6sqft | NYC local news, events, and apartments

A developer is getting creative in his latest affordable housing project in the Bronx. Gold Key Group, which typically develops market-rate housing, teamed up with SG Blocks, a shipping container company, to build 65 to 75 apartments above a retail store and a church. SG Blocks will use shipping containers due to the affordability and quick construction time--the method cuts the building timeline by 40 percent and is 10 to 20 percent less expensive than typical construction, according to Paul Galvin, CEO of SG Blocks. And as amNew York reports, Galvin "hopes this type of construction will become a solution to the housing crisis."
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Affordable Housing

Chelsea Market plans international outposts as Google closes on $2.4B purchase of flagship building

Photo courtesy of Jamestown

March 21, 2018

Chelsea Market plans international outposts as Google closes on $2.4B purchase of flagship building

Jamestown, the real estate investment company that just closed on the $2.4 billion sale of the 1.2 million-square-foot Chelsea Market building to Google yesterday, is getting in on the corporate game. The developer will continue to manage Chelsea Market and, according to the Wall Street Journal, they maintained the branding rights and intellectual property connected to the Chelsea Market name outside of Manhattan. The article reports that Jamestown is already scoping out “emerging neighborhoods” throughout the U.S. and Europe and hopes to announce one to two new locations for their new concept before the end of the year. Phillips told the Journal, “The concept travels...Our intention is to create this community of buildings.”
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Uncategorized

13 affordable units up for grabs at new Bushwick rental Lyceum Square, from $856/month

Marketing photo of Lyceum Square

March 20, 2018

13 affordable units up for grabs at new Bushwick rental Lyceum Square, from $856/month

Bushwick's latest rental Lyceum Square, at 961 Willoughby Avenue, just commenced move-ins at the beginning of the year for its market-rate units, which start at $2,295/month for one-bedrooms and go up to $2,970/month for three-bedrooms. But there are now 13 chances to live in the 63-unit building, complete with a large, furnished roof deck, for much less. New Yorkers earning 60 percent of the area median income can apply for the affordable apartments, which range from $856/month studios to $1,114/month two-bedrooms.
Find out if you qualify

Affordable Housing

New water filtration system claims it can bring NYC pizza and bagels worldwide

Pizza from Patsy’s in East Harlem, via Wiki Commons

March 20, 2018

New water filtration system claims it can bring NYC pizza and bagels worldwide

By now you've surely heard that New York City's pizza and bagels stand out because of our tap water. And now a New Jersey company is trying to capitalize on that widely-accepted theory by marketing a water-filtration system that can match the molecular makeup of NYC water, thereby allowing anyone anywhere to replicate our tasty dough (h/t NYP). This past Monday, the $2,890/year New York WaterMaker was unveiled at the International Pizza Expo in Las Vegas, and apparently, it already has the approval of some old-school New York pizza makers.
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City Living

March 20, 2018

MTA releases new bus performance dashboard

Is "eternity" really a viable measuring unit when describing how long it takes to get to your destination via New York City bus? The MTA has created a new and unique bus performance dashboard that details customer-focused performance metrics for the city's bus routes, which, as 6sqft recently reported, are considered among the country's slowest. This new method of compiling and viewing data is part of the MTA’s plan to improve bus service across the city, and according to the MTA, no other transit system in the world offers the same level of detail in an online dashboard.
Find out more

Transit

March 20, 2018

INTERVIEW: Developer Edward Baquero explains how he brought old-New York luxury to 20 East End

When I first interviewed Edward Baquero, President of Corigin Real Estate Group, his art curator, Elizabeth Fiore, was furiously texting him images from the Armory Show with potential art for two remaining walls in the stately 20 East End’s octagonal lobby. Baquero is a perfectionist to the nth degree with an obsessive eye for detail, highly skilled research capabilities, a luxurious aesthetic sensibility and a ridiculously funny sense of humor. These two alcove walls were just as important to Baquero as every other detail in his building, no matter how big or small. Nothing in 20 East End was chosen without thorough research and reason followed by multiple iterations of tests and retests. What Baquero created in 20 East End evokes a time when the Astors, Vanderbilts, and Rockefellers dominated Manhattan and defined luxury. Baquero is bringing back the best of the past and melding it with the present to create a model many will replicate in the future. Ahead, 6sqft talks with him about how he achieved this, his inspirations, and what it was like working with Robert A.M. Stern.
Hear what Edward has to say

