AOL Real Estate - Blog http://realestate.aol.com/blog AOL Real Estate - Blog http://realestate.aol.com/blog/media/feedlogo.gif AOL Real Estate - Blog http://realestate.aol.com/blog en-us Copyright 2012 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/Penelope Cruz Lists Los Angeles Home for $3.7Mhttp://realestate.aol.com/blog/2010/06/17/penelope-cruz-lists-los-angeles-home-for-3-695-million/http://realestate.aol.com/blog/2010/06/17/penelope-cruz-lists-los-angeles-home-for-3-695-million/http://realestate.aol.com/blog/2010/06/17/penelope-cruz-lists-los-angeles-home-for-3-695-million/#commentsFiled under: ,

Oscar-winning Spaniard Penelope Cruz has put her three-bedroom, three-and-a-half bathroom Los Angeles home on the market for $3.695 million. The actress listed the property for lease at $14,500 a month in 2008 and still has the Sunset Strip-area spread listed as an available venue for location shoots.

The Real Estalker suspects that this isn't Cruz's full-time pad and that would explain the bland, sample-home interiors in every room that can be seen in snapshots taken by the actress' broker at Sotheby's Realty. Still, charm abounds in the sterile space. The design and architecture gives us many reasons to have real estate envy.The Los Angeles Times calls the house "Balinese modern," and the foreign design inspiration is a huge selling point for this property. Its majestic entryway (pictured), a stately, carved-wood door, is an architectural detail you're more likely to see in Stonetown, Zanzibar than on the Sunset Strip. It leads into an open courtyard with a fountain, and a set of beautiful glass doors leads you into the home's interior.

Inside, the house capitalizes on an open plan, where all of the rooms, including a gourmet kitchen with granite counter tops, are spread across 3,334 square feet of bamboo flooring. Another thoughtful architectural detail is the small blocks of windows positioned just below the ceiling, and the glass doors and windows that appear to line almost every inch of the back of the house.

The several glazed doors mean easy access to the backyard and its kidney-shaped pool. But if the pool doesn't excite you (it's modestly-sized compared to those at other celebrity homes), there's also a king-sized poster bed on the back lawn.

Who knows how much time Cruz and her fellow-thespian beau, Javier Bardem, have actually spent in this house? We're just content to know that the fiery actress slept and, no doubt, hosted parties here at some point during her ownership. And, according to The Real Estalker, she picked a good 'hood to do it in. Writer/producer Aaron Sorkin ("The West Wing," "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip") is said to live nearby.

 

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]]>celebrity homescelebrity real estatelos angeleslos angeles real estatePenelope Cruzsunset stripCoryn Brown2010-06-17T10:38:00 00:00Darryl Strawberry Slides Into Manhattan Party Padhttp://realestate.aol.com/blog/2010/06/16/darryl-strawberry-slides-into-manhattan-party-pad/http://realestate.aol.com/blog/2010/06/16/darryl-strawberry-slides-into-manhattan-party-pad/http://realestate.aol.com/blog/2010/06/16/darryl-strawberry-slides-into-manhattan-party-pad/#commentsFiled under:

Darryl Strawberry is moving to Manhattan, apparently to tend to his sports-themed restaurant in Queens which sources say is slated to open this summer.

After one-upping Donald Trump this spring on "Celebrity Apprentice" and firing himself from the show on grounds of exhaustion, the former all-star Yankees and Mets hitter signed a one-year lease for a 1,050 square-foot, two-bedroom apartment in the swank highrise, Ohm.

Is Strawberry really exhausted? His pick of lodging choices points to "No. "The Ohm was erected on the outskirt of Chelsea's nightlife, and despite it's Zen-inspired name, has been targeting affluent, vivacious 20- and 30-somethings by pitching a sound stage in the building's lobby atrium for exclusive, resident-only concerts. The Knitting Factory, a local bar known for its impressive roster of musical acts, has been hired to do the concert schedule.

Since Strawberry is said to have leased an upper-floor apartment, noise may not be an issue, but just below him are the temptations to do anything but rest. The pimped-out lobby boasts a 50-foot ceiling, walls lit by florescent lighting, a four-story atrium and two large television monitors which, the New York Times reports, may be used for televising sporting events.

According to the Times, Douglaston Development, the team behind Ohm, has assigned a $60,000 year-long budget to operate concerts for the residents in this lobby space twice a month. So far, Nicole Atkins has picked her guitar here and D.J. Spooky set up his turntables in the atrium in April. This complies with the building's house party plans to have a d.j. spinning on certain nights.

Clearly this building was not made for the exhausted. Famed New York party spots like Marquee, Suzie Wong, and Bungalow 8 are all short walks away. If that doesn't do it for the slugger, each unit features a safe, which comes in handy if Strawberry wants to take the party to his place. He can even hide his recreational stash during parties in plain sight. "Every medicine cabinet has a keyed lock box for pharmaceuticals," said Douglaston chairman Jeffrey E. Levine to the Times. "Viagra, Vioxx, Vicodin -- nobody needs to know but you."

Our guess is that Strawberry was tired of The Apprentice, not suffering from fatigue. We're calling his bluff. Why else would he want to move here?

For those interested in living floors below a baseball legend:

The 34-story luxury rental building is made up primarily of studio, one and two bedroom units. Prices for available units start at around $2,500 for an alcove studio, and $3,715 for a two-bedroom. And apparently, despite marketing tactics on the part of Ohm developers to sell the buildings amenities to target merry-making residents, the units themselves have certain merits like floor-to-ceiling windows and views of the Hudson River for those on higher floors. Other amenities like a two-floor, 2,100 square-foot gym, an arcade with games like Centipede and Scramble, and a lounge area with billiards and card tables are all included in the rent.

