It’s always cool to see the unique, weird, grand, odd, creepy, old, new, plain, packed (for your sake I’ll stop) abodes of others. From apartments to yachts, houses that aren’t our own are curious oddities. Heck, it’s half the reason things like the Travel Channel and Architectural Digest even exist.

photo by nhanusek

I’m not sure if it’s a sense of jealousy, maybe envy, although not pejorative, when we see huge, rising marble walls and huge, never-ending pools that seemingly run off cliffs, but what about in the other direction?

Like our own Alissa Fleck examined, what about the apartments of those who are on the other side of the spectrum and employ walls where others do windows?

Here’s a quick look at a few New Yorkers who live in 500 sq ft or less:

- Felice Cohen – UWS – 90 ft. sq.

Cohen’s Upper West Side collected quite a bit of fame after AOL wrote an article on her tiny “microstudio” in April 2011. As a professional designer, Cohen put her natural skill set to the test when she endeavored to purchase the $700/month apartment, and seems to have fared well.

- A guy named Luke Tyler – Hell’s Kitchen – 78 ft. sq.

I’m partial to Luke’s rather than Cohen’s, if only for the minimalist design to match the size (though he doesn’t really have a choice).

Shown on Apartment Therapy, Luke’s apartment employs a pull-out couch that serves as his bed, a mini-fridge under his desk, and a standard A/C whose wraith is inescapable.

According to MSNBC, his apartment runs $800/mo.

Only problem, there’s no bathroom, but I’m sure he has room for a bucket (kidding) (also not kidding).

- Jordan – Brooklyn – 460 ft. sq.

Winner of the Apartment Therapy “Small Cool” contest, where contestants submit their sub-1,000 ft. sq. apartments, Jordan’s apartment has much more room than either Luke or Felice does, but does a great job with what he has.

Fortunate enough to have a lot of light, a sweet couch, and a bathroom(!), Jordan’s apartment looks extremely comfortable and homey.

- The Prokops – Morningside Heights – 175 ft. sq.

Do you cut the footage in half if two people live there? Or if there inhabitant cats? Zaarath and Christopher Prokop, as shown in an article in the New York Post, is a 16th-floor co-op that can only be accessed by a staircase from the 15th floor with two windows and a queen-sized bed.

The Prokops bought their pad for $150,000 in 2009, according to the Post.

–Nick Gallinelli

Photo Courtesy of Wiki Commons

If you thought you were at least safe indoors in New York City, this news will be unnerving.

(by Alissa Fleck)

Around 1 a.m. a brownstone in Carroll Gardens—a multiple family home previously listed at $3,500,000—partially collapsed last week, according to Gothamist. All residents were successfully evacuated without injury from the building once previously described as “filled with grandeur and charm.” Neighbors were evacuated from the scene as well, and police say nearby subway service was also briefly disrupted.

The couple who own the building say they paid over $1.5 million for it in 2004, reports Gothamist. They say it never underwent any construction during their ownership. The Buildings Department determined the brownstone will need to be entirely demolished, a process which will begin immediately.

Sisi Schneider, who co-owns the home with her husband, told the New York Times the city had been “amazing” in helping out her tenants. Rest assured if your building collapses the city—most likely—won’t leave you out to dry (and in this heat, dry you will).

Borough President’s Compromise Not Enough to Sway Public Opinion

On Wed. afternoon (4/25), the City Planning Commission (CPC) held a public hearing at the Museum of the American Indian to hear both concerns and support over the NYU Sexton Plan – a project that would radically expand the NYU campus over a 20 year period.

CPC members heard the raised, and sometimes distressed voices of community members who were against the plan, as the standing room only “crowd” gave raucous applause to members speaking out against the expansion, and provided a chorus of hisses and even outraged shouts to those advocating it.

Members of NYU Faculty weighed in on both sides of the coin. Mary Schmidt Campbell, Dean of the Tisch School of the Arts, advocated on behalf of the plan, citing a lack of performance space and the need to remain competitive as universities around the country put additional pressure on the already taxed School of the Arts.