March 20, 2018

Original Park Slope ‘brownstoner’ lists his Victorian wonderland for $4M

When Clem Labine bought the townhouse at 199 Berkeley Place in Park Slope for $25,000 back in 1966, Brooklyn was a very different place. Among the original wave of "brownstoners" who bought dilapidated townhomes to give themselves more living space and put years of sweat equity into restoring them, Labine, now 81, went on to found Old-House Journal (“Restoration and Maintenance Techniques for the Antique House”), and live in the painstakingly-preserved home for over 50 years (h/t Brownstoner). The Neo-Grec-style house was was built in 1883 along with 10 other homes. A much-subdivided rental SRO when Labine rescued it, it's now an impressive two-family home listed for $3.895 million.
Gaze at this well-preserved brownstone treasure

Empire State Building gets a new, nightly sparkling light show

Via Empire State Realty Trust

March 20, 2018

Empire State Building gets a new, nightly sparkling light show

Via Empire State Realty Trust If you're lucky enough to be blessed with Empire State Building sightlines, your views will, as of this week, include a five-minute sparkling light show every hour, on the hour, between sunset and 2 AM nightly. As Time Out New York reports, this latest addition to the iconic spire's light show repertoire joins a lighting tradition that began in 1932 and includes holiday flair–red, white, and blue lights on the Fourth of July, the green and orange of the Irish flag on St. Patrick’s Day–music-enhanced light shows, and color changes to salute occasions and organizations every night of the year.
See the skyline sparkle

City Living

Distinctive Homes

This $3.75M Lefferts Manor townhouse has well-preserved historic details and every modern luxury

This $8.75M Village townhouse is a downtown dream home with an elevator, three terraces, and a rooftop office suite

For $3.25M, this compact Boerum Hill townhouse goes beyond the condo alternative with three levels and a yard

This six-story $13.9M Upper West Side townhouse has all of life's luxuries under one roof, with an elevator to get there

This $3.15M co-op embodies East Village cool, all grown up

$2.35M Gramercy co-op wraps classic pre-war style with vintage opulence–plus a key to the park

Bethenny Frankel lists her Bridgehampton property for $6M

A Victoria's Secret model's angelic East Village flat with a solarium and terrace asks $2.9M

This $7.75M West Village home updates 1828 Federal style with a perfect country kitchen

For $1.45M, this barrel-fronted Bay Ridge home offers three floors for living and lots of outdoor space

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March 20, 2018

$2.7M FiDi penthouse occupies the former attic of one of NYC’s earliest skyscrapers

This full-floor penthouse is located within the former attic of one of New York's early skyscrapers, the Liberty Tower. Built at 55 Liberty Street in 1909 by Chicago architect Henry Ives Cobb, the Gothic Revival-style office building was the tallest in the world when completed. It was home to FDR's law offices and, later, to German spies plotting to prevent American from joining WWI. Architect Joseph Pell Lombardi converted the tower to co-ops in 1979, with the attic unit retaining vaulted ceilings, exposed beams, and 29 windows offering views across the city. It's now listed for $2.695 million.
See it up close

Distinctive Homes

More Banksy work pops up in Brooklyn, this time commenting on capitalism and real estate

Photo by Benjamin Sutton for Hyperallergic

March 20, 2018

More Banksy work pops up in Brooklyn, this time commenting on capitalism and real estate

Banksy is at it again. Last Friday, we highlighted the 70-foot mural on the Houston Bowery Wall depicting the Turkish artist Zehra Dogan’s unjust prison sentence. Now the elusive street artist is taking credit for two murals on a derelict site slated for redevelopment in Midwood, Brooklyn, reports Hyperallergic. One of the murals depicts a man in a suit and hard hat (most likely a real estate developer), cracking a whip that looks like a stock market up arrow, over a group of children and adults desperate to get away. Coincidence or not, Trump has properties in nearby Coney Island. The mural is classic Banksy commentary on the evils and influence of capitalism.
Details on the second piece

City wants to turn streetlights into Wi-Fi hotspots; Banksy’s Bowery mural gets tagged

Via Pexels (L); Via Goldman Properties (R)

March 19, 2018

City wants to turn streetlights into Wi-Fi hotspots; Banksy’s Bowery mural gets tagged

By 6sqft

Banksy’s just-unveiled Bowery Wall has already been defaced. [Bowery Boogie] For three months, the Lower East Side will be home to an egg museum. [The Lo-Down] When Coney Island’s Luna Park opens on Saturday, March 24th, you can ride all the rides for just $5. [Brokelyn] The L train shutdown is getting its own documentary. […]

