In the wake of massive PriceChopping, a resident of Williamsburg's Northside Piers writes: "What the current unit owners have decided to do (since they are a 60% majority and control the board) is that any new tenants that come under the new price cuts will have an increased maintenance cost of 40%. This should make it cheaper for current owners and help offset the discount that the new units received." Folks, we've thought long and hard and have come up with no other recent examples of similar action, so in an Ask Curbed first, the question is our own: Is this legal? [Northside Piers coverage]
Are you on the block of Charles Street between Greenwich and Washington Streets? Are you a prostitute? If so, a Far West Village resident is tired of your stiletto-clad shenanigans. Claiming "spring is around the corner and already the West Village is having to deal with prostitution, drug dealing and crimes," a concerned Charles Streeter has issued a plea to City Council Speaker Christine Quinn and a local police captain to put a stop to the cycle of illegal activity. Hoping to find strength in numbers the tipster sent us his letter, excerpts of which are below. Socialista is still closed, so we assume the prostitute sightings aren't just a case of mistaken identity:
I am writing to urge you to look into the situation within my neighborhood where hookers, their handlers and their customers rule at night till the morning hours. I live on Charles Street between Greenwich Street and Washington Street. The yearly cycle is starting yet again. As soon as the weather warms, hookers start hanging out on intersections where I live. At 5:30am, when I have to walk my two English bulldogs, I am finding hookers on 3 of the 4 corners. This has happened as early as this morning.
When Thompson Hotels' shmancy new Smyth Tribeca opened on West Broadway earlier this month, we pointed out that the 15 condo residences at the top of the hotel have been temporarily de-listed. Today's Daily News profile on Thompson's Jason Pomeranc has some more info: "For rebranding purposes, the units are temporarily off the market. 'We had all 15 sold to one investor, but he wanted to renegotiate,' says Pomeranc. 'If the hotel works well within the neighborhood, everyone will want to live here.' [NYDN]
To round things out, another installment of CurbedWire, our daily dish of the gossip, rumor, and innuendo that didn't find its way onto Curbed earlier today. Got something we should know? Email us at tips@curbed.com; anonymity guaranteed, as always.
NOHO—The wind! The wind! It just isn't a good mix for the protective cordon around one of our favorite pieces of advertecture, the Noho iPod Tower, as seen in the above photograph snapped by a tipster this afternoon on Lafayette Street. [CurbedWire Inbox]
MORNINGSIDE HEIGHTS—Following yesterday's CurbedWire shots of the hawk of Madison Square Park, blog Origin of Species snaps a bunch of terrific photos of neighborhoood birds (right). Color: "Courtship displays can be seen high over Morningside, with hawks, peregrines and redtails all sharing the same airspace. On Sunday I witnessed the Cathedral Pair courting on the stiff wind, and then an aborted copulation attempt!" Do click on through for more. [Origin of Species]
Late-breaking BoweryWire: the Morphosis-designed new Cooper Union building is getting branded. Like, right now! Well, the letters definitely weren't there this morning, but there are currently no workers in sight (the five o'clock whistle waits for no man or starchitecture). Because nothing about this building is as it seems, the shape of the letters are cut out from the awning and bent upward to face the Bowery. We assume the "PER UNION" will be installed tomorrow, but for now, any fun ideas for completing that sentence?
· Cooper Union coverage [Curbed]
And now, the results of yesterday's PriceSpotter mystery listing guessing game...
Location: 444 12th Street, Park Slope Asking: $1,495,000
Our brief sojourn in Park Slope yielded some interesting commentary. Lots of love for the neighborhood and the low maintenance and the 12th Street block this 3BR is on, and for reals, what's with the walk-in closet accessed through the building's hallway? Kinky! As for the name of the game, however, it was failure across the board. No PriceSpotters came up with the correct list price. Park Slope wins! Better luck next week.
· Listing: 444 12th Street [Corcoran]
· Curbed PriceSpotter: Time to Cope in the Slope [Curbed]
Bringing a summery look to SoHo's winter of discontent, the eight super-luxe condo units that recently topped out at 350 West Broadway are getting their glass on. Looking all sandy white and South Beach blue, this one from firm Moed de Armas & Shannon is at odds with the older and grittier neighbors all around. One thing that the regularity of the new glass highlights is the odd abutment between this one and number 340 to the south, which had to be given some life support during the excavation for 350's foundation. What we have here is another leaner, one of those fun peculiarities of NYC construction.
· 350 West Broadway coverage [Curbed]
· 350 West Broadway [Official Site]
Above, images of unit 6B at 718 Broadway in Noho, a co-op building where the enterprising owners are selling a 1,400 square foot, two-bedroom unit all by themselves—yep, For Sale By Owner style. But here's the reason we're intrigued: a recent PriceChop from $1.25 million to $850,000, which brings the price per square foot to $640, about $400 below where comparable units sold in the building last year. Signs of that severe market downdraft, or is there something else going on here?