6sqft | NYC local news, events, and apartments

The 42+ acre Jule Pond Road Southampton estate that was built for Henry Ford II, grandson of the auto magnate, is asking $175 million; the towering ask makes the property, anchored by a 20,000-square-foot 12-bedroom home and blessed with the most ocean frontage in the Hamptons at almost a quarter mile long, the most expensive listing in not only the Hamptons but all of New York state, according to Mansion Global.
More photos of this gorgeous beachfront estate this way

Distinctive Homes

MTA will ‘modify’ Times Square subway mosaics that resemble the Confederate flag

Image via Wiki Commons

August 18, 2017

MTA will ‘modify’ Times Square subway mosaics that resemble the Confederate flag

By Andrew Berman of Village Preservation

The day after Mayor de Blasio and Governor Cuomo announced plans to review and remove controversial public Confederate structures and markers throughout the city, the MTA says it will do the same. Well, sort of. Over 90 years ago, station architect Squire J. Vickers installed mosaics resembling the Confederate flag at the 40th Street entrance for the 1, 2, 3 trains to honor early New York Times owner and publisher Adolph S. Ochs, who had "strong ties to the Confederacy" and was buried with a Confederate flag when he died in 1935. But yesterday, MTA spokesperson Kevin Ortiz told Gothamist, "These are not confederate flags, it is a design based on geometric forms that represent the 'Crossroads of the World' and to avoid absolutely any confusion we will modify them to make that absolutely crystal clear."
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A 15-year-old Greenwich Village student inspired the hit song ‘Summer in the City’

Image via Wiki Commons

August 17, 2017

A 15-year-old Greenwich Village student inspired the hit song ‘Summer in the City’

Everyone knows the folk-rock classic "Summer in the City" by the Lovin’ Spoonful, which topped the charts 51 years ago this August in 1966. But fewer know the song’s roots in Greenwich Village--lead singer John Sebastian actually grew up in the neighborhood and the act got their start in the local clubs--and fewer still know a 15-year-old Village student was responsible for a significant part of its composition.
Get the whole story

History

Apply for 43 new affordable units in Highbridge, from $558/month

Photo by Shinya Suzuki / Flickr

August 17, 2017

Apply for 43 new affordable units in Highbridge, from $558/month

Applications are now being accepted for 43 newly constructed units at the Excelsior II, an affordable housing building in the Highbridge section of the Bronx. Designed by SLCE Architects, the building at 120-126 West 169th Street rises nine stories and features 60 units. New Yorkers earning 40, 50 and 60 percent of the area median income can apply for units ranging from $558 per month one-bedrooms to a $1,065 per month two-bedrooms.
Find out if you qualify

Affordable Housing

Cuomo releases new renderings of Moynihan Station as major construction gets underway

Iage via the office of the Governor

August 17, 2017

Cuomo releases new renderings of Moynihan Station as major construction gets underway

At a press conference this morning in the under-construction space, Governor Cuomo announced that major work has begun on transforming the James A. Farley Building into the state-of-the-art, 225,000-square-foot Moynihan Train Hall. Along with the news that the $1.6 billion project will create 12,000+ construction jobs and 2,500 permanent jobs, come new renderings of the station, showing more exterior views and looks at the 700,000-square-foot shopping and dining concourse.
All the renderings and more details this way

Construction contract awarded for first major phase of Freshkills Park

Image via NYC Parks and Recreation

August 17, 2017

Construction contract awarded for first major phase of Freshkills Park

By Diane Pham

The effort to turn Fresh Kills Landfill into a verdant and vibrant destination for wildlife and outdoor recreation received a huge boost on Monday (h/t DNA Info) as the city awarded a $22.9 million contract for the construction of the first major section of Freshkills Park. Up until now, the swath of Staten Island land—covering 2,200 acres of former dumping ground that has since undergone nearly two decades of remediation—has remained closed to the public, save for a few times a year when select areas are opened for "Discovery Days" that introduce visitors to the terrain and events that will eventually become mainstays of Freshkills when it is completed in 2036.
more details on what to expect

