apply for the $1,700/month one-bedroom and two $1,950/month two-bedrooms.
Find out if you qualify
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June 12, 2018

Ride six different vintage trains in Brighton Beach this weekend to celebrate Father’s Day

Is there anything more dad-approved than trains and tattoos to celebrate Father’s Day? Not much! This weekend, celebrate with pop at the New York Transit Museum’s 4th Annual Parade of Trains. Hop on and off six different types of vintage train cars, including the oldest train cars in the Transit Museum fleet, dating from 1904. Visitors can also stop by the museum’s membership station to get a super cool, Father’s Day temporary transit tattoo while learning more about the New York Transit Museum's ongoing exhibits. The event takes place Saturday (6/16) and Sunday (6/17) from 11 am to 4 pm at the Brighton Beach (B/Q) station. The Parade of Trains shuttle rides are free with the swipe of a MetroCard and will run continuously to and from the Brighton Beach station B/Q platforms.
Get the details
June 12, 2018

Where I Work: Inside C.O. Bigelow Apothecaries in the Village, the oldest pharmacy in the country

6sqft’s series “Where I Work” takes us into the studios, offices, and off-beat workspaces of New Yorkers across the city. In this installment, we’re touring the oldest pharmacy in the United States, C.O. Bigelow Apothecaries in Greenwich Village, and talking with owner Ian Ginsberg. Want to see your business featured here? Get in touch! C.O. Bigelow Apothecaries was established in 1838. It is the oldest apothecary in America. It was originally called the Village Apothecary Shop and was opened by the Vermont physician, Galen Hunter. It was renamed C.O. Bigelow Apothecary when it was purchased by an employee, Clarence Otis Bigelow in 1880. The apothecary is in fact so old that it once sold leeches and opium as remedies. According to legend, the chemists at Bigelow even created a salve for Thomas Edison to treat his burned fingers when he was first developing the light bulb. In 1922, the apothecary was sold to the pharmacist, Mr. Bluestone, employed by Bigelow, thereby continuing the unique legacy of passing ownership from employer to employee. Bluestone sold the pharmacy to yet another pharmacist employee, William B. Ginsberg in 1939. And since 1939, three generations of Ginsberg’s have owned and operated the shop, passing down from father to son to most recently grandson, Ian Ginsberg, who 6sqft spoke with at this historic pharmacy in Greenwich Village at 414 Sixth Avenue.
See inside
June 12, 2018

Approved $89B NYC budget includes discounted transit fares for low-income riders

Mayor Bill de Blasio reached an agreement with City Council Speaker Corey Johnson on a new city budget, the New York Times reports. The $89.2 billion budget includes funding for discounted MetroCards for low-income New Yorkers. 6sqft reported last week on the deal struck between the mayor and the city council to provide about $100 million to fund the program. Johnson has been a tenacious and vocal supporter of the Fair Fares program, in which the city will subsidize the cost of providing half-price MetroCards to New Yorkers who fall below the federal poverty line, or a household income of $25,000 for a family of four. Nearly 800,000 New Yorkers could benefit from the discounted fares. The initial allocation in the budget will pay for six months of the program beginning in January, with further financing will be forthcoming in future budgets.
Find out more about Fair Fares
June 12, 2018

An ornate 25-acre estate in Hudson Valley with ice rink and sculpture garden asks $30M

A massive, wildly decorated within an inch of its life, nine-bedroom, 11-bathroom, five-and-a-half-bath, approximately 32,000-square-foot home is for sale in Wappinger Falls. Referred to as the "Fifth Avenue of Country Living," this sprawling 25-acre estate is asking $30 million. With a sculpture garden, basketball and tennis courts, swimming pool with two cabanas, 8,000-square-foot veranda, three playgrounds, private guest cottages and an ice rink and more, this compound is truly unique.
Take a tour
June 11, 2018

Lottery launches for 21 middle-income units at a new luxury rental in Jamaica Estates from $1,480/month

A newly constructed building in the upper-middle-class enclave of Jamaica Estates in Queens (aka President Donald Trump's hometown) is accepting applications for 21 mixed-income apartments. Dubbed the Maya, the eight-story luxury rental at 177-30 Wexford Terrace contains 68 units. Qualifying New Yorkers earning 85, 90, 100, 105, 110 and 115 percent of the area median income can apply for the units ranging from a $1,480/month studio to a $2,622/month two-bedroom.
Find out if you qualify
June 11, 2018

