Sprawling 20-Room Morningside Heights Co-op Asks $16M
The entire seventh floor of The Strathmore in Morningside Heights just hit the market for a whopping $16 million. The floor consists of two separate 10-room apartments that can be combined into one 20-room mega-apartment with around 100 feet of Hudson River frontage. The floorplan presented with the listing, impressive in size, basically just jams the two units together, though, so there are a total of six-bedrooms and also two [edit: make that three] kitchens, two foyers, two dining rooms, etc. With a renovation, however, the apartment could feature, essentially, any kind of room you could imagine. Want to make one of those dining rooms into a giant ball pit? Go for it. You've got rooms to spare.
Central Park's Only Undeveloped Corner Progresses a Smidge
The BP gas station on 110th Street and Frederick Douglass Boulevard, at the northwestern corner of Central Park, occupied a parcel of prime real estate. But it was bought out, and shuttered, and a curved 12-story residential building is set to replace it. A tweet from Happening Harlem shows that an excavator has arrived on the site, signaling the start of construction for what will be a pretty game-changing project for the area. The FXFOWLE-designed, Artimus Construction-developed structure will ultimately house 50 units, plus a commercial component and space for a local dance company. Completion is slated for winter 2017, so let's get that foundation in already.
· This Is What's Rising On Central Park's Northwest Corner [Curbed]
· All 2040 Frederick Douglass Boulevard coverage [Curbed]
The state has ruled that Harlem landlord Emo Realty owes one of its tenants $14,500 after overcharging her for years, by telling her to pay more than her apartment's legal rent. In 2008, Emo registered the apartment at $1,900 while charging a lower "preferential rent." But meanwhile, the actual legal rent was $1,448. In 2013, the legal rent was $1,600—Emo registered it at $2,600. [DNAinfo; previously]
Collegiate's Affordable Housing Plan Changes, Irking Locals
As part of its deal with the city that will allow it to build a new school as part of the Riverside South megaproject, the Collegiate School, the oldest independent school in the United States, agreed to fund the building of 55 units of affordable housing within the development. But now it has emerged that the way the school plans to honor that commitment is by throwing $50 million to the city and saying: here, you guys build it...somewhere. The school suggested a city-owned site on 108th Street, almost 50 blocks north of Riverside South. Community Board members and local residents are less than pleased with this approach. "[Losing the on-site housing] changes the character of Riverside South. It makes it a less affordable neighborhood," said Community Board 7 board member Jeanette Rausch. Local resident Batya Lewton contended that "moving [the affordable housing] to 108th Street is moving a poor door all the way up to 108th Street." And Robert Espier, another member of the community board, added that, "We know that the cost of construction vacillates so radically. Putting a $50 million price tag on 55 units is just a dream." The school's lawyer argues that Collegiate spent six months searching for a suitable location, but couldn't find one and eventually gave up.
· Collegiate School Shirking Affordable Housing Commitment, Locals Say [DNA]
· Collegiate School coverage [Curbed]
· Riverside South coverage [Curbed]
· Collegiate School Shirking Affordable Housing Commitment, Locals Say [DNA]
· Collegiate School coverage [Curbed]
· Riverside South coverage [Curbed]
Of Course De Blasio Supports Columbia's Obama Library Bid
Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel is pushing hard to get the Obama Presidential Library in his city, and even though he isn't as vocal as his midwestern counterpart, New York's mayor is part of the library battle, too. Capital New York reports that Bill de Blasio thinks (obviously) that Columbia University is a "very natural choice" for the library, seeing as Columbia is the president's alma mater. The nod of support comes from a letter dated June 6, 2104, which was recently obtained by Capital.
· De Blasio: Columbia a 'Natural Choice' for Obama Library [Capital]
· Obama Library coverage [Curbed Chicago]
· Obama Presidential Library coverage [Curbed NY]
· De Blasio: Columbia a 'Natural Choice' for Obama Library [Capital]
· Obama Library coverage [Curbed Chicago]
· Obama Presidential Library coverage [Curbed NY]
Harlem Site Could Give Rise to Area-Changing Apartments
A for-sale site on 129th Street off of Amsterdam Avenue could give way to a 150,000-square-foot, two tower residential building. The dual parcel, which NYDN reports came to market this week and could fetch up to $40 million, is in the newly-minted Manhattanville Factory District, where ritzy developments like a Soho House knock-off are already cropping up. The site is also close to Columbia University, which has gained a reputation for its aggressive expansion, and the City College of New York meaning that it, despite the area's relative lack of residential buildings these days, may be prime territory for a developer looking to build small apartments and rent them for not small prices.
