6sqft | NYC local news, events, and apartments

Hasidic Jews took to Coney Island beach and amusement park for part of the Passover holiday, which extends from April 10 to 18. The warm weather brought out many families with schools being closed and adults taking off from work for the religious observance. Coney Island has two amusement parks—Luna Park and Deno’s Wonder Wheel […]

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April 14, 2017

731-foot Long Island City skyscraper may briefly be Queens’ tallest building

With another skyscraper proposal approved, Long Island City moves one step closer to looking like a Manhattan copycat. The latest sky-high tower to get its site cleared and zoning approved sits in Court Square at 43-30 24th Street. As covered by CityRealty, the permits show this building, developed by commercial real estate firm Stawski Partners, will hold 921 condos and rise 731 feet, almost 75 feet higher than the borough’s current tallest building at One Court Square. And if it finishes before the Court Square City View Tower next door, set to rise 66 stories and become Queen's tallest, it will briefly hold that title.
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April 14, 2017

Robert A.M. Stern’s 520 Park Avenue, Upper East Side’s tallest building, hits pinnacle height

520 Park Avenue, well on its way to being the tallest skyscraper on the Upper East Side, is putting its final crowning members in place, CityRealty reports. The developer of the 54-story tower just off Park Avenue at East 60th Street is the multi-generational Zeckendorf real estate dynasty who brought us 50 U.N. Plaza, 15 Central Park West and the neighborhood-transforming Worldwide Plaza and Union Square's Zeckendorf Towers.
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April 14, 2017

Apply for 16 affordable units in the Tremont section of the Bronx, from $716/ month

As of today, qualifying New Yorkers can apply for 16 newly renovated, affordable apartments in the Tremont section of the Bronx. The units at 565 East 178th Street and 2089-91 Arthur Avenue--which are right near Tremont Park and just a short walk to the Bronx Park and Zoo--are available to those earning 50 to 60 percent of the area median income, ranging from $716/month studios to $1,292/month three-bedrooms.
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Affordable Housing

April 14, 2017

The Urban Lens: Zooming in on New York’s captivating corner architecture

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, Sam Golanski highlights New York's unique narrow and corner buildings. Are you a photographer who’d like to see your work featured on The Urban Lens? Get in touch with us at [email protected]. 6sqft recently featured Sam Golanki's photography series "Park Avenue Doormen," where he gave the men who safeguard the Upper East Side's ritzy buildings a chance to step out from behind the velvet ropes and in front of the camera. He's now taken a similar approach--albeit this time with buildings, not people--in his collection "Narrow and Corner Buildings." Choosing to forego iconic structures like the Flatiron Building, Sam instead focuses on small structures off the beaten path that may otherwise be overlooked. "I realized the corner is the center of each block, a place for small businesses, barbershops, and coffee shops," he said, explaining that he didn't pre-plan the series, but rather was drawn to these unique structures while strolling the city.
Get a look at all the photos

Places

April 14, 2017

$625K boho duplex is a cave-like East Village hideaway

The listing for this quirky little bohemian bolthole at 121 East 10th Street, near the iconic St. Marks Church in-the-Bowery, uses words like "special," "handpicked" and "salvaged," and there's a reason beyond salesmanship. Looking at this enchanted mini-loft does, in fact, make us feel "transported to another time and place." Another time, at least: The place is the old East Village of legend. Who knows, this could even be the apartment that invented exposed brick.
Have a look around this creative little pad

Why is New York City called the Big Apple?

Photo via Public Domain Pictures

April 13, 2017

Why is New York City called the Big Apple?

Most of the nicknames ascribed to New York make literal sense: Gotham; Empire City; the City That Never Sleeps; the City So Nice They Named It Twice. However, the context behind the “Big Apple” nickname isn’t as obvious. To help us understand the moniker, the New York Public Library detailed a history of the name, taking us through a tour of what “big apple” has meant throughout centuries.
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History

April 13, 2017

‘How I Met Your Mother’ actress Cobie Smulders lists Battery Park City condo for $4M

By Annie Doge

The star actress of the long-running TV show, "How I Met Your Mother," Cobie Smulders, and husband Taran Killam, Hamilton actor and SNL veteran, have listed their apartment at 2 River Terrace in Battery Park City for $3.995 million. As first reported by Luxury Listings NYC, the 1,580-square-foot-condo has three bedrooms, three bathrooms and boasts a private landscaped terrace. Other celebrities like Leonardo DiCaprio and Tyra Banks have also lived in the building, and filmmaker Oliver Stone just bought an apartment there.
Check out the Battery Park City pad here

