June 19, 2018

3 Manhattan subway stations will shutter through the end of the year

Adding to straphangers' woes this summer, the MTA will be shuttering three Manhattan subway stations for repairs in July. The 57th Street F, 28th Street 6, and 23rd Street F and M stations will close for six months of repairs as part of Governor Cuomo's Enhanced Station Initiative. Last month, the MTA closed the 72nd Street and 86th Street stations on the B, C line--neither station will reopen until late October.
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June 19, 2018

NYC is the focus of Bjarke Ingels’ ‘Humanhattan 2050’ vision for protecting cities from future storms

In 2014 6sqft reported on the Department of Housing and Urban Development's Rebuild By Design contest to develop ways to shore up the city from future flooding. Among the short list of winners whose projects will receive funding was "The Big U" from Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG), a flooding solution for Manhattan that doubles as a social environment, with over a third of the $920 million in prize money to go toward its development. Now BIG is making a bigger splash with a similar vision now on display at the 2018 Venice Architecture Biennale, the Observer reports. Called "Humanhattan 2050," the project, created for the Biennale, which the firm calls "an academic exploration in urban environments and resiliency" could someday represent the first effort to keep cities safe while creating a new, improved social space along the waterfront.
Take a look
June 19, 2018

David Adjaye reveals interiors for luxury FiDi condo, his first NYC tower

With construction officially underway at 130 William Street and sales launching for the 244 condos later this month, Sir David Adjaye hosted an event last night to reveal the interiors of his 800-foot Financial District tower. And they're just as chic as expected, with finishes made from materials sourced from all over the world and hardware designed by the starchitect himself. Adjaye Associates collaborated with Hill West Architects on the project. "In defining the design for 130 William, I not only sought to celebrate New York City’s heritage of masonry architecture, referencing the historical architecture once pervasive upon one of the city’s earliest streets," Adjaye said. "However, and more importantly, 130 William has been crafted to focus on the new possibilities of urban, vertical living."
See the renderings here
June 19, 2018

$3M Gramercy loft in former brewery dons original wood ceilings and beams

Built in 1896, the Gramercy Park Habitat at 205 East 22nd Street is a former brewery with a ton of charm and original details including beamed ceilings and wooden columns. This three-bedroom loft in the condominium, currently listed for $3,149,000, is draped head-to-toe in this vintage woodwork and is also flooded with light from a wall of windows looking out onto one of the neighborhood's most charming streets.
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June 19, 2018

Reaching over 1,000 feet, 35 Hudson Yards tops out as the mega-project’s tallest residential building

The first residential supertall to rise at the Hudson Yards mega-project officially topped out this week at 1,009 feet. Developed by Related Companies and Oxford Properties Group, 35 Hudson Yards rises 72 floors and is now considered the ninth tallest structure in New York City, YIMBY reported. Skidmore Owings & Merrill (SOM) designed the 1.1 million-square-foot mixed-use tower, which will accommodate 137 private residences, an Equinox-branded hotel and fitness club, office space and ground-floor retail.
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June 19, 2018

$7,000/month Dumbo triplex makes a splash with rustic details–and a rooftop beach

This classic industrial Dumbo loft at 50 Bridge Street is already ahead of the rental pack by being an extra-large one-bedroom, two-bath apartment that spans three levels. It has the prerequisite high ceilings and exposed beams plus a working fireplace, central A/C and large south-facing windows. It's asking $6,900 a month, which seems a bit steep (even with a swing in the middle of the living room), until you discover the massive private roof deck with all the summertime fun necessities including a hot tub, a cabana and more.
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June 18, 2018

Adorable Williamsburg rowhouse with a swimming pool and three decks asks $3M

This recently renovated late-1800s Williamsburg rowhouse’s future is so bright, you have to wear shades. Asking $2,899,000, natural light floods every room of this house and, best of all, it has an actual swimming pool in the backyard. And, if an owner needs more space, the house comes with unused air rights that could almost double it in size.
Get a look at the whole place
June 18, 2018

100+ affordable apartments up for grabs at a South Bronx passive house, from $702/month

Located between East 151st and 153rd Streets, a 15-story affordable rental is now accepting applications for a whopping 107 units. Dubbed Park Avenue Green, the South Bronx building at 2980 Park Avenue is the second phase of a multi-phase housing project. Designed by Curtis + Ginsberg Architects, the building includes 154 apartments and a 4,300-square-foot community facility. Qualifying New Yorkers earning 50, 60 and 80 percent of the area median income can apply for the units ranging from a $702/month studio to a $1,823/month three-bedroom.
Find out if you qualify
June 18, 2018