If Rahm Emanuel doesn't win his re-election bid to stay Chicago's mayor, it's all the more likely that New York City will end up home to Barack Obama's presidential library. In Chicago, a debate has erupted about whether it's okay to use city parkland for the structure. Incumbent Rahm's in favor; his challenger Jesus Garcia historically hasn't been, but has flipped his position. But his past opposition may make the committee inclined to go with Columbia, Obama's alma mater, and space in its expanded Manhattanville campus. A university spokeswoman told the News that the administration has had "detailed discussions with Columbia about its plans and is tremendously excitedabout the proposal." [NYDN; previously; Curbed Chicago coverage]
It's every renter's dream come true. Six years ago, a Hamilton Heights resident landed a $1,300/month four-bedroom, which seemed like a good deal at the time. But there were vermin, and holes in the kitchen floor, so Ramon Hernandez asked the state to look into whether the rent was legal. Turns out prior violations had frozen the rent at $233—so Hernandez was being overcharged, and he got back $112,000. "It's like the landlord is being punished for years of bad service," he said. [DNAinfo]Kid Buys Harlem Two-Bedroom for $95,000
Welcome to It Happened One Weekend, our weekly roundup of The New York Times real estate section...
Every "The Hunt" column begins with the Hunters describing the apartment they want, and ends with them rationalizing whatever they came away with. This is The Hunt: Dreams vs. Reality
The Hunter: a recent graduate looking to buy
Price
Dream: $300,000
Reality: $95,000
Neighborhood
Dream: Manhattan
Reality: Harlem
Amenities
Dream: 1BR, short Midtown commute
Reality: 2BR, fixer-upper, short Midtown commute
Summary
This week's Hunter is a recent grad from Connecticut looking to buy in Manhattan. With a budget of $300,000, he started looking at one-bedrooms with a maximum commute time of 30 minutes from Midtown. Amazingly, he managed to find an income-restricted two-bedroom co-op in Harlem asking $90,000 (in cash). Despite needing a lot of work, he quickly snatched it up last summer with help from his parents (obviously), paying $95,000 plus an extra $70,000 in fees, taxes, and construction costs. [The Hunt/A Foothold in the City; photo via mtkr/Curbed Photo Pool]
The Hunter: a recent graduate looking to buy
Price
Dream: $300,000
Reality: $95,000
Neighborhood
Dream: Manhattan
Reality: Harlem
Amenities
Dream: 1BR, short Midtown commute
Reality: 2BR, fixer-upper, short Midtown commute
Summary
This week's Hunter is a recent grad from Connecticut looking to buy in Manhattan. With a budget of $300,000, he started looking at one-bedrooms with a maximum commute time of 30 minutes from Midtown. Amazingly, he managed to find an income-restricted two-bedroom co-op in Harlem asking $90,000 (in cash). Despite needing a lot of work, he quickly snatched it up last summer with help from his parents (obviously), paying $95,000 plus an extra $70,000 in fees, taxes, and construction costs. [The Hunt/A Foothold in the City; photo via mtkr/Curbed Photo Pool]
POPULAR
What $2,600/Month Can Rent You in New York City
Welcome to Curbed Comparisons, a column that explores what one can rent for a set dollar amount in various NYC neighborhoods. Is one man's studio another man's townhouse? Let's find out! Today's price: $2,600/month.
↑ In Greenpoint, this one-bedroom apartment features two closets and lots of kitchen cabinetry, as well as fairly large windows. Overall, it looks pretty pleasant. The building includes a laundry room, free bike storage, and parking available for $100/month. The apartment is renting for $2,500/month.
Meet a Modern-Day Harlem SRO, Where Rents Start at $1,099
[A newly renovated studio with built-in space-saving furniture that just rented for $1,400/month. Photos by Will Femia.]