Distinctive Homes

Bethenny Frankel lists her Bridgehampton property for $6M

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

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

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

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

Watch the seasons of Central Park change from this $3.4M top-floor Upper West Side co-op

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

Minetta Lane townhouse with an 83-foot rock climbing wall asks $20M

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

Bill Murray's former Snedens Landing home asks $3.7M

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April 13, 2017

Groups criticize New York’s free college tuition program

On Monday, Governor Andrew Cuomo’s Excelsior Scholarship, a first-in-the-nation program that provides free tuition to full-time college students whose families earn up to $125,000 a year, passed the state budget vote and will be phased in as early as fall of 2017. Although Cuomo had originally tried to include undocumented immigrants in the legislation, the […]

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April 13, 2017

Are Montreal bagels better than New York?; Donald Trump Jr. won’t run for NY governor

Green City Force is a program that builds farms on NYCHA land to teach residents ages 18 to 24 about healthy food. [NYDN] New York bagels are bigger, more pliable, and salty, whereas Montreal bagels are sweeter, smaller, and crispier, with a chewy interior. So who reigns supreme? [AV Club] Until April 16th, Stuy Town is offering a move-in […]

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April 13, 2017

Oscar-winning filmmaker Oliver Stone pays $4M for Battery Park City condo with views for days

By Annie Doge

Award-winning screenwriter, film director, producer, and New York native Oliver Stone is moving to Battery Park City. As the New York Post learned, Stone is buying a 24th-floor condo at Riverhouse at 2 River Terrace, a building home to Leonardo DiCaprio and formerly, Tyra Banks (whose duplex hit the market last month for $17.5 million). The $4.35 million apartment boasts 1,982 square feet and floor-to-ceiling windows.
See inside the high-rise

April 13, 2017

Art Nerd New York’s top event picks for the week – 4/13-4/19

By Lori Zimmer

In a city where hundreds of interesting events occur each week, it can be hard to pick and choose your way to a fulfilling life. Ahead Art Nerd founder Lori Zimmer shares her top picks for 6sqft readers! This week, check out the legacy of the Department of Tropical Research Field Expeditions at the Drawing Center through a series of nature drawings that date back over a century, then speed into the future and explore androgyny at Prince Street Project Space. Amanda Marie’s Darger-esque pieces open at MARCY Projects, and The Corp shows off an exhibition made over one hellish evening. Art group The Happening is back for an evening to raise money for Planned Parenthood, and you can go goth to support the blog Art F City. Finally, grab a hard hat and explore the abandoned Ellis Island Hospital with Untapped Cities, then dive into a bag of popcorn as the Tribeca Film Festival comes back to town.
More on all the best events this way

Events & Things To Do

April 13, 2017

Increased demand and new condos leads to record home sale prices in Brooklyn and Queens

Once enticing New Yorkers with their cheaper rents and mortgages, the outer boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens have set record sales prices during the first quarter of the year. As reported by Crain’s, Brooklyn had a record-setting median sale price of $770,000, more than 16 percent higher than last year. This was driven by an increase in sales activity, with nearly 50 percent more transactions taking place this quarter compared with the beginning of 2016. In Queens, the median sale price was $485,000, but one- to three-family homes set a new record with both average ($697,946) and median ($650,000) sales.
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Real Estate Trends

April 13, 2017

David Schwimmer checks out a $3.3M boutique condo in the East Village as a potential investment

By Annie Doge

Newly single David Schwimmer was seen checking out a $3.3 million apartment in the East Village's boutique condo building 64 East 1st Street. While bachelor pad initially comes to mind, a spokesperson for the actor told the Post, "He is always looking at interesting investment opportunities in New York." Schwimmer is not necessarily a welcome neighbor, however; in 2010 he bought a 19th-century townhouse on Tompkins Square Park (one of the oldest on the block) for $4.1 million, but the following year he destroyed it after the Landmarks Preservation Commission told him it was headed for landmark designation.
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April 13, 2017

