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The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission approved on Tuesday a project to redesign the iconic 19th century Domino Sugar Factory building in Williamsburg into a modern office space. While the proposal from Vishaan Chakrabarti’s Practice for Architecture and Urbanism (PAU) was first rejected by the commission in October, during the hearing Tuesday, LPC said the revised design “sets the landmark free.” Overall, the commissioners were enthusiastic about the retention of part of the original building, giving credit to PAU’s “novel and creative approach.”
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November 28, 2017

INTERVIEW: Why SpareRoom and Breaking Ground partnered to combat NYC’s homelessness crisis

Over the past few years, New York City's homeless crisis has gotten worse. A recent study reported a 39 percent increase in homelessness over 2016, making last year the highest homeless population since the survey began in 2005. While the city scrambles to address the rising population, a roommate company and nonprofit housing organization recently teamed up to help lessen the burden of New Yorkers who find themselves unable to afford housing. Despite operating on opposite ends of the housing market, roommate matching site SpareRoom partnered with Breaking Ground, the largest provider of supportive housing in NYC, this November. The partnership was suggested by the public after SpareRoom launched Live Rent Free, a contest where the company pays one roommate’s monthly rent and one person’s entire rent for a whole year. (It was inspired by founder Rupert Hunt's New York roommate search, in which he found two roomies to share his West Village loft for $1 a month.) The resulting partnership--which is running in tandem with the Live Rent Free contest--matches the monthly prize amount dollar-for-dollar with an in-kind donation to Breaking Ground to fund their Transitional Housing program. So far, SpareRoom has donated $3,314. With 6sqft, Matt Hutchinson, Director at SpareRoom, explained why the company felt motivated to address homelessness and its future plans to engage with Breaking Ground. Brenda Rosen, President and CEO of Breaking Ground, also explains how the organization's Transition Housing program works, and why the homelessness crisis is something all New Yorkers--regardless of what they pay in rent--should be aware of.
Continue reading for the Q&A

Jitterbug dancers via Wikipedia

November 28, 2017

Mayor de Blasio makes it officially legal to dance if you want to

Mayor Bill de Blasio today signed legislation that repealed the city's 91-year-old Cabaret Law, making it legal to bust a move without getting busted in the city's drinking and gathering establishments. Though it's somewhat of a formality that's arguably trivial, the law's official demise represents an epic victory for decades of nightlife denizens. 6sqft previously reported on a petition started by the Dance Liberation Network and the NYC Artist Coalition calling for to repeal the onerous law with racist roots on the grounds that the law is out of place in a cultural Mecca like New York City.
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November 28, 2017

Landmarks votes to consider Philip Johnson’s postmodern AT&T Building for historic designation

This morning the Landmarks Preservation Commission voted to calendar the postmodern skyscraper at 550 Madison Avenue, designed by Philip Johnson and completed in 1984. The world’s first skyscraper built in a postmodern style was originally known as the AT&T Building, as the tower served as the company headquarters. Sony moved in in the 1990s, giving it the nickname of the Sony Tower. Last year, the building sold to the Olayan Group and Chelsfield for a whopping $1.4 billion. Their resulting renovation plan, led by Snøhetta, has elicited protest from preservationists who do not want to see changes to the building's impressive arched entryway. Now that the tower's calendared, the developers' $300 million renovation will eventually come up for a landmarks vote by the LPC.
See renderings of Snøhetta's proposal

Running at the slowest pace in the country, NYC buses lost 100 million passengers since 2008

A Brooklyn-bound bus, photo via Wikimedia

November 28, 2017

Running at the slowest pace in the country, NYC buses lost 100 million passengers since 2008

Among large cities, New York City’s bus system runs at the slowest pace in the nation, traveling at just 7.4 miles per hour, according to a report released by City Comptroller Scott Stringer on Monday. Due to an outdated fleet, inefficient routes and buses running at near-crawling speeds, the system lost 100 million passengers over the last eight years. And while it serves more than two million passengers each day, more than the daily ridership of LIRR, MetroNorth, PATH and NJ Transit combined, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority has largely ignored the system’s failures. In his report, Stringer urges the MTA and city to better coordinate to address the bus system's crisis and lists 19 recommendations, which includes updating routes, replacing old buses and introducing all-door boarding and tap-and-go fare payment options.
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November 28, 2017

In Bay Ridge, you can own Tony Manero’s house from ‘Saturday Night Fever’ for $2.5M

