Bronx – 6sqft

Photo courtesy of the New York Botanical Garden

The palm dome of the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory at the New York Botanical Garden reopened on Monday after an $18 million restoration project. Constructed by Lord & Burnham from 1899 to 1902, the stunning glass greenhouse features 11 galleries with plants from around the world, including the garden’s Palms of the World gallery. The Haupt Conservancy, which has been closed since March 15 because of the coronavirus pandemic, will reopen to the public at limited capacity on September 22.

The restoration project, which began last April, included an infrastructure upgrade led by Jan Hird Pokorny Associates and Silman Structural Engineers. The project focused on the central dome above the Palms of the World gallery, which includes the cupola, the upper dome, drum, and the lower dome.

The wood-cladding around the drum and the wood cornice, originally made with first-growth bald cypress, were replaced with cast and extruded aluminum components that will require less maintenance, according to the garden. Additional upgrades were made to the dome’s mechanical and electrical systems, public restrooms, exhibition and path lighting, and the bluestone pavers were repaired.

Along with the restoration of the dome, the garden added dozens of new palm species to the Palms of the World gallery, while preserving about 180 plants during the restoration. New palms in the collection include the petticoat palm, Bailey’s Fan Palm, and the parasol palm.

“For 118 years, visitors from our local communities here in the Bronx and around the globe have delighted in the treasures contained in the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory,” NYBG Chair J. Barclay Collins II said in a press release.

The Palms of the World gallery displays both New and Old World palms, cycads, ferns, warm-climate monocots, and ground covers.

Visitors can use the NYBG’s Palm Dome interactive mobile guide while exploring the galleries for an even more immersive experience. Timed tickets to the garden must be purchased in advance here.

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Photos courtesy of the New York Botanical Garden

Photo © James and Karla Murray

Palomba Academy of Music has been teaching music lessons from its storefront in the Williamsbridge section of the Bronx for 64 years, but they’ve sadly had to close due to COVID-19. However, there’s a piece of this business that photographers James and Karla Murray hope to preserve. They are working with iconic NYC neon shop Let There Be Neon to remove Palomba’s historic, 25-foot neon sign and have it relocated to the American Sign Museum in Cincinatti, Ohio. But they need your help…

James and Karla Murray are photographers, videographers, and authors of Store Front: The Disappearing Face of New York, New York Nights, Store Front II-A History Preserved, and Broken Windows-Graffiti NYC. They featured Palomba Academy of Music in their Store Front II book and are now working on a documentary about Palomba and its sign.

Though James and Karla have already found a home for the sign at the American Sign Musem, they’ve launched a Kickstarter campaign to raise $5,500 to “successfully cover the costs of Let There Be Neon carefully removing the 25-foot long neon sign from the facade of the building while preserving its delicate neon tubes and red porcelain enamel panels and placing the neon signage on a large trailer and transporting it to Cincinnati.”

The sign will be displayed as part of the museum’s Main Street USA” exhibition, which creates replicas of entire storefronts featuring their historic signs. Palomba’s sign was designed in 1956 by Milton Grauer of the Bronx’s famous Grauer Sign Co. According to the New York Neon Blog, Grauer began making neon signs in 1928 and was located in the Bronx through the 1960s, after which time they moved to Flushing, Queens for the next 10 years.

But it’s not just the sign that makes this legacy worth preserving. Palomba in itself has been a NYC institution. Second-generation owner Michael Palomba is quoted on their website explaining, “A great music school is more than teaching the right notes, the correct techniques or the best music. It starts with great teachers who care and inspire. The instructors at Palomba take great pride in knowing their students and their families on a first-name basis.” Students over the years have included Grammy-winning drummer Will Calhoun of In Living Color, bassist Ron Long who worked with The Temptations, and drummer Lucianna Padmore who played in the Tony-winning show “Bring in ‘da Noise, Bring in ‘da Funk.”

Photo © James and Karla Murray

So far, James and Karla have raised just over $1,400 of their $5,500 goal with 25 days to go. Signed copies of Store Front II-A History Preserved and prints from the book are being offered as rewards. You can contribute here >>

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Photos courtesy of the Bronx Brewery

Two South Bronx businesses are teaming up to bring New Yorkers a unique new culinary experience. The Bronx Brewery announced a deal last week to make Empanology a full-time food partner at the bar’s spacious backyard. The partnership involves some tasty collaborations, including a BBQ sauce that incorporates the brewery’s “World Gone Hazy” IPA and other limited-edition menu items.

“Our team and I are extremely excited to call BXB our home. We are overwhelmed with excitement for this opportunity to show the world what Empanology can bring to the table,” Jason Alicea, chef and founder of Empanology, said. “This partnership has been years in the making with the goal of elevating our guest experience and food with each collab.”

Empanology, which is operating out of a new kitchen at the site, first served Bronx Brewery drinkers in 2017 during a pop-up at the brewery, before the brand was fully established. The two establishments have since collaborated a number of times, but this new deal marks the first official food partner for the Bronx Brewery in its nine-year history.

“For us, beer has always been about bringing people together and it is great to work with others who share that approach with what they create,” Damian Brown, president and co-founder of the Bronx Brewery, said.

Some unique menu choices at Empanology include OG Chopped Cheese, an ode to the classic Uptown sandwich, Coco Loco Shrimp, Californication, Piece of Pizza, a vegan Coconut Curry Squash, and for dessert, the Red Velvet Tres Leches empanadas. The vendor also sells burgers, chicken sandwiches, and wings.

Empanology at the Bronx Brewery’s backyard, located at 856 East 136th Street, is open from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 2 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Friday, 12 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Saturday, and 12 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Sunday.

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All renderings by SLCE Architects

In the Tremont section of the Bronx, just south of Little Italy and just west of the Bronx Zoo and Botanical Garden, a new affordable senior housing complex has launched a lottery for 122 units. Located at 600 East 179th Street, the 176-unit building was designed by SLCE Architects and features environmentally friendly features such as two large terraces and a rear garden, including both indoor and outdoor vegetable gardens, and a green wall. The available apartments include studios and one-bedrooms for those earning 30 or 50 percent of the area median income, who will pay 30 percent of their income on rent.

According to the architects, they designed the building with a focus on “environmental awareness and managing physical health.” Other amenities include 24-hour security, a teaching kitchen, exercise room, computer room, reading room, on-site medical services, social services provided by the Hebrew Home for the Aged, and colorful artwork and greenery all throughout. The lottery advertisement also specifies that “special care will be made to ensure safety and clean/sanitized facilities in light of COVID-19.”

The units are available to individuals or households that have at least one household member who is 62 years of age or older at the time of application and meet the income and household size. Eligible applicants must qualify for Section 8 and will pay 30 percent of their household income in rent.

Qualifying New Yorkers can apply for the affordable units until January 14, 2021. Complete details on how to apply are available here. 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.

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All renderings by SLCE Architects

Listing images courtesy of Douglas Elliman

It’s not every day you come across a true one-bedroom New York City apartment for under $300,000, but here you go. Located in the Concourse section of the Bronx, which is just a half-hour subway ride from Midtown, the home is spacious, bright, and full of the pre-war details that you’d expect from a co-op like 1075 Grand Concourse.

There’s a lovely entry foyer, where you can see the home’s original details like crown and picture moldings, hardwood floors, redone brick walls, and French doors. Straight ahead is the living room, which gets beautiful southern light. Adjacent is the corner bedroom, which is also super sunny and has a double built-in closet and can fit a king-sized bed.

The kitchen is super stylish, complete with extra-long Quartz countertops, chic gray cabinetry, a copper sink, rustic shelving, and all stainless steel appliances including a wine cooler.

As the listing states, though the unit is on the ground floor, it “feels like the second floor since the building is located in the Hill.” There’s also a roof deck and pets are allowed.

[Listing details: 1075 Grand Concourse, 1G at CityRealty]

[At Douglas Elliman by Marjo Ivaska-Sergeant]

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Listing images courtesy of Douglas Elliman

All images courtesy of Phipps Houses

A housing lottery launched last week in the South Bronx for over 200 affordable homes set aside for extremely-low to moderate-income households. Located in Soundview, the newly-constructed 12-story Metcalf Avenue Apartments offers residents on-site laundry, children’s playroom, roof deck, landscaped courtyard, and a community room. Qualifying New Yorkers earning 30, 50, 70, 90, and 110 percent of the area median income can apply for the units, which range from $354/month studios to $2,346/month three-bedroom apartments.

The mixed-use building was developed by Acacia Network and Phipps Houses, one of the oldest nonprofit developers and owners of affordable housing in the city, with designs by Dattner Architects. Located on the corner of Westchester Avenue, the building was designed to meet Passive House standards, with solar panels on the roof and energy-efficient heating and cooling systems.

The project is conveniently located just two blocks from the 6 train at Morrison Avenue and sandwiched between Bronx River-facing Soundview Park and the New York Botanical Garden and Zoo.

Qualifying New Yorkers can apply for the affordable units until February 8, 2021. Complete details on how to apply are available here. 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.

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All images courtesy of Phipps Houses

Rendering courtesy of S9 Architecture

Construction of the South Bronx mixed-use project that will have over 1,000 units of housing, a waterfront esplanade, and a permanent home for the Universal Hip Hop Museum is set to begin in the coming weeks. Developed by L+M Development Partners, Type A Projects, BronxWorks, and the city of New York in a public-private partnership, the project, known as Bronx Point, secured $349 million in financing last week. S9 Architecture is leading the design of the 22-story development, with the publicly-accessible open space along the Harlem River designed by Marvel Architects and Abel Bainnson Butz.

