6sqft | NYC local news, events, and apartments

February is too frigid to fantasize about the Rockaways’ wide white-sand beaches, but the playground peninsula is hot for a different reason: its expanding housing market. A series of housing developments are planned or under construction in this region of Queens. Unlike the single-family homes that the Rockaways are best known for, these modern residences are […]

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February 24, 2017

Every NY Times front page since 1852 in under a minute; Brooklyn’s evil eye mecca

Disney Research created a new technology that can wirelessly power an entire room and charge devices. [Travel + Leisure] Ellen DeGeneres and Walmart are donating $1.6 million to send the graduating class of Red Hook’s Summit Academy Charter School to any SUNY school on four-year scholarships. [DNAinfo] See all 60,000+ New York Times front pages since 1852 […]

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February 24, 2017

Glamorous modern condo inside a historic Bed-Stuy townhouse asks $855K

Talk about an apartment with good bones. This modern condo was carved from the historic four-story townhouse at 347 Gates Avenue, in Bedford-Stuyvesant. The condo conversion brought sleek finishes to each floor-through apartment, and this one on the third floor is now asking $855,000. It is located on a block of Bed-Stuy lined with picturesque townhouses, just a half block from the main drag of Bedford Avenue and close to the A/C trains on the Nostrand stop.
See more of the apartment

February 24, 2017

The Urban Lens: Will Ellis explores the relics and ruins of Staten Island’s remote edges

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, Will Ellis takes us through the relics and ruins of Staten Island's Arthur Kill Road. Are you a photographer who’d like to see your work featured on The Urban Lens? Get in touch with us at [email protected]. Step into the New York section of any bookstore these days and you'll likely see front and center "Abandoned NYC" by Will Ellis, which puts together three years of his photography and research on 16 of the city's "most beautiful and mysterious abandoned spaces." Will's latest photographic essay is titled "Arthur Kill Road," an eerily handsome exploration of the "quiet corners" and "remote edges" of Staten Island. He decided to focus on this thoroughfare as it winds through some of the NYC's most sparsely populated areas, including the defunct waterfront, remnants of historic architecture, and desolate industrial complexes. Here, as Ellis describes it, "the fabric of the city dissolves, and the past is laid bare through the natural process of decay."
See all the photos this way

Places

February 24, 2017

Ivanka Trump’s Park Avenue starter pad, still without a buyer, gets a rental price chop to $13K a month

As 6sqft previously reported, Ms. Trump and husband Jared Kushner, now senior adviser to President Donald Trump, first listed their apartment at 502 Park Avenue for $4.1 million in December; Ivanka purchased the home for $1.52 million in 2004. The classic and somewhat girly Park Avenue pad with Tiffany-box blue walls has also been on the rental market, first at $15K and, as Mansion Global reports, just reduced to $13,000 a month. Ivanka also owns one of the building’s penthouses–it's the Trump/Kushner family's main home when they're in town– that she bought for $16 million nearly six years ago.
Tour the classic uptown condo

February 24, 2017

South Harlem community board wants brokers to stop calling it ‘SoHa’

Harlem's gentrification and increasing real estate prices aren't news at this point, but a local community board thinks certain real estate brokers have crossed a line. As DNAinfo reports, Keller Williams created a separate office for "SoHa," their new branding for South Harlem. Following in the footsteps of NoLo (SoHo + Nolita + Lower East Side), DoBro (Downtown Brooklyn), and Hellsea (Hell's Kitchen + Chelsea), the moniker is seen as an attempt to make buyers and renters feel like they're cashing in on the next trendy 'hood. But residents of the Central Harlem area, roughly West 110th to 125th Streets, feel the marketing tactic is "arrogant" and "disrespectful," and so Community Board 10 has introduced a resolution that would prevent brokers from using the nickname.
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February 24, 2017

$10M Upper East Side townhouse is introducing its neighbors to the future

Sleek casement windows and a minimalist grey facade are the first sign that this otherwise unassuming mid-block home at 419 East 84th Street isn't your average $9.99 million Upper East Side townhouse. Inside, the Euro-chic flush surfaces, exposed brick, and wide open spaces of a downtown loft condo span five stories, from the garden floor au pair suite to the floating glass staircase to a wood-beamed skylit top floor. At 6,000 square feet, though, it's the size of three lofts, with the added perk of being situated in classic Yorkville, just a block from Carl Schurz Park and two blocks from the new Second Avenue Subway.
Hop in the elevator and take the tour

