Dyker Heights, Brooklyn Mansions Turn into Christmas Spectacles

When it comes to the holiday season in New York, most people think of the Rockefeller tree and the numerous retail store window displays. But a subway ride away from all the Manhattan Madness will bring you to Dyker Heights, Brooklyn and some of the most wonderful Christmas spectacles you'll ever see. Every holiday season, the owners of these mansions take “deck the halls” to a brand new level.

PC: New York Off Road

The History

The tradition of dressing up these historic mansions, some of which date back over a hundred years, began in the 1980s when Lucy Spata wanted to transform her dreary looking home and make it more lively during the winter. After a while, neighbors started doing the same, and today people travel from all over the world to view these beautiful displays.

The Decorations

While most people who decorate their homes throw up some lights and toss some tinsel around the house, the owners of these mansions take things a little further.  Most of them hire professional Christmas decorators to adorn their houses with thousands of lights and help with heavier decorations. Some homeowners spend as much as $20,000 every year to put on these displays!

PC: New York Off Road

If you want to visit these mansions, head to 11th Avenue from 79th to 86th Street in Dyker Heights!

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AMAA is your source for structural inspections, mechanical inspections, civil inspections, and architectural inspections in New York and the entire metropolitan area. With over 50 years of experience, we are known for both our high standards and specialized services. We have supported the work of some of the largest and most prestigious developers, retailers and more. Call us today at 212.867.6720 or visit our website for more information.

Port Authority Authorizes Spending $1 Billion for Construction Projects on NYC Regional Airports

If you’ve spent any time commuting in NYC, you’re well aware that public transportation could use a few improvements. While there have been renovations happening on the subway systems, there are now plans to improve the regional airports over the next few years.

PC: LaGuardia Gateway Partners

The Current Plans:

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey have approved plans to spend $1 billion on regional airports next year. In 2018, they will spend $578 million for construction projects on the terminals at LaGuardia Airport and $167 million for projects at Terminal A at Newark Liberty International Airport. These projects will account for about ⅓ of the Port Authority’s budget for next year.

The Ditched Plans:

Last year, the Port Authority commission was at odds over plans to build a new Manhattan bus terminal — most of the issues coming from deciding who would pay for the project. Opponents of the project favor renovating the existing terminal rather than creating a new one for several reasons. Renovating the terminal would:

• Expand the space with two additional stories faster
• Maintain the passenger connections to 12 different subway lines
• Allow uninterrupted service for bus riders.

In the Pipeline:

The Authority is also planning a $10 billion redevelopment of JFK International Airport that would include new security and terminal connections, redesigned airport roads, and amenities like fine dining and luxury retail shops.

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AMAA is your source for structural inspections, mechanical inspections, civil inspections, and architectural inspections in New York and the entire metropolitan area. With over 50 years of experience, we are known for both our high standards and specialized services. We have supported the work of some of the largest and most prestigious developers, retailers and more. Call us today at 212.867.6720 or visit our website for more information.

Say "Hello" to One Willoughby Square, Brooklyn's Newest 500-foot Office Building

It’s been two years since the project was announced, but renderings for One Willoughby Square have now been revealed to the Commercial Observer. FXFOWLE is designing a 495-foot office tower in Downtown Brooklyn. In the eyes of senior partner, Dan Kaplan, the building is being constructed in what he thinks are “the most classical New York-type buildings. Buildings that really started their lives as factories and lofts and feel very modern, but it wants to feel of its place as well.”

PC: FXFOWLE

The Design:

• The building itself will have glaze-blue bricks and factory-style windows that allow light to flood the space.
• The concrete floors will be basically column-free, allowing for an open floor plan with 14-foot ceilings.
• All the mechanics as well as the elevators and bathrooms will be located in the center of the building so every floor will have an even more open floor plan.
• In typical FXFOWLE fashion, the designs include plenty of outdoor spaces, giving every other floor an outdoor balcony.
• Three floors will also have 18-foot ceilings with terraces and loggias.

The Completion

The building is expected to be finished by early 2021, and some floors are already leased out by the New York City School Construction Authority. The second through sixth floors — 87,000 square-feet of space — will be home to a 300-seat school, which will have a separate entrance than that of the office space.

