6sqft | NYC local news, events, and apartments

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 Ridgewood, Queens. Want your home to be featured here? Get in touch! Few neighborhoods have gotten as much buzz in the past year as Ridgewood. Considered the next frontier for cool kids getting priced out of hip areas like Williamsburg and Bushwick, Ridgewood sits at the top of NYC's list of ones to watch. But even with all the hoopla, how many of you actually know someone who lives off this stretch of the L? In our latest installment of My sqft, we meet Sean and Liz, a couple of Greenpoint expats who've made their way into a beautiful, historic brick construction along a peaceful block in the heart of this up-and-comer. Living large in a very bright and airy 800-square-foot railroad apartment, these two really don't face the same space challenges that plague the rest of us New Yorkers, and as such they've found the freedom to infuse their space with lots of personality (toy bunnies, illustrations of "nerd weapons" and quirky art from across the globe) and all the furniture they've collected over the last decade (lots of covetable mid-century modern pieces and antiques). Jump ahead to meet this perky pair and see how they've created that perfect old-meets-new-meets-endearing balance that we all strive for but pretty much have no clue how to make happen in our own homes.
Go inside their adorable home here

June 30, 2015

$12.8M Upstate Castle May Look Medieval, but It’s Only 30 Years Old

Knights, turrets, life-size lion statues, secret passageways...this stone castle looks like something straight out of "Game of Thrones." But, believe it or not, the upstate mansion is not medieval at all; it was built just 30 years ago. Located in Bolton Landing, New York, up in the Adirondacks and overlooking Lake George, Highlands Castle was conceived by John Lavender, a man who (for some unknown reason) told his then-three-year-old son that he'd build him a castle. A decade later, he did just that, and he's now listed the one-of-a-kind home for $12.8 million.
Explore the castle here

June 30, 2015

Model Amy Hixson Asks $899,000 for Custom-Designed, Bespoke East Village Pad

A model home for a model citizen…literally. This East Village pad belongs to model Amy Hixson, who has graced the pages of GQ and Victoria's Secret, to name a few. Hixson purchased the home for $625,000 in 2010 and spent three months gut renovating the joint with the help of Own Entity designers. The interior is meant to channel the work of Roman and Williams, with handcrafted features like refinished original oak floors, reclaimed Barnwood doors, and a refurbished fireplace mantel. Now it's back on the market, asking $899,000.
Take a look around

June 30, 2015

Hadrian Bricklaying Robot Can Construct a House in Just Two Days

Here's a bit of technology sure to please developers worried about rising construction costs: This new robot engineered by Marc Pivac has the ability to erect a home in just two days. Named Hadrian after the Roman emperor who rebuilt the Pantheon, and more famously constructed the Hadrian Wall that marked the northern limit of Britannia, this incredible piece of tech can work 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, and it's able to lay 1,000 bricks per hour with the potential of building 150 homes in a year.
So how does it work?

June 30, 2015

Sales Launch at Rosario Candela’s 360 Central Park West; The Condos Replacing Brooklyn Heights Cinema

Sales have launched at Rosario Candela’s 360 Central Park West. A selection of three- to four-bedroom residences have been priced between $3,950,000 and just over $5,750,000. [CityRealty] Here are the Morris Adjmi-designed condos replacing the beloved Brooklyn Heights Cinema at 70 Henry Street. [6sqft inbox] 21 Broadway buildings have been shunned by the Landmarks Preservation Commission. [NYT] Neighbors […]

Real Estate Trends

June 30, 2015

NYU Expansion Plan Gets the Final Green Light from Court of Appeals

Last October, the appellate court overturned a previous decision by the New York Supreme Court that prohibited NYU’s $6 billion, 1.9 million-square-foot Greenwich Village expansion plan. But in Feburary, opponents of the plan (including community groups like GVSHP, Assemblywoman Deborah Glick, local residents, NYU Faculty against the Sexton Plan, and even actor Mark Ruffalo) announced that the New York State Court of Appeals would hear their case one final time. According to DNAinfo, though, today the state's highest court ruled in favor of NYU, giving the expansion plan the final go ahead.
Find out more about the ruling