 

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]]>apartment rentalsBungalow 8Darryl StrawberryDouglaston DevelopmentMarqueeNicole AtkinsohmOhm apartment buildingSuzie WongWest ChelseaCoryn Brown2010-06-16T10:00:00 00:00Eleanor Roosevelt's $14M NYC Townhouse Perfect for Bush Twinhttp://realestate.aol.com/blog/2010/06/08/eleanor-roosevelts-14m-nyc-townhouse-perfect-for-barbara-bush/http://realestate.aol.com/blog/2010/06/08/eleanor-roosevelts-14m-nyc-townhouse-perfect-for-barbara-bush/http://realestate.aol.com/blog/2010/06/08/eleanor-roosevelts-14m-nyc-townhouse-perfect-for-barbara-bush/#commentsFiled under:

Eleanor Roosevelt's four-bedroom Upper East Side townhouse is on the market for a stately $14.5 million. The former first lady lived between 1956 and 1958 in the building on 62nd Street, which is flanked by Second and Third avenues. For that price tag, we would hope to at least have an eagle's view of the Manhattan skyline, but alas it seems that Roosevelt preferred to stare out at other grandiose homes: according to Streeteasy.com, townhouse prices on the Upper East Side this year average $10 million.

Note to former first daughter and New York apartment-hunter Barbara Bush: Let Eleanor Roosevelt school you on how to lodge like a former White House resident.
The one and only lesson: space. Probably the most remarkable part of this townhouse is, in fact, the five stories it contains. The master bedroom suite makes up the full third floor and features a master bedroom and bathroom, with a wood-burning fireplace. Another fireplace-equipped bedroom swathes the fourth floor, along with a marble bathroom and large seating area.

Even the townhouse's outdoor space features an excess of square footage. At ground level is a lush, 700-square-foot garden that boasts a working fountain and an Edward Scissorhand jungle of perfectly-pruned shrubs. And a 950-square-foot garden overlays the rooftop, plenty of space to house the Bush twin recently spied house-hunting in the West Village (and who may be considering a 700-square-foot, one-bedroom West Village co-op on Jane street for $975,000, says The Daily News.)

Other perks included in this townhouse are the grand spiral staircase, a marble foyer, central air conditioning, four more wood-burning fireplaces throughout the home, and a terrace on the second floor.

Less exciting, however, is the chef's kitchen on the second floor. Not in it's build, but in the blue-and-white wall-mounted dishes, blue-and-white wallpaper on the ceiling, blue-and-white matching valances on the kitchen windows. Granny-chic flavor abounds in other areas too, like the musty hunter-green accents sprinkled seemingly everywhere -- on marble floors, floor-to-ceiling drapes and upholstered furniture.

But what the historic abode lacks in design it makes up for in space, and if you can afford to live here, chances are you can afford to hire designer Kelly Wearstler or someone equally as apt to pump some of this decade into the aesthetic.

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]]>barbara bushcelebrity homecelebrity home photoscelebrity homescelebrity homes for saleEleanor Roosevelttownhouseupper east sideCoryn Brown2010-06-08T16:00:00 00:00New York Butler's $8.4 Million Inheritance Includes 2 Dakota Apartmentshttp://realestate.aol.com/blog/2010/05/18/new-york-butler-inherits-8-4-million-and-dakota-condo/http://realestate.aol.com/blog/2010/05/18/new-york-butler-inherits-8-4-million-and-dakota-condo/http://realestate.aol.com/blog/2010/05/18/new-york-butler-inherits-8-4-million-and-dakota-condo/#commentsFiled under:

Last week, a butler wrestled a rooftop farm in Queens for media dominance and won. That butler was Indra Tamang, the Nepalese man who served actress Ruth Ford for 30 years, and who upon Ford's death inherited approximately $8.4 million worth of her estate: including a collection of Russian surrealist art.and two cushy apartments at The Dakota -- the landmark co-op building on west 72nd Street (left).

NBC New York and Gothamist both quoted the The Wall Street Journal, which broke the rags-to-riches story and revealed more layers than Del Posto's lasagna. Key plotlines, by way of the Journal:

  • Tamang, who left a mud house in Nepal at 22 years old to work in America, received his U.S.citizenship last year -- 20 years after first applying.
  • Ford snubbed her estranged daughter, Shelley Scott, and two grandkids, in favor of Tamang.
  • Scott contested the will, received a "modest settlement," and now has nothing but nice things to say about the butler.
  • Still, some brokers say that Tamang may be not allowed to live in the three-bedroom apartment or studio he inherited at The Dakota as the co-op board may not give approval for a former worker to reside in the building.

Opting for a media rivalry spin (and referencing the most recent tension between the Journal and The New York Times), The Village Voice chose to highlight the former Times reporter who broke the story for the Journal. Says the Voice, "Josh Barbanel put in some 30 years laboring in The Times' salt mines before being cast off last December. He was recruited by the Journal for the new section and we can only hope that his story this morning is making a few Times editors lose their appetite over their Grape-Nuts."

Days later, the Journal reported that the co-op board at The Dakota would indeed consider Tamang's application for residence if he applied. But as CBS pointed out, with such a sizable inheritance comes hefty tax liabilities. In the end, Tamang decided to put the larger unit on the market for $4.5 million.