26 IMAGES
Conjure up a picture of a New York City SRO in your mind. Or, at least, the general public's picture. That's right: itinerant men; filthy shared bathrooms; cage-like ceilings; general sketchiness. Micro Week has proven that while some of the city's circa 15,000 Single Room Occupancy buildings may have been seedy in decades past, they were wonderful homes—and continue to serve as such to this day. (Don't forget about the 90-square-foot apartment. That's an SRO, too.)
In 2013, when developers Seth and Matthew Weissman spent $1.4 million on a five-story apartment building full of SROs at the corner of 135th Street and Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Boulevard, they decided to revamp it for the modern renter. Out with the peeling paint, the dated fixtures, and the rundown vibe; in with fancy, space-saving Resource Furniture pieces—a bed that folds down over a couch, a tall cabinet that acts as a dresser without taking up too much floor space, and flat-screen televisions, to name a few. The first five units the Weisssmans renovated, on the second floor, went fast, leasing for between $1,099 and $1,475 in early 2014.
"The apartments in this building are big enough that when you decorate with the right furniture, it's a really nice option for people," said Matthew Weissman. "It's a great starter apartment, for people aren't making that much and don't have parents who can guarantee their apartment." Especially when the alternative is "living in the deep Lower East Side with three or four roommates in a fifth-floor walkup." Pricing is similar for the five newly redone units Curbed toured earlier this month; the fifth-floor microdwellings range from 175 to 400 square feet and have rented for between $1,250 and $1,400. There's one unit left, for $1,200/month. Also, one of the first-generation renovated rentals is back on the market for $1,150.
Rent-stabilized tenants in 187 Lenox Avenue are claiming that landlord Seth Weissman, who bought the building for $1.6 million in June, is trying to force them out by renovating it without a permit. Weissman has racked up 49 violations since buying the building and was hit with a stop work order last month, though residents say that construction has continued anyway. One couple claims that the work began after they rejected Weissman's buyout offer, and that basic services like cleaning and trash pickup have been halted. [DNAinfo; previously]
Harlem 'Manor' With 'Chic Parisian Garret' Wants $4.95 Million
Wow, this house. A five-story home in the Hamilton Heightsneighborhood of Harlem, the property at 326 Convent Avenue spans more than 5,300 square feet and includes the following details: front doors from the 18th century; a multitude of fireplaces; dark wood detailing up the wazoo; stained glass windows; a private backyard, and coffered ceilings of every style. Plus, the fifth-floor, which the brokerbabble dubs a "chic Parisian garret" has charming sloped ceilings and exposed brick. There are four bedrooms, three parlors (how very Downton Abbey), and 3.5 baths; of the latter, the one with the intricate mosaics and enormous oval tub really grabs the attention. It sold after asking $1.9M in 2007, so it's clear that a pretty extravagant renovation has taken place between then and now. But is it worth nearly $5 million?
Behold, 13 of the Tiniest NYC Studios for Sale Right Now
Looking at the smallest apartments on the market is always a fun, if perhaps masochistic, activity, so we're doing it again for Micro Week. Here are 13 of the tiniest studio apartments that we could find listed for sale on Streeteasy. Since many of the brokers who created these listings smartly declined to include the square footage, we present them in rough order of how much they frighten us. First up, a studio on West 72nd Street that appears to weigh in at under 250 square feet and makes use of the old mirror-wall-to-make-the-place-seem-bigger trick, to minimal effect. It wants $325,000.
Controversial Rental Towers Obscure St. John the Divine
Photos via Field Condition
4 IMAGES
Despite strenuous objections from local preservationists and archicritics like Justin Davidson and Michael Kimmelman, the Brodsky Organization is indeed building two 15-story rental towers to the north of the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, and now that Field Condition has visited the site and snapped some photographs we can get a sense of just how obscured the cathedral is going to be. Though the towers have yet to reach their full heights (the western tower has reached six stories, while the eastern one is at 10) they cozy right up to the church and will clearly render it all but invisible from the north. There is a space between the towers that allows a view of the church's north transept (the part that Kimmelman suggested should be the only thing obscured). When finished in 2016, the Handel Architects-designed towers will contain a total of 428 apartments.
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