6sqft | NYC local news, events, and apartments

Marking the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I, local artist Tauba Auerbach has transformed a historic fireboat into a modern "dazzle" ship. First invented by British painter Norman Wilkinson during WWI, dazzle camouflage patterns were painted onto ships to distort their forms and confuse enemy submarines. The Public Art Fund and 14-18 NOW, a U.K.-based art program, commisioned the painting of the John J. Harvey fireboat, which first launched in 1931 and helped the FDNY extinguish fires until it retired in the 1990s. "With Flow Separation, I didn't want to ignore the John J. Harvey's identity, so I took the boat's usual paint job and scrambled it. Dragged a comb through it," Auerbach said. "The palette also exaggerates the fact that 'dazzle' was more about confusing and outsmarting, than about hiding."
Get the dazzling details

June 29, 2018

von Dalwig Architects animates a Park Slope rowhouse with three skylights and chic cutouts

von Dalwig Architects, formerly known as Manifold Architecture Studio, changed their name as they changed their focus, from a broad architectural lens to a more concentrated vision on space, program and the relationship between them. The firm achieved their vision in the gut renovation and expansion of a 19.5’ wide x 42’ long three-story, single family Brooklyn townhouse, completed in 2016. This renovation both infused the traditionally dark rowhouse with light from the front, back and sky and also created a continuous connection from the house to the backyard.
See inside the bright space

June 29, 2018

Apply for a $960/month one-bedroom apartment in colorful Bushwick

Photo via bslax28 on Flickr An affordable housing lottery launched this week for just two one-bedroom apartments in the heart of hip Bushwick in Brooklyn. Located at 176 Knickerbocker Avenue, the newly constructed rental sits just off bustling Flushing Avenue, as well as near beloved spots like pizza place Roberta's, Art Deco cocktail bar The Narrows and music venue House of Yes. Qualifying New Yorkers earning 60 percent of the area median income can apply for the two available $960/month one-bedroom units.
Find out if you qualify

Affordable Housing

June 29, 2018

Kushner Cos. blame Jersey City’s ‘anti-Trump’ sentiment in lawsuit over stalled $900M project

Old rendering of One Journal Square via KABR Group A partnership headed by Charles Kushner filed a lawsuit in federal court in Jersey City Wednesday, blaming the mayor's "political animus" toward all things Trump–and, therefore, Kushner–for sending the company's residential complex into default earlier this year. According to the New York Times, the suit claims that Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop issued a default against the $900 million development in order to "appease and curry favor with the overwhelmingly anti-Trump constituents of Jersey City.”
More political animus, this way

Real Estate Trends

June 29, 2018

For $7M, an Upper East Side penthouse with a floating study and four terraces

Inspired by his trip to Therme Vals in Switzerland and the architecture of Pritzker-prize-winning architect Peter Zumthor, the owner of the penthouse at 206 East 73rd hired architect Wayne Turret to create his very own spa in New York City. Turret decked out this two-bedroom, two and a half, 2,650-square-foot penthouse loft on the Upper East Side with a high design, minimal modernist, spa-like aesthetic. This unique triplex penthouse, asking $6,950,000, sits on top of the Blanca Loft Condominium near the corner of 73rd Street and 3rd Avenue.
Take the tour

Distinctive Homes

June 29, 2018

MoMA PS1 unveils interactive exhibit of moving mirrors for its summer music series

Photo by Pablo Enriquez In MoMA PS1's temporary exhibit at its sprawling outdoor courtyard in Long Island City, people become the art. Hide & Seek, created by Jennifer Newsom and Tom Carruthers of Dream The Combine, features moveable mirrors that offer surprising and dislocating perspectives of the courtyard and the crowd looking into them. Newsome and Carruthers were named the winners of the 2018 Young Architects Program, which challenges emerging architects to design a creative, sustainable outdoor installation. Hide & Seek will be on view at MoMA PS1 between June 28 and September 3.
See the exhibit

Events & Things To Do

The Bronx Night Market opens this weekend with nearly 40 local vendors

Images via Bronx Night Market

June 29, 2018

The Bronx Night Market opens this weekend with nearly 40 local vendors

Starting at 4pm tomorrow, June 30th, the Bronx Night Market will officially be open for business in Fordham Plaza. The first of its kind in the borough, the free open-air market will have 40 vendors, 99 percent of which will be from the area, who will serve up “dishes and libations from all corners of the world with an unmatchable layer of authenticity and passion.” Not only will the items be priced reasonably, from about $3 to $7, but there will also be handcrafted items for sale and live entertainment from local performers.
Get the deets

