6sqft | NYC local news, events, and apartments

Last week it was made official that starchitect Bjarke Ingels would replace Norman Foster as the designer of 2 World Trade Center, as News Corp. and 21st Century Fox closed in on a decision to move into the downtown tower. Now, without delay, Wired has revealed exclusive renderings of the Ingels redesign for the site, which will top out at 1,340 feet, just 28 feet shy of One World Trade Center. The glass tower is defined by its striking setbacks that retract from the spot of the 9/11 attacks. Bjarke said in a statement, "To complete this urban reunification (the) tower will feel equally at home in Tribeca and the World Trade Center. From Tribeca, the home of lofts and roof gardens, it will appear like a vertical village of singular buildings stacked on top of each other...From the World Trade Center, the individual towers will appear unified, completing the colonnade of towers framing the 9/11 Memorial. Horizontal meets vertical. Diversity becomes unity."
Watch a video of the architect discussing his new design

Architecture And Design

Yuccie illustration via Bob Al-Greene for Mashable

June 9, 2015

Are Yuccies the New Hipsters?

Yuccies = Young Urban Creatives. And according to Mashable, they're the new iteration of hipsters. The author describes his self-created and self-describing class as "a slice of Generation Y, borne of suburban comfort, indoctrinated with the transcendent power of education, and infected by the conviction that not only do we deserve to pursue our dreams; we should profit from them." Just think of your friends moving to Brooklyn these days. They probably work for a startup rather than as a furniture maker and they likely do Flywheel instead of hot yoga. It's a new type of free spiritedness, the love child of yuppie and hipster that is rooted in personal fulfillment while still maintaining a successful lifestyle (and Instagraming it along the way).
More on the yuccie trend ahead

June 9, 2015

You’ll Spend All Your Time on the Terrace of This $775K West End Avenue Penthouse

Something about this West End penthouse feels like a Florida vacation home. It's surrounded by a fully planted wraparound terrace on three sides, and there's plenty of light from large windows and oversized glass doors. Plus, it has some high-end finishes that make this $775,000 unit (yup, a penthouse for well under $1 million) really stand out.
More pics inside

Distinctive Homes

June 9, 2015

Ranking the Cities That Waste the Most Energy; Another Foreign Billionaire Buys into One57

Brazilian billionaire Edson Bueno is the mystery buyer of a $53M condo at One57. [NYDN] Here are the U.S. cities that waste the most and the least amounts of energy. [Fast Co.] The 10 biggest real estate projects coming to Manhattan. [TRD] 16 affordable apartment units are available in a LES development at 331 East Houston Street. [Lo-Down] A Mott […]

Real Estate Trends

June 9, 2015

Jil Sander CEO’s 5th Avenue Apartment Gets an Ultra Minimalist Renovation by Thomas Phifer

Jil Sander's CEO, Constance Darrow, and her husband, Angelo Lombardi, are constantly traveling between Milan and New York. But when they stay in the Big Apple they have a stunning, ultra contemporary space to rest their heads. Located in a prewar building on Fifth Avenue, the couple's love nest is a modern renovation by Thomas Phifer and Partners that opts for the scant over the ostentatious. Though living in such sparse quarters would make many feel uncomfortable, this space embodies a very powerful air by having almost nothing in it.
Learn more about this ultra minimal Fifth Avenue Apartment

Distinctive Homes

June 9, 2015

Second Avenue Subway May Open Sooner Than Expected; 70 Years of the Circle Line Boat Tour

The Feds say they’re confident the Second Avenue Subway will open in early 2017, sooner than the most recent February 2018 estimation. [NYDN] A photographer documents New York’s diversity through “No Parking” signs. [Animal] The city’s Circle Line boat tour celebrates its 70th birthday. Here’s a look back at its impressive history. [Mashable] Daredevil Tattoos […]

Uncategorized

June 9, 2015

Karim Rashid Asks Facebook Followers to Choose the Facade of His Next Building

With all the controversy currently swirling around Karim Rashid's colorful design of a residential building in a historic Harlem neighborhood, it looks like the designer is looking to avoid any additional headache with the public as he moves forward with a brand new project in Soho. Rashid recently took to Facebook, asking his more than 419,000 followers to vote for one of four facades being considered for a building slated to rise at 30 Thompson Street. "It is a great opportunity to get feedback for my work," he said. "I believe we live in the age of 'the empowerment of the individual' where we all have a voice in the digital age."
Find out more here