This 1920s home on a tranquil Bay Ridge street looks innocuous enough from the outside, but its claim to fame is something it has in common with the neighborhood itself, and about which residents have an uneasy pride: The house had a star turn as main character Tony Manero's family home in the decade-defining "Saturday Night Fever." But the house at 221 79th Street was renovated in 2005, and there's not a disco ball to be found (though there is a Jacuzzi). And the family-sized home with a deck and a driveway is asking a very un-disco-era $2.498 million.
More movie history and creature comforts, this way

Snøhetta reveals ‘excavated’ bronze tower that will be the Upper West Side’s tallest

Rendering of 50 West 66th Street courtesy of Binyan Studios/ Snøhetta

November 27, 2017

Snøhetta reveals ‘excavated’ bronze tower that will be the Upper West Side’s tallest

Of-the-moment firm Snøhetta has revealed their design for a 775-foot condominium tower at 50 West 66th Street, set to be the tallest on the Upper West Side (h/t Wallpaper) The Extell-developed building will feature 127 units and a series of "sculptural excavations" that the architects say are "evocative of the chiseled stone of Manhattan’s geologic legacy." On the lower levels, the tower will be clad in textured limestone with bronze window frames; its narrower upper portion will have a glassy facade and chamfered corners that create a series of open-air loggias.
More renderings and details

Macy’s is requiring reservations to visit Santa

Photo via Macy’s

November 27, 2017

Macy’s is requiring reservations to visit Santa

For years, kids (and adults) of all ages have looked forward to telling their Christmas wishes to Santa at Macy’s Santaland. But starting Monday, they’ll need to make a reservation to see Jolly Old Saint Nick on the eighth floor. “Santa’s a popular guy, so the wait times to meet him have been quite long in […]

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Distinctive Homes

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

Andy Warhol's 1960s Upper East Side home is for rent asking $22K a month

This colorful $575K co-op is New York City chic in the heart of Bay Ridge

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

Paul Newman's Fifth Avenue co-op is on the market for $10M

For $5.8M, this Fifth Avenue co-op has 'Mad Men'-era vibes and Central Park views

For $995K, this two-bedroom Park Slope condo is a breath of fresh air

$7.2M penthouse is most expensive sponsor sale in Williamsburg

This $839K co-op in an Upper West Side mansion has a presidential connection

This $3.6M Spuyten Duyvil home is a tranquil refuge indoors and out, within New York City limits

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November 27, 2017

$975K Park Slope railroad apartment still manages to charm with pre-war details

The railroad apartment--a classic layout across New York City--isn't everybody's cup of tea. Not everyone wants to bypass a hallway to walk through a series of directly connected rooms, but in the case of this Park Slope co-op, each room is especially charming. The floor-through railroad occupies the third floor of 719 Carroll Street, a brick townhouse that's been converted into a small eight-unit cooperative. At 80 feet long, the apartment is lined with prewar details that include a bay window, decorative fireplace, and some exposed brick. It last sold in 2009 for $625,000 before hitting the market at $975,000.
Do the walk-through

Distinctive Homes

Trump dumps Soho hotel after glitzy launch and 11-year slump

Image: Trump Soho; Donald Trump via Wikimedia Commons.

November 27, 2017

Trump dumps Soho hotel after glitzy launch and 11-year slump

New York City has never, barring perhaps a short stretch of the go-go '80s, been Trump country. But the Trump Organization's high-profile Midtown properties blend with the area's flow of international money and glamour-seeking tourists. Much further downtown, the Trump Soho condominium/hotel at 246 Spring Street has been at best a minor embarrassment in the neighborhood since the ambitious announcement of its birth on Donald J. Trump's TV show "The Apprentice" 11 years ago. Now, what was launched as "an awe-inspiring masterpiece," is being severed from the Trump fold, the New York Times reports. In addition to poor economic performance, the 46-story luxury hotel has attracted opposition from locals since its arrival, protests during Trump's candidacy and scrutiny after the election due to its ties to a Russian dealmaker.
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Apply for a middle-income apartment in Alphabet City, from $2,116/month

Photo of 101 Avenue D courtesy of Arabella 101

November 27, 2017

Apply for a middle-income apartment in Alphabet City, from $2,116/month

Applications are currently being accepted for middle-income studio and one-bedroom apartments at 101 Avenue D in the Alphabet City section of the East Village. The 78-unit building, known as Arabella 101, is a post-war rental located between East 7th Street and East 8th Street. In addition to its prime downtown Manhattan location, residents can enjoy a roof deck, laundry room, bike room and fitness center. Qualifying New Yorkers earning between $74, 435 and $116,900 can apply for a $2,116 per month studio and those earning between $74-435 and $133, 700 can apply for $2,270 per month one-bedroom.
Find out if you qualify

Affordable Housing

INTERVIEW: Holiday House founder Iris Dankner supports cancer research through interior design

Background: “Christmas Dinner” by Kim Radovich Interiors and Bernhardt, photo by Alan Barry. Photo of Iris Dankner by Richard Lewin.