Renderings courtesy of S9 Architecture

After issuing a request for proposals in July 2016, the city’s Economic Development Corporation selected L+M and Type A Projects for the development, which was later approved by the City Council. Bronx Point sits near the 149th Street corridor and adjacent to Mill Pond Park and the 145th Street Bridge.

“At a moment when New Yorkers continue to struggle through the impacts of the pandemic, it’s even more critical for us to begin work on a project that will serve so many in a way that’s true to the borough – from high-quality affordable housing and community programming, to much-needed open space along the Harlem River, to a permanent home for the Universal Hip Hop Museum,” Josue Sanchez, senior director at L+M Development, said.

According to the development team, the housing will be delivered in two phases. The first phase, expected to be completed by late 2023, includes 542 permanently affordable apartments and nearly three acres of open space. The second phase includes the remaining 500 units of housing, retail, and community space.

The affordable apartments at Bronx Point will be designated for households with incomes between 30 and 120 percent of the area median income, as well as some for formerly homeless New Yorkers. This first phase of housing includes a mix of studios to three-bedroom apartments. Residents will have access to amenities like an outdoor terrace, laundry room, lounge, bike storage, children’s room, and fitness center.

The project also includes a permanent home for the Universal Hip Hop Museum, which currently operates out of a pop-up space at the Bronx Terminal Market. The museum, which was originally scheduled to open in 2023 but has been delayed a year because of the pandemic, will feature exhibits that celebrate all things hip hop, which was invented in the Bronx in the 1970s. It will take up 50,000 square feet on the lower levels of the building, according to CityRealty.

“For years, we’ve wanted a permanent home in The Bronx—the birthplace of hip hop—and we are proud to be a part of Bronx Point, which will be one of the great new destinations of the borough,” Kurtis Blow, Chair of the Universal Hip Hop Museum, said. “Hip hop grew from a seed that was planted at a house party on Sedgwick Avenue into a global movement, and our museum will celebrate that journey and the Bronx’s place in its history. For all those who rose with us and followed in our footsteps: this museum will be for you, forever.”

BronxWorks, a social service provider, will offer support services for tenants of Bronx Point and operate an early childhood center. And the Billion Oyster Project will run an outdoor science education program that focuses on the Harlem River.

Rendering courtesy of Marvel Architects

As part of Marvel’s design of the outdoor space, a staircase envisioned as a gathering space for the community leads from the building to the waterfront. Located next to the existing Mill Pond Park, open space includes a new playground and landscaped areas. An esplanade will run along the shoreline of the Harlem River and offer a mix of active and passive spaces, including seating areas, lookouts, and fitness zones for adults. There will also be publicly accessible bathrooms, a rare amenity in the city.

The Waterfront Alliance in May announced Bronx Point achieved verification of the national Waterfront Edge Design Guidelines (WEDG) standard, the first affordable housing project to do so. The project met the standard by improving views and connectivity to the water through the new public park, restoring habitats along the shoreline, implementing flood mitigation measures, and offering public programming related to the waterway.

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Renderings of the building and aerial shots courtesy of S9 Architecture; Rendering of esplanade courtesy of Marvel Architects

Listing photos courtesy of Brown Harris Stevens

In the Spuyten Duyvil section of the Bronx, right near Riverdale, this condo is a bit of a unicorn. Located at 2521 Palisade Avenue, it has three bedrooms and a balcony overlooking the Hudson River, the Palisades, and the George Washington and Mario Cuomo Bridges. It also includes three deeded in-building parking spaces, one of which is a “private two-car garage” accessed from the building driveway. And all this comes for $1,195,000.

Off the entry foyer is a coat closet, powder room, and laundry closet. From there, the pass-through galley kitchen leads into the dining room, which is surrounded by floor-to-ceiling glass windows. The kitchen is the first time you’ll notice that the place could use some updating, but the layout and bones are all there.

Open to the dining room is the living space, which has access to the balcony.

There are three bedrooms. The master has incredible closet space, as well as an en-suite bathroom. The other two bedrooms are adjacent to the full bathroom in the hall.

As mentioned, the two-car “garage” is quite a rarity, as is the additional deeded parking spot.

The building is just a few city blocks to Metro-North and, from there, a 26-minute ride to Grand Central. Amenities include a terrace, indoor pool and sauna, concierge, and live-in building manager.

[Listing details: 2521 Palisade Avenue, #12A at CityRealty]

[At Brown Harris Stevens by Vince Mauro]

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Listing photos courtesy of Brown Harris Stevens

Kusama with Pumpkin, 2010 © YAYOI KUSAMA. Courtesy of Ota Fine Arts, Tokyo / Singapore / Shanghai; Victoria Miro, London; David Zwirner, New York

The New York Botanical Garden was scheduled to hold a blockbuster exhibition dedicated to Yayoi Kusama last spring, but sadly had to postpone the event when the pandemic hit. But they’ve now announced new 2021 dates for KUSAMA: Cosmic Nature–the show will run from Saturday, April 10 to Sunday, October 31, 2021 with tickets going on sale to the general public on March 16. The exhibition will immerse us in the Japanese artist’s visionary world through 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.

