6sqft | NYC local news, events, and apartments

After an announcement yesterday morning that Michael R. Bloomberg made a $75 million gift towards Hudson Yards' arts center The Shed--bringing the total raised towards the $500 million capital campaign to $421 million--the "new center for artistic innovation" held a tour to mark the completion of steel construction. The eight-story structure, designed by Diller Scofidio & Renfro in partnership with the Rockwell Group, is a "fixed" base building made up of two gallery levels, a versatile theater, rehearsal space, creative studios for artists, and a sky-lit event space. But what makes the project truly unique is its telescoping outer shell that deploys over the building's courtyard, doubling its footprint and creating a myriad of options for flexible, multi-disciplinary work. Ahead, 6sqft shares an up-close view of this amazing structure.
See all the views and get more info

Trump SoHo sees sharp drop in event bookings, increase in layoffs

Photo of Trump SoHo via Trump Hotels

May 25, 2017

Trump SoHo sees sharp drop in event bookings, increase in layoffs

Trump SoHo, a $450 million, 46-story hotel condominium at 246 Spring Street, has suffered from a sharp decline in corporate event bookings and an increase in staff layoffs. Documents reviewed by WYNC show the once $700-per-night hotel now offers rooms for under $400 a night, less than most of the city’s five- and even four-star rated accommodations. Plus, managers plan on laying off 12 room attendants out of the hotel’s 80 total housekeeping staff and removing turn-down service. While last year the hotel booked 29 large corporate events between January and mid-May, this year just 11 events were booked, with fewer well-known names.
Find out more

Events & Things To Do

May 25, 2017

Here’s your chance to vacation inside a geodesic dome in the woods for just $46/night

Airbnb offers no shortage of unique vacation rentals, but this geodesic dome is really something. The 165-square-foot hut is located on a farm in the woods outside Bethlehem, Connecticut, there's no power, heat or air conditioning, and the kitchen and bathroom are located about 100 feet away inside the property's main house—imagine it as a form of camping. While you may be "roughing it" during your stay, you'll also be surrounded by forest in a mesmerizing dome built of pine sourced right from the property. As the owners put it, it's a "very peaceful space where you can get in touch with nature and yourself." The vacation rental is asking $46 a night.
Take a peek inside the dome

Getting Away

May 25, 2017

Art Nerd New York’s top event picks for the week – 5/25-5/31

By Lori Zimmer

Art Nerd founder Lori Zimmer shares her top art, design and architecture event picks for 6sqft readers! Take advantage of this long weekend to get outside and enjoy the city. Sign up for a free walking tour of Central Park or Bryant Park, or head to Washington Square Park for the 82nd year of the Outdoor Art Exhibit. If adventure is your thing, ferry over to Governors Island for their new zip line adventure, or take the boat to Ellis Island for Untapped Cities’ insiders' tour. Check out a sculpture by the Strokes’ Fabrizio Moretti at the beautiful Elizabeth Street Garden, or role play with Ryohei Kawanishi at the Museum of Arts and Design. Finally, treat yourself to a free concert by the New York Philharmonic, inside the history St. John the Divine Cathedral on Memorial Day.
Details on these events and more this way

May 25, 2017

Robert Moses’ former Yorkville home lists for $2M

"Master builder" Robert Moses–he of the 13 expressways that crisscross New York City–spent the 1970s living with his wife, Mary Grady Moses, in a three-bedroom co-op at 1 Gracie Terrace in Yorkville on Manhattan's Upper East Side (h/t NYPost). We can see how the home's sweeping river views would inspire the subject of Robert Caro’s Pulitzer Prize-winning book, “The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York,” when pondering the conflicting issues of a complicated and changing city. The apartment is now for sale asking $1.95 million.
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May 25, 2017

Despite revised capital plan, MTA does not increase spending for subway improvements

While just a few days ago Governor Cuomo announced his “aggressive” action plan to combat the chronic problems of the city’s subway service, the MTA’s new version of its capital plan released Wednesday shows barely any increase in spending for system improvements. As the New York Times reported, the agency increased its current five-year capital plan from $29.5 billion to $32.5 billion, adding $1.6 billion in debt. However, instead of allocating funds for subway service improvements, spending instead will go towards projects seen as priorities for Cuomo, like electronic tolling at bridges and the next phase of the Second Avenue Subway.
Find out more

