Google Street View of the houses across the street from 735 Cauldwell Avenue, Map data © 2019 Google

In the Melrose section of the South Bronx, a new building is now accepting applications for 161 affordable apartments. Located at 735 Cauldwell Avenue, just a couple blocks from the 2 and 5 trains at Jackson Avenue, the building has a part-time attended lobby, roof deck, fitness center, party room, and laundry. The units are available to households earning 30, 50, or 100 percent of the area median income and range from $331/month studios to $1,910/month three-bedrooms.

The building, known as the Cauldwell Avenue Apartments, has a lot going for it in terms of families. It’s directly across the street from PS 157, the Grove Hill elementary school, and is a quick walk to several playgrounds. It’s also a 10-15 minute walk from the larger St. Mary’s Park.

Qualifying New Yorkers can apply for the apartments at 735 Cauldwell Avenue until January 17, 2020. Complete details on how to apply are available here (pdf). Residents of Bronx Community Board 1 will be given preference for 50 percent of the units. Questions regarding this offer must be referred to NYC’s Housing Connect department by dialing 311.

If you don’t qualify for the housing lotteries mentioned, visit CityRealty’s no-fee rentals page for other apartment deals in the city.

RELATED:

• Apply for 52 mixed-income units near Lehman College in the Bronx, from $736/month
  
• Lottery launches for 57 low-income units for LGBT seniors across the street from Crotona Park
• 94 affordable units up for grabs in the South Bronx, from $748/month

Photo of Hart Island  by David Trawin on Flickr

On Thursday, the New York City Council approved legislation that transfers ownership of Hart Island, the nation’s largest public cemetery where over 1 million people are buried, to the city’s Parks Department. The 101-acre island off the coast of the Bronx contains a potters field that has been the final resting place for destitute New Yorkers as far back as the Civil War. The island is currently operated by the Department of Correction (DOC), with Rikers Island inmates paid $1 an hour to bury bodies there. This week’s vote comes after a years-long fight to end the onerous process required of visitors who wish to pay their respects to loved ones buried there; its intent is to make the island more accessible to the public and improve its dilapidated conditions.

As 6sqft previously reported, people who currently wish to visit deceased family members have been required to submit an application to do so. Family members–and up to four people who may not be related to the deceased–can then only schedule visits via ferry two days per month.

Upon arrival on the island, visitors are escorted by DOC staff and must surrender all possessions, including cell phones. A 2015 class-action lawsuit brought by the New York Civil Liberties Union made the visiting process slightly more accessible than it had previously been, but limits and restrictions remained a sore point for many.

The Hart Island Project, run by Melinda Hunt, facilitated hundreds of visits to the island and strengthened the campaign to transfer ownership to the parks department.

“We must turn Hart Island into a proper final place of rest,” Council Member Ydanis Rodriquez, the bill’s sponsor, said. “This is about giving respect and dignity to the people who are buried on the island and the family members who must go through a lengthy and at times complicated process to be able to visit their loved ones who are buried there.”

A second resolution sponsored by Rodriguez will expand Hart Island’s public accessibility by adding ferry service which would run via neighboring City Island. The bill will require the development of a “transportation plan” that included ferry service for public travel to the island.

Rodriquez also emphasized the need to repair the island’s crumbling buildings and suggested that the city create a Museum of the Dead to tell the story of the people that were buried there.

Concerns about the legislation include the inability of City Island’s infrastructure to support an active ferry service to and from the burial ground and fears that graves would be disturbed and religious customs violated. There was also some concern about the poor condition of the island; soil erosion caused human remains to be exposed last year, and bones have surfaced on neighboring shores.

Related to the Hart Island vote, there was also legislation put forward by Staten Island Council Member Deborah Rose that will mandate a hearing on public burials, providing the public with a chance to recommend policy changes, and a bill sponsored by Bronx and Manhattan Council Member Diana Ayala that requires the city’s Department of Social Service to create an office to help people arrange public burials. Taken together, the bills represent much-needed steps toward reforming the public burial system.

“It’s really a mark of shame that for generations in this city, New Yorkers who in life have faced poverty, and disease, and homelessness–people who have been marginalized in life again have been marginalized in death,” Council Member Mark Levine, who chairs the council’s health committee and represents parts of Manhattan, said.

“We are embarking today on what will be the end of that shameful era. There is going to be years and years of advocacy ahead. This is only the beginning.”

[Via Curbed NY]

RELATED: 

• As Hart Island nears capacity, city seeks new public cemetery sites
• NYC Council considers turning mass gravesite on Hart Island into a city park
• INTERVIEW: Melinda Hunt Memorializes the Unclaimed New Yorkers Buried on Hart Island
• Families of city’s unclaimed dead receive more access to graves on Hart Island

Renderings courtesy of ArX Solutions

Last fall, Brookfield Properties bought two sites in Mott Haven for $165 million—the most expensive transaction on record for development in the Bronx—from Somerset Partners and Chetrit Group. On Thursday, the developers revealed a $950 million plan for a 4.3-acre mixed-use development that will bring more than 1,350 apartments to the South Bronx neighborhood, of which 30 percent will be affordable. Branded as Bankside, the project will also include a public waterfront park and promenade, as well as ground-floor retail and community facility spaces.

Bankside will span across two parcels located on each side of the Third Avenue Bridge along the Harlem River, at 2401 Third Avenue and 101 Lincoln Avenue. Construction is already underway and will take place in two phases. The work will start with building 450 apartments at 2401 Third Avenue, which is expected to open by the end of 2021.

“Mott Haven is a special neighborhood, and we think Bankside will be a great addition, bringing much-needed housing, a new public waterfront park and esplanade, and hundreds of construction jobs, many of which will be filled with Bronx residents through our local hiring program,” Ric Clark, the chairman of Brookfield, said in a statement.

Designed by Hill West Architects, the development features seven towers that will be interconnected across the two parcels. Each parcel will feature distinct façade types, one primarily masonry and the other glass and metal.

Drawing on the palette of the surrounding area, the primary materials for the development will be weathered masonry and brick, dark metal accents, and raw concrete.

