Copyright 2008 The New York Sun Sat, 06 Sep 2008 17:24:53 -0400 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Real Estate+ :: Stories from The New York Sun http://www.nysun.com/real-estate istoll@nysun.com (Ira Stoll) webmaster@nysun.com en-us CARTER B. HORSLEY http://www.nysun.com/real-estate/let-the-light-shine-in-skylight-art-and-drama/85184/ Thu, 4 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EST The ideal art studio is north-facing, with high ceilings and large, angled windows that provide plenty of natural light without allowing in the burning rays that can alter pigments and fade furniture. The double-wide brownstone at 20 W. 10th St. has two such apartments; the great architectural draftsman Hugh Ferriss once occupied one, and the great Art Deco painter Guy Pène du Bois called the other home. The key to the beautiful light is the skylights, and there are several similar skylights in... CANDACE TAYLOR http://www.nysun.com/real-estate/eateries-opening-where-banks-once-stood/85185/ Thu, 4 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EST Many New Yorkers likely haven't entered a Bruegger's bagel shop since the late nineties, when the chain closed all of its Manhattan locations as the low-carb Atkins diet swept the country. They'll have another chance starting this fall, when Bruegger's will open its first New York City location in a decade. The Burlington, Vt.-based company signed an agreement recently with Queens-based Hart Street to open 20 Manhattan restaurants over the next seven years. Bruegger's isn't the only low-cost... JACLYN TROP http://www.nysun.com/real-estate/to-make-ends-meet-more-risk-eviction-to-run-hotels/85183/ Thu, 4 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EST Guests staying at Josh Garcia's apartment in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, have flooded his bathroom and spilled red wine on his sheets, but he collects $125 a night by providing them with Wi-Fi access, fresh linens, and a key to his place. "I could get evicted, technically," Mr. Garcia, a 27-year-old engineer, said of the informal hotel he runs from his two-bedroom apartment. Without the boarders, though, he said he could not pay his $2,500 rent. Capitalizing on a loose definition of "roommate,"... MICHAEL STOLER http://www.nysun.com/real-estate/pros-optimistim-amid-doom-and-gloom/85187/ Thu, 4 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EST Real estate executives, building owners, and leasing brokers are anxiously watching the start of the fall season, as September marks a time when office leasing activity often picks up after the summer doldrums, setting the tone for remainder of the year. Unfortunately, the credit crisis and dislocation of the capital markets is persisting. According to trade sources, Wall Street investment banks failed to securitize even a single dollar of collateralized mortgage-backed securities over the... CANDACE TAYLOR http://www.nysun.com/real-estate/the-week-in-review/85186/ Thu, 4 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EST 1. Apartment Prices Plummet in City Apartments in prime Manhattan neighborhoods are selling for less than their purchase prices, The New York Sun reported, despite repeated assertions from industry insiders over the past several months that the Manhattan real estate market is impervious to the nationwide housing slowdown. Among the apartments selling for a loss is a unit at 80 John St., in the financial district, which recently sold for $590,000 after a $720,000 selling price was listed in... CANDACE TAYLOR http://www.nysun.com/real-estate/doctors-replace-wall-street-bankers-as-go/84817/ Thu, 28 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EST When sales launched at East Harlem's Observatory Place, the developer was surprised to discover that instead of the young Wall Street bankers the company had targeted with its advertising and fliers, doctors and nurses from nearby hospitals were flooding in to buy the luxury condominiums. "We've had absolutely no sales or contracts with people from financial institutions," said Albert Marengo, the chief financial officer at the developer of Observatory Place, Gary Silver Architects. "It was a... CARTER B. HORSLEY http://www.nysun.com/real-estate/ramping-it-up-when-stepping-right-up-isnt/84818/ Thu, 28 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EST The U.S. attorney's office in Manhattan recently sent out letters to notify some of the city's most important landlords that certain buildings were not accessible to people with disabilities, and therefore discriminatory under the Fair Housing Act passed in 1988. This important dispute is centered on making