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AMAA is your source for structural inspections, mechanical inspections, civil inspections, and architectural inspections in New York and the entire metropolitan area. With over 50 years of experience, we are known for both our high standards and specialized services. We have supported the work of some of the largest and most prestigious developers, retailers and more. Call us today at 212.867.6720 or visit our website for more information.

NYC's Never-Built Buildings

It seems like there are new buildings being put up in NYC every day, and we’ve definitely seen some impressive construction feats lately. However, not every construction project makes it to the finish line — some don’t make it past the design phase. These are some of NYC’s never-built buildings.

The Key Project for Ellis Island

Ellis Island had long been known as the country’s busiest immigrant inspection station, which has caused developers to debate what to do with the space. In 1954, Frank Lloyd Wright had his bid approved to create a “city of the future” featuring apartments for 7,500 residents that rose in offset stacks as well as hospitals, churches, schools, and a sports arena. Ambitious as it was, the plan was eventually rejected by the U.S. General Services Administration since Ellis Island was declared a national monument in 1965.

Photo via Tumblr

St. Mark’s-in-the-Bouwerie Residence Towers

St. Mark’s-in-the-Bowery is the oldest site of continuous worship in NYC, originally opened in 1799. In 1927, William Norman Guthrie, the Church’s rector, hired Frank Lloyd Wright to design apartment towers made of concrete and glass. The design had the apartments getting bigger as they rose. While it was Guthrie’s hope that the apartments would be located around the Church, the Great Depression left the Church nearly bankrupt, so the St. Mark’s-in-the-Bouwerie apartments never happened.

The Habitat New York

In 1968, architect, Moshe Safdie, presented his idea for “modern-day Utopias” called “New York I and II” in an effort to prevent New Yorkers from moving out of the city to the suburbs. Originally designed to span over what is now FDR Drive, the project moved to empty piers near the Fulton Fish Market and the designs changed to have the structures be suspended via cables. However, issues with the real estate market caused the plan to eventually fail.

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AMAA is your source for structural inspections, mechanical inspections, civil inspections, and architectural inspections in New York and the entire metropolitan area. With over 50 years of experience, we are known for both our high standards and specialized services. We have supported the work of some of the largest and most prestigious developers, retailers and more. Call us today at 212.867.6720 or visit our website for more information.

Number of Floors Comes to a Halt in East Village Post Office Replacement

Every developer has had to deal with zoning ordinances — it’s just a reality of real estate. But Benenson Capital Partners and Mack Real Estate Group were taken to court over their attempt to go over the zoning ordinances with their project that replaces the former Peter Stuyvesant Post Office on East 14th Street in the East Village.

PC: EVGrieve

Originally, the developers wanted to build a 12-story building with 155 apartments, but that was four stories over the area’s zoning limits. After initial backlash, they lowered their request to nine stories with 130 apartments which including 26 affordable units — still a floor over zoning limits. However, the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation held a rally the morning the developers were scheduled to go to the Board of Standards and Appeals to attempt to win their zoning variance application. The rally and backlash ultimately caused the developers to withdraw their application.

Now, they will have to follow the zoning restrictions of the area, which makes the residents of the area happy. The executive director of the GVSHP was quoted saying “ This is a victory for the East Village and all New Yorkers who care about preserving our neighborhoods and ensuring everyone plays by the same rules.”

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AMAA is your source for structural inspections, mechanical inspections, civil inspections, and architectural inspections in New York and the entire metropolitan area. With over 50 years of experience, we are known for both our high standards and specialized services. We have supported the work of some of the largest and most prestigious developers, retailers and more. Call us today at 212.867.6720 or visit our website for more information.

NYC’s Ambitious Pier 55 Project Is Back On

A few months back, the Hudson River Park Trust approached fashion designer Diane von Furstenburg and her husband Barry Diller to help finance the replacement of Pier 54, a project now named Pier 55. The plan was to have Diller and von Furstenburg’s foundation fund and maintain the project using their own $130 million, with another $39.5 million coming from the Trust, and city and state funds. Despite the fact that the funding buckled in September 2017, Pier 55 is now back on.

PC: Pier55, Inc./Heatherwick Studio. Renderings by Luxigon.

Barry Diller actually found support for the park’s construction in a former rival of his, Douglas Durst, after Governor Cuomo pledged to finish the last 25% of the park and convince Douglas to drop his litigations against the construction. The park will include three performance venues, large green spaces, and an underground walkway. In an even more fascinating turn, Pier 54 will be turned into a floating facility.