Distinctive Homes

February 24, 2017

120 more affordable units available at the Bronx’s Compass Residences complex, from $822/month

Back in 2011, Dattner Architects created the West Farms Redevelopment Plan, a rezoning (the largest ever in the Bronx at the time) of a 17-acre, 11-block former industrial area in Crotona Park East. The plan calls for a total of 1,325 affordable housing units, 46,000 square feet of retail, and community facilities. Dattner's first two buildings in the complex are called theCompass Residences, which provide 237 apartments arranged around a series of courtyards. This past December, 114 of these residences at 1544 Boone Avenue came online through the city's affordable housing lottery, and now, 120 more at 1524 Boone Avenue are open to New Yorkers earning 60 and 90 percent of the area median income, ranging from $822/month studios to $1,740/month three-bedrooms.
Find out here if you qualify

Affordable Housing

Distinctive Homes

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

$4.5M Central Park West duplex in Hotel des Artistes gets color just right

A grown-up townhouse with a Bushwick address–and a koi pond–asks $2M

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

A world traveler's Catskills haven is now a $2M mountaintop home

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

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

This $5.6M Tribeca condo in a former spice-grinding factory brings warmth to loft proportions

Behold the breathtaking views from this $18M home on the Montauk coastline

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

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Art Nerd New York’s top event picks for the week – 2/23-3/1

Toilet Paper Paradise by Plamen Pletkov

February 23, 2017

Art Nerd New York’s top event picks for the week – 2/23-3/1

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! If you haven’t been to the Cadillac House--the cultural venue by the car company--now is the time to check it out, as two artists take over the space with room-sized installations perfect for Instragramming. Mo Scarpelli’s compelling documentary about journalists in Afghanistan plays at St. Bartholomew’s Church, and Amelie plays at Videology. Get an insider's tour of the historic New Yorker Hotel, then stay after hours at the gorgeous New York Public Library. The famed Salmagundi Club will stay open all night for a draw-a-thon, and the Bronx Museum of the Arts hosts another great Gala at the Conrad. Finally, Beau Stanton transforms his artwork into a special stop-motion film at Brilliant Champions.
More on all the best events this way

Events & Things To Do

February 23, 2017

Transformable Ollie chair unfurls with the pull of a string

If you've ever wished an ergonomic, well-designed comfortable chair would materialize when you need it, the Ollie Chair has your back. Ollie is a transformable seat that unfurls and retracts with no more than the pull of a string. Created by Brooklyn Navy Yard-based kinetic furniture company RockPaperRobot, the chair offers a portable, elegant and comfortable solution for today's office-anywhere work style–and its customizable cool design makes it a welcome addition to your decor.
So where can I get one?

February 23, 2017

High Line-style park proposed for a half-mile stretch of abandoned Staten Island rail

Although High Line Park visionary Robert Hammond recently expressed remorse for failing to develop a park that was "for the neighborhood"—not the ultra-wealthy that have infiltrated the blocks directly surrounding the elevated marvel—other cities continue to see nothing but financial opportunity in thrusting parkland upward. 6sqft recently reported on Newark, NJ, which will soon break ground on their own version of the High Line in hopes of revitalizing their long-burdened downtown, and now the Staten Island Economic Development Corp. (SIEDC) has announced that Port Richmond is angling for their own High Line magic atop .53 miles of abandoned North Shore rail line.
more details and photos here

Architecture And Design

Richard Meier’s mixed-use Teachers Village development is revitalizing downtown Newark

Residential Building VII, via Scott Frances

February 23, 2017

Richard Meier’s mixed-use Teachers Village development is revitalizing downtown Newark

With Hoboken long gone and Jersey City well in the throes of gentrification, it makes sense that Newark is the next New Jersey city poised for a renaissance. Not only is it easily accessible via both NJ Transit and the PATH, but its wealth of former industrial buildings lend themselves to a DUMBO-esque revitalization. In the up-and-coming downtown area, Newark native Richard Meier is behind Teachers Village, a 23-acre, mixed-use complex that is well on its way to restoring a sense of community to the neighborhood. The $150 million project will encompass three charter schools, ground-level retail, and 204 residential units with a preference given to educators, all located in six new buildings designed in the starchitect's signature style of white materials and gridded facades.
All the renderings and details this way

February 23, 2017

Trump Tower security came in $10M less than expected; 12 sculptures arrive on the High Line