June 9, 2015

Luxury Parisian Hotel May Be Coming to Chetrit’s Sony Building Conversion

It's definitely been a big number game at Chetrit's Sony Building conversion–from the 96 luxury condos they'll add to floors 14 to 33 of the 37-story tower, to the planned $1.8 billion sellout, to the $150 million triplex penthouse, which, if sold, would be both the city's priciest unit in history (if not eclipsed by the $175 million unit at 220 Central Park South) as well as the largest at 21,504 square feet. And now the Post reports that Chetrit is going to up the ante at 550 Madison Avenue by turning part of the commercial space on the lower floors into a luxury Parisian hotel.
Get the scoop

Distinctive Homes

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

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

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

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

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

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

Bethenny Frankel lists her Bridgehampton property for $6M

For $6.5M, this Sutton Place townhouse can be three apartments, one modernist mansion, or anything in between

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

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

VIEW ALL

June 9, 2015

Former Tribeca Commercial Space Is Now an Extravagant Modern Loft Asking $8.2 Million

This Tribeca loft is really something. It's located at 88 Franklin Street, a former textile factory turned commercial space. The New York Times profiled the current owner who decided to buy the commercial space and work to convert it himself into a residential loft apartment. The result, after a thorough renovation, is a modern pad with big windows and unique bathrooms.
Check it out

Distinctive Homes

Three UES Townhouses List for $120M, Could Be Single-Family Mansion

12-16 East 62nd Street via NYDN

June 8, 2015

Three UES Townhouses List for $120M, Could Be Single-Family Mansion

Most of us can only dream of owning a townhouse on the Upper East Side, so the idea of having three of them seems downright silly. But that's exactly what's for sale on East 62nd Street–three adjacent townhouses that are being sold as a package deal for their potential to be combined into one giant, 30,000-square-foot mansion. The Wall Street Journal first reported on the $120 million listing, and the Daily News revealed that the billionaire Safra family, of Brazilian banking fame, is behind the company listed as the seller. Currently, the three limestone, six-story homes at 12, 14, and 16 East 62nd Street are divided into 13 apartments with one doorman, though they can be delivered vacant. Together they boast 23 fireplaces, 11 terraces, and two roof decks. What makes the trifecta perfect for a combination is the fact that the homes are pretty much identical, with their cornices, ceilings, and floors all lining up.
More details ahead

Distinctive Homes

June 8, 2015

Own a Charming Wood Frame Church in the Catskills for $99,000

We're all keen on the trend of buying religious institutions for use as residential buildings. But in Manhattan, living on hallowed ground often means shelling out millions to nab just a room or two in one of these holy structures. Well, if you're on a budget and have designs on living in something a little more divine than a church attic studio (and don't mind giving up the city life), then feast your eyes on this amazing wood frame church located 90 minutes from Manhattan in the town of Harris in the Catskills. Priced at a mere $99,000, this 2,500-square-foot cutie was constructed in 1920, comes with half an acre, and according to its Craigslist listing, is in "excellent shape!"
Have a look inside

June 8, 2015

Harlem Rents Jump 90 Percent over the Past 12 Years, Bed-Stuy Not Much Better at 63 Percent

Take everything you think you know about "affordable" alternatives to pricey neighborhoods and throw it out the window. This map from the Community Service Society (first shared by the Daily News) analyzes newly released census data that compares median rents between 2002 and 2014. The data is drawn from a New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Urban Development survey of 18,000 New Yorkers every three years who had recently moved, which "eliminates the tendency of lower rents paid by long-time tenants to smooth out market changes and mask the changes that affect tenants who are looking for a place to live," according to CSS. The report shows that rents citywide have increased 32 percent over the past 12 years, not a new or surprising figure. But it also shows drastic increases in neighborhoods that have been traditionally thought of as more affordable. Central Harlem saw the biggest jump at 90 percent; the average rent in 2002 for new residents was $821 and now it's skyrocketed to $1,560. Other no-longer-affordable neighborhoods are Bed-Stuy at a 63 percent increase and Washington Heights/Inwood at 55 percent. The other 'hoods topping the list include less surprising areas like Brooklyn Heights/DUMBO/Fort Greene at 59 percent and Williamsburg/Greenpoint at 53 percent.
More findings from the report

June 8, 2015

Skyscrapers Signal Economic Doom; South Street Seaport Tower Design to Be Revised