June 30, 2015

Designer and Art Writer Sue Hostetler Finally Sells Four-Story Alphabet City Condo for $7M

Six years ago, designer and art writer Sue Hostetler (she's the Editor-in-Chief of Art Basel Magazine) built a modern six-story townhouse at 238 East 4th Street. She and her husband, media executive Jon Diamond, decided they'd occupy the first four floors, while selling off the two-story penthouse. The Alphabet City location raised some eyebrows at the time, but before long, celebrity husband-and-wife design team Bob and Cortney Novogratz were tapped to design the upper condo, which sold for $5 million to Oscar Proust and Colleen Goujjane, owners of the well-known West Village restaurant One If By Land, Two If By Sea. But despite creating her dream home from the ground up, and even installing a paparazzi shield on the one-car garage, Hostetler first put her massive home on the market in 2012 for $8.5 million. Rachel Weisz and Danielle Craig checked it out at the time, but it's been struggling on the market for three years, including an attempt at selling the entire building for $12.4 million. Now, according to city records released today, the 6,500-square-foot residence has sold for $6,995,000, and the buyer is, quite appropriately, light and interactive sculptor Jen Lewin.
Take a look around

Real Estate Trends

June 30, 2015

Kentile Floors Sign May Move Under Gowanus Train Tracks; Poster Maps 300 NYC Coffee Shops

Puppy porta-potties are popping up in Park Slope. They’re actually kiddie pools filled with soil and sod. [NYP] Today is one second longer than a normal day. Here’s a fun quiz to determine what you should do with your extra second. [BuzzFeed] The iconic Kentile Floors sign may get a new home under the elevated […]

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Distinctive Homes

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

A Victoria's Secret model's angelic East Village flat with a solarium and terrace asks $2.9M

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

Bethenny Frankel lists her Bridgehampton property for $6M

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

This $1.5M Ansonia Court co-op is an old-school classic loft in prime Park Slope

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

For $3M, this two-family Crown Heights townhouse fills every available inch of space with great style

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

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

VIEW ALL

June 30, 2015

New Map Plots Every Airbnb Listing in NYC

"Adding data to the debate" is the tagline of this new interactive map called Inside Airbnb, which has plotted all listings as of June 1st from the popular room-sharing website. The searchable bird's eye map was created by Bed Stuy photographer Murray Cox to show "how Airbnb is being used to compete with the residential housing market" in cities around the world (h/t Gothamist). In addition to looking at the trend across the city as a whole, the map allows users to zoom into a specific neighborhood and look at how an Airbnb presence has changed in a given area over the past few years.
Learn more about the map

Real Estate Trends

June 30, 2015

Rent Guidelines Board Approves Freezes on One-Year Leases for First Time in History

In a historic decision made last night, the Rent Guidelines Board voted 7-2 last night to freeze rents for the first time on one-year leases for New York City’s more than one million rent-stabilized apartments. The board, entirely appointed by Mayor Bill de Blasio, also moved to increase rents on two-year leases by just two percent, the lowest in the board's 46-year existence. The decision follows last week's lackluster vote at the state level to only extend but not strengthen rent regulations. "Cuomo betrayed us, the RGB can save us," tenants chanted at the meeting.
Find out more here

June 29, 2015

Michelle Williams Buys Colonial Revival Mansion in Prospect Park South That Needs a Little TLC

Actress Michelle Williams is clearly a fan of big, beautiful Brooklyn houses. 6sqft got the scoop back in September that she was listing her lovely Boerum Hill townhouse for $7.5 million. The ivy-covered, corner-lot home came complete with a three-car garage and more space than is usual for the neighborhood. Likely for these reasons, she sold the house for well over the asking price ($8.8 million to be exact), just two months later. And after keeping us in suspense for seven long months as to where she and nine-year-old daughter Matilda would move, Ditmas Park Corner revealed today that Williams purchased an historic Colonial Revival-style home in Prospect Park South. Last listed for $2.45 million, the eight-bedroom home at 1440 Albemarle Road is referred to as "The Tara of Prospect Park South" in the listing. It boasts a two-story front porch with fluted Ionic columns, dormer windows, eight fireplaces, and leaded and stained glass windows. The landmarked house is definitely in need of some TLC, but that shouldn't be a problem for Williams, as she told a neighbor "I love living somewhere that feels like the suburbs but is next to an express train."
Check out the interiors, this way...

