Search Results for: garden

December 13, 2016

Historic districts and landmarking: What they mean and how they could affect you

In New York City, where buying and selling real estate is a high-stakes endeavor, the topic of historic and landmark designation is frequently raised. There are heated discussions on the subject of listing neighborhoods or buildings on the State and National Register of Historic Places or having them designated by the city’s Landmarks Preservation Commission. It's important to know what those organizations do and the distinctions between them. You could even be eligible for significant financial aid for your renovations if you own property in an historic district.
Find out what these designations mean, how you could benefit from them and why they're sometimes controversial.
December 13, 2016

Renderings revealed for 724-foot Lower East Side tower, final piece of controversial site

The historically low-income, low-slung neighborhood of Two Bridges--the area along the East River, near the footings of the Manhattan and Brooklyn Bridges where the Lower East Side meets Chinatown--has become a high-rise hotbed over the past year. Despite the controversy that the four planned projects, all upwards of 700 feet, have caused, they're moving along fairly swiftly, and The Lo-Down now has the big reveal for the final site--Starrett Group's 259 Clinton Street. Perkins Eastman Architects have designed the 724-foot, 62-story glass tower, which will have ground-floor retail and 732 apartments, 25 percent of which will be permanently affordable with a good chunk being set aside for low-income seniors.
More details and renderings ahead
December 13, 2016

Own the incredible Arts and Crafts home where Milton Glaser designed the ‘I ♥ NY’ logo

Graphic design legend Milton Glaser's most famous works are arguably the I ♥ NY logo and the psychedelic Bob Dylan poster, both of which were created at his upstate home in Woodstock. He and wife Shirley have owned this incredible, early 20th century stone-and-glass home for more than 50 years, adding a contemporary aesthetic to its historic Arts and Crafts style and maintaining the 76+ acres of gardens and forest. It's now hit the market for $1.8 million since, according to Gothamist, the couple has reached a point "where downsizing has become the obvious choice."
READ MORE
December 10, 2016

12 alternative holiday events, exhibits, and outings in NYC

From the swarms of tourists, long lines at stores, and increased prices on everything from theater tickets to cocktails, the holidays in New York can be more of a headache than anything. But fear not--there are plenty more ways to get festive other than battling the crowds at Rockefeller Center or paying an arm and a leg to see the Rockettes. 6sqft has rounded up a dozen alternative events, including a sexy rendition of the Nutcracker, an exhibit of Santa's history in NYC, a latke festival, and a special Kwanzaa dance performance.
All the events this way
December 10, 2016

Live like ‘Doctor Strange,’ Flatiron penthouse at 21W20 hits the market for $13.5M

Since being released last month, Marvel's "Doctor Strange" has grossed over $635 million worldwide, centering on the alternate dimension of an egotistical surgeon turned wizard, played by Benedict Cumberbatch. A few key scenes are filmed in Dr. Stephen Strange's spectacular Flatiron loft; the fictional abode would lie just west of Broadway and directly south of the Flatiron Building on 23rd Street. Coincidentally, a palatial and similarly-situated residence has just been released at Gale International's boutique condominium development 21W20. The full-floor unit, known as Penthouse One, boasts 4,841 square feet of interior space and 541 square feet of outdoor terraces and is just one of two remaining homes at the 13-unit project comprised of four penthouses designed by Beyer Blinder Belle.
READ MORE
December 9, 2016

Lottery opens for 100 units in Far Rockaway’s new Passive House, from $653/month

Edgemere is a small neighborhood in the Rockaways that was full of beachfront hotels and bungalows back at the turn of the century. After Robert Moses tore down its most magnificent hotel and replaced it with a parking lot in 1941, the area soon fell into disrepair and became a ghost town. Just this year, however, the city released its Resilient Edgemere Community Planning Initiative to repair Sandy damage, protect the neighborhood from future flooding, improve transportation, and build resilient housing. One of these new projects is called Beach Green Dunes, a brand new Passive Building at 44-19 Rockaway Beach Boulevard with amenities like a roof garden, courtyard, parking, and fitness center. An affordable housing lottery for its 100 units opens today, ranging from $653/month studios to $1,597/month three-bedrooms.
Find out if you qualify
December 8, 2016