De Blasio and Cuomo announce plans to eradicate ‘symbols of hate’ in New York

Image via Alisdare Hickson/flickr

August 17, 2017

De Blasio and Cuomo announce plans to eradicate ‘symbols of hate’ in New York

After a violent weekend led by white supremacist groups in Charlottesville, Virginia, New York officials have announced plans to review and remove controversial public structures. Mayor de Blasio said on Wednesday the city will conduct a 90-day review of “all symbols of hate on city property,” by putting together a panel of experts and community leaders who will make recommendations for items to take down (h/t NY Post). On Wednesday, Governor Cuomo called upon the United States Army to reconsider its decision to keep the street names that honor Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson, two Confederate leaders, at Fort Hamilton. Cuomo also announced the removal of the busts of Lee and Jackson from CUNY’s Hall of Fame for Great Americans in the Bronx.
Find out more

Bus station beneath Javits Center proposed in new plan to fix cross-Hudson commuter hell

Image via Office of Gov. Cuomo depicting the Javits’ upcoming expansion

August 17, 2017

Bus station beneath Javits Center proposed in new plan to fix cross-Hudson commuter hell

As the "summer of hell" days of emergency repairs to Penn Station's rail system roll by, the Regional Plan Association, a nonprofit transportation advocacy group, is intent on tackling the transit system's biggest messes; specifically, the association warned that “public transportation across the Hudson River is in crisis,” and is in the process of updating its regional plan to address that issue and other transportation snarls. Among the group's suggestions: building a terminal for intercity buses underneath the Jacob K. Javits center on Manhattan's West Side, the New York Times reports.
Find out more

Distinctive Homes

$1.4M Fort Greene co-op has a sprawling solarium, a charming parlor and just a hint of loft

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

For $20.5M, West Village townhouse meets suburban mansion behind a historic facade

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

See inside $19.5M Dumbo penthouse, Brooklyn's most expensive condo for sale

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

This $4.8M townhouse adds modern architecture to a historic Manhattan Valley block

This $3M co-op is like a European loft in the West Village

Color, texture, and pre-war details define this decorator's dream of a $4.85M Village co-op

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

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108 affordable apartments up for grabs in Downtown Brooklyn’s 33 Bond Street, from $613/month

Rendering via TF Cornerstone

August 17, 2017

108 affordable apartments up for grabs in Downtown Brooklyn’s 33 Bond Street, from $613/month

Applications are currently being accepted for the second phase of affordable apartments at 33 Bond Street, a building nestled among the bustling neighborhoods of Downtown Brooklyn, Boerum Hill and Cobble Hill. The 25-story building sits just one or two blocks from all major subway lines and is within walking distance to Fort Greene Park and the Barclays Center. New Yorkers earning 40 and 120 percent of the area median income can apply for units ranging from a $613 per month studio to a $2,519 per month two-bedroom.
Find out if you qualify

Affordable Housing

On this day in 1974, the Ramones played their first gig at CBGB in the East Village

The Ramones outside of CBGB, photo via CBGB

August 16, 2017

On this day in 1974, the Ramones played their first gig at CBGB in the East Village

On August 16, 1974, four men dressed in leather motorcycle jackets and Converse high-tops hit the stage at CBGB, an iconic East Village dive bar, for the very first time. After this debut performance, the Ramones, who hailed from Forest Hills, Queens, became the first regulars at CBGB, a spot known for the cutting edge punk rock musicians that played there, like Talking Heads, Patti Smith and Blondie. In the year 1974 alone, the Ramones played there over 70 times.
Find out more

History

August 16, 2017

For $1.6M, a 1780s stone house in the Palisades that may have been George Washington’s office

By Emily Nonko

This 18th century stone house, located in the upscale area of the Palisades known as Snedens Landing, was under the care of the landscape designer and photographer Judy Tompkins for some 60 years until she passed away at age 90 this May. But long before, it's rumored the property served as George Washington's office when his men were guarding the ferry service from the cliffs of the Palisades. With a rich history, beautiful interiors, and gorgeous perennial gardens tended to by Tomkins, it's a special offering in a town right outside New York City. And it's now asking $1.6 million.
Tour the gardens

August 16, 2017

The Manhattan Skyscraper Explorer is your building-by-building skyline map

Tall buildings—from supertalls to garden-variety skyscrapers—seem to grow like weeds in New York City: A recent boom in tall Midtown residential towers has ushered in a new focus on life in the clouds. And we're always comparing ourselves to other vertical cities. We also know there have been growth cycles and slower periods when it comes to the city's skyscrapers. Now we can survey the landscape of Manhattan's tallest buildings all at once thanks to the mapping wizards at Esri (via Maps Mania). The Manhattan Skyscraper Explorer reveals each of the city's tall towers, showing its height, when it was built, what it's used for and more.
Explore New York's tallest

Uncategorized

Apply for 88 affordable apartments in Downtown Jamaica, from $494/ month

92-61 165th Street, Rendering via NHS Development Corporation

August 16, 2017

Apply for 88 affordable apartments in Downtown Jamaica, from $494/ month

With new residential and commercial developments and transit options, Jamaica, Queens is on the brink of renewal, after many years of neglect. Adding to the area’s revitalization, the construction of a new 14-story affordable housing building was finished last fall. Now, applications are being accepted at the building for 88 affordable apartments at 92-61 165th Street in Jamaica Center, Queens. New Yorkers earning 40 and 60 percent of the area median income can apply for units ranging from a $494 per month studio to a $1182 per month three-bedroom.
Find out if you qualify

Affordable Housing

Stuyvesant Town goes green: How the 70-year-old complex is reinventing itself in a modern age

Photos courtesy of Stuyvesant Town

August 16, 2017

Stuyvesant Town goes green: How the 70-year-old complex is reinventing itself in a modern age

"Think of us as a 1947 Cadillac retrofitted with a Tesla engine," says Marynia Kruk, Stuyvesant Town and Peter Cooper Village's Community Affairs Manager. Though the 80-acre residential complex's 110 red brick, cruciform-shaped buildings were constructed 70 years ago this month, their imposing facades are hiding an intense network of systems that, since 2011, have allowed the development to reduce its on-site carbon emissions by 6.8 percent, equal to over 17 million pounds of coal saved. To put this in perspective, that's roughly the same savings as 3,000 drivers deciding to bike or take the train for an entire year or planting a forest of 400,000 trees. This massive sustainability push, along with new ownership (Blackstone Group and Canadian investment firm Ivanhoe Cambridge bought the complex for $5.3 billion in October 2015), updated amenities, and an affordable housing commitment, is driving Manhattan's largest apartment complex into the future, and 6sqft recently got the inside scoop from CEO and General Manager Rick Hayduk and Tom Feeney, Vice President of Maintenance Operations, who is spearheading the green initiative.
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Two plaques honoring Robert E. Lee in Brooklyn will be removed

General Lee Avenue and Robert E. Lee’s former home on Fort Hamilton, via Jeremy Bender/Business Insider

August 16, 2017

Two plaques honoring Robert E. Lee in Brooklyn will be removed

Following the tragic events in Charlottesville, Va. last weekend, officials announced Tuesday that two plaques honoring Gen. Robert E. Lee outside of a Brooklyn church would be taken down. The plaques, tacked to a maple tree, belonged to St. John’s Episcopal Church in Fort Hamilton, although the church has been closed since 2014. As Newsday reported, the Episcopal Diocese of Long Island owns the church and will sell it.
Find out more

History

August 16, 2017

Actor Stephen Dorff gets $2.7M for bachelor-friendly Chelsea penthouse

By Annie Doge

When actor Stephen Dorff put his Chelsea penthouse on the market for $3 million in March of last year, 6sqft described it as "party-ready," thanks to an 850-square-foot roof terrace complete with wet bar/kitchen and outdoor shower. But it looks like "The Power of One," "Blade," and "Somewhere" star is officially saying goodbye to his bachelor pad days, as the Observer reports that he's unloaded the duplex at 251 West 19th Street for $2.7 million.
Take a tour

August 16, 2017

Live at the legendary Osborne on Billionaires’ Row for just $399K

Share a gorgeous lobby with the rich and famous at the iconic Osborne at 205 West 57th Street. Yes, you’re seeing that right, the Billionaires’ Row address has a notable vacancy: This one-bedroom lobby-level co-op is asking just $399,000. That may sound more like a stingy holiday tip for residents of nearby trophy towers like One57, but it gets you a classic Midtown West address shared by celebrities current and past including Jessica Chastain, former Knicks president Phil Jackson, and Leonard Bernstein.
Find out more about this rare find

Distinctive Homes

NYC lawyers once gifted Adolf Hitler and Joseph Stalin a tenement in Brooklyn

>Google Street View of 541 Clinton Street. Map data © 2019 Google In the 1940s, two attorneys from Manhattan let the mortgage payments lapse on a building they owned in Carroll Gardens. Julius Freilicher and Martin Auslander had a $3,300 mortgage with Dime Savings Bank on their tenement at 541 Clinton Street. Believing it was a better idea to not pay the mortgage, the two lawyers decided the best thing was to file a deed of gift, as the Brownstone Detectives reported. The receivers of this gift? Adolph Hitler and Joseph Stalin.
Find out more

History

Taxi map shows where New Yorkers take cabs and how they pay for them

Images: Esri Taxi Cab Terrain map

August 15, 2017

Taxi map shows where New Yorkers take cabs and how they pay for them

Looked at from any distance, New York City may appear to be a honking sea of cars and taxis, with the latter making the biggest visual impact (and probably doing the most honking). Thanks to GIS gurus Esri via Maps Mania, we have a snapshot–an aggregate vision, if you will–of a year of life in the Big Apple made up of the city's taxi journeys. The Taxi Cab Terrain map allows you to zoom in and find out about the many millions of rides that start and end in the New York City and New Jersey metro areas based on data from the NYC Taxi & Limousine Commission. Mapping yellow cab travel data covering July 2015 to June 2016, the map shows how different NYC boroughs use taxis and how they pay for their rides. Esri's John Nelson then takes a look at socioeconomic data to look for influences that might impact how different neighborhoods use and pay for cab rides.
More from the map, this way

August 15, 2017

Own two waterfalls, 60 acres of land, and a cabin upstate for $925K

By Emily Nonko

It's safe to say this is a home on a property unlike any other. This cabin is located at the base of the Delphi Falls Waterfalls, outside the upstate town of Cazenovia. The property encompasses 60 total acres, with 65-foot and 52-foot falls as well as one mile of creek frontage. The same family has owned it since 1961, and just listed the whole shebang for $925,000. (The main home, with land easements, is also available for $699,000.) As broker Michael Franklin puts it, buying this would be "like owning your own state park." We agree—this is the property for a New Yorker looking for an escape from just about everything to a completely nature-packed retreat.
You've got to take the tour

Enter the waitlist for middle-income apartments near Lincoln Center from $2,300/month

33 West End Avenue via CityRealty

August 15, 2017

Enter the waitlist for middle-income apartments near Lincoln Center from $2,300/month

The waitlist is open for $2,300 per month studios and $2,800 one-bedrooms at 33 West End Avenue on Manhattan’s Upper West Side. The building, near Lincoln Center, Columbus Circle and Central Park, features 24-hour concierge service, a fitness center, a shared lounge and bike storage. The waitlist is accepting applications from New Yorkers who earn between $80,743 and $126,060 annually.
Find out more

Affordable Housing

INTERVIEW: Author Ed Hamilton on how the Chelsea Hotel inspired personal stories of gentrification

Background image via Andrew Malone/Flickr

August 15, 2017

INTERVIEW: Author Ed Hamilton on how the Chelsea Hotel inspired personal stories of gentrification

By Emily Nonko

When it comes to the Chelsea Hotel, Ed Hamilton has seen it all. He and his wife moved to the iconic property in 1995, living among artists and musicians in a 220-square-foot, single-room-occupancy unit. The storied, artistic community nurtured inside the hotel came to an end a decade ago when the building sold for the first time and evictions followed. Since then, the property has traded hands a number of times with talks of boutique hotel development, luxury condos, or some combination of the two. Hamilton started tracking the saga at his blog Living With Legends and published a book, "Legends of the Chelsea Hotel," in 2007. After the book's success, Hamilton wrote a short story collection titled "The Chintz Age: Stories of Love and Loss for a new New York." Each piece offers a different take on New York's "hyper gentrification," as he calls it: a mother unable to afford her lofty East Village apartment, giving it up to a daughter she shares a strained relationship with; a book store owner who confronts his failed writing career as a landlord forces him out of now highly valuable commercial space. Ultimately, many of the stories were inspired by the characters he met inside the Chelsea Hotel. And his tales offer a new perspective on a changing city, one that focuses on "the personal, day-to-day struggles about the people who are trying to hang onto their place in New York." With 6sqft, he shares what it's like writing in the under-construction Chelsea Hotel, what the Chintz Age title means, and the unchanged spots of the city he still treasures.
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New rendering of Extell’s Central Park Tower shows sparkling all-glass facade

Rendering of Central Park Tower via Extell Development

August 15, 2017

New rendering of Extell’s Central Park Tower shows sparkling all-glass facade

A new rendering of Central Park Tower, slated to be the tallest residential tower on Earth, shows the most sparkling image of the residential building yet. Construction for Extell Development’s supertall, located at 225 West 57th Street on Billionaires’ Row, is underway and when completed, the tower is projected to be 1,550-feet tall. As CityRealty reported, the all-glass rendering appears to be taken about 900-feet above Central Park and leaves out rivaling towers, 432 Park Avenue and 111 West 57th Street. The $2.98 billion project is expected to be completed in 2019.
Find out more