November 27, 2017

INTERVIEW: Holiday House founder Iris Dankner supports cancer research through interior design

By Dana Schulz

Step into the Upper East Side's Academy Mansion until December 6th and you'll find a festive wonderland of interior design known as Holiday House NYC. The interior design show house is an undeniable display of top design talent, but what's perhaps less obvious is that the word "holiday" here has a much deeper meaning. Interior designer and Holiday House founder Iris Dankner is a 20-year breast cancer survivor. After her experience, she feels that every day is a holiday and a chance to celebrate life. With that outlook and the realization that there were no initiatives in the design industry to benefit breast cancer--a disease that impacts more than 250,000 women and 2,000 men in the U.S. each year--Iris started Holiday House a decade ago, asking each designer to draw inspiration for their room from a "holiday" or special moment in life. Now in its 10th year, Holiday House has launched its inaugural London outpost and released a coffee table book, and it's continuing its partnership with The Breast Cancer Research Foundation, to which it's already donated more than $1 million. 6sqft recently visited Holiday House and talked with Iris about 10 years of Holiday House, her personal inspirations, and why "women supporting women is such a powerful tool."
Hear from Iris ahead

Did Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban buy Michael Jackson’s former UES mansion?

Photo of Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban courtesy of UN Women

November 27, 2017

Did Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban buy Michael Jackson’s former UES mansion?

Adding to the mansion’s celebrity lineage, country music star Keith Urban might be buying the 16-room Upper East Side townhouse at 4 East 74th Street for $39 million as a gift for his wife, Oscar-winner Nicole Kidman. According to Woman's Day, Kidman will take her acting career to Broadway, making the townhouse on Central Park the perfect nesting spot, although a deal has not been made official. "While there are several interested parties in the house, no deal has been made yet and a contract has not been signed," said the listing's agent, Adam Modlin. "The house is available." Constructed in 1898, past residents have included artist Marc Chagall and Michael Jackson. The sprawling six-story home features seven bedrooms, eight bathrooms and an original detailed oak staircase, 10 wood burning fireplaces and a private roof deck. As 6sqft previously covered, the building's current owner, billionaire hedge fund manager and Milwaukee Bucks co-owner Marc Lasry, listed the property earlier this month.
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November 27, 2017

Built into a stone ledge, this historic Hudson Valley church is a live-work fairytale

This unusual property has an enchanted background even before you see it: Situated in the Hudson Valley between the towns of New Paltz and Kingston, built into a stone ledge above the Wallkill River at the mouth of the Sturgeon Pool, this former church made of hand-cut stone dates from the 19th century. With an industrial past behind it, the 7,000 square-foot building is now used as a multi-level living and working space, with a three-story tower, balconies, an indoor fire pit and three bedrooms within, surrounded by lush gardens, water views and an outdoor grill. It's also for sale, asking $799,000.
Explore this amazing live-work building

Mayor de Blasio releases four-year financial plan

Photo via Office of the Mayor

November 22, 2017

Mayor de Blasio releases four-year financial plan

Mayor Bill de Blasio released New York City’s November Financial Plan Update for fiscal year 2018 and an updated four-year financial plan on Tuesday. City spending, which increased by $47 million in fiscal year 2018 and $59 million in fiscal year 2019, is entirely offset by $234 million in new savings this fiscal year and […]

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November 22, 2017

15 alternative holiday markets and indie pop-up shops in NYC

’Tis the season for shopping; even if we’re determined to resist the call to consume (or do all our shopping online, from bed), there’s always that unexpected invitation, last-minute secret Santa, or someone special that sends us scrambling for the perfect present. Fortunately, there’s no shortage of gift markets and pop-up shops offering a bounty of goodies and crafty gifts. The big mainstream NYC markets at Union Square, Bryant Park Grand Central Station and Columbus Circle are the front-runners for sheer volume, but some of the best finds—and the most fun—can be found at smaller, cooler neighborhood affairs. In addition to locally-made jewelry, crafts, vintage finds, artfully curated fashions, home items, gourmet goodies and other things we didn't know we needed, these hip retail outposts sparkle with drinks, food, workshops, tarot readings, nail art, music, and family fun to keep shoppers' spirits bright.
Find out where to get the goods

