“I was by the building on Madison Park today. Although I hate what it did to the park, it is an attractive building, very elegant and transparent. It is neither dull nor uninspired. Of course, the fact that I like it makes me hate it even more!”—Sai Baba [Tribeca Arrested Development Winds Up on eBay]
“Perhaps Gehry was given the boot not so much for financial reasons – as he claims, but due to widespread dissatisfaction with his overall scheme. Sure his stadium looked nice, but the rest of the complex was sterile and redundant. Bringing in a host of other architects would make for a far livelier, and eclectic. This is probably the best news we’ve heard out of Atlantic Yard since….I’m not going to answer that.”—anon [Architecture Dream Team Being Assembled for Atlantic Yards?]
“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]
“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]
“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]
“There is more drug activity near West 4th Street Subway than anywhere near West 145th Street Subway. In fact, I have only gotten harassed when I have been down in the Village at night, not here. As for clothes – I don’t think anyone on these boards have been to neighborhoods in Harlem lately. Dress like homeless people? Um…no. If anything the hipster skinny jeans and hats are getting out of control. Harlem has now become the new Williamsburg.”—WestHarlem [How Low Can Prices Go at 2056 Fifth]
“For the record, I work for the City in a real estate capacity. Officially, this sucks for us, but speaking from experience working for the big bad developers, I can say they wouldn’t have been able to build anything on it for a long time anyway, and 10 years to clean this swamp us is not unreasonable. By the time that is done, Toll/Hudson/etc. will have the means to actually execute!”—anon [Gowanus Canal Gets Superfunded; Developers to Retreat?]
“My front door leaks and i put a towel over it to keep the draft from coming up my staircase. The fabric wrapped over the windows are being used to seal the windows and keep out a draft therefore stabilizing the environment to a beautiful environmentally friendly living space!”—anon [Renters Not Quite Taking Advantage of Greenpoint Glassitechture]
“Please, Christopher, don’t…despite what the sycophants around may be telling you, you are ruining these spaces….fulfilling your childhood fantasy?…did you ever see ‘Dusk til Dawn’…this is the NY apartment equivalent…minus sexy vampires of course…”—hair piece [Designer Is Leaving Bonkers Chelsea Apartment To Do Another]
“I had the pleasure of attending a cocktail party here two summers ago. And when I say pleasure I mean pleasure. My head nearly exploded. The best apartment I’ve ever seen.”—anon [Fashion Titan Quietly Selling Rupert Murdoch's Soho Water Tower]
“Most times when you get a place there are redeemable qualities and much time is spent deciding what can stay and what needs to go. Here you just buy it based on it’s gutted value (if you can), call the demolition company and make your decisions after you see the bones. Can the brick stay exposed, where are additional risers, etc. It reminds me of all the shows on TV where people go to an open house and spend most of the tour commenting on the paint color or the furnishings. Buy the space and do what you want with it. Who cares how anyone else chose to use the space?”—anon [Celebrity Stylist Trying to Unload 'Worst Floorplan Ever']
“If the city had originally proposed putting in a carousel, then called for its elimination due to spiraling costs, those two groups would be up in arms. They would accuse the Bloomberg administration of everything under the sun. In this case, however, the two groups suspect that the Walentas are up to something. Why else would two local residents offer to give such a generous gift – one that’ll keep giving. It’s a shame that this unique will be lost because of such mistrust.”—anon [Brooklynites Kindly Ask Jean Nouvel To Take His Carousel Elsewhere]
“Stunning to look at. Impractical to live with. Amazing light and views. A tremendous amount of heat is produced through floor to ceiling windows. Have a look at some of the glass buildings around the City and you will notice that many of the residences draw their shades for privacy, heat, and to protect their furniture and artwork. Privacy won’t be an issue here, but the heat may present challenges. Drool worthy nonetheless.”—BillyRes [More to See Inside Jean Nouvel's Vision Machine]
“I agree with the idea that he is using the most desirable building design to get you girls to panic. I see it has worked this morning. Tower 2 will be built he is just looking for some help with it. Ratner did the same thing by reporting he was going to cut Beekman Place off at 38 (?) floors.”—anon [Larry Silverstein Searches His Soul, Finds No Room for Tower 2]
“Notice how long it took the city to take action on this problem. On one hand they were contemplating allowing it to continue on the fact that it would deeply help this city rid of its hipster infestation problem. On the other hand, they realized that these ivy league art major grads probably had very litigious parents and decided it was best to keep out of a multitude of lawsuits…”—anon [Hipster Dreams Shattered as Bushwick Trailer Park Gets Booted]
“Adventurous, gutsy – and apparently – delivered as promised.