This East Village duplex condo hides a solarium, a garden and minimalist interiors for $2.2M

The East Village is famous for its creative and quirky-cool spaces, and this surprisingly spacious duplex at 407 East 12th Street is on the cool end of quirky, as long as you don’t mind a bit of street-level living and a more-than-bargain price tag at $2.195 million. The stylishly renovated 1,400-square-foot two-bedroom condo with a charming private garden looks as much like a southern California pad as a New York City apartment, complete with glass-clad solarium. Times are good in the neighborhood: The adjacent one-bedroom unit was listed last year for $1.7 million and sold in three months for about $1.6M.
Take the tour
June 11, 2018

16 chances to live in the center of Brooklyn, from $1,017/month

Photo via CityRealty Maple East New York Housing, located where the Crown Heights and East Flatbush neighborhoods of Brooklyn meet, is accepting applications for 16 affordable apartments. The building, found at 918 East New York Avenue, contains a blend of affordable and supportive housing, offering a mix of studios, one and two bedroom units. Qualifying New Yorkers earning 60 percent of the area median income can apply for the $1,017/month one-bedrooms and $1,224/month two-bedrooms.
Find out if you qualify
June 11, 2018

3 World Trade Center officially opens, the fourth WTC building completed

Right on schedule for a June opening, developer Silverstein Properties took the lead in celebrating on Monday the highly anticipated opening of 3 World Trade Center with a ribbon-cutting ceremony. Led by CEO Larry Silverstein, the morning celebration at 3 World Trade Center at 175 Greenwich Street marked the official completion of four of the five buildings in the new World Trade Center complex. With nearly 40 percent of the building leased on opening day, the 80-floor tower designed by Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners rises to 1,079 feet. "Starting with 7 WTC and the rest of the towers that followed, we sought to create modern, environmentally-conscious and technologically-advanced offices," Larry Silverstein, the chairman of Silverstein Properties, said in a statement. "Places that foster creativity where young people would want to work and collaborate. That meant great architecture and sustainable design, but also improved transportation, a more vibrant streetscape, new shops and restaurants, great public spaces, and exciting and fun public space art."
Find out more
June 11, 2018

My 500sqft: An art collector from Philly swaps space for amenities at Hell’s Kitchen’s 555Ten

A year ago, retired lawyer Andrew Ackerman gave up his long-time home, a 1,300-square-foot duplex in a Philadelphia brownstone, to move to NYC. Wanting to be near his friends, the theater district and art museums, and transportation options, he settled on Hell's Kitchen, and ultimately found the perfect high-rise apartment in Extell Development's luxury rental building, 555TEN. Getting used to the hustle and bustle of the city was easy for Andrew, but downsizing to a 500-square-foot alcove studio was a bit more challenging, especially considering he's been an avid art collector since childhood. 6sqft recently visited Andrew at 555Ten to see how he made the adjustment, which art pieces made the cut, and why the jump was all worth it.
Take a tour of Andrew's place
June 11, 2018

City reaches settlement, agrees to spend $2B on NYCHA improvements after federal probe

New York City has agreed to fork over $2 billion in the next 10 years to settle a federal prosecutors’ investigation into safety and health issues at buildings run by the by the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA), the Wall Street Journal reports. The city has been ordered to repair buildings run by the country's largest city housing authority after an investigation by the U.S. Attorney’s District Office, which began in 2015, checked reports of crumbling conditions across the authority's 325 developments.
Find out more
June 11, 2018

Historic two-bedroom home in celebrity-enclave Snedens Landing asks less than $1M

This beautiful 1854 stone and clapboard home once belonged to a Hudson River boat captain named Henry Dobbs. The home has charm and elegance from a bygone era. With a backyard where fairytales are inspired, the house has been painstakingly renovated throughout the years to maintain its historic integrity and beauty. Filled with original details, wood burning fireplaces, wide board floors, shiplap walls and more, the house at 63 Washington Spring Road, is asking $925,000.
Take a tour
June 9, 2018