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]]>Brooklyn GrangebutlerCBScentral park westDakotadakota condoDel Posto lasagnaGothamistIndra TamanginheritanceinheritsNBC New Yorknew york real estatenew york real estate newsNew York Timesrooftop farmRuth Fordthe dakota new yorkWall Street JournalCoryn Brown2010-05-18T11:30:00 00:00Rent Hike for New Yorkers; Affordable Housing for Artistshttp://realestate.aol.com/blog/2010/05/10/rent-hike-for-new-yorkers-affordable-housing-for-artists/http://realestate.aol.com/blog/2010/05/10/rent-hike-for-new-yorkers-affordable-housing-for-artists/http://realestate.aol.com/blog/2010/05/10/rent-hike-for-new-yorkers-affordable-housing-for-artists/#commentsFiled under:

This week brought sobering news for rent-stabilized tenants, a dash of hope for broke artists in the form of affordable housing, and more places to rent, in the future, in Brooklyn's Red Hook.

The Rent Guidelines Board -- a nine-person panel that dictates what goes down (or up) in New York's rent-stabilized housing -- decided on May 5th that things are indeed going up. Things being rent. The New York Times covered the public hearing at Cooper Station in the East Village where tenants filed in with anti-increase signs and demanded a rent freeze on account of escalating unemployment.

Of course the Board killed that dream in a vote of 7-2 and ultimately approved a rent hike of 2 percent to 4 percent for tenants with one-year leases, and 4 percent to 6 percent for tenants with two-year leases. This change will be applied to leases renewed between October 1, 2010 and September 30, 2011.

But don't worry, there was some good news, too.
On the upside of town, Curbed NY let us in on some happy news: East Harlem's gentrification is still on and popping (as the kids say).

Artspace -- a nonprofit real estate developer for the arts -- will soon be turning the doomed-looking P.S. 109 at 215 E. 99th street into 72 one-to-three-bedroom units of affordable live/work spaces for artists and their families. Artspace's website notes that building will also include 6,000 square feet of non-residential space for arts and cultural organizations.

Heading over to Brooklyn, Brownstoner spied bricks blooming at 166 Beard Street -- a new residential building in Red Hook (in the making). And this place has a courtyard.

We're hoping that rent in this building will be on the affordable side once the building moves out of development stage, seeing as how it is in Red Hook where you can rent a three-bedroom duplex with a den for $2,100.


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]]>artist afforable housingartspacebrooklynbrooklyn rentalbrooklyn rentalseast harlemgentrificationnew york rentalsred hookrent controlrent hikerent increaserent stabilizationCoryn Brown2010-05-10T10:00:00 00:00Sting Sells Central Park Duplexhttp://realestate.aol.com/blog/2010/04/30/sting-sells-central-park-duplex-sex-lair-included/http://realestate.aol.com/blog/2010/04/30/sting-sells-central-park-duplex-sex-lair-included/http://realestate.aol.com/blog/2010/04/30/sting-sells-central-park-duplex-sex-lair-included/#commentsFiled under: ,

Sting's 88 Central Park West lair went into contract after being on and off the market since 2006. The duplex is listed with Halstead Property at $19 million and includes five bedrooms, five bathrooms, 23 closets and 6,600 square feet. The former Police frontman originally bought the pad from Billy Joel in the '80s, after Joel converted two apartments into the current two-story co-op.

Listed as newly renovated, the co-op features some touches that only true rock-star types could dream up (or find sexy). Who's down for an all-red master bedroom?

Gawker was kind enough to remind us of Sting and his wife's rumored affinity for tantric sex. This, of course, would easily explain the bedroom's crimson walls, red and gold embroidered fabric ceiling and the inclusion of an erotic set of Helmut Newton prints.
Then again, Sting's daughter, Coco Sumner told the Daily News in 2009 that her father's naughty reputation was just a joke (which ended up spreading like West Nile virus). And certainly this could explain why the rest of the duplex is all classic and cush and family-chic. What sex doctor buys his kinky nurse a place with an eat-in country kitchen that boasts wood cabinets, coral walls and a prep kitchen with a butler's pantry? Who knows these days!

What we are certain of is that this place is rich in detail. It includes "french doors with original glass Transoms, a grand staircase, over-sized windows, 11-foot ceilings and pristine parquet floors with mahogany inlay," says the listing. We'd also like to mention the marble bath, a sprawling library, private elevator and stunning views of Central Park.

This building is popular among high-profile co-op buyers. Also known as The Brentmore, 88 Central Park West has reportedly been the home of Robert De Niro and wife Grace Hightower. The duo is said to have be moving up to a 15-room duplex in the beaux-arts building for $20.9 million.

 

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]]>billy joelcelebrity homescelebrity real estatecentral park westco-opnew york celebrity real estaterobert de nirostingsting real estatethe brentmoreCoryn Brown2010-04-30T08:00:00 00:00New York's Faux Doorman Strike Provokes Wealth-Bashinghttp://realestate.aol.com/blog/2010/04/26/new-yorks-faux-doorman-strike-provokes-wealth-bashing/http://realestate.aol.com/blog/2010/04/26/new-yorks-faux-doorman-strike-provokes-wealth-bashing/http://realestate.aol.com/blog/2010/04/26/new-yorks-faux-doorman-strike-provokes-wealth-bashing/#commentsNew York City building workers demanded a raise and building owners yielded, thus drawing the curtains on the most publicized battle of last week -- and in this case the little guy got paid. But just as interesting was the bickering and name-calling between those covering the news story.

It's fun to make fun of people with money, says Gawker. No it's not, says Vanity Fair.