The public waterfront park and esplanade on the Harlem River is designed by MPFP and will encompass more than 34,000 square feet. Landscaped with native plantings and offering a variety of custom seating, the waterfront landscape intends to create “unique pockets in which the community can gather in a garden environment with riverfront views,” as a recent press release explains.

The development will also include 15,000 square feet of ground-floor retail with a local focus, including a tech-based educational and community center run by non-profit Project Destined.

As 6sqft reported last year, the land was initially acquired by Somerset and Chetrit in 2014 and 2015 for $58 million. The group tapped Hill West Architects to design a development across the two parcels and had some of the construction underway when they decided to sell the massive site in April.

RELATED:

• The most expensive development site in the Bronx will be 30 percent affordable
• $165M sale of South Bronx waterfront site is the borough’s priciest development deal ever
• More renderings, details released for massive South Bronx waterfront development

Renderings courtesy of ArX Solutions

Photo courtesy of L+M Development Partners

Following a ribbon-cutting ceremony yesterday, L+M Development Partners and Nelson Management Group opened the doors to their new mixed-use affordable housing developments in Soundview, the Bronx. The two buildings at 1520 and 1530 Story Avenue will bring 435 units of affordable housing and a 15,000-square-foot facility for Easterseals New York that will offer early childhood education. Roughly half of the units were up for grabs through a lottery held earlier this year.

Photos courtesy of L+M Development Partners

Designed by Curtis+Ginsberg Architects, the two structures are connected via a one-story structure that holds the fitness center. Other amenities include a playground, landscaped areas with seating and walking paths, a laundry room, parking, bike storage, indoor and outdoor fitness areas, and lockers for packages. Half of the units in the development are reserved for households making between 30 and 60 percent of Area Median Income (AMI) and the other half are for moderate-income households at 80 to 95 percent of AMI.

“The long journey of this as-of-right project has brought over 400 units of affordable housing in a state of the art facility that also brings significant new community amenities and meeting space,” assembly member Marcos A. Crespo said. “I’m grateful to L+M and Nelson Management for the attention to community concerns and allowing various points of input to shape the end result.”

The buildings are located along the Bx5 bus route (the 6 train is also nearby) and right across from Soundview Park and its 205 acres of green space with six baseball fields, a cricket pitch, running track, soccer field, basketball courts, walking paths, and a performance lawn.

RELATED:

• 161 affordable apartments available in the South Bronx, from $331/month
• $52M supportive housing complex with health-focused amenities opens in the South Bronx
• Affordable housing complex at former Bronx juvenile jail site breaks ground

Photos courtesy of L+M Development Partners

All photos by James and Karla Murray exclusively for 6sqft

The New York Botanical Garden’s 28th annual Holiday Train Show is back for the season, and this year it has an entirely new Central Park section, featuring iconic spots like Belvedere Castle, Bethesda Terrace, and the Bow Bridge–all made entirely from natural materials including bark, seeds, berries acorns, and cinnamon sticks. 6sqft took a special tour of the exhibit, which features a total of 175 New York landmarks, and went behind-the-scenes with Laura Busse Dolan, President and CEO of Applied Imagination, the design firm that works all year long to make this whimsical show a reality. From the exhibit’s 2,000 plants to its 25,000 pounds of cedar bark and 200 boxes of moss, Laura fills us in on all the fun and little-known facts about the Holiday Train Show.

The first Holiday Train Show took place in 1992 under the artistic direction of Paul Busse. Paul always loved plants and gardens, and he received a degree in landscape architecture and started a landscaping company. But he also loved trains, and in 1982, he combined his passions and created his first “public garden railroad” for the Ohio State Fair. By 1991, this had become such an integral part of his business that he started a company devoted to “botanical architecture,” according to Applied Imagination’s website.

Though Paul is now retired, he is still involved, and his daughter, Laura Busse Dolan, owns and operates the company, which is set on 30 acres in Alexandria, Kentucky, right next to Cincinnati, Ohio. They have 16 full-time employees, including their creative director who has a Master’s in architecture, as well as associates around the country who collect natural materials for them. For the Holiday Train Show, they also have a local team that joins them each year and helps with the installation.

Some of Applied Imagination’s other major installations include a holiday display at the U.S. Botanic Garden in Washington, D.C., a summer indoor-outdoor display at the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, North Carolina, and a warm-weather display at the Chicago Botanic Garden.

Now, take a full tour of the 2019 Holiday Train Show:

Since the New York Botanical Garden’s Enid A. Haupt Conservatory is currently undergoing restoration, the show is being held in an adjacent tent. The Conservatory model seen above took more than 600 hours to create.

At the beginning of the show, you’ll see models of Grand Central Terminal and the original Penn Station. The balustrades of Penn Station were constructed with acorn bark.

The TWA Flight Center was added to the show in 2010. Its roof is made of Grandleaf Seagrape tree leaves, banana bunch stems, and Royal Poinciana bean pods.

Above, the battery maritime building and a vintage ferry boat. This was new as part of last year’s Lower Manhattan theme and was the first time a boat element was featured.

Other new models last year included One World Trade Center, the Woolworth Building, and the World Trade Center Oculus, which joined existing replicas such as the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. In 2017, the Empire State Building and Chrysler Building were updated. The branches on One World Trade symbolize rebirth and regrowth.

This year’s exhibit required a lot more plants than normal (2,000 to be exact) since the Conservatory is already filled with plants to serve as the backdrop. It also required seven or eight 3,500-pound bundles of cedar, all shipped from Kentucky, to make the exhibits. The fabrication team builds all of the sculptural cedar on site.

Above, the angel sculptures at Rockefeller Center’s Channel Gardens, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the New York Public Library. The models are coated with spar urethane to preserve them. Some are original (like the Edgar Allen Poe Cottage) or 20 years old, but they do need to be spruced up every few years. When the artists come on-site each year, they are equipped with giant repair kits full of every imaginable material if something needs fixing.