Emergency ferry route between N.J. and Midtown will become permanent this fall

Following the recent Penn Station train derailment and subsequent delays during the busy weekday commute, NY Waterway launched an extra ferry route running from Hoboken to Midtown Manhattan. Now, NJ.com reports, that ferry service will become permanent starting in September of this year. The new ferry will run between between West 39th Street and Hoboken terminal according to NY Waterway president and founder Arthur Imperatore Sr.
Find out more about the new commuting option

Transit

April 13, 2017

For $375K, this Tudor City studio is old-world elegance with amenities

On the eastern fringe of bustling Midtown, the (mostly) pre-war Tudor City complex was built as rentals by Fred French in the 1920s to give office workers easy access to their jobs while enjoying efficient and elegant living conditions. The buildings were converted to co-ops in the 1980s, and they've retained their elegance and compact efficiency. Woodstock Tower at 320 East 42nd Street is one of the most charming buildings among them, and this cheerful studio with city views, asking a pied-a-terre-friendly $375,000, is a fine example.
Lots of photos, this way

Distinctive Homes

April 12, 2017

Central Park’s Belvedere Castle and two playgrounds to close for renovations this summer

While the outside of the Belvedere Castle looks strong, the inside of the 146-year-old fortress is actually crumbling. The cracked pavement, leaking roof, and plumbing issues encouraged the Central Park Conservancy to start a 10-year $300 million campaign last summer to renovate its structures, as well as surrounding playgrounds. As DNAInfo reported, beginning at the end of this summer and early fall, the castle, the Bernard Family Playground, and the Billy Johnson Playground will be closed for reconstruction.
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Architecture And Design

Burrow’s new modular couch is designed for millennials’ nomadic lifestyle

By Rebecca Paul

With moving frequently an assumed part of being a young adult today, furniture startup Burrow has released a new line of modular sofas that are easily assembled, affordable (prices range from $550 for a single chair to $1,150 for a four-seat couch), and can adapt to new spaces with pieces that can be tacked on or removed. The company also mixed the principals of two millennial-loved companies--Ikea's flatpack approach to shipping and Casper matresses' one-week free shipping and 100-day free return policy.
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April 12, 2017

‘Charging Bull’ sculptor takes action against ‘Fearless Girl’ statue; help raise $40K for a Jim Henson exhibit in Queens

Upper East Side establishments that suffered during the Second Avenue Subway construction are now seeing an uptick in business. [am NY] Take an interactive walking tour of 42nd Street’s history. [NY Mag] Astoria’s Museum of the Moving Image is raising $40,000 on Kickstarter to open a permanent Jim Henson exhibit. [DNAinfo] Six landlords own one-third […]

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April 12, 2017

Perched on a Staten Island hillside with stunning bay views, this cute country cottage is only $739K

This single-family home in a storybook hillside setting with some of Staten Island's most attractive property below and Raritan Bay and the Atlantic Highlands beyond is a testament to the island's diversity of places. Built by an artist who made sure the home's windows were positioned to take advantage of the natural light, the crimson cottage at 298 Lighthouse Avenue, whose listing calls it a "Hansel & Gretel gingerbread home," sits on a half-acre lot, sharing Lighthouse Hill with the Jacques Marchais Museum of Tibetan Art (h/t Curbed). So much uniqueness comes at the relatively surprising price of $739,500.
Check it out

My 1400sqft: Inside creative couple Molly Young and Teddy Blanks’ perfectly outfitted Williamsburg loft

Our ongoing series “My sqft” checks out the homes of 6sqft’s friends, family and fellow New Yorkers across all the boroughs. Our latest interior adventure brings us to the Williamsburg loft of Molly Young and Teddy Blanks. Want to see your home featured here? Get in touch!

April 12, 2017

My 1400sqft: Inside creative couple Molly Young and Teddy Blanks’ perfectly outfitted Williamsburg loft

By Diane Pham

Melding belongings is often a struggle for couples who take the leap and move in together. Many fear that their individuality will be lost to their partner’s vision, personal items packed away because there’s “just not enough room.” But for Molly Young, a New York Times Magazine contributor and crossword puzzle creator, and Teddy Blanks, a graphic designer and director, checking one’s ego and a co-regent rule are key to creativity and authenticity in the home. In this week's My sqft, Molly and Teddy bring us into their incredible 1400-square-foot loft, a hidden gem situated within an innocuous factory building along an even more innocuous Williamsburg street. Filled with color, whimsical artwork, and quirky objects procured everywhere from eBay to Etsy to a failed Sotheby's auction, this pair's apartment reveals that cohabitation can and should be a co-creative adventure that both inspires and amuses.
go inside molly and teddy's home