May 25, 2017

Beautifully preserved 1827 West Village Federal row house asks $13.9M

One of a pair of Federal-style row houses on the longest unbroken stretch of Federal/Greek Revival homes in New York City, 39 Charlton Street was built in 1827 to exacting standards by a builder-carpenter at a time when the area, now a tony enclave where the West Village meets Soho, was known as Richmond Hill. This 25-foot-wide home has been called one of the city's finest examples of Greek Revival/Federal houses. The house and its neighbor are regarded by the Landmarks Preservation Commission as “the two best (and best preserved) examples...whose exquisitely detailed entrances with original doors and leaded glass sidelights convey many of the style’s most distinctive qualities.” Both the interior and exterior of this unique home, now on the market for $13.85 million, have retained an extraordinary level of original detail.
Tour this historic home

Distinctive Homes

For $5.5M, this Flatiron condo with four-bedroom potential is a prize for loft-lovers

An art historian's Village loft with pieces by Ai Weiwei and more asks $4.2M

For $1.5M, get (way) off the grid in Gilded Age style on your own private island in Alexandria Bay

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

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

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

This $25M Greenwich Village townhouse has been an artist's refuge for well over a century

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

From rental income to solar panels, this $3.5M Bed-Stuy brownstone checks all the boxes

For $32.5K/month, rent a five-story designer townhouse in Gramercy

VIEW ALL

May 24, 2017

‘Sounds of New York’ uses city noise to improve your focus

As a tribute to New York City, Breather, a company with rentable workplaces worldwide, developed a website that lets you listen to the sounds of different city neighborhoods and iconic Big Apple locations. Called Sounds of New York, ambient noises play in the background to help workers concentrate on their daily tasks. Enhance your productivity by listening to the atmospheric sounds of the Strand bookstore, McSorley’s Ale House, Zabar's, the Comedy Cellar, the Oculus, or Harlem’s Apollo Theater all from the comfort of your office.
Find out more

May 24, 2017

Stay in an Adirondack tree house retreat this summer

If you're looking for a unique summer retreat not far from NYC, here's your answer. This cozy treehouse is nestled in the foothills of the Adirondack Mountains, nine miles from the upstate town of Saratoga Springs. In this quiet, remote locale, a winding staircase takes you from a patio up the tree and into a wood cabin. It's outfitted with everything you'd need, including a bathroom, lofted bed, and built-in storage. And right outside the sleeping quarters is a covered porch perfect for reading or writing. For such a quiet, private retreat, it'll cost $179 a night.
See inside the tree house

Getting Away

May 24, 2017

First look at CetraRuddy’s proposed hotel-apartment tower for Hudson Yards

Back in September, the developer Joseph Chetrit filed plans to build a 48-floor mixed-use tower with 421 hotel rooms and 135 residential units in the Hudson Yards neighborhood. Now, the wait is over as renderings of Chetrit Group’s proposed tower at 541-545 West 37th Street have officially been revealed. As CityRealty learned, CetraRuddy Architecture is designing the high-tech skyscraper, which is expected to rise 622 feet and overlook the future Hudson Boulevard Park. The building will span 621,000 square feet and include exhibition, retail, hotel and residential spaces.
More details and renderings

The Shed via Wikipedia

May 24, 2017

Michael Bloomberg gives $75 million to Hudson Yards arts center The Shed

Michael R. Bloomberg has added a $75 million contribution to what the New York Times calls "New York's first new cultural institution in recent memory," the arts center known as The Shed, part of the new Hudson Yards development on Manhattan's far west side. The former mayor's gift brings the total raised for the project to $421 million of its $500 million capital campaign. The new arts center has gotten much of its funding from a small group of billionaires that includes Related Companies' Stephen M. Ross and media mogul Barry Diller. Set for completion in 2019, the eight-level structure, designed by Diller Scofidio & Renfro in partnership with the Rockwell Group, will host performances, concerts, visual art, music and other events.
A 'tool kit for artists'