In this environment, that doesn’t always happen.”—anon [Toren Has DoBro Speaking Dutch, But How's it Looking?]
“Hey guys, just read your post about the Breadbox, relax, the Rolling Pins are coming, but their coming with some style, a neighborhood event will be organized, where the community will get involved and place the rolling pins themselves, maybe even write their names on them… But their will be 1600 rolling pins in total… It should happen sometime in the spring…”—Modern Spaces [LIC's Breadbox Bakes Up a Rolling Controversy]
“‘Halfway House’ and ‘Homeless Shelter’ have become the bludgeons of last resort of developers who paid too much for the wrong site.”—glitzy bernini [Sheepshead Bay Hell House Could Become Condos, or Not]
“I have a stupid question, but being a downtown-oriented person can’t quite wrap my head around. I’ve noticed alot of Tribeca apartments are selling at comparatively low prices/sqft compared to luxury buildings in other neighborhoods. Are bright, lofty spaces in a mostly quiet neighborhood no-longer in-vogue with the monied crowd?”—anal_yst [Fairchild High-Five Falls by $2.215 Million in Tribeca]
“There are plenty of underdeveloped parcels in the neighborhood, many of which are controlled by Vornado, that would be better suited for a tower than tearing down the Pennsylvania. I do not buy this argument that this is a zero-sum game… that we’re not building skyscrapers because of the preservation of our good older buildings. Why not the block of Fugly that is just to the north, between 33rd and 34th? Ditto Ninth Avenue between 31st and 33rd. Yes, it’s shabby, but so was the old Penn Station when it was demolished, and so was Grand Central when it wasn’t. Guess what, guest… old buildings look old, especially when they’re not taken care of.”—grumps [Vornado Moves Ahead With Plans for Hotel Penn Replacement]
“I’d be ashamed to be seen entering either one, but have to give the Eye Damage Award to 524 Manhattan — because it looks like Harry was serious, while we all know Karl scribbles his designs in his sleep, as therapy, hoping to transfer his nightmares to the world at large.”—Restless [Curbed Poll: Help Decide This Greenpoint Ugly-Off!]
“Even when covered in silk, padded walls are for the insane only. Beware of locked closets, eerie howling and Mr. Rochester if you go to an open house.”—Butter [On the Market]
“living next to it, it brings a bit of times square to fidi. take that as you wish.”—paddy [Opening in May, FiDi's W Hotel Shows Signs of Life]
“Look, I would love to see the housing market in NYC completely crash to the point that lower Manhattan brownstones are being sold in the 100ks. I know, however, that such a scenario is pretty much impossible. On the other hand, Sai Baba’s correct. You cannot have such an increase in price without a corresponding fall. Look at stocks, gold, oil, or any other commodity. You won’t every get a brownstone for 100k, but they might start running for 500k.”—BitterRenter [Manhattan Housing Prices Doubled Over Past Decade]
“That we can call (with a straight face) $776 per claimed square foot ‘astoundingly low’ when applied to raw, low-ceilinged, almost windowless space is another indicator that the local real estate market still has not corrected and found a bottom and has a LONG way to go before it does.”—Sai Baba [American Express Loft in Tribeca Won't Take Plastic]