August 15, 2017

Plan your future rooftop paradise atop Chelsea’s historic ‘Muffin House’ for $950K

We've already covered the fascinating fact that 337 West 20th Street isn't your average cooperative building: This Chelsea townhouse-turned-co-op was formerly the bakery of Samuel Bath Thomas, the Englishman who introduced New Yorkers to the English Muffin in the early 1900s, earning it the nickname Muffin House–and the original ovens, though no longer working, remain built into the basement. While all other traces of the old bakery are gone, this Chelsea aerie on the top floor of the 1850s townhouse has plenty of historic charm–and the one-bedroom apartment, asking $950,000, comes with private deeded roof rights.
Check it out

August 14, 2017

Historic brick rowhouse asks $2.5M on a cobblestone street in Red Hook

What Red Hook lacks in accessibility it certainly makes up for in charm, and this lovely two-family rowhouse at 168 Coffey Street is definitely worth some extra travel time. Built in 1867 as one of seven similar houses on the cobblestone block, it boasts a brick facade, quaint front garden, and a large backyard. Plus, if you don't mind commuting on the open seas, the $2.5 million home is just five blocks from the NYC Ferry stop.
Get a look

Chinese immigrants use slang names and maps to navigate the streets of NYC

Chinatown, image © Chaz Langley

August 14, 2017

Chinese immigrants use slang names and maps to navigate the streets of NYC

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

Many New Yorkers navigate Chinatown by its famous street names; East Broadway, Mulberry, Canal and Orchard. However, for many Chinese immigrants living in the area who do not speak English, these names are not used. Instead, descriptive nicknames (translated from Chinese) exist like “Hatseller Street,” “Garbage Street,” and “Dead Person Street.” Even more interesting, to help Chinese New Yorkers navigate the city, maps with these streets labeled in their Chinese nicknames are made and distributed. A reporter from This American Life, Aaron Reiss, began collecting these maps and discovered the lesser-known nicknames for a lot of these city streets, many which have four or five different labels.
More this way

Uncategorized

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August 14, 2017

$8M Mediterranean villa in Connecticut was built for composer Frank La Forge

This 1930s home built in the style of a Mediterranean villa for the prolific composer Frank LaForge is a detail-filled masterpiece in a storybook setting (h/t Circa). Renovated with care over the years, the result is a seamless blend of original details with modern style and comfort. The 11-room riverfront house in Darien, CT spans 8,220 square feet, with a gorgeous terrace surrounded by an oasis of dreamy landscaping and pond and river views. We wish it could be bought for a song, but it's asking $7.995 million.
Tour the rooms

NYC law guaranteeing a lawyer for any tenant facing eviction is the nation’s first of its kind

Mayor Bill de Blasio announces findings on tenant representation last August. Image: nyc.gov

August 14, 2017

NYC law guaranteeing a lawyer for any tenant facing eviction is the nation’s first of its kind

6sqft reported last year on a new bill that would guarantee a lawyer for all low-income residents facing eviction. On Friday, Mayor Bill de Blasio signed that bill into law, guaranteeing legal representation for low-income residents who face eviction (h/t Citylab). The legislation is the nation's first that provides right to counsel in housing matters. The new law is the result of efforts of activists and organizers that began in 2014.
Find out more about the new law

Policy

Cuomo to offer a congestion pricing plan to fund transit repairs

Photo via Lucas Klappas on Flickr

August 14, 2017

Cuomo to offer a congestion pricing plan to fund transit repairs

With New York City’s subway system currently in a state of emergency, public officials and advocates have been developing ways to pay for its urgent repairs. According to the New York Times, Governor Cuomo is planning to release a congestion pricing plan as a way to provide a dedicated source of funding for the transit system, as well as a way to reduce traffic on some of the country’s busiest streets. Ten years ago, Mayor Bloomberg pushed for a similar plan, charging drivers $8 to enter the most congested parts of Manhattan during peak commuting hours, but the legislation faced resistance and was never brought to a vote.
Find out more

August 14, 2017

Look right into Stuyvesant Square Park through the huge windows at this $895K co-op

Tucked away on Rutherford Place, one of the prettiest streets in the neighborhood, this charming first-floor pre-war apartment sits along the eastern border of Gramercy and Union Square. Built in 1855 as a townhouse, the one-bedroom co-op at 224 East 17th Street has a large master bedroom and a small office space–and direct views of Stuyvesant Square Park.
See more of this pretty Gramercy pad