“We’ve achieved at the highest level and contributed to the creative economy of downtownNew Yorkin spite of the fact that Tisch’s Institute for Performing Arts has, for years, struggled with inadequate, obsolete, sometimes dangerous, and cramped facilities…Our existing facilities are at a crisis point. In order to continue to thrive, we’ve embarked on an ambitious plan to design the world’s finest performing arts training center as part of the 2031 plan.”

Other faculty members were not so supportive of the expansion, which makes The Tisch School seem more like an outlier when compared to many other departments and faculty at the university. However, less than one third of NYU faculty have chosen to publicly align themselves.

Despite concerns over anonymity, a senior faculty member, who was introduced improperly,  spoke out against the Sexton Plan,  urging the CPC to say “N-O” until they “K-N-O-W” more.

The CPC's Public Hearing on the NYU Expansion (Sexton Plan) drew the full attention of the maximum capacity auditorium at the Museum of the American Indian.

“The NYU leadership would have you believe that the university can’t fulfill its educational mission and be a global leader without anEmpire State Building’s worth of square footage squeezed into a few blocks. But the NYU team pushing this plan does not speak for its faculty; for we, too, are the university.”

“As of today, 20 academic departments and programs, including the Department of Economics (which might know something about something) have passed resolutions against this plan overwhelmingly.”

More than anything, however, the public hearing revealed a poor dissemination of information. Many attendees representing NYU and its expansion plan seemed unable to adequately describe different phases of the plan when pressed by the commission, and there was also an apparent disconnect between those who spoke on behalf of the  Sexton plan  sans “Stringer’s Compromise” and those who spoke exclusively of it – which NYU President Sexton agreed to on Apr. 11.

Speaking on behalf of the Greenwich Village Society for Historical Preservation (GVSHP), lawyer Randy Mastro urged the CPC to consider the usage of space, and the impact it will have on Greenwich Village.

“This commission is being asked to approve over 2.2 million gross square feet of construction over the next nineteen years that will fundamentally change the character of one of our city’s most beloved neighborhoods – Greenwich Village…yet hundreds of thousands of square feet of this project are not for academic purposes,”

“As a result of this construction, this neighborhood will have to accommodate up to 2,000 new residents, and find itself flooded with more than 10,000 new people visiting the area every day. It will substantially reduce the amount of open space available for community use in an area already lacking such open space.”

Members of the Public Hearing show their opposition to the Sexton Plan

While nearly all of the community members present at the hearing were opposed to the Sexton plan, Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer’s Director of Land Use, Brian Cook, spoke on behalf of Stringer, bringing to light many of the Borough President’s amendments – some of them for the first time to the CPC.

“The office [of the Borough President] has maintained a philosophy of seeking ways to strike a balance to ensure that development, when it is occurring, does not overrun or take away things and hurt the community in ways that we can prevent,”

And as he outlined the Borough President’s amendments, Cook commented on the President’s decision to dissuade NYU from building “below-grade” below street level) around parks was perhaps the most popular opposing point made at the hearing.

“The clear direction we heard from the community was taking the below-grade of those parks [Northern Mercer St. Park, Western Mercer St. Park] and tearing out the old trees and what existed, even if they were eventually replaced was an unacceptable line.”

However, when pressed by the City Planning Commission  and the community for information regarding the concessions NYU was unwilling to make at President Stringer’s urging, Mr. Cook declined to comment.

Members of the City Planning Commission, including Chairperson Amanda Burden

As it stands, the City Planning Commission has, at the present time, many more questions than it does answers. In light of the tremendous public opposition to the project, as well as the points raised by several community speakers, it does not appear likely that the CPC will approve the Sexton Plan without at least first requesting a full disclosure and review of Stringer’s Compromise.

“It’s  important that the commission to hear the modifications that the borough president recommended,” said City Planning Commission Chair Amanda M. Burden.

| By Marissa Maier

For some buyers, the words “apartment in an historic building” might conjure up images of squat rooms with slim windows overlooking nearby buildings. An open, bright abode in a 1910 cast-iron building at 901 Broadway in the Flatiron District bucks this idea.

The two-bedroom, two-bath apartment boasts spacious, long rooms, 13-foot ceilings, original brick walls and 12 windows in all—and every room is painted in a pearly white, making the place appear even more spacious.

