Real Estate | The New York Observer

11 Questions

Meet the Neighbors! Frances Katzen Pliés for Prudential

By The Editors | February 25, 2011 | 7:56 pm

Welcome to the latest installment of our ongoing interview series, Meet the Neighbors! A managing director at Prudential Douglas Elliman, Fran Katzen leads one of the firm's most successful teams. Once a professional ballerina, she now dances her way into deals all over town and around the world--she was born in South Africa and raised in Sydney before coming to New York, after... MORE»

Prospective Tenants

De-nied! Deloitte's 30 Rock Move Leaves Law Firm Scrambling

By Laura Kusisto | February 25, 2011 | 5:30 pm

When Deloitte signed a 430,000-square-foot lease at 30 Rockefeller Plaza in December, it seemed like the space came from thin air. The reality, it turns out, is nearly as dramatic: While law firm Chadbourne & Parke was mulling whether to renew its lease there, Deloitte swooped in and leased the space from under them, according to sources with some knowledge of the deal. Now the law firm, which occupied roughly 300,000 square feet, is... MORE»

Back to School

Douglas Durst: 'Showings' Afoot for Conde Space; China Trip for 1 WTC 'Like Davos'

By Laura Kusisto | February 25, 2011 | 1:50 pm

Now that Conde Nast is headed south, the publishing giant's landlord, Douglas Durst, reveals there is already active interest in Conde's current digs in 4 Times... MORE»

Food of Love

A 'Clarion Call' Music Video in Support of the Bronx [VIDEO]

By Amanda Sterling | February 25, 2011 | 1:17 pm

In the wake of Glenn Beck's comparison of the Bronx Co-op City to a failed socialist state and American Idol's unflattering portrayal of the borough, Bronx nonprofit group Bronxnet has released a music video with an "Original Bronx Anthem" calling on borough residents to support and defend their... MORE»

House Porn

It's Free to Look: Just in Time for Kate and William's Wedding!

By Caitlin Nolan | February 25, 2011 | 12:56 pm

According to Corcoran, this Upper West Side co-op in the El Dorado boasts the finest views not only in Manhattan, but apparently "in all 'Earth's Kingdoms.'" For a little over $8.8 million, it and its four bedrooms and three bathrooms (and 360-degree panorama of Central Park, the Hudson River and the skyline of Fifth Avenue) can be... MORE»

Manhattan Transfers

Broadway Man Robert Nederlander Prefers Park Avenue

By Matt Chaban | February 25, 2011 | 12:35 pm

Broadway producer, theater operator and former Yankees owner Robert Nederlander never staged Young Frankenstein in his numerous venues, but he has nonetheless decided it's time to put on the ritz at home. He has just purchased a colorful two-bedroom co-op in the Ritz Tower for $2.25 million, city records show. This is a month after he sold his three-bedroom home four blocks north at 510 Park Avenue, where he had lived for decades with his wife Gladys, who passed away almost three years... MORE»

Buy Buy Buy

Boing-Boing Bankers: Bonuses Shrink, Brokers Shrug, Bidding Wars Resume

By Matt Chaban | February 25, 2011 | 10:07 am

The sky is falling! Wall Street bonuses are down! New York is doomed, just as its foal-like housing market began to hobble back to life. That was old New York, though. This is new, diversified, smart New York, where the FIRE has been put out and it's up to everybody (especially the foreigners) to pitch in. State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli released a report Wednesday that announced, to the mild dismay of some, that Wall Street bonuses were down 8 percent last... MORE»

Trading Spaces

Suite Jesus! Church Sells Rock Center Rights for $165 M.

By Laura Kusisto | February 25, 2011 | 9:12 am

From the religious heart of the city to a center of commerce hung with Christmas bulbs, Rockefeller Center's transformation is nearly complete. An entity affiliated with a long-extinct church, St. Nicholas Collegiate Church, has sold the land rights to its former Rock Center site at 600 Fifth Avenue to Tishman Speyer for $165 million, according to public... MORE»

Elsewhere

On the Market: A-Rod A-Paying No Taxes; Courtney Love Finally Finds Townhouse; Berkshire Boss Buys in Bloomberg

By Matt Chaban | February 25, 2011 | 9:00 am

More DOT hate: Midtown businesses want Herald Square reopened [DNAinfo] Tired of Steve Cuozzo mocking bike lanes, bike group buys stevecuozzo.com [Curbed] When curiosity becomes home ownership... MORE»

The Rent

At Rent Rally, Williams Says Cuomo, Bloomberg 'Disdain' Middle, Working Classes [Video]

By Amanda Sterling | February 24, 2011 | 4:47 pm

City Councilman Jumaane Williams slammed both the Bloomberg and Cuomo administrations at a rally for rent regulations today at City Hall, saying that those in power do not care about the middle-class or the poor. "What they're saying is that they don't want to tax the rich people, but they'll tax the middