6sqft | NYC local news, events, and apartments

This 650-square-foot pad is nestled inside a six-story, Beaux Arts brick and limestone townhouse located just across the street from the Museum of Modern Art. Located at 35 West 54th Street, in Midtown West, this is a former one-bedroom apartment renovated into a spacious, open studio by its owner architect. The reno retained some of the classic Beaux Arts details while giving the interior a modern look.
Take a peek

Distinctive Homes

November 11, 2016

432 Park Avenue will become a beacon of light beginning Monday

Just in case you had trouble spotting the Western Hemisphere's tallest residential tower, beginning Monday, 432 Park Avenue will debut a brand new lighting feature that will turn the 1,396-foot supertall into a glowing beacon. As LLNYC reports, 32 LEDs will fill the tower's five open-air "drum floors" where the building's mechanicals are situated. 432 Park's starchitect, Rafael Viñoly, worked with HDLC Architectural Lighting Design to develop the scheme.
more details here

Architecture And Design

November 11, 2016

Calatrava’s St. Nicholas National Shrine gets its dome roof; New Yorkers turn empty closets into bars

By Alyssa Alimurung

Construction continues on Santiago Calatrava‘s new Ground Zero church in the World Trade Center’s Liberty Park. [DNAinfo] These New Yorkers had unused closet space (?!), so they turned them into a bar, sound booth, and even another bedroom. [NYTimes] Did you know 40 Wall Street is owned by Donald Trump? Here are the top 10 secrets […]

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November 11, 2016

Lawsuit: Co-op board told Madonna she can’t have daughter Lourdes stay at her pad when she’s out

In a recent court filing, Madonna's attorney wrote that the pop star was “entitled” to have her “adult daughter” Lourdes live in the $7.3 million duplex that she purchased in 2008, The New York Post shares. As 6sqft previously reported, Madge sued the board at 1 West 64th Street, known as Harperley Hall, in April after they attempted to ban the performer's family and staff from being in the apartment when she wasn't there. According to court papers, the co-op building's board illegally changed her original lease in 2014 to say that no one under 16 could reside in the apartment unless an adult over age 21 was present.
Find out more

Celebrities

Trump Tower residents are sick of protestors; problem unlikely to improve

Photo via Kristal T/Flickr

November 11, 2016

Trump Tower residents are sick of protestors; problem unlikely to improve

Since Donald Trump announced his run for office, Trump Tower, where the President-elect both lives and keeps his political headquarters, has been a hotspot for protestors. While in the past few months, inconveniences haven't escalated far beyond anti-Trumpers stopping by to give the building the finger, after the 2016 election results were announced, it's become veritable zoo outside the 5th Avenue tower as thousands have convened to denounce (and to be sure, support) a Trump presidency. The situation has become a major disruption for residents of the luxury skyscraper who are now annoyed with the crowds. As The Post so fittingly writes, "It’s not so easy being a member of the 1 percent if you live at Trump Tower."
more on the complaints here

November 11, 2016

The Urban Lens: Chaz Langley captures the people and places that make Chinatown tick

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, Chaz Langley explores the people and establishments breathe life into Chinatown. Are you a photographer who’d like to see your work featured on The Urban Lens? Get in touch with us at [email protected]. Nashville native Chaz Langley moved to New York to pursue a career as a singer/songwriter/actor/model, but along the way began snapping iPhone photos of his adopted city as another creative outlet, finding the process therapeutic. Through his Instagram account, he tells the stories of the people, places, and things that inspire him, using his other skill set of graphic design as a way to curate his collections. In "A Stroll in Chinatown" he captures the unique cultural establishments of Chinatown and the everyday comings and goings of the neighborhood's residents.
See all the photos here

Places

November 11, 2016

It will cost a whopping $811M to repair the Brooklyn Bridge

When repairs on the 133-year-old Brooklyn Bridge began in 2010, it was estimated that the massive project would cost about $508 million. Now, that estimate has hit $811 million–$200 million higher than estimates from as recent as last year and almost 60 percent higher than the original number, the New York Post reports.
Why the price hike?

