"Er, this isn't a skyplaza. It's a hyperactive rehash of plazas and bridges, mixed with some Archigram zaniness, DS+R rendering style, and a Koolhaas-style embrace of kitsch and commercial culture. The only thing is, I don't understand what problem they're trying to solve."—цarьchitect [Architects Don't Want Us To Keep Our Feet on the Ground]
Crain's reports that the Joseph Papp Public Theater has broken ground on renovations mapped out back in November '08. The plans include a 75-foot-long black granite "monumental stairway," a glass canopy, and a wider sidewalk. But the theater is still $7 million short of the $35 million it needs to complete the renovation, so perhaps that stairway will end up being a little less monumental. [Crain's; previously]
The City Planning Commission has given its approval to Rose Plaza on the River, a proposed South Williamsburg project that would require a rezoning. Opponents have argued that the planned 800-apartment complex doesn't include enough affordable housing and that the towers will be too tall (with the highest at 29 stories). But the developer doesn't seem to lack confidence the project will be approved: "City Planning approved the best project that the city has seen in years, and I expect the Council will do the same." [BK Paper; previously]
The Department of Buildings has signed off on repair work at an East 110th Street building residents claim has been damaged by construction at adjacent 1280 Fifth Avenue. 1280 Fifth developer Brickman denies that construction has led to 8 East 110th Street's structural problems but will still be forking over about $60,000 for repairs. That's making the tenants feel better, sort of. They're still a little bitter over the loss of their community garden to Robert A.M. Stern's design. [DNAinfo; previously]
How will the Atlantic Yards agitators at Freddy's Bar commemorate the Barclays Center ceremonial groundbreaking on Thursday? By holding their own "ceremony" at the exact same time, featuring "three-foot tall bobblehead versions of the Atlantic Yards enablers" (including Mayor Bloomberg, Bruce Ratner and Russian oligarch Mikhail Prokhorov) that "will shovel dirt to bury the soul of Brooklyn." That sounds even better than the beer can guillotine. Admit it, Ratner, you're going to miss these guys. [CurbedWire Inbox; previously]
A partnership that includes local megadeveloper Extell has signed a deal to purchase the Helmsley Carlton House at 680 Madison Avenue (at 62nd Street) from the estate of late real estate lioness Leona Helmsley for $170 million, the Wall Street Journal reports. The 16-story brick luxury hotel has 161 apartment-style rooms, and though the story doesn't mention the investors' long-term plans, might Extell be plotting another blockbuster condo conversion of a classic Upper East Side hotel like the company did with Fifth Avenue's Stanhope? [WSJ]
Brooklyn Bridge Park's Pier 1 isn't open to the public yet, but while you wait, you can at least stare at the design on video. Park landscape designer Michael Van Valkenburgh recently did a virtual walk-through of Pier 1 for the Brooklyn Heights Association. For the really forward-looking, video tours of pier 2 and 6 are up, too. If you bring your computer outside to watch, is it just like being at the actual park? [BHA via BHB; previously]
Construction unions will be holding a rally at the World Trade Center site today in the hope of getting the negotiations between Larry Silverstein and the Port Authority moving again. The union says it just wants to point out that the workers are ready to build two more WTC office towers. But it wouldn't be the WTC without allegations of shenanigans! One anonymous source said Silverstein prodded the unions to rally so as to put pressure on the Port Authority. [NYT; previously]
"Unless someone is planning to buy the place FURNISHED (which I doubt), what is the problem with a well-maintained 1 bedroom apartment (with an actual VIEW!) in a building with lots of amenities? So it's not to your taste, big deal -- pull up the carpeting and re-paint as desired. You'd probably do that anywhere you moved. The basic "bones" of the place are decent, so I don't see what makes it undesirable."—anon [Whatever You Do, Don't Think About This UES Pad's Decor]
If anyone's been sitting around thinking that hey, at least NYC isn't about to get a Chile- or Haiti-level earthquake, well, true. But the city's building's probably wouldn't do too well in even a moderate quake, according to New York Magazine's Christopher Bonanos. He charts the likely impact of a quake on everything from tenements to loft buildings to skyscrapers. Things look safest for skyscrapers, until we learn that even if your building is designed to take a shaking, your furniture could still kill you. Comforting! [NYM]
Think roving bands of squatters are North Brooklyn's biggest menace? Then you haven't met the real scourge of the streets: pigeons! Well, the scourge of one street, anyway. Tonight at Pete's Candy Store, a Greenpoint resident will discuss how the feathered fiends have turned Lorimer Street between Calyer Street and Meserole Avenue into a "bona-fide pigeon slum." Important questions to be discussed include, "Why does the Rite Aid not stop them?" And, naturally, there will be a PowerPoint presentation. [Free NYC]
Blog Scouting NY takes a walk along Nolita's Centre Market Place, thoroughly remade by the Novogratz clan after they purchased four townhouses in 2004. Scouting NY thinks the street looks European (complete with Vespa!), but a few of the planned international touches, like 1930s Parisian streetlights, never came to be. Still, there's some Novogratz handiwork to obsess over, like that crazy rooftop basketball court at #5. [Scouting NY; previously]
Architectural historian Fred Bernstein, taking a breather from the Times and writing for the Architect's Newspaper, says artist Ugo Rondinone's rainbow-colored "Hell, Yes!" sign "semi-permanently" affixed to the New Museum facade is kinda-sorta ruining the building: "The Rondinone piece directly undermines SANAA’s objective: The architects chose to make the thickness, the weight, even the precise location of the building envelope ambiguous. Hanging a heavy object from that envelope changes everything, for the worse; imagine wearing a baseball cap over a wedding veil. Museums are too often willing to demean their architectural treasures." [Archpaper]
After rumors last month that Conan O'Brien was looking to sell his duplex penthouse at Central Park West's Majestic for $35 million, the Observer reported late Friday that the apartment was officially on the market for $29.5 million. The listing no longer appears to be online—maybe it got camera shy?—but apparently it's an 8BR, 7BA combo of the 17th and 18th floors, with three terraces, two libraries, and park views. No real clues on where O'Brien will go next, but if our L.A. house had a sauna and a 1,500-bottle wine cellar, we'd probably be there, too. [NYO; previously]
James Lomma, owner of New York Crane and Equipment Co., is likely to be charged with manslaughter in connection with the May 2008 crane collapse at 333 East 91st Street, the site of the Azure condo. The crane operator and one worker were killed; the crane had been cleared for use at the site despite a crack in its turntable. Lomma also owned the crane that collapsed on East 51st Street in March '08, but he's only being charged in the East 91st Street incident. [NYDN; previously]
It's the first open house weekend of March, folks. As spring approaches, is it bringing the buying season with it? You tell us! If you're out and about in the New York City real estate market this weekend, let us know what you're seeing out there: crowd sizes, market conditions, great or gruesome finds, and, of course, filming for any reality TV shows starring NYC real estate. Your thoughts in the comments, if you please.
"I think this building is going to be HIGH-larious when finished. I'm also amused that the hotel rendering cuts out the 60 story tower behind the 25 stories of pods. What I'm really looking forward to are all the amateur pornos shot from the zebra building across the street. Those guys now have 2 huge benefits (not having to see their own building AND getting to watch through the windows of this one)."—Denkman [New Hell's Kitchen Yotel Annoying the Hex Out of Neighbors]
Joining the increasingly crowded field of real estate iPhone apps is the New York Times Real Estate app, which has listings for homes worldwide, not just in New York City. (Wait, NYC isn't the world? We're reeling here.) According to the Business Insider rundown, the app includes listings, a mortgage calculator, and the opportunity for users to add their own photos and notes on each listing. We haven't yet tried it ourselves, but that all sounds pretty nifty. [Business Insider]
The in-contract apartment at 870 United Nations Plaza that belonged to Walter Cronkite is closing Monday, New York Magazine reports. Broker Joanna Simon, also Cronkite's companion, says the place was only on the market for four days, and the buyers were the first people to see it. Though Simon recommended that the buyers update the apartment's early American decor, they say they plan to keep Cronkite's office as-is in tribute. [NYM; previously]
From StreetEasy's short summary of under-construction Bowery rental building 2 Cooper Square: "This magnificent 144-unit luxury rental property will redefine city living with a rooftop pool creating a country club-like atmosphere." Will the pool top the one across the street? The odds say yes. [StreetEasy; previously]
Minetta Tavern's Keith McNally usually seems to have all the luck, but this time the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York has decided otherwise. The court has ruled that McNally needs to give back his rent-stabilized West Village apartment, which he tried to pass on to his son, Harry, Grub Street reports. The court ruled that McNally Jr. can't keep the apartment because his primary residence is actually his mother's West Village townhouse, as per the elder McNallys' divorce settlement. But we can take comfort from the fact that the younger McNally won't be without a place to live. [Grub Street]
The owner of Williamsburg's Bagel Store confirms to Gothamist that the rumor posted on Eater (got all that?) about Starbucks taking over his Bedford Avenue space is true. The Bagel Store's Scott Rossillo says his landlord is doubling the rent (to $14,500), and when his lease expires in November 2011, the mermaid will finally establish a 'Burg base. He's not pleased: "I'm the first one in this warehouse to have my lease up for renewal, and the others are going to face the same situation. The landlord said to me, 'Scott, this property is going to be all big businesses who can pay me the price I want.' It's very sad." Landlord Yehuda Backer denies that he has a deal with Starbucks. [Gothamist; previously]
Despite the flood of new rentals on the market in DoBro/Fort Greene, absorptions seems to be going okay. Brownstoner reports that 80 Dekalb (alias DKLB BKLN) is now 50 percent rented. That's up from only 25 percent rented two months ago. Last we heard, rents started at $1,955 for studios, $2,255 for 1BRs, and $3,400 for 2BRs. According to 'Stoner's tipster, the place also looks pretty nice. We're certainly not inclined to doubt. ['Stoner; previously]
Barred bad boy architect Robert Scarano made it to his scheduled appearance last night at Williamsburg's 90 North 5th Street for a Brooklyn real estate networking event, and The Real Deal reports he was in a wisecracking mood. "Maybe I'm headed for retirement… it's good to retire. Plenty of people would be happy," he joked. David Maundrell, president of 90 N. 5th's broker aptsandlofts.com, said, "For as many people who don't like his designs there [are] 10 times as many who do." [Real Deal; previously]
"With the new stadium and BAM.. the area has critical mass. A lot of stuff has been moving because of serious price reductions IE forte selling all the remaining units in 2 months at $499 a SF (the construction cost was $500). The neighborhood needs work though, better retail, starbucks, maybe a greening of flatbush."—anon [Touring Toren, Brooklyn's Most Eye-Popping New Building]