Some media outlets had a blast snickering at folks on the days preceding the possible building-worker strike, which would result if negotiators didn't resolve their differences by deadline. The 2006 union contract for the city's 30,000 doormen, porters, janitors and building supers expired April 20th, leaving negotiators with just a few days to agree on details like a fair pay raise over the next few years, and whether or not workers should shoulder part of the cost of their health benefits.What made the media a bit snarky wasn't, of course, the wait to see if the workers would abandon their posts for the picket line. It was the dilemma of middle- and upper-class tenants of full service buildings who would have to take out their own trash.

For those renters, The New York Times whipped up a mildly-offensive how-to for opening their building's front door. Excerpt:

"1: Approach door. 2: Grasp knob with right hand if right-handed, left hand if left-handed. 3: Turn knob until you hear a clicking sound."

In the tenants' defense, The Village Voice shot down the Times' article, called the paper names and published a few guidelines from an official manual issued by the Realty Advisory Board of Labor Relations for such occasions. Excerpt:

"Groceries and newspaper deliveries will be accepted at the front door. You will be called down to claim them."

The same played out for newyorkmag.com, which published a couple of make-you-want-to-shake-your-head quotes: one from a tenant who would be affected by the pending strike and the other from executive director of the Council of New York Cooperatives and Condominiums.

Folks at Vanity Fair did not appreciate this, and called out New York magazine and Gawker for "creating narratives of bitter class resentment."

All of this before the pending strike went live -- which it never did.

In the wee hours of Wednesday morning, the Times was back to business as usual and reported that negotiators went at it until the midnight strike deadline, agreeing to a wage increase of almost 10 percent over the next four years and zero change in the worker's current financial contribution to their health care benefits.


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]]>building worker strikeDoorman Strikedoormengawkernew york city real estatenew york magazinenew york newsnew york timesthe village voiceunion contractCoryn Brown2010-04-26T16:30:00 00:00Designer Kelly Wearstler Lists Malibu Beach House for $21.9Mhttp://realestate.aol.com/blog/2010/04/26/designer-kelly-wearstler-lists-malibu-beach-house-for-21-9m/http://realestate.aol.com/blog/2010/04/26/designer-kelly-wearstler-lists-malibu-beach-house-for-21-9m/http://realestate.aol.com/blog/2010/04/26/designer-kelly-wearstler-lists-malibu-beach-house-for-21-9m/#commentsFiled under: ,

Interior designer Kelly Wearstler and her property-developer husband Brad Korzen put their hyper-neutral Malibu beach front pad on the market for $21.9 million. The approximately 6,000 square foot property (which the Wearstler/Korzen duo shares with three other families) features six bedrooms and four-and-a-half baths and is located on the Pacific Coast Highway, on a 72-foot stretch of prime Carbon Beach.

The pair (and friends) bought the home from Janet Jackson in 2004 for $8.5 million and made a full renovation in 2009. That means somebody will be making a hefty profit should the house sell at asking price (even after the cost of improvements.) But for those well-heeled buyers with a lust for Wearstler's design philosophy, a rolling sea as their front yard and neutrals, neutrals everywhere -- this price tag might work.
And by Wearstler's design philosophy, we mean her flair for optical surprise: bedroom walls and floors covered in spacey-geometric doodling; 1960s French chandeliers that invoke beached seaweed; a custom vanity that appears to have levitating properties; a staircase boasting chunky steps that alternate in size.

The property, which was featured in Metropolitan Home in 2009, also features a chef's kitchen with Douglas-fir wood cabinetry and Calcutta Gold finishes throughout the home. Muted pastel Cippolino marble covers the walls and floor in what looks like the bathroom of the master bedroom suite.

According to The Real Estalker, this is the second California home that Wearstler and her husband have put on the market in 2010. Rumors swirl that in February the pair quietly listed their Beverly Hills fun-house for a whopping $50 million (making the Malibu beach property a deal...ish). The Beverly Hills estate, featured in Vogue's October 2009 issue, shows Wearstler's signature aesthetic on LSD-trip-level. Think red-graffiti-art wallpaper in the foyer, a seat in the shape of a gold hand, busts and heads and nude sculptures on the dining room table. Also think lush Moroccan rugs, Parisian ladder-back chairs and vintage 19th-century chandeliers.

Meanwhile, fans of Wearstler who can't buy her digs can experience her designs in the interiors of Beverly-Hills-based luxury hotels like Maison 140 and the Avalon, as well as Viceroy properties in Santa Monica, Palm Springs, Miami and a new one in Anguilla.


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]]>Avalon Hotelbeverly hills real estateCelebrityCelebrity HomesJanet JacksonKelly WearstlerMaison 140malibu beach californiamalibu beach real estateMetropolitan HomeReal EstalkerViceroy HotelVogueCoryn Brown2010-04-26T12:00:00 00:00New York Apartment Building Fires; Blame Code Violationshttp://realestate.aol.com/blog/2010/04/20/new-york-building-fires-blame-code-violations/http://realestate.aol.com/blog/2010/04/20/new-york-building-fires-blame-code-violations/http://realestate.aol.com/blog/2010/04/20/new-york-building-fires-blame-code-violations/#commentsFiled under:

No, these aren't pictures of ruins from the Byzantine Empire but of two Manhattan Chinatown buildings (283 and 285 Grand St.) torched by a seven-alarm fire last Monday. The fire that spread among commercial/residential rental buildings (including 281 and 289 Grand St.) left one person dead, more than two dozen injured and about 200 homeless. And it led at least one observant New Yorker to wonder if the worst rental apartment-building fire in two years would cause a crackdown on building code violations -- the way the city cracked down on restaurants thanks to KFC and Taco Bell rats.
Safety violations at 283 Grand St. -- where the fire began -- total more than two dozen, including missing smoke detectors and lead paint, reports The New York Times.

