EAST VILLAGE—We've dabbled in the three-sided new Lower East Side Girls Club before, but now that ground has broken at 101 Avenue D on the new 12-story building, let's revisit. In addition to the 30,000-square-foot headquarters for the group, the building—from a slew of agencies and developer the Dermot Company—will also have some retail storefronts and 78 rental residences (50% affordable housing, 50% market rate but rent stabilized). Construction is expected to wrap in 2012, and you can see more renderings of architects Custogeorge Tooman & Allen's design here. [CurbedWire Inbox]
NYC—Department of Buildings commish Robert LiMandri released a statement following today's acquittal of the crane rigger in that fatal Turtle Bay crane collapse, but he didn't mention the trial or its outcome: "This tragic collapse serves as a reminder of the importance of taking every possible safety precaution on any construction site. It is clear that shortcuts, in order to save time and money, can have devastating consequences. New York City has among the toughest crane regulations in the world, and since the collapse, we have further increased our oversight of the crane industry, including new laws, new requirements and more inspector training than ever before." [CurbedWire Inbox]
And now, the results of this week's PriceSpotter asking price guessing game!
Location: 5 East 44th Street #5A Asking: $995,000
The winner this week is an anonymous commenter who hit the asking price exactly despite disagreeing with the color scheme. Not everyone did: "The crazy whiteness was a good choice for this unit given the space and view, it makes it feel lighter and more open," said another commenter. Still, most guesses came in under the asking price. The Philip Johnson/Alan Ritchie-designed place sold for $1,133,275 (over the $1.05 million ask) in September '09. Why leave so soon?
· Listing: 5 East 44th Street [Corcoran]
· How Much for a 1BR Total Whiteout in Midtown East? [Curbed]
How's this for an attention-grabbing giveaway: According to a press release, HGTV will be handing over the keys to a 900-square-foot apartment in the Financial District's brand new and highly delayed W New York Downtown condo/hotel to a contest winner. Like, to keep. Forever. Deets: Beginning on August 12, people can see detailed photos of the 1BR/1BA apartment—fully furnished and designed by HGTV star Vern Yip—at HGTV.com/urbanoasis. A tour will also air on the network's Urban Oasis special. Starting September 1, people can head to that website and enter a random drawing to win the grand prize package, which includes not only the apartment, but also a new Acura ZDX horseless stagecoach. A $1.5 million value! As for who's picking up the maintenance and parking bills, well, that part we're still not clear on. For those without luck on their side, there's a new way into this Gwathmey Siegel-designed skyscraper o' sensual pleasures!
How to have a loft in Soho without actually buying a loft in Soho: pay $1.4 million for a Harlem brownstone and hire an architect for a $740,000 renovation that will make the brownstone as loft-like as possible. Architect Gregory Merryweather passed along the above before-and-after photos of 225 West 112th Street, a Harlem townhouse that sold for nearly 17 percent above its $1.2 million asking price in 2007. The owners, a sound designer and blogger, wanted an "environmentally conscious" renovation and a house that would mimic the open space of the Soho loft they were leaving behind. How so?
The first of the units sold at last month's m127 auction has closed. That would be unit #7, which was asking $1.85 million when it hit the market the first time around. The highest bid for it was $1.25 million, and with the buyer's premium, it has officially closed for $1,336,453.13. The only unit to go unsold at auction was the penthouse, with a high bid of $1.95 million that failed to meet the unit's reserve price. [ACRIS; previously]
And now, the latest from Racked, covering shopping and retail from the sidewalks up.
1) East Harlem: East River Plaza—monstrosity to some, mall to all—will finally welcome its Target superstore on Sunday, saving many Manhattanites the trip to Atlantic Terminal to the other Bruce Ratner mall with a Target. Racked got into the store for a sneak preview, with photos galore. Save us a Marcus Samuelsoon "Bananas for El Barrio" dish towel!
2) Bed-Stuy: The very cool soundingTin City will aim to offer a Duane Reade alternative and "go beyond standard soda shop territory by carrying organic food, environmentally friendly household products and a variety of personal necessities." It's family-owned too, so maybe the mom-and-pop ain't dead yet. TBD!
3) Nolita: If the Christian Audigier store on Lafayette and Prince is indeed closed for good, where will Jon Gosselin get his new dragon and skull rhinestone tees? Forget it, he probably gets that stuff shipped straight to him fresh off the showroom floor.
We've wanted to launch Curbed in Chicago, unquestionably one of the country's great neighborhood cities, for years now. So, heck, whattya say: let's do this thing.
Effective this very second, we're looking for a Chicago resident who knows the real estate, development, and neighborhood scene inside-out for the job of Curbed Chicago editor. This is a freelance gig with commensurate pay; you'll be able to work from anywhere in town because, well, that's how our bloggers roll. If you think you fit the bill, drop an email to jobs@curbed.com with a brief description about yourself and a paragraph or two about why you're interested in the job. If you've got a blog, please include a link to it as well. No resumes, please; also, if you sell or rent real estate for a living, alas, we will not be able to hire you. If we like what we see, we'll be in touch quickly. Thanks.
The historic Mediterrenean-style townhouse at 39 Barrow Street has two very visible facades, both freaking adorable. This king of West Village quaint has pale blue shutters and a partially sunken entrance on Barrow Street, and on Seventh Avenue South there's a pinkish hue with a bright yellow door leading to a walled-in courtyard . Those colors aren't going anywhere, but it's looking like this two-face is going under the knife.
1 BR, 1 BA Co-op
Asking: $1,195,000 | Sweeping Views
20 East 9th Street
[The Corcoran Group]
QuickListings are paid advertisements from trusted Curbed advertisers.
Curbed aims to make all advertising on the site as valuable and relevant as possible to our readers, and as part of this, Curbed allows trusted advertisers to pay to promote their listings in the blog flow. All sponsored posts on Curbed, including QuickListings, are identified as such and carry a light shading to further differentiate them from editor-written blog content.
For more information on QuickListings, or to place an ad, please contact sales@curbed.com.
How's this for an attention-grabbing giveaway: According to a press release, HGTV will be handing over the keys to a 900-square-foot apartment in the Financial District's brand new and highly delayed W New York Downtown condo/hotel to a contest winner. Like, to keep. Forever. Deets: Beginning on August 12, people can see detailed photos of the 1BR/1BA apartment—fully furnished and designed by HGTV star Vern Yip—at HGTV.com/urbanoasis. A tour will also air on the network's Urban Oasis special. Starting September 1, people can head to that website and enter a random drawing to win the grand prize package, which includes not only the apartment, but also a new Acura ZDX horseless stagecoach. A $1.5 million value! As for who's picking up the maintenance and parking bills, well, that part we're still not clear on. For those without luck on their side, there's a new way into this Gwathmey Siegel-designed 
We've wanted to launch Curbed in Chicago, unquestionably one of the country's great neighborhood cities, for years now. So, heck, whattya say: let's do this thing. 