Transit

Distinctive Homes

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

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

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

Milk Bar founder Christina Tosi lists Chelsea condo for $5.9M

For $1.65M, this Prospect Heights pre-war co-op can expand to hold a classic six

SHOP THE LISTING: Claire Danes and Hugh Dancy's $9.75M West Village townhouse is an all-season urban refuge

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

$65M Sutton Place penthouse is highest on East Side waterfront

For $25M, a Flatiron penthouse in a golden cupola, with Manhattan at your feet

$11M historic West Village home offers the privacy, parking, and outdoor space you'd find in a suburban subdivision

VIEW ALL

November 11, 2016

$70M FXFOWLE-designed Statue of Liberty Museum receives approval

It's full steam ahead for the FXFOWLE-designed Statue of Liberty Museum. Per the Journal, The National Park service approved plans on Wednesday to erect the free-standing structure on Liberty Island. The development team broke ground on the project in early October and at the same time releasing renderings of what would eventually rise on the site. As 6sqft previously reported, the $70 million museum is being helped along by Diane von Furstenberg, who has been named the honorary “godmother” of the project. Von Furstenberg is currently spearheading fundraising efforts for the museum and hopes to secure $100 million from donors for the development. Von Furstenberg, along with her husband Barry Diller, are also in the midst of pushing another civic project forward, Pier55 Park.
find out more here

Architecture And Design

November 11, 2016

Cuomo’s revised 421-a plan will move ahead as REBNY and construction trades come to agreement

Ever since the city's 421-a tax exemption program expired in January, the Building and Construction Trades Council of Greater New York and the Real Estate Board of New York (REBNY) have been negotiating under what terms to extend and/or modify the program. Both groups took part in what the city believes were "secret talks" with Governor Cuomo over the summer, after which he released his proposal to revise 421-a with wage subsidies for construction workers. REBNY was concerned about this stipulation, claiming it would increase construction costs by up to 30 percent, but a press release sent yesterday evening reports that they've reached an agreement with the Trades Council to move ahead with Cuomo's version of the plan, which, in addition to setting a $60 hourly wage for qualifying projects in Manhattan and $45 in Brooklyn and Queens, extends the tax breaks up to 35 years (up from de Blasio's proposed 25 years) and mandates newly created affordable units be kept in place for 40 years.
More details this way

November 11, 2016

Headed for auction, Trump’s childhood home could fetch Queens couple $10M

By Annie Doge

A divorcing couple in Jamaica Estates, Queens just got something new to fight over: proceeds from the sale of their relatively modest six-bedroom Tudor home at 85-15 Wareham Place, which will head for the auction block in the first week in December. The house, which the estranged couple tried to sell for $1.65 million, chopped to $1.2 million, then pulled from the market, just happens to be where President Elect Donald Trump spent his terrible twos, and is expected to fetch at least 10 times that ask at auction, according to the New York Post.
A rising Trump floats at least one boat

November 10, 2016

East River Skyway endorsed by local politicians as L train alternative

It looks like the East River Skyway is getting a big boost from local elected officials. Three politicians have jumped on the idea, including U.S. Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney, City Councilman Stephen Levin, and State Assemblyman Joseph Lentol. The trio together drafted a letter to Mayor de Blasio, encouraging him to back the transit initiative as a solution to impending L train closure. "This is the coolest thing we could do for the neighborhood," Lentol, told DNA Info. "I don’t want to denigrate the BQX but this is even a greater plan to have a gondola going from Brooklyn to Manhattan forever."
find out more here

Transit

Subway Therapy let thousands of New Yorkers leave their election grief on Post-it notes

Photo via office of Governor Cuomo

November 10, 2016

Subway Therapy let thousands of New Yorkers leave their election grief on Post-it notes

In addition to last night's anti-Trump rallies, the 14th Street-6th/7th Avenue subway tunnel was transformed into a post-election grieving center of sorts. Here, the artist Levee installed a temporary art installation called Subway Therapy that was a colorful collection of thousands of Post-it notes on the wall where people wrote in their feelings. "Because of how stressful the last couple of days were, I thought it would be nice to have something that people could do really quickly so they could maybe get something off their chest," Levee told ABC7.
See more photos of the installation