The Renwick Hotel opened its Gertrude Stein Suite, the first in the historic building dedicated to a female author. [Conde Naste Traveler] Though Mayor de Blasio asked for $35 million in federal funding to cover Trump Tower security for 73 days, it actually only cost $25 million. [Gothamist] The Frank Lloyd Wright Revival Initiative wants […]

Uncategorized

February 23, 2017

Prospect Lefferts Gardens townhouse with lots of woodwork and sunroom lists for $2.4M

This three-story brick townhouse is nestled on a charming street of Prospect Lefferts Gardens, the Brooklyn neighborhood east of Prospect Park. 88 Midwood Street also has some nice surprises inside, like carved woodwork, a big wood burning fireplace and a bonus sunroom. If you're on the hunt for a lovely Brooklyn townhouse with some historic details still in tact—and have $2.399 million to spare—look no further.
See more

Distinctive Homes

February 23, 2017

Sunday will be your last chance to brunch at the Waldorf Astoria’s Peacock Alley

Come March 1st the Waldorf Astoria will close its doors to the public in preparation for what's likely to be a lengthy conversion, as the New York icon transforms from luxury hotel to a hybrid of opulent condos and hotel rooms. While we can all rest assured that the Waldorf's stunning interiors will remain intact—from the historic ballrooms to exhibition space, dining rooms and banquet rooms—what will likely disappear for good (at least in their current form) are the lavish brunches held at Peacock Alley. As Metro NY reports, this Sunday, February 26th, will be your last opportunity to indulge in the hotel's utterly decadent weekend offering.
more details here

Events & Things To Do

Design team suggests a new mission-driven gentrification model geared toward artists and small businesses

Image: mx.org

February 23, 2017

Design team suggests a new mission-driven gentrification model geared toward artists and small businesses

We’ve definitely seen a lifetime’s worth of the trajectory that runs from warehouse to art studio to luxury loft, starting with neighborhoods like Soho and picking up speed as developers got into the act, anticipating the next "it" enclave with manageable rents attracting the young and creative. A team of New York-based designers developed a proposal for reaping the benefits of economic growth in the city's industrial areas without pricing out all but the wealthiest players. Soft City reports the details of this “mission-driven gentrification” concept, which suggests an all-new development model for the city's manufacturing neighborhoods (known as M1 districts), helmed by mission-based organizations and a building typology that caters to small businesses and artists.
Bright ideas, this way

February 23, 2017

Health-focused supportive and affordable housing complex breaks ground in the Bronx

Yesterday, mental health nonprofit Community Access broke ground on a new, $52.2 million supportive and affordable housing complex in the Mount Eden neighborhood of the Bronx. Located at 111 East 172nd Street, the building has 126 units, 60 of which will be set aside for Medicaid high-need individuals with mental health concerns and 65 for low-income families. It incorporates sustainable elements such as solar panels and a co-generation plant, as well as health-focused amenities like a community garden and kitchen to encourage and teach about healthy eating, outdoor exercise equipment, and a bike sharing program.
Find out more

Sad stretch of Canal Street retail may be replaced with this nine-story Passive House

If you've walked down Chinatown's Canal Street then you're certainly familiar with a string of stores at 312-322 Canal Street hawking cheap souvenirs to tourists and passersby. After a proposal to renew the depressed stretch of shops with a brand-new brick construction failed to pass Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) muster in 2011, a new, much more ambitious plan to replace the ramshackle building has finally emerged.
more details this way

New Developments

Renderings © Neoscape for Studio Gang Architects

February 23, 2017

Jeanne Gang reveals sparkly new renderings of High Line-hugging Solar Carve Tower

Renderings © Neoscape for Studio Gang Architects Just yesterday, 6sqft shared the news that Jeanne Gang's first ground-up project in NYC--the Solar Carve Tower at 40 Tenth Avenue--had begun construction along the High Line. Now, the Post shares new renderings of the jewel-like, glassy structure, which is so named for its employment of the firm's strategy that uses the sun's angles to shape a building. Along with these views of its chiseled edges, connection to the park, terraces, and interior spaces, comes word that developers Aurora Capital and William Gottlieb Real Estate have tapped Bruce Mosler of Cushman & Wakefield to begin leasing the 139,000-square-foot, 12-story boutique office building in anticipation of its 2019 opening.
Lots more details and renderings ahead

February 23, 2017

For $9.5M, this sprawling Gramercy co-op has a sunken living room and keys to the park