apartment interiors accessible to the disabled, and does not address the very widespread existence of stepped building entrances that are difficult for the disabled to navigate. Some... MICHAEL STOLER http://www.nysun.com/real-estate/ny-educators-planning-expansions/84819/ Thu, 28 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EST Note: Correction appended. New York is home to a larger number of students than any other American city, according to the city's Economic Development Corp., and colleges and universities are planning to spend more than $15 billion in expansion costs meet their growing needs. Much of the construction is set to start during the next several months. At the City University of New York, one of the nation's largest urban public universities, construction for the first phase of the CUNY-Wide Advanced... CANDACE TAYLOR http://www.nysun.com/real-estate/popular-soho-diner-to-reopen-in-tribeca/84820/ Thu, 28 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EST A diner that was a fixture in SoHo before closing last year, Jerry's Cafe, will reopen at 90 Chambers St. in early September, the owner, Jerry Joseph, said. Mr. Joseph said he's in the process of interviewing chefs for the new Jerry's, which will reopen with many of the menu items and the homey décor that earned the diner a loyal SoHo following for 20 years, including the red-leather booths, neon-blue "Jerry's" sign, and much-loved french fries. "We will attempt to re-create what we had for 20... LUCY COHEN BLATTER http://www.nysun.com/real-estate/an-early-love-of-art-and-soho-pays-off/84821/ Thu, 28 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EST When Anthony and Katrin Sosnick bought their 3,000-square-foot SoHo loft six years ago, they wanted to create a "warm, contemporary" feel. With an elevator that opens right into the apartment, brand new stainless steel kitchen appliances, and an exposed HVAC system, the contemporary part was already taken care of. What was lacking was the warm element, and so they went to work filling the space with their own personal treasures, in the form of bright, colorful works of art. Mr. Sosnick, the... CANDACE TAYLOR http://www.nysun.com/real-estate/dollar-may-boomerang-on-the-city/84341/ Thu, 21 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EST A rapidly rising dollar is threatening to boomerang on New York City's real estate and tourism industries, economists and real estate officials say. Over the past month, the greenback has surged against gold and foreign currencies, including the euro, and economists predict it will continue its upward trajectory throughout next year. This trend, along with a weakening European economy, could herald a tapering off of the flurry of European buyers who have so far insulated the city from the... CARTER B. HORSLEY http://www.nysun.com/real-estate/in-the-groove/84326/ Thu, 21 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EST The Pierre Hotel, on the southeast corner of Fifth Avenue and 61st Street, recently closed for renovations, and the northernmost of its two canopied entrances is now boarded up. Designed by Schultz & Weaver and erected in 1929, the Neo-Renaissance-style Pierre is notable for its large, green mansard roof and its light beige brick façade, above a one-story rusticated limestone base. Rustication, a bold, rectilinear patterning in stone that usually is applied to the lower part of a building, is... MICHAEL STOLER http://www.nysun.com/real-estate/retail-is-pillar-of-strength-in-cracking-economy/84328/ Thu, 21 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EST Bankruptcies have plagued the retail sector this year, with a number of prominent stores in New York closing, including the Sharper Image, Bombay Co., Steve & Barry's, Comp USA, Linens 'N Things, Fortunoff, and Bennigan's. Last month, Starbucks Coffee Co. announced it plans to close 600 stores nationwide, 11 of them in New York City. Despite all this negativity, retail experts are bullish: "Yes, the economy is going to be experiencing challenges, and other economic factors demonstrate signs of... LACEY TISCH-SIDNEY http://www.nysun.com/real-estate/when-you-want-your-home-in-top-condition-try-dry/84329/ Thu, 21 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EST When you want to have your home in top condition — whether you're putting it up for sale or unpacking from a move — there's one no-fuss way to ensure that everything is in top condition: Dry-clean it. Some of the top dry cleaners in Manhattan are willing to come to your home (or private jet, for that matter) and take interiors, not just clothes, through the wash. "Just like high-end garments, furnishings