Paul Busse is a huge fan of Frank Lloyd Wright, so the Guggenheim was an early model. It’s made from toadstools.

To make the Macy’s sign, designers used barley and red pepper flakes. The awnings are gourds, and the mullions are birch. We asked Laura what materials her team uses most to build the models, and she said pine cones in different forms and various barks to create texture. She also noted that every building requires some form of sticks for the windows.

Thomas the Tank Engine has been with the show for 10 years; he runs around Yankee Stadium. Other G-scale trains include mid-century diesel-electric trains, steam locomotives, and modern freight trains.

The new Central Park section starts with the Dairy. It’s all set atop a field of moss. In the entire show, there are 200 boxes worth of moss, all of which were shipped up from North Carolina.

The show previously featured the fountain and Angel of the Waters statue, but the full Bethesda Terrace model is new. Horse chestnut bark was used for the mosaic work.

The new model of the Naumburg Bandshell is made from a whole piece of cut gourd, decorated on the inside.

When Applied Imagination decided they wanted to redo Belvedere Castle this year, they got very lucky. Since the actual building underwent a renovation recently and is a NYC landmark, they were able to find documents and architectural plans online that they could follow. Usually, they begin by using Google Earth, checking various archives for historic photos, and putting the two together.

The waterfall that is part of Central Park is built from a downed tree that the team pulled from the forest.

A few years ago, the theme was Coney Island. Along the course of the show, you can see 500 cut birch treetops/limbs that were sent in from Maine to help form the background.

This is the first time that the entire collection of rowhouses is in one group. The scale of the buildings is not 1:1; often, perspective or height is distorted so it feels like you’re looking up at the real building.

Though this year’s show is the largest installation Applied Imagination has ever done, Laura tells us that she’s already planning for next year.

The Holiday Train Show is on view through January 26, 2020. To find out more details and for all the programming surrounding the exhibit, click here >>

And to get an interactive look at the show, check out this video from photographers James and Karla Murray:

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All photos by James and Karla Murray exclusively for 6sqft. Photos are not to be reproduced without written permission from 6sqft.

Street View of Loeser’s in August 2017; Map Data © 2019 Google

Usually, when we talk about historic mom-and-pop businesses closing up shop, it’s due to a rent increase. But in the case of Loeser’s Kosher Deli, the issue comes down to a potentially faulty gas pipe. As the Riverdale Press tells us, the Department of Buildings issued a violation to the 60-year-old Bronx establishment and a shutdown notice as of November 20th. Now, facing high repair costs and loss of business, the fate of Loeser’s seems uncertain.

The unraveling of events began when the city was called to inspect an adjacent deli for gas piping installed without permits on November 14th. Since it’s in the same building as Bunny Deli’s Cold Cut City (which received four violations), Loeser’s was also inspected and received one violation for “failure to maintain the building in a code-compliant manner.” Department of Buildings spokeswoman Abigail Kunitz told the Daily News that they found “illegal, unpermitted and potentially dangerous gas work… which poses a fire hazard to the building occupants and their neighbors.”

In turn, they instructed ConEd to shut the gas and hot water heater off, but co-owners and sisters Pamela Loeser Halpern and Lisa Loeser Weiss kept things running with a smaller menu and by using electric hotplates to boil water to sanitize equipment. However, when the Health Department paid them a visit six days later, they were shuttered for having no hot water for sanitary purposes.

The deli was opened by Fredy Loeser on West 231st Street in Riverdale in January 1960. At just 17 years old, he used his Bar Mitzvah money to open the business with his father and ever since, has become well known for his involvement with the local Bronx community and for Loeser’s overstuffed pastrami sandwiches and homemade knishes. It is the oldest sole-proprietorship kosher deli in The Bronx, and in September, the New York City Council unanimously approved the renaming of West 231st and Godwin Terrace as “Loeser’s Deli Place.”

The city says they are in contact with the family to help them with compliance and the repairs. But it would cost the Loeser family at least $100,000 and a three-month shutdown to get everything up to code, after already losing their Thanksgiving business.

Bronx borough president Ruben Diaz Jr. and local Councilman Andrew Cohen have spoken out in support of Loeser’s, but Cohen told the Riverdale Press, “I’m certainly worried about losing a business that’s been here for so long. But also, at the end of the day, as loyal as I am to Loeser’s, it’s important that we have safe gas in the community. I don’t want to put anybody’s safety at risk.”

Though some loyal customers have suggested starting a crowdfunding campaign, Fredy said he doesn’t want that. “He just keeps saying to me, ‘Pom-Pom, I don’t understand why they won’t just let me fix it. I’ll do whatever they say. I have to pay all these fines and permits, and they said I still may not be able to open,’” said Pamela Loeser Halpern.

[Via Riverdale Press]

Images courtesy of The Corcoran Group.

The spacious, laid-back architect-designed modern home at 5253 Arlington Avenue in the Hudson Hill section of Riverdale near Wave Hill was built in 1940 on one of the neighborhood’s deepest plots (79 feet by 323 feet). The cedar-clad four-bedroom home, asking $2.599 million, is surrounded by private flagstone patios, rolling lawns, and lush plantings. The residence has been well-maintained and tastefully updated over time, but there’s potential and space for significant expansion if you’re looking for even more room.

Accessed by a paver-laid driveway, the foyer brings you into a well-laid-out home with warm, modern details, quality natural materials and fine craftsmanship throughout. There is plenty of parking, including an attached one-car garage

An open-concept living and dining room features cathedral ceilings, a wood-burning fireplace, and a dramatic wall of windows that overlooks a porch and flagstone patio. A spacious, timeless and well-appointed kitchen serves the large open living area.

A first-floor master suite has two generous walk-in closets. A renovated bath is an oasis of pampering potential with a steam shower and a whirlpool bathtub. Two more bedrooms and two full updated baths are also on the main floor.

Upstairs is a sprawling and bright additional bedroom with an en-suite bath. The home also boasts a separate laundry room. Though you’re surrounded by woods and gardens, convenient public transportation options in the form of Metro-North, Metro Link and local and express buses to Manhattan are located nearby.