Art Nerd New York’s top event picks for the week- 12/8-12/14

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! Before the delving into the hectic holidays, have a rare bucolic moment in Times Square through Tal Yarden’s "Counting Sheep" as it takes over the screens of the Midtown hub. Then get into the spirit season and make a wish at Luminaries at Brookfield Place, or hop over to Madison Square Park to wander through the life-sized gingerbread village which went up just this week. Tonight, Julia Sinelnikova, a.k.a. the Oracle, invites viewers to a clandestine celebration of performance and light art, and Michelle Grabner rethinks the afghan at James Cohan. The gorgeous, sensual ceramics of Serra Victoria Bothwell Fels open at Catinca Tabacaru, and Brooklyn gallery Brilliant Champions showcases their roster in a winter group show. Finally, shake off all of your aggression from the last few weeks at the arty dance party by CHERYL at C’mon Everybody in Greenpoint.
More on all the best events this way
December 8, 2016

Colonial Bronxville mansion built by General George Custer’s widow hits the market for $5M

After General George Custer perished in Little Big Horn in 1876 (Custer's Last Stand), his widow Elizabeth Bacon Custer moved to New York amid her quest to salvage her late husband's legacy through her three books, "Tenting on the Plains," "Boots and Saddles," and "Following the Guidon." In 1902, after attainting recognition and financial success through her writing, Elizabeth commissioned a massive Colonial-style home in Bronxville. Located in the high-end Lawrence Park neighborhood, the landmarked mansion boasts six period fireplaces, seven bedrooms, turreted rooms, "whimsical nooks and crannies," a large wine cellar, and landscaped gardens surrounding stone terraces and pathways.
Tour the historic home
December 7, 2016

$1.41M for an opportunity to combine two West Village units into one lovely apartment

Here's an opportunity for a New Yorker not afraid to renovate. Two small one-bedroom apartments at 41 Perry Street, in the West Village, are being offered as a package with the opportunity to combine them into one larger pad. The listing promises that the transformation into a two-bedroom, two-bathroom apartment will be easy—it's been done several times before in this building—but it'll cost $1.41 million with renovation costs on top of that. Separately, each apartment is asking $715,000 and $695,000.
Take a look at both
December 7, 2016

This $845K Chelsea studio’s sleep loft, brick walls and terrace are dreamy

This Chelsea-meets-Meatpacking studio at 221 West 14th Street checks the boxes for charm, neighborhood amenities and convenience, and it possesses that elusive bonus item: an attractive outdoor space with at least enough room for a rosé al fresco. For $845,000 it's not exactly a steal, though if neighborhood comps are a factor—which of course they are—then it becomes one. The second-floor townhouse condominium's layout works, allowing the space to be a small studio, yet solving the problem of having your bed next to the fridge.
What else do we love about it?
December 6, 2016

Pretty Cobble Hill carriage house boasts history of circus zebras–and Norah Jones as neighbor

Though this 1830s livery stable on a picturesque Cobble Hill block offers seemingly endless charms on its own, the three-story, 4,300-square-foot home may have one of the more unique carriage house histories we've heard: It's believed that between 1915 and 1920 the stable was used to house zebras when what is now the Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus was in town—the building next door was used to hold the elephants. If that's not enough distinction, the adorable carriage house belonging to singer Norah Jones—it also appeared in the Julia Roberts film "Eat, Pray, Love,"—sits directly across the street. But this particular carriage house, on the market for $5.6 million, is eclectic enough without past-life zebras or celebrity neighbors, from its expansive owners' duplex to its cozy upper floor apartment. Two decks overlooking a gorgeous rear garden and parking at the front have already won us over, and that's before we've even gone inside.
Explore this eclectic former stable
December 5, 2016

