Search Results for: garden

July 1, 2015

Get to Know Chinatown Through These Iconic Cultural, Gastronomic and Architectural Spots

Back in March, we took a look at how Chinatown is predicted to undergo rapid changes within the next decade, transforming it into another haven for hipsters and real estate developers. As of right now, these changes are hard to see–luxury condos like Hester Gardens stand alone among the array of colorful shops and signs covered in Chinese characters. In fact, a past poll shows that readers are equally divided on Chinatown's future. As with all gentrifying neighborhoods, one of residents' biggest fears is that the neighborhood will lose the cultural characteristics that make it unique. With this in mind, we're taking stock of the iconic places that make Chinatown what it is. We've highlighted some of the neighborhood's best restaurants and shops (think Economy Candy and Joe's Shanghai), along with a few standout structures (the largest Buddhist temple in New York City, to name just one) that make this neighborhood unlike any other in the city.
See which places made the list 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

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
June 29, 2015

The High and Low: A House at the Top

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 28, 2015

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

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 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
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

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

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
June 22, 2015

The High and Low: Architecturally Distinct Modern Townhouse in Brownstone Brooklyn

Townhouses are having a moment. Manhattan’s most lavish single-family homes are top-ticket trophies for the superwealthy. And families who've outgrown their apartments, investors banking on rising rents, and a celebrity or two, are snapping up brownstones on leafy Brooklyn blocks. But a handful of more adventurous buyers -- seeking space and privacy and possessed of some architectural vision -- chose the less-traveled road of creating modern-design homes on the decidedly un-trendy historic blocks of brownstone Brooklyn many decades ago. On the market now is the rare pair below. The first, more of a compound than merely a house, has a creative pedigree and architectural icon status (and a $13 million price tag). This combination of a 1892 school building and the townhouse next door sits among the impressively ornate 19th-century mansions of Fort Greene and boasts an un-missable modern extension and peerless minimalist interior, not to mention sheer size. The second is a more modest home–for a relatively more modest $3.5 million–but is also a unique modern dwelling with a laid-back and livable interior on a coveted tree-lined block of historic Brooklyn Heights.
See more of these unique modern homes this way
June 19, 2015

Park Slope Pad Offers a Lot of Punch for Its $600k Price Tag

We can't quite pin down a design style for this super-chic Park Slope pad, but its eclectic decor makes it look like an advertisement from an Anthropologie catalog. It's not staged, though, and the lovely one-bedroom co-op at 416 4th Street can be yours for a very reasonable $599,000. That price tag also offers a wood-burning fireplace in the living room and a private deck overlooking a lush garden.
See the rest of the home
June 19, 2015

After Selling 190 Bowery, Photographer Jay Maisel Buys Record-Breaking Cobble Hill Townhouse

If you've been following the saga of 190 Bowery, the former Germania Bank Building turned private mansion, you know that photographer Jay Maisel sold it to developer Aby Rosen of RFR Realty for $55 million back in February (he paid just $102,000 for it in 1966). Since that time, it's been all eyes on Rosen. Is he removing or preserving that iconic graffiti? What the heck happened with that "public" art show inside the building? But what about Maisel? Well, he certainly made out well, swapping one mansion for another. The Times reports that he is the buyer of the $15.5 million brick carriage house at 177 Pacific Street in Cobble Hill, the most expensive single residence ever sold in Brooklyn. He did downsize a bit, though. As Curbed notes, 190 Bowery was 37,000 square feet, while his new townhouse is 10,000.
More on Maisel's new home
June 19, 2015

New Report Identifies 700 Miles of Unused Space Under Bridges and Elevated Platforms

The High Line may have revolutionized the adaptive reuse of the space atop elevated platforms, but what about that dead, dark space underneath? A new report from the Design Trust for Public Space in partnership with the Department of Transportation finds that the city has 700 miles of unused space under bridges, highways, and elevated subway tracks, much of which can be "transformed into valuable community assets such as small public parks, retail space and places for manufacturers to set up shop," according to Crain's.
READ MORE
June 19, 2015

Windows Galore at This Gramercy Loft, on the Market for $3.5 Million

There's nothing but light coming into this three-bedroom loft co-op at Ruggles House, a Gramercy Park building located at 112 East 19th Street. Ruggles House was built in 1913 as an industrial loft building with high ceilings and huge windows. When it was converted into a residential building, only two apartments were put on each of the 12 floors. The result at this particular unit is a sprawling floor plan with those old industrial interior details. It is currently on the market for $3.5 million.
See the interior
June 18, 2015