But in the end, the blaze became the biggest photo-op of the week, as the only beautiful things to come out of this tragedy were the snapshots taken by pedestrians. CNN's i-reporters went iconic-picture-happy; one man took shots of a massive plume of smoke rising from the rooftop of his Lower East Side apartment. Another captured a 92-year-old grandmother on a stretcher wearing what looks like a makeshift sling after being rescued by firemen.

Pictures posted on The Lo-Down show the buildings' devastation at close range: a charred, roofless heap of crumbled walls and exposed steel -- photos snapped by Chris Kui, executive director of Asian Americans for Equality.

The fire was so big that one blogger posted a picture of the flames that was shot from a window all the way across the East River in Brooklyn Heights. On this note we'll amend our previous comment to mention a second beautiful thing that resulted from this tragedy -- the miracle that 200 tenants were displaced and not killed. Last we heard, The American Red Cross put up at least 170 of the newly unsettled New Yorkers in midtown hotels for a week. Meanwhile, The Department of Housing Preservation and Development is working with neighborhood organizations to ultimately place those who've lost their homes into permanent housing. Both the 283 and 285 Grand St. buildings have been deemed unsalvageable by the city and are being demolished. Fire marshals are dismissing arson as the cause of the blaze, citing a possible electrical problem in the rear of the 99 Cent store at 283 Grand St. So here's to hoping that the tenants' new digs will be rent-stabilized/controlled units like most of the rentals in the fire-consumed buildings they previously called home.


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]]>apartment rentalsbuilding code violationsChinatown firechinatown new york rentalsCNN ireportersCurbednew york newsnew york real estate newsnew york rentalsNew York TimesRed CrossrentalsThe Lo-DownCoryn Brown2010-04-20T12:45:00 00:00New York Real Estate News This Weekhttp://realestate.aol.com/blog/2010/04/13/new-york-real-estate-news-this-week/http://realestate.aol.com/blog/2010/04/13/new-york-real-estate-news-this-week/http://realestate.aol.com/blog/2010/04/13/new-york-real-estate-news-this-week/#commentsFiled under:

Brooklyn residents hear the apocalypse, complain. New York tenants can get off the black list. 'Jersey Shore' gets a spin-off in your 'hood and more. Here's what happened in New York real estate news last week:

Hope For Black-Listed Tenants: New York City council passes the Tenant Fair Chance Act, giving hope to rental apartment seekers that have been black-listed by screening companies. The act will require landlords to inform potential renters of the companies they use to do background checks and marred tenants will be able to fix inaccuracies on the screener's report.MTV Casting "Jersey Shore" Spin-Off: Never one to change a financially good thing, MTV is looking for the next big ethnic-enclave-in-the-city to film on the heels of "Jersey Shore's" world domination. According to Gawker, producers at MTV held a casting call last week for "outrageous, out-spoken" Iranian-Americans in Beverly Hills. Name of the spin-off: "The Persian Version." Other spin-offs will include Asian-Americans in L.A. and Russian-Americans in Brighton Beach.

Heli-Cops in Brooklyn: Residents of Brooklyn Heights and Dumbo inundated blogs and state official mailboxes with complaints about a sudden spike in dooms-day-esque helicopter noise. In the end, nine elected officials implored the city to re-think unregulated helicopter flights along the East River. The New York Times reports that the noise comes courtesy of tourist sightseeing companies which recently moved downtown in compliance with a settlement made to shut down their uptown heliport.

Harlem Complex Under New Management: Owner of East Harlem's Riverton Houses taps Rose Associates to manage operations of the seven-building, 1,230-unit apartment complex that populates 135th to 138th street, from fifth avenue to the Harlem River.


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]]>beverly hillsbrighton beachcaliforniajesey shoremtvnew york newsnew york real estateCoryn Brown2010-04-13T14:00:00 00:00New York Housing News This Weekhttp://realestate.aol.com/blog/2010/04/06/new-york-housing-news-this-week/http://realestate.aol.com/blog/2010/04/06/new-york-housing-news-this-week/http://realestate.aol.com/blog/2010/04/06/new-york-housing-news-this-week/#commentsFiled under:

Last week, we at Rented Spaces gave you apartment news full of neighbor sex and neighborhood Insiders and drool-inducing rentals on the market. Now here's a round-up of some other interesting real-estate-related happenings from last week:

Damn that Census:
U.S. government officials with money to allocate want to know who lives where and how many live there by April 1st. Two problems: many citizens have yet to receive their census questionnaire. Of those who have, some are finding the questionnaire's race verbiage to be a bit...antiquated. (See the second option of question nine's race survey: Black, African Am., or Negro. Wait...Negro?) According to The New York Times, the Census Bureau believes some older African-Americans still think of themselves in civil rights era terminology. This was cleared up in an article where the Times declared President Obama to be the nation's first official black president, we guess for those who needed census proof. (He checked the box with Negro.) Census deadline extended through mid-April.
New York Subway Security Cameras Under Scrutiny:
Last week, a Brownsville, Brooklyn resident was caught for the stabbing-murder of two men in a Manhattan subway after having fled a station with no security cameras. New York Daily News reports that approximately 70 stations are equipped with surveillance cameras at the turnstile areas, and while the city plans to expand this figure to 100 by June, the MTA lacks funds to further extend this security measure. This news comes on the heels of a major MTA budget cut that will eliminate 37 bus routes along with the W and V subway lines beginning June 27th.