7 Harrison Street (L); 203 East 13th Street (R)

June 29, 2015

The High and Low: A House at the Top

By Michelle Cohen

Though townhouses, row houses, and wooden houses exist in NYC in lower density areas like Brooklyn and Queens, in Manhattan, there’s often nowhere to build but up. It follows that those who enjoy the conveniences of modern condos sacrifice the feel of a free-standing house, and vice-versa. Penthouse living provides a rare exception; if you’re the top dog, you can basically build what you want, and the highest surface becomes your backyard and front porch. Penthouse bulkheads take a variety of shapes, with the most elaborate ones resembling nothing so much as a modernist masterpiece hovering above it all. In a few notable cases, this allowance is taken more literally than usual. The handful of log cabins, wood houses and such are curiosities atop the city’s tall buildings. The pair of lofty dwellings below exemplifies this good fortune. The first, a glass-walled rectangle above one of Tribeca’s most coveted converted industrial buildings removes the need for a Palm Springs retreat, though the $22.5 million price tag is definitely New York City-sized. The second, at $4.45 million, is more average-penthouse-priced, but the East Village home is definitely unique–its top floor resembles a country cottage.
See more of these have-it-all rooftop pads this way…

June 29, 2015

‘Poor Doors’ No Longer Allowed with New Rent-Regulation Bill

Thanks to a provision added to the newly extended and altered 421-a tax abatement passed last week, developers looking to segregate their wealthy tenants from their affordable rate renters will have to think again. According to The Post, Mayor de Blasio inserted a reform into the tax program plan that would ban the practice in which developers build a separate entrance for folks occupying the cheaper, below market-rate apartments in their buildings—better known as "poor doors."
More on the move here

June 29, 2015

FAO Schwarz Readies for a Move to Times Square; The Top 20 Power Players in NYC Real Estate

FAO Schwarz is wrapping up negotiations for a Christmas opening in Times Square. [CO] My Micro NYC has finished stacking its modular housing pods. [Field Condition] Jennifer Lawrence spotted looking at an apartment at Tribeca’s 443 Greenwich. [NYDN] The 20 biggest power players in NYC real estate. Norman Foster, Dbox, Soo K. Chan, Annabelle Selldorf and […]

Real Estate Trends

June 29, 2015

VIDEO: See the 1970s Graffiti Culture of NYC in This BBC Documentary

Watch this 26-minute video without sound and you'll see a striking, visual portrait of the 1970s graffiti movement in NYC, where everything from park monuments to subway cars was covered in tags. Listen to the commentary, though, and you'll find something much deeper. Created as a mini-documentary for BBC, the video explores the root of graffiti culture. Is it folk art, youngsters marking their territory, planned-out vandalism, a result of pent-up anxiety, or quiet rebellion? Keep in mind this one of the roughest and crime-ridden decades in the city, so it's interesting to see how some of those interviewed saw graffiti as a parallel to the crime, while others felt it was an artistic alternative that typified the energy of New York.
Watch the video here

History

June 29, 2015

Wooden Sauna Welcomes Guests to Sweat Out the Stress of the City

Located among grain silos, dairy barns, greenhouses and a grand 1940s estate house in Staatsburg sits a beautiful wood sauna construction. Designed by Andre Tchelistcheff Architects, it features long horizontal windows that span all of its facades, each window framing majestic views of the Hudson River and Catskill Mountains. Its woodland surroundings together with its cozy and scented interiors make this modern sauna perfect for sweating out any stress brought in from the city.
Learn more about this warm wooden retreat

June 29, 2015

Domino Sugar Factory Might Get a Photobook; NYC’s Economic Pizza Principle

Urban photographer Paul Raphaelson is raising funds on Kickstarter to produce a photobook called “Sweet Ruin: The Brooklyn Domino Sugar Refinery” in which he’ll feature his shots of the abandoned site. [CO] Check out these fun photos from yesterday’s “exultant” Gay Pride Parade 2015. [Gothamist] Though it won’t open for another year, here’s a first look […]