Uncategorized

March 19, 2018

Noho’s Wormhole apartment brings ‘Batman’s cave’ to a Second Empire space

The multidisciplinary architecture/design firm Dash Marshall does it again. Before they evoked water with their “Raft Loft” in Tribeca, and now they turn to the soil with the “Wormhole” in Noho, which takes inspiration from dark tunnels underground that emerge into the bright sun. Inspired by science fiction, like "2001: Space Odyssey," and clients who were amenable to the stories they create, Ritchie Yao, one of the firms’ co-founders explained, “We built a Wormhole above Bond Street by invading a historic structure with futuristic bits to create a world within a world: new inside of old, dark inside of bright, minimal inside of maximal.”
See the whole place

On the first day of Spring, NYC will reopen five parks after $24M in renovations

Photo of Arrochar Playground via Department of Parks and Recreation

March 19, 2018

On the first day of Spring, NYC will reopen five parks after $24M in renovations

Tomorrow, March 20th, the first day of spring--otherwise known as the day before another half-a-foot of snow gets dumped on us--NYC will celebrate five park re-openings, one for each borough (h/t amNY). The Department of Parks and Recreation’s ribbon cuttings represent a total of $23.9 million in capital improvements ranging from park landscaping, new play areas, exercise spaces for adults, water features, and new comfort stations. The parks are: Staten Island's Arrochar Playground; Queens' Grassmere Playground; Brooklyn's Hilltop Playground; the Bronx's Lyons Square Playground; and Manhattan's Martin Luther King, Jr. Playground in Harlem.
All the details

Architecture And Design

Queens’ huge ‘ World’s Fare’ food festival announces half of its 100 vendors

Photo courtesy of Bill Cotter/worldsfairphotos

March 19, 2018

Queens’ huge ‘ World’s Fare’ food festival announces half of its 100 vendors

On April 28th and 29th CitiField will be transformed into a modern, food-centric take on the 1964 New York World’s Fair. The World’s Fare wants guests to experience "diversity through cuisine," which they'll accomplish with 100+ food vendors from more than 100 cultures (there will also be an international beer garden, live music, and art), and now Eater has the scoop on the first 50 of these participants, which includes old-time Jewish bakery Orwashers, social venture and Bengali pop-up Jhal NYC, Japanese vegetable pancake purveyor Oconomi, Australian restaurant the Thirsty Koala, and Brazilian chocolate shop Brigadeiros.
The full list and all the event details

Events & Things To Do

March 19, 2018

Authentic Soho artist loft owned by fashion photographer Greg Kadel asks $4M

Behold, 2,700 glorious square feet of authentic artist loft, located in the middle of Soho on the corner of Crosby and Grand Streets. The open interior is decked out with soaring 14-foot ceilings, cast iron columns, exposed brick and six massive side-by-side wood framed factory windows. The fashion photographer and filmmaker Greg Kadel purchased the home in 2005 for $1.73 million, according to public records. And now the co-op has been listed for $3.895 million.
Explore inside

Distinctive Homes

March 19, 2018

The best pop-up food markets coming to New York City this spring

By Devin Gannon

Although it seems like winter may never end, the opening dates have been released for many of New York City's seasonal pop-up markets, finally signaling the start of warmer weather. This spring, try standbys like Smorgasburg, Broadway Bites, and the Hester Street Fair. Or check out under-the-radar, but just as tasty, pop-ups like the Red Hook Food Vendors and LIC Flea & Food. To make it easy to taste test the endless options offered up, we've put together a list of 11 pop-up food markets coming to the city this season.
Get your munch on

Events & Things To Do

March 19, 2018

Zayn Malik drops $10M on Soho penthouse after Gigi Hadid breakup

By Annie Doge

After supermodel Gigi Hadid bought a condo at Noho's trendy new building 10 Bond Street in July 2016, she was often seen leaving the building with then-new flame Zayn Malik. But the couple, dubbed ZiGi. Malik by their swarms of fans, announced their breakup last week, and it looks like the pop star was well prepared to begin his bachelor lifestyle, as the Post reports that just days after the news went public, Malik closed on a $10.69 million Soho penthouse at 63 Greene Street.
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Kushner Companies filed false documents about their rent-regulated tenants in NYC