November 10, 2016

Art Nerd New York’s top event picks for the week – 11/10-11/16

By Lori Zimmer

In a city where hundreds of interesting happenings occur each week, it can be hard to pick and choose your way to a fulfilling life. Art Nerd‘s philosophy is a combination of observation, participation, education and of course a party to create the ultimate well-rounded week. Jump ahead for Art Nerd founder Lori Zimmer’s top picks for 6sqft readers! Let’s immerse ourselves in some art this weekend to ease some of the stress we’ve gone through during this election, shall we? First, get the inside scoop on Times Square’s latest Midnight Moment artist Emilio Perez, then head to the beautiful Park Avenue Armory to experience the Art Deco and mid-century modern world at the Salon Art + Design. Later “Once More, with Feeling” will take you into a group show that delves into emotional expression, and over at C24, Katja Loher transforms the inside and outside of the gallery into an alternative world. After that, transport yourself to the mountains of Nepal with the new sound installation at the Rubin Museum of Art, and then bone up from art experts at the Art Conference. Finally, if you need one last goodbye to Obama, head to the Marcy Project on Saturday for their tribute show, and if you’re still feeling blue, dance it away at the Whitney’s Annual art party.
More on all the best events this way

Events & Things To Do

November 10, 2016

UWS school rezoning proposal aims to reduce crowding and increase integration

After 25 meetings in two years and amid a mix of public outcry and support, the New York City Department of Education unveiled its final proposal to rezone District 3 on the Upper West Side Wednesday. The move hopes to lessen overcrowding and nurture integration at 11 schools from West 59th Street to West 116th Street. […]

November 10, 2016

FAA issues no-fly zone over Trump Tower; How did your neighborhood vote?

The FAA has issued a two-mile, no-fly zone around Trump Tower, where the President Elect lives and works. [TMZ] Interactive map shows how every NYC neighborhood voted in the election. [DNAinfo] McSorley’s, the city’s oldest bar, has been shuttered by the DOH due to rats. [EV Grieve] The childhood brownstone of jazz legend Lena Horne hit […]

Uncategorized

November 10, 2016

Studio Seilern designs boxy, mixed-use tower for West Chelsea’s ‘starchitects row’

The stretch of Eleventh Avenue that winds through Chelsea in the 20s has become a hotbed of starchitecture activity ever since plans were announced for the High Line. ArchDaily brings us the latest project that may rise along the corridor, and though it doesn't have the name recognition of its neighbors, its interesting design, inspired by MoMA's famed sculpture garden, fits right in. The 24-story glass tower from London's Studio Seilern Architects will have commercial space for a gallery on the lower levels with residential units above. Judging from the views, the project site appears to be near the corner of West 21st Street and Eleventh Avenue, directly across from Norman Foster's 551W21 and a block north of Jean Nouvel's 100 Eleventh Avenue and Frank Gehry's IAC Building.
More renderings and details this way

Real estate industry likely to benefit from a Trump presidency

The city's real estate industry isn't too worried about a Donald Trump presidency. Real estate insiders feel that the man whose family's fortune was made in the industry and padded by its favorable tax breaks, foreign investments and still-rising market will be unlikely to bite the hand that has fed it so well, Crains reports.
Loopholes safe; affordable housing not so much

November 10, 2016

Sports Illustrated model Kate Bock picks up sleek, $1.35M Greenwich Village duplex

By Annie Doge

Things have been heating up between Cleveland Cavaliers basketball player Kevin Love and Canadian supermodel Kate Bock, but the Sports Illustrated beauty doesn't seem to be settling down in Ohio anytime soon. The Post reports that she's the lucky new owner of this sleek Greenwich Village duplex, last listed for $1.35 million. Located in the Cast Iron Building at 67 East 11th Street, the one-bedroom loft boasts a mod, all-white interior highlighted by two enormous ten-foot windows and a contemporary floating staircase.
Take a look around

November 10, 2016

Spend the holidays in the infamous 28-room Grey Gardens estate

Though now this 28-room mansion looks like your typical East Hampton property, it was once a decrepit, crumbling, cat-infested, overgrown horror that came to be known as the Grey Gardens Estate, based on the title of the 1975 documentary that immortalized the isolated and impoverished lives of its residents Edith wing Bouvier Beale and her daughter Edith Bouvier Beale (the aunt and cousin to Jackie O). Back in September 2015, 6sqft shared that the now-restored 1.7-acre estate was up for rent asking $175,000 a year (except for August, when the owners presumably holiday). The Post also reports that there's shorter-term options for the upcoming holidays--$7,500 for Thanksgiving week and $12,500 the week of Christmas.
Get the full story ahead