Image via Alan Bloom/Flickr

May 24, 2017

Governor Cuomo and the MTA announce a competition to fix the NYC subway system

Image via Alan Bloom/Flickr Seeking innovative solutions to fix the mess that is the New York City transit system, Governor Cuomo on Tuesday launched a competition called the “MTA Genius Transit Challenge.” Just one of the governor’s recently proposed ideas to fix the subway, the international competition challenges participants to develop ideas for better signaling, new car designs, and WiFi throughout the system, including in tunnels. The winner of each category will receive $1 million and a possible contract deal with the state. In addition to the challenge, Cuomo announced he has created a Penn Station Task Force to devise alternative transportation solutions during Amtrak’s track work at the station this summer.
Find out more

May 24, 2017

Greet the sun from your solarium or tech-friendly garden in this $1.7M East Village duplex

This unusual East Village one-bedroom duplex condo in the Village Mews at 407 East 12th Street checks all the boxes without shouting–that is, it lets a rare and fabulous garden paradise do the talking, which in this case means asking for $1.695 million. The 750-square-foot home was recently renovated from tip to toe, and the design is tasteful without being generically "luxe." And while this not-huge condo wouldn't work for a growing family or a communal crew, it looks heavenly for anyone seeking, an "oasis away from city living" while situated on a lovely street in the heart of what could be called an oasis of city living, with its 24-hour energy and unending list of destinations of every kind.
Here comes the sun

Distinctive Homes

3 chances to live in prime East Williamsburg, from $958/month

Renderings via RJ Capital Holdings

May 24, 2017

3 chances to live in prime East Williamsburg, from $958/month

Three units in East Williamsburg reserved for those earning 60 percent of the area median income have come online through the city's affordable housing lottery. Two $958/month studios and one $1,096/month one-bedroom are available at 387 Manhattan Avenue, a new six-story mixed-use development half a block east of the BQE, three blocks from McCarren Park, and right near all the local hot spots like the Llama Inn, Museum of Food and Drink, Pete's Candy Store, and Union Pool.
Find out if you qualify

Affordable Housing

May 23, 2017

For $1.25M, this Downtown Brooklyn loft may need some layout changes

With two exposures, 11-foot ceilings and walls of windows, this 1,100-square-foot two-bedroom loft condo in the Toy Factory Lofts at 176 Johnson Street has its heart in the right place–even if its bathroom isn't. The historic 1926 building–once the home of Tudor Metal Products and birthplace of many mid-20th-century toys–lends itself to authentic loft living in ever-changing Downtown Brooklyn. A modern renovation makes loft living easy–with a possible exception or two–and the $1.25 million ask comes with low carrying costs.
About that bathroom

Distinctive Homes

May 23, 2017

REVEALED: Early studies of David Adjaye’s Wall Street Tower, his first skyscraper in NYC

Three years after completing his first New York City building, an affordable housing complex in Harlem called the Sugar Hill Development, starchitect David Adjaye is back. This time, he'll be working with David Lichtenstein's Lightstone Group to design a 61-story, 750-foot-tall condominium in the Financial District at 130 William Street known as the Wall Street Tower. Early conceptual studies uncovered by CityRealty show a gold-trimmed prism set against rigid rows of arched windows, as well as a glimpse at what the 244 apartments and amenity spaces will look like.
See the impressive renderings

The ‘map distance’ vs. the ‘geographic distance’ of the NYC subway

By Diane Pham

The NYC subway map tidily lays out over 665 miles of track and 472 stations into a simple, easy-to-read design. While the map gives the impression that our fair city's transit system is orderly and evenly spaced, as any true straphanger will tell you, that's not the reality. Indeed, those colorful lines and nodes have been placed for maximum legibility, simply showing geographical approximations that often don't even kind of match up with real life (as this man will tell you). Now, one redditor brings us an entrancing new animation that removes the MTA's distortion, giving us a look at the real distance that exists between stations and lines.
mor here

Transit

Midtown’s tiny Greenacre Park fights for light among sky-high skyscrapers

Terry Tynes via flickr (CC)