$4.5M Williamsburg building has two apartments and one great backyard

This Williamsburg building has two big things going for it: lots of space and a central neighborhood location. The home is right around the corner from the Bedford Avenue L train, and it holds two apartments and a ground-floor commercial space. Out back, there's an incredible private backyard that looks like the best part of the property, which is now on the market for almost $4.49 million.
See it all
December 5, 2016

West Chelsea mansion reboot with gym, pool, elevator, theatre and wine room ready for its $36.8M close-up

Back in September 6sqft brought you news of the “unbridled luxury” in the works for a townhouse at 357 West 17th Street that designer Karim Rashid sold to Wonder Works Construction Corp., developer of Williamsburg‘s pricey Oosten condominium complex, for $9.35 million in 2014. Rashid had lived in–and occasionally rented out–a candy-colored, neon-furnished loft in the building. Wonder Works subsequently hired Architect Andres Escobar to transform the 25-foot-wide building into an 11,000-square-foot modern single-family mansion with five bedrooms, 11 baths, a private internal garage, a 400 bottle glass-enclosed wine room, a fully-stocked gym and spa with a pool, a screening room, decks, terraces and patios with city views. Though the renderings looked sufficiently swank, the finished home, now on the market for $38.6 million, more than delivers on the promise of luxe. From the smallest details (Swarovski crystal drawer pulls, faux croc finishes on kitchen cabinets, marble everything and a bathroom faucet that's suspended from the ceiling) to the previously-mentioned lifestyle transformers, no expense was spared in the creation of this contemporary urban manse.
Lots more shiny things and marble, this way
December 2, 2016

Jemima Kirke’s dad, ‘Bad Company’ Drummer Simon Kirke, buys $1.3M Gramercy co-op

English drummer Simon Kirke, of Free and Bad Company and father to "Girls" actress Jemima Kirke, sold his Hamptons beach cottage for almost $1.4 million over the summer, and it looks like he's used those earnings to buy a Manhattan home. Though he allegedly toured a $1.7 million spread at the famed Dakota in August, the Observer reports that Kirke spent of $1.3 million on a corner co-op at 201 East 17th Street in Gramercy.
READ MORE
December 2, 2016

Watch a live feed of the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree; new Union Square Cafe opens next week

Need a dose of holiday spirit throughout the day? Watch this live feed of the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree. [NBC] Danny Meyer’s new Union Square Cafe will open next week. Here’s a look inside. [Eater] President-elect Donald Trump says he’ll invest $550 billion in new infrastructure projects. These six maps show the current scope of the […]

December 2, 2016

Rent an eclectic, fully furnished East Village loft overlooking Tompkins Square for $6,500/month

This floor-through apartment at 307 East 10th Street in the East Village is a convenient and chic option for someone on the hunt for a short-term rental. Asking $6,500 a month, it's a furnished space with lots of drool-worthy furniture and a good location right across from Tompkins Square Park. It'll be available from January 15th through April 15th, with the option to extend if a renter happens to fall in love.
Take a look
December 1, 2016

$2.5M for a Central Park duplex with its own romantic terrace

This duplex from the 444 Central Park West co-op, in the Upper West Side, has a lot going for it. Its upper-floor location—and three exposures to the east, west and north—affords views over Central Park, St. John the Divine Cathedral and upper Manhattan. It is also decked out with unique details like wood paneling from an 1800s English church, crown moldings and a marble fireplace. The asking price comes in at $2.5 million.
Take the grand tour
December 1, 2016

NYC’s first ever piece of sidewalk art appeared in December 1969

Sidewalks and street art are pretty much synonymous in modern day New York City, but have you ever stopped to question when it all started? In the winter of 1969, New York City saw the birth of the sidewalk sculpture. While public art in an outdoor setting was not necessarily a new concept, this was the very first time it was situated immediately on the sidewalk. The work was a marble sculpture made by artist Gonzalo Fonseca, commissioned by the Twentieth Century Fund. Upon completion, it stood six feet outside of the organization's headquarters and weighed a whopping two tons.
READ MORE
December 1, 2016