Events & Things To Do

Distinctive Homes

Upper East Side penthouse owned by Joan Rivers back on market after $10M price cut

For $650K, watch spring arrive in the city from this bright Upper East Side co-op

William Lescaze's modernist Upper East Side townhouse is on the market again, for $15M

For $2.35M, condo living on three levels in South Harlem

This $1.3M condo keeps the classic East Village spirit alive

Rent 'Million Dollar Listing' alum Steve Gold's Soho loft for $49k per month

The oldest house in the West Village is on the market for $12M

Restored mid-century modern home in Newburgh designed by Philip Johnson asks $2.9M

$4.9M brick townhouse offers rustic charm and outdoor space in the heart of Greenpoint

A glass house on the Hudson River designed by Roy O. Allen lists for $3M

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The A train won’t run between Broad Channel and Rockaway this summer

Photo via MTA/Flickr

June 29, 2018

The A train won’t run between Broad Channel and Rockaway this summer

By Hannah Frishberg

The 2 and 3 are finally running between Brooklyn and Manhattan on weekends again, but now two stations are closing (as two others reopen) in Astoria, and the 1 train has a slew of disruptive service changes planned at least for this weekend. Everything pales with the hell set for Rockaway residents this summer, as the A and Rockaway Park Shuttle won't be connecting the beach to the mainland again until September.
Quite the unfortunate timing

Transit

June 28, 2018

Nearly 200 affordable apartments up for grabs in the South Bronx, from $548/month

The Mulberry via PRCNY & Camber Property Group Across two brand new affordable housing buildings in the South Bronx, there are 191 units available. The Hemlock, at 1000 Fox Street, and the Mulberry, at 960 Simpson Street, have a mix of studios, one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments as part of a newly launched housing lottery. Qualifying New Yorkers earning 40 and 100 percent of the area median income can apply for the units, which range from a $548/month studio to a $1,831/month three-bedroom.
Find out if you qualify

Affordable Housing

Lottery opens for 231 affordable units at Flushing’s new mixed-use development

Rendering via Monadnock Development

June 28, 2018

Lottery opens for 231 affordable units at Flushing’s new mixed-use development

Three-and-a-half years ago, the Department of City Planning enlisted Monadnock Development to build a mixed-use project in downtown Flushing, Queens. Located at 133-45 41st Avenue and dubbed One Flushing, the development has 22,000 square feet of retail space, along with 232 all-affordable apartments, nearly 40 percent of which is set aside as supportive senior housing. Including low- and middle-income units, the lottery for these residences has just opened, ranging from $548/month studios to $2,302/month three-bedrooms. In addition to being just around the corner from the 7 train and adjacent to the Flushing-Main Street LIRR Station, the building offers a 156-space public parking lot, 24-hour attended lobby, laundry room, bike storage, tenant lounge and terrace, fitness center, and rooftop garden.
Get all the details

Affordable Housing

June 28, 2018

Young professionals in Yonkers: How the city’s redevelopment plan targets millennials

Photo via Dennis Fraevich's Flickr Located on the Hudson River adjacent to New York City's northern border, Yonkers is the third-largest city in the state with nearly 200,000 residents. And with five major highways, two commuter train lines that are just a 28-minute trip to Grand Central, and the highest number of bus lines in Westchester County, it's no surprise that many are going bonkers for Yonkers. Phillip Gesue, chief officer of development at Strategic Capital, the developer of the Hudson Park residential project, told 6sqft that Yonkers is in transition. "Unlike Manhattan, which is, perhaps, over-baked, Yonkers is an affordable place to live and play," Gesue said. "It has people who have been living here a long time and new transplants who largely want to work in New York City. There is a growing population, development momentum and job growth.” Ahead, find out how officials are working to attract millennials, get a breakdown of all Yonkers' new developments, and learn why there's a lot more to do here than you might think.
Get the Yonkers low-down

Real Estate Trends

June 28, 2018

Private 63-acre Connecticut island is on the market for the second time in a century asking $120M