May 23, 2017

Midtown’s tiny Greenacre Park fights for light among sky-high skyscrapers

As a small oasis in the center of Manhattan, Greenacre Park is home to honey locust trees, azaleas, pansies and a 25-foot-high waterfall, all taking up just 6,360 square feet of space. However, the city’s plan to rezone Midtown East to allow for more commercial buildings worries some advocates who say it may deplete Greenacre Park from any sunlight, as the Times reported. But the Municipal Art Society, New Yorkers for Parks, Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer and Councilmember Daniel Garodnick, are backing a campaign called "Fight For Light" to protect the park's right to sunlight.
Get the full scoop

Policy

May 23, 2017

12 places for gardening, plant, and flowers classes in NYC

With spring in NYC ushering in blooming trees, flowering plants, and blossoming gardens, many New Yorkers wish they had better access to these natural beauties. But even if you're not fortunate enough to have a backyard, garden, or terrace (or fire escape for that matter), there are loads of ways to get your green thumb on in the city. From flower arranging in a cute Williamsburg shop to landscape design at the New York Botanical Garden to a houseplant 101 class in Chelsea, 6sqft has rounded up a dozen of the best places for gardening, plant, and flower classes in the city.
Parouse the full list

May 23, 2017

VIDEO: West 8’s proposal for NYC’s largest private garden at One Manhattan Square

Adding to its unique character, Extell's One Manhattan Square will soon be home to NYC's largest outdoor private garden, detailed in a new video released today by the developer. The proposal, designed by urban planning and landscape architecture firm West 8, includes more than an acre of garden space for residents to both work and socialize, boasting indoor and outdoor grilling spaces, ping-pong tables, a putting green, children's playground, adult tree house, tea pavilion, and an observatory made for stargazing.
Watch the video here

Pier 55 project files appeal to stop work order; Durst says he backed opposition

Photo via Pier 55 Inc.

May 23, 2017

Pier 55 project files appeal to stop work order; Durst says he backed opposition

6sqft reported in March on the latest developments in the on-again-off-again status of the $200 million Barry Diller-funded offshore park/performing arts center proposed for Pier 55 on the Hudson River; though construction began last November, opponents of the project, led by the City Club of New York, gained a victory in the form of a ruling by Judge Lorna G. Schofield that agreed with group’s claim that the Army Corps of Engineers had not conducted a sufficient environmental review on how the 2.4-acre park would affect fish and wildlife. The judge ordered that work stop at the site and called for a review of alternatives for building along Hudson River Park, a maritime sanctuary. Now, the New York Times reports that the Corps of Engineers, with the project's sponsor, the Hudson River Park Trust, has filed an appeal of the decision.
And what about that Diller-Durst feud

May 23, 2017

Second Avenue Subway ridership continues to grow; MTA to add more trains

Just a month after opening on the first of the year, the Second Avenue Subway had eased congestion on the Lexington line by 11 percent. Now, nearly five months in, that figure has more than doubled, with ridership on the 4/5/6 decreased by 26 percent and a whopping 40 percent during peak morning hours. Moreover, Second Avenue's average weekday ridership is up from 140,000 to 176,000 passengers, an increase which has prompted the MTA to add two additional train trips during rush hour come this November.
Find out more

Transit

May 23, 2017

$2.3M Williamsburg triplex is clad in cedar from NYC’s iconic water towers

This expansive Williamsburg triplex was once a part of the flagship retail space for a children's clothing manufacturer--when the cast iron building was constructed in the 1880s, the first floor held retail while the sewing machines, shears and bosses occupied the upper floors. Now the building, located at 138 Broadway, is known as the Smith Gray condominium, and this apartment is asking $2.3 million. Over 2,300 square feet, you'll spot tin ceilings, Corinthian columns and exposed structural brick. While those are pretty typical loft details, this apartment boasts one of the more unique lofts in Brooklyn. It's clad with reclaimed cedar from New York's iconic wooden water towers, which results in a cozy loft enclosure that can be opened via specially-designed casement windows.
See more of the apartment

Distinctive Homes

May 22, 2017

Robert Downey Jr. snags a historic windmill cottage in East Hampton

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

Sources tell Behind the Hedges that "Iron Man" actor Robert Downey Jr. bought the historic Edward DeRose Windmill Cottage on East Hampton. Built circa 1885 to resemble a local windmill (it was never functional), the home sits on four acres and boasts a seven-bedroom main house, two-bedroom guesthouse, three-car garage with a potting shed, 50-foot pool, tennis court, and gorgeous landscaped gardens. It's been on and off the market since 2014 when it listed for $13.5 million. The following year, the price dropped to $11.5 million, but property records show a sale last summer for $10.5 million disguised under an LLC.
Take a look around

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

Images (L to R): Journal Squared, 507 West Chelsea, 525 West 52nd Street and Yorkshire Towers

May 22, 2017

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

By Ondel Hylton

Two-Tower Hell’s Kitchen Rental Debuts with Impressive Leasing Special [link] More Than Views – A Closer Look at Jersey City’s 53-Story Rental, Journal Squared [link] No-Fee Apartments with 2 Months Free at 507 West Chelsea, Luxe Living on the High Line [link] New Harlem Rentals Debut on 125th Street; Apartments from $1,994/Month [link] $1,000 Deposits […]

Real Estate Trends

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Lottery opens for 14 affordable units at new Bronx supportive housing development

View of the development’s block via Google Street View

May 22, 2017

Lottery opens for 14 affordable units at new Bronx supportive housing development

Praxis Housing Initiatives "is NYC’s largest provider of transitional housing to homeless people with HIV/AIDS and is one of city’s lowest cost/highest service housing providers." As part of its 2012 strategic plan, the organization began a permanent supportive housing program, and in just two years time they opened their first development in the Bronx. In 2015, they closed on the second at 2264 Loring Place North in Kings Bridge Heights and built an eight-story, 66-unit building. Of these apartments, 14 are reserved for community-based affordable housing for those earning 60 percent of the area median income. They include $931/month one-bedrooms and $1,123/month two-bedrooms and have just come online through the city's affordable housing lottery.
All the logistics ahead

Affordable Housing

52 wave sculptures designed by celebrities like Slash and Cara Delevigne hit NYC

Jason deCaires Taylor’s “Silent Evolution” wave via Roosevelt Island Operating Corporation

May 22, 2017

52 wave sculptures designed by celebrities like Slash and Cara Delevigne hit NYC

Ocean conservation nonprofit Project 0 has partnered with luxury skin care brand La Mer, to bring 52 wave-shaped sculptures designed by artists and entertainers like Keith Richards, Slash, Sienna Miller, Rita Ora, Cara Delevigne to NYC. Between May 20 and June 21, the La Mer Wave Walk will feature public art pieces throughout the five boroughs to raise awareness about ocean conservancy, as DNA Info learned. The installations will be up for auction on June 21, with all proceeds going to the charity La Mer Blue Heart Oceans Fund for Project 0.
Find out more

May 22, 2017

Three tiny beach cabins are up for rent on NY Harbor this summer

If smelly subway platforms and sweaty tourist hordes start to loom large this summer, there might be cabin for two on the shores of New York Harbor with your name on it. Gateway National Recreation Area–which includes Fort Tilden, Jacob Riis Park, Floyd Bennett Field, Great Kills Park, Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge, and Canarsie Pier–and Getaway, a company that provides pop-up camping houses, are placing three tiny cabins along NYC's harbor shore to provide a place to spend a quiet summer night in a national park, reports Gothamist.
Check it out

Getting Away

May 22, 2017

From shipping hub to waterfront wonder, the history of Brooklyn Bridge Park with Joanne Witty

134 years ago, the opening of the Brooklyn Bridge transformed the Brooklyn waterfront, not to mention the entire borough, by providing direct access into Kings County from Lower Manhattan. The opening only boosted Brooklyn's burgeoning waterfront, which became a bustling shipping hub for the New York Dock Company by the early 1900s. Business boomed for several decades until changes in the industry pushed the shipping industry from Brooklyn to New Jersey. And after the late 1950s, when many of the warehouses were demolished to make way for construction of the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway, the waterfront fell into severe decline. New Yorkers today are living through a new kind of Brooklyn waterfront boom, heralded by the Brooklyn Bridge Park. Ideas to transform the abandoned, run-down waterfront into a park seemed like a pipe dream when the idea was floated in the 1980s, but years of dedication by the local community and politicians turned the vision into reality. Today, the park is considered one of the best in the city.
continue reading here