Events & Things To Do

Rent Bethenny Frankel’s chic Soho condo for $13K/month

Photo of Bethenny Frankel via Wikimedia

November 22, 2017

Rent Bethenny Frankel’s chic Soho condo for $13K/month

After an unsuccessful stint on the sales market, Bethenny Frankel’s condo in Soho is now a $13,000 per month rental. Frankel, star of Real Housewives of New York City and founder of the Skinnygirl empire, first tried to sell the two-bedroom apartment at 22 Mercer Street for $5.25 million in February but to no avail. While it's now listed as a rental, the apartment is still available for purchase at a slightly lower price of $4.95 million, Curbed reports. The loft spans 2,392 square feet and boasts a working wood-burning fireplace, a balcony and 14-foot ceilings.
Have a look around

MTA hires Toronto’s Andy Byford to fix growing subway woes

After a wide-ranging investigation by the New York Times into the failures of the New York City subway system, the MTA is trying to step up its game, announcing that Andy Byford will become the next president of New York City Transit, the MTA agency responsible for subways, buses, para-transit services, and the Staten Island Railway. (Talk about pressure.) Byford, however, has a good track record after five years of reducing delays, improving rider satisfaction, and modernizing the Toronto Transit Commission. The MTA's plan, according to the Times, is to change up leadership to "restore accountability and change a culture that for years has left the system lacking adequate funding or support." But they're already dealing with a high rate of turnover, as this will mark the agency’s fifth full-time leader in the past ten years.
He still faces massive challenges

November 22, 2017

$980K Village co-op maximizes space with smart storage and a bonus outdoor patio

This Greenwich Village apartment, at the cooperative 175 Bleecker Street, is within cozy quarters. But the ground-floor, one-bedroom unit is more than meets the eye post-renovation. It's packed with some ingenious storage, a lofted second bedroom space, and a dreamy private patio. After last selling in 2015 for $849,000, it's back on the market with a steeper ask of $980,000. Will someone be willing to spend close to $1 million on a well-designed but modest apartment, right in the heart of the Village?
Take a look around

Distinctive Homes

November 21, 2017

Narofsky Architecture built this Long Island home using trees knocked down during Hurricane Irene

In the summer of 2011, Hurricane Irene landed in New York City and on Long Island, heavily damaging the area, the storm's heavy rainfall and strong winds knocking down trees and causing major power outages. Turning destruction into art, Narofsky Architecture designed a house on an Irene-destroyed site using the wood from fallen trees (h/t dezeen). Based in Nassau County, the home features black locust, a rot-resistant wood, for its exterior paneling and shower benches and darkened pin oak for floors throughout the home. Even some of the home's furniture was made from fallen trees, including its bookcases, mantels, dining table, and cabinetry.
Take a tour

New York City food banks face shortages ahead of Thanksgiving

Photo via U.S. Air Force

November 21, 2017

New York City food banks face shortages ahead of Thanksgiving

A report released by the Food Bank for New York City on Monday found more than half of its pantries and soup kitchens do not have a sufficient amount of food to serve residents, with 35 percent of food banks forced to turn away those in need, when looking at data from September. The city has also seen an uptick in the number of New Yorkers who require the food bank’s services, now serving about one out of every five people citywide. According to amNY, throughout the five boroughs, the food banks have been used by more residents than normal, following a cut to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), food stamps, in 2013. According to the report, New York City's food-insecurity rate is 21 percent higher than the national average and 19 percent higher than the rate of the rest of the state.
Find out more

City Living

November 21, 2017

What do New Yorkers search for on Thanksgiving? Bakeries, BBQ, and bowling alleys

You might be frantically putting the finishing touches on the Thanksgiving feast, stockpiling the “homemade” cookies you’ll bring for dessert, or making sure you’ve got the local pizza joint on speed dial, but Google News Lab knows what you’re up to, of course. Based on data from Google Maps and an analysis of the number of times people request directions to a location, you can find out how fellow New Yorkers (or Angelinos, or Baltimoreans) are planning to spend the precious hours of holiday weekend time.
More astonishing map facts this way

Events & Things To Do

Image via Roman Kruglov/Flickr

November 21, 2017

Riders Alliance distributing kits to teach New Yorkers how to be transit activists

Just about every New Yorker has been there, stranded on a subway platform or train with their anger mounting at yet another delay. Now, Riders Alliance is encouraging those straphangers to make their frustrated voices heard all the way to Albany. The grassroots transit advocacy group on Monday began distributing thousands of its Subway Delay Action Kits […]