FREE RENT: This week’s roundup of NYC rental news

Images (L to R): 325 Kent Avenue, House No. 94, 485 Marin Boulevard and 99 Gold Street Two Months Free at 325 Kent Avenue; See New Photos [READ MORE] Prospect Lefferts Gardens Rental Debuts: The Lawrence Leasing from $1,938/Month [READ MORE] Leasing Kicks Off at Williamsburg Rental House No. 94 with 2 Months Free [READ […]

June 8, 2018

From the ‘Queens Riviera’ to Robert Moses: The history of Rockaway Beach

Eleven blocks of Rockaway Beach will be closed this summer due to erosion, but that’s just one setback in a long history of resilience on the peninsula. Four-and-a-half miles of the beach are open right now, with every block steeped in history. The Rockaways ushered Henry Hudson into the New World; Walt Whitman into paradise; Hog Island into oblivion; and the Transatlantic Flight into existence. As “the brightest jewel within the diadem of imperial Manhattan,” the pristine beaches of the “Queens Riviera” became the preferred summer locale for New York’s most illustrious citizens. Later, the “people’s beach” at Riis Park helped make the Rockaways accessible to more New Yorkers. From, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, to Patti Smith to Robert Mosses, everybody wanted to be at Rockaway Beach.
Get the full history here
June 8, 2018

Remembering Anthony Bourdain’s NYC; Verrazzano or Verrazano?

In remembrance of “one of NYC’s most rollicking food celebrities,” this list rounds up some of Anthony Bourdain’s favorite spots and thoughts on his home city. [Eater NY] In 1983, a group of Park Slope neighbors created an unusual communal yard. It still remains as “a special slice of nature.” [CityLab] A permanent Nutella cafe will […]

June 8, 2018

Live in the Bronx for just $1,100/month and get to Midtown in 40 minutes

Photo by Axel Drainville on Flickr Three middle-income units are up for grabs at a newly constructed building in the East Tremont neighborhood of the Bronx. Located at 1779 Weeks Avenue, the rental sits just steps from the B and D train, making Midtown commutes a breeze. Plus, residents can enjoy open space, playgrounds and a public pool at Claremont Park, which is just a few blocks south. Qualifying New Yorkers earning 130 percent of the area median income can apply for one $1,100/studio and two $1,300/month one-bedrooms.
Find out if you qualify
June 8, 2018

INTERVIEW: Lighting designer Joel Fitzpatrick on his desire to permanently illuminate Manhattan

Joel Fitzpatrick is a master of many trades. He has a diverse background in theater, fashion, interior design, and dance but the one common element through everything he does is light. Fitzpatrick started as a sculptor but yearned for more collaboration and found that through lighting. In his most recent work, a dynamic, multicolored light show called "Aurora" for Rafael Viñoly's 277 Fifth Avenue, his career has come full circle. After feeling the cosmos pulsate with the northern lights, there was no turning back. Now Fitzpatrick dreams of building an outdoor light show to permanently shine on the Manhattan skyline. 6sqft recently talked to Fitzpatrick, who shines a light on how his past informed his present and what to expect from him in the future. 
READ MORE
June 8, 2018

East Harlem’s affordable Sendero Verde complex gets fresh renderings and a 384-unit mixed-use tower

Permits have been filed for a 37-story, 384-unit tower in East Harlem as part of Sendero Verde, a massive mixed-use complex developed by Jonathan Rose Companies and L + M Development. The site's newest building is set to rise at 1681 Madison Avenue and measure just over 385,000 square feet. Floors five through 36 of the Handel Architects-designed building will contain 12 apartments each; offices and retail space will occupy the first three levels, as CityRealty learned. A fresh pair of renderings of Sendero Verde highlights the winding central landscaped path, nonprofit DREAM's charter school and the extensive community space planned for the development.
More this way
June 8, 2018

Deal struck to fund discounted MetroCards for low-income New Yorkers

Image by Ged Carroll on Flickr Reduced-fare MetroCards may soon become a reality for low-income straphangers, as Mayor Bill de Blasio and the City Council have reached a deal Wednesday to provide roughly $100 million in funding to the program. The mayor's agreement with Speaker Corey Johnson, who has been one of the most vocal supporters of a Fair Fares program, means the city would fully subsidize the cost of providing half-price MetroCards to New Yorkers who fall below the federal poverty line, or a household income of $25,000 for a family of four. Nearly 800,000 New Yorkers could benefit from the discounted fares. Under the tentative deal, the city would allocate $106 million in its upcoming budget, which would pay for six months of the program beginning in January, according to the New York Times.
Find out more
June 8, 2018