City Living

Senators request interior landmark status for two NYPL reading rooms

Rose Main Reading room via NYPL

May 22, 2017

Senators request interior landmark status for two NYPL reading rooms

State Senators Brad Hoylman and Liz Krueger have asked the Landmarks Preservation Commission to designate the Rose Main Reading Room at the New York Public Library's main branch and the Bill Blass Public Catalog Room at the 42nd Street and Fifth Avenue branch as interior landmarks, according to DNAInfo. The library's main branch, the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building, was given landmark designation in 1967 and Astor Hall and the grand staircases within the building were designated as interior landmarks in 1974. Interior landmark designation would give the two reading rooms–favorites of literary greats including Norman Mailer, E.L. Doctorow and Elizabeth Bishop–the same protection moving forward.
Find out more

May 22, 2017

Governor Cuomo asks Trump for emergency assistance during Penn Station repairs

As his administration finalizes its budget plan, Governor Cuomo wrote a letter Sunday to President Trump asking for emergency federal funds to lessen what he called Penn Station’s “summer of agony,” reports the Daily News. With six weeks of infrastructure repairs coming to the transit hub this July and August, the governor said the station’s daily flow of 600,000 passengers will face a 20 percent reduction in service during peak hours while Amtrak shuts down some of its tracks, which will then have a ripple effect on the subway system and regional transit.
More details ahead

May 22, 2017

Late billionaire’s ex lists spectacular Stanhope penthouse with five terrace gardens for $65M

The 7,067 square-foot penthouse at 995 Fifth Avenue owned by Claude Wasserstein, ex wife of the late Bruce Wasserstein, former chair of investment firm Lazard, was just listed for the first time since a brief stint on the market in 2010. Wasserstein, who died in 2009, was the brother of the late playwright Wendy Wasserstein. The 11-room, five-bedroom duplex atop the Rosario Candela-designed former Stanhope hotel was purchased by Ms. Wasserstein for $34.8 million in 2008, The Real Deal reports. In addition to five garden-like wraparound terraces crafted by landscape designer Madison Cox, "epic NYC views" and 72 linear feet of Central Park frontage, the full-service building offers top-drawer amenities like a gym and a spa. But does all of that add up to $65 million–$9,285 per square foot?
Get lost in the terraces and gardens overlooking Central Park

Distinctive Homes

May 21, 2017

Architect Steven Harris designed a modern retreat for himself on 50 acres upstate

Steven Harris Architects designed this modern upstate retreat for Steven Harris himself and his partner Lucien Rees Roberts, a British interior designer, who together own the 50-acre private estate. The land, known as Kinderhook Retreat, is located atop a hill between the Catskills and the Berkshires. Not to overwhelm the pastoral landscape design, the minimalist buildings were outfitted with a modernist white-shingled design. The design has evolved since the construction of the first building, in 1992, and even includes a croquet stadium and two-acre man-made lake.
Take the tour

Architecture And Design

May 20, 2017

$625K Prospect Heights apartment with its own roof access is lovely as can be

This charming pad comes from the top floor of 786 Washington Avenue, a 16-unit prewar co-op in Prospect Heights. Interior details include 11-foot ceilings, exposed brick, and hardwood flooring throughout. But the real perk is exclusive rights to the portion of the roof directly above the apartment, which is currently outfitted with a deck and custom bench seating. This appealing combo of indoor and outdoor space, plus the nice Brooklyn location, is on the market for $625,000.
This way for a tour

Distinctive Homes

May 19, 2017

‘Vending machine’ skyscraper 3D-prints pod apartments to address housing shortages

The growing need to build affordable housing in big, dense cities while keeping expenses to a minimum led to Malaysian designer Haseef Rafiei’s idea for a futuristic “skyscraper” housing pod vending machine. A Dezeen video shows how the designer–he won an honorable mention in this year’s eVolo Skyscraper Competition–inspired by the fascination with vending machines and robotics in Japan, sketched up the skyscraper idea for offering prospective homeowners a way to customize–and then create–a modular home. The home would then be slotted into place within a high-rise framework. According to the designer, the Pod Vending Machine is based on a "3D-printed building that grows in parallel with the city’s housing demand."
Check out this 'affordable mass produced home dispenser'

Renderings revealed for controversial mixed-income tower on top of UES playground

Rendering via NYCHA

May 19, 2017

Renderings revealed for controversial mixed-income tower on top of UES playground

