6sqft | NYC local news, events, and apartments

Update 3/26/18: While Congress on Thursday approved the $1.3 trillion spending bill, the package does not include direct funding for the Gateway tunnel project. Instead, the bill provides $650 million for Amtrak's Northeast Corridor and allocates over $2 billion in available grants for which the Gateway Program Development Corp. can apply. President Donald Trump, who threatened to veto the spending bill if funding for Gateway was included, and his administration will remain in control of Gateway's funding fate. The Department of Transportation (DOT) said in a statement that the bill "removes preferential treatment for the New York and New Jersey Gateway projects." And DOT board members, appointed by the president, review all federal grants to Amtrak, as Bloomberg reported. After months of back-and-forth negotiations among politicians, the Gateway tunnel project might get another chance at survival. The project, which would construct a new rail tunnel under the Hudson River and repair an existing one, could potentially receive up to $541 million in a tentative $1.3 trillion spending bill drafted by Congress on Wednesday, according to the New York Times. Although the bill does not mention Gateway by name, provides way less than the $900 million planners sought for the project, and has been opposed by both President Donald Trump and Speaker Paul Ryan, the tentative spending bill has made supporters more hopeful about the project's future. The bill will go to a vote in the House on Thursday, followed by the Senate.
More details here

March 26, 2018

Nearly 250,000 NYC rental apartments sit vacant

Early numbers from the Census Bureau’s Housing and Vacancy Survey show that the number of unoccupied apartments throughout New York City has grown significantly over the past three years--a whopping 35 percent to 65,406 apartments since 2014, when the last survey was taken. As the Daily News puts it, "Today, 247,977 units — more than 11% of all rental apartments in New York City — sit either empty or scarcely occupied, even as many New Yorkers struggle to find an apartment they can afford." One reason for the growing vacancy rates, as the article states, is the city's high rent, which has risen twice as fast as inflation.
Here's a breakdown of vacancy rates

NYC RENTALS: This week’s roundup of rental news & offers

Images (L to R): Trump Bay Street, Heritage Dean Street, OSKAR and THE DELMAR

March 25, 2018

NYC RENTALS: This week’s roundup of rental news & offers

By Ondel Hylton

Images (L to R): Trump Bay Street, Heritage Dean Street, OSKAR and THE DELMAR Top 10 Rental Buildings in the East Village Live in Greenpoint at The Astral: Landmarked Building Lists 1-Beds from $1,785/Month New Rentals Bring Life to Dilapidated Harlem Brownstone; Listings from $1,850/Month 250N10’s Backyard is Perfect for Summer: See Listings from $2,662/Month […]

Real Estate Trends

March 23, 2018

Overhaul of Landmarks rules faces criticism from preservation groups

Photo via CityRealty Earlier this year, the Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) unveiled a series of new proposed rules, which the group says will streamline the application process and improve transparency. One of the proposed changes, which calls for more oversight by LPC staff but less time for public review, has some preservation groups criticizing the commission. Preservationists worry this new rule change would not take into account public opinion, as it limits the opportunity for testimony and comment on the application.
More details here

Policy

March 23, 2018

Brooklyn architect lists her modern Connecticut retreat for $650K

Lynn Gaffney, a LEED accredited and certified Passive House designer based in Brooklyn, is selling her 2,500-square-foot, three-bedroom Sharon, Connecticut weekend retreat named “The Bog” for $650,000. Gaffney has a lot of emotion attached to her home. “It's very personally designed. My husband was my client and my friend built this house.” She particularly loves the space between the garage and the house, “There’s a gateway where the two buildings almost touch and it creates the most wonderful courtyard. Conceptually, the idea was to build a metal shell toward the road and create an envelope for a private warm house based on the garden.” She describes the metal shell as a modern "interpretation of an agrarian shed."
Check it all out

March 23, 2018

21 chances to buy an affordable condo at Extell’s chic Upper East Side tower, from $357K

Rendering of The Kent via Beyer Blinder Belle; Photo via CityRealty Applications are now being accepted for 21 brand new, affordable condominiums at Extell Development's Upper East Side tower, The Kent. Designed by Beyer Blinder Belle, the 30-story building, located at 200 East 95th Street, has a facade covered in red brick with accents of dark metal. Qualifying New Yorkers earning between $79,333 and $119,250 annually can apply for the studio, one- and two-bedroom condo units, which range in price from $356,700 to $427,000.
Find out if you qualify