Not only is Great Island in Darien, CT, the largest private island to be offered for sale on the East Coast, but before it was listed in 2016 for $175 million, this iconic property hadn't been offered for sale or changed hands for more than a century. Purchased in the early 1900s by baking powder tycoon William Ziegler, the estate that lies just 50 miles north of New York City has remained in the family ever since. It's asking $120 million this time around.
Have a look at this unusual island property

June 28, 2018

Aspiring real estate developer Kanye West takes a loss on Noho condo sale

By Annie Doge

For those who were skeptical about Kanye West's recently announced foray into real estate ("I’m going to be one of the biggest real estate developers of all time. Like what Howard Hughes was to aircrafts and what Henry Ford was to cars," he humbly said.) here's proof that Yeezy might want to stick to rapping and Kardashian kuddling. TMZ reports that Kanye has just sold his Soho condo at 25 West Houston Street for $3 million, even less than the $3.14 million he paid for it.
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June 28, 2018

Be Cynthia Nixon’s Noho neighbor for $2.2M

By Annie Doge

An apartment right next door to gubernatorial candidate Cynthia Nixon is now on the market for $2.22 million. The available co-op at 10 Bleecker Street, located off the Bowery in Noho, sits on the third floor, the same level where the "Sex and the City" star lives with her wife, Christine Marinoni. According to the New York Post, Nixon first purchased her apartment for $3.25 million in 2012. She also owns a small co-op nearby in the East Village, but when she purchased it for $1.5 million in 2016, it was speculated to be an investment property.
Get the details

Head to 116-year-old Glaser’s Bakery before they close Sunday for NYC’s best black-and-white cookie

Photos © James and Karla Murray exclusively for 6sqft

June 28, 2018

Head to 116-year-old Glaser’s Bakery before they close Sunday for NYC’s best black-and-white cookie

Four months after they announced their imminent closing, Yorkville’s 116-year-old German bakery Glaser’s will serve its final treats this Sunday. They shared the news via a bittersweet Facebook post that read, "After many years of daunting hours and hard work, the third generation of bakers have come to the difficult decision to hang up their bakers’ hat and move towards retirement." Since last weekend, the lines have been wrapping around the block, with the bakers whipping up 1,650 of their black-and-white cookies at a time (they're widely regarded as the original and the best in the city).
Get a look at those lines

Uncategorized

June 28, 2018

Judge Judy’s former Sutton Place penthouse with two terraces asks $3M

By Annie Doge

Photo of Judge Judy via Wikimedia The former Sutton Place pad of the queen of court TV, Judge Judith Sheindlin, has hit the market for $3.29 million. The Brooklyn native sold the duplex penthouse at 60 Sutton Place South with her husband, Gerald Sheindlin, for $2.25 million in 2010 (h/t NY Post). Found on the 19th floor of the building, the co-op features three bedrooms and three and a half baths. Plus, the 2,250-square-foot apartment comes with two terraces overlooking the East River.
Take the tour

See the colorful makeovers of five NYC public pools

To coincide with the opening of all 53 public pools yesterday, the city's ever cool and joyful parks commissioner Mitchell Silver launched the Cool Pools NYC pilot program. The initiative gave a colorful makeover to five outdoor pools, one for each borough, in underserved neighborhoods. Prior to Cool Pools NYC, none of these sites had a major renovation since they were built in the 1970s. In addition to the cheery paint jobs, these pools have been outfitted with polar-themed art, lounge chairs, and landscaping and will offer drop-in fitness classes for adults and obstacle courses and scavenger hunts for kids.
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June 27, 2018

Live across from Crown Heights food hall Berg’n, from $1,769/month

Photo via Berg'n An affordable housing lottery launched Wednesday for four newly constructed, middle-income apartments in Crown Heights. Located at 916 Bergen Street, the rental building sits directly across from local favorite, Berg'n, a beer/ food hall from the founders of Smorgasburg. Residents will have access to a bike room and the building's rooftop. Qualifying New Yorkers earning 130 percent of the area median income can apply for the units, including one $1,769/month studio and three $2,635/month three-bedrooms.
Find out if you qualify

Affordable Housing

June 27, 2018

PHOTOS: Phase two of Hunter’s Point South Park officially opens on the LIC waterfront