At a house-sized 3,809 square feet, this jumbo co-op at 50 Gramercy Park North, on the market for $9.5 million, is likely two apartments that were combined. As a result, there's more room for bedrooms, living and entertaining space and more floor-to-ceiling glass to take in the view. The building is also home to the Gramercy Park Hotel, so you get hotel-level amenities as part of the deal, along with a coveted key to the park.
Big rooms and big views this way

Distinctive Homes

February 22, 2017

Oldest home in Brooklyn Heights is on the market for $6.65M

Built in 1824, 24 Middagh Street is a charming, wood-frame, Federal house in Brooklyn Heights that has the distinction of being the oldest home in the neighborhood. And it's just gotten a price chop to $6,650,000 (it first listed this past September for the first time in nearly 60 years, asking $7 million). The listing says most of the original interior details--like wood floors, fireplaces, and moldings--are intact, and the five-bedroom residence even comes with a landscaped backyard and separate, two-bedroom carriage house.
More on the home this way

February 22, 2017

Rare footage from Coney Island’s giant cycling Velodrome of yesteryear

By Rebecca Paul

Cycling culture in New York City has been a growing trend for over 20 years. However, its popularity and the bike lanes of modern day New York have yet to reach the impressive status of Coney Island's 1920s bicycle racing Velodrome. The Velodrome was a wooden racetrack that seated approximately 10,000 people, each of whom came to cheer or jeer the area's best cyclists.
more details here

History

February 22, 2017

Developer will turn Connecticut lighthouse into a giant playroom for his grandkids

In 2004, New York-based developer and builder Frank Sciame paid $6 million for the 3.4-acre waterfront Connecticut estate of the late Katharine Hepburn. In late 2015, he also dropped $290,000 at auction for the Old Saybrook Breakwater Lighthouse, which is within walking distance to the estate. The 131-year-old lighthouse was built in 1886 to mark a sand bar on the west side of the Connecticut River, but it will soon see a new life as a giant children's playroom. The Post reports that Sciame asked yacht-design architects Persak & Wurmfeld to redesign the structure as a clubhouse for his grandkids, complete with the original cast-iron windows and portholes, watch room and lantern room, and upper wrap-around deck.
Get the full scoop

Architecture And Design

February 22, 2017

The top 20 most congested cities when it comes to traffic

Rush hour traffic is as predictable as the sun setting at night for New Yorkers, but drivers might be shocked to find out how many hours tick away while they’re stuck behind the wheel. On average, New York City drivers spend 89 hours a year in traffic, making it the third most congested city in the […]

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February 22, 2017

Get ‘healthy’ frosting shots at Gwyneth Paltrow’s midtown cafe; L train replacement to be announced this fall

The Driverless Future Challenge seeks proposals that actively shape the city’s response to driverless cars. [Blank Space] Gwyneth Paltrow is opening her second 3 Green Hearts cafe in Midtown, which will serve gluten-free kale ravioli and “healthy” frosting shots and offer a meal delivery service from partner Tracy Anderson. [Eater] Find out how to win an unlimited MetroCard […]

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February 22, 2017

Impeccably restored apartment in an 1839 Greek Revival townhouse asks $12,495/month in the Village

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

The listing brags that this Greenwich Village co-op looks like something out of a movie, and we'd have to agree. A two-year restoration of this apartment, which occupies the third floor of the 1839 Greek Revival townhouse 158 Waverly Place, left the 2,000-square-foot space looking gorgeous. Historic details are paired with both intricate wallpaper patterns and modern amenities. The apartment, too, has hosted a notable crew of residents. The townhouse was built for Lambert Suydam, the former president of Manhattan Gas & Light Co., and then the third floor was later occupied by Oscar winning actress Judy Holliday between 1948 and 1952. The latest owner, Thomas Ruff, is a German photographer who purchased it in 2006 for $1.65 million, according to public records. And now the co-op can be rented for $12,495 a month.
Take a look

THE 6SQFT SHOP

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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

VIEW ALL

February 22, 2017

Buy Karim Rashid’s sleek, candy-colored Hell’s Kitchen condo for $4.75M

By Annie Doge

Industrial designer/architect (and lover of all things pink and white) Karim Rashid once told 6sqft, "Color is life and for me, color is a way of dealing with and touching our emotions, our psyche, and our spiritual being," and this philosophy is clearly on display in his personal Hell's Kitchen home. If you're a fan of this quirky aesthetic, you're in luck; Curbed tells us that Rashid's super-sleek townhouse-condo at The Dillon recently hit the market for $4.75 million.
Take a tour of the whole place