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November 21, 2017

$1.4M mod duplex is part of a rare Upper East Side enclave

In a city that seems to be growing more homogenous each day, this listing is one of the exceptions. Tucked away in plain sight on an Upper East Side street that ends in a cul-de-sac overlooking the East River, this floor-through duplex at 527 East 72nd Street is a rare oasis. Bookended by two petite public parks, the co-op complex consists of four wood-clad 1894 townhouses painted black and white. Within, the two-bedroom apartment is just as dreamy and beautifully renovated with clean, modern finishes that continue the feeling of having escaped the bustle of Manhattan. Asking $1.395 million, the home spans two levels and has a laundry room, a separate office, two baths and a powder room–and there's plenty of living space left over.
Get a closer look

Distinctive Homes

Long Island City’s Jackson Park will feature two pools, full-size basketball court, and a 1.6-acre park

Rendering of Jackson Park courtesy of Tishman Speyer

November 20, 2017

Long Island City’s Jackson Park will feature two pools, full-size basketball court, and a 1.6-acre park

As the Long Island City skyline continues to grow, so does the list of amenities developments are offering residents in the booming Queens neighborhood. New renderings of the massive, three-tower, 1,871-unit rental complex, Jackson Park, reveal extravagant luxuries like two swimming pools, a gaming area, a full-size basketball/volleyball and squash court, and much more, as the New York Post reported. With move-ins expected in January, leasing has officially begun at the Tishman Speyer-complex, with net rents starting at $1,915 per month studios, $2,335 per month one-bedrooms, $3,555 per month for two-bedrooms, $4,745 per month for three-bedrooms and $7,310 per month for four-bedrooms.
Take a peek

Preservation unbound: Is a plan to re-build the original Penn Station a viable option?

Drawing of the original Penn Station, re-created. Credit: Jeff Stikeman for Rebuild Penn Station

November 20, 2017

Preservation unbound: Is a plan to re-build the original Penn Station a viable option?

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

In August 6sqft reported that major work was underway in the $1.6 billion transformation of Penn Station's James A. Farley Building into a state-of-the-art, 225,000-square-foot “world-class 21st century transportation hub” called Moynihan Train Hall. That hasn't stopped the flow of suggestions for how to best make use of New Yorkers' un-favorite transport hub, which have included Practice for Architecture and Urbanism founder Vishaan Chakrabarti's proposal to repurpose, then move the old building to create a neighborhood gathering spot and a plan by Columbia University’s DeathLab to turn the the station into a landscaped cemetery. Among those voices-with-a-vision is Rebuild Penn Station, a group of architects and preservationists whose intent is to recreate the original McKim, Mead and White-designed Penn Station, and a new ad campaign aims to get commuters on board (h/t Curbed).
Find out more

THE 6SQFT SHOP

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New York City's best holiday markets of 2023

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

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Queens City Council member wants to extend the Second Avenue Subway to the Rockaways

Photo courtesy of Governor Cuomo’s office

November 20, 2017

Queens City Council member wants to extend the Second Avenue Subway to the Rockaways

Is Queens NYC Council member Eric Ulrich’s idea of extending the Second Avenue subway via the Atlantic Brooklyn Long Island Rail Road branch connecting with the abandoned Queens LIRR Rockaway Beach line, on to the Rockaways unrealistic? FIND OUT AT METRO NEW YORK…

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Photo via pixabay

November 20, 2017

Number of tourists visiting NYC hits record high despite drop in international visitors

New estimates from the city’s tourism promotion agency, NYC & Company, show that the number of visitors to New York City will increase again this year, making 2017 the eighth straight year of record-high tourism. As the New York Times reported, the city will take in 61.8 million visitors this year, an increase from 60.5 million visitors in 2016. However, the agency does expect the first drop in international visitors to the city since 2009, due to President Donald Trump’s “America First” rhetoric and his revised restricted travel ban on six Muslim-majority countries.
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Policy

November 20, 2017

Stunning church details were woven into this $3,925/month Bushwick rental

This 1890s brick church and school, located at 626 Bushwick Avenue right in Bushwick, has gotten a second life as a new development rental known as the Saint Marks. The church details aren't all extinct, with brickwork and vaulting in some of the apartments. This two-bedroom unit is one of the most stunning in the building--and it's now asking $3,925 a month. The top-floor location means that the elaborate arched ceilings decked out with mosaic tilework and carved wood tower above this lofty pad.
Get a closer look