Lucky Family Lives in a Cabin with a Meadow…on the Roof of Their West Village Building

Most New Yorkers looking for a bit of suburban living move to areas of Brooklyn like Ditmas Park that offer free-standing houses with yards, or they abandon ship altogether and pack it in for Jersey or Westchester. But this lucky family fulfilled their country dreams–complete with a cottage and attached porch, green meadow, and stone garden walkway–without leaving the island of Manhattan. Located at 719 Greenwich Street, in the heart of the West Village, this bucolic dwelling isn't visible from the street. Instead, you'll need to take a helicopter ride to scope it out, which is exactly how photographer George Steinmetz discovered this one-of-a-kind rooftop paradise.
Get the scoop on this unusual home
June 18, 2015

Bright and Charming One-Bedroom in Alphabet City Is Surprisingly Affordable at $485k

Are you sitting down? Good, because today is your lucky day. There's a one-bedroom apartment available between Avenues B and C in the East Village, just blocks from the L train, asking only $485,000. This south-facing apartment features high ceilings, well-maintained wood finishes and full city views. Plus the quiet unit is walking distance from all the action.
Take a look around
June 18, 2015

Little Italy Townhouse Designed by the Novogratz Duo Is Looking for a New Bachelor

When millionaire private investor and socialite Bradley Zipper bought this Little Italy townhouse in 2004, he wanted a massive bachelor pad where he could host celebrity soirees and lavish business events for up to 400 people. After dropping $3,385,000 on the property, he hired Cortney and Robert Novogratz, the famous husband-and-wife design team, to deck it out. The result is certainly A-list worthy, with its 900-bottle wine cellar that's a replica of one in a Meatpacking District club, a 14-foot mahogany and pewter bar shipped over from Paris, and a vintage 1940s pool table surrounded by graphite walls. But despite this intense personalization, Zipper started trying to unload the house two years ago, first for $15 million, then $13 million, next as a $35,000/month rental, and now it's back for $15.5 million.
See what else this party pad has to offer
June 16, 2015

Spend Summer in a Classy Clinton Hill Brownstone for $10K (Chickens Not Included)

Broker Nadine Adamson has put her own four-bedroom triplex, located in a Clinton Hill brownstone at 42 Downing Street, on the rental market for the remainder of the summer, asking $10,000 a month. The prewar home has a country vibe with original details and a private garden. However, Adamson is quick to point out that the chickens roaming the yard do not come with the home. Apparently they were just renting for the month of June.
More pics inside
June 16, 2015

Renderings Revealed for Eliot Spitzer’s ODA-Designed Williamsburg Mega-Development

Leaving his political career in the past, former New York governor Eliot Spitzer is taking on the development world. After his father's death in November, the controversial politician took over the family's real estate business, Spitzer Enterprises. And he's now revealed the first rendering for his Williamsburg mega-development in the New York Times (not Twitter), showcasing a trio of 24-story rental towers designed by ODA Architects. Located at 420-430 Kent Avenue in South Williamsburg, the project is in keeping with ODA's signature boxy, glassy aesthetic. It will cost $700 million, have 856 units, and boast two rooftop pools and a park with an esplanade.
More details here
June 16, 2015

Rustic Loft Conversion Asks $850K Along Brooklyn’s Columbia Street Waterfront

It feels rare to find a cool listing that's under $1 million in New York City these days. But here's a one-bedroom condo at 25 Carroll Street, in the Columbia Street Waterfront District of Brooklyn, that's asking $850,000. You'll find the quaint, quiet neighborhood just west of Carroll Gardens and just north of Red Hook. It's not the easiest place to get to, as there's no direct subway access, but the seclusion is part of its charm. There are also amazing views of lower Manhattan from here, which you can enjoy from this condo that is now on the market.
More details on the property
June 15, 2015

Beastie Boy Mike D’s Brilliant Brooklyn Townhouse Can Be Yours for $5.7M

Back in 2013, news that Michael Diamond—a.k.a. Beastie Boy Mike D—and his wife, Tamra Davis, had acquired a townhouse on a beautiful tree-lined Cobble Hill block and given it a creative and modern—yet totally livable—redesign led to a spate of articles showcasing the cool and quirky pad, including a New York Times house tour aptly titled "Licensed to Grill." All the attention likely led to Diamond's recent side project helping his architect friends design a new-construction townhouse in nearby Boerum Hill that recently sold for just under $5 million. Now the original Cobble Hill Beastie house at 148 Baltic Street is on the market for $5.65 million, funky custom toile wallpaper and all.
Tour the delightfully decorated townhouse, this way...