Yayoi Kusama is bringing 1,500 mirrored spheres to the Rockaways this summer

Yayoi Kusama at the 1966 Venice Biennale; via MOMA PS1 Yayoi is coming back to New York. From July 1 through September 3, MoMA PS1 will present "Rockaway!" featuring "Narcissus Garden," a site-specific installation made up of 1,500 mirrored stainless steel spheres by the uber-talented, polka dot-obsessed Japanese artist, Yayoi Kusama. This is MOMA’s third iteration of Rockaway!, a free public art festival dedicated to the ongoing recovery efforts after Hurricane Sandy. The exhibit will be on view at the Gateway National Recreation Area, a former train garage at Fort Tilden, which once was an active U.S. military base. Kusama’s mirrored metal spheres reflect the industrial surroundings of the abandoned building and highlight Fort Tilden’s history. According to MoMA, the metal directs attention to the damage inflicted by Sandy in 2012 on the surrounding area.
Get the details
June 18, 2018

Live in an affordable three-bedroom near Brooklyn College in Flatbush for $1,279/month

Via NYC HPD An eight-story affordable rental building in Flatbush is offering up seven three-bedroom apartments for just $1,279/month. Located at 1345 Rogers Avenue, just a short walk from Brooklyn College, Crystal Towers contains 91,100 square feet of residential space with a total of 123 apartments. Residents will have access to amenities like an on-site super, a rear garden, bike storage and on-site laundry.  Qualifying New Yorkers earning 60 percent of the area median income can apply for the seven $1,279/month three-bedroom apartments.
Find out if you qualify
June 18, 2018

The 1936 ‘Summer of Pools’: When Robert Moses and the WPA cooled off NYC

On June 24, 1936, thousands of Lower East Siders turned out for a spectacle the likes of which New York had never seen. They jammed Hamilton Fish Park, filled Pitt Street, and perched on surrounding fire-escapes and rooftops to get a glimpse. With great fanfare (and the swim stylings of the Jones Beach Water Troupe) Mayor La Guardia and Parks Commissioner Robert Moses officially opened Hamilton Fish Pool. The dedication kicked off New York’s “Summer of Pools.” One by one, for each week of the summer, 11 gleaming outdoor pools, financed and built by the Works Progress Administration (WPA), opened in underserved neighborhoods across the city, providing recreation and relief to millions of heat-addled, Depression-strapped New Yorkers.
Learn more about the summer of 1936
June 18, 2018

Michael Cohen’s inlaws list three condos at Trump World Tower amid legal battle

Photo of Michael Cohen via Wikimedia; listing photo via Trump International Realty As President Donald Trump's personal attorney, Michael Cohen, faces mounting legal fees, his family is looking to sell three condominium units at a 72-story Trump building in Manhattan. Bloomberg reported Friday that Cohen's father-in-law Fima Shusterman wants to sell three apartments he owns in Trump World Tower at 845 United Nations Plaza. Just two of the units are listed on the Trump International Realty website: a three-bedroom unit, 57B, for $6.7 million and a two-bedroom unit, 42A, for $4.5 million. Not listed but still for sale, the family's 43rd-floor apartment was purchased in 2003 for $1.85 million, but the current price is not yet known.
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June 18, 2018

‘Real Housewife’ Luann De Lesseps is selling her Hamptons home for $6.3M to move upstate

Back in 2017 6sqft reported on the growing trend that saw celebrities and the well-heeled-and-hip ditching the hamptons for upstate and Catskills getaways. "Real Housewives of New York" regular Luann De Lesseps must have just gotten the memo; she's put her Sag Harbor house on the market for $6.25 million–and she's asking $150,000 in rent for the place during August. The New York Post quotes a friend of the former countess: “She loves the Hamptons, and her house, but it’s time for a change. The Hamptons is changing, and she’s looking elsewhere to summer. She’s in love with the Catskills.”
Find out what she's leaving behind
June 18, 2018

Historic Upper West Side mansion built for a Dow Jones founder asks $12M

Designed by prolific Upper West Side architect Charles T. Mott in 1891 for Dow Jones founder Edward Jones, the facade of this five-story townhouse at 325 West 76th Street hints at the rich history and the grand details within. The current owners renovated this 20-foot-wide, 7,515-square-foot home in the 21st century, slowly and meticulously preserving historic details in the transformation back to single-family mansion. This turn-key historic house is on the market for $11.9 million, including six bedrooms, an elevator, a screening room, a top-of-the-line kitchen and several entertaining spaces.
Take a five-story tour
June 16, 2018