April 12, 2017

Optimism remains for Hudson River tunnel project despite threat of Trump cuts

As 6sqft reported recently, President Trump may include two major New York transportation projects in his proposed budget cuts, including the Gateway Program that would build a new train tunnel under the Hudson River and a program which extends the Second Avenue subway in Manhattan to East Harlem. The Gateway Program, which would add a much-needed second rail tunnel beneath the Hudson River and upgrade aging rail infrastructure in New York and New Jersey, has been relying on the federal government for half of its estimated $24 billion cost. WNYC reports that even if the funding is pulled, the agency may look to funding from a public-private partnership.
Find out what the options are

April 12, 2017

Astoria, Morningside Heights and Bay Ridge have highest turnover of rent-stabilized apartments

Scoring a rent-stabilized apartment is a big win in New York City, as these regulated pads usually offer rent at below-market rates and provide tenants more protections against landlords. While more than 925,000 rent-stabilized apartments still exist in the city, these units turn over at a faster rate in certain neighborhoods than others, and their availability continues to dwindle (h/t WYNC). According to a new report by the city’s Independent Budget Office (IBO), the neighborhoods of Astoria, Morningside Heights and Bay Ridge all have high concentrations of rent-regulated housing built prior to 1974 and therefore, higher rates of turnover compared to other parts of the city.
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April 12, 2017

New NYC parking ticket app makes it easier to pay and fight violations

Open up that kitchen drawer stuffed with orange envelopes because New York City says its new parking ticket app will make it easier for motorists to pay their fines or dispute their violations. Called the NYC Parking Ticket Pay or Dispute app, it’s free to download. The app is expected to reduce fines from unpaid […]

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April 12, 2017

Snag a clean, classic design from gallery owner Taymour Grahne at this $3.5M Tribeca condo

You would expect the apartment of an art gallery owner to look stunning, and this Tribeca condo does not dissapoint. It's owned by Taymour Grahne, founder of the local Taymour Grahne Gallery. He paid $2.7 million for the two-bedroom pad at 8 Warren Street back in 2011, and now it's asking $3.5 million. The interior, of course, has some great artwork alongside a simple, paired-down design that compliments the exposed brick and high ceilings.
Get the grand tour

Distinctive Homes

April 12, 2017

Skyscraper proposal drapes Billionaires’ Row tower with flexible materials

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

Yesterday, 6sqft shared a proposal for an inside-out Midtown tower that received an honorable mention in Evolo's 2017 Skyscraper Competition. Another that made the list is the Flexible Materials Skyscraper, an idea for a Billionaires' Row supertall with an exterior made of a new material that can be folded, cut, sewed, and turned over, falling into a pattern. The designers called it “draping,” and hope building skyscrapers with flexible materials will allow architects to explore a new model of building while also cutting down on the construction process.
See renderings of the skyscraper

Architecture And Design

THE 6SQFT SHOP

The best websites for buying and selling used furniture in NYC

The 6 best furniture rental companies in NYC

8 best places in NYC to thrift for home goods

Everything you need to know about using a guarantor in NYC

15 quintessential NYC gifts for the New Yorker in your life

New York City's best holiday markets of 2023

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

10 Ways to Decorate an Exposed Brick Wall Without Drilling

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

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April 11, 2017

Coughlin Architecture gives an actor’s 500-square-foot penthouse an efficient design update

By Rebecca Paul

Living in a tiny apartment no longer has a stigma attached to it. If anything, their inhabitants and the architects who outfit them seem to revel in their diminutive stature. One such example is this mere 500-square-foot penthouse apartment located on West 56th street across from the Hearst Tower, recently given a sweeping update by Coughlin Architecture. The home's owner, an actor splitting time between NYC and LA, requested an open, bright space, with a minimal kitchen and bathroom.
see more inside

Distinctive Homes

April 11, 2017

Spend the summer creating in this Soho artists’ loft with a giant studio for $7,300 a month

This 2,500 square-foot full-floor space at 458 Broadway definitely captures the essence of the timeless Soho artists' loft, from the enormous window-lined studio to the sleek loft kitchen and colorful bath. It's available for rent from June through August for $7,300 a month; furnished and in the midst of non-stop Soho, it could be the perfect way to step into the loft life for the summer.
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Distinctive Homes