‘Not my president’: Thousands join Anti-Trump protests across New York City

Image via Rachel Maddow Blog on twitter

November 10, 2016

‘Not my president’: Thousands join Anti-Trump protests across New York City

Demonstrations broke out across the country yesterday evening as hundreds of thousands gathered to protest the election of Donald Trump for president. NYC itself was largely activated by two groups, Socialist Alternative and Answer Coalition, who used social media to call upon New Yorkers to gather at Union Square and Columbus Circle, near Trump International Tower. Thousands of participants held signs emblazoned with a swath of issues now under threat, from LGBT to Black Lives Matter to the environment. Chants like "Not my president!" "Trump Makes America Hate" and "Don't Lose Hope" rang through the streets as protestors marched through Midtown to convene at Trump Tower. Among the crowds, however, were also Trump supporters who showed up to celebrate the victory.
more photos from the demonstrations

November 10, 2016

NY1 anchor Pat Kiernan keeps townhouse, sells duplex condo in Williamsburg

Popular NY1 news anchor Pat Kiernan made news himself when he and his wife Dawn and their two children moved from an Upper West Side co-op to a four-story townhouse at 135 Bedford Avenue in Williamsburg. The Kiernans bought the house for $2.03 million–a neighborhood record for a single-family home–and proceeded to undertake major renovations. Turns out that in 2013 the Kiernans also purchased a two-bedroom, two-bath duplex at 171 North 7th Street for $860,000. The condo must have become one property too many; it was recently sold for $1.095 million (h/t Observer).
Have a look, this way

Celebrities

November 9, 2016

Anti-Trump protests planned in Union Square and Columbus Circle, tonight

After nearly two years of controversial campaigning, countless protests and seemingly endless division, Donald Trump has been elected the 45th president of the United States. While many Americans are either celebrating the win or reeling at its results, some still have some fight left in them—or at least a protest. Socialist Alternative is planning just that Wednesday […]

Uncategorized

November 9, 2016

Neil deGrasse Tyson on gazing at stars from a Bronx rooftop; Hip Hop Hall of Fame eyes Manhattan

Astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson talks about first looking at the stars from the roof of his childhood home in Riverdale. [WSJ] The Hip Hop Hall of Fame may open a hotel-museum in Manhattan that would also include retail, TV studios, a restaurant and sports bar, and concert lounge. [Curbed] View swing states from space in these […]

Uncategorized

November 9, 2016

Spectacular Upper East Side apartment is enlivened with vivid colors and uncommon shapes

By Rebecca Paul

The Upper East Side is home to a plethora of elegant residencies, and the interior of this 79th Street apartment from the design firm S.R. Gambrel is luxury at its best. Each room is impeccably outfitted to tell its own story, individual in point of view, but still fits together into one cohesive aesthetic. From the vivid color palette and wall decor to the ornate light fixtures and floor textiles, everything in this home is vibrant, lively and not to be missed.
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Distinctive Homes

November 9, 2016

Historic church near Penn Station to be converted to modern retail space

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

The Church of St. John the Baptist, located at 213 West 30th Street between 7th and 8th Avenues, has stood in Midtown since 1872. Designed in the French Gothic-style by architect Napoleon LeBrun, it first served New York City's German population and was later assumed by the Capuchin Friars. In 1974, a brown brick Brutalist structure was added on the other side of the site at 210 West 31st Street, facing Penn Station, to serve as the Capuchin Monastery of St. John the Baptist. This two-story building was recently acquired by KBS Capital and Onyx Equities, who plan to spend $14.2 million converting the property into a 30,000-square-foot retail space, reports The Real Deal. Though initial plans don't seem to touch the 144-year-old church, a rendering of the 31st Street project shows a glassy, neon-laden facade.
More details ahead

New Developments

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November 9, 2016

Lincoln Center: From Dutch enclave and notorious San Juan Hill to a thriving cultural center

By Michelle Young

The glossy cultured patina of Lincoln Center reveals nearly nothing of what the neighborhood once was, and New Yorkers, accustomed to the on-going cycle of building and demolition, have likely forgotten (or never knew) about the lively San Juan Hill neighborhood that was demolished to make way for the famous cultural center. Any such development dating from the 1960s wouldn't be without the fingerprints of the now-vilified Robert Moses, who was more than willing to cut up neighborhoods both poor and wealthy in the eye of progress.
Learn more about Lincoln Center's incredible past here