Distinctive Homes

November 20, 2017

NYC’s best art installations and exhibits to get you in the holiday spirit

By Lori Zimmer

The holiday season in New York is one of the most magical times, packed with lots of events to perpetuate the experience. Aside from ice skating, holiday-themed bars, and the tree at Rockefeller Center, be sure to tuck into these art exhibitions and events to get you into the spirit! From old standbys like the New York Botanical Garden's Holiday Train Show to contemporary offerings like Yayoi Kusama's glittering installations in Chelsea and Erwin Redl's haunting field of glowing orbs at Madison Square Park, we've rounded up the 14 best must-see artsy exhibits this year.
Our top picks right this way

Events & Things To Do

New York lawmakers have underinvested in the subway system for decades, report finds

Image © 6sqft

November 20, 2017

New York lawmakers have underinvested in the subway system for decades, report finds

The crumbling of New York City’s subway system didn’t happen overnight. According to an investigation by the New York Times, the system’s current problems stem from nearly three decades of underinvestment by transit officials and elected politicians, who, despite its aging signals and equipment, have actually directed funding away from much-needed repairs. Now, New York’s subway has the worst on-time performance of any major rapid transit system in the world when looking at the data of the 20 biggest systems. Only 65 percent of weekday trains reach their destinations on time, the lowest rate since the transit crisis of the 1970s.
Find out more

November 20, 2017

Townhouse charm, modern design, and a prime location add up to this $825K West Village co-op

This one-bedroom co-op at 352 West 12th Street has exactly the kind of West Village charm–inside and out–that makes the neighborhood one of the city's most sought-after–and makes even its tiniest spaces among the most fought-over. Asking $825,000–in keeping with the neighborhood's complete lack of perspective in the area of real estate value–what's essentially an alcove studio with a privacy-enhancing wall has been blessed with interior design and finishes that make every square foot a joy to behold. It may not "astound with surprises," as the listing offers, but it's a surprisingly chic little flat, two flights up, with a lovely common garden shared the trio of 19th-century townhouses that comprise the co-op.
Take a look, this way

Distinctive Homes

November 17, 2017

$5.2M Queen Anne Victorian in Nyack comes with its own Hudson River pier

A six-bedroom Queen Anne Victorian in Upper Nyack has hit the market for $5.2 million (h/t Curbed). Although the 1887 residence, known as the Bennett-Deyrup House, underwent a major $4 million renovation 10 years ago, many of its historic details--like embossed "lincrusta" ceilings and walls, stained glass windows and tile glass--remain. Just a quick, 30-minutes outside New York City, the home sits on the Hudson River and includes its own rocky beach and stoned pier.
Take a tour

Second phase of Hunters Point South development moves forward with 960 affordable unit proposal

Rendering of Hunters Point South courtesy of Handel Architects

November 17, 2017

Second phase of Hunters Point South development moves forward with 960 affordable unit proposal

Plans to redevelop Hunters Point South, a project first proposed by former Mayor Michael Bloomberg, is finally making some headway. The city’s Department of Housing Preservation and Development and the Housing Development Corp. on Thursday selected a proposal that will bring a 1,120-unit apartment complex, with 80 percent of them permanently affordable, to the southern tip of the Long Island City neighborhood. According to the Wall Street Journal, the $500 million, two-tower project is being developed by Gotham and RiseBoro Community Partnership Inc.
Find out more

Photo via Wiki Commons

November 17, 2017

City issues request for proposals for plan to shutter Rikers Island

Mayor Bill de Blasio officially began the process of shuttering Rikers Island on Thursday by issuing a request for proposal to develop an action plan to close the controversial jail complex and find alternate solutions. “We have a moral obligation to close down Rikers Island and transition to a smaller, safer and fairer jail system,” the mayor […]

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November 17, 2017

The penthouse at Shigeru Ban’s Metal Shutter Houses tries its hand as a $25K/month rental

The penthouse that tops the Metal Shutter Houses, a Chelsea condo designed by Pritzker Prize winner Shigeru Ban, boasts almost as much outdoor space as it does within. The four-bedroom, four-bathroom duplex penthouse spans 3,319 square feet, with almost 2,000 square feet of landscaped terraces surrounding it and offering incredible views. The pad originally sold for $11.4 million, according to Curbed, then hit the market in 2011 for $12.95 million. After no takers, it was listed this summer for $12.9 million. And now it's trying its hand as a rental, at a hefty monthly cost of $25,000.
You have to see the outdoor space