Update 3/22/18: The Daily News reports that the Department of Buildings is investigating more than 12 properties where Kushner Companies is said to have filed false paperwork in relation to rent-regulated tenants. Kushner Cos. has denied the allegations and said yesterday they are the victims of "politically motivated attacks." Controversies continue to pile up for Kushner Companies, the Manhattan development firm led by Jared Kushner until he left last year for the White House. Besides the major financial troubles of their office tower 666 Fifth Avenue, the firm was caught routinely filing false paperwork with the city, "declaring it had zero rent-regulated tenants in dozens of buildings it owned across the city when, in fact, it had hundreds," according to the AP. Housing Rights Initiative, a New York tenants’ rights watchdog, compiled the work permit application documents. Aaron Carr, the founder, called the act "bare-faced greed," adding that "the fact that the company was falsifying all these applications with the government shows a sordid attempt to avert accountability and get a rapid return on its investment."
It happened at least 80 times

March 19, 2018

Wunderbroker Ryan Serhant bought Jonathan Safran Foer’s perfect Brooklyn brownstone–at a discount

“Million Dollar Listing New York" star Ryan Serhant had recently taken over the listing for novelist Jonathan Safran Foer's gorgeous five-story Boerum Hill home, asking $8.995 million; the award-winning scribe first listed the home with Compass for $10.5 million last May. Now, according to The Real Deal, Serhant is the new owner of the 8,000-square-foot townhouse. Safran Foer bought the 1899 Greek Revival home at 374 Pacific Street for $5.4 million in 2014, so while the sale price represents a price chop, he didn't do too badly on the deal.
Take one last look

‘Store Front’ artists to host free photography and oral history workshops about mom-and-pops

Photos © James and Karla Murray

March 16, 2018

‘Store Front’ artists to host free photography and oral history workshops about mom-and-pops

Since publishing “Store Front: The Disappearing Face of New York,” a photo documentation of iconic mom-and-pops, 10 years ago, photographers James and Karla Murray have become household names around NYC. And they now are letting New Yorkers in on their tricks of the trade in an upcoming two-part workshop in partnership with the Neighborhood Preservation Center. "Capturing the Faces and Voices of Manhattan's Neighborhood Storefronts" is a "photography and oral history workshop of the cultural significance of mom-and-pop stores and the impact they have on the pulse, life, and texture of their communities." Participants will not only learn photography skills but how to record oral histories and use these tools for "public awareness and advocacy."
All the details

Events & Things To Do

Banksy unveils mural at historic Houston Bowery Wall protesting Turkish artist’s imprisonment

Photos courtesy of Goldman Properties

March 16, 2018

Banksy unveils mural at historic Houston Bowery Wall protesting Turkish artist’s imprisonment

The provocative and still anonymous artist Banksy has come back to New York after a five-year hiatus (he was last seen in New York selling his work for $60 a piece in Central Park). After a tease yesterday, his 70-foot mural on the Houston Bowery Wall, made famous by Keith Haring in 1982, depicts 365 hash marks and an image of the Turkish artist Zehra Dogan behind prison bars and the final prison bar transforms into a pencil. The image represents the amount of time Dogan has spent in jail for painting a picture of a war-torn town in Turkey.
Get the whole story and see more photos

Coney Island boardwalk likely to be landmarked

Image: Shinya Suzuki via Flickr

March 16, 2018

Coney Island boardwalk likely to be landmarked

Image: Shinya Suzuki via Flickr After repeatedly declining to protect the celebrated walkway–even as its wooden planks become increasingly replaced with concrete and plastic as a result of Superstorm Sandy repairs–the city's Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) has agreed to add the historic Coney Island Boardwalk to the agency's list of properties to consider for protected status, according to remarks made at a LPC hearing Thursday, Crain's reports. LPC chair Meenakshi Srinivasan said the boardwalk–its official name is the Riegelmann Boardwalk–could be protected as early as this spring or summer.
It could happen in time for summer

Policy

March 16, 2018

The Urban Lens: Artist Janice McDonnell captures Brooklyn’s waterfront with her paintings

6sqft’s series The Urban Lens invites artists to share work exploring a theme or a place within New York City. In this installment, Janice McDonnell shares some of her paintings of the Brooklyn waterfront. Are you an artist who’d like to see your work featured on The Urban Lens? Get in touch with us at [email protected]. In a city as bustling and overbuilt as New York, it's easy to forget this metropolis' roots as a port city, and that all boroughs but the Bronx are islands. The timeless beauty of NYC's watery surroundings are not lost on artist Janice McDonnell, who has produced a series of paintings of the Brooklyn waterfront. "It started out as just documenting to enjoy myself," McDonell said. That's how it started, but the more she got into it from her Dumbo studio, the more the combination of buildings near the broad harbor and their contrast to the sky began to resonate with her. Ahead, see Janice's paintings and hear all about her inspiration and process.
Dive in