[Listing: 5253 Arlington Avenue by Michael Rochios for The Corcoran Group]

RELATED:

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• 1924 cliffside Riverdale castle-cottage has magical river views, a Broadway pedigree and a $2.6M ask
• $2.6M Mediterranean-Style Mansion Is Up for Sale in Riverdale
• Live in Riverdale’s Historic Fieldston Neighborhood For Just $1,230 a Month

Images courtesy of The Corcoran Group.

2111 Southern Boulevard; Map data ©2020 Google

A group of real estate companies has purchased eight affordable housing buildings in the Bronx for $166 million. LIHC Investment Group, Belveron Partners, and Camber Property Group last week announced the joint deal, which involves 1,275 housing units and 10 commercial units that fall under the city’s Mitchell-Lama program. The firms plan to keep the units affordable, instead of converting them to market-rate apartments when the rent regulations expire.

The eight buildings are located in the neighborhoods of Crotona, Mount Hope, and Fordham heights at 2111 Southern Boulevard, 800-820 East 180th Street, 1880 and 2000 Valentine Avenue, 1985 Webster Avenue, 2100 Tiebout Avenue, 355-365 East 184th Street, and 333 East 181st Street.

“Assembling this portfolio with like-minded, mission-driven owners is a tremendous step toward preserving even more homes for working families in the Bronx,” Andrew Gendron, the principal of LIHC, which owns a number of affordable properties in the city, said.

The Mitchell-Lama program launched in 1955 to provide affordable housing for middle-income New Yorkers, including men and women returning from service and immigrants. Under the program, nearly 270 developments with 100,000 apartments were built. But because developments can be removed from the program after 20 to 35 years and converted to market-rate units, the number of Mitchell-Lama apartments has dwindled.

Since 1989, about 20,000 units at city-run co-ops and rentals have left the program. The decline in the number of units, as well as concerns over bribery and abuse of the program, have forced the city to take action.

In 2017, Mayor Bill de Blasio pledged $250 million to protect 15,000 Mitchell-Lama apartments from flipping to market-rate. And last summer, the city announced plans to include available apartments under the program on its Housing Connect site, which lists units available through the housing lottery. The city also increased oversight of the Mitchell-Lama process, after a Department of Investigation probe found some co-op board officials taking bribes in order for applicants to jump the list on the years-long waiting list.

RELATED: 

• Real estate investors buy $1.2B worth of NYC market-rate rentals with plan to make them affordable
• Mayor de Blasio announces new $250M program to keep Mitchell-Lama developments affordable
• Loss of affordability at Coney Island’s Trump Village highlights issues with the city’s Mitchell-Lama program

Photo by Daniel Vargas on Unsplash

Although he’s moved on to a new team and city, former Yankee Derek Jeter will always be a Bronx Bomber in the eyes of fans. As a way to honor the star shortstop and current Miami Marlins coach, two Bronx Council Members are introducing legislation to rename East 161st Street, the block in front of the stadium, “Jeter Street,” as amNY first reported.

Local Council Members Vanessa Gibson and Diana Ayala are co-sponsoring the bill, which has not been introduced yet. The Bronx officials said in a joint statement to amNY they both “recognize the importance of Derek Jeter and the Yankees to the Bronx.”

The proposed name change comes ahead of the results of this year’s Baseball Hall of Fame inductions next week. Jeter is expected to get in easily, but the question is whether the decision will be unanimous. The only other player to be inducted to the Hall of Fame unanimously is former Yankee pitcher and Jeter’s teammate, Mariano Rivera, who was inducted last year.

In 2014, city officially renamed the Bronx’s River Avenue “Rivera Ave” after the closer. If the legislation to rename the strip “Jeter Street” gets approved and Jeter gets inducted, the intersection would be the first-ever to feature two unanimous Hall of Fame players, according to amNY.

[Via amNY]

RELATED: 

• Derek Jeter lists lakefront ‘castle’ with four kitchens and a Statue of Liberty replica for $15M
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• Hope Street, Love Lane, and more: The stories behind NYC’s most optimistic street names

Yayoi Kusama in 2020. Photo courtesy of the artist.

Opening May 9th and running until November at the New York Botanical Garden, a blockbuster exhibition dedicated to Yayoi Kusama will immerse us in the Japanese artist’s visionary world. As the exhibition begins to take shape, we got our first sneak peek of the ambitious plans, which include a career-spanning survey, the debut of four new works, and a variety of complementary horticultural installations created by the Garden’s team.

Yayoi Kusama with her family (circa 1929); Courtesy of the artist.

Yayoi Kusama, I WANT TO GO TO THE UNIVERSE (2013). Courtesy of Ota Fine Arts, Victoria Miro, and David Zwirner.

Yayoi Kusama, Infinity Mirrored Room—Illusion Inside the Heart (2020). Photo courtesy of Ota Fine Arts, Victoria Miro, and David Zwirner.

Yayoi Kusama, Pumpkins Screaming About Love Beyond Infinity (2017). Photo courtesy of Ota Fine Arts, Victoria Miro, and David Zwirner.

According to a recent press release, the exhibition will explore “Kusama’s lifelong fascination with the natural world beginning in her childhood spent in the greenhouses and fields of her family’s Nakatsutaya seed nursery.” Multiple installations throughout the garden grounds will include early sketchbooks and paintings of plants and flowers (many of which will be exhibited for the first time) alongside the artist’s ever-popular mirror installations and site-specific polka-dotted sculptures. Among the debut works are Flower Obsession (2020), a greenhouse installation that will require visitor participation to cover the space in flower stickers, and a new indoor-outdoor Infinity Room that will “respond to changing light throughout the day and seasons.”

Yayoi Kusama, ALONE, BURIED IN A FLOWER GARDEN (2014); Courtesy of Ota Fine Arts, Victoria Miro, and David Zwirner.

The artworks will inspire a series of changing indoor and outdoor displays created by the Garden’s horticulturalists throughout the run of the show, from “glorious displays of tulips and irises in spring” to “masses of pumpkins and autumnal flowers in fall.” The team will also recreate the painting ALONE, BURIED IN A FLOWER GARDEN (2014) from plants in the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory.

Yayoi Kusama around age 10; Courtesy of the artist

The botanical garden is a fitting venue to explore Kusama’s art in direct dialogue with her sources of inspiration. “For Kusama, cosmic nature is a life force that integrates the terrestrial and celestial orders of the universe from both the micro- and macrocosmic perspectives she examines in her practice,” guest curator Mika Yoshitake explains. “Nature is not a mere source of inspiration, but integral to the visceral effects of Kusama’s artistic language in which organic growth and the proliferation of life are made ever-present.”

Yayoi Kusama, Flower Obsession (Sunflower), 2000; Courtesy of the artist.

A yet-to-be-announced schedule of public programs will cater to all ages and include lectures and film screenings of Kusama Infinity (2018) and Kusama’s Self-Obliteration (1967).

If Kusama’s previous New York City exhibitions are any indication, the show is going to be massively popular. Timed entry tickets for Kusama: Cosmic Nature go on sale for NYBG members on February 19 and to the public on February 26th. 100,000 free tickets will be set aside for low-income Bronx residents. The show will be on display through November 1st but tickets will move fast so plan ahead for this one.

RELATED:

• Yayoi Kusama’s polka-dot pumpkins are coming to the New York Botanical Garden
• Yayoi Kusama’s insanely popular infinity rooms return to New York this fall
• Check out artist Yayoi Kusama’s installation in an abandoned Rockaway train garage

Streetview of 842 Manida Avenue, Map data © 2020 Google

The Landmarks Preservation Commission voted on Tuesday to calendar the Manida Street Historic District, a block of semi-attached brick homes in Hunts Point. Residents first pushed for the south Bronx street to be recognized in 2010, as development began to accelerate in the neighborhood. According to the LPC, 42 properties between 814 and 870 Manida Street may be landmarked, as they represent “an intact example of the early 20th-century development” in the neighborhood that coincided with the launch of the subway and industrialization of the area.

Streetview of 843 Manida Avenue, Map data © 2020 Google

According to a 2010 New York Times article, when the designation was first proposed, the homes along the 800 block of Manida Avenue were built around the turn of the century in a “Flemish architectural style that would have been familiar to the Bronx’s overwhelmingly Germanic population at the time.”

With the introduction of the subway to the Bronx in 1904, the area began its transformation from rural to urban, becoming one of the largest industrial areas in the city. The subway, along with access to the waterfront and the Oak Point Yard rail yard, made Hunts Point ideal for the growth of industries. And as one of the only remaining blocks of early 20th-century architecture in Hunts Point, the intact residences on Manida stand out significantly against its commercial and manufacturing neighbors.

The boundary of the proposed historic district, courtesy of LPC

Two developers and two developers led the design and construction of the block between 1908 and 1909. The LPC called the proposed district’s consistent modest Renaissance Revival style a “discreet enclave within Hunts Point.”

There are two city landmarks near the block: the American Bank Note Company Printing Plant on Lafayette Avenue and Sunnyslope, a historic home built in 1860 located on Faile Street.

If designated, the area would become the borough’s 13th historic district. Manhattan is home to the most historic districts in the city at more than 80, followed by Brooklyn, Queens, and Staten Island. LPC Commissioner Sarah Carroll mentioned on Tuesday that this is a very exciting opportunity since there are so few historic districts in the Bronx.

Before giving the block landmark status, the LPC will hold a public hearing followed by a meeting at a later date during which the commission will vote on the proposed district.

RELATED:

• LPC designates Bay Ridge’s first historic district
• Ahead of proposed rezoning, Gowanus gains five individual landmarks
• Landmarks designates new Inwood historic district

Image by A.V. Flores from Pixabay

The long-anticipated plan to build a home stadium for New York City’s soccer team in the Bronx inched forward last week, the New York Times first reported. The group of developers and the New York City Football Club are close to reaching a deal with the city to bring a 25,000-seat stadium to the South Bronx as part of a $1 billion development plan that also includes a hotel, new school, and affordable housing. New York City F.C., which has been looking for a permanent home for years, currently plays games at nearby Yankee Stadium.

Via Wikimedia

Yankees president Randy Levine put the deal in motion when he brought in developer Maddd Equities. Levine offered to reduce the number of required parking spots for Yankee Stadium by 3,000, allowing Maddd Equities to purchase six parking lots in the area for $54 million. The Bronx Parking Development Corporation, which controls a majority of the lots, has continued to lose money, as fans more often take public transportation to the games. Maddd and the team will also purchase the GAL elevator factory site.

“The situation with Bronx Parking had started to seriously deteriorate and a solution had to be reached, which led to the opportunity to create an overall plan,” Levine told the Wall Street Journal.

The stadium, if approved, would replace parking lots on East 153rd Street and stretch from River Avenue to the Major Deegan Expressway. An off-ramp from the expressway would be shuttered to make way for a pedestrian walkway to a new waterfront park on the Harlem River, according to the Times. A hotel, new school, and “community-based” retail are included in the plan.

The city’s Economic Development Corporation on Friday said a formal agreement has not been reached. “A deal has not been reached, and more conversations are needed,” an EDC spokesperson said in a statement. “We are hopeful for a future where these lots can better serve the community. The first step toward achieving that is engaging the community on their needed and vision for this area.”

The approval process, which involves a rezoning application and public review, will take months. If approved, construction of the project would not begin for at least two years.

In 2018, a developer group made up of Related and Somerset Partners proposed a similar plan. The $700 million project, later scrapped, included a Rafael Viñoly-designed stadium at the site of the Harlem River Yards, a 13-acre parcel operated by the Empire State Development Corporation.

“We have been honored to call the Bronx our home for the last five years playing at Yankee Stadium, and we will keep our neighbors and our dedicated fans informed as we participate with Maddd and others in any related consultations and the public approval process,” a spokesperson from New York City F.C. said in a statement to the Times.

[Via New York Times]

RELATED:

• Plans for New York City’s first soccer stadium focus on the Bronx, again
• $700M proposal calls for NYC’s first soccer stadium and 550 affordable apartments in the South Bronx
• City backs away from Yankee Stadium parkland promise in favor of residential high rise

Image courtesy of Douglas Elliman.

In the bustling and buzzy South Bronx community of Mott Haven, this bonafide loft at 305 East 140th Street is also a 2008 condominium conversion known as Bronx Bricks. Constructed in 1904, the classic loft building features a ground-floor art gallery and adjacent theater performance space, both of which highlight the neighborhood’s vibrant arts community. The 1,290-square-foot unit is asking $839,000.

Within are caramel-hued maple hardwood floors, ceilings nearly 11 feet tall, and a wall of six oversized double-paned windows. A renovated loft-style kitchen mixes cherry wood cabinets with granite worktops and stainless steel appliances.

Also integrated into the loft’s design are original 15-inch pine posts and beams. A custom storage area continues the rustic industrial materiality.

A separate sleeping area is enclosed by sliding frosted glass doors and custom bookcases. The renovated bath features lots of wood and white, and large tiles.

A lofted bed offers a guest space or storage, with more storage below. The building offers even more storage in the basement, bike storage, an elevator, video intercom security, a laundry room, a roof deck with a grill and solar panels on the roof providing electricity to each apartment. The 6 subway is just two blocks away on 138th Street, and it’s just one stop to Manhattan.

[Listing: 304 East 140th Street #2A by Ronald Lense, Christopher Connor, David Lewandowski for Douglas Elliman]

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• New renderings of South Bronx passive house feature vegetated roof deck and solar shading
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• Best of the Bronx: What to do and see in the northernmost borough now

Images courtesy of Douglas Elliman.

Corner of Webster Avenue and Bedford Park Boulevard; Map data © 2020 Google

A two-building development with 450 affordable housing units will be constructed on property owned by the New York Botanical Garden, developers announced Tuesday. Douglaston Development has entered a 99-year lease with NYBG for a lot on Webster Avenue and Bedford Park Boulevard, located about a block from the 250-acre garden.

The project’s first phase includes a building at 2856 Webster Avenue with 188 units designated for seniors earning up to 50 percent of the area median income (AMI). On-site services from Fordham Bedford Community Services will be provided.

Phase two involves a 260-affordable rental at 410 Bedford Park Boulevard, with units set aside for New Yorkers earning between 30 and 130 percent of the AMI. A portion of these units will be for formerly homeless families, as Norwood News first reported. Both buildings are expected to be 12 stories tall.

“Douglaston is thrilled to begin a partnership with the New York Botanical Garden on this community-driven development,” Jeffrey Levine, founder of Douglaston, said in a statement. “We are looking forward to continuing to expand our Bronx footprint through a project that will not only bring more affordable housing options to the area, but additional benefits to the greater community.”

The site is currently home to the grocery store, Cherry Valley Supermarket. The store will continue to operate during phase one of the project until it can move to its new store on the ground floor of 410 Bedford Park, a Douglaston executive told Norwood News. The market would be connected to both buildings.

The deal marks the first official foray into residential real estate for NYBG, although in 2016 it did suggest building a hotel on the same lot following a 2011 rezoning of Webster Avenue. Those plans failed to materialize.

RELATED: 

• Brooklyn Botanic Garden ramps up fight against proposed Crown Heights towers with new exhibit
• Brooklyn Botanic Garden fights against shadow-casting Crown Heights towers
• Best of the Bronx: What to do and see in the northernmost borough now

Photo courtesy of New York Botanical Garden

The New York Botanical Garden’s popular orchid show will return for its 18th season this Saturday with a special exhibit from “floral designer to the stars” Jeff Leatham. The Orchid Show: Jeff Leatham’s Kaleidoscope employs the artist’s love of color, transforming various galleries with thousands of orchids and their own color schemes. Highlights of the very-Instagrammable show include a kaleidoscopic tunnel of lights, a 10-foot tall mirrored orchid sculpture set above a water fountain, and a series of yellow and orange orchid arches.

Jeff stands next to the “Jeff Leatham Orchid,” which the NYBG named for him. Photos by 6sqft

Jeff Leatham has counted among his clients Sofia Vergara, Cher, and Oprah Winfrey. He is the artistic director of The Four Seasons Hotel George V in Paris and has studios at the Four Seasons Hotel Philadelphia at Comcast Center and the
Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills. On his website, he notes that his floral sculptures are often compared to modern art, so it makes sense that NYBG saw an opportunity to collaborate with him on a show that creates an entirely new visitor experience.

Top two photos courtesy of New York Botanical Garden; bottom photo by 6sqft

The layout and path of this year’s show are different than in previous years as the historic palm dome of the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory is currently undergoing a restoration (to be reopened this May). Therefore, the show begins with a big “wow” moment, where in past years this was saved for the finale.

Jeff says that when he’s approaching a project, he thinks first about color, then texture, and finally flower type. Therefore, for the orchid show, he wanted to create individual color experiences within each gallery. He also thought about texture and fragrance to provide a “full sensory experience.”

Photos by 6sqft

The first room is supposed to feel like “moving through a meadow.” Tall grasses, green and white cymbidiums, gardenias, and orange blossoms set a perfect backdrop for the orchids.

Photos by 6sqft

There are not many orchids in the desert gallery, but there is an orchid plant that grows in the African desert, which shows the plant’s adaptability. “They’re found on every continent except Antarctica, and yet some are so rare that they grow in one single place,” the NYBG’s CEO and President Carrie Rebora Barratt tells us. Moreover, “there are more than 30,000 naturally occurring species and over 100,000 man-made hybrids, which makes orchids one of the largest families of flowering plants.”

Photo by 6sqft

Jeff is a big lover of bamboo, and to highlight the colorful nature of this show, he chose to incorporate tall, painted stalks throughout the galleries. In the desert, for example, he chose one of his favorite hues, which he says is reminiscent of Yves Klein blue.