Photo © 6sqft The Hunter's Point South Park extension officially opened Wednesday, over three years after construction began at the Long Island City site. The second phase adds 5.5 acres south to the existing park, which currently has a basketball court, playground, two dog-runs, and a volleyball sand pit. The city's Economic Development Corporation and Department of Parks and Recreation developed the project, which measures 11-acres from 50th Avenue to Newton Creek on the East River. At the ribbon-cutting ceremony, local officials and community members gathered to celebrate the project's opening. "This is a beautiful park," State Sen. Michael Gianaris said. "Enough to make our friends across in Manhattan look over and be jealous that they don't have anything as beautiful on their side of the River."
More here

Architecture And Design

City says work can resume on Sutton Place’s controversial 800-foot tower

Proposed massing of the tower, via CityRealty

June 27, 2018

City says work can resume on Sutton Place’s controversial 800-foot tower

A relatively staid neighborhood, things are heating up at the Upper East Side’s Sutton Place, again. Last December, 6sqft reported that Gamma Real Estate had to stop work on Sutton 58, their proposed 800-foot residential tower. After three years of community protest over what many consider an out-of-context supertall building, the New York City Council spoke loudly (with a 45-0 vote) and approved a height rezoning of 10 blocks between 51st and 59th Streets east of First Avenue. The rezoning required 45 to 50 percent of a building should rise below 150 feet. This was a huge blow to Gamma and would require massive changes to their plans. Most immediately, it required a halt of construction on the project. But that just changed.
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Executive director of Transportation Alternatives Paul Steely White drives a vintage Mustang as the last car in Central Park. Via NYC Parks.

June 27, 2018

Central Park is officially car-free!

At 7pm last night, the last car to ever drive through Central Park marked all of the park’s loop drives being permanently closed to traffic. Mayor de Blasio first made the announcement in April that after banning cars north of 72nd Street three years ago, the city would now prohibit them south of 72nd. Although vehicles will still be able to travel along the transverses, the new policy frees up a significant amount of space for pedestrians, runners, and bikers. To that end, Transportation Alternatives, a nonprofit advocacy group that has been pushing for the car ban since the '70s, teamed up with city officials last night to host a celebratory bike ride that trailed the last car to drive through the park.
More info ahead

Transit

June 27, 2018

Park Slope brownstone with fretwork, backyard pond and waterfall asks $4M

By Hannah Frishberg

Just two blocks from Prospect Park, this four-story brownstone is rich with original details as well as recent additions. The home is right at the edge of the Park Slope Historic District and, according to the designation report, is a neo-Italian Renaissance brownstone built circa 1895 by one Walter M. Coats. The home has had the same owners for decades and is currently configured as an owner's triplex over a garden rental with private entrance, and it's asking just under $4 million.
Take a peek inside

Distinctive Homes

VIDEO: See ‘Mom-and-Pops of the Lower East Side’ sculpture being installed in Seward Park

Video © Michael Ursone Films

June 27, 2018

VIDEO: See ‘Mom-and-Pops of the Lower East Side’ sculpture being installed in Seward Park

6sqft has been excitedly following the progress of photographers James and Karla Murray's Seward Park art installation "Mom-and-Pops of the LES," from the announcement that they'd been chosen through the Art in the Parks UNIQLO Park Expressions Grant Program to their wildly successful Kickstarter campaign to raise funds for the wood-frame structure's build out. And now the piece, featuring four nearly life-size images of Lower East Side business that have mostly disappeared, is finally complete. James and Karla shared with 6sqft an exclusive time-lapse video of the installation process and chatted with us about why they chose these particular storefronts, what the build-out was like, and how they hope New Yorkers will learn from their message.
Watch the video and hear from James and Karla

Events & Things To Do

June 27, 2018

Landmarks approves Frick expansion plan despite protests from preservationists

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

All renderings courtesy of Beyer Blinder Belle and Selldorf Architects On Tuesday the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission approved the most recent plan submitted by the museum for the expansion and renovation of the 1914 Gilded Age mansion it calls home in a 6 to 1 vote with one abstention, the New York Times reports. Three prior attempts by the museum in a quest to gain more space for exhibitions and programs were turned back amid vocal protests by neighborhood advocates and preservationists. The revised plan submitted by the project's architects Beyer Blinder Belle and Annabelle Selldorf includes the decision to restore the museum's original gated garden, which had been a point of controversy with those opposed to the project.
Find out more