According to Citi Habitats agent Lucie Holt, a senior vice president associate broker with the firm, this pad is especially unique. It offers the best of the old, in the form of an historic building currently undergoing a delicate year-long facelift, and the new—the 2,500-square-foot apartment recently had a gut renovation to modernize its amenities. Other perks of the place, which rents for $15,500 a month, include a master bedroom and bath that occupy its own second floor and a cozy Juliet balcony off the living room.

The convenience of living near Union Square, Holt gushes, is another selling point. Potential lessees would be close to Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s, a cinema and numerous retail shops like Barnes & Noble and Best Buy, in addition to a multitude of restaurants.

“I think this apartment would appeal to everyone because it is so unique. It is very special,” said the native Londoner with a British lilt.

“I would like to live there, actually,” Holt joked.

Originally founded in the Venetian region of Italy by brothers Fabio and Denis Zanette, Minimal is dedicated to the concept of bespoke solutions that focus on detail (Minimal even designed a kitchen for the set of Transformers 3). Minimal USA’s projects have taken them across the country, from Austin to the Upper West Side, but every end result is subtly different.

From big contracts (the apartments in the Little Red House Building in Soho) to the breathtaking Clock Tower loft in Brooklyn, Minimal USA makes good on their promise to provide eco-friendly solutions that don’t compromise aesthetics.

Minimal’s collections go by names like “Verve” and “Glam,” words that don’t immediately spring to mind when it comes to kitchen remodeling. But it’s hard to argue with those words when the end results seem so worthy of them; a particularly impressive option is the sliding top, which both hides the sink and provides ample counter space.

Their showroom is available for viewing by appointment (and their website, www.minimalusa.com, offers plenty of jaw-dropping proof), so check them out. Minimal USA may be the ultimate purveyor of real estate porn.

Tatiana Cames is known as the “Townhouse Therapist.” Though the title would make for a good interior design reality show, Cames is renown in the real estate world for being the agent in the know when it comes to selling and buying townhouses.

What qualities do townhome buyers have?
They generally are a person who needs more privacy. They want a larger amount of space, since most townhouses run 4,000 to 6,000 square feet. They tend to be appreciative of the history and scale of townhouses; it is very different than a skyscraper or tall building.

I’ve read that in the early 20th century, apartment buildings became more popular. When did townhouses and brownstones begin to experience a resurgence in popularity?
During the 1970s, there was an [economic] crisis in New York and a lot of people were not able to afford a full house, so townhouses were divided into many units. In the late 1980s and 1990s, there was more affluence in the city and people started to purchase these buildings and renovated them back to single family homes.

When you first purchased and renovated your townhome in the West Village in 1992, what was that experience like?
I was a little reluctant. At 23 years old, I didn’t have much experience with this. The house was in an unsafe condition, things were falling apart, the floors were old and there were still tenants in the building. The building hadn’t been updated since the 1960s. There were linoleum floors and lots of pink salmon walls. It was hard to imagine the house being beautiful. It took a few years and it was a labor of love. We did a restoration and the transformation was wonderful.

What are some the benefits and drawbacks of purchasing and living in a townhouse?
The benefits is there is a lot of flexibility to grow in, or out, of the space. You can rent certain portions or not. You have flexibility in the layout and design. The garden, is really special. When you are in your garden it feels like you are in the country. The drawbacks are that you have to do a lot on your own.

This month, Our Town Downtown begins a new recurring feature called Keyholes, in which we investigate real, Downtown apartments. And who better to show that it doesn’t hurt than our own managing editor Marissa Maier, who currently lives in the former Soho apartment of Spalding Gray, her stepfather. According to family lore—Maier has her doubts—her Wooster Street building was originally a spice factory. It was built in 1896, according to the fire doors that still line the staircase to the units in the building. Maier has lived there off and on since the mid-1990s, when she and her mother moved in with Gray, whose theater company The Wooster Group, which he co-founded in 1975, was located a few blocks north.

Among other art, Maier’s walls are lined with Gray’s Obie Award and a photo of him in a Wooster production with co-star Willem Dafoe, alongside the requisite sagging bookshelves that any self-respecting editor’s apartment must feature.