April 11, 2017

Morpholio’s AVA squeezes every interior design tool into one app

By Jon Dioffa

Interior designers who have been looking for a way to streamline their creative and production processes will appreciate Morpholio's newest app feature, AVA. Short for Automated Visual Assembly, AVA makes it easier for users to create not just presentation boards but also to produce cut sheets and specs for drawings, and product lists for purchasing. As professional designers know, projects are imbued with many moving parts that are difficult to manage piecemeal. AVA puts all of these pieces in one program, allowing designers to do everything they need within one application, reducing the opportunity for error. Plus, it's presentation ready, meaning there's no need to spend hours laying out images and assembling the details for client review.
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April 11, 2017

Sutton Place rezoning submitted in wake of planned 850-foot tower; sleep over at the Bronx Zoo

The Union Square Greenmarket will offer Saturday beer and spirit tastings from licensed state breweries and distilleries. [Gothamist] Attend an adult sleepover at the Bronx Zoo next month. [UpOut] Zoning proposal capping the height of Sutton Place towers at 25 stories is officially submitted to the city, a day after Gamma Real Estate made headway in […]

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April 11, 2017

‘Human Castell’ tower proposal turns the traditional skyscraper inside out

Evolo has announced the winners of its 2017 Skyscraper Competition, and though projects specific to NYC didn't take the top spots this year, several of the honorable mentions looked at new ways to build high-rise projects in New York. This one, the Human Castell Skyscraper, comes from a New Zealand-based team who wanted to address the question "where does art end and architecture begin?" Inspired by the castells of ancient Catalonia, the designers eliminated exterior walls for the Midtown tower to open its insides out towards the city, tapping into the history of architecture using sculptural expression to speak of its inhabitants' "myths and tales."
More on the proposal ahead

Architecture And Design

April 11, 2017

Number of elderly Airbnb hosts jumps 60 percent in NYC

To make money and stay social after retirement, older New Yorkers are turning to Airbnb. According to a report by the company, the population of senior citizens hosting visitors through the website continues to grow faster than any other demographic in both New York State and City. The Daily News reports that in NYC, the number of elderly Airbnb hosts jumped 60 percent in the last year. Specifically, the Bronx saw a 120 percent leap and Queens a 199 percent increase. While this shows a clear boost, senior citizens still only make up about four percent of the city’s total listings, or about 1,043, up from 649 the year before.
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April 11, 2017

Contest winners suggest a car-free 14th Street with shuttles and bike lanes during L train shutdown

Advocacy group Transportation Alternatives has been trying to stay focused on grounded solutions–literally, as opposed to the tunnel and skyway ideas that are also being discussed–to mitigate the anticipated possible chaos when the dreaded 15-month L train shutdown hits. The organization is aiming for the ear of the Department of Transportation (DOT) and the MTA which control street design and bus expansion, respectively. The group recently held an "L-ternative" contest seeking pedestrian-centered proposals for main transit corridors along the L line, such as 14th street, Gothamist reports. The winning proposal, called 14TH ST.OPS, imagines a (car) traffic-free 14th Street with a six-stop shuttle bus using dedicated lanes, plus protected bike lanes.
Check out the winning post-L-Train vision

April 11, 2017

INTERVIEW: Paula Scher on designing the brands of New York’s most beloved institutions

Paula Scher is one of the most recognizable names in the design world, considered legendary in the industry for creating the identities of major New York institutions. Scher moved to New York in the 1970s to begin her design career and got her start in the music industry. As art director for CBS, she designed around 150 albums a year and produced numerous ads and posters. Her record covers include everything from the Rolling Stones' Still Life to Leonard Bernstein's Stravinky, four of which were recognized with Grammy nominations. As a record designer, Scher was credited with reviving historical typefaces and design styles—and typefaces still play heavily in her work today. Scher left Atlantic Records to begin her own design firm in 1982, and in 1991 she joined her current firm, Pentagram, as the company's first female principal. Although Pentagram is an international design company, its New York office is behind the identities of some of the city's most beloved establishments. It was at Pentagram Scher established her reputation as a New York designer who created unique, lasting identities.
more with Paula Scher here