November 9, 2016

Target opening a store in new Hell’s Kitchen condo

Over the summer, Chinese developer Xinyuan Real Estate filed plans to build a seven-story, 105,305- square-foot condominium at 615 Tenth Avenue in Hell's Kitchen, their second NYC project after the Oosten in Williamsburg. The address had formerly been home to a Hess gas station until Xinyuan bought the site last January for $57.5 million. Their new 82-unit project, dubbed Hudson Garden, will also have a 29,000-square-foot retail base along the western blockfront between West 44th and 45th Streets, for which the Post reports Target has signed a lease.
More details

New Developments

November 9, 2016

Soori High Line penthouse with its own private pool hits the market for $22.5M

The new Chelsea condo Soori High Line, at 522 West 29th Street, has made headlines for apartments that come with their own private pools. And now one of the building's most luxurious condos has hit the market—a penthouse triplex asking $22.5 million. This pad boasts nearly 20 foot ceilings and one incredible, 25-foot-long, four-foot-deep heated rooftop pool.
Take a look

November 8, 2016

Bleecker Street co-op with a custom wall unit and built-in bar asks $895K

This one-bedroom co-op at 77 Bleecker Street--also known as Bleecker Court--has been totally re-imagined by the architecture and interior design firm Mancini. They added a custom wall unit to the living room (with its own built-in bar!), upgraded all the finishes and fancied up a lofted office space. This smartly designed pad in Greenwich Village is now up for sale, asking $895,000.
More photos this way

Distinctive Homes

November 8, 2016

Inside Alec Baldwin’s Hamptons home; Will Trump get votes in his childhood neighborhood?

Go inside Hilaria and Alec Baldwin’s 18th century East Hampton farmhouse. [Elle Decor] How Patrick Schumacher, Zaha Hadid’s right-hand man, is keeping the late starchitect’s name on top. [W Magazine] Voters in Donald Trump’s childhood neighborhood of Jamaica Estates have expressed concerns over his presidential candidacy. [Guardian] Five new balloons coming to the Macy’s Thanksgiving […]

Uncategorized

Photographer Danica O. Kus provides new interior views of Bjarke Ingels’ Via 57 West

Photograph © Danica O. Kus

November 8, 2016

Photographer Danica O. Kus provides new interior views of Bjarke Ingels’ Via 57 West

Photograph © Danica O. Kus For architectural photographers, Bjarke Ingels' self-described "courtscraper" Via 57 West is a dream. From its sharp angles and unique tetrahedron design to its winding courtyards and geometric interiors, the 32-story rental offers plenty of artistic shots. A couple months ago, just as the Midtown West project wrapped up construction, Iwan Baan released a set of images that showed new vantages of the central outdoor space and views of how the building fits in with the skyline. Now, ArchDaily shares a collection of photos from Danica O. Kus, these providing never-before-seen looks at Via's interior spaces--including the lobby, pool, and balconies--as well views of the the building's public art piece and highly artistic shots of its facade.
go inside

Architecture And Design

November 8, 2016

Even more pricey condos are coming to Billionaires’ Row

Back in September, there were murmurs that the Feil Organization had plans to convert a 57th Street office building into residences. As it turns out, Billionaires' Row will indeed soon find itself with another 34 high-end condos in tow. As Yimby first reports, plans were filed last week to convert a 14-story, 1907 commercial tower at 140 West 57th Street into a mixed-use property that would keep an existing grocery story at its base, but transform the building's upper 12 floors into 70,885 square feet of upscale living space.
more details here

November 8, 2016

Don’t miss your $23M chance to be Donald Trump’s downstairs neighbor

By Annie Doge

This "yuge" Trump Tower penthouse hit the market back in October 2015, but its $23 million price tag and location just a few floors below Donald Trump's personal residence have apparently not been the biggest selling points. As 6sqft previously noted, the sprawling (albeit gaudy) condo was once owned by the Donald himself, back when his parents lived there and when he reportedly rented it out for $110,000 a month to buddy Michael Jackson and then-wife Lisa Marie Presley. But if you're still itching to be neighbors with the presidential candidate, it's not too late.
Take a look around