Gossip (Door) Men:
Your smiling doorman knows all about the empty herpes medication bottles in your trash, your revolving door of booty calls, the frequent delivery of wine boxes to your apartment, the lies you tell your kids in the lobby when they ask about what's in those boxes. He's laughing at you. And he's blogging about it, too. According to NYMag.com, one of BrickUnderground.com's popular bloggers is a very observant, anonymous doorman who doesn't drop names but is making people nervous. Meanwhile, BrickUnderground.com's latest column is manned by a New York City elevator operator who's even more...open.


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]]>Brickunderground.comCensus BureauCensus questionnaireCensus Reportcity hallCurbedDoor MandoormenElevator ManElevator operatorMTA Budget CutMurderNew York Citynew york real estatenew york real estate newsNew York TimesNYMag.comparkingparking garagesecurity camerassurveillance camerasCoryn Brown2010-04-06T13:00:00 00:00New York Insider: Harlem Writer Jozen Cummingshttp://realestate.aol.com/blog/2010/04/02/new-york-insider-jozen-cummings-until-I-get-married/http://realestate.aol.com/blog/2010/04/02/new-york-insider-jozen-cummings-until-I-get-married/http://realestate.aol.com/blog/2010/04/02/new-york-insider-jozen-cummings-until-I-get-married/#commentsFiled under:

A few important things to know about writer Jozen Cummings: He can be wooed by the free Wi-Fi of Harlem's cozy, trademark coffee shops. He once witnessed a robbery uptown that unsettled his peace. He accidentally dates women who live in the same building as each other. Harlem, as Cummings says, is a small world. And with all of its charm, grit and dichotomies, it's the only New York neighborhood that he would ever call home. Here, the Until I Get Married blogger sounds off on the obstacles of dating uptown, explains the beauty of living in one of Harlem's historic residences and anoints the best fried chicken in New York City (hint: nobody named Sylvia has touched this recipe.)

Name, Age, Occupation: Jozen Cummings, 28, Writer (Vibe, The Wall Street Journal, UntilIGetMarried.com)

Neighborhood: Harlem, New York

Abode: One-bedroom, walk-up apartment on the fourth floor in the Dunbar apartment complex.

Why did you choose to live in a Dunbar building?
Besides the reasonably priced rent, one of the reasons why I chose it was the charm of its historic air. I know it was built in 1926. I know it was funded by a Rockefeller. I know its intent was to be a complex for the black middle-class of the Harlem Renaissance. Having gone to Howard University, I really appreciate history as being a part of the charm of a place, where you go to school, where you live, and the Dunbar has a lot of that. It stretches from Adam Clayton Boulevard to Frederick Douglass Avenue, from 149th to 150th street. There's a huge enclosed courtyard. In the spring and the summer, when the complex is in full bloom, every single area has a garden. It's a really beautiful space to walk through. They also have a good balance of young people, family and kids who live there.

Is Harlem conducive to bachelor living?
It's a small world up here for bachelors. In terms of dating, you can find yourself in a situation where you date one girl for a while, you two break up, and then you date another girl who, as it turns out, lives in the same building as the girl you've dated before. I've had that happen more than a couple of times. Also, with me living all the way uptown, it's not the easiest thing to invite company over after a certain hour. If somebody doesn't want to stay, I don't want to kick them out at 1 a.m. I don't feel right about that. So my place is one where if you come, you're staying -- which means now I have to decide whether I really want you to come.

How would you describe the women in Harlem?
The women I've met have always been cultured women that appreciate history and upward mobility while also having some roots about them. That kind of balance is what you find in Harlem. To me, there's nothing like seeing a woman walking to the subway and she's dressed in a nice coat or business suit and she's navigating through the traffic of people -- crack heads, other business folk, young kids getting out of school. Anywhere else, that woman would blend. In Harlem, she cuts through all of that.

Where do you take a woman like that out in your neighborhood?
I could take her to Shrine to check out free music. I've seen a show there. The venue has an open-air feeling to it. There's a great Italian food spot, V&T Restaurant, on 111th and Amsterdam Avenue. I got their spaghetti and meatballs and I was in love. 67 Orange Street is a good place to drink. It's located on Frederick Douglass Boulevard. It's very speakeasy and dimly lit. And Nectar between 120th and 121st street is a great wine bar.

Care to weigh in on the best kept secret in Harlem?
I would say the best kept secrets are the coffee shops. Cafe Latte's food is delicious, especially when coming for brunch. But all day you can find me at Society Coffee Lounge. It has its fair share of problems -- it's a tight space with an open-air kitchen, scaffolding has been over the shop for a while now -- but it's without a doubt the place where I spend the most time. The staff is small, it's black-owned and they have free Wi-Fi. I really go for the free Wi-Fi.

What's one gripe you have about your hood?
If you always eat within the 5-10 block radius of where I live, you'll have a heart attack. Having said that,Charles Country Pan Fried Chicken is literally one block away from me on Frederick Douglas Boulevard between 151st and 152nd street. They have the best pan-fried chicken in New York City. White people go there and the neighborhood isn't really one where you see white people. You have to love fried chicken to come. I've taken my friends from all around the country to Charles' and everybody always says, "this is great fried chicken."

On your blog, you do a pretty funny job at breaking down the mentality of a bachelor in the city. Would you still live in Harlem after you got married?
I'll put it this way...for as long as I live in New York, I'll live in Harlem.