The extinction of a quintessential NYC architectural facet has commenced: An architect pushing to remove fire escapes from two Soho buildings has received permission from the city to move forward. [DNA Info] Blue Bottle is expanding operations into NYC. The California-based brewer is opening up a roasting plant in Bushwick. [CO] A 392-rental project backed by Japanese […]

Real Estate Trends

June 8, 2015

The Ultimate Williamsburg Loft Is on the Market for $7,500 a Month

Coming straight from Williamsburg, the Brooklyn neighborhood that's perhaps best known for its stock of loft apartments, is the ultimate loft at 330 Wythe Avenue. This is at the Esquire loft building, a pre-war building that now has its own dog washing station, common terrace, and compost center. While the building's gone condo, this apartment is up for rent asking $7,500 a month. It's been billed "the coolest loft apartment in Williamsburg," according to the listing. Do you think it fits the bill?
Take a look inside

Distinctive Homes

June 8, 2015

Livin Studio Designs Innovative Fungi Cutlery for Eating Their Futuristic Sustainable Food

After their successful Fungi Mutarium (aka FU), a novel fungi food product grown on plastic waste, Austrian designers Livin Studio just had to come up with a specific Fungi Cutlery as new types of foods demand new ways of eating. Developed in close collaboration with Utrecht University in the Netherlands, Katharina Unger and Julia Kaisinger created a set of four silver cutlery pieces they call Drip Dropper, Round Chops, Hollknife, and Moon Spoon. These beautiful utensils can be used for drizzling sauce, slicing, slurping, and reaching even the tiniest bit of fungi, ensuring nothing goes to waste.
Learn more about this precious cutlery of the future

June 8, 2015

Mapping the Wheelchair-Accessible Subway; Citi Bike Redesign Includes a Comfier Seat

New subway map shows only wheelchair-accessible stations, which account for just about 1/5 of the total stops. [DNAinfo] Citi Bikes are getting a redesign by an Olympic racing bike designer to include a new gear system and a seat that’s easier on the backside. [NYDN] There are more than 30 chain stores in Union Square […]

Uncategorized

June 8, 2015

Fill Your Home with the Scent of ‘Hot Garbage Radiance’ and Other Summertime City Fragrances

Before you get too excited (which we really hope you're not), let us tell you that these candles don't actually exist. They're a funny series from Mashable that parodies the stench of the city during a season when pleasant candle scents like "ocean breeze" and "fresh-cut peonies" take over shelves. While NYC doesn't generally smell like roses, the heat and humidity do a fine job at intensifying all of the gag-inducing odors one encounters while navigating a typical day. Candle scents illustrated here include Underfed Alley Cat Seduction, Eau du Subway Passenger, Rotting Produce, Formerly Fresh Baked Pizza, and a Gentle Gust of Garbage Truck, among some even more horrendous offenders.
Check the rest out here

City Living

No One Will Dare Challenge Your Throne in This $29M Palatial Pad

Here's a particularly gaudy apartment for those who want to literally feel like a king and queen of their palace. This six-story, 13,000-square-foot mansion at 7 East 84th Street came on the market for the first time in almost two decades in 2013, asking $30 million. It appears that after two years and no takers, it has finally lowered the price by a whole million, landing at $29 million. It's appropriately located inside the Metropolitan Museum Historic District, so its statues must feel right at home. Plus, it has a temperature-controlled wine cellar and tasting room in the basement that looks like it's straight out of "Game of Thrones," so we had to take a look.
More pics inside

Distinctive Homes

June 7, 2015

Energy Star-Rated Green Woods House in Amagansett Was Passively Designed

When the owner of an existing house located in the woods in Amagansett approached Stelle Lomont Rouhani Architects, he requested a modern family residence that was as energy-efficient and sustainable as possible. With this in mind, the architects created the Green Woods House, a passive solar design that opens up towards the south, keeping the north-facing façade well insulated and private from the road. Read on to find out how the Bridgehampton-based studio managed to make someone's dream home a reality with a limited budget and sloppy terrain.
Learn more about this passive, stunning family home

June 6, 2015

Weekly Highlights: Top Picks from the 6sqft Staff

A Trashcan Inspired the Design of Rafael Viñoly’s 432 Park Avenue $18 Million Townhouse in Greenwich Village Will Speak to Your Inner Historian and Artist Interior Renderings Revealed for Central Park South’s Brand New 1,210-Foot Supertall Bjarke Ingels Confirmed to Replace Norman Foster in the Design of 2 World Trade Center Elizabeth Roberts Brings Light […]