The 1864 presidential election and the thwarted plot to burn New York City

Presidential election of 1864. Political drawing by Thomas Nash

November 8, 2016

The 1864 presidential election and the thwarted plot to burn New York City

By Tracy A. Marciano

This election has been turbulent to say the least, erupting into contentious rhetoric, violence at rallies, and collective anxiety. But this isn’t the first time the U.S. has experienced such uproar from an election. In 1864, in the throws of the Civil War, incumbent Republican Abraham Lincoln was running for re-election against Democratic candidate George B. McClellan, his former top War general. Although both candidates wanted to bring the Civil War to an end, Lincoln wanted to also abolish slavery, while McClellan felt slavery was fundamental to economic stability and should be reinstated as a way to bring Confederate states back into the Union. Here in New York, this battle led to a plot to burn the city to the ground.
What led to this dramatic twist in the election?

History

November 8, 2016

MTA to increase L train service as M train undergoes repairs in 2017

An unlikely hero has emerged to save straphangers from the brunt of yet another MTA closure: the L train. In a statement released this morning by the transit agency, beginning June 2017, another 50 roundtrips will be added to the L line while repairs are undertaken on the M line at the Myrtle Avenue stop in Bushwick.
find out more here

Transit

November 8, 2016

Prospect Park home hosts a graveyard of presidential rejects

On Election Day, the winners go on to live their political dreams while the losers are largely forgotten—until now. A new art installation from Nina Katchadourian called Monument to the Unelected has taken over the lawn of Prospect Park’s Lefferts Historic House with 58 campaign signs for all the losing presidential candidates from every election […]

Uncategorized

November 8, 2016

$975K for a flexible East Village co-op with lots of exposed brick

Here's an East Village co-op with a little room to grow. Located at 71 East 3rd Street, this is a two-bedroom apartment in which a third bedroom could be carved out of the large living room. Otherwise, it's a charming pre-war apartment with exposed brick in nearly every room, a cast iron tub and four exposures with views out toward the Empire State Building and One World Trade Center. And it's just hit the market for $975,000.
Now see more

Distinctive Homes

City says under-construction 421-a buildings must include housing for the homeless

555Ten, an Extell building that would be affected by the 421-a changes

November 7, 2016

City says under-construction 421-a buildings must include housing for the homeless

As 6sqft reported last week, Governor Cuomo, developers, and unions have been engaging in closed-door talks to bring forth his revision of the city's 421-a program that includes wage subsidies and an extension of the previous 25-year tax break up to 45 years. Glaringly (but not surprisingly) absent from the negotiations is Mayor de Blasio, but he's now taking matters into his own hands, at least when it comes to those under-construction buildings that got in to the program before it expired in January. According to the Times, the de Blasio administration introduced a new policy that says these projects must include housing for some of the 60,000 New Yorkers currently living in homeless shelters, but developers, particularly Extell's Gary Barnett, are not happy about the changes.
Find out more

New York Botanical Garden breaks ground on new $28M ‘Edible Academy’ complex

An overhead rendering of the Edible Academy complex. Image: Cooper Robertson

November 7, 2016

New York Botanical Garden breaks ground on new $28M ‘Edible Academy’ complex

The New York Botanical Garden’s Edible Academy—an agricultural education platform providing hands-on activities and interactive programs for children in the Bronx and Greater New York City area—broke ground on their new building complex last Thursday, October 27. The $28 million facility, which will be completed in the Spring of 2018, will double the number of on-site […]

City Living

November 7, 2016

MAP: Here’s what the NYC subway system looked like in 1939

We often think of the NYC subway as a relatively modern marvel, a system that has expanded and evolved tremendously over 100-plus years, and a shell of what it was when it first debuted in 1904. However, the reality is that the majority of the lines that make up today's network were actually built before The Great Depression. In fact, as graphic designer Jake Berman's insightful throwback map depicts, it was pretty much all systems go by 1939.
see the complete map here

November 7, 2016

Election night block party at President and Clinton Streets; 2.5 ton Gingerbread Village arrives this week

Some clearly pro-Hillary supporters in Boerum Hill are organizing a public, election night block party at President and Clinton Streets. [Facebook] But the Clinton campaign cancelled their election night firework display over the Hudson River. [Gothamist] If he’s elected President, the Secret Service would “strongly recommend’’ that Donald Trump not stay at his Trump Tower penthouse when […]