Rent stabilized apartments will see increases of 1.5 and 2.5 percent this year

Photo courtesy of the MET Council on Housing

June 27, 2018

Rent stabilized apartments will see increases of 1.5 and 2.5 percent this year

By Emily Nonko

Last night the Rent Guidelines Board approved rent hikes for tenants in rent-stablized buildings, making this the second year rents for such units have increased. This latest vote by the board allows landlords to charge their rent-stabilized tenants increases of up to 1.5 percent for one-year leases and 2.5 percent for two-year leases. As the New York Times points out today, "the increases were seen as modest given the history of the nine-member board." Still, these are the steepest permitted increases since 2013 -- news met with jeers from housing advocates at a public hearing held at Cooper Union.
Here more about what's in store

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10 best plants for apartment dwellers

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June 27, 2018

Derek Jeter lists lakefront ‘castle’ with four kitchens and a Statue of Liberty replica for $15M

While owning a waterfront castle might seem presumptuous even for the former Yankee captain and current Miami Marlins owner, this 50,000-square-foot upstate compound on four acres at 14 Lake Shore Road in Greenwood Lake, NY, was more than just a random luxury buy. Tiedemann Castle, as it is known, has a family history for Jeter: According to the New York Post, his grandfather Sonny Connors, adopted son of John and Julia Tiedemann, who purchased it in 1952, was raised on the property. Jeter bought the estate 15 years ago for $425,000, so even after being "lovingly restored, with unparalleled attention to detail," the current $14.75 million price tag is a hefty hike.
More astounding vistas this way

Millennials flock to Washington Heights; Shark exhibit opens this weekend at Coney Island Aquarium

Coogan’s Restaurant in Washington Heights, via CityRealty (L); Via Wiki Commons (R)

June 26, 2018

Millennials flock to Washington Heights; Shark exhibit opens this weekend at Coney Island Aquarium

By 6sqft

Is Washington Heights the new Williamsburg? The upper-Manhattan ‘hood has 50,103 millennial residents, the most in the city. [NYP] See photos of Staten Island’s abandoned boat graveyard in the ’80s and 2000s. [Curbed] Mayor de Blasio announced a $400 million initiative to renovate 2,400 NYCHA apartments across 21 public housing developments in Brooklyn and Manhattan. [Office of […]

Uncategorized

June 26, 2018

242-square-foot West Village “Wee Cottage” is asking $550K

6sqft previously featured this unique West Village studio for its clever design back in 2014, when its owners, Jourdan Lawlor and Tobin Ludwig, turned the 242-square-foot pied-a-terre at 352 West 12th Street into a marvel of Swiss Army knife-like usefulness with brilliant design and custom solutions. The pair, who bought the charming co-op for just $270,000, christened it "The Wee Cottage" and invested about $33,000 in a renovation that became the stuff of micro-apartment legend, having been featured in numerous publications and heaped with accolades (Refinery29 named it the Coolest Tiny Apartment in NYC, for example, and it's an Instagram favorite). They rented it out for $3,000 a month in 2016, and now it's for sale asking $500,000.
Take a tiny tour

Distinctive Homes

June 26, 2018

New Historic District more than doubles the landmarked buildings in Boerum Hill

In a vote today, the Landmarks Preservation Commission designated the Boerum Hill Historic District Extension. The 288-building district is split into three distinct sections, all adjacent to the existing 250-building Boerum Hill Historic District that was designated in 1973. According to an LPC press release, the extension "represents the diverse cultural and economic history of Boerum Hill, as well as its largely intact 19th-century architecture." It's mostly residential blocks, made up of late 19th-century brownstone and brick townhouses, along with a block-and-a-half commercial stretch of Atlantic Avenue.
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Policy

Plan released for a seven-building, 800+ unit affordable development in Brownsville

Rendering via L+M and Curtis+Ginsberg Architects

June 26, 2018

Plan released for a seven-building, 800+ unit affordable development in Brownsville

Plans for a seven-building affordable housing development in Brooklyn's Brownsville were released this week, as part of the city's revitalization effort in the neighborhood. As part of the "Brownsville Plan," the proposed project includes eight-to nine-story residential buildings with new retail and community space along Livonia Avenue. The project would extend the existing Marcus Garvey Apartments, a housing complex built in the mid-1970s that currently has many underutilized parking lots (h/t YIMBY). Overall, the more than 900,000-square-foot development will bring over 840 affordable apartments, currently estimated to be set aside for New Yorkers earning 80 percent or below the area median income.
More details here