are made from one-of-a-kind fabrics and need to be treated as such," the director of... CANDACE TAYLOR http://www.nysun.com/real-estate/tenants-sue-landlord-in-attempt-to-force-repairs/84325/ Thu, 21 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EST Tenants in a Pinnacle Group building on Riverside Drive and 144th Street are suing their landlord, claiming that the six-story rental building is in need of extensive repairs. The building, at 668 Riverside Dr., is set to undergo a conversion into condominiums, but the tenants are claiming that "mold, constantly leaking pipes, rotting wood, fallen ceilings, and dangerous electrical environments" must be fixed before the conversion can begin. The Pinnacle Group is a large landlord, with an... DAWN KOPECKI http://www.nysun.com/real-estate/fannie-freddie-shares-slump-bonds-rise-on-bailout/84339/ Thu, 21 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EST Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac shares tumbled in New York trading to the lowest levels since at least 1990 and the bonds rose as speculation increased that the U.S. Treasury will bail out the mortgage-finance companies, wiping out shareholders. Fannie, based in Washington, slumped 27% and McLean, Va.-based Freddie dropped 22%, extending its losses to 90% for the year. The companies' debt yields fell the most in a month against benchmarks in anticipation that the government would fully support the... JILL PRILUCK http://www.nysun.com/real-estate/615-2nd-st/85191/ Thu, 4 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EST 615 2nd St. Between Eighth Avenue and Prospect Park West $3.495 million Approximate Annual Taxes: $6,900 Broker: Libby Ryan/ Brown Harris Stevens This 20-foot-wide, Park Slope townhouse, built in 1910, contains many features that define the area's limestone homes, including a central staircase and a kitchen (built on a rear extension) on the parlor level. The first floor, in addition to the kitchen, contains a living room, dining room and rear deck with access to a garden below. The second... JILL PRILUCK http://www.nysun.com/real-estate/ode-to-limestone-11-e-82nd-st/85192/ Thu, 4 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EST 11 E. 82nd St. Between Fifth and Madison avenues $40 million Approximate Annual Taxes: $95,000 Broker: Roger Erickson/Sotheby's International Realty This six-story, Upper East Side mansion, built in 1895, contains a Neo-classical limestone façade. About 11,500 square feet, the 25-foot-wide home has 14-foot-high ceilings, five marble mantels (the fireplaces are gas), exquisite ornamental moldings, and a wrought iron and brass staircase, among other details. The first floor has a marble and onyx... JILL PRILUCK http://www.nysun.com/real-estate/39-w-69th-st/85193/ Thu, 4 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EST 39 W. 69th St. Between Central Park West and Columbus Avenue $7.9 million Approximate Annual Taxes: $31,200 Broker: Mike Sieger/ Fenwick Keats Goodstein This five-story, Upper West Side townhouse, built in 1895, has a brick and limestone façade. Comprised of an owner's triplex and four rentals (three are vacant), the the 21-foot-wide, Renaissance Revival home is about 6,800 square feet. The first floor contains a wood-paneled foyer and rear one-bedroom with a garden. The second floor, also the... CANDACE TAYLOR http://www.nysun.com/real-estate/the-week-in-review/84816/ Thu, 28 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EST 1. Contractor Sues the Plaza A Long Island contractor claims in a lawsuit that the developers of the Plaza Hotel failed to pay $3.71 million for work done at the newly restored building, the Real Deal reported. A heating and air-conditioning firm, S.W. Sims, filed a complaint in New York State Supreme Court on August 22. The Plaza Hotel, at 768 Fifth Ave. at Central Park South, reopened this spring after a $400 million renovation that converted the century-old hotel into a hotel-condominium... JILL PRILUCK http://www.nysun.com/real-estate/got-built-ins-136-e-80th-st/84761/ Thu, 28 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EST 136 E. 80th St. Between Park and Lexington avenues $11.95 million Annual Taxes: $28,822 Broker: Kirk Henckels/Stribling This Upper East Side brick and limestone townhouse contains a library with original chestnut walls and bookshelves; a parlor with a built-in marble wet bar, and a kitchen with a banquette. Like the second bedroom on the top floor, the garden-level family room, which has access to the outdoor space, also contains built-in bookshelves. The living room features bay windows and... JILL PRILUCK http://www.nysun.com/real-estate/445-e-19th-st/84762/ Thu, 28 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EST 445 E. 19th St. Between Ditmas Avenue and Dorchester Road $2 million Annual Taxes: $4,478 Broker: Mary Kay Gallagher/ Mary Kay Gallagher Real Estate This neo-Tudor, English cottage-style home in the Ditmas Park Historic District has a living room with built-in oak bookshelves; a dining room with built-in, stained glass cabinetry, and an upstairs hallway with an oak window seat. The second-floor office also contains built-in bookshelves (and an oak ceiling). About 3,440 square feet, the... JILL PRILUCK http://www.nysun.com/real-estate/166-amity-st/84763/ Thu, 28 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EST 166 Amity St. Between Court and Clinton streets $4.995 million Annual Taxes: $6,374 Broker: Phyllis Norton-Towers/Brown Harris Stevens This 25-foot-wide, 1843 Cobble Hill townhouse contains a library with built-in bookshelves along all three walls; a kitchen with bookshelves above the fireplace (one of four wood-burning ones), and an adjacent family room with a window seat (plus storage below). There is built-in shelving in the bedrooms as well. The garden level consists of the kitchen (with... http://www.nysun.com/real-estate/the-week-in-review/84327/ Thu, 21 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EST 1. Thousands of City Apartments May Violate Law Developers across the city could be required to undertake expensive renovations after the U.S. attorney's office for the Southern District of New York filed a lawsuit against developer AvalonBay, saying it is discriminating against disabled people. The suit alleges that the developer failed to provide sufficient handicapped access at Avalon Chrystie Place, a 361-unit building on the Lower East Side, The New York Sun reported. Previously, the U.S... JILL PRILUCK http://www.nysun.com/real-estate/10-west-st/84287/ Thu, 21 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EST 10 West St., #24D Between Battery and First places $1.1 million Common Charges: $692 Monthly Taxes: $827 Broker: Anita Wood/Brown Harris Stevens This Battery Park City condo at the Ritz-Carlton has views of New York Harbor, Battery Park, Governors Island, the Red Hook piers, and the Alexander Hamilton US Custom House. Formerly a one-bedroom, it is now a studio that measures about 807 square feet. The entrance hallway, living room, and sleeping area feature custom-designed, floor-to-ceiling... JILL PRILUCK http://www.nysun.com/real-estate/of-waterways-and-parkways-one-main-st/84288/ Thu, 21 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EST One Main St., #5E Between Plymouth and Water streets $1.599 million Common Charges: $831 Monthly Taxes: $125 Broker: Karen Heyman/Sotheby's This one-bedroom condo in DUMBO has East River, Empire-Fulton Ferry State Park, bridge, and "waterfall" views from the living/dining room and the master suite. About 1,735 square feet, it has original beamed ceilings that reach 11-feet-high and oak floors in every room. It also contains an office, laundry/utility room, and half bath. The open kitchen has... JILL PRILUCK http://www.nysun.com/real-estate/231-10th-ave/84289/ Thu, 21 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EST 231 10th Ave., #PH1 Between 23rd and 24th streets $5.2 million Common Charges: $2,659 Monthly Taxes: $309 Broker: Robert Browne/Corcoran This West Chelsea penthouse has Hudson River views and overlooks the future High Line Park. From the living/dining room, the Statue of Liberty, General Theological Seminary grounds (part of the Chelsea Historic District), and the Frank Gehry-designed IAC Building, among others, are visible. The second bedroom and east-facing terrace overlook the Empire State... MICHAEL STOLER http://www.nysun.com/real-estate/summer-doldrums-sales-of-condos-down-sharply/83866/ Thu, 14 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EST As we approach the end of summer, the sales volume of New York City condominiums is way down, and it is harder than at any time in recent history for purchasers to qualify for residential mortgages, most developers and brokers say. Still, many are hopeful that the situation is merely a case of the summer doldrums, and that activity will pick up again in the fourth quarter of 2008. "The indicator which sticks out most for condominium sales for 2008 is that the total number of transactions are... Staff Reporter of the Sun http://www.nysun.com/real-estate/abatements-end-could-spur-flurry-of-lawsuits/83828/ Thu, 14 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EST Ensuring that buyers at his new condominium project would receive tax exemptions under the city's 421-a program was