After over a year-long debate, the city has finally unveiled renderings of a mixed-income tower set to rise on an existing playground at the Holmes Towers public housing complex in Yorkville. The New York City Housing Authority’s plan, which falls under the city’s NextGen program, will construct a 47-story building among the complex on East 93rd Street, as well as a new 18,000-square-foot recreation and community center run by Asphalt Green (h/t DNA Info). The new building will feature 300 total units, with half of them at market-rate prices and half of them affordable. However, an alleged plan to separate the floors by income level, as well as the fact that high-end housing is coming to a low-income site where the community wasn't consulted, has sparked a good deal of controversy.
Get the whole story

May 19, 2017

The Urban Lens: A tourist’s take on NYC in 1979

6sqft’s ongoing series The Urban Lens invites photographers to share work exploring a theme or a place within New York City. In this installment, we share a set of vintage photos documenting NYC in 1979. Are you a photographer who’d like to see your work featured on The Urban Lens? Get in touch with us at [email protected]. In the spring of 1979, a 20-something Australian tourist came to NYC and was immediately struck by its fast pace and no-nonsense attitude ("there seemed to be an unwritten rule not to make eye contact or speak to strangers," he told Gothamist), as well as how much in disrepair parts of the city were, especially Harlem. He documented his experience through a series of color slides, which were recently rediscovered and present a unique view of how exciting, frightening, and mysterious New York was to an outsider at this time.
See all the historic photos

May 19, 2017

$1.6M limestone rowhouse in Bay Ridge is filled with original details

We may not think first of Bay Ridge when we think of barrel-fronted attached limestone row houses lining sun-dappled city blocks. But they do exist, and this one at 456 74th Street asking $1.575 million is a fine example. This turn-of-the-century townhouse is filled with meticulously restored original details like 10-foot ceilings, oak parquet floors with detailed inlaid borders, pocket doors and fluted oak columns while offering a modern kitchen and bath, basement family room and plenty of play space indoors and out.
Tour this Bay Ridge limestone

Distinctive Homes

White Castle-replacing Williamsburg rental launches lotto, affordable units from $867/month

371 Humboldt Street via A&D Engineering

May 19, 2017

White Castle-replacing Williamsburg rental launches lotto, affordable units from $867/month

Back in late 2014, East Williamsburg's much-loved White Castle outpost shuttered suddenly after the site sold the year before to an investment group for $6.72 million. Burgeoning Brooklyn developer Adam America then stepped in to create, in his own words, "the next hottest development in the area" thanks to its location "just minutes away from an endless amount of cool hangouts." Architects Issac & Stern designed his vision as a six-story brick and metal rental that makes a nod to the area's industrial past. Now that the building at 781 Metropolitan Avenue is nearing completion, twenty percent of its 58 units have come online through the city's affordable housing lottery. These 16 units are reserved for those earning 60 percent of the area median income and range from $867/month studios to $1,123/month two-bedrooms.
Find out if you qualify

Affordable Housing

Lower East Side’s Landmark Sunshine Cinema will close next year

Photo via East End Capital

May 19, 2017

Lower East Side’s Landmark Sunshine Cinema will close next year

The Lower East Side will be losing a neighborhood fixture next year. Landmark’s Sunshine Cinema at 139-143 East Houston Street will be closing its doors when its lease expires in January 2018, to make way for a new mixed-use development with retail and office space. As the Post reports, the theater, which was built in 1889 and first opened in 1909 as the Houston Hippodrome, was sold for $31.5 million to developers East End Capital and K Property Group.
Find out more

New Developments

May 19, 2017

$3M Boerum Hill townhouse is ready for summer with a deck, backyard, and roof deck

With the weather heating up and summer around the corner, it's time to start drooling over private outdoor spaces up for sale. A deck, backyard and roof deck designed by a landscape architect adorn this Boerum Hill townhouse at 459 Pacific Street, now on the market for $2.996 million. The 19th-century townhouse was gut renovated into a modern owner's triplex, with a separate one-bedroom apartment with its own entrance under the stoop. An open floorplan, built-in shelving, and fancy appliances complete the interior.
Check it all out