According to a press release, the exhibition will be the “first-ever comprehensive exploration of the artist’s lifelong fascination with the natural world… beginning in her childhood spent in the greenhouses and fields of her family’s seed nursery in Matsumoto, Japan.” 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.

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

Narcissus Garden, 2016, The Glass House, New Canaan, CT. 1,400 stainless steel spheres. Collection of the artist. Courtesy of Ota Fine Arts, Tokyo/Singapore/Shanghai; David Zwirner, New York; Victoria Miro, London.

Among the works created for and debuting in the exhibition are:

Narcissus Garden (1966/2021), 1,400 stainless steel spheres each nearly 12 inches in diameter, will be installed in the 230-foot-long water feature of the Native Plant Garden;
Flower Obsession (2017/2021), Kusama’s first-ever obliteration greenhouse;
Dancing Pumpkin (2020), a 16-foot-high bronze sculpture in black and yellow presented on the Haupt Conservatory Lawn;
Ascension of Polka Dots on the Trees (2002/2021), where soaring trees adorned in vibrant red with white polka dots will pop in the landscape along Garden Way;
I Want to Fly to the Universe (2020), a 13-foot-high biomorphic form presented in the Visitor Center; and
Infinity Mirrored Room—Illusion Inside the Heart (2020), an outdoor installation reflecting its environs (interior access will begin in the summer).

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, Flower Obsession (Sunflower), 2000; 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, New York Botanical Garden, Spring 2020 art exhibitions

Yayoi Kusama in 2020. Photo courtesy of the artist.

A yet-to-be-announced schedule of public programs will cater to all ages.

If Kusama’s previous New York City exhibitions are any indication, the show is going to be massively popular. As 6sqft reported when tickets originally became available, because NYBG expected such high traffic, they shut down their regular website. So be prepared to wait in a virtual queue until it’s your turn! There will be advance, timed, limited-capacity tickets. Find out more information HERE >>

Editor’s Note: This story was originally published on February 26, 2020 and has been updated.

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Photo by Daniel Vargas on Unsplash

As of today, the mass coronavirus vaccination site is open at Yankee Stadium. Appointments are reserved for Bronx residents only who meet phase 1a and 1b eligibility requirements, and the site will operate every day from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Gov. Mayor Bill de Blasio, wearing a Yankees cap (he’s a vocal Red Sox fan), was at the stadium and spoke with Yankees president Randy Levine, manager Aaron Boone, and legendary player Mariano Rivera, all of whom encouraged people to sign up for vaccines. As of today, 13,000 of the 15,000 available appointments through next week had been filled.

“I used to save games, now we are saving lives. And that’s what matters, it’s not about the game, it’s about the people and that’s why we are here,” said Rivera.

The new vaccine hub comes as city data released this week revealed vast inequities in vaccination rates among white New Yorkers and communities of color and as the Bronx is currently experiencing the highest positivity rate of any borough. The data also showed that of the 512,820 people who have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine in New York City, nearly 25 percent are not city residents.

Plus, a report from THE CITY last week found that many of those receiving vaccines at the Fort Washington Armory site in Washington Heights, where a majority of residents are Hispanic, lived outside of the five boroughs. Following the report, the site’s operator, New York-Presbyterian, announced it would limit all future appointments to residents of NYC, with a minimum of 60 percent of all those slots reserved for eligible residents of Washington Heights, Inwood, Northern and Central Harlem, and South Bronx communities.

“It’s abundantly clear that Black, Latino and poor communities have been hit the hardest by COVID, and the Bronx is no exception,” Governor Cuomo said. “Our efforts to target vaccinations by locations with higher positivity rates have been working to not only keep the infection rate down, but to help ensure equity in our vaccine distribution process, and opening a mass vaccination site at Yankee Stadium – the Bronx’s most iconic landmark – is the perfect solution to helping this borough get vaccinated and defeat COVID once and for all.”

According to state data, the 7-day average percentage of positive test results in New York City has hovered just above 5 percent. In the Bronx, the rate has remained over 6 percent, the highest in the city.

Earlier this week, the governor announced plans to open 35 community-based pop-up vaccination sites at churches, cultural institutions, public housing complexes, community centers, and other places this week, with a focus on fairly distributing the vaccine. The state has already started deploying these “community vaccination kits” to 33 NYCHA senior housing developments, home to over 7,600 residents.

“This mega site shows what our grassroots, equity-driven NYC Vaccine for All effort is all about,” de Blasio said. “Yankee Stadium has always been known for its World Series banners, but now it’ll be recognized as a place where the people of the surrounding community in the Bronx can receive the vaccine doses that they need and deserve. This is about justice and standing up for the neighborhoods that were hardest hit by COVID-19.”