March 16, 2018

Restaurateur Keith McNally gets $10M for his French-country Greenwich Village townhouse

After a long run on the market--renting at $25,000/month, $19,000/month, then listed for $13.95 million--restaurateur Keith McNally‘s 4,600 square-foot Greek Revival townhouse has sold. According to The Real Deal, an unknown buyer paid $10.3 million. McNally, behind buzzy establishments like Balthazar, Cherche Midi, Odeon, Café Luxembourg, Schiller’s and Minetta Tavern, bought the 1842 townhouse at 105 West 11th Street in 2000. The design is fit for a restaurateur, with a stunning kitchen, walk-in wine cellar and rustic French-country interiors.
Take one last look inside

New photos show Zaha Hadid’s stunning 520 West 28th Street in all its completed glory

Photo: © Hufton+Crow

March 16, 2018

New photos show Zaha Hadid’s stunning 520 West 28th Street in all its completed glory

6sqft last brought you photos of the amazing amenity spaces at Zaha Hadid's first New York City project, 520 West 28th Street. Now, Archinect reports that Zaha Hadid Architects have released new Hufton + Crow exterior facade images of the late starchitect's recently-completed High Line-adjacent condominium development.
More photos, this way

Crown Building penthouse may be in contract for $180M, beating NYC record by $80M

Penthouse rendering courtesy of Aman Resorts

March 16, 2018

Crown Building penthouse may be in contract for $180M, beating NYC record by $80M

Everything you need to know about affordable housing: applying, getting in, and staying put

Another Billionaire's Row sky mansion–this one with a piano lounge, two kitchens, a wraparound terrace, and two swimming pools spread out over five stories at 730 Fifth Avenue–is on its way to record-smashing glory, according to The Real Deal. Sources say an unknown buyer has spoken for the 12,536-square-foot residence in the actual crown of the Crown Building, to the tune of $180 million. If the sale closes, it will be the New York City's most expensive sale ever at $14,358 per foot (also a record), surpassing Michael Dell's $100.5 million penthouse atop Extell Development’s One57.
Check this place out

THE 6SQFT SHOP

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10 Ways to Decorate an Exposed Brick Wall Without Drilling

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

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March 16, 2018

Former writing studio of poet Robert Lowell asks $1.2M in Lincoln Square

It doesn't get much more romantic than living in an apartment off Central Park once used by a famous poet as his writing studio. That's the case here at 15 West 67th Street, the historic Lincoln Square cooperative that poet Robert Lowell once used as his writing atelier. Lowell worked in here during his time in New York, prior to his 1972 move to England. As the years passed, of course, the one bedroom was mostly renovated, selling in 2012 for $712,000 and hitting the market again for $1.185 million. According to the listing, the current owner "fondly brought back the luster of the woodwork," while adding wine storage and other modern amenities.
See it all

MTA bans booze, plans hellish commute for St. Patrick’s Day crowds

Photo by Yaffa Phillips via Flickr

March 16, 2018

MTA bans booze, plans hellish commute for St. Patrick’s Day crowds

The MTA is blessing this St. Patrick's Day weekend with "Many Extra Trains" on the railroads (sorry, straphangers) but also an alcohol ban on Metro-North and LIRR trains. The subway's permanent alcohol ban will not be changed on this occasion, unsurprisingly and only somewhat disappointingly (based on SantaCon, it's probably for the best).
Certain lines' changes are truly baffling

Transit

Paul Ryan warns NY and NJ that Trump won’t fund Gateway Tunnel project

Tunnel photo via The Gateway Program Development Corporation; Paul Ryan photo via Gage Skidmore/Flickr

March 15, 2018

Paul Ryan warns NY and NJ that Trump won’t fund Gateway Tunnel project

Amtrak and New Jersey Transit's Northeast Corridor--that which connects the state to Manhattan via the Hudson River tunnels--creates more than $50 billion in economic activity annually. And the region as a whole is home to 30 percent of all U.S. jobs, amounting to $3 trillion a year for the economy. But despite Donald Trump's eagerness to both stimulate the economy and bring jobs back from overseas, he seems unphased by the dire need to construct a new rail tunnel to replace those built in 1910 that suffered major damage during Hurricane Sandy. According to Politico, in a meeting yesterday with New York and New Jersey Republicans, Speaker Paul Ryan made it clear that he will not include the $30 billion Gateway Tunnel project in the upcoming $1 trillion+ omnibus spending package if it means Trump will veto the bill, claiming that the President can't stop talking about his opposition to what's largely considered the most important infrastructure project in the nation.
All the details