Uncategorized

November 7, 2016

Smart microphones are recording city sounds to help create a quieter New York

Researchers at New York University and Ohio State University are installing microphones at points throughout the city that will learn to recognize the pneumatic drills, bizarrely noisy Fresh Direct trucks and other street sounds that form our familiar daily cacophony. The recording devices use technology that was developed to identify migrating birds, the way the Shazam app records and identifies song snippets. The New York Times reports that the study will begin collecting 10-second bits of audio at random intervals, then begin labeling the urban din using UrbanEars, a machine-listening engine. The sensors are being trained to identify the many "sonic irritants" that plague city life, including the seasonal (snow plows, air conditioners) and the maddeningly ceaseless (garbage trucks, construction). The project, called Sounds of New York City (Sonyc) has the goal of creating an aural map that could help the city track and control noise pollution in addition to empowering residents to get involved.
Hear all about it

City Living

November 7, 2016

Proposed Penn Station-topping free-fall ride gets new video, details

When developers at Brooklyn Capital Partners and designers at AE Superlab revealed their proposal to erect the world's tallest free-fall ride atop Penn Station, it seemed like perhaps a commentary on Governor Cuomo's big-ticket overhaul of the station. But in fact, the team hoped their 1,200-foot Halo, as it's being called, would rise along with the renovations, serving as "an interactive beacon for the city." As 6sqft reported, "the ride’s 11 cars... could be modified to move as quickly as 100 miles per hour giving it a top-to-base free fall of about six seconds." A freshly uncovered video shows this in action, and a new project website provides more details on the logistical components, 20-month construction time period, and $130 million in annual projected revenue.
Plenty more details this way

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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November 7, 2016

$3.95M Yonkers castle with more than 20 rooms is out of this world

Just outside of New York City, at 170 Shonnard Terrace in Yonkers, you could be living like a literal king. This property is home to a stone castle with over 20 rooms replicated to reflect 16th through 18th century European style. The castle, known as Greystone Court, began as a country house in the 1880s and expanded over the years until it became its luxurious, grand current iteration. The current owner, Kohle Yohannan, purchased it in 2000 after the property had become rundown and restored the castle to its original splendor. It is now on the market for $3.95 million.
Take the grand tour

November 7, 2016

ODA’s Eran Chen on why ‘inclusive amenities’ are overplayed, and the need for better public spaces

By Michelle Sinclair Colman

Some architects just consider the building they are working on. But Eran Chen, the founder and executive director of ODA, Office for Design and Architecture, takes a broader view. Not only does he focus on the specific architecture for each building project but he considers the spaces the building creates, the way the architecture can […]

November 7, 2016

Interior renderings, more details revealed for Richard Meier’s Turtle Bay tower

The largest and tallest building in NYC from Pritzker Prize-winning architect Richard Meier is rising at 685 First Avenue, just south of the United Nations at 39th Street and First Avenue along the East River. Though developer Sheldon Solow bought the 30,000-square-foot site as part of his Turtle Bay South master plan 16 years ago, construction only kicked off in March. A couple months later, renderings were revealed of the 42-story slab tower's dark glass facade--a departure from Meier's typical beige designs and his first ever black building--and now the Times has shared the first interior renderings, along with new details about the residential breakdown (there will be 408 rentals and 148 condominiums) architectural specifics, and amenities.
More details and renderings this way

November 7, 2016

$18M Upper East Side townhouse duo hides rear boulder wall with a storied history

This almost-matched pair of townhouse apartment buildings at 316-318 East 77th Street on the Upper East Side is fronted by nondescript, fairly utilitarian facades, but the rear courtyard "rocks" an historic secret in the form of a massive chunk of Manhattan bedrock known as Lion’s Rock. In recent times the property was the site of a restaurant by the same name. The big boulder was part of the establishment’s rear garden, complete with water trickling from a spring that was a part of the old Saw Mill Creek. Lion’s Rock restaurant closed in the 1990s, but the rock remains (and probably will for the foreseeable future). But more interestingly, the rock is all that remains of a very different Manhattan.
A woods, and maybe a park

November 7, 2016

The W train returns today, see the MTA’s new service map