a tedious process for developer David Kislin. Satisfying his lenders that 5 Franklin Place would receive the abatement, which gives owners a break on city taxes for up to 10 years, took "lots of planning, lots of legal work, and a lot of attention to detail," Mr. Kislin, a partner at Sleepy Hudson LLC, said. A key part of the process, he said, was testing and certifying the... http://www.nysun.com/real-estate/week-in-review/83830/ Thu, 14 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EST 1. Council Seeks To Expand Control of Rent Stabilization The City Council is working to increase its control over the board that decides rent increases for rent-stabilized apartments, The New York Sun reported. Speaker Christine Quinn, who lives in a rent-stabilized apartment with her partner, a corporate lawyer, may benefit from the change. The bill she is backing in the state Legislature would require the council to approve new members to the Rent Stabilization Board, and that the board use... CANDACE TAYLOR http://www.nysun.com/real-estate/homeless-center-roils-a-brooklyn-neighborhood/83831/ Thu, 14 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EST The city is planning to relocate its intake center for homeless men to a residential area of Brooklyn from Manhattan as early as next month, a move that residents say would depress the values of sought-after nearby townhouses. The Bloomberg administration is seeking to move the intake center, which processes all of the city's single homeless men before assigning them to shelters, to the 350-bed Bedford-Atlantic Armory Shelter in Crown Heights from the Bellevue Men's Shelter on East 30th Street... CARTER B. HORSLEY http://www.nysun.com/real-estate/pinball-wizards-in-the-sky/83829/ Thu, 14 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EST New York City has two of the world's most famous illuminated towers, the Chrysler Building and the Empire State Building, and in recent years, it has added a few more: the Bear Stearns tower at 383 Madison Ave., One Beacon Court at 151 E. 58th St., and the Time Warner Center at Columbus Circle. The Eighth Avenue corridor in Midtown is highlighted by the glowing pyramid top of World Wide Plaza, designed in 1989 by David Smith of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill. That huge tower has been joined... LUCY COHEN BLATTER http://www.nysun.com/real-estate/a-colonial-oasis-in-upper-manhattan/83836/ Thu, 14 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EST When Lucinda Martinez-Desir was a young girl growing up in Washington Heights, she'd often sit on the steps leading up to Sylvan Terrace and write poetry. Almost two decades later, she returned, moving into one of the cobblestone street's famed Colonial row houses. A tucked-away, car-free block on 161st Street between St. Nicholas Avenue and Jumel Terrace, Sylvan Terrace is lined with street lamps and features a double row of three-story wooden houses. It is steps away from Manhattan's oldest... LUCY COHEN BLATTER http://www.nysun.com/real-estate/houses-for-sale-at-sylvan-terrace/83862/ Thu, 14 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EST The Jumel Terrace Historic District is a four-block radius in which prices are 20% higher than surrounding areas, a broker at Prudential Douglas Elliman who has sold five houses on the block and is handling the sale of 12 Sylvan Terrace, Todd Stevens, said. The area recently got a celebrity boost when the R&B singer Alicia Keys bought her mother a house nearby that once belonged to the actor and singer Paul Robeson. RELATED: A Colonial Oasis in Upper Manhattan. Two houses are currently on the... JILL PRILUCK http://www.nysun.com/real-estate/220-madison-ave/83847/ Thu, 14 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EST 220 Madison Ave., #PHD/E Between 36th and 37th streets $3 million Maintenance: $2,842 Broker: Anna Hetzel/Halstead The wrap-around terrace at this Murray Hill penthouse has open city views and overlooks the Morgan Library & Museum and other landmark buildings. About 660 square feet, the terrace, accessed through the living room and dining room, faces north and east. It also offers a peek of the East River. A combination of two apartments, this corner three-bedroom co-op, about 2,000 square feet... JILL PRILUCK http://www.nysun.com/real-estate/11-fifth-ave/83863/ Thu, 14 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EST 11 Fifth Ave., #PHN Between 8th and 9th streets $10.8 million Maintenance: $6,123 Broker: Maria Pashby/Corcoran This Greenwich Village penthouse features a landscaped, wrap-around terrace with two corner seating areas, one facing west and one facing north. About 1,150 