Image via Wiki Commons

February 22, 2017

125-year-old Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine finally declared a city landmark

Image via Wiki Commons On Tuesday the Landmarks Preservation Commission voted unanimously to designate the 125-year-old Cathedral Church of St. John The Divine, the world's largest cathedral; in addition, 115 neighboring buildings became the Morningside Heights Historic District. The designated district runs from West 109th to 119th streets between Riverside Drive and Amsterdam Avenue and includes the famously unfinished cathedral and surrounding campus. With the designation, calendared by the LPC in September, comes a 3-D online map that provides more information about the buildings in the district, most of which were constructed between 1900 and 1910, including townhouses dating back to the late 1800s as well as pre-war apartment buildings.
Find out more

February 22, 2017

Inside New York’s little-known graphic design gem, The Herb Lubalin Study Center

Icy, metallic, and unabashedly serious is how one might describe The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art building in the East Village. But deep within its mash of raw concrete, steel beams, and metal screens is an unlikely 800-square-foot treasure chest filled with tens of thousands of design and typographical ephemera spanning multiple decades. Known as The Herb Lubalin Study Center of Design and Typography, the quaint and cozy space opened in 1985 as an archive dedicated to the work of Herb Lubalin, an American graphic designer best known for his playful art direction at Avant Garde, Eros and Fact magazines, as well as his groundbreaking design work completed between 1950 and 1980 (including the original World Trade Center logo). As one would expect, the center is filled with one-of-a-kind Lubalin works that range from posters, journals, magazines, sketches, and packaging, most of which came from his studio, his employees, or via donation by Lubalin enthusiasts. However, what many will be surprised to know is that Lubalin's materials make up just 20 percent of the center’s entire collection. Indeed, about 80 percent of what's tucked away comes from other influential designers. And those flat files not dedicated to Lubalin are filled with rare works from icons that include Push Pin Studios, Seymour Chwast, Milton Glaser, Lou Dorfsman, and Massimo Vignelli.
go inside here

Architecture And Design

February 22, 2017

Jeanne Gang’s ‘Solar Carve Tower’ begins its rise on the High Line

For an architect who had yet to break into the NYC scene, Jeanne Gang is now moving full steam ahead. Her firm, Studio Gang, received LPC approvals back in October for their much-hyped, $340 million Museum of Natural History expansion, and now, CityRealty tells us that construction has begun on their razor-edged glass tower along the High Line. Dubbed "Solar Carve Tower" for the firm's strategy that "uses the incident angles of the sun’s ray to form the gem-like shape," the 12-story office building will be Gang's first ground-up project when completed.
Find out more

February 22, 2017

$2.5M artist’s townhouse in Clinton Hill has a painter’s studio, full bar, and color everywhere

This three-story, two-family Clinton Hill townhouse at 578 Myrtle Avenue, zoned to allow a commercial establishment on the ground floor, has plenty of living space and lots of income potential. Asking $2.5 million, the current setup as a painter's single-family home and workspace further underscores the freedom and fun of townhouse living. The light-filled top floor is currently used as a studio for the artist-in-residence (his favorite subjects are "ballet dancers, bullfighters, and women of the night, lounging in opulent bedrooms," as seen above) whose enjoyment of rouge, magenta, blue and beyond can be seen throughout the house.
No, we have no idea what's on the back of that chair

February 21, 2017

Historic Clinton Hill carriage house gets light from a ‘sky volume’ and a courtyard carved into its core

A thoroughly transformative re-design by New York studio O'Neill McVoy Architects turns a historic red brick townhouse on a slender 24- by 76-foot lot in need of light and air into an ultra-bright and inspiring modern residence for a young family. The Clinton Hill Courtyard House, in a landmarked section of the neighborhood, was built in 1877 as a carriage house for the mansion next door. The historic integrity of the home's exterior was left intact, but inside, three strategic openings–including skylights, a central courtyard, and a perforated interior stair wall--were created to let in light and air everywhere for daily living.
So much sunlight, in so many creative ways