Photos by 6sqft

In addition to painting bamboo, Jeff also chose to paint some of the accent walls of the exhibit to help the flowers pop. Above, the curved wall was painted a soft grey.

Photo courtesy of New York Botanical Garden

The tunnel serves as a transition from the desert gallery to the rainforest. It is a true kaleidoscope of colors and a testament to Jeff’s belief in the importance of lighting.

Photos by 6sqft

At first, the columns in the area were disjointing, but by covering them in orchids, they became an entrance to the rainforest house. This gallery has the humid climate that orchids most typically thrive in, so it’s the perfect place to showcase how they actually grow in the wild, attaching to larger plants.

Photos by 6sqft

Jeff calls the next room “rise and shine,” with the yellow and orange orchid arches feeling like a sunrise or sunset. When they reflect in the pool it creates a full-circle effect.

Photos by 6sqft

The final room is highlighted by NYBG’s skywalk, and for this, Jeff wanted to capture the verticality of the space, created a canopy of tall bamboo covered in orchids. At night, all of the bamboo columns are lit. For that matter, Jeff encourages visitors to also see the show at night since the lighting creates a completely different feel.

That said, Orchid Evenings will run on select days throughout the show and will have music, a cash bar, and light bites from the Bronx Night Market. You can buy tickets here and find out more details about the Orchid Show here. 

Photos taken by the New York Botanical Garden and 6sqft, as noted

Image by A.V. Flores from Pixabay

With a deal between the New York City Football Club and developer Maddd Equities to build a new soccer stadium in the South Bronx on the horizon, the Urban Land Institute New York (ULI NY) and Bronx Community Board 4 (CB4) have issued a report outlining how the new stadium could best impact the surrounding community. ULI New York recommendations outline important strategies that would allow the proposed stadium to become a catalyst for neighborhood growth.

According to a press release, the New York City Football Club (NYCFC) is nearing an agreement with the city on the development of a new soccer stadium in the South Bronx. As 6sqft previously reported, the long-anticipated plan to build a home stadium for New York City’s soccer team in the Bronx has been moving forward between a group of developers led by Maddd Equities and the New York City Football Club. New York City F.C., which has been looking for a permanent home for years, currently plays games at nearby Yankee Stadium. The 25,000-seat stadium is part of a $1 billion development plan that also includes a hotel, new school, and affordable housing.

At the request of Bronx CB4, ULI NY convened a 10-member Technical Assistance Panel (TAP) to study the neighborhood and consider the potential impacts of a soccer stadium near Macombs Dam Park. ULI NY’s panel of real estate professionals with development, design, finance, and legal expertise studied the site and briefing materials from Bronx CB4 and interviewed community stakeholders.

The report, titled “Bronx Community Board Four Technical Assistance Panel: Neighborhood-Focused Strategies for Future Growth,” outlines strategies and investments that should accompany stadium development and that would positively impact the surrounding community year-round. The panel’s recommendations are broken out into three categories: Design and Programming, Connectivity and Planning for a Community-Focused Neighborhood. Within that framework are recommendations for stadium design and community programming, increasing use of public and alternative transit options and improving neighborhood walkability and connectivity to open space and the waterfront. A full copy of the report can be read here.

Considering the proposed stadium’s location, the report suggests that it would be advantageous if the stadium becomes a multi-purpose asset for the community and serves a wider purpose beyond its primary role: The facility could serve as a community hub, avenue for health and wellness programs, business incubation, neighborhood sports activity and more.

Regarding connectivity, steps should be taken to encourage NYCFC fans to use public and alternative transportation options including rail, bus, walking, and biking to better manage traffic flow and lessen congestion on game days. The report highlighted the importance of building better and more innovative connections from the east side of the rail lines and the Major Deegan Expressway to the Jerome Avenue corridor and beyond.

With careful planning and targeted zoning changes, the report suggests, River Avenue could become a “bustling, dense, mixed-use corridor.” One of the report’s proposed zoning change involves the conversion of an underutilized parking garage on River Avenue into a multi-story affordable housing unit.

Miriam Harris, Executive Vice President, Trinity Place Holdings Inc. and Chair for the TAP, said in a statement, “The TAP team’s stakeholder interviews and experience tell us that a soccer stadium in the South Bronx will be most successful if it is more than just a sports venue. By designing and programming a stadium as a year round center of community activity while also using its development as a catalyst for physical improvements in the surrounding area, the stadium will significantly enrich the neighborhood as it also provides a singular experience for New York City soccer fans. We thank CB4 for inviting us to work on this TAP and giving us the opportunity to share our recommendations.”

The stadium, if approved, would replace struggling parking lots on East 153rd Street from River Avenue to the Major Deegan Expressway. An off-ramp from the expressway would be shuttered to make way for a pedestrian walkway to a new waterfront park on the Harlem River. The approval process also involves a rezoning application and public review. If approved, construction of the project would not begin for at least two years.

RELATED:

• Plans for NYC’s first soccer stadium inch forward in the Bronx
• Plans for New York City’s first soccer stadium focus on the Bronx, again
• $700M proposal calls for NYC’s first soccer stadium and 550 affordable apartments in the South Bronx
• City backs away from Yankee Stadium parkland promise in favor of residential high rise

The site of the proposed affordable senior housing building in Morrisania; Map data © 2020 Google

The city is looking to construct two affordable senior complexes with between 150 and 200 housing units each. The Department of Housing Preservation and Development on Friday released a request for proposals for two underused city-owned sites, one in the Bronx’s Morrisania neighborhood and the other in Crown Heights in Brooklyn. The developments fall under Mayor Bill de Blasio’s administration’s “Seniors First” housing program, which aims to serve 30,000 senior households by 2026 through the creation and preservation of affordable housing.

“No one should be priced out of their community in their retirement years, which is why we’re thrilled to move forward with this opportunity to transform City-owned land into 100 percent affordable housing for seniors,” HPD Commissioner Louise Carroll said in a statement.