Progress, pricing and new renderings for David Adjaye’s 130 William Street skyscraper

Back in April 6sqft reported on the progress of British-Ghanian architect David Adjaye's first NYC skyscraper at 130 William street, with the nearly-800-foot tower at street level and rising. Adjaye, who has achieved international renown for projects like the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, has been knighted by Queen Elizabeth II and named one of TIME’s 2017 most influential people, was inspired by the  historic masonry architecture of the Financial District for the new building's anything-but-ordinary design. And we're now seeing more of that design: The New York Times reveals information on what the pricing for the building's 800 units is likely to be once sales launch, along with some new renderings of its unique architecture and interiors.
Let's hear those prices. And when can we move in?
June 8, 2018

Late night weekday subway changes once again rival the weekend in terms of disruption

For the second week in the row, the incumbent late night weekday service changes are arguably worse than those on the weekend. The Q and S alone are the only lines without set service changes, and who knows what kind of signal delays might change even that small bit of reassurance.
In terms of service changes, the weekdays are beginning to meld with the weekends
June 7, 2018

How the cardboard box was accidentally invented in a NYC factory

New Yorkers are known for their innovative thinking: Inventions like Scrabble, credit cards, and even Baked Alaska all came from local creators. A little less exciting, but still a crucial contraption, the cardboard box was also invented in New York City. Like many discoveries, the box came to be only after a careless mistake. Scottish-born entrepreneur Robert Gair owned a paper bag factory on Reade Street in Manhattan. One day in 1879, a pressman accidentally cut through thousands of small seed bags, instead of pressing them. Following the accident, Gair, who moved headquarters to Dumbo, developed a method for the mass production of cardboard boxes and later supplied major companies like Kellogg and Nabisco.
Find out more
June 7, 2018

Live next to foodie-favorite Smorgasburg in Williamsburg, from $1,407/month

Photo via Harold Navarro on Flickr A lottery launched this week for affordable apartments across two multi-family apartment buildings in the Williamsburg neighborhood of Brooklyn. Located at 27 and 34 North 6th Street, the 347-unit site sits just steps away from the waterfront as well as the East River State Park, home to stunning views and beloved weekly market, Smorgasburg. Qualifying New Yorkers earning 80 percent of the area median income can apply for the units ranging from a $1,407/month studio to a $1,820/month two-bedroom.
Find out if you qualify
June 7, 2018

Lincoln Square’s grand finale: From slum clearance to a new master plan

Lincoln Square, a part of the Upper West Side, is a literal square of approximately 50 blocks that runs east-west from Central Park West to the West Side Drive and north-south from 59th to 72nd Streets. The neighborhood, which is bisected by Broadway and contains the Lincoln Center “superblock,” has an enormous amount of culture, loads of prestigious schools, tons of old-school luxury residences lining the park, and a massive, five-acre, four-building new development called Waterline Square, finalizing a decades-long master plan for the neighborhood. Ahead, we take a look at the neighborhood's history, from its Dutch roots to Robert Moses' slum clearance, modern residential development, and all the amenities that make this area more fun than one may think.
Your guide to Lincoln Square
June 7, 2018

New Jersey City rental debuts in leafy, historic Hamilton Park

Following the much-documented Jersey City launches of the Journal Squared and Ellipse projects, a new rental building has opened at 485 Marin Boulevard in JC's Hamilton Park neighborhood, known for its historic Victorian homes and streets lined with colorful cafes, shops and restaurants. The new residence comes from KRE Group– the developers behind the Journal Squared project–and is offering studios and one, two and three-bedroom apartments that start at $2,300 for a studio with the added incentive of a free month on a 13-month lease and two free months on a 26-month lease.
Get a closer look
June 7, 2018