Uncategorized

Discover Your Inner Activist in This Brooklyn Heights Home of Women’s Rights

Here's an opportunity to own a piece of history in this beautiful $2.995 million parlor-floor duplex in the mansion that once housed the Brooklyn Women's Club and the Brooklyn Woman Suffrage Association. This very building at 114 Pierrepont Street was the gathering place of visionaries like Laura Curtis Bullard, Elizabeth Tilton and Ida Sherwood Coffin, who hosted lectures on world politics and peace advocacy as well as events like card games. And the apartment is as grand as its history.
More pics inside

June 29, 2015

Joan Rivers’s Opulent UES Penthouse May Have a New Owner

It's been almost five months since the late, great Joan Rivers's opulent Upper East Side penthouse hit the market for $28 million, and now the Post is reporting that the lavish triplex at 1 East 62nd Street may have a new owner. "Last Thursday, its final day, art and antiques storage specialists packed and hauled the remainder of what was heading to Christie’s and elsewhere... The sale’s not gone to contract, but there is a buyer," notes the paper.
Find out more here

June 28, 2015

Live the Charmed Life in This $1.3M Historic Babylon Victorian

By Shiloh Frederick

With one look at this house you can immediately see the harmony at work between modern and traditional. Only a modern house would dare to be coated in a color so striking. However, the Victorian features of this Babylon, NY home elevate it from merely striking to sophisticated and chic. This 3,956-square-foot Babylon Victorian (h/t CIRCA) is perfect for the person who loves old world charm with modern conveniences (and who has $1.3 million to spend).
Look around the house here

June 27, 2015

Weekly Highlights: Top Picks from the 6sqft Staff

Landmarks Preservation Commission Maps 150 Years of LGBTQ History in Greenwich Village For $1.25M You Can Live Like a Governor’s Daughter in This Historic Victorian Home Are You Rich? The Wealthometer Will Tell You 2,000 NYCHA Apartments Are Vacant Despite 270,000-Name Waiting List Unique Brooklyn Heights Studio Comes with Clever Space-Saving Ideas and a Private […]

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June 26, 2015

Live in the Funky Former UES Factory of 1930s Gnome Bakers for $14K

There are few things in life more charming than a gnome. We're willing to bet Americans would take more vacations if they could just pack that little guy from Travelocity along with them. Well, we'll do you one better. We are talking an actual gnome house. That's right, this $14,000 rental at 316 East 59th Street was once home to Gnome Bakers, a little bakery that sold oddly shaped breads and rolls.
More pics inside

June 26, 2015

Darling Upstate Cottage Looks Like It Came Straight out of a Storybook

Looking for a place to live happily ever after? We couldn't have dreamt up a more picturesque home than this little beauty located in Ghent, New York. Described by its listing as "pure magic in a storybook setting," this charmer comes with streams and ponds right at its doorstep and a wooden bridge to welcome guests home, and it's surrounded by miles and miles of pristine woodlands to get lost in. Really, the only things missing here are Golidlocks and three bears!
Have a look inside the fairy tale home

June 26, 2015

New Yorker Spotlight: Patty Dolan Shares Stories of Running the Hampton Jitney for 16 Years

By Susan Cohen

Memorial Day might be the unofficial start of summer, but the end of June marks a distinct shift in the city. With temperatures climbing, school finally out, and July 4th a week away, New Yorkers are ready to beat the heat by heading east. For many, that means booking a seat on Hampton Jitney, where they can enjoy the Long Island Expressway in style. Since 1974, Hampton Jitney has been a pioneer in Manhattan-to-East-End transportation. What began with one van has blossomed into a major transportation operation, and the company relies heavily on its experienced employees like Patty Dolan to keep service running smoothly. Patty has worked at Hampton Jitney for 16 years. She has held various positions, and in her own words, has done everything but drive and fix the buses. Today, Patty serves as both a reservations manager and dispatcher, which has turned her into a multitasking problem solver extraordinaire. In time for Hampton Jitney's peak season, we spoke with Patty to find out how she helps keep the wheels turning, as well as to pick up a few travel tips.
Read the full interview here