March 23, 2018

Jerome Avenue rezoning and Peninsula complex to bring thousands of affordable units to the Bronx

Rendering of the Peninsula by BLA + WXY The New York City Council on Thursday unanimously approved the rezoning of 92-blocks along Jerome Avenue in the Bronx, bounded by East 165th Street to the south and 184th Street to the north. As the fourth neighborhood rezoning of Mayor Bill de Blasio's administration, the city plans to construct about 4,600 new apartments, adding to the mayor's goal of bringing 300,000 units of housing to the city by 2026. The council has set aside $189 million in capital investment for workforce development, open space, parks and two new schools (h/t City Limits). A plan to bring even more affordable housing to the Bronx got the green light on Thursday after the Council approved The Peninsula, a $300 million plan to redevelop the former Spofford Juvenile Detention Center as a mixed-use development.
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6sqft’s series “My sqft” checks out the homes of New Yorkers across all the boroughs. Our latest interior adventure brings us to the Greenpoint apartment of photographer Brett Wood. Want to see your home featured here? Get in touch!

March 23, 2018

My 330sqft: A Greenpoint photographer does ‘grandpa cool’ in his earthy pad

After studying photography in Massachusetts, Brett Wood moved to New York in 2001. At the time, all he knew is that he wanted to be close to the artists he admired, but nearly two decades later, he's made a home for himself in Brooklyn and a career that sends him around the world. Though he's usually capturing other New Yorkers' home for 6sqft, Brett has now stepped out from the behind the lens to show off his own Greenpoint pad. A mix of earthy colors and textiles, eclectic finds from his travels, and an aesthetic that he endearingly describes as "cool grandad," Brett's home is certainly the making of someone with an eye for style.
Take the tour

Distinctive Homes

Amy Schumer lists Brooklyn Heights townhouse for $14M

For $549K, get cozy in an 1860s Catskills farmhouse with barns, sun porches, and a dreamy country kitchen

Two floors and two outdoor spaces for $999K in Turtle Bay

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

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

For $3.75M, this two-unit Crown Heights townhouse is filled with historic details and modern necessities

$1.95M Turtle Bay co-op feels like a modern cabin in the middle of Manhattan

Penthouse at 111 West 57th Street hits the market for $110M

$2M Park Slope loft has a layout that's great for gathering and a private terrace for your garden

For $2.3M, this Georgian townhouse in Jackson Heights has Art Deco details, modern interiors, and a garage

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March 23, 2018

$995K Flatiron co-op has a sophisticated entertaining space downstairs and a cozy loft above

If you can't choose between living in a brownstone or a loft, this unique Flatiron co-op at 41 East 19th Street could be just what you're looking for. You get all the grand old style of living on the parlor floor of a lovely landmarked brownstone, with the exposed beams and brick–and the creative use of space on two levels–that make loft living so cool.
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Distinctive Homes

Grimshaw Architects reveal design for new $1.4B Newark Airport terminal

Renderings courtesy of Grimshaw Architects

March 23, 2018

Grimshaw Architects reveal design for new $1.4B Newark Airport terminal

With major renovations underway at both JFK and LaGuardia Airports, Newark is the latest to join the crew. Grimshaw Architects has just announced its involvement building a new terminal at Newark Airport, the third airport serving New York City. According to dezeen, Grimshaw will serve as lead design architect, alongside design firm STV and contractor Tutor Perini/Parsons, to build a two-leveled, T-shaped building spanning one million square feet with 33 different gates.
Get more details

Transit

March 23, 2018

This weekend, A trains get local, C skips stations, but the L is just fine

It's a good weekend to hit north Brooklyn as the L and G trains are refreshingly free of caveats and complications. The A and C lines are less refreshing with a mess of skipped stations on local trains and local service on express trains. Also, if you're headed past Church Avenue on the F to Coney Island, you're out of luck. Look to free shuttle buses for alternate service, or try the D, N or Q.
Read on for more information, if less clarity

Transit

Despite declining service, MTA will most likely raise fares in 2019

Image via Ged Carroll’s Flickr

March 22, 2018

Despite declining service, MTA will most likely raise fares in 2019

Without another option to bring in revenue to the cash-strapped Metropolitan Transportation Authority, straphangers will most likely have to pay higher fares next year. The fare hike would be the sixth since 2009 when the state legislature approved a financial rescue plan that included increasing fares every other year. While funding for the financially-troubled authority continues to be negotiated among lawmakers before the state's budget deadline next month, MTA Chairman Joe Lhota told the Daily News he did not see a scenario where the fares could remain the same.
More this way