According to officials, 15,000 appointments will be available at Yankee Stadium during the first week. The effort is made possible through a partnership between the state, city, the New York Yankees, SOMOS Community Care, and the New York National Guard. Though everyone is encouraged to make an appointment online or by phone in advance, Yankees president Randy Levine did say that four ticket windows, staffed by Yankees personnel, will be open to assist Bronx residents who show up without an appointment.

Bronx residents who qualify can sign up for an appointment at Somosvaccinations.com or by calling 1-833-SomosNY.

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All photos courtesy of Office of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo on Flickr

Photo by David L Roush on Wikimedia

New York City this week will open a mass coronavirus vaccination site at Co-op City, the world’s largest housing cooperative. Mayor Bill de Blasio on Tuesday announced the site will start vaccinations for eligible New Yorkers on March 4 at the Bronx development, which is home to over 15,300 apartments across 72 buildings. “Communities felt deep, deep losses from the coronavirus in the Bronx,” de Blasio said during a press briefing. “The Bronx is too often overlooked. We can’t let that happen.”

Despite statewide declines in COVID-19 positivity rates and hospitalizations, numbers remain high in the Bronx, particularly in the south and northeast sections of the borough. Plus, as of Tuesday, just 8 percent of residents in Co-op City and 5 percent in neighboring Edenwald and Wakefield are fully vaccinated, compared to 15 percent statewide, according to the city’s vaccine tracker.

Rep. Jamaal Bowman and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer on Sunday sent a letter to President Biden asking for additional vaccines to be distributed in Co-op City, Edenwald, and Wakefield. In these neighborhoods, roughly 90 percent of residents are people of color and 25 percent are seniors. A mass vaccination site opened at Yankee Stadium last month for Bronx residents but is not accessible to those living in the northeast section of the borough.

“While there are numerous factors contributing to these troubling disparities in vaccine distribution, transportation inequity is an especially prevalent factor in this region. For residents of ZIP code 10457, it takes approximately two hours to take the two trains and a bus necessary to make it to the vaccination site at Yankee Stadium,” Bowman and Schumer wrote.

The elected officials continued: “Having access to vaccines in their backyard would allow them to more easily access the necessary information, reminders, and follow-up vaccines.”

The new vaccine site will open at 131 Dreiser Loop on Thursday, with vaccinations available Thursdays through Tuesdays from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Make an appointment here.

The Co-op City hub is part of a broader effort to fight inequities seen throughout the pandemic and now during the vaccination rollout. ZIP code data released last month by the city’s Health Department show that the neighborhoods that have been hit hardest by the virus are seeing the lowest rates of vaccination.

Vaccine hubs are now open at Citi Field for Queens residents, food delivery workers, and drivers with TLC licenses, at the Teachers Preparatory High School in Brownsville for local residents and home health aides, and two FEMA-run sites, one at Medgar Evers College in Crown Heights and another at York College in Jamaica, both of which are designated for residents of each respective borough only.

As of Tuesday, 2,024,601 total vaccine doses have been administered by the city. De Blasio said he expects 5 million New Yorkers to be vaccinated by June.

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Photo by Nelson Mejia Jr. via Flickr cc

In the Mott Haven section of the Bronx, an affordable housing lottery has launched for 127 apartments, ranging from $522/month studios to $2,037/month three-bedrooms. The units are available to those earning 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, and 80 percent of the area median income. Located at 345 St. Ann’s Avenue, the newly constructed mixed-use building is called Park Haven and offers tenants a laundry room, fitness center, and landscaped terrace. In addition, there will be a grocery store and a community facility on the ground floor.

According to New York Yimby, the building was designed by SLCE Architects and developed by The Community Builders and BronxWorks. The 178-unit project cost $91.5 million and broke ground in December 2019. The ground floor will have a 7,000-square-foot space for BronxWorks workforce development programs and a 14,000-square-foot Food Retail Expansion to Support Health Program (FRESH) grocery store. Units will have high-end electric appliances, LVT floors, and granite countertops with a backsplash. Park Haven is just a block from St. Mary’s Park and a quick walk to the 6 train at Brook Avenue.

Qualifying New Yorkers can apply for the affordable units until April 26, 2021. Preference for 50 percent of the units will be given to residents of Bronx Community Board 1. Complete details on how to apply are available here. 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.

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Listing photos courtesy of Brown Harris Stevens

The Bronx‘s Concourse Towers were built in 1963, at the height of the Mid-Century Modern movement. And time seems to have stood still at this two-bedroom apartment on the market for $449,500. The sellers are a prominent architectural historian and a property director, so it’s no wonder they’ve decided to outfit the home with authentic decor like cork flooring, a wood ceiling, and retro furniture everywhere you look.

A large central foyer opens into the main living space, which is bright and open.

As the listing notes, the dining room could even be converted to a third bedroom.

The kitchen stands out with wood ceilings, a stone wall, and a commercial-grade vinyl floor. It has a double basin stainless steel sink complete with a built-in soap dispenser, four-burner gas cooktop, gas wall oven, Bosch dishwasher, a built-in pull-out recess for a large microwave, and a broom closet. There’s also counter seating looking out the window.

Both bedrooms have en-suite bathrooms and acoustic sound barrier walls. The secondary bedroom is set up as a den.

Though not pictured, there is also a large private balcony with Manhattan views.

The building offers a 24-hour doorman and security, live-in super, and two 24-hour laundry rooms. It’s right near several parks and is just one block from the Bronx Museum of the Arts and a quick walk to the B and D trains at 167th Street.

[Listing details: 1020 Grand Concourse, 7F at CityRealty]

[At Brown Harris Stevens by Ariela Heilman and Deborah Miller]

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Listing photos courtesy of Brown Harris Stevens

Rendering courtesy of NYC Department of Housing Preservation & Development

A lottery opened this week for nearly 100 affordable units set aside for seniors at a newly constructed building in the South Bronx. Located at 1080 Washington Avenue in Morrisania, the development features a 5,400-square-foot community facility space, on-site social services, fitness center, laundry, and a sunroom with plantings. Applicants must have at least one household member who is 62 years of age or older, qualify for Section 8 benefits, and earn $51,200 or less, annually. Eligible New Yorkers will pay 30 percent of their income for the studio and one-bedroom apartments.

Developed by Bronx Pro with designs from Curtis + Ginsberg Architects, the building rises 12 stories and contains 154 units. About 30 percent of the apartments are designated for formerly incarcerated seniors experiencing homelessness. The housing project replaced the United Methodist City Society’s Trinity Church and an attached Sunday School building.

Fortune Society will oversee and run social services at a facility in the building. In addition to a community room and gym, a setback sixth floor provides a green roof terrace for all residents.

Qualifying New Yorkers can apply for the affordable units until May 25, 2021. Complete details on how to apply are available here. 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.

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Renderings courtesy of ArX Solutions

The most expensive private development in the Bronx continues to progress. Brookfield Properties announced this month that the final tower at the phase one site of Bankside, a seven-tower waterfront complex in Mott Haven, has topped out. The $950 million mixed-use project takes up two parcels on either side of the Third Avenue Bridge on the Harlem River. Third at Bankside, located at 2401 Third Avenue, has officially topped out and developers have broken ground at Lincoln at Bankside, located at 101 Lincoln Avenue.

Renderings courtesy of ArX Solutions

Brookfield purchased the two sites in 2018 from Somerset Partners and Chetrit Group for $165 million, setting a record at the time for the priciest development deal in the borough. The 4.3-acre development, which is being designed by Hill West Architects, first broke ground in 2019.

The towers on each site will display two different facade designs, with one mostly masonry and the other glass and metal to reflect the neighborhood’s industrial past, according to a press release.

As part of the first phase, the Third Avenue parcel consists of three towers, two 25-story buildings and one 17-story structure, all of which share an eight-story podium. With the topping out of the final tower on this site, the developers say the first residential tower will open by the end of the year, with the leasing of Third at Bankside’s 450+ units launching this fall.

The Lincoln Avenue parcel will have four towers and yield more than 900 apartments, in addition to retail and community space. In total, Bankside will bring over 1,370 apartments, with 30 percent of them “rent-restricted,” as 6sqft previously reported.

A new public waterfront park and esplanade designed by MPFP aims to make the Harlem River more accessible to the community. The 34,000 square feet of public space will feature both passive and active use, with native plantings and a variety of seating providing a place for residents to gather.

The development will also feature 15,000 square feet of local retail and a tech-based community center run by non-profit Project Destined.

“Mott Haven is known for its beloved local restaurants and shops, and we’re excited to support them – especially as we begin to recover from the pandemic,” Alireza Esmaeilzadeh, senior vice president, development, Brookfield Properties, said. “By making Mott Haven’s waterfront accessible to the entire community, creating new retail and community space, generating hundreds of new job opportunities, and more, our goal is to invest in the borough and knit the new development into the fabric of the community.”

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Dancing Pumpkin, Courtesy of Ota Fine Arts and David Zwirner

This Saturday, April 10, the New York Botanical Garden’s hotly-anticipated exhibit KUSAMA: Cosmic Nature will open to the public and remain on view through October 31, 2021. The blockbuster show dedicated to legendary Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama was originally planned to open in May 2020, but of course, was postponed due to the pandemic. Among the works on view are Kusama’s famous polka-dot pumpkins, her larger-than-life flowers, and the famous Narcissus Garden, composed of 1,400 stainless steel spheres floating on water.

The exhibit will be spread across the Botanical Garden’s entire 250-acre landscape and will be the first-ever comprehensive exploration of the artist’s lifelong fascination with the natural world. In a message to NYBG, the artist said, “Dancing through our universe are noble souls whose magnificent forms are saturated with mystery. I invite you to explore the endlessly expanding ode to the beauty of love that is my art.”