Assuming he will be re-elected, Governor Cuomo would like the have the park finished by the end of his third term.

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AMAA is your source for structural inspections, mechanical inspections, civil inspections, and architectural inspections in New York and the entire metropolitan area. With over 50 years of experience, we are known for both our high standards and specialized services. We have supported the work of some of the largest and most prestigious developers, retailers and more. Call us today at 212.867.6720 or visit our website for more information.

New Renderings Show 17 New Stories Added To 441 Ninth Avenue in Hudson Yards

Properties in the Hudson Yards district of Manhattan continue to flourish, with new buildings being constructed all the time. In a surprising change, new renderings for 441 Ninth Avenue have been revealed that show 17 stories have been added to the project’s original plan.

PC: Cove Property Group

This increase in stories will add three-times the floor count and increase the square footage of the rentable space to 700,000. The new 17 stories will be built on top of the already-existing eight stories of the buildings, and the renderings show an attempt to joined different eras of design. The first eight floors were built in the 1962 and are darker with cleaner strokes. The new floors will feature more a modern design, which are going to bring more personality to the building.

The project’s cost is estimated at around $479 million, as this is the amount that developer Cove Property Group is reported to have received from private equity firm Apollo Global Management, and is expected to be ready for tenants by summer 2019.

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AMAA is your source for structural inspections, mechanical inspections, civil inspections, and architectural inspections in New York and the entire metropolitan area. With over 50 years of experience, we are known for both our high standards and specialized services. We have supported the work of some of the largest and most prestigious developers, retailers and more. Call us today at 212.867.6720 or visit our website for more information.

PAU Reveals More Renderings for Domino Sugar Factory Redesign

For some time, the fate of the old Domino’s Sugar Factory was undetermined as idea after idea passed through the gate. Now, Two Trees Developers has brought on Practice for Architecture and Urbanism (PAU) to take charge on the project.

Rendering courtesy of Practice for Architecture and Urbanisn

The team has decided to honor the building’s original structure while still achieving their goal of turning it into an office building. However, the project has not been without its complications. The building’s window weren’t aligned properly and wouldn’t line up with the office floors and the building itself didn’t have traditional floors. That being the case, the team plans to basically hollow the entire building.

The new structure will have a building within a building that allows air and light to seemingly flow through the space. The design also includes a crystalline barrel-vaulted structure that will sit atop the current building, an open-air courtyard that will connect Kent Avenue and a soon-to-be-opened waterfront park, and shops and restaurant on the ground floor.

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AMAA is your source for structural inspections, mechanical inspections, civil inspections, and architectural inspections in New York and the entire metropolitan area. With over 50 years of experience, we are known for both our high standards and specialized services. We have supported the work of some of the largest and most prestigious developers, retailers and more. Call us today at 212.867.6720 or visit our website for more information.

How NYC Has Changed Since Hurricane Sandy and What Still Needs to Be Improved

Back in 2012, Hurricane Sandy rocked the better part of New York City, Long Island, and New Jersey. Thousands were left without homes and power due to the storm, and NYC alone was left with $19 billion worth of damaged. Now five years later, there have been many changes made to the city to protect against future storms, but many New Yorker’s feel as if there is a lot of work to still be done.

What Still Needs to Be Improved After Sandy:

The Slowness to Use Recovery Money

The New York Housing Authority was given $2.9 billion to repair over 30 public housing developments, but many residents feel that repairs are not being done fast enough. Five years later, some buildings still smell of mold and mildew and do not provide sufficient heat or hot water due to the continued use of temporary hot water boilers. On the bright side, a new $65 million roof repair project is underway on the Red Hook Houses in Brooklyn, which was one of the hardest areas hit.

The Location of New Infrastructure

One of the most affected areas of NYC after Sandy was the train system as a whole. Since then, the MTA has been implementing flood mitigation efforts in several downtown stations. However, building plans are still be developed in areas that could again end up underwater, costing the city billions of dollars in lost expenses.

New Building Codes

In an effort to prevent the same problems that occurred in buildings, new building codes are being put into effect that require buildings to have emergency lighting in hallways and stairwells as well as working faucets on lower floors so higher-floor-living residents can get water in the event of a power outage. A huge part of the code changes is the raising building above the 100-year floodplain.

