“The trees along this city street, Save for the traffic and the trains, Would make a sound as thin and sweet As trees in country lanes.” -Edna St. Vincent Millay Trees provide us with many benefits, from the obv…
At the beginning of the last century, Americans lived primarily in small towns. They knew all their neighbors and wouldn’t think twice about having their children play outside unaccompanied. With the end of World War II, however, American t…
The appeal of multifamily living is not just in the hands-off maintenance and shared general expenses that come with living in a co-op, condo, or HOA. It’s also in the sense of community and the on-site offerings that can be shared among ne…
Most folks know that turning off lights in unoccupied rooms, taking shorter showers, and turning down the thermostat a couple of degrees can help save energy – and by extension, money. However, helping an entire building or association cut …
Historic landmarks offer striking examples of New York City’s rich architectural heritage and the vintage architecture is one of the New York’s greatest charms. But not all landmarked buildings are commercial or public structures—many house…
If you think about it, a multifamily building isn’t that much different than the human body. Both house important complex operating systems and organ-like pieces of vital equipment; both take in fuel and produce waste; and both require regu…
As demand for more residential space in New York City continues to grow, real estate developers are turning to churches to satisfy that constant need. Following a trend that has occurred in the Big Apple and other parts of the country, chu…
Once again, the New York City market is on an upswing as far as condos and co-ops are concerned. The days of the 2007-08 recession seem to be behind us at last, and professionals don’t foresee that trend changing much in the year ahead. “I…
If you think about it, a multifamily building isn’t that much different than the human body. Both house important complex operating systems and organ-like pieces of vital equipment, both take in fuel and produce waste, and both require regu…
There's a certain allure to being the very first owner of a condo in a brand new building. To be able to wake up every day in a space that's totally your own, free from the dents, dings, and spackel of previous owners' experiences in the pl…
The current political landscape may resemble a jungle (or the dark side of the moon), but one thing’s for sure: the unrest and uncertainty on that front hasn’t slowed the brisk pace—or sky-high price tags—of New York City residential develo…
Anyone who has ever gazed at the Manhattan skyline knows how much architecture has shaped the heart of New York City. It’s no surprise then that the New York Chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIA New York) has grown into…
The old adage says that everything old is eventually new again, but if we are talking about a landmarked building in New York City, you may want everything old to stay that way. New York City has over 80 historic districts featuring un…
This year marks the 150th anniversary of the American Institute of Architects' first (and largest) chapter—its New York Chapter, founded in 1857. Like any successful organization, the AIA-NYC chapter has changed with the times. It star…
James Gulliver Hancock, an Australian illustrator who now lives in Brooklyn, is attempting to draw all the buildings in New York—all of them. From brownstones on Bank Street to the palatial condo buildings of Park Avenue, from the Flatiron…
In an age of tinted-glass curtain walls, floor-to-ceiling windows, and ubiquitous vinyl siding, it may be comforting to know that the granddaddy of all building materials—natural stone, quarried from the earth and hewn by hand in some cases…
One of the defining architectural parts of a New York City building are its windows—whether it’s an ornate decorative window, one designed for energy savings or a large window that envelopes the side of a structure. In a co-op or con…
“Light” and “Air” are probably two of the terms most overused by New York City real estate types, but even so, every resident wants more of both in their apartment—and one way to get them is via a skylight. Skylights are often found in t…
Suppose you want to give new life to your dingy old kitchen, enlarge your living room or convert a bedroom loft into a cozy, office study. You have to choose a professional who can best turn that dream into reality, and choosing the right p…
Many suburban homeowners have dreams of that legendary white picket fence, but those who live in the city can also definitely appreciate the importance of demarcating their property. Many condos and co-ops around the five boroughs have fen…