Uncategorized

June 5, 2015

New Yorker Spotlight: Michael Schneider on Telling Tales of Immigration on Ellis Island Using Technology

By Susan Cohen

Modern-day storytelling ranges from the age-old tradition of oration to the modern take of 140 characters. But what happens when the story is a mix of old and new and is intended for an audience that ranges from elementary school students to centenarians? That's where ESI Design, a firm dedicated to enriching the human experience, steps in. ESI was founded in 1977 by Edwin Schlossberg. Their unique focus on melding traditional techniques with modern technology made them the perfect fit to design the recently launched Peopling of America Center at the Ellis Island National Museum of Immigration. The center–conceived with the vision and support of the Statue of Liberty – Ellis Island Foundation and its president Stephen Briganti and the National Parks Service–highlights journeys undertaken before Ellis Island opened in 1892 with "Journeys: The Peopling of America - 1550s-1890," which opened in 2011. On May 20th, another wing called "The Journey: New Eras of Immigration" opened to give visitors the chance to look at immigration that took place after Ellis Island closed in 1954. One of the visionaries at ESI is senior designer of media and technology Michael Schneider. For the Peopling of America Center, he was responsible for figuring out which of the available technologies worked best for the new exhibits and their audience. We recently spoke with Michael to learn how ESI approaches storytelling and, specifically, how the firm designed the galleries for the Peopling of America Center.
Read our interview with Michael here

June 5, 2015

Inventor D.H. Burrell’s Little Falls Mansion Will Transport You Back to the Victorian Age

By Shiloh Frederick

Comfortably nestled within the Mohawk Valley in upstate New York, the Burrell Overlook Mansion is seemingly untouched by time. This former farmstead built between 1886-1889 was the home of inventor and engineer D.H. Burrell. Burrell, a quirky genius in his own right, paired the Victorian mansion with a self-sustaining hydroelectric power generator that amazingly remains functional to this day. But while the mansion once served as a playground for madcap ideas, today it operates as a peaceful bed and breakfast and historical hideaway for those passing through the valley. And now, for a mere $725,000, you can make this beauty your very own personal retreat.
Read more about this historic home

June 5, 2015

QUIZ: Play 6sqft Trivia to Test Your Knowledge of NYC History, Architecture, and Real Estate

On Tuesday, 6sqft celebrated its first birthday with a party attended by some of our biggest supporters and readers. The evening included an intense three-round game of trivia, where our guests tested their knowledge of New York City history, architecture and real estate. Some of the questions stumped all ten teams, while others turned out to be well-known factoids. Didn't make it to the party? We've created an online version of our trivia game just for you. No Googling allowed!
TAKE THE QUIZ

June 5, 2015

Pier55 Floating Park Gets New Renderings and Updated Design Details

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

Back in April, the city introduced a plan B for Barry Diller's Pier 55 floating park, but it was far less exciting than the original futuristic design. Thankfully, the latest set of renderings, revealed by Curbed, show that the whimsical nature of the park hasn't gone anywhere. Mathews Nielsen, the landscape architect for the project who is working with designer Thomas Heatherwick, unveiled the latest set of images at a meeting this week. They take into account concerns from the local community board, including its height (the platform will now be 62 feet at its highest point as opposed to 70), circulation (the winding pathways are being designed with congestion in mind), and the issue of people jumping off (the periphery will be lined with shrubbery and a fence).
More details ahead

Architecture And Design

June 5, 2015

Jon Bon Jovi Unloads His Mercer Street Penthouse for $34M

By Annie Doge

It's official, rocker Jon Bon Jovi is now free of the 158 Mercer Street digs he's been trying to unload for the past for two years. First reported by The Real Deal, city records filed this afternoon show that the home traded hands for a whopping $34 million; although at first this seems like a pretty penny, it's actually way down from its original ask of $42 million. The buyer is Austrian-American businessman and investor Gerhard Andlinger, who previously called a sprawling 8,300-square-footer at the Time Warner Center his home.
Have a look inside the penthouse

June 5, 2015

Ten Arquitectos Develop All-Purpose ‘Casitas’ for Community Gardens Around the City