Aside from awards and photos, Gray’s presence can also be found in the writing desk perched next to a window overlooking a deck, a set of Cambodian masks picked up during the filming of The Killing Fields, a Roland Joffé vehicle about the Khmer Rouge regime, and a threadbare armchair owned by Gray’s grandmother.

Still boasting its original wood floors, now worn smooth and polished by over a century of traffic, Maier’s living room is a brick-walled, tin-ceilinged throwback to the days when windows were heavy and space was a right, not a privilege. To prove that point, the room has not one but two couches.

Of course, living in an historical building does have its drawbacks. In addition to recalcitrant windows, there’s a distinct lack of lighting (a shaded bulb has been tied to a pipe to illuminate the small kitchen area) and all of the usual problems inherent in New York City buildings—from less-than-reliable plumbing to a Rear Window situation with Maier’s view; her neighbors keep their shades up and their lights on at all times.

Just blocks away from the hustle and bustle of Chinatown, Maier’s home is a surprisingly quiet respite from the noise of the city, the kind of apartment seen more on television sitcoms than in real estate hunts.

“I am probably slanted, but this has been my favorite job that I have ever had. I really believe in this building. It is not just a sales pitch—the appreciation is genuine,” DeMaria noted.

While the available residences range from studios to three-bedroom abodes, the amenities are the real calling card of 20 Pine. Armani Casa was responsible for the sleek, yet comfortable, interior design. The 1920s-era building, referred to as the Morgan Guaranty Trust building and the former headquarters of Chase Manhattan Bank, boasts some unusually plush amenities: a hammam, spa, gym, 60-foot pool, golf simulator,  billiard room inside a converted bank vault, complete with 45-ton vault doors, and  terrace, among others. In addition, the neighborhood boasts multiple subway lines.

“They thought of everything,” DeMaria noted of developers AFI USA.

“I think this is probably the best building for someone who wants to live in the Financial District,” DeMaria added. “20 Pine is still competitively priced compared to the rest of the city. It is a great value.”

With almost 95 percent of the homes—there are roughly 409 units—in the building sold, DeMaria said, “Now is the time to buy.”

This fall, Sara Rotter, a New York City native, became the director of sales for Halstead Property Downtown. Rotter, a former Harvard University student and agent, is a treasure trove of information on the Downtown real estate market—for our year-end issue, Rotter shared her insights on how properties and rentals fared in 2011.

I understand we are still waiting for Halstead’s fourth quarter report, but from the three reports thus far what trends have you noticed in 2011 in the Downtown real estate market?
The fourth market report is due out on January 4.

We did notice a few trends this year. Just to clarify, if you look at our market report and all other major firms, Downtown Manhattan usually refers to 34th Street and south of that. Some classify Downtown as everything from Gramercy Park to all the Villages, Chelsea to Soho and Tribeca.

In general, I can tell you, from what I noticed over the year, that two bedrooms were the hottest commodity. Any two-bedroom property priced between $1.2 to $1.8 million that came onto the market was quickly gone—if it was priced well.

What do you attribute to this popularity in two-bedroom properties?
I think we have a city that is one of the most appealing places to live. It is a true destination to live here; the experience of culture, nightlife, retail, entertainment, and ease of mass transit makes it so livable. People are noticing and are coming back to the city from the suburbs. But we do also have many people upgrading within the city, and these are residents who want to stay here, which I love to see.

What were some of the other trends of 2011?
Another major trend was the rental market is tightening up. Obviously, in the tougher economic time of 2009, the vacancy rate was higher and landlords were offering incentives. That helped dry up the supply. Now that the vacancy rate is straddling one percent or under, there is very low supply and high demand. This was what drove the prices up and is now causing people to stay put. When the rental prices are up, people are less likely to upgrade or move to another rental so the option to purchase becomes that much more enticing. When a rental payment is higher than a monthly mortgage, people sway in favor of purchasing (if they have the down payment).

Another interesting trend was the demand for higher-end properties. We listed two apartments in July for $6 and $7 million. They were marketed separately and as one combination for $13 million. The combination was what sold. It was in contract by September.

We are also noticing a lot more cash purchasers in the marketplace, which could mean that people are investing in real estate over other means of investment. There is also a definite increase in demand for new developments. Since there are not as many available Downtown, they are selling very well. We have also noticed that a large increase in foreign investors have come back into the market.