Distinctive Homes

‘NoiseAware’ sensors alert landlords when tenants are too loud

Photo via NoiseAware

August 11, 2017

‘NoiseAware’ sensors alert landlords when tenants are too loud

As the number of short-term rentals skyrockets across the country so does the chance of noisy tenants, and with that, complaints from neighbors. A new startup has developed a way for property owners to become more courteous neighbors. NoiseAware, founded by two short term rental managers, developed noise-tracking software that distinguishes noise from true nuisance and alerts landlords with a text message when it violates the threshold (h/t Fast Co.Design). Users of the software, what the company calls a "smoke detector for noise," can customize quiet hours, the noise threshold and alert preferences.
Find out more

City Living

August 11, 2017

$1.3M West Side duplex with a greenhouse and a double-decker roof is a gardener’s dream

If you've got a green thumb–or you just like a stroll in the garden--this unusual duplex co-op at 361 West 30th Street in Midtown West is a dream come true. Though it's situated near the northern entrance to the High Line on a lovely tree-lined block, there's enough greenery and outdoor infrastructure just out the door of this convertible-two-bedroom home to keep a park fanatic busy.
Take a walk down the garden path

Distinctive Homes

The Urban Lens: Fantastical photo manipulations reimagine Central Park and its surroundings

Image © Dionisio González

August 11, 2017

The Urban Lens: Fantastical photo manipulations reimagine Central Park and its surroundings

6sqft’s series The Urban Lens invites photographers to share work exploring a theme or a place within New York City. In this installment, Spanish artist Dionisio González presents two series of digital photos showcasing Central Park. Are you a photographer who’d like to see your work featured on The Urban Lens? Get in touch with us at [email protected]. Architect and photographer Dionisio González has made a name for himself with his surrealist photo manipulations, which typically combine existing buildings and urban spaces with digitally drawn structures and landscapes. His latest two series take on Central Park and how the city's giant "void" relates to its surrounding skyscrapers. In his "Thinking Central Park" series, González fills the space with futuristic shelters. Conversely, in the black-and-white series "Dialectical Landscape" he adds empty spaces as aerial extensions of the park for recreation and transportation.
See them all right here

Places

300 dockless bikeshares are coming to NYC Monday

Image via Spin Bikeshare Facebook

August 11, 2017

300 dockless bikeshares are coming to NYC Monday

By Diane Pham

UPDATE 8/13/17: Spin will not debut their bikes in NYC Monday. Gothamist writes that that the company is postponing operations following a cease and desist letter received from the Department of Transportation. Watch out Citi Bike, some new competition is rolling in on Monday. As the Post first reports, San Francisco-based bike-sharing company Spin has plans to drop off 300 bikes across NYC—150 throughout Manhattan and Brooklyn and another 150 in the Rockaways. Unlike Citi Bike, however, these new rides will be equipped with a self-locking mobile app-based technology, giving riders the option to leave their bikes in any location they please. One of the biggest challenges for Citi Bike has been figuring how to rebalance docking stations for users, particularly around rush hour when docks are either completely full or empty.
Find out more here

Transit

New report says more New Yorkers are moving to Los Angeles

Los Angeles via Wikimedia

August 11, 2017

New report says more New Yorkers are moving to Los Angeles

The East Coast versus West Coast rivalry may be slowly fading away. New Yorkers are making the cross-country leap from New York City to Los Angeles at a higher rate, in pursuit of cheaper rents, blossoming creative communities and, of course, all of that sunshine. According to LA Weekly, a new report by LinkedIn shows NYC as the top out-of-state feeder for LA transplants. For every 10,000 Angelenos on LinkedIn, about 7.3 of them just moved there from the Big Apple.
Find out more

August 11, 2017

Bjarke Ingels’ VIA offering 36 middle-income affordable apartments, from $1,448 a month

In October of 2015, 6sqft reported that applications were being accepted for the 142 affordable apartments set aside for low-income tenants at the tantalizing tetrahedron that is starchitect Bjarke Ingels' VIA 57 West, a newly-minted rental residence at 625 West 57th Street. Word comes today that the lottery has opened for the middle-income portion of the building's affordable housing inventory. The half-block-long residential development contains 709 units, of which 20 percent have been deemed affordable. Of the 36 middle-income units available, studios have been priced between $1,448-$1,949; $1,554-$2,091 for one-bedrooms; $2,089-$2,519 for two-bedrooms; and $2,902 for three-bedrooms, each adjusted for income.
complete details here