Extell launches sales at Brooklyn’s current tallest tower, starting at $837K

Rendering courtesy of Williams New York

March 22, 2018

Extell launches sales at Brooklyn’s current tallest tower, starting at $837K

Extell on Thursday officially launched sales at Brooklyn Point, the developer's first skyscraper in the borough. According to the building's site, units available include studios, one-, two- and three-bedroom condos, ranging from $837,000 to $3,413,000 in price. Residents at the 720-foot tower, located at 138 Willoughby Street in Downtown Brooklyn, will enjoy a plethora of amenities including a wine room, a stroller valet, well-equipped fitness center and, of course, the highest rooftop pool in the Western Hemisphere.
Find out more

Life behind the stacks: The secret apartments of New York libraries

Image by Glynnis Ritchie via flickr

March 22, 2018

Life behind the stacks: The secret apartments of New York libraries

By Cait Etherington

For many book lovers, there is nothing more exciting than the idea of a home library. What most of the city’s book lovers don’t know is that until recently, there was an affordable way to fulfill the dream of a home library—at least for book lovers who also happened to be handy with tools. In the early to mid twentieth century, the majority of the city’s libraries had live-in superintendents. Like the superintendents who still live in many of the city’s residential buildings, these caretakers both worked and lived in the buildings for which they were responsible. This meant that for decades, behind the stacks, meals were cooked, baths and showers were taken, and bedtime stories were read. And yes, families living in the city’s libraries typically did have access to the stacks at night—an added bonus if they happened to need a new bedtime book after hours.
FInd out more about these apartments and the people who lived in them

History

March 22, 2018

A fresh renovation for a classic Apthorp apartment asks $7.8M

At one of the Upper West Side's most historic apartment houses, this four-bedroom spread has undergone a fresh modern revamp. The 3,069-square-foot apartment comes from the Apthorp, a condo built in 1908 for William Waldorf Astor. This apartment belongs to a designer couple, who oversaw the reno but maintained prewar details like fireplaces, moldings and wood floors. They gave the historic interiors pops of color, plus modern amenities. After selling in 2015 for $5.5 million, it's asking $7.75 million after the flip.
Look around

Distinctive Homes

March 22, 2018

Rent Olivia Wilde and Jason Sudeikis’ former Meatpacking love nest for $13.5K/month

Though the couple sold the Meatpacking pad at 66 Ninth Avenue for $3.8 million in 2015 and acquired a stately Clinton Hill mansion, this corner two-bedroom loft in the Porter House condominium is just as lovely at its new rental price of $13,500 a month, as the Post reports. The then-engaged couple (they're married now) sold the home in just five months.
Have another look

Lottery launches for seven affordable apartments in Park Slope, from $642/month

Via Justin Kiner’s Flickr

March 22, 2018

Lottery launches for seven affordable apartments in Park Slope, from $642/month

Ever fantasize about living in the gem of Brooklyn's brownstone belt? A new lottery for seven affordable housing units in Park Slope just might turn that dream into reality. The newly renovated apartments are located in various buildings in the historic neighborhood: 643 President Street, 579 Warren Street and 677 and 680 Union Street. Qualifying New Yorkers earning 40, 50 or 60 percent of the area median income can apply for the studio and one-bedroom apartments, which start at $787/month and $642/month respectively.
Find out if you qualify

Affordable Housing

One of only two condos with private terraces at One57 lists for $28.5M

Sure, Michael Dell has bragging rights to buying One57's $100 million penthouse, the most expensive home ever sold in New York City, but Bill Ackman's $91.5 million buy a few floors down came with a coveted terrace. Only two units in the Billionaires' Row building claim "private outdoor space on the park," and the second has just come on the market for the first time, asking $28.5 million. Dubbed the Spring Garden Residence (as opposed to Ackman's "Winter Garden Penthouse," as Curbed notes), the 41st- and 42nd-floor duplex boasts a 43-foot-long great room wrapped in floor-to-ceiling windows that lead to a 671-foot solarium and a terrace with views of the park and skyline.
Take a tour