June 26, 2018

$12M Soho loft was inspired by an opulent Parisian hotel and an art gallery past

This three-bedroom loft at 69 Wooster Street is the kind you don't often see in today's world of sleek designer spaces. Until 2014, it was the longtime home and personal gallery of prominent art collectors Eileen and Michael Cohen, who had lived there since Soho was, well, Soho. The current owner is a fashion designer who just finished a multi-year renovation adding a layer of one-of-a-kind opulence to an already dramatic space. The home, now on the market for $12 million, has been featured in Architectural Digest and other design publications, and we can see why, with everything from tin ceilings and exposed brick to gold-clad columns, dripping crystal chandeliers, a mirrored wall, and plenty of leather accents.
Don't miss the gold bathtub

Lottery opens for 29 affordable units at Crown Heights’ former Fox Savoy Theater site

2011 Google Street View of the Fox Savoy Theater before it was demolished

June 26, 2018

Lottery opens for 29 affordable units at Crown Heights’ former Fox Savoy Theater site

It's been four years since Crown Heights' historic Fox Savoy Theater was torn down to make way for a 114-unit apartment building at 1511 Bedford Avenue. Designed by famed theater architect Thomas Lamb in 1926, the neo-classical structure was not landmarked, therefore, developer Realty Within Reach was able to replace it with Isaac & Stern Architects' 10-story rental building. Twenty-five percent of the apartments, or 29 units, are set aside for households earning 60 percent of the area median income, and as of today, they're available through the city's housing lottery. The units range from $816/month studios to $1,064/month two-bedrooms, and amenities include on-site parking, bike storage, a gym, roof deck, and rec room.
Find out more

Affordable Housing

See aerial renderings of COOKFOX’s massive St. John’s Terminal redevelopment

Rendering looking south down the Hudson River waterfront with COOKFOX’s design for 550 Washington on the left-hand side. Courtesy of COOKFOX.

June 26, 2018

See aerial renderings of COOKFOX’s massive St. John’s Terminal redevelopment

This past December, COOKFOX Architects released up-close renderings of their nearly two-million-square-foot St. John’s Terminal redevelopment in Hudson Square. COOKFOX, known for their commitment to contextual and sustainable development, created a five-building plan that, according to the firm, takes inspiration from the early Hudson Square factories and printing press buildings "with massing assembled around finely sculpted towers, detailed with geometrically rigorous setbacks and planted terraces." Now, CityRealty has uncovered two aerial views of the residential, retail, and commercial project that show just how massive this development will be.
More details ahead

June 26, 2018

NYC needs to invest nearly $6B over the next decade to fix aging park infrastructure, report says

Photo via Geoff Stearns on Flickr A report released Tuesday by the Center for an Urban Future found that while city parks are seeing record use by the public, officials have underinvested in their basic maintenance and infrastructure for decades. The average city park underwent its last major renovation in 1997, despite being on average 73 years old. The think-tank estimates an investment of $5.8 billion over the next decade is needed to address the repair and replacement of existing infrastructure, a number which does not include the cost of constructing new structures. "The subway system isn’t the only vital piece of infrastructure in New York that is aging and in need of investment,” Jonathan Bowles, executive director of CUF, said in a statement. "Parks in every borough are experiencing infrastructure problems brought by age and magnified by record usage and decades of under-investment in parks maintenance."
Find out more

June 26, 2018

MAP: Where to watch the 2018 Macy’s July 4th fireworks

The patriotic party-planners behind the Macy's Fourth of July live fireworks extravaganza happening next Wednesday evening have made sure to provide their usual thorough and handy guide suggesting prime spots for experiencing the world-famous pyrotechnics show. Get the 411 on official viewing points and use the interactive neighborhood finder to make sure you're well-situated when things go boom.
Get all the info, this way

14th Street to become an all-day ‘busway,’ get new bike lanes during L train shutdown

L train photo via Wiki Commons

June 26, 2018

14th Street to become an all-day ‘busway,’ get new bike lanes during L train shutdown

6sqft previously reported on the city's plans to provide alternatives to the L train during the 2019 shutdown for repairs in the Canarsie Tunnel under the East River and the reaction of community groups affected by the planned changes. A coalition of West Side neighborhood groups fearing disruptions from buses, bike lanes and other changes sued the agencies tasked with implementing the L train alternatives. Now the New York Daily News reports that according to court documents, 14th street will become a "busway" for 17 hours each day–among other strategies–to limit car traffic during the shutdown.
Find out more details