Camping in Central Park, photo via Downtown Traveler

August 10, 2017

Camp out in Central Park for free next weekend

By Andrew Berman of Village Preservation

Connect with nature under a Manhattan starry night with a camping trip in Central Park next Saturday, August 19th. This usually illegal activity is totally lawful through a free event hosted by the city’s Urban Park Rangers. The family camping program happens every summer at select venues, like Central Park in Manhattan, Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx, Mccarren Park in Brooklyn and Fort Totten Park in Queens.
Find out more

Events & Things To Do

The Village’s Twin Peaks: From a quirky ‘Swiss-chalet’ to a landmarks controversy

102 Bedford Street in 2015 (left) via Wiki Commons, and as of today, via GVSHP

August 10, 2017

The Village’s Twin Peaks: From a quirky ‘Swiss-chalet’ to a landmarks controversy

Few buildings capture the whimsy, flamboyance, and bohemian spirit of early 20th century Greenwich Village as does the building known as "Twin Peaks" at 102 Bedford Street. Described as a "wonderfully ludicrous mock half-timbered fantasy row-house castle" by architecture critic Paul Goldberger, the present incarnation of the building was born in 1925 as a radical remodeling of an 1830 rowhouse into a five-story artists’ studio apartment building. In the mid 20th-century, the building became even more iconic with a cream and brown paint job that mimicked its Alpine cottage inspiration. However, a more recent paint job stripped away this history, resulting in a controversial landmarks battle.
The whole story

There’s a rare Guastavino tiled ceiling hidden inside this $359K UWS studio

Image courtesy of Halstead

August 10, 2017

There’s a rare Guastavino tiled ceiling hidden inside this $359K UWS studio

A block of 78th Street on the Upper West Side, between the Museum of Natural History and Amsterdam Avenue, has more going for it than just colorful brownstones; it also has a colorful architectural secret. The block's display of Moorish brick and stone buildings shares a history with some of the city's notable public spaces. Known as "Guastavino Row," its decorative and altogether charming townhouses were designed by noted 19th-century architect Rafael Guastavino, famed for his beautiful and expertly engineered vaulted, tiled ceilings. Recently, a small but lovely first-floor studio at 120 West 78th street listed for $359,000, and it boasts a beautiful ceiling that, according to the listing, was one of Guastavino's iconic designs.
READ MORE

Image via The Met

August 10, 2017

EVENT: Enjoy live jazz in the stunning medieval gardens of The Met Cloisters

By Diane Pham

If checking out The Cloisters has long been on your to-do list, there's no better time to head north than for the museum's MetFridays. On Friday, August 11th (that's tomorrow!) and Friday, August 25th, The Met will host two hours of live 1930s jazz at sunset in their stunning medieval gardens. Performances will feature trumpeter Alex Nguyen, winner of the International Trumpet Guild Jazz Competition, and his quartet as they perform the same ditties that topped the charts when the museum was first constructed between 1934 and 1939.
more details here

August 10, 2017

From oysters to falafel: The complete history of street vending in NYC

To fully experience New York City, you have to eat. And then eat some more. So inextricably linked with its food, the city’s social and cultural history requires an exploration of its endless cuisines. And while street food is not unique to New York, the city provides some of the most diverse dining options in the world, with over 10,000 people make a living by street vending. But this tradition dates all the way back to the 1600s when European settlers enjoyed eating shellfish on the streets. Food vendors took on a more formal incarnation in the early 1800s on the Lower East Side and have changed with every new immigrant group that's landed here since. From oysters and knishes to hot dogs and Halal, the city's street vendors reflect its constant evolution and also what brings New Yorkers together.
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History

August 10, 2017

Cuomo gives Con Ed one year to repair the subway’s power system

Just in the past month, power problems caused 32,000 subway delays, prompting Governor Cuomo to direct "Con Edison to take significant and immediate actions to improve the subway's power reliability and prevent future service failure," according to a press release. Less than two months after declaring a "state of emergency" for the subway system, Cuomo's given Con Ed and the MTA one year to identify and repair the problems, the most comprehensive power review ever done, leaving them on the hook to inspect 470 manholes, 1,100 boxes, and 221 power substations at street level and 1,100 energy distribution rooms, 300 signal relay rooms, 15,000 track circuits, 11,000 signals, 13,750 insulated joints, 11,000 trip stops, 220 interlockings, and 1,800 switch machines below ground. The cost? It's not yet been officially calculated, but Con Ed chairman John McAvoy says it's likely to be tens of millions of dollars.
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City Council unanimously approves Midtown East rezoning plan