March 15, 2018

In Tribeca’s ‘Raft Loft’ a hanging, architectural staircase joins two apartments

Stairs can be purely functional and totally uninspiring or they can be the stuff dreams are made of (just ask MC Escher). Dash Marshall, a multi-disciplinary architecture and design studio based on the Lower East Side, designed a stunning staircase made of brass and stainless and blackened steel, which rises from its brick foundation and is suspended from the second-floor ceiling in order to join two units in Tribeca (h/t Dezeen). By suspending the stairs from the second floor, that freed up a lot of space below in the living room, giving the firm even more space to work their renovation magic.
See the whole place and hear from the architects

Central Park’s Ladies Pavilion and the disappeared ice skating cottage

Photo via Wikipedia

March 15, 2018

Central Park’s Ladies Pavilion and the disappeared ice skating cottage

To get to Central Park's Ladies Pavilion, it is necessary to go on, by New York City standards, a bonafide nature hike. Perched at the edge of the Lake, in a far corner of the Ramble, the cottage-like, open-air, Victorian-style structure was built in 1871 to serve as a "shelter for the horsecar passengers" near Columbus Circle, according to the New York Times.
It was once destroyed

History

March 15, 2018

Tiffany Place jewel box-condo has a refined rustic vibe and a room of Tiffany blue

Fitting right in with the refined/quirky feel of Brooklyn's Columbia Street Waterfront, this two-bedroom corner condominium has been outfitted with pretty custom details that highlight the basics of the warehouse conversion at 29 Tiffany Place. Rustic bones and creative renovations make this spacious two-bedroom home appear anything but square.
Take a closer look

Distinctive Homes

March 15, 2018

Banksy returns to NYC after five years with new rat street art

A post shared by Banksy (@banksy) on Mar 15, 2018 at 5:01am PDT Elusive graffiti artist Banksy has graced the streets of New York City once again with a new bewhiskered art offering, this time a rat scurrying inside a clock on the side of a former bank at 101 West 14th Street; the building is slated for demolition in a few months. Banksy posted news of his newest addition via his Instagram account yesterday.
More to come?

Events & Things To Do

Brownstones and ballot boxes: The fight for women’s suffrage in Brooklyn

Photo courtesy of Wikimedia

March 15, 2018

Brownstones and ballot boxes: The fight for women’s suffrage in Brooklyn

By Lucie Levine

Today, Brooklyn is home to all things avant-garde, but Kings County has always led the pack. Beginning as early as 1868, the women of Brooklyn established one of the first suffrage organizations in the country and began advocating for women’s enfranchisement and political equality. The "wise women of Brooklyn," as they were lauded in suffrage literature, made some of the foremost contributions to the movement. From the Silent Sentinels, who organized the first March on Washington, to the African American women who established the nation’s first suffrage organization by and for Black women, Brooklyn was home to extraordinary advocates. Here are eight badass Brooklynites who brought us the ballot.
Learn their histories here

History

March 15, 2018

In anticipation of a Landmarks overhaul, maps lay out the commission’s applications and decisions

This January, the Landmarks Preservation Commission released a series of amendments that would overhaul how the commission reviews certain applications--with the idea to cut down the time it takes to approve routine applications. And later this month, on Tuesday, March 27th, the Commission will hold a public hearing on how these changes would affect the city's landmark process. In advance of the meeting, the Municipal Art Society of New York created a pair of interactive maps to better inform New Yorkers on the LPC's process. One map, the Commission Review Map, shows what type of alterations have been permitted or denied by the full LPC commission. The other, the Staff Review Map, shows what type of alterations have been permitted by the LPC staff or withdrawn by the applicant. As MAS puts it, "We hope these maps help bring to light how the LPC fulfills its 'purpose of safeguarding the buildings and places that represent New York City’s cultural, social, economic, political, and architectural history' through regulation."
Get the details

Policy

MTA considers raising subway speed limits to reduce delays

Image: Wikipedia.