square feet, it offers views of the Hudson River, the Empire State and Chrysler buildings, and a swath of the downtown cityscape. The outdoor space has sliding-door entryways from the living room, master suite, library, and home... JILL PRILUCK http://www.nysun.com/real-estate/thats-a-wrap-885-park-ave/83878/ Thu, 14 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EST 885 Park Ave., #PHB Between 78th and 79th streets $11 million Maintenance: $5,986 Broker: Serena Boardman/Sotheby's This newly renovated Upper East Side penthouse contains a planted, irrigated, wrap-around terrace that faces south and east. About 1,520 square feet, it overlooks the Carlyle Hotel, the Hearst Building (in the distance), and the Midtown and East Side skyscapes. The terrace, which has a fountain, contains entrances from the living room, kitchen, and master suite. Formerly a Classic... MICHAEL STOLER http://www.nysun.com/business/commercial-real-estate-financing-becomes-needle/83388/ Thu, 7 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EST It is getting increasingly difficult to secure financing for commercial real estate, and the crisis in the credit market and dislocation of the capital markets is having a dramatic effect on investment sales. Through the second quarter of this year, sales activity for Manhattan properties worth at least $10 million dropped 59%, to $13.8 billion, compared with the period a year ago, according to a report by the New York Capital Markets Group of Cushman & Wakefield released last week. The sales... CANDACE TAYLOR http://www.nysun.com/real-estate/first-time-renters-are-leaving-uptown-in-droves/83333/ Thu, 7 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EST Move over, Normandie Court. The new go-to building for recent college graduates is in the financial district, at the three-year-old luxury rental tower at 2 Gold St. The Upper East Side, once the location of choice for many newly minted New Yorkers, now has the highest vacancy rate for rentals of any area in Manhattan. While the neighborhood's hipness has long since been eclipsed by downtown, until recently it managed to draw young people with its cheap rent and easily convertible apartments... E.B. SOLOMONT http://www.nysun.com/real-estate/moving-uptown-couple-entices-friends-to-follow/83334/ Thu, 7 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EST When Rabbi Elie Kaunfer and his wife, Lisa Exler, decided to move with their daughter to Washington Heights from the Upper West Side, they resolved to bring some of their friends with them. Several weeks ago, they hosted a meeting at their home, drawing nearly 30 Upper West Side neighbors as well as friends from Washington Heights, who were invited to discuss the merits of living in the area. A few weeks later, the couple organized a walking tour of Washington Heights that included stops at... RACHEL SHANNON-SOLOMON http://www.nysun.com/real-estate/the-week-in-review/83343/ Thu, 7 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EST 1. New York City Air Rights Set To Be Developed The New York City Housing Authority may sell its air rights as part of a plan to bridge its $195 million budget gap, The New York Sun reported. Twenty-four of the agency's developments have at least 500,000 square feet of unused development rights, and seven others have more than 1 million square feet of unused development rights. Eighty-five percent of the Housing Authority's unused development rights are concentrated in East Harlem, the Lower... Special to the Sun http://www.nysun.com/real-estate/us-bank-national-doubles-its-space/83340/ Thu, 7 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EST U.S. Bank National Association, a subsidiary of US Bancorp, nearly doubled its office space at 461 Fifth Ave., where the asking rent is $100 a square foot. Christopher Gulden, a broker at SL Green Realty Corp., the building's landlord, helmed the nine-year lease, which expanded the bank's space to 22,463 square feet. U.S. Bank National Association moved into the building last year, leasing the entire 7th floor in the 26-story building, across from the New York Public Library. Cushman &... Special to the Sun http://www.nysun.com/real-estate/pr-firm-to-lease-space-at-750-third-ave/83341/ Thu, 7 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EST Public relations firm Waggener Edstrom Worldwide, Inc., which represents T-Mobile USA, GE Healthcare, MasterCard Worldwide, and Microsoft Corp., signed an 11,779-square-foot lease at 750 Third Ave., where the asking rent is $72 a square foot. David Turino represented landlord SL Green Realty Corp. in the seven-year lease of the 31st floor. The 34-story building is