June 26, 2015

Inside a Bed-Stuy Home with Over $10M in African Art; Greenpoint Landing Breaks Ground

Model and Kardashian friend Gigi Hadid checks out an apartment on the East Side. [NYDN] Greenpoint Landing broke ground today. The half-mile, 22-acre stretch along the East River will include 1,400 affordable housing units, a new 640-seat public school, and four acres of resilient public green space along the waterfront. [6sqft inbox] Why it’s a renter’s market and […]

Real Estate Trends

June 26, 2015

Moooi Makes Stunning Photorealistic Carpets Using iPhone Photos

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

Dutch design is famous for its daring, playful, and smart solutions, and these photorealistic carpets by Moooi completely exemplify that esthetic. The furniture and lighting brand recently launched Moooi Carpets, a sister company with an advanced print-on-demand technology that allows people to design their own rug -- or choose one from its Signature Collection by the likes of Ross Lovegrove or Christian Lacroix. Featuring extreme high definition and available in immense dimensions that could cover floors, walls, and ceilings, these stunning carpets might be setting a new trend for interior decoration.
Learn more about these customizable carpets

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

VIEW ALL

June 26, 2015

QUIZ: Can You Name These Starchitects by Their Distinguishing Features?

Is it his rounded spectacles that give him away? Or is it that perfectly touseled hair? And her? That mane totally says Zaha Hadid. When it comes to architecture you may know your post-modern from your mid-century, but how familiar are you with the famed names that have shaped architecture's most important movements? This fun quiz called The Distinguishing Features Game is quite the brain teaser and comes courtesy of "Archi-Graphic," an upcoming book of more than 60 arch-centric infographics from author, architect and assistant professor at the Faye Jones School of Architecture, University of Arkansas, Frank Jacobus.
Find out more here

Architecture And Design

June 26, 2015

Study Says Wood Buildings Are Cheaper to Build; New York Wheel Groundbreaking Delayed Again

The world’s oldest person lives in Brooklyn, and she attributes her longevity to sleep. [NYDN] New study shows that timber buildings can be up to 10-15 percent cheaper to construct than traditional designs. [ArchDaily] Photo exhibition at the Four Seasons pits Philip Johnson’s Glass House against Mies van der Rohe’s Farnsworth House. [Untapped] Groundbreaking for the New York Wheel, a.k.a. the […]

Uncategorized

June 26, 2015

Chris Meloni of ‘Law & Order: SVU’ Fame Tries Again to Unload Park Imperial Condo

Everyone's favorite "Law & Order" hunk is looking to ditch NYC for good. Christopher Meloni left the incredibly popular television show in 2011 after a 12-year run, relocating with his family to a home in the Hollywood Hills. The following year, he put his 3,000-square-foot, three-bedroom Park Imperial condo on the market for $12 million, but after failing to get the asking price, he settled on renting it out for the past several years. Now it's back, asking a significantly reduced $8.95 million (he bought the Midtown West pad for $5.45 million back in 2005), reports the Wall Street Journal.
See what Meloni has to say about his condo

2,000 NYCHA Apartments Are Vacant Despite 270,000-Name Waiting List

Photo via Wiki Commons

June 25, 2015

2,000 NYCHA Apartments Are Vacant Despite 270,000-Name Waiting List

Photo via Wiki Commons For many New Yorkers, public housing is the only affordable way to live in the city, but despite an ever-growing waiting list, thousands of these homes are sitting empty, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal about an audit of NYCHA by Comptroller Scott Stringer. At a release of the findings yesterday at the Raymond V. Ingersoll Houses in Brooklyn, Stringer said: "Even though 270,000 New Yorkers are on the waiting list for housing, desperate to put a roof above their heads, we found that NYCHA is sitting on over 2,000 apartments they identify as vacant." The audit shows that 1,366 apartments are empty awaiting repairs, and 967 are between tenants.
More audit findings ahead