By Shiloh Frederick

Over the past year, "casitas" have been sprouting up in community gardens from Puerto Rico to the South Bronx. These "little houses" are the result of a collaboration between the New York Restoration Project (NYRP) and the Urban Air Foundation (UAF) to develop an adaptable structure for community gardens. Taking on former mayor Mike Bloomberg's post-Sandy challenge to create resilient infrastructure throughout the city, the two organizations partnered with Ten Arquitectos to create the shed-like structures. The modular timber casitas are multi-functional and can be converted to food preparation stations, performance stages, storage spaces, or just a spot for shade.
More design details here

THE 6SQFT SHOP

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10 Ways to Decorate an Exposed Brick Wall Without Drilling

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VIEW ALL

June 5, 2015

The High Bridge Is Reopening After 40 Years; Mapping NYC Hip-Hop Artists

The High Bridge, the city’s oldest bridge that spans the Harlem River and connects Manhattan and the Bronx, will reopen to foot and bicycle traffic for the first time in 40 years. [NYT] HidrateMe is a smart water bottle that tracks your hydration and glows when you need to take a sip. [Business Insider] The […]

Uncategorized

June 5, 2015

Historic Riverside Mansion Designed by Notable Architect Asks $14 Million

Within the Riverside Drive-West 80th-81st Street Historic District on the Upper West Side, there's a row of eight stunning townhouses built in the Elizabethan Renaissance Revival style. The row was designed by the prominent architect Clarence True, who contributed greatly to the development surrounding Riverside Park. Elegant properties like this one at 320 West 80th Street attracted the New York City elite around the turn of the century, and not much has changed today. Now the mansion is on the market for $14 million.
See the beautiful interior

June 5, 2015

Charming Apartment in One of Harlem’s Oldest Co-ops Asks $1.1M

If you want to live in one of the oldest private co-ops in Harlem, here's your chance. The 25-foot-wide, 102-foot-long unit at 152 West 131st Street has an interesting floor plan with the living room and dining room on complete opposite sides of a long narrow hallway. But it has charming original details, nice finishes, and it's in an adorable brownstone, so the $1.1 million pad is definitely worth a look.
More pics inside

Distinctive Homes

June 4, 2015

According to Real Estate Brokers, All of Brooklyn Is an Extension of Williamsburg

A hilarious new map on Reddit pokes fun at real estate brokers’ tendency to stretch the truth to when it comes to an apartment’s proximity to desirable Williamsburg. Here, Coney Island is South-SouthSouth Williamsburg, East New York is South EastWilliamsburg, but only a tiny little triangle in Brownsville gets a reprieve from the hipster treatment […]

Real Estate Trends

Art Nerd New York’s Top Event Picks for the Week, 6/4-6/10

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!

June 4, 2015

Art Nerd New York’s Top Event Picks for the Week, 6/4-6/10

By Lori Zimmer

Kim Gordon, the unstoppable, inspirational Jane-of-all-trades leads the week with the opening of her latest fine art exhibition—as if playing in two bands and penning a best-selling memoir were not enough already. Novice art collectors can have their day at Cotton Candy for their very popular annual Tiny Trifecta, where all works by renowned artists are just $100. And being thrifty is in the air with the Museum Mile Festival which is offering free admission to nine museums along 5th Avenue. But if art isn't your thing, there's still lots more to do: get cultured with a French flick in Washington Square Park, or schooled at Lost Lectures as it returns to a secret, former ship-building warehouse somewhere in the Brooklyn Navy Yard.
All the best events here

Events & Things To Do

June 4, 2015

Ben Affleck Spotted Checking Out a $25M Time Warner Center Condo

By Annie Doge

Amidst rumors that Ben Affleck and wife Jennifer Garner are heading to splitsville, the Post now reports that Affleck is on the hunt for a NYC pad. The actor was spotted scoping out a duplex condo at the Time Warner Center at 25 Columbus Circle, currently priced at $24.995 million. The home was originally listed at $50 million last year, the Post writes, then popping back on the market early in January at almost half the price at $28 million. With 3,582 square feet at his disposal, this sprawling unit most definitely offers more than enough room for the actor and family to stretch out in, plus or minus Garner.
Let's have a look inside

June 4, 2015

Mipsterz Are on the Rise in NYC, and They’re Cooler Than Your Average Hipster

We all have one of those friends: you ask them if they consider themselves a hipster (which by all accounts they are) and you're met with a very sardonic "I hate hipsters..." While it's pretty much an unspoken rule that those who knowingly fall within hipsterdom should never acknowledge such, there is a unique group of young folks in the city wholly embracing the label as part of their identity. In fact, they've come up with their own play on the word: Mipsterz, or Muslim hipsters.
more here