February 21, 2017

$2.6M for a ‘sleek and sexy’ modern condo right off Union Square

The aren't many glassy condo developments in Greenwich Village, but this one at 3 West 13th Street has an apartment up for sale. The two-bedroom pad occupies the entire eighth floor and is accessed by a private key-locked elevator. Floor-to-ceiling windows, white tile flooring and a modern gas fireplace lend to an aesthetic the listing dubs "sleek and sexy."
See the full apartment

Distinctive Homes

February 21, 2017

Brooklyn farmers are growing crops inside a shipping container in a parking lot

Square Roots first broke ground by financing and mentoring local entrepreneurs who are growing tasty, nutritious greens in, of all places, a Brooklyn parking lot. Now it’s taking things a step further—right to your New York City office. The new “Farm to Local, by Square Roots” initiative delivers snack-size bags of salad greens to workplaces. […]

Uncategorized

February 21, 2017

Grand Central gets the LEGO treatment; 86 percent of $2 million+ home sales are in Manhattan

Vote to have this LEGO version of Grand Central Terminal made into a real block set. [LEGO Ideas] To fill the gap left when Cobble Hill’s beloved BookCourt closed, local novelist Emma Straub is opening Books Are Magic on Smith Street. [Gothamist] Eighty-six percent of all $2 million+ home sales over the past three years […]

Uncategorized

February 21, 2017

Supreme branded Metrocards bring mayhem to NYC subway stations

A post shared by Chenglong Sun @N¥€ @NYU (@zoomscl35) on Feb 18, 2017 at 9:00am PST There's even more to love about the NYC subway this week, as Hypebeast and The Cut report on the branded collaboration between cult skatewear brand Supreme and the MTA. The limited-edition Supreme-branded Metrocards arrived at stores and select stations on Monday and limited outbreaks of mayhem have ensued as fans scrambled to buy the custom cards from Metrocard machines. The cards cost $5.50, though according to the MTA they're sold out, and it's reported that they're selling for $1,000 $38.88 on eBay.
Ruckus locations, this way

February 21, 2017

How to decorate an apartment with floor-to-ceiling windows, tips from a pro

By 6sqft

The all-glass building. It’s an architectural staple. But admiring their beauty from afar (or the street) and living inside their glass confines are two very different things. Glass walls can be modern and sleek, but they can also be cold. They make arranging furniture a challenge as well as achieving a more traditional or eclectic design. […]

NYC Guides

February 21, 2017

Astoria is NYC’s top ‘hood for millennials seeking roommates

Roommate app Roomi recently compiled data based on the 20 to 36-year-olds searching for someone with whom to split the rent, and the top neighborhood for this trend is Astoria. DNAinfo shared the analysis, which found that nearly 38 percent of Roomi's users looked for housing in the up-and-coming Queens 'hood, and each applicant in this area gets about 20 applicants, almost double all other neighborhoods.
What other 'hoods top the list?

Real Estate Trends

Port Authority may add $4 curbside taxi fee at airports

Image by Grant Wickens via flick CC

February 21, 2017

Port Authority may add $4 curbside taxi fee at airports

Image by Grant Wickens via flick CC As far back as 2015, 6sqft reported that the Port Authority was considering fees for vehicles pulling up curbside to drop off or pick up passengers at New York City's airports as a way to reduce the congestion that has worsened since services like Uber and Lyft have arrived. The city's airports are among the only ones in the U.S. that don't charge curbside access fees. Now the Daily News has obtained a Port Authority draft proposal outlining the proposed fees. Taxi and hired car passengers could be hit with a $4 charge for each trip in and out of Kennedy, LaGuardia and Newark airports as early as next year. The fee would be charged to the car operators and would presumably be passed to passengers
The idea is not getting a warm reception

Transit

February 21, 2017

New bill would calculate AMI for affordable housing based on zip code, not region

To set qualification guidelines for its affordable housing lotteries, the city turns to the set area median income (AMI), basing annual household income and rents off this figure. However, as The Real Deal explains, "the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development calculates AMI regionally, "using a formula that lumps the five boroughs together with Putnam, Westchester, and Rockland counties." For 2016, this equated to $65,200 for a single person and $90,600 for a family of four, but a new bill proposed by Democratic State Senator Michael Gianaris and Assemblymember Brian Barnwell would require developers of new 421-a projects to calculate AMI based on the specific zip code in which the building is going up.
More info ahead

February 21, 2017

Marvel at the downtown Manhattan skyline from the many terraces of this $8.5M Tribeca penthouse duplex