March 15, 2018

MTA considers raising subway speed limits to reduce delays

New Yorkers love to complain about the slowness of the subway, but what sometimes seems like a snail's pace is as likely due to speed limits imposed to keep the system safe as it is to crumbling infrastructure and antiquated signals, according to new info released by the MTA. The New York Post reports that after a series of tragic accidents in the 1990s and 2000s, speed limits were lowered throughout the system. Now, a new initiative is investigating ways of keeping subways safe as well as picking up speed.
Find out more

Transit

March 15, 2018

Crown Heights’ oldest house debuts as a condo conversion, with two units each priced over $2M

Crown Heights oldest home--long considered a neighborhood eyesore--has undergone a complete transformation. The Susan B. Elkins House is a circa-1850s wood frame at 1375 Dean Street, and the only home in the neighborhood that dates back to when the area was rural. In later years, the individual landmark fell into serious disrepair, only to be purchased in 2014 for a condo conversion. Now it's ready for residents after a complete and total renovation overseen by nC2 Architecture and Komaru Enterprises. The house has been split into four duplex units, ranging from 2,000 to 2,600 square feet. Two have just hit the market, with the eye-popping price tags of $2.3 and $2.7 million.
The interior was gutted

NYC’s homeless shelter population would make it the 10th largest city in the state

Via Pexels

March 14, 2018

NYC’s homeless shelter population would make it the 10th largest city in the state

Earlier this year, Mayor de Blasio was criticized for failing to open 10 of the 20 homeless shelters his administration pledged for 2017, with "delays in the permit process, time-consuming negotiations with nonprofits that run the shelters, and backlash from the community and public officials" to blame. The push came from the fact that NYC has the largest homeless population in the U.S., climbing near 78,000. All of this coupled together, the situation is now looking even more dire, as the Coalition for the Homeless' annual State of the Homeless Report finds that a record high number of New Yorkers make up the city's nightly homeless shelter population. This number, 63,495 (which includes 23,600 children), would make that group the 10th largest city in the state, notes the Daily News.
READ MORE

Policy

When New York women were banned from smoking in public

A cartoon mocking the Ordinance from The Evening World

March 14, 2018

When New York women were banned from smoking in public

On January 21, 1908, it became illegal for women to smoke in public in New York City. That day, the Committee on Laws of the Board of Aldermen unanimously voted to ban females from lighting up in public places. The law, called the Sullivan Ordinance, put the responsibility of preventing women from smoking not on the women themselves but on business owners.
The full history

History

Our 900sqft: Native New Yorkers Aria and John open up their retro, colorful Harlem home

6sqft’s series “My sqft” checks out the homes of New Yorkers across all the boroughs. Our latest interior adventure brings us to the Harlem apartment of Aria and John Chiaraviglio. Want to see your home featured here? Get in touch!

March 14, 2018

Our 900sqft: Native New Yorkers Aria and John open up their retro, colorful Harlem home

When asked to sum up the aesthetic of their Harlem apartment in a few words, Aria and John Chiaraviglio chose "inviting, unique, open, retro and fun," and after a recent visit to the full-floor brownstone home, we couldn't agree more. Aria, a Doctoral student in Child Psychology, and John, Vice President of the Financial Intelligence Unit of a major bank, both grew up in NYC--she in Tribeca and he on the Upper East Side. The old-school, quirky vibes reminiscent of artist-loft Tribeca are seen everywhere, from Aria's Elvis collection to the couple's countless vintage finds, yet the traditional style one would associate with uptown are brought out through mid-century modern furnishings and an attention to entertaining. Ahead, take a tour of this spunky couple's colorful, comfy, and classy home and learn about their best thrifted pieces, the theme parties they host, their Derby collection, and why they love living in Harlem.
Get an inside look!

March 14, 2018

This little condo on the Bed-Stuy/Bushwick border is packed with old-world charm for $575K

Located in one of Brooklyn's most diverse, bustling and rapidly growing areas, this restored condo at 863 Greene Avenue lies on a tree-lined block between buzzed-about Bed-Stuy and booming Bushwick. It's a narrow slice of a floor-through, but it's filled with pre-war character, plus one bedroom and a bath and a half--all for $575,000.
Take a peek

Distinctive Homes

Design contest winner would turn Park Avenue into a concert venue and basketball court

Rendering of “Park Park” courtesy of Maison

March 14, 2018

Design contest winner would turn Park Avenue into a concert venue and basketball court

Last month, Fisher Brothers unveiled the 17 finalists for its “Beyond the Centerline” design competition, a call for creative and ambitious ideas for how to transform Park Avenue's traffic medians between 46th and 57th Streets. Proposals called for everything from an Alpine mountain to a High Line-esque walkway to a massive aquarium, but in the end, it was the "Park Park" entry that the jury selected as the winner. This proposal, courtesy of Ben Meade, Anthony Stahl, and Alexia Beghi of design firm Maison, transforms the iconic thoroughfare via a series of raised platforms that hold a concert space, art galleries, gardens, a restaurant, and a basketball court, "intended to inject new energy into the currently staid Park Avenue landscape."
More details and the runner up