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

Rent at 19 Dutch, FiDi’s New “Culturally-Inspired” Skyscraper with Early-Bird Bargains [link] Extell’s East Village Rental, EVGB at 510 East 14th Street, Already 50% Leased – See Remaining Listings [link] Beachfront Living at The Tides at Arverne by the Sea – Now Leasing from $1,775/Month [link] Glassworks Bushwick: Get to Know Brooklyn’s New Rental at […]

June 15, 2018

The history of Brooklyn blackout cake: German bakeries and WWII drills

Chocoholics all over the country know Brooklyn blackout cake, a three-tiered devil's food cake with layers of chocolate pudding and chocolate frosting topped with cake crumbs. In recent years, the rich cake has become re-popularized from its heyday in the first half of the 20th century. But most of us who gluttonously indulge in this tasty dessert have no idea where its borough-centric name came from or just how long this confectioner's delight has been around. It all started in 1898 at a German bakery called Ebinger's on Flatbush Avenue in Brooklyn, but it wasn't until World War II that the moniker took hold.
Get the full story here
June 15, 2018

$2M boho Nomad live-work loft is an artists’ dream–or a blank slate

A rare find in 21st-century Manhattan, this light-filled loft at 50 West 29th Street in go-go Nomad is a legit live/work space with a history of artists-in-residence. Asking $1.995 million, it's also a high-floor co-op with Empire State Building views in one of the city's hottest neighborhoods, with great bones and plenty of potential. In its current state of artsy maximalist splendor, the two-bedroom home has plenty of character and room for creating and living.
Get a closer look
June 15, 2018

Snag a one-bedroom at a passive house in Washington Heights, from $1,650/month

A newly constructed rental that meets passive house standards has launched a lottery for six middle-income apartments in Washington Heights. Designed by PM Architecture, the Uptown six-story building contains 20 units and boasts a facade of charcoal-painted insulated panels. Located at 577 West 161st Street, the building will have a medical office on its first floor, residences above it, and an outdoor recreation space in the back. Qualifying New Yorkers earning 130 percent of the area median income can apply for the $1,650/month and $1,800/month one-bedroom apartments.
Find out if you qualify
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June 15, 2018

Cole Porter’s former Manhattan townhouse in historic Sniffen Court enclave has sold for $4.8M

Tucked within the Sniffen Court Mews in Murray Hill, blocked from the public by a private gate off East 36th Street, composer and songwriter Cole Porter’s former townhouse has sold for $4.8 million (h/t New York Post). The former engraver's studio, located in one of just a few private mews in New York City at 156 East 36th Street originally served as stables during the Civil War era.
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June 15, 2018

Remembering the worst disaster in NYC maritime history: The sinking of the General Slocum ferry

PS General Slocum; photo via Wikimedia On June 15, 1904, a disaster of unprecedented proportions took place in New York City, resulting in the loss of over 1,000 lives, mostly women and children. This largely forgotten event was the greatest peacetime loss of life in New York City history prior to the September 11th attacks, forever changing our city and the ethnic composition of today’s East Village. It was on that day that the ferry General Slocum headed out from the East 3rd Street pier for an excursion on Long Island, filled with residents of what was then called Kleindeutschland, or Little Germany. This German-American enclave in today’s East Village was then the largest German-speaking community in the world outside of Berlin and Vienna.
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June 15, 2018

Rosie O’Donnell’s former Nyack mansion is asking a ‘Pretty Penny’ at $4.75M

"Pretty Penny," the elegant, former Nyack mansion of Helen Hayes, for 61 years, and Rosie O'Donnell, for four years, has hosted its share of celebrities, including Marilyn Monroe, Laurence Olivier, Katharine Hepburn, Vivien Leigh, Russell Crowe, and Madonna, to name a few. Just 22 miles from NYC, the 1858 wedding cake-style Italianate Victorian with stunning Hudson River views has hit the market for $4,750,000, after trying to sell for the past five years. In addition to the celebrity pedigree, a lucky new owner will also get 6,000 square feet dripping with period details, a 60-foot Olympic-style pool, and incredible landscaped grounds with terraced gardens, a koi pond, and more.
You don't want to miss these interiors
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 tips@6sqft.com. 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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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
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.
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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."
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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.
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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.
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