June 25, 2015

$2M Gefter-Press House Was Designed as an Homage to Philip Johnson’s Glass House

This must be the week of glass houses: Yesterday we took a look at Philip Johnson's Wiley House–built as a successor to his world-famous Glass House–which is on the market for $14 million; today we're checking out the $1,950,000 Gefter-Press House, inspired by Johnson's Glass House as well as Mies van der Rohe's Farnswoth House in Plano, IL. The U-shaped, single-story, all-glass-and-steel home was designed in 2007 by Columbia University professor and architect Michael Bell, "as an essay in transparency," according to the listing. He had previously displayed a model of the home at a 1999 MoMA exhibit titled "The Un-Private House." Philip Gefter, the former culture pictures editor at the New York Times, and his partner, filmmaker Richard Press, had seen the model, and called Bell when they were ready to build their own version of the modernist masterpiece on their 12-acre property in Ghent, NY.
Check out the entire home here

Art Nerd New York’s Top Event Picks for the Week, 6/25-7/1

Image by Vivienne Gucwa via flickr

June 25, 2015

Art Nerd New York’s Top Event Picks for the Week, 6/25-7/1

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 which start tonight! The dominating celebration of this week and weekend is of course NYC Pride, a city-wide, days-long series of festivities celebrating LGBT, diversity and an overall message of LOVE. If you can't take the crowds during the iconic March, make sure not to miss the screening of "Paris is Burning," which will include a reunion with original cast members. On the art side, enjoy a survey of stencil art at Dorian Grey, while the Gladstone Gallery will be transforming its walls into literal art works. The Lower East Side Printshop shows off its most recent artists in residence, and Chashama's Harlem space will be hosting a show about Spinozan ethics (go to at least find out what that means). Artist Andrew Jeffrey Wright blends art, comedy and a dance party (together at last!) and innovative fashion collective threeASFOUR creates a fashion-meets-art installation for you and your dog on the beach in Fire Island.
All the best events here

Events & Things To Do

June 25, 2015

VIDEO: Here’s What It Was Like to Live in 1960s Greenwich Village, a ‘Countrified Cosmopolitan’

Yes, the 1960s were a rocky period; a turning point for a nation at war and an era that birthed a counterculture movement that would transform the world as everyone knew it. But amongst all the chaos, life went on in NYC. And in Greenwich Village things were especially great. We recently uncovered this fun little film that takes viewers through the trends and lifestyles that permeated throughout the beloved neighborhood. Although the times were far different—apartments were filled with struggling creatives like Dylan Thomas, Norman Mailer and Bob Dylan versus wealthy celebs like Leonardo DiCaprio and Sarah Jessica Parker—the life that's depicted isn't all that different from what the neighborhood's uber-rich residents enjoy today. Daily habits, or "chores" as the video calls them, ranged from "minding the laundry, browsing through antique shops for possible bargains, or discovering a rare volume in a quaint bookstore." Folks would then of course follow up all that work up with a "relaxing moment" at one of the many sidewalk cafes where they'd find an artist ready to draw them.
Watch the video here

History

June 25, 2015

Bloomberg’s Ex Lists Her Noho Pad for $12M; China’s Richest Man Buys in the Adirondacks

Susan Brown, Mayor Bloomberg’s ex-wife, is asking $11.7M for her NoHo penthouse. [NYDN] China’s wealthiest man just purchased 28,100 acres of land in the Adirondacks for $23M. [NYDN] Poor whites tend to live in wealthier neighborhoods than do middle class blacks and Latinos, a new study reveals. [Washington Post] The New York City Economic Development Corp […]

Real Estate Trends

June 25, 2015

Workshop/APD’s ‘Crafted Modern’ Hudson Views Home Grows out of an Old Ranch

anchCan you believe this grand contemporary home was once a ranch? The architects in charge of the surprising renovation, NY-based Workshop/APD, updated a traditional '60s ranch building, retaining much of its original shape. Situated in Briarcliff Manor, the aptly named Hudson Views home boasts sweeping river views and its original gabled roof, and it still sits atop the ranch's original foundation dating back to its agricultural days.
Learn more about the home

June 25, 2015

Landmarks Preservation Commission Maps 150 Years of LGBTQ History in Greenwich Village