April 11, 2017

A design proposal envisions a cantilevered transit hub on Roosevelt Island

Roosevelt Island, the mile-long neighborhood that lies in the East River between Manhattan and Queens, will be a stop on the NYC Ferry route that connects Astoria to Wall Street beginning in August. While this will ease access to other parts of the city for residents of the island, French architect Victor Ostojic has another idea. As Curbed reported, Ostojic published a conceptual proposal of a cantilevered glass-covered ferry terminal on the western side of the island. Located parallel to Manhattan’s East 63rd Street, the terminal would include ground-floor retail, a food court, office space and a luxury hotel on top.
See renderings of the transit hub

April 11, 2017

$4.5M multi-family townhouse in Williamsburg boasts glass walls and a floating staircase

This multi-family townhouse in Williamsburg, at 455 Grand Street, offers a buyer plenty of opportunities to get creative. It is currently configured with a ground floor commercial space, a basement recording studio, an owners loft, and rental apartments above. The listing suggests it could be transformed into a massive single-family property, or the zoning even allows you to build an extra floor. The current home, however, is full of cool details, like glass walls, lots of exposed brick and a floating staircase that leads you to a sleeping loft.
Take a look

Distinctive Homes

April 10, 2017

The New Design Project’s Park Avenue apartment has an uptown address with downtown style

By Rebecca Paul

This beautiful Park Avenue apartment from the The New Design Project reflects the elegance and refinement synonymous with its Upper East Side address but also boasts a unique downtown vibe made possible by the studio's signature aesthetic. The light-filled home is adorned with modern furniture and lighting, as well as carefully curated floor treatments and accessories.
See the whole home

April 10, 2017

There’s plenty of charm packed into this 330-square-foot Tudor City pad, asking $364K

You can do a lot with 330 square feet, and for proof, look no further than this studio apartment at 45 Tudor City Place, one of the co-ops that makes up Tudor City in Murray Hill. The unit has just hit the market for an appealing price tag of $364,000. It's a corner studio with exposures to the south and west and views over Tudor City Park. Large closets and a murphy bed help with storage, while high ceilings and the large, original windows provide extra breathing room.
See more right this way

Distinctive Homes

April 10, 2017

Boom in TV and film is lucrative for some New Yorkers, a nuisance for others

In response to the state’s film production tax break, a record number of TV and movie crews have scouted NYC locations for shoots. The mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment issued 149 location permits for 72 projects to film between March 9 and March 15 alone. And as reported by Crain’s, studios will pay residents hefty sums to rent their apartments or homes for shoots. While this can be quite profitable for those occupying the property, with location managers doling out anywhere between $5,000 and $20,000 per day, some neighbors are tired of the inconveniences these projects create on their block.
Find out more

April 10, 2017

Yankee Stadium reopens with new social areas and less pricey tickets

Watching the Bronx Bombers play will be a totally new experience when Yankee Stadium reopens April 10 for the team’s first home game of 2017. After listening to feedback from fans, the ballpark has created new social areas to watch the game, less-expensive ticket options and a first-ever family zone. “Part of our intention was […]

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April 10, 2017

Coney Island’s Luna Park opens for the season; Bjarke Ingels documentary gets a new trailer

Vornado’s Steven Roth wants to sell his stake in Kushner Companies’ embattled 666 Fifth Avenue. [NYP] Coney Island’s Luna Park, which includes the Cyclone, is officially open for the season! [amNY] Though wigs are increasingly popular, the artisans who make them in New York are vanishing. [NYT] Shake Shack will open its first Staten Island […]

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Past Prisons: Inside the new lives of 7 former NYC jails

A 1938 photo showing the Women’s House of Detention south of the Jefferson Market Courthouse, via NYPL

April 10, 2017

Past Prisons: Inside the new lives of 7 former NYC jails

By Penelope Bareau

The past week has been full of news about Rikers Island and Mayor de Blasio's announcement that the notorious prison will be closed and replaced with smaller facilities throughout the boroughs. Ideas for re-use of its 413 acres have included commercial, residential and mixed-use properties; academic centers; sports and recreation facilities; a convention center; or an expansion of nearby LaGuardia airport. And while anything final is estimated to be a decade away, this isn't the first prison in NYC to be adaptively reused. From a health spa to a production studio to a housing development, 6sqft explores the new lives of seven past prisons.
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History

Gamma Real Estate closes on $86M purchase of 3 Sutton Place, taps Thomas Juul-Hansen for new design

The original rendering of 3 Sutton Place by Foster + Partners

April 10, 2017

Gamma Real Estate closes on $86M purchase of 3 Sutton Place, taps Thomas Juul-Hansen for new design