Here’s some of what you can expect:

Dancing Pumpkin, 2020, The New York Botanical Garden, Urethane paint on bronze 196 7/8 x 116 7/8 x 117 ¼ in. Collection of the artist. Courtesy of Ota Fine Arts and David Zwirner.

Painted in the artist’s signature black-and-yellow polka dots, the 16-foot high bronze sculpture Dancing Pumpkin is located on the Conservatory Lawn, a setting inspired in part by the birch forests near Kusama’s childhood home.

My Soul Blooms Forever, 2019, The New York Botanical Garden. Urethane paint on stainless steel, Installation dimensions variable. Collection of the artist. Courtesy of Ota Fine Arts, Victoria Miro, and David Zwirner.

Inside the Conservatory, My Soul Blooms Forever is a collection of huge stainless flowers, all painted in vibrant colors with polka-dot patterns. Located in the water feature under the recently restored dome of the Palms of the World Gallery, the flowers appear to be in motion.

Hymn of Life – Tulips, 2007, Mixed media, Courtesy of the City of Beverly Hills.

More massive flower sculptures make up Hymn of Life, located in the Conservatory Courtyard Hardy Pool (note the image above is the piece in a different location). The fiberglass flowers are positioned among water lilies and other seasonal aquatic plantings.

I Want to Fly to the Universe, 2020, The New York Botanical Garden. Urethane paint on aluminum, 157 3/8 x 169 3/8 x 140 1/8 in. Collection of the artist. Courtesy of Ota Fine Arts and David Zwirner.

In the Visitor Center Reflecting Pool, you’ll see I Want to Fly to the Universe, a 13-foot high “bright, purple-tentacled floral form with a vivid yellow primordial face.”

Ascension of Polka Dots on the Trees, 2002/2021, The New York Botanical Garden. Printed polyester fabric, bungees, and aluminum staples installed on existing trees. Site-specific installation, dimensions variable. Collection of the artist.

Along Garden Way, trees have been wrapped in vibrant red with white polka dots as part of Polka Dots on the Trees.

Narcissus Garden, 1966/2021, The New York Botanical Garden. 1,400 stainless steel spheres, Installation dimensions variable. Collection of the artist Courtesy of Ota Fine Arts, Tokyo/Singapore/ Shanghai; David Zwirner, New York; Victoria Miro, London/Venice.

Narcissus Garden is installed in the 230-foot-long water feature of the Native Plant Garden. It’s made of 1,400 stainless steel spheres each nearly 12 inches in diameter. “The reflective orbs float on the water’s surface, moved by wind and currents, each mirroring the environment around them to captivating effect,” according to NYBG.

Pumpkins Screaming About Love Beyond Infinity, 2017, Mirrors, acrylic, glass, LEDs, wood panels, Collection of the artist.

What is sure to be one of the most popular (and Instagrammed) parts of the show is Pumpkins Screaming About Love Beyond Infinity, a combination of Kusama’s famous polka-dot pumpkins and her mirrored infinity room installations. Put together as a glass cube reflecting an infinity of glowing polka-dotted pumpkins within it, the piece will be viewed from the outside. “The installation changes over time as pumpkins illuminate and then fade to darkness in a meditative choreography,” explains NYBG.

Of her pumpkins, Kusama has said, “My pumpkins, beloved of all the plants in the world. When I see pumpkins, I cannot efface the joy of them being my everything, nor the awe I hold them in.”

Though no photos are available yet, the exhibit will also include Kusama’s new Infinity Mirrored Room, which will open with interior access this summer. “Infinity Mirrored Room—Illusion Inside the Heart (2020), responds to natural light through colored glass throughout the day and seasons.”

KUSAMA: Cosmic Nature, The New York Botanical Garden, 2021.

The Library Building features examples of Kusama’s botanical drawings, works on paper, biomorphic collages, assemblage boxes, sculptures, and paintings on canvas depicting flora and its limitless variety of patterns. On the left of the image above, the massive painting is titled Alone, Buried in a Flower Garden. It also served as inspiration for a living work of art that mimics the painting’s bold shapes and colors.

Life, 2015, The New York Botanical Garden. Fiberglass-reinforced plastic, tiles, and resin, Installation dimensions variable. Collection of the artist Courtesy of Ota Fine Arts and David Zwirner.

To see the exhibit, the New York Botanical Garden requires the advance purchase of timed tickets, which are available for dates starting April 10 through June 30.

And check out this 90-second video tour of the exhibit:

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Courtesy of NYC Department of Housing Preservation & Development

Applications are currently being accepted for 101 mixed-income apartments at a newly constructed rental in the Bronx. Located at 2885 Marion Avenue, the building, known as Bronxview, is located just a few blocks from the New York Botanical Garden and Fordham University’s campus. Qualifying New Yorkers earning 50, 60, 90, and 110 percent of the area median income (AMI) can apply for the units, ranging from $1,045/month two-bedrooms to $2,159/month three-bedrooms.