June 4, 2015

All the Details Are Intact at This $1.5M Historic Bed-Stuy Brownstone

If you're in the market for a classic Brooklyn brownstone with all its details intact, check out this home for sale at 454 Jefferson Avenue in Bed-Stuy. The Second Empire-style house, which is four stories and holds two units, is boasting well-kept interior details alongside some more modern renovations. Simply put, it's a solid brownstone property without any special frills–just the exposed brick, wood floors and large windows. It's asking $1.55 million.
See the interior

June 4, 2015

A $500M Mansion Will Be the Country’s Most Expensive; The Naked Cowboy Rents in Queens

A CUNY professor is looking for plot to park his tiny, eco-friendly prefab home. [BU] A French financier is the buyer of 737 Park‘s $32M penthouse. [TRD] Who knew? Times Square’s Naked Cowboy rents in Queens. [BU] Think NYC’s penthouses are pricey? Apparently there’s a $500M mansion coming to Los Angeles. [Bloomberg] The $500M mansion […]

Real Estate Trends

June 4, 2015

Ai Weiwei and HHF’s Artfarm Displays Contemporary Chinese Art Inside an Agricultural Building

HHF Architects and Ai Weiwei have come up with a super cool, ready-made and affordable solution for an art gallery in a rural environment. They blended art and a farm, resulting in Artfarm. Using a pre-engineered agricultural structure commonly used in the area, they created a versatile and expansive display for the public exhibition of Chinese art from private collections worldwide.
Learn more about this rural art gallery in upstate NY

June 4, 2015

Ikea Is Using Meatballs to Trick You into Buying Furniture; How ‘Seinfeld’ Had a Subway Set

Check out these crazy NYC-inspired tattoos. [Refinery 29] Why can you get an entire Swedish meatball meal at Ikea for $5.99? So you’ll automatically assume everything else in the store is a steal. [NYP] The story behind Seinfeld’s very realistic, but fake subway set. [Gothamist] This skull ash tray uses functional form to prod smokers to […]

Uncategorized

June 4, 2015

Cobble Hill Townhouse Sets Record for Most Expensive Home Sale in Brooklyn at $15.5M

You know the real estate market is getting shaken up when Brooklynites are abandoning their beloved borough for the cheaper island of Manhattan. And today's record breaker just goes to show how hot Brooklyn is right now. The Daily News reports that the super-modernized Cobble Hill carriage house at 177 Pacific Street sold for $15.5 million, setting the record for most expensive home sale ever in the borough. The four-story, six-bedroom house takes the top spot from Truman Capote's former home at 70 Willow Street in Brooklyn Heights, which sold in 2012 for $12.5 million.
More details about this Brooklyn record breaker

Real Estate Trends

June 4, 2015

Soho’s Only Freestanding Home Already Back on the Market, Now a $22.5K Rental

If you thought you missed out on the chance to live in Soho's only freestanding home, you're in luck. Just two weeks after we broke the news that 514 Broome Street had sold for $6.887 million, it's back on the market with a new paint job and a rental price tag of $22,500 a month. Interestingly enough, "Million Dollar Listing" start Ryan Serhant is the broker once again.
More pics inside

Distinctive Homes

June 3, 2015

Starchitecture Firm Snøhetta Will Design Vornado’s Penn Station Area Overhaul

Back in April, we learned that Vornado Realty Trust was hoping to pour hundreds of millions of dollars into revitalizing the Penn Station area with new retail space, public plazas, and other infrastructure. Now, Crain's reports that the developer has tapped Oslo-based starchitecture firm Snøhetta to handle the overhaul's master plan, the same architects responsible for the 9/11 Memorial Museum Pavilion and the public plaza in Times Square. Snøhetta will be responsible for creating a "framework" for both Vornado's Penn Plaza buildings and the surrounding street-level spaces. And in a similar vein to the recently approved One Vanderbilt scheme at Grand Central, the master plan will include closing off part of West 33rd to vehicular traffic in the hopes of creating a permanent pedestrian plaza near Madison Square Garden.
More details and specifics on the street closures ahead

June 3, 2015

How Does the One WTC Observatory Stack Up Against the World’s Highest Tourist Spots?