We're right in the middle of NYC Pride Week, and this Sunday will be filled with festivities surrounding the 45th annual Pride Parade, the largest parade of its kind in the world. And in a perfectly timed decision, the Landmarks Preservation Commission announced on Tuesday that it had designated the Stonewall Inn as the city's first LGBT landmark. The LPC now has even more to share, releasing a fun new interactive map called Taking Pride, which documents 150 years of LGBTQ history in Greenwich Village, the hub for gay activism in the city, and even the world.
READ MORE

History

June 25, 2015

100 Years Ago the BMT Subway Changed Brooklyn; New App Gives Access to Clean Public Bathrooms

Here’s an interview with Ghislaine Viñas Interior Design, notable for their colorful and whimsical designs, as well as an inside look at their work studio. [Design Milk] A new app called SpotPog lets Brooklynites identify street parking spots, reserve them, and offer a spot to someone else. [Next City] Another app, this one called Looie, gives users access […]

Uncategorized

June 25, 2015

$2M Townhouse in Downtown Brooklyn Has a Goldfish Pond and 30 Types of Flowers

Sitting on a quiet block of colorful, historic homes in Vinegar Hill (okay, Downtown Brooklyn, but minor details...) is the perfect three-bedroom townhouse for a budding family. The 100-year-old storybook home covers 1,878 square feet and features a shady landscaped backyard with more than 30 types of flowers, a stone goldfish pond, and a winding path. And it's back on the market for $1.995 million.
Check it out here

Distinctive Homes

June 24, 2015

Following a Meticulous Renovation, Philip Johnson’s Wiley House Is on the Market for $14M

The listing says it's "perhaps the ultimate Mid-Century Modern home available in the world." We can't confirm or deny that statement, but we can assure you that this property, Philip Johnson's Wiley House, is a pretty incredible piece of modern architecture. Located in New Canaan, the same Connecticut town as the architect's world-famous Glass House, the Wiley House is considered the most "livable" of all Johnson's works. It was built in the 1950s, sits on six acres of land, and is "a transparent glass rectangle cantilevered over a stone podium," according to the Wall Street Journal. Wall Street executive Frank Gallipoli bought the property for $1 million in 1994, a time when buying modernist homes was not as popular as it is today. He then spent millions more to restore the property, preserving Johnson's original design, but adding green upgrades like heat-insulating glass panes and floor heating. Gallipoli told the Journal that living in the home is like being "up in a treehouse."
Check out the rest of this amazing property

June 24, 2015

Looking at NYC’s 10 Scenic Landmarks and What Sets Them Apart from Other Public Parks

Since 2015 marks the 50th anniversary of the New York City landmarks law, we've been talking a lot about historic buildings–those that have been saved, those that were destroyed, secrets of some of the city's most famous spots. We even discovered that there are two landmarked individual trees. And starting tomorrow, the New York City Parks Department is hosting a new exhibit at the Arsenal in Central Park called Living Landmarks, which takes a look at nine of the city's ten scenic landmarks, showcasing "their contributions to landscape design and to the dynamism of the city through historical and contemporary photography, renderings, maps, artifacts, and memorabilia." Many of these, like Central Park, Prospect Park, and Bryant Park, are no brainers, while others like Verdi Square, Fort Tryon, and Ocean Parkway, are a little more under-the-radar.
See the rest and find out what makes these public spaces landmark-worthy

June 24, 2015

First Look: Andrés Jaque’s Wild, Water-Purifying ‘COSMO’ Now Open at MoMA PS1!