Anti-bigotry ‘service’ posters hit NYC subway stations for Pride Month

The normally drab service posters found across the city's subway stations got a burst of color this month. Instead of detailing changes to late-night train service, these rainbow-adorned signs remind commuters that no "bigotry, hatred or prejudice" is allowed at any time, as Pride Month, a celebration of LGBTQ love, kicks off. Originally created by School of Visual Arts faculty member Thomas Shim and alumni Ezequiel Consoli and Jack Welles (Kyle Harrison was added to the core team this year), the posters will remain fastened to the station walls throughout the month of June.
More details here
June 7, 2018

$3.7M historic Hamilton Heights townhouse hits the market for the first time in 50 years

Here's a rare opportunity to own one of the gorgeous neo-Tudor townhouses on Convent Avenue in Hamilton Heights. Built in 1890 and offered for the first time in 50 years, 327 Convent Avenue is asking $3.7 million. Located a gorgeous block steeped in history (Alexander Hamilton's country estate was originally just one block away), this six-bedroom home is nearly 5,000 square feet with tons of original details and a sun-drenched backyard.
Get a look inside
June 7, 2018

Torn off by a fan in 1973, a right field sign from the old Yankee Stadium just sold for $55K

On September 30, 1973, during the last home game at Yankee Stadium before the historic arena underwent two years of renovations, diehard baseball fans came wielding screwdrivers and hammers. Not to fight fans from the opposing team of that night's game, the Detroit Tigers, but to dismantle any memorabilia from "The House That Ruth Built." One fan somehow got his hands on a right field sign wall that designates the 296-foot distance from home plate (h/t Forbes). A family member of the brazen fan put up the sign for auction last month and on Wednesday, after 18 bids, the 1960s era sign sold for a final sale price of $55,344.
Find out more
June 7, 2018

Study: A former freight line on the Lower Montauk branch could help a Queens transportation desert

How do you connect the fastest-growing census tract in the U.S. to New York City’s public transportation hubs? Architecture firm Kohn Pedersen Fox (KPF), whose New York City work includes the master plan for Hudson Yards, One Vanderbilt and Two Waterline Square, has released a "visioning study" that explores how the repurposing of the QNS, an 8.5 mile Lower Montauk Branch rail line, into a new transit line in Queens that could revitalize neighborhoods, provide affordable housing, create jobs and add transit service to the over nine square miles of New York City that contain three of the city’s largest and most successful Industrial Business Zones (Maspeth, Long Island City, and North Brooklyn) and two of Queens’ largest central business districts (Long Island City and Jamaica Center), adding to the long-term growth of those districts and creating thousands of potential new jobs.
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June 6, 2018

Rafael Viñoly reveals new renderings of ‘Auto Row’ office addition

Historically, Auto Row, the stretch of eleventh in the 50s, has been somewhat a no-man's land to most, save for those rare New Yorkers who own a car. But with Hudson Yards pushing development westward, it's now coming out of the shadows. One of these projects is Rafael Viñoly Architects' addition to 787 Eleventh Avenue, an Art Deco industrial building that was originally home to the Packard Motor Company when it opened in 1927 to the designs of Albert Kahn. Viñoly's $100 million commission is adding two stories off office space to the top of the eight-story building, converting the other floors to commercial space, and retaining the current auto dealerships on the lower five levels. It's been more than two years since the first renderings were revealed, and now the firm has released an additional batch that show aerial views of the addition, more office views, and a closer look at the 12,000-square-foot roof deck.
More details and renderings ahead
June 6, 2018

Apply for 4 affordable apartments in blossoming Bushwick, from $985/month

Rendering via Andy McGee Design Located where Bushwick's bustling Myrtle and Central Avenues meet, a newly constructed rental building at 1164-1168 Greene Avenue is offering up four affordable apartments. The 20-unit, four-story building features amenities like a lounge, laundry room and terraces. Qualifying New Yorkers earning 60 percent of the area median income can apply for two $985/month one-bedrooms and two $1,114/month two-bedrooms.
Find out if you qualify
June 6, 2018

Old and new meet at this $1.4M Greenpoint duplex with brick feature wall and glass-enclosed staircase

Located in 62 Norman Avenue, a three-story building built in 1898 on the border of Greenpoint and Williamsburg, this large, 1,250-square-foot duplex condo has been beautifully renovated, blending old and new. With an exposed brick feature wall and beautiful, custom glasswork around the stairs, the stylish two-bedroom is asking $1,395,000.
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