Distinctive Homes

‘Girls’ actress Jemima Kirke’s charming East Hampton family home asks $3M

Photo of Jemima Kirke via Wikimedia

November 17, 2017

‘Girls’ actress Jemima Kirke’s charming East Hampton family home asks $3M

The East Hampton family home of actress Jemima Kirke, who starred as Jessa in the HBO series "Girls," has hit the market for $2.9 million. The cute four-bedroom home sits on Gardiners Bay and includes its own private beach. As Curbed learned, the home, built in 1900, has been renovated by Jemima's interior designer mother, Lorraine Kirke.
See inside

November 17, 2017

The Urban Lens: Wayne Sorce’s vivid photos capture the spirit of 1970s and ’80s NYC

By Dana Schulz

6sqft’s series The Urban Lens invites photographers to share work exploring a theme or a place within New York City. In this installment, the Joseph Bellows Gallery shares the late Wayne Sorce's "Urban Color" series. Are you a photographer who’d like to see your work featured on The Urban Lens? Get in touch with us at [email protected]. Chicago-born photographer Wayne Sorce began capturing the people and places of urban landscapes while at the Art Institute of Chicago in the 1960s. In the late '70s and early '80s he took large-scale color photos of his hometown and New York, capturing "a formal exactitude, the light, structures, and palette of these cities within a certain era," according to a press release from the Joseph Bellows Gallery in L.A. where this "Urban Color" series is currently on view. Not only do the vivid colors help express the spirit of the city at this time, but the way Sorce incorporates people exposes a unique energy in which they serve as "both inhabitants, as well as sculptural forms relating to a larger composed scene." From Manhattan barbershops and restaurants to the gritty, industrial streets of Vinegar Hill, Brooklyn, the photos transport the viewer to a bygone NYC.
See all of Sorce's photos here

Plan for LaGuardia AirTrain inches forward with $55M lift from Port Authority

Rendering of LaGuardia Airport via Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s office

November 17, 2017

Plan for LaGuardia AirTrain inches forward with $55M lift from Port Authority

The Port Authority on Thursday approved $55 million in funding for the second phase of planning for an AirTrain to LaGuardia airport, a project first announced nearly three years ago. The authority previously allocated $20 million for the AirTrain which would run between Mets-Willets Point and the airport, one part of Gov. Andrew Cuomo's plan to revamp LaGuardia. According to the Daily News, the total $75 million will go towards technical planning, design work and developing an environmental impact report. Despite this new investment, the AirTrain still has no final cost estimate or a completed study, but previous estimates price the project at $1 billion.
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Policy

5 Manhattan West. Photo: Laurian Ghinitoiu via REX Architecture

November 17, 2017

First look at REX’s pleated-glass transformation of Brutalist 5 Manhattan West office tower

Brookfield Office Properties offered a look at the second building in the nearly-six-million-square-foot, six-building Manhattan West project to be completed. The 16-story office building known as 5 Manhattan West, where Amazon signed a lease for a 360,000-square-foot space, is approaching completion on Tenth Avenue between West 31st and 33rd Streets across from Hudson Yards. Archpaper shares images of the building's sparkling new look and interiors, the result of some fancy architectural footwork by REX. The 1969 Brutalist office building was nearly everyone's example of ugly since a 1980s renovation left it clad in brown metal and beige paint. The rechristened building's new facade wraps it in sleek, form-fitting pleated glass that does more than just look pretty.
More images of the 21st century transformation, this way

Your guide to this year’s Macy’s Christmas Windows

Photo via Macy’s

November 16, 2017

Your guide to this year’s Macy’s Christmas Windows

On Thursday, November 16, get ready to be wowed by Macy’s Christmas windows at Herald Square. Each year, Macy’s kicks off the holiday season by unveiling its iconic and magical Christmas window display for everyone to enjoy. During peak hours, the Herald Square location can have more than 10,000 people pass the windows. The theme […]

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Framlab proposes 3D-printed modular microneighborhoods to shelter NYC’s homeless

Image: Framlab

November 16, 2017

Framlab proposes 3D-printed modular microneighborhoods to shelter NYC’s homeless

By Andrew Berman of Village Preservation

The growing population of homeless New Yorkers is sending creative agency Framlab up a wall–literally. The Oslo- and New York City-based agency has proposed a way to provide shelter for the city's homeless in an arrangement of 3D-printed micro-neighborhoods comprised of hexagonal modules designed to attach to a scaffold structure, creating a second layer of properties, basically, alongside a building's empty wall (h/t designboom). In the project, called "Homed," the modular pods can be clustered together, creating a "cellular mosaic" with their fronts facing the street.
Way better than giant ads

Jewish gangsters, jazz legends, and Joy Division: The evolution of the Ukrainian National Home