How does 2011 stack up against 2010?
People were still a bit hesitant last year, whereas this year, there was more buyer confidence. The bidding wars have come back within specific price points. Downtown is a price-sensitive market; if you are priced well, the property should sell quickly. Others will most likely sit on the market unless it is a “one of a kind” home.

For the buyer who is looking to set up roots Downtown but still wants to make a smart buy and get a good deal, where is a good place to buy?

I think a really great area is anywhere near The Highline, especially the northern part of Chelsea, which is seeing a real resurgence. Before The Highline was developed, the area was very unique but in the last two years it has been remarkable to what has been developed. The Highline is a draw to both New Yorkers and visitors.

The Meatpacking District is always a smart buy. I also think that is an area that will develop some more. Also the area between the West Village and Soho is still underdeveloped. In general, for the amount of un-renovated space that you can come by in Soho to rent or buy, you may still do very well in that area on a price per square foot basis, if you’re willing to do the work.

Do you think the area is going through a resurgence?
It is for sure. I love this market. I have been offered to work in other areas, but I’ve never wanted to leave. The resurgence or the market trending up doesn’t surprise me; this is an extraordinary place to live. There is so much variety Downtown and each neighborhood has distinct character with its own unique architecture. There is so diversity, from the way people live, the retail to the style of each neighborhood. This is what makes it, in my view, one of the most enjoyable places to live in the city.

By Mark Peikert

As IKEA and CB2 stores proliferate, design has turned into something both affordable and achievable. Gone are the days of hiring an expensive interior decorator and crossing your fingers; now, you can outfit your entire home in style without breaking the bank.

Of course, a plentitude of choices has its own drawback: making decisions. That’s where Pret-a-Habiter comes in. The onestop shop for all your decorating needs, the company has been handling busy, overwhelmed style-seekers since 2005, first in New York City then gradually expanding across the country to Boston, L.A., Chicago, West Palm Beach, St. Louis and Portland, Ore.

Charging just a flat fee ($2,500–$3,000 per room), Pret takes clients from boring to chic in four easy steps. First, the client chooses a style—classic, modern, country, etc.— then the designer creates a design plan, chooses the furnishings and décor and then whips it all into one beautiful design.

“It’s the greatest time to be a consumer because the range of products, styles and prices—whether it’s IKEA or Target or West Elm or Design Within Reach, it’s all there,” said Pret founder and Executive Director Carl Bradford Stibolt. “You can basically have a fantastic home and it’s not going to cost you a lot of money.”

Focusing on simplicity in decorating rather than markups and hidden fees has allowed Pret-a-Habiter to weather the recession better than most design firms. “The first thing to get cut is luxury, and people still think of interior design as luxury,” Stibolt said. “But you’ve got money invested in your home, and maybe you don’t have the time or the know-how or the eye to put it together. That’s what we do. We know tricks, we know great sources, and you really can have a place that looks good.”

As homeowners and renters slowly become more design savvy, Pret-a-Habiter has reflected the growing trend toward affordable décor that’s not reliant on hourly billing. “Traditionally, you always hired someone based on their style,” Stibolt said. “But we’ll go in and do eclectic or modern. We’ve had bankers who wanted more classic, masculine things, people who want more color in their lives. We see everything; people who are downsizing, people who are here for a few years and want to have a nice place. It’s really been all over the place. Our demographic is people who want to have a designed home but aren’t ready to make that leap to working with a high-end designer, either for budgetary reasons or they don’t think it’s worth it.”

Pret-a-Habiter is also willing to go the extra mile with their services, from accessorizing the finished product to offering a slew of digital services that cut down on the time crunch. “I think where we’re going is very much a digitalized thing,” Stibolt said. “We do an online project management system, and people do go online at midnight, and do it at their own pace. We even have a blog where people can go on and ask a design question, AskPret.com.”

When a company is willing to do all of the legwork for you—from ordering furniture to making sure it’s delivered—there’s not a single reason to avoid making your house into the kind of place that looks as if an adult resides there.

For more information about Pret-a- Habiter, visit www.pretusa.com.

A Pret-a-Habiter designed room. PHOTO BY Barbara Saskia Klap for Pret-a-Habiter