It was a big day in New York City last Friday, when the One World Trade Center Observatory officially opened to the public, welcoming New Yorkers and tourists alike to the top of the tallest building in North America. While the view from 1,250 feet up in the air seems like the apex of the world, the folks over at the Skyscraper Museum put together this fun infographic, which compares the highest publicly-accessible tourist spaces around the world, including observation decks, bars, restaurants, and other sky-high thrills. Turns out, the One World Trade Observatory ranks 9th for observation decks and 11th for all publicly-accessible spaces.
More details ahead

Architecture And Design

June 3, 2015

Bjarke Ingels Confirmed to Replace Norman Foster in the Design of 2 World Trade Center

Back in April, word broke that starchitect Bjarke Ingels was in talks to re-design 2 World Trade Center, as News Corp. and 21st Century Fox mulled over a downtown move. Now the Post's Steve Cuozzo reports that the rumors are rapidly closing in on reality as both media companies have signed a non-binding but detailed letter of intent with developer Larry Silverstein to anchor the new 80-plus-story tower that pins Ingels as the architect. The news conglomerate would occupy 1.3 million square feet of the available 2.8 million square feet—a portion significant enough to jumpstart construction of the tower that has been stalled since 2008.
FInd out more here

Architecture And Design

June 3, 2015

This Verdant and Bright NoMad Loft Rental Is Channeling the Tropics

If you're looking for a loft with character, you'll want to check out this unit at 107 West 25th Street in Chelsea. It has all the original elements you look for, like refinished hardwoods, and whitewashed exposed brick, while throwing in some rare extras like original tin ceilings, exposed pipes painted red, and a 16-foot skylight. And it's available for rent for the first time ever for $6,500 a month.
More pics inside

Distinctive Homes

June 3, 2015

Artist David Salle Lists Home for $13M; What the World’s Richest One Percent Earn

Plans have been filed for Renzo Piano’s new residential project rising in Soho. [TRD] Here’s how much money the richest one percent make in 20 countries around the world. [Washington Post] Artist David Salle’s massive Fort Greene home has hit the market for $13M. [Curbed] How to give a crappy roommate the boot. [BrickUnderground] Images: The top floor […]

Real Estate Trends

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

Learn More

June 3, 2015

Bed-Stuy Townhouse with Flair and Flexibility Asks $2 Million

This four-family brownstone at 278 Clifton Place in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn, just hit the market for $1.995 million. It's a well-preserved historic brownstone that offers plenty of potential for conversion. It's currently set up as an owners duplex with two rental units above, but as the listing says, "You have the flexibility to make it a grand single family home, smart double duplex, triplex over garden rental or four floor-through income generating units." The house already has an extension that includes a terrace for the third-floor rental unit. The extra space and the flexible configuration gives the new buyer plenty of opportunity to use their imagination.
Check out the interior

Distinctive Homes

June 3, 2015

POLL: Can Snøhetta Transform Manhattan’s Most-Hated Area?

Earlier today, we learned that Vornado Realty Trust tapped Oslo-based starchitecture firm Snøhetta to create a master plan for the redesign of the Penn Station area. Even the developer referred to Manhattan’s most-hated and most-congested location as “the collision of humanity.” But Snøhetta worked their magic creating the Times Square pedestrian plaza, so we want to know if […]

Real Estate Trends

June 3, 2015

Pommes Frites Finds Cheaper Rent in the West Village; What Keeps New Yorkers Up at Night

Priced out of the East Village following the Second Avenue explosion, everyone’s favorite French fry spot Pommes Frites will move to MacDougal Street. We can hear the NYU students cheering now. [DNAinfo] What’s scarier, getting trapped in an elevator or priced out of an apartment? Here’s a list of New Yorkers’ worst nightmares. [The Awl] Support […]

Uncategorized

June 3, 2015

Isabella Rossellini Buys a Lincoln Square One-Bedroom for $1.3M

By Annie Doge

While the Lincoln Square location of Isabella Rossellini's new condo matches up with her larger-than-life theatrical personality, we're hard pressed to see what exactly about this simple one-bedroom at the Element drew her in. According to city records filed yesterday afternoon, the famed actress has scooped up the apartment with private terrace for $1.275 million, which, based on our best guess, will serve as a pied-a-terre of sorts for Rossellini, who spends most of her days on her farm in Bellport, Long Island.
inside isabella's new condo here

Extell May Build Brooklyn’s Tallest Tower at City Point

Rendering of City Point with a previously envisioned 65-story tower

June 3, 2015

Extell May Build Brooklyn’s Tallest Tower at City Point