fully occupied and located two blocks from Grand Central Terminal. It also houses TIAA-CREF, Eisner LLP, and Fairchild Publications... CARTER B. HORSLEY http://www.nysun.com/real-estate/the-citys-thriving-bollard-crop/83342/ Thu, 7 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EST Bollards are short poles or stands that serve many purposes: They are used to moor ships and as traffic markers, antiterrorist barriers, and street furniture upon which people can perch, lean, or sit. After the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, bollards blossomed around the city and especially in Lower Manhattan, with bronze-colored blocks prohibiting vehicular entrance to Wall Street at Broadway, and thin black poles lining the sidewalk around various buildings, including 140 Broadway... JILL PRILUCK http://www.nysun.com/real-estate/show-me-the-gallery-180-e-79th-st/83336/ Thu, 7 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EST 180 E. 79th St., #10A Between Lexington and Third avenues. $2.45 million Maintenance: $2,127 Broker Pierrette Hogan/Sotheby's International Realty This newly gut-renovated, five-room Upper East Side simplex, in a 1930 limestone and brick apartment house, features a 16-foot-long gallery that opens into a sunken living/dining room and is bordered by the kitchen on one side and the bedrooms on the other. It also features a closet with a 520-bottle wine cellar. This home has three exposures with... JILL PRILUCK http://www.nysun.com/real-estate/740-park-ave/83337/ Thu, 7 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EST 740 Park Ave., #4-5D At 71st Street $38 million Maintenance: $10,574 Broker: Julie Gordon/Corcoran This 14-room Upper East Side duplex, in the prominent 1929 Rosario Candela building, contains a marble-floored entrance gallery, accessed through a private elevator landing. About 24-feet-long, it opens into the living room, library, dining room, and long, narrow hallway that leads to the kitchen and first floor staff quarters. Boasting a curved wall, the gallery also has a powder room, two... JILL PRILUCK http://www.nysun.com/real-estate/15-w-81st-st/83338/ Thu, 7 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EST 15 W. 81st St., #6-7C Between Central Park West and Columbus Avenue. $6.95 million Maintenance: $3,354 Broker: Maria Pashby/Corcoran This seven-room Upper West Side duplex, in a 1929 Emery Roth building, features an 18-foot-long gallery with a powder room and walk-in closet. The area is flanked on one side by the living room and on another by the dining room. Both rooms are separated from the gallery by arched doorways. The downstairs living room and upstairs master suite, which has a separate... CANDACE TAYLOR http://www.nysun.com/real-estate/second-homes-beckon-as-real-estate-prices-drift/82978/ Thu, 31 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EST It may be the best time in more than a decade to buy a country house. While some homebuyers are waiting for Manhattan real estate prices to decline, others are finding deals in the exclusive second-home markets outside New York City. In Litchfield County, the North Fork of Long Island, and Dutchess and Columbia counties in upstate New York, which have been more affected by the national housing slump than New York City, listing prices are falling while inventory is increasing. As mortgage rates... CANDACE TAYLOR http://www.nysun.com/real-estate/developer-battling-tenants-offers-new-amenity/82963/ Thu, 31 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EST A condominium conversion in Midtown that is embroiled in a legal fight with tenants is banking on a luxurious new amenity to help attract wealthy buyers. The developer of Sheffield57, Kent Swig, is battling a request from the building's rent-stabilized tenants for a city administrator to take control of the property, at 322 W. 57th St. The 47 tenants are accusing Mr. Swig of trying to force them to leave by failing to address collapsed ceilings, flooding, and asbestos contamination. Despite the... Staff Reporter of the Sun http://www.nysun.com/real-estate/the-week-in-review/82966/ Thu, 31 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EST New York Is World's 22nd Most Expensive City In a survey of the world's most expensive cities, New York fell seven spots to no. 22, according to Crain's New York Business. The cost-of-living survey, conducted by the consulting firm Mercer, ranked Moscow the costliest city for the third year in a row, with Tokyo and London rounding out the top three. The survey measured the cost of more than 200 items, including housing, transportation, food, and entertainment, in 143 cities on six continents...