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AMAA is your source for structural inspections, mechanical inspections, civil inspections, and architectural inspections in New York and the entire metropolitan area. With over 50 years of experience, we are known for both our high standards and specialized services. We have supported the work of some of the largest and most prestigious developers, retailers and more. Call us today at 212.867.6720 or visit our website for more information.

Tishman Speyer Is Building an Office Tower Over Macy’s in Brooklyn

Anyone who’s been to Brooklyn knows that the borough has a feeling unique to that of its other four counterparts. To add a little modernism to the area, Tishman Speyer has teamed up with HNA Group to work on a new project in downtown Brooklyn called, “The Wheeler.”

PC: Tishman Speyer

The Design

The project will add 10 floors of office space above the four floors of Macy’s retail space, as well as create a new building core to replace the odd one. The new core will tie together the three buildings that make up the space and feature open floor plans with a lot of glass to allow natural lighting. The building will also offer an acre of useable outdoor space, including 11 terraces and a roof with grass and seating for all tenants to use. The first four floors of office space will offer 90,000 square-foot floor plates and 16-foot ceilings, while the remaining six foot with offer 34-60,000 square-foot plates.

The Cost

The developer won’t disclose the exact cost of the project, but it is know that they took out a $194 million construction loan and paid Macy’s $170 million for the top six floors. They will also give Macy’s another $100 million to renovate the retail space.

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AMAA is your source for structural inspections, mechanical inspections, civil inspections, and architectural inspections in New York and the entire metropolitan area. With over 50 years of experience, we are known for both our high standards and specialized services. We have supported the work of some of the largest and most prestigious developers, retailers and more. Call us today at 212.867.6720 or visit our website for more information.

Plans To Transform Fonthill Castle in Riverdale Revealed

As a child, wasn’t it a dream of yours to live or, at least, hang out in a castle and pretend you were a princess or prince? Well some students over the past century or so have been able to do just that! Fonthill Castle has stood in the Bronx since the 1800s, but it’s now being redesigned by TRA Studios.

PC: TRA Studios

Back in 1852, the castle was built for Shakespearean actor,  Edwin Forrest, who then sold the lot it sat on to the Sisters of Charity of New York. The Sisters relocated their school, the Academy of Mount Saint Verno, to the Bronx when the construction of Central Park forced them to leave Manhattan.

The castle, which has been part of the College of Mount Saint Vernon’s campus since, will be reconstructed to allow the space to be used for exhibitions and events. The ultimate goal of the redesign is to assert the castle as a main hub for students and visitors to socialize and connect. The plan is to have the project completed within the next year.

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AMAA is your source for structural inspections, mechanical inspections, civil inspections, and architectural inspections in New York and the entire metropolitan area. With over 50 years of experience, we are known for both our high standards and specialized services. We have supported the work of some of the largest and most prestigious developers, retailers and more. Call us today at 212.867.6720 or visit our website for more information.

First Look at Circa Central Park’s Refined Amenity Spaces

If there’s one spot basically anyone would want to live in, it’s any apartment with a view of Central Park. There’s something about waking up in the morning and seeing a sea of green — or in the fall, oranges, golds, and reds — across the street from your window in Manhattan. Well, the last undeveloped corner that overlooks Central Park is now home to Circa Central Park, a semicircular condo that boasts many fabulous amenities.

PC" FXFOWLE Architects

The building is designed by FXFOWLE Architects and features 38 apartments spread over 11 floors, starting at $1.3 million. The condo started welcoming residents in June of this year, and actually held a lottery for it’s 10 affordable units, but that closed in July.

While the apartments themselves feature oak floors, Sub-Zero refrigerators, and high-end bathroom fixtures, the impressive condos are also not short on amenities, offering:

• A fitness center
• A 3,000 square-foot landscaped courtyard
• A child’s playroom
• A study room for children with MacBooks
• A shared rooftop terrace
• Kids’ scooters
• Remote controlled boats to use in Central Park
• Picnic baskets you can take on trips to the park

If you’re interested in living in Circa Central, there are still listings available for purchase. For more NYC building news, follow AMAA on Facebook and Twitter!

AMAA is your source for structural inspections, mechanical inspections, civil inspections, and architectural inspections in New York and the entire metropolitan area. With over 50 years of experience, we are known for both our high standards and specialized services. We have supported the work of some of the largest and most prestigious developers, retailers and more. Call us today at 212.867.6720 or visit our website for more information.