Distinctive Homes

May 18, 2017

Costly and inefficient construction is causing NYC’s subway system to lag (STUDY)

As the nation’s largest transit system, the New York City subway helps connect millions of people to its five far-reaching boroughs each day. While it has helped shaped the city’s indisputable wealth, density and culture, the cost of subway construction remains incredibly expensive, with the time of projects taking much longer than they should. According to a study, "Building Big for Less," by the Regional Plan Association Lab (RPA), with the exception of a few minor projects, New York’s subway system peak performance was in 1937. Since the 1930s, there has been little increase in system capacity and today there are fewer miles of track and commuter rail than in 1937. RPA’s study focused on NYC and other world capitals in order to compare transit data on a large scale.
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Transit

May 18, 2017

Mets pitcher Noah Syndergaard renting at Midtown’s swanky MiMA tower

The Mets’ powerhouse pitcher Noah Syndergaard is renting a posh two-bedroom apartment at Manhattan View at MiMA while recovering from a partially torn lat muscle, according to the Post. The star player, admirably known as “Thor” because of his long locks, lives with his girlfriend Alexandra Cooper and fellow Mets pitcher Robert Gsellman in the rental at 460 West 42nd Street, which was designed by Arquitectonica and boasts views of the Hudson River, George Washington Bridge, Columbus Circle and Central Park. Though there aren't details on his specific unit, two-bedroom rentals start at around $6,000 a month.
See inside the units at MiMA

Celebrities

520 Fifth Avenue

Midtown West

Live at the center of NYC

1 beds starting at $2,445,000
2 beds starting at $3,435,000
3 beds starting at $6,775,000

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May 18, 2017

Art Nerd New York’s top event picks for the week – 5/18-5/24

By Lori Zimmer

Art Nerd founder Lori Zimmer shares her top art, design and architecture event picks for 6sqft readers! There’s nothing better than walking around the city when the weather is great, and this week’s round up will get you outdoors and enjoying the sun. Open studios abound on Saturday and Sunday, offering art lovers a chance to peek into the private studios of artists across the boroughs. The city's sacred sites—churches, synagogues and temples—are also swinging their doors open, inviting the public to bask in the beauty of their stained glass collections.
Details on these events and more this way

Events & Things To Do

May 18, 2017

Glamorous Yorkville penthouse once home to Irving Berlin lists for $7.9M

Growing up at the turn of the century on the Lower East Side, which was then home to the Yiddish Rialto (the largest Yiddish theater in the world at the time), is how legendary Hollywood songwriter Irving Berlin was first exposed to music and theater. But later in life, he moved his family uptown, first to Sutton Place and then to 130 East End Avenue, an Emory Roth-designed co-op in Yorkville right across from Carl Schurz Park. He lived in the penthouse duplex, which biographer Laurence Bergreen described as "a formal, stately dwelling with impressive views of the East River," from 1931 to 1944. Now, the still-stately and "One of a Kind" home has just hit the market for $7.9 million.
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Citi Bike looks at major five-borough expansion

Image by Nick Harris flickr CC

May 18, 2017

Citi Bike looks at major five-borough expansion

Image by Nick Harris flickr CC 6sqft recently reported that so many people are hopping on Citi Bikes that even bus ridership has been affected. But there are parts of New York City–Staten Island and the Bronx for example–don't have that option because the familiar blue bikes haven't made it into their neighborhoods–yet. Citi Bike parent company, Motivate, has approached City Hall with a plan that would add 6,000 bikes to the system–4,000 of them in areas that currently have no docks–without spending tax revenue, the New York Daily News reports.
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Transit

Grand Central Terminal Lobby via Wikipedia

May 18, 2017

Amtrak may relocate to Grand Central as Penn Station undergoes repairs

With major infrastructure repairs taking place at Penn Station this summer, state officials have suggested rerouting some Amtrak trains to Grand Central Terminal to ease train congestion. While no plans have been finalized, and it’s still unclear how long the switch would take to begin, crews are already training for the new path down Park Avenue into Grand Central, as Politico NY reports. Swapping stations, however, could cause temporary problems at the 42nd Street transit hub, which currently serves 750,000 passengers per day on four commuter lines via Metro-North.
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May 18, 2017

Alec Baldwin sells Eldorado apartment for $1.25M