Distinctive Homes

65 chances to live in a new South Bronx complex, from $860/month

Via Heritage Architecture

March 21, 2018

65 chances to live in a new South Bronx complex, from $860/month

A South Bronx mixed-use development, dubbed the Thomas and Lilly Keller Manor, launched a housing lottery this week for 65 affordable units. Designed by Heritage Architecture, TLK Manor features two six-story buildings in Morrisania: 917 Westchester Avenue and 944 Rogers Place. The two buildings boast a unified design, seamlessly blending into one another. Qualifying New Yorkers earning 60 percent of the area median income can apply for units ranging from a $860/month studio to a $1,281/month three-bedroom.
Find out if you qualify

Affordable Housing

March 21, 2018

Amy Poehler and Will Arnett’s former West Village condo seeks new life as a $24K/month rental

One-half of this colorful condominium at 1 Morton Square was once home to former couple Amy Poehler and Will Arnett. In happier times, the celeb pair owned a portion of this condo before selling it for $2.2 million in 2007. After being combined, the condo listed for sale again for $10 million in May 2015. Though it's still for sale–at a reduced $7 million–the spacious four-bedroom pad is seeking yet another incarnation as a high-priced rental, asking $23,999 a month.
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The Urban Lens: Carrie Boretz remembers NYC street life in the 70s, 80s, and 90s

50th Street and Lexington Avenue, 1980

March 21, 2018

The Urban Lens: Carrie Boretz remembers NYC street life in the 70s, 80s, and 90s

By Hannah Frishberg

6sqft’s series The Urban Lens invites photographers to share work exploring a theme or a place within New York City. In this installment, Carrie Boretz shares photos from her "Street: New York City 70s, 80s, 90s". 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. In New York's bad old days, the city was a house of horrors, but it made for some incredible photos. Carrie Boretz was there through the decades, documenting the madness and the emotion, the cops lunching on park benches, the conversations on out-of-order payphones, the open-air wig stores, the famous and the unknown, all joined by the city and its streets. In her new book, "Street: New York City 70s, 80s, 90s," these images line the pages in a nostalgic time warp to a glorious, if troubled, era. Boretz's photos are currently on display through March 31st at Umbrella Arts on East 9th Street.
See New York when she burned

Live in a new mixed-use building in the Bronx’s Mount Hope neighborhood from $368/month

Rendering via Aufgang Architects/ Schur Management Company

March 21, 2018

Live in a new mixed-use building in the Bronx’s Mount Hope neighborhood from $368/month

A housing lottery launched this week for 105 mixed-income units at a newly constructed building in the Mount Hope neighborhood of the Bronx. Designed by Aufgang Architects, the more than 110,000-square-foot complex at 2028 Creston Avenue features 114 residential units and space for retail and community activities. Qualifying New Yorkers earning 30, 40, 50, 60, 90 and 120 percent of the area median income can apply for units ranging from a studio for $368/month to a three-bedroom for $1,965/month.
Find out if you qualify

Affordable Housing

March 21, 2018

Watch the nor’easter unfold with this animated map, complete with webcams

With the National Weather Service now predicting up to 18 inches of snow for NYC, this handy web app will make storm groupies happy with future and current weather conditions in animated form. It’s all here in the Ventusky web application, developed by Pilsen-based Czech meteorological company InMeteo in collaboration with Marek Mojzík and Martin Prantl. The fascinating app displays meteorological data from around the world so you can monitor weather development for any place on earth and waver between complete denial and the thrill of a good natural disaster ahead of–and during–today's Winter Storm Toby.
See what's coming

City Living

Shipping containers will bring affordable housing to the Bronx

Shipping container construction, courtesy SG Blocks

March 21, 2018

Shipping containers will bring affordable housing to the Bronx

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."
Get more details

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.”
Get the details

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

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

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

THE 6SQFT SHOP

The 6 best furniture rental companies in NYC

The best websites for buying and selling used furniture in NYC

8 best places in NYC to thrift for home goods

Everything you need to know about using a guarantor in NYC

15 quintessential NYC gifts for the New Yorker in your life

Raising chickens in NYC: Laws, tips, and everything else you need to know

New York City's best holiday markets of 2023

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

10 best plants for apartment dwellers

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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.
Find out more

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

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

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.
Check it out

Kushner Companies filed false documents about their rent-regulated tenants in NYC

170-174 East Second Street, where Kushner filed false permits, photo via Google Maps

March 19, 2018

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

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.
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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

By Hannah Frishberg

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 tips@6sqft.com. 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

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