By Shiloh Frederick

"COSMO" has officially brought the party to MoMA PS1. The winning project of MoMA PS1's 16th Young Architects Program (YAP) is now open for public viewing in the museum affiliate's courtyard. "COSMO: Give me a pipe and I will move/celebrate the Earth," which was designed by Andrés Jaque/Office for Political Innovation, is a moveable artifact made from customized irrigation components that puts out an effort to make visible–and enjoyable–the hidden urbanism of the water pipes we live by. We stopped by the courtyard earlier today as "COSMO" got its finishing touches, and we must say, this installation looks as incredible as its renderings.
Your first look here

June 24, 2015

The World’s Largest Geodesic Dome Home on Long Island Now Selling for $1M

We've featured this incredible green dome home on 6sqft before, but now comes word that this spectacular dwelling has hit the market for $1 million. The home, located at 1489 Sound Avenue in Calverton on Long Island, is the world's largest geodesic dome home, measuring a massive 70 feet in diameter, 45 feet high, with 5,850 square feet at its disposal. In fact, according to its owner Kevin Shea, it's so big that "two traditional homes can fit inside!"
Have a look inside

June 24, 2015

Mike Myers Selling Two Soho Apartments for $21.5M; South Street Seaport Named an Endangered Historic Place

Mike Myers ups the ante on his penthouse listing, adding another unit and a few extra million dollars to the price tag. [Curbed] South Street Seaport is one of the nation’s most endangered historic places. [Crain’s] The developer of the Rheingold Brewery site in Bushwick is allegedly trying to nix including any affordable housing. [DNA […]

Real Estate Trends

June 24, 2015

‘Sofa So Good’ Is Finnish Designer Janne Kyttanen’s Latest 3D Printed Piece

Finnish designer and conceptual artist Janne Kyttanen first fell in love with 3D printing while studying at Amsterdam's Gerrit Rietveld Academy. After graduating, he soon started imagining a future where products would be scaled down into digital files and people could just download any design they liked. His "Sofa So Good" piece is one of his latest and most intricate 3D printed designs, which joins a wide collection of objects he's created that includes lamps, tables and packaging as well as ping-pong paddles and futuristic shoes.
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Spring + Thompson

83 Thompson Street

Soho

Loft-like residences in Soho designed by Selldorf Architects

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

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June 24, 2015

Whole Foods Is Ripping Us Off; The Strange Collections Jay Maisel Left Behind at 190 Bowery

Keith Haring’s six-story Statue of Liberty mural is going up for auction. [NYP] Turns out there is some validity to the “Whole Paycheck” nickname for Whole Foods. The grocery store has been overcharging for pre-packaged foods. [Gothamist] Past and present: Manhattan Beach’s “Apartcot” bungalow colony. [Brownstoner] According to an interview with real estate investor Aby […]

Uncategorized

June 24, 2015

POLL: How Do You Like the Nordstrom Tower’s New Name, Central Park Tower?

We knew the name Nordstrom Tower wasn’t going to stick; the unofficial moniker came only from the fact that the building will have a Nordstrom department store at its base. And just a week after news hit that the supertall from Extell will be the country’s highest by roof height, we’ve learned the official name: Central Park […]

June 24, 2015

Renderings Revealed for Pacific Park Mega-Development’s Eight-Acre Green Space

Formerly known as Atlantic Yards, Pacific Park Brooklyn will be a 22-acre site anchored by the Barclays Center in Prospect Heights and containing eight million square feet of mixed-use development that includes 16 condo towers and 2,250 units of affordable housing, as well as an eight-acre park. Almost a year ago, developers Forest City Ratner Companies and Greenland USA (now merged as Greenland Forest City Partners) announced that they'd chosen Thomas Balsley Associates to design the green space. And now, we're finally seeing the first set of renderings for the public space, in addition to a master plan. The Daily News first shared the renderings, showing "the long, meandering park, which will follow the footprint of the new towers." The outdoor space will boast a public plaza and promenade, toddler and children's play areas, a bocce ball court, basketball court, dog run, glowing lanterns, sloping lawns, and a water garden.
More details ahead

June 24, 2015

$3M Brooklyn Heights Duplex Features Huge Outdoor Living Area Complete with a Fire Pit

Here's a $2.995 million garden duplex at 132 State Street in Brooklyn Heights with a gorgeous private backyard. The 25-foot-wide brownstone apartment features 2,275 square feet on the garden and parlor levels. And it's almost an insult to call the 1,000-square-foot rear garden "just" a backyard. It's actually more like an outdoor living room, but we'll get to that later.
More pics inside

Distinctive Homes

June 23, 2015

INTERVIEW: Fōz Design’s Fauzia Khanani, a Young Architect Goes Solo in NYC