Conceptual image depicting all of the proposed sites of the East Midtown rezoning fully built out, via CityRealty

August 10, 2017

City Council unanimously approves Midtown East rezoning plan

After five years, the City Council approved a rezoning for Manhattan’s Midtown East on Wednesday, by a 42-0 vote. The proposal will rezone roughly 78 blocks, running from East 39th Street to East 57th Street and from Third Avenue to Madison Avenue, clearing the way for 6.5 million square feet of office space in the area. A new updated zoning code is expected to incentivize new, dense development, allowing Midtown to compete with other booming business districts in the borough like Hudson Yards and the Financial District. As the New York Times reported, this change which lets developers build to a higher floor area ratio could result in new supertall towers.
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Policy

August 10, 2017

Refreshingly genuine Williamsburg artists’ loft asks $6,800 a month

We're guessing the words "genuine" and "Williamsburg" are spending less and less time together these days, but if you look diligently, you can find the odd authenticity–a big, pretty space that's actually live/work friendly and isn't a shiny, overpriced condo calling itself a loft. This one-bedroom-plus-office apartment at 119 North 11th Street looks to be just that. Occupying the third floor of a former paint factory taken over by artists over 30 years ago, it's approved for mixed use, allowing live/work opportunities. Seeking a rental tenant for $6,800 per month, the space has many of the comforts of those shiny new buildings–central air, a washer/dryer, a roof deck with great views–without the shiny new.
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Distinctive Homes

Spring + Thompson

83 Thompson Street

Soho

Loft-like residences in Soho designed by Selldorf Architects

2 beds starting at $4,975,000
4 beds starting at $14,850,000

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August 9, 2017

Hamptons shore house combines the intimacy of the woods with the openness of the bay

On a sloped plot of land in North Haven, a small village in the town of Southampton, sits a home covered in cedar, with woods on one side and a river on another. Designed by Leroy Street Studio, the Shore House sits at a spot where the forest opens onto the Peconic River. As Dezeen learned, the home, accessible through a path that winds through the forest, is perfect for big family parties or as a more private retreat. Its water side features large glass panels that open to a covered outdoor courtyard.
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Soho and Tribeca’s windowed sidewalks provided light to basement factory workers before electricity

Vault lights in Soho, via WooJin Chung for 6sqft

August 9, 2017

Soho and Tribeca’s windowed sidewalks provided light to basement factory workers before electricity

By Rebecca Paul

In many parts of Soho and Tribeca, the sidewalks are made from small circular glass bulbs instead of solid concrete. Known as "hollow sidewalks" or "vault lights," the unique street coverings are remnants from the neighborhood's industrial past when they provided light to the basement factories below before electricity was introduced. These skylight-like sidewalks first came about in the 1840s when these neighborhoods were transitioning from residential to commercial and when their signature cast iron buildings first started to rise.
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History

August 9, 2017

A top-floor Madison Avenue studio a block from the park for $460K? Yes, it’s true.

This pre-war studio might not be huge (in fact it's only 550 square feet), but it has plenty of charm and even more location going for it. Tucked into the top floor of an elevator building at 1361 Madison Avenue, the diminutive co-op is asking $460,000 and not a penny more. Central Park is a block away, and the Upper East Side location is in the heart of the neighborhood.
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Distinctive Homes

Image via CityRealty

August 9, 2017

NYC jobs that offer free housing – here’s where to find them

By Cait Etherington

You’ve landed a great job in New York City—then the reality of the city’s housing market starts to sink in. It’s a situation that thousands of new city residents face every year. New York City’s cost of living, which continues to outpace most other cities across North America, can make a move to the city seem difficult and even impossible. In fact, even highly compensated professionals often balk at the idea of relocating due to the fact that it typically means radically adjusting one’s established standard of living. After all, most adults assume it is normal to have more than one closet and expect their kitchen to be large enough to accommodate more than one person at a time. This is why at least some local employers throw in the most coveted perk of all—free or at least steeply discounted housing.
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New renderings of East Harlem’s Sendero Verde, the country’s will-be largest passive house project

Renderings via Handel Architects

August 9, 2017

New renderings of East Harlem’s Sendero Verde, the country’s will-be largest passive house project