The Stuyvesant Casino in 1945, via the Swedish Buck Johnson Society (L); The Ukrainian National Home Today, via Wally Gobetz/Flickr (R)

November 16, 2017

Jewish gangsters, jazz legends, and Joy Division: The evolution of the Ukrainian National Home

On 2nd Avenue, just south of 9th Street at No. 140-142, sits one of the East Village's oddest structures. Clad in metal and adorned with Cyrillic lettering, the building sports a slightly downtrodden and forbidding look, seeming dropped into the neighborhood from some dystopian sci-fi thriller. In reality, for the last half century the building has housed the Ukrainian National Home, best known as a great place to get some good food or drink. But scratch the surface of this architectural oddity and you'll find a winding history replete with Jewish gangsters, German teetotalers, jazz-playing hipsters, and the American debut of one of Britain's premier post-punk bands, all in a building which, under its metallic veneer, dates back nearly two centuries.
Learn this fascinating history

History

November 16, 2017

‘The View’ co-host Joy Behar drops $2.4M on a mod Upper West Side condo

According to city property records, "The View" co-host Joy Behar just dropped $2.4 million on a contemporary apartment at the Lincoln Square condo 62 West 62nd Street. Not only is the place a block away from both Central Park and Lincoln Center, but it's just four blocks from the talk show's ABC filming location on 66th Street. Ironically, it's also just a few blocks from the Trump International; Behar has been extremely vocal on her disdain for the building's namesake, even writing an entire Trump-bashing book.
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Crown Building’s $100M penthouse will have two indoor pools and a piano lounge

Penthouse rendering courtesy of Aman Resorts

November 16, 2017

Crown Building’s $100M penthouse will have two indoor pools and a piano lounge

Floor plans of the Crown Building's crown jewel, its five-story penthouse, have revealed what $100 million will buy you at one of the city's most desirable locations for the super-rich. As the Real Deal learned, the penthouse features two swimming pools, a piano lounge and a full-floor master suite. The 14,000-square-foot pad sits in the actual crown of the building, spanning floors 22-26. The rest of the Billionaires' Row building at 730 Fifth Avenue isn't too shabby either; the building includes an 83-key luxury Aman Resorts hotel with a three-story spa, a jazz and cigar club, a few restaurants and 20 luxury condos.
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November 16, 2017

Foreclosures and flopped flips pile up at One57, sending grim message to big ticket investors

A full-floor, 6,240-square-foot penthouse at Midtown billionaires' bunker One57 recently sold to an unidentified high bidder–one of five contenders–at a foreclosure auction for $36 million. That number is 29 percent lower than the original $50.9 million price shelled out by Nigerian businessman Kolawole Akanni Aluko for the newly-minted condo in 2014. The fire sale was the fourth resale in the 1,004-foot-tall Billionaire's Row flagship trophy tower to trade at a loss, according to data from appraiser Miller Samuel Inc., reports Bloomberg. The latest example is the largest discount to date on one of the pricey properties, all of which sends a message to buyers with plans to cash in on the ultra-luxury units in short order. And there are currently 16 apartments at the building listed for sale, most of them by the developer.
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Real Estate Trends

City Planning gives the go ahead for controversial 800-foot Sutton Place tower

The original rendering of 3 Sutton Place by Foster + Partners

November 16, 2017

City Planning gives the go ahead for controversial 800-foot Sutton Place tower

The City Planning Commission approved a resident-proposed plan to curb the development of supertall, skinny towers in Sutton Place on Wednesday, capping the height of future buildings. However, because of a clause inserted by the commission, projects already under construction will be grandfathered into the current zoning rules. This comes as good news for Gamma Real Estate, the developer currently constructing an 800-foot-tall residential tower, now called Sutton 58, at 3 Sutton Place. Gamma needs to finish the foundation planned for their luxury condominium tower before the city votes on the rezoning proposal, to be immune from new height restrictions (h/t Crain's).
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November 16, 2017

Chelsea townhouse with modern Danish design asks a cool $11M

This Chelsea townhouse at 449 West 24th Street has some bragging rights both inside and out. Exterior-wise, the 21-foot-wide home is surrounded by greenery and outdoor space on a block of other historic townhouses. Inside, over 4,073 square feet, mid-century and Danish interior design has added a unique and modern touch. Big walls of glass, finally, connect the indoor and outdoor elements. If you're digging the connection, the property has just hit the market for a cool $11 million.
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Distinctive Homes

New 40th Street entrance. Credit: Mecanoo with Beyer Blinder Belle

November 16, 2017

NYPL unveils $317M master plan and renderings for iconic main branch