Developed by the Fordham Bedford Housing Corporation, Bronxview rises eight stories and contains 114 units total. The project sits next to the Serviam Campus, a development with senior housing and community facility also developed by FBHC.

Amenities at Bronxview include a laundry room, community space, and a rooftop garden terrace with views of the Garden and Manhattan skyline. A community facility that will provide child care for the neighborhood will be located on-site.

Qualifying New Yorkers can apply for the affordable units until April 20, 2021. Preference for 50 percent of the units will be given to residents of Bronx Community Board 7. Complete details on how to apply are available here. 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.

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Photo courtesy of the Belmont Business Improvement District

One of New York City’s most famous foodie destinations will once again transform into an outdoor dining hot spot this spring. Starting April 30, “Piazza di Belmont” returns to the Bronx’s Little Italy neighborhood, with several restaurants setting up al fresco seating along historic Arthur Avenue. Developed by the Belmont Business Improvement District, the European-style experience first debuted last summer as part of the city’s “Open Restaurants” program.

Piazza di Belmont kicks off Friday, April 30 and will run through the fall. Arthur Avenue will be closed to cars from East 188th Street to Crescent Avenue from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, and 1 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Sundays.

Some favorite eateries participating include Zero Otto Nove, Mario’s Restaurant, Enzo’s of Arthur Avenue, Estrellita Poblana III, Ann & Tony’s, and Pasquale’s Rigoletto Restaurant.

“While the pandemic has devastated our city, borough, and neighborhood, we are hopeful for the future with the ongoing vaccinations, lifting restrictions, and the re-launch of Piazza di Belmont, which has become popular with our guests and allows more visitors to dine outdoors during the warmer months,” Peter Madonia, Chairman of the Belmont BID, said.

“Many of the small businesses in Bronx Little Italy are owned and operated by the same families who founded them over a century ago – some of which have already been through the 1918 pandemic. Piazza di Belmont will help to support many of these family-operated restaurants on weekend evenings, while the streets will remain open during normal business hours throughout the week to support our essential and retail businesses.”

Last year, the Belmont BID worked with traffic engineer Sam Schwartz to design Piazza di Belmont, which had 25 participating restaurants when it first opened.

The city made Open Streets and outdoor dining permanent last fall. According to the city’s Department, over 11,330 restaurants are currently participating in the Open Restaurants program, with about 350 of them on Open Streets.

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Courtesy of NYC Department of Housing Preservation & Development

A housing lottery launched this week for 28 apartments in the Bronx set aside for middle-income New Yorkers. The seven-story building, located at 2724 Heath Avenue in the University Heights neighborhood, provides residents with a shared laundry room, gym, and fitness center. New Yorkers earning 120 percent of the area median income (AMI), or between $56,572 and $154,680 annually, can apply for the available units, which include $1,650/month studios, $1,750/month one-bedrooms, and $2,000/month two-bedrooms.

Developed by Stagg Group with a design by Marin Architects, the 2724 Heath Avenue Apartments contains 64 residences across roughly 41,784 square feet. The building includes a number of enclosed parking spaces. Units boast high-end, energy-efficient kitchen appliances, according to the lottery advertisement.

Located between West 193rd Street and West Kingsbridge Road on the edge of University Heights and Kingsbridge Heights, the residential building sits between the Harlem River and Jerome Park Reservoir. The nearest transit options include the 1 train at Marble Hill-225th Street Station and the 4 train at Kingsbridge Road.

Qualifying New Yorkers can apply for the affordable units until June 11, 2021. Complete details on how to apply are available here. 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.

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Courtesy of NYC Department of Housing Preservation & Development

A new rental building in the South Bronx is now accepting applications for 41 affordable studio apartments. The 12-story project at 972 Washington Avenue is located in the Morrisania neighborhood, about a mile east of Yankee Stadium. Qualifying New Yorkers earning 60 percent of the area median income, between $31,406 and $50,160 annually for a one-person household and between $31,406 and $57,300 annually for a two-person household, can apply for the $843/month apartments.

Developed by the Postgraduate Center for Mental Health, 972 Washington Avenue is a supportive housing project with apartments set aside for adults and families with a history of mental illness and formerly homeless and disabled New Yorkers. The units available through the lottery are available to the general public.

In total, the building contains 107 units, of which 82 are studios and 24 are two-bedroom apartments. Amenities include on-site social services, a community room, laundry room, a children’s play area, and a landscaped rear yard with playspace.

Nearest transit options include the Harlem line of Metro-North at the Melrose station and the 2 and 5 subway trains at Intervale Avenue. The Bx6, Bx13, and Bx21 buses are also located nearby.

Qualifying New Yorkers can apply for the affordable units until June 25, 2021. Preference for 50 percent of the units will be given to residents of Bronx Community Board 3. Complete details on how to apply are available here. 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.

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