Architecture And Design

March 14, 2018

Clinton Hill Halloween Queen’s celebrated townhouse hits the market for $2.65M

Brooklynites know and love Janna Kennedy Hyten, the Halloween Queen of Clinton Hill. For over 20 years, she hosted a spooky bash known as Halloween 313 right outside her historic townhouse. Sadly, the performance has come to an end and Kennedy Hyten has gone ahead and listed her home --a duplex on the lower floors--for sale. The gorgeous spread, with tons of historic details intact, is asking $2.65 million.
See the not-so-spooky interior

Distinctive Homes

MTA hit with federal lawsuit over lack of wheelchair accessibility

Elevator at the Lincoln Center subway station, via Wiki Commons

March 14, 2018

MTA hit with federal lawsuit over lack of wheelchair accessibility

The MTA has found itself on the wrong end of a lawsuit by the feds for failing to make its subway stations wheelchair-accessible. On Tuesday, U.S. Attorney Geoffrey Berman joined a lawsuit accusing the agency of not adding assistance for disabled riders when renovating stations, the New York Post reports. The suit began in 2016 when a civic agency in the Bronx accused the MTA of violating the Americans with Disabilities Act by not creating wheelchair access at the Middletown Road station. The suit should come as no surprise; as 6sqft previously reported, fewer than 1/4 of New York City's subway stations are fully wheelchair-accessible–only 117 out of 472. In fact, NYC ranks the least accessible out of the country’s ten largest metro systems–all of LA’s 93 stations and DC’s 91, for example, are fully accessible.
Find out more

The 74

201 East 74th Street

Lenox Hill

Gracious Upper East Side condos with Central Park and skyline views

2 beds starting at $3,380,000
3 beds starting at $4,850,000
5 beds starting at $11,950,000

Learn More

March 13, 2018

Nomad’s current tallest tower tops out: See new photos

We’ve watched the tower-to-be at 277 Fifth Avenue rising skyward over the past year on its way to a heady– though brief–moment as the tallest spire in Nomad, and now, CityRealty reports, the 55-story building is now topped out at 663 feet. Designed by Rafael Viñoly, the building's understated façade consists of striped masonry bands with four open-air clerestories offering some of the loftiest private outdoor spaces in Manhattan. Though the new tower may only be the 79th tallest in the city, its central Fifth Avenue location will grant its residents singular wide-angle views across the Manhattan skyline and beyond. Photoblogger Field Condition helped to celebrate the topping-out by capturing these impressive views from within the tower's frame.
See new photos and find out what's to come

March 13, 2018

Test your NYC history knowledge with this quiz from Urban Archive

By 6sqft

Last month, Urban Archive hosted their first trivia night, where participants were asked questions about NYC history based on archival photos. If you weren't able to make it to the event, 6sqft has put together five of the toughest questions, along with their corresponding photos, to test your knowledge.
Take the quiz!

History

Ruth Bader Ginsburg loves NYC lox and Chinese takeout; Where to celebrate Pi Day

Via WFU Law School/Flickr (L); via Dennis Wilkinson/Flickr (R)

March 13, 2018

Ruth Bader Ginsburg loves NYC lox and Chinese takeout; Where to celebrate Pi Day

By 6sqft

Here are 8 ways to celebrate Pi Day in NYC. [Untapped Cities] Tomorrow is also Tribeca Art+Culture Night, featuring more than 100 artists and creatives and eight exclusive events. [Tribeca Citizen] Brooklyn-born U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg reveals her favorite New York City eats. [amNY] Check out the condos available in famous buildings designed by top […]

Uncategorized

March 13, 2018

For $3M, live in a historic Carnegie Hill townhouse with all the perks of a condo

Located within the posh Upper East Side enclave of Carnegie Hill at 1281 Madison Avenue, this gracefully restored 1,712-square-foot townhouse-style duplex is stunning inside and out, and asking an even $3 million. The lofty 11-foot ceilings and generously-sized West-facing windows allow for plenty of air and light throughout the apartment, but perhaps the best part is that it's connected to an adjacent condominium and is afforded all the perks of that property.
Take a tour

Distinctive Homes

March 13, 2018

City asks Brooklyn and Queens residents to ‘wait’ to flush the toilet on rainy days