Following a contentious legal battle, Gamma Real Estate has won the foreclosure auction and closed on the $86 million acquisition of 3 Sutton Place, a development site where the firm plans on building a 700-foot-tall condominium tower. As Commercial Observer learned, this includes three neighboring lots at 428-432 East 58th Street between First Avenue and Sutton Place. Earlier this year, 6sqft explained that a bankruptcy judge authorized the sale of the property after Joseph Beninati’s Bauhouse Group failed to pay back creditors. While Stephen B Jacobs remains the executive architect, Gamma has hired Thomas Juul-Hansen, a Danish-born architect, who will design the skyscraper.
Find out more

Real Estate Trends

5Pointz graffiti artists whose work was destroyed will get a chance to face developer in court

Photo via Wikimedia Commons

April 10, 2017

5Pointz graffiti artists whose work was destroyed will get a chance to face developer in court

Photo via Wikimedia Commons Starting with the news that the iconic graffiti-covered warehouse known as 5Pointz in Long Island City, Queens, visible from passing trains since its beginnings the 1990s as an artists' studio and exhibition space, was being razed and replaced by rental apartments, the building has been the subject of heated controversy. As 6sqft previously reported, in 2013 the complex was whitewashed of its colorful exterior murals under cover of night, and renderings surfaced for the rental towers that would replace it; as if to add insult to injury, the building's owner, Jerry Wolkoff of G&M Realty, revealed plans to use the name 5Pointz as a marketing angle for the new development. Several attempts were made at intervention–and prevention of a similar fate for artists' spaces since then. Now, the New York Times reports, a federal lawsuit filed by 23 5Pointz artists against Wolkoff, who ordered the art destroyed, is getting its day in court. On March 31, Judge Frederic Block of Federal District Court in Brooklyn ruled that the federal lawsuit against Wolkoff, who ordered the artwork destroyed–could have a jury trial, an incremental legal victory for the artists and a chance to confront Wolkoff in court to seek redress.
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222 LES Tower + Lofts

222 East Broadway

Lower East Side

Art Deco romance meets 21st-century convenience

Studios starting at $799,000
1 bed starting at $1,100,000
2 beds starting at $1,955,000
3 beds starting at $2,875,000

Learn More

April 10, 2017

Hyperloop One plan would take travelers from NYC to D.C. in 20 minutes

Future New Yorkers may travel between cities faster than ever before. Hyperloop One--the California-based tech company whose transportation concept was first proposed by Elon Musk-- revealed its plan for a high-speed tube that could take passengers from NYC to D.C. in just 20 minutes, reports NBC New York (by comparison, Amtrak’s Acela Express currently takes a little more than three hours). Travelers would board magnetically levitating pods that move by electric propulsion and travel at more than 700 miles per hour. This would connect 80 percent of the country, making a cross-country trip just about five hours long. According to the company, nearly 83 million people would benefit from this hyperloop between our nation’s capital and the Big Apple.
Find out more

April 10, 2017

Lotto opens for Bushwick church conversion, 20 units available from $822/month

It's been two years since Cayuga Capital's "horizontal addition" to the former St. Mark’s Lutheran School and Evangelical Church in Bushwick topped out, and now the 20 affordable apartments at the site are up for grabs through the city's housing lottery. The new, seven-story structure, along with the preserved 1890 Victorian Gothic church, and four-story former school building in between, will offer 99 rentals in total and have been dubbed The Saint Marks. The below-market rate units range from an $822/month studio to $1,071/month two-bedrooms, available to individuals earning 60 percent of the area median income.
Find out if you qualify

Affordable Housing

April 10, 2017

Village carriage house rented by Taylor Swift with a pool, garage and elevator asks $24.5M

Last June, 6sqft reported that pop siren Taylor Swift was renting a carriage house at 23 Cornelia Street in the West Village for $40,000 a month while the Tribeca penthouse she'd purchased was undergoing a $535,000 renovation. The 1912 brick carriage house, which features a swimming pool, an elevator and a private garage, is now on the market for $24.5 million. The renovated home, owned by Soho House executive David Aldea who purchased it for $5.3 million in 2005, also boasts five bedrooms and several terraces in addition to its idyllic location and historic charm.
Take the tour

April 9, 2017

$2.4M Village co-op is townhouse charming and loft cool