June 25, 2018

New renderings and a 2022 deadline for Cuomo’s AirTrain to LaGuardia

Via Governor Cuomo's office Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Monday signed legislation that jumpstarts the construction of the AirTrain to LaGuardia Airport by letting the state use eminent domain to secure land for the project. Passed by the state legislature last week, the bill permits the state to acquire parcels of land already owned by the City or MTA between Willets Point and the airport, allowing the train to run along Grand Central Parkway. LGA is the only major airport on the East Coast without a rail connection, with 86 percent of travelers using cars to access it. "How can you not have a rail train to the city from a New York airport? I mean, it's just incomprehensible, right?" Cuomo said at the bill signing event. According to the governor's office, the train could bring passengers via the 7-train or LIRR trains between Midtown and the airport within 30 minutes.
Get the details

Photo via Wiki Commons

June 25, 2018

Two chances to live near the JFK AirTrain, from $1,418/month

If you travel often for work, this affordable housing opportunity could make your life a lot easier, provided you earn between $48,618 and $83,440 annually. The city opened the lottery for a $1,418/month one-bedroom and a $1,599/month two-bedroom at 89-15 138th Street, which is just two blocks away from the J, M, Z trains and a slew of buses at Jamaica Station and the AirTrain to JFK. An added bonus? The two units up for grabs have balconies.
Find out if you qualify

Affordable Housing

PHOTOS: NYC’s first LGBTQ monument opens in Greenwich Village

Photo by Tia Richards for 6sqft

June 25, 2018

PHOTOS: NYC’s first LGBTQ monument opens in Greenwich Village

New York's first public monument to the LGBTQ community opened Sunday in the Greenwich Village, a historically significant neighborhood for the gay rights movement. Located in Hudson River Park and designed by local artist Anthony Goicolea, the monument honors the victims of the 2016 Pulse nightclub shooting, as well as all victims of hate and violence. "This memorial saddens us, when we think about the Orlando 49 senseless deaths, but it also enlightens us, and it also inspires us," Cuomo said on Sunday. "It inspires New Yorkers to do what New Yorkers have always done - what Anthony was referring to: to push forward, to keep going forward on that journey until we reach the destination that the Statue of Liberty promised in the first place."
Find out more

Rockaway beaches will reopen after controversial erosion closure

Photo via Dan DeLuca on Flickr

June 25, 2018

Rockaway beaches will reopen after controversial erosion closure

In a last-minute move, the city closed a half-mile of Rockaway beach just days before beaches opened for the season on Memorial Day weekend, angering residents and general New Yorkers alike. The 11-block stretch between Beach 91st and Beach 102nd Street is considered the hub of the beach thanks to its proximity to concessions and free parking. The city made the decision due to safety issues from erosion, saying that it might be a years-long process to get it up reopened. However, amNY reports today that Parks Department officials announced that they will reopen the beach on a trial basis on June 30th after deciding with lifeguards that it is, in fact, safe for swimming.
More details

Uncategorized

June 25, 2018

Get a first look at the amenities at Bjarke Ingels’ High Line towers

Less than two weeks after HFZ Capital revealed the marble-clad interior renderings for Bjarke Ingels’ High Line-facing XI condo/hotel project at 76 Eleventh Avenue, they've now launched the official website. First spotted by Curbed, the site gives us our first view of the amenities such as the huge, glass-enclosed pool, as well as an up-close look at the "Bridge Lounge," the swanky amenity space located within the development's skybridge. The double-height podium bridge, which connects the asymmetrical, twisting towers, will have a retractable movie screen, private wine tasting room, bar, and library.
See all this and more

June 25, 2018

Roast, record, repeat: How Toby’s Estate brews the perfect cup of coffee at its Brooklyn cafe and roastery