One of the best ways to enjoy Manhattan living is to be surrounded by the city's ever-changing, mesmerizing skyline, especially if you're lucky enough to be gazing from your own private perch. At this duplex penthouse atop the 12-unit condominium at 92 Warren Street in Tribeca, currently asking $8.5 million, the opportunities to do just that are many. Two spacious balconies and a roof deck afford dizzying views of the surrounding skyscrapers, classic lofts and the Hudson River–and you're getting the same amazing eyeful even if you stay indoors.
Take the tour

Distinctive Homes

February 20, 2017

Jason Biggs and Jenny Mollen list uber-stylish Tribeca loft for $3M

By Annie Doge

"American Pie" and "Orange is the New Black" actor Jason Biggs married actress and author Jenny Mollen in 2008, after they met filming "My Best Friend's Girl." Five years later, the trendy couple bought a sprawling Tribeca loft at 288 West Street for $2.55 million, enlisting designer-to-the-stars Cliff Fong (with whom they'd worked previously on two L.A. homes) to outfit the space with a combination of modern furniture and accessories from Wayfair.com, their extensive art collection, and playful and comfortable pieces to accommodate their three-year-old son Sid--all of which blend seamlessly with the loft's brick walls, exposed timber framing and beams, raw pipes, and open floorplan. They've now decided to put the apartment on the market, and it's asking a not-especially, marked-up price of $2,995,000.
Tour the entire loft

February 20, 2017

Anish Kapoor will bring a spiraling funnel of black water to Brooklyn Bridge Park

Brooklyn Bridge Park is the last place we'd expect to find a menacing art installation summoning feelings of nothingness. But come May, Anish Kapoor will bring his acclaimed installation "Descension" to one of the park's busiest stretches, Pier 1. As described by The NY Public Art Fund (the project's curator), Descension is a 26-foot diameter whirlpool that funnels pitch-black, naturally dyed water below ground, inviting visitors to carefully peer into its swirling abyss.
more details here

Events & Things To Do

February 19, 2017

$5K/month shabby-chic Flatiron District co-op has a solarium and private terrace

Once you settle in to the rustic vibe of this pre-war Flatiron co-op at 41 East 19th Street, you might feel like you've been living there for years. The artful lived-in look is only part of the package; a 270-square-foot terrace adds the possibility of lavish entertaining, and a living room with a greenhouse roof keeps things sunny in all seasons of the year.
Take a look

Distinctive Homes

The 74

201 East 74th Street

Lenox Hill

Gracious Upper East Side condos with Central Park and skyline views

2 beds starting at $3,380,000
3 beds starting at $4,850,000
5 beds starting at $11,950,000

Learn More

February 18, 2017

Weekly highlights: Top picks from the 6sqft staff

Hamptons home prices sag as luxury buyers head to hipper Hudson Valley Meg Ryan lists her impossibly chic Soho loft for $10.9 million 432 Park owner attempts to sell $20M apartment with iPhone photos 143 chances to live in Downtown Brooklyn from $897/month, lottery open at 33 Bond Street LOT-EK erects a stunning single-family mega-home […]

Uncategorized

February 17, 2017

Impressive views of 1 WTC from this $3.6M Tribeca loft apartment

The living room of this Tribeca loft offers--through big, south-facing windows--impressive views over Lower Manhattan and One World Trade Center. The apartment, located at the condop building 112 Franklin Street, also boasts its own key-locked elevator entrance, two bedrooms, two bathrooms, all under 15-foot ceilings.
Here's a look inside

Distinctive Homes

February 17, 2017

Hidden tennis courts in Grand Central Station were also once Trump’s exclusive club

Even the city's most public places conceal secrets paved over by the years, some more hidden than others. Grand Central Station is no exception despite the 750,000 or so people who make their way through its halls each day. You may already know of the terminal's secret train track and whispering walls, but did you know that there are tennis courts in Grand Central? Once an exclusive club run by Donald Trump, the courts are now open to the public—and you can reserve a court at midnight.
From a Hungarian immigrant to Donald Trump to Night Owl Tennis

History

February 17, 2017

Here are the world’s most expensive cities for renters

We all know big-city living can be expensive, but the proof is definitely in the rent check. According to Nested’s newly released “2017 Rental Index,” three of the world’s most expensive cities to rent in are found right here in the U.S. San Francisco, New York and Boston renters pay more per square foot than their fellow […]

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February 17, 2017

Everything in this 432 Park model apartment is for sale; Meet the last original Frank Lloyd Wright owners