The two properties are owned by the New York Public Housing Authority. In the Bronx, the city is looking to develop a 24,000-square-foot site at the Morris Houses in Morrisania, on the corner of St. Paul’s Place and Park Avenue. In Crown Heights, a 25,000-square-foot site is available at the Kingsborough Houses, located on Bergen Street between Buffalo and Ralph Avenues.

Last summer, NYCHA hosted workshops with residents from the Morris and Kingsborough Houses to gather feedback and ideas about the sites. According to the community vision reports, residents from both complexes asked that the new developments improve the safety of the surrounding area, enhance walkways and paths for pedestrians, and incorporate elements of neighboring buildings in their designs.

Both proposed developments would involve a 99-year ground lease and include on-site tenant services from local organizations. The ground floor of both complexes could be used for community facilities. The proposals will be financed through the HPD’s Senior Affordable Rental Apartments (SARA) program and the New York City Housing Development Corporation’s Extremely Low and Low-Income Affordability (ELLA) program.

De Blasio’s Senior First program, introduced in 2017, aims to address the city’s lack of affordable housing for seniors. A policy organization LiveOnNY estimated that the waiting list for an affordable apartment citywide includes about 200,000 seniors.

“With hundreds of thousands of seniors languishing on housing waiting lists upwards of ten years, it’s clear our City must take act boldly on its commitment to creating and preserving low-income senior housing,” Council Member Margaret Chin, who chairs the Committee on Aging, said in a press release. “The Seniors First initiative will put us on the right track to address this need, and I am excited to this process move forward.”

RELATED:

• Mayor de Blasio doubles planned senior housing to 30,000 affordable apartments
• Luxury senior housing set to open in Brooklyn Heights’ former Leverich Towers Hotel
• NYC financed a record number of affordable homes for seniors and homeless New Yorkers this fiscal year

Photo by Steven Pisano on Flickr

An affordable housing lottery launched this week for 131 apartments in a newly constructed building in the Bronx. The 13-story building at 150 Van Cortlandt Avenue East in Bedford Park sits near a handful of public parks and playgrounds, including the Williamsbridge Oval recreation center, Harris Park, and the city’s third-largest park, Van Cortlandt Park. Qualifying New Yorkers earning 50, 60, 90, 110 percent of the area median income can apply for the units, which range from $667/month studios to $2,346/month three-bedroom apartments.

In total, the mixed-use building, designed by Marin Architects, contains 163 units and 5,000 square feet of community space in the basement. Residents have access to a recreation room, fitness center, and on-site laundry.

Located between the Grand Concourse and Mosholu Parkway, the building’s nearest transit options include the 4 train at the Mosholu Parkway station and the B, D at Bedford Park Boulevard.

Qualifying New Yorkers can apply for the affordable units until May 15, 2020. Complete details on how to apply are available here (pdf). Preference for 50 percent of the units will be given to residents of Bronx Community Board 7. Questions regarding this offer must be referred to NYC’s Housing Connect department by dialing 311.

If you don’t qualify for the housing lotteries mentioned, visit CityRealty.com’s no-fee rentals page for other apartment deals in the city.

RELATED: 

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Photo by Dan Gold on Unsplash

At 3120 Park Avenue and 451 East 159th Street, in the Melrose section of the Bronx, 31 affordable apartments are up for grabs for New Yorkers earning 30, 50, 100, and 110 percent of the area median income. The Park and Elton Apartments, which are located close to Yankee Stadium and many public transit options, have available units ranging from $359/month studios to $2,052/month two-bedrooms.

The buildings have an on-site super, bike storage, and a laundry room. They’re a quick walk to the 4, B, and D trains at Yankee Stadium, and the Melrose stop on the Harlem line of Metro-North is just a few blocks away. The project was done by Xenolith Partners LLC, a woman-owned affordable housing development company. They outfitted the buildings with Energy Star appliances and lighting, as well as high efficiency plumbing fixtures.

Qualifying New Yorkers can apply for the affordable units until May 22, 2020. Complete details on how to apply are available here (pdf). Preference for 50 percent of the units will be given to residents of Bronx Community Boards 1 and 3. Questions regarding this offer must be referred to NYC’s Housing Connect department by dialing 311.

If you don’t qualify for the housing lotteries mentioned, visit CityRealty.com’s no-fee rentals page for other apartment deals in the city.

RELATED:

• 131 affordable apartments available near Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx, from $667/month
• Apply for 35 affordable apartments in new Upper East Side passive house, from $747/month
• 2,000 spots open on waitlist for middle-income apartments across East Harlem

Photo of Woodlawn Cemetery by Ted via Flickr/cc 

A housing lottery launched on Thursday for placement on a 20,000-person waiting list for a number of rental properties in the East Bronx. Found across the neighborhoods of Williamsbridge and Wakefield, the location of the buildings stretch from Woodlawn Cemetery to about Pelham Bay. New Yorkers earning 50, 85, 90, and 95 percent of the area median income can apply for the apartments, which range from a $1,106/month one-bedroom to a $2,074/month three-bedroom. Eligible applicants will be randomly selected and placed on the waitlist for future vacancies.

Applications will be accepted to replenish the waitlist for buildings at 677 East 241st Street, 720-722 East 220th Street, 746-748 East 227th, 848 East 228th Street, 914 East 230th Street, 924 East 230th Street, 3248-3250 Wickman Avenue, 3709 Laconia Avenue, and 4129 Seton Avenue.

Some of the apartments may come with a parking space, for an additional fee. Nearest public transit options include the 2,5 subway line, the Harlem line on Metro-North, and the BX39.

New Yorkers can apply for a spot on the waitlist until April 27, 2020. Find more details on how to apply here (pdf).

Questions regarding this offer must be referred to NYC’s Housing Connect department by dialing 311. If you don’t qualify for the housing lotteries mentioned, visit CityRealty.com’s no-fee rentals page for other apartment deals in the city.

RELATED: 

• 73 mixed-income apartments up for grabs in prime Central Harlem, from $680/month
• In the Bronx, a lottery opens for 30 affordable one-bedroom apartments for seniors
• Waitlist opens for affordable units at luxury Yorkville rental, from $728/month