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]]>67 Orange StreetDunbarHarlemInsiderJozen CummingsNectarNectar Wine BarNew Yorknew york insiderRentalShrineSociety CoffeeUntil I Get MarriedCoryn Brown2010-04-02T08:30:00 00:00Death by a Rental Balcony? No Thanks.http://realestate.aol.com/blog/2010/03/22/death-by-a-rental-balcony-no-thanks/http://realestate.aol.com/blog/2010/03/22/death-by-a-rental-balcony-no-thanks/http://realestate.aol.com/blog/2010/03/22/death-by-a-rental-balcony-no-thanks/#commentsFiled under:

Safe to say, a worse fate than not landing the rental apartment with the balcony is to land the rental with the balcony and then fall off. It doesn't happen often in New York City, the plummeting of humans from the jutted, open-air perks of hi-rise residential buildings. But when it does, as it did on March 14th, the morning Connor Donohue fell to his death from his apartment's 24th-floor balcony (possibly on account of a dilapidated railing), we like to think of other things to sink cash in that'll make our apartments more appealing.

Granted, the building that Donohue chose to reside in (above) has a history of troublesome encounters with gravity...In 2007, a complaint was filed with the Department of Buildings against the 330 East 39th Street property regarding an elevator that dropped one story before the elevator's automatic break reacted. Still, we have an unsettling feeling that balcony accidents can happen in any building (especially where the property owners fail to inspect outdoor spaces.) And since Manhattan rentals can run a tenant upwards of an additional $600/month in rent for this amenity, we'd rather be alive and spend that money on the following:
  • DJ lessons - $300 for six-week beginner course; Scratch DJ Academy: Learning how to professionally handle music can turn the dinner parties and summer night fetes at our place into anticipated events. We'd buy turn tables for some in-house mash-up fun. They'll add hipster flair to our decor. We'll know phrases like "dropping on the one." We'll make the best iPod playlists. Our friends will call us Samantha Ronson.
  • Galvanized Storage Cubes - $49 per cube, Container Store: For those of us who would chose chic, space-saving storage over a balcony because our apartments didn't come with bookcases or a wine cellar or DVD storage components. We'll stack these modular cubes as high as our ceiling will allow and suddenly we'll have a fine facility for hoarding. Adding accessories like X dividers for wine storage or perforated doors cost a little bit extra, but hey, we can buy a few cubes each month since we don't have that dangerous balcony to pay for.
  • Cable TV bundle with all of the fixin's - $99 and up, Time Warner: Time Warner's digital cable + high-speed internet + phone service package is $99 for new subscribers, $149 for current customers in New York. You know how people appreciate a balcony because of the view? Well we can tack on a premium channel bundle (HBO, Cinemax, Showtime, Starz) for an additional $33 or more and watch Dexter, a privilege that many New Yorkers can not claim.

Look for your next New York apartment -- sans balcony -- in our Manhattan apartment rental listings.

 

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]]>AccidentBalconybalcony injuryConnor DonohueContainer Storedangerous balconynew york balconynew york rentalnew york rentalsRentalrental balconyScratch DJspsnotragedyCoryn Brown2010-03-22T08:30:00 00:00Sweet N.Y. Rental: West Village Charmer for $3,695http://realestate.aol.com/blog/2010/02/18/sweet-n-y-rental-west-village-charmer-for-3-695/http://realestate.aol.com/blog/2010/02/18/sweet-n-y-rental-west-village-charmer-for-3-695/http://realestate.aol.com/blog/2010/02/18/sweet-n-y-rental-west-village-charmer-for-3-695/#commentsFiled under:

Paying rent in the West Village can be a cash-hemorrhaging experience, and this sweet rental at 3 Bedford Street is no exception, but that's the price one must pay to live two floors under Justice Sotomayor.

Or maybe that's just the price to pay to live on a tree-lined West Village block. The one bedroom, one office apartment (located in the prewar building where Sotomayor owns a unit) is listed at $3,695/month and features a small bundle of treasures in its 850 square feet. We're totally delighted by the wood burning fireplace set against a narrow strip of brick wall, the small terrace in the master bedroom that looks out onto a garden, and the bathroom's unexpected dollop of throwback swank -- think black-and-white diamond walls and dressing-room-esque strip lights.

Tons of quaint eateries populate the West Village, which means your only blocks away from brunching on truffled egg toast at 'Ino on Bedford street and some serious sugar/liquor intake at Sweet Revenge -- a cupcake and spirits bar two minutes north to Carmine street where wines and beers are expertly paired with raspberry red velvet, malaysian coconut, expresso-swirled mexican vanilla cupcakes...okay we'll stop...with milk chocolate ganache filling...okay, really, we'll stop.

But our favorite thing about this rental is something that the listing claims -- that at 3 Bedford Street you can hear birds sing -- which must mean pigeons aren't the only avian breed that roosts in this 'hood. We hope.


 

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]]>bedford streetGreenwich VillageInonew yorknew york apartment rentalsnew york rentalssweet new york rentalsweet new york rentalssweet rentalsweet rentalsSweet RevengeWest Villagewest village rentalsCoryn Brown2010-02-18T14:00:00 00:00Advice for Kelsey Grammer's NYC Condo Hunthttp://realestate.aol.com/blog/2010/02/17/advice-for-kelsey-grammers-nyc-condo-hunt/http://realestate.aol.com/blog/2010/02/17/advice-for-kelsey-grammers-nyc-condo-hunt/http://realestate.aol.com/blog/2010/02/17/advice-for-kelsey-grammers-nyc-condo-hunt/#commentsFiled under:

Kelsey GrammerKelsey Grammer needs a home. The "Frasier" star -- who's moving to New York City for his Broadway musical debut this spring in "La Cage Aux Folles" -- has been spied around Central Park West, along with wife Camille Donatacci, in what may have been a quest for a new address. Rehearsals for the musical begin in March, which puts the couple in need of a speedy uprooting. In a recent Twitter post, Grammer confirmed. "I am moving to NY...quite exciting...long day hunting for apartments."