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 Williamsburg cafe and roastery of Toby's Estate Coffee. Want to see your business featured here? Get in touch! When you walk into Toby’s Estate Coffee, the smell of freshly brewed coffee hits you immediately. And thanks to the towering roasting machine in the back of the Williamsburg coffee shop (which roasts about 50 lbs of coffee at a time), the sweet-bitter aroma really lingers. While the location on North 6th Street between Berry Street and Bedford Avenue was the first Toby’s in New York City, the coffee connoisseurs have since sprouted to other boroughs, with three cafes in Manhattan and most recently one in Long Island City. Toby’s, which originated in Australia, has served up specialty small-batch coffee in NYC since 2012, bringing in some eclectic flavors to their roster of roasts. Currently, the shop is offering a Citron Espresso Tonic, with tonic water, ice, handmade citron simple syrup and candied oranges. (We tried it. It was delicious.) On an unseasonably warm day this spring, Toby's gave 6sqft a tour of its Brooklyn shop, which boasts enough square footage to fit its roastery and cafe, as well as plenty of seating. Ahead, see inside the sunlight-filled flagship space and hear from Toby's staff on their "roast, record, taste, adjust, and repeat" process that brews the perfect cup of coffee.
See the cafe and learn more about the roasting process

Next week, two Astoria subway stations will reopen and two will shutter

Photo by Marc A. Hermann / MTA New York City Transit via Flickr

June 25, 2018

Next week, two Astoria subway stations will reopen and two will shutter

By Hannah Frishberg

On the heels of the 2 and 3 resuming weekend service between Brooklyn and Manhattan, the MTA has more good news: The 30th and 36th Avenue stations in Astoria will be reopening on Monday, July 2 after being shuttered for repairs the past eight months. But with this also comes some bad news--the closure of the Broadway and 39th Avenue stations on the same N, W line, which are projected to remain shuttered for seven months.
July 2 will be quite a day for Astoria straphangers

Transit

222 LES Tower + Lofts

222 East Broadway

Lower East Side

Art Deco romance meets 21st-century convenience

Studios starting at $799,000
1 bed starting at $1,100,000
2 beds starting at $1,955,000
3 beds starting at $2,875,000

Learn More

New renderings and details for Perkins Eastman’s 730-foot tower at controversial Two Bridges site

259 Clinton Street via Perkins Eastman

June 25, 2018

New renderings and details for Perkins Eastman’s 730-foot tower at controversial Two Bridges site

Additional details and a new rendering have been unveiled this week for a 62-story Lower East Side skyscraper designed by Perkins Eastman Architects, nearly two years after 6sqft first wrote about the project. Located at 259 Clinton Street, the tower is a part of a controversial three-building project coming to the waterfront of the Two Bridges neighborhood. According to YIMBY, latest plans for 259 Clinton Street, developed by Starret Development, call for a 730-foot tower, slightly higher than an earlier 724-foot proposal.
More this way

June 25, 2018

$750K brownstone aerie on the Upper West Side has classic Manhattan charm–and an elevator

This quintessential brownstone apartment on the top floor at 140 West 74th Street might not be what comes to mind when you think of penthouse living, but 10-foot ceilings, tons of exposed brick, and plenty of pre-war charm–coupled with a perfect spot on the Upper West Side–could make this co-op studio a top choice for a Manhattan pied-a-terre. A price of $749,000 and the fact that it's not a walk-up help make the case, as does the view of the tree-lined West 70s from a wall of windows.
Take a look around

Distinctive Homes

Images (L to R): New York By Gehry, The Pointe, The Addition and Jackson Park

June 23, 2018

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

By Ondel Hylton

Images (L to R): New York By Gehry, The Pointe, The Addition and Jackson Park Renting in New York’s Tallest Apartment Building, New York by Gehry [link] Live at The Maya from $1,795/Month; No Fee Rentals in Jamaica Estates [link] The Pointe Debuts in Rego Park with 1 Month Free; New Rentals from $1,962/Month [link] […]

Real Estate Trends

June 22, 2018

This $5M Seaport District townhouse is just 12 feet wide and made of metal

What this newly built townhouse lacks in width, it makes up for in height (h/t CityRealty). Located on one of the historic area's original cobblestoned streets, at 246 Front Street, the 12-foot-wide home has four stories, plus a basement and private roof terrace. In addition to its narrow frame, the house also stands out for its unique metal facade, made entirely of steel and zinc.
See it all right here

Distinctive Homes

INTERVIEW: Architect Glen Coben dishes on his passion for design and restaurants

Headshot of Glen Coben via Tommy Campbell, Brothers & Company

June 22, 2018

INTERVIEW: Architect Glen Coben dishes on his passion for design and restaurants