My 2,200sqft: Rug designer Amy Helfand shows us around her organic live/work home in Red Hook

Artist Amy Helfand has been creating her own line of rugs for over a decade. The gorgeous pieces are hand-woven in Nepal as part of the GoodWeave program, but the design process takes place in Amy's charming Red Hook rowhouse, where she and her family also reside. As she explains, "At heart, I remain a collector: of images, forms and colors, as well as rocks, sticks, and other ephemera from the natural world," and it's this combination of geometry and organic inspiration that's seen throughout her home and studio. From a dining table centerpiece made of rocks to the chicken coop in the backyard, everything reflects Amy's unique vision. 6sqft recently toured the home and found out about Amy's favorite decor, artistic process, thoughts on the neighborhood, and how they rebuilt after Hurricane Sandy.
Take the tour this way
November 30, 2016

Renderings revealed for adaptive reuse Maker Park along the Williamsburg waterfront

Plans for Bushwick Inlet Park, a 28-acre open space along an unused industrial stretch of the Williamsburg waterfront, first came about in 2005, when the Bloomberg administration rezoned the area to allow for new residential development in exchange for the open space. Fast forward to last week, and the city finally acquired the last piece of land for the project, the controversial Citistorage site. Now that the park is on its way to becoming a reality, a trio of grassroots creatives hopes to bring their alternative vision for the former Bayside Oil Depot site to the forefront. Maker Park is the proposal to adaptively reuse this seven-acre parcel's architectural infrastructure--namely the ten 50-foot decommissioned fuel containers--and create a "park as creative as the neighborhood around it." The Architect's Newspaper recently revealed the first set of renderings, which showcase performance venues, art galleries, hanging gardens, reflecting pools, and an adventure playground.
More views and design details
November 30, 2016

The 15 best NYC holiday markets and indie pop-up shops

December's first days bring a dazzling parade of holiday gift markets all vying for the opportunity to find new homes for a bounty of goodies and crafty gifts. We're all familiar with the big NYC markets at Bryant Park and Union Square, but some of the best finds—and the most fun—can be found at smaller, cooler pop-ups and neighborhood markets. Some are only around for a weekend, others for the whole month or longer. In addition to locally-made jewelry and crafts, vintage finds, artfully curated fashions, home items and other things we didn't know we needed, these hip retail outposts sparkle with drinks, food, workshops, tarot readings, nail art, music, and family fun to keep shoppers' spirits bright.
Find out where to get the goods
November 30, 2016

$16.8M Village townhouse has details, a celebrity history–and a secret artists’ cottage in back

This 185-year-old West Village townhouse at 121 Washington Place would enchant any lover of historic homes. Well-preserved details are everywhere, from a brick facade to a distinguished wood-paneled library and full-length arched drawing-room windows. Then there are the features that would thrill any homeowner; at 22 feet wide, the four-story house has an elevator and, best of all, the unexpected surprise of a pint-sized skylit English cottage/artists' studio with a full bath at the back of an idyllic walled garden. Even beyond its current charms, this home and its unique little studio have seen many a colorful, creative life and hosted artists, poets and other notables from Mark Twain to Hillary Clinton.
Read on to find out more
November 23, 2016

Live in an elegant townhouse near the new Second Avenue Subway for $8M

As 2016 winds down, New Yorkers are still hoping that the Second Avenue Subway will finally open this year without (more) delay. The new subway stops promise to transform the surrounding area and perhaps boost real estate prices. So that's something to consider with this Upper East Side townhouse, which has hit the market for a hair under $8 million. It's located at 310 East 84th Street, just twos block from the new subway stop planned for East 86th Street and Second Avenue. This historic townhouse isn't too shabby, either, with many of its prewar details intact.
Take a look inside