Seizing this opportunity to play celebrity realtor, we've summoned the help of two top Manhattan brokers to select a few (stunning) Upper West Side properties sumptuous enough for the sitcom vet, his wife and his Tony-winning reveries.


"There are two types of celebrities," explains Arabella Greene Buckworth, senior vice president at Brown Harris Stevens who deals regularly with high-profile home buyers.

"There are those who absolutely must have a heightened level of security, they must have quick and easy access to private stairs and elevators. Then there is the type of celebrity who is usually acknowledged in a genial manner and whose privacy is for the most part respected - especially here in Manhattan. Kelsey Grammer strikes me as someone who would prefer to lead as normal a life as possible, which starts with being able to walk in and out of a building's front door."

For the Broadway-bound actor, Buckworth recommends prewar apartment houses replete with unsurpassed details, as is the case with 15 Central Park West. Buckworth's pick -- a $12.9 million, 2,500 square foot condo -- features two bedrooms, two baths, 10-foot ceilings and a jaw-dropping view of Central Park. Here, tenants have access to a fitness center and a 20-person screening room.

"This also happens to be a condominium filled with avatars of finance and the arts. Kelsey might find it refreshing to discover that he is doing some discreet head-turning himself."

For something closer to Broadway and big on drama, Buckworth recommends The Osborne -- a lavish Beaux-Arts building on West 57th street. Her pick is a $6.9 million co-op (left) that boasts 13-foot ceilings, four wood-burning fireplaces, a chef's kitchen with Wolfe appliances and luscious dark-wood accents that throughout the property. One apartment highlight is the massive array of floor-to-ceiling bookshelves in the double living room.

Janice Chang, executive vice president at Prudential Douglas Elliman, has particular experience in closing deals with Broadway headliners. The apartment she recommends for Grammer is located in West 56th street's Park Imperial -- the 70-story condominium tower also known for housing Sean "Diddy" Combs and self-help guru Deepak Chopra. The 2,200-square-foot apartment features three bedrooms, three and a half baths and a cast of envy-invoking floor-to-ceiling windows that look out onto Central Park and the Hudson River. Building perks include 24-hour concierge service and access to the Imperial Club -- the condominium's fitness, entertainment and business center.

"This is very similar to the apartment we rented Daniel Craig when he was doing 'A Steady Rain' [on Broadway] a few months ago," says Chang. "It's very close to Broadway with spectacular park views."

Chang also recommends the West 67th street Park Millennium where both Regis Philbin and Howard Stern reportedly dwell. Her pick: an $11 million, 3,200 square foot condo that features three bedrooms, his-and-hers marble baths, a walk-in pantry, custom built closets and a largely windowed great room that provides over 40 feet of direct exposure onto Central Park. Tenants in this building enjoy 24-hour concierge service and access to a Reebok Sports Club.

Should Grammer opt to live in one of these apartments, he's sure to be in swank company.

 

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]]>broadway actor rentalscelebrity new york real estatecelebrity new york rentalscentral park west real estatedaniel craigdiddy combshoward stern apartmentkelsey grammer condokelsey grammer real estatenew york real estateregis philbin apartmentCoryn Brown2010-02-17T11:00:00 00:00Jay-Z Won't Spend a Night in This Hotelhttp://realestate.aol.com/blog/2010/02/05/jay-z-files-lawsuit-over-failed-hotel/http://realestate.aol.com/blog/2010/02/05/jay-z-files-lawsuit-over-failed-hotel/http://realestate.aol.com/blog/2010/02/05/jay-z-files-lawsuit-over-failed-hotel/#commentsFiled under:

Rapper Jay-Z may run this town, but he won't be staying at the J Hotel. The famed M.C., nee Shawn Carter, filed a $3.7 million lawsuit against investment firm Highland Capital Management and a small financial institution, NexBank, over dragging out renegotiations on a defaulted loan that would have financed Jigga's (tanked) West 21st building project - J Hotel.
A sign that "big pimpin'" is on the outs?

According to the New York Post, the music mogul alleges that Highland purposely stalled his efforts to dodge foreclosure, abandon ship, and turn over the deed for the West Chelsea property to the company's investment chiefs. In doing so, Jay-Z claims that the firm leeched him of daily interest and fees that amounted to tens of thousands of dollars a day for a $52 million loan.

This is the latest (and hopefully final) news for the Brooklyn-bred-lyricist-turned-Tribeca-resident's hotelier saga after 2008's economic nose-dive halted development on J Hotel, turned financers into endangered species, and had The New York Times spewing building-boom doom in an article that quoted research positing that the city's landscape would be "virtually unchanged for two years."
Bad timing for Mr. Beyonce whose tycoon dreams led him to purchase the West Chelsea plot for $66 million in 2007, with hopes of turning the property into a 150,000 square foot flagship to a chain of J Hotels.
If this isn't a sign that "big pimpin'" is dead, maybe it's a sign that Jay-Z shouldn't retire his mike just yet. Patience, grasshopper.

 

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]]>jay-zjay-z hoteljay-z new york real estatenew york real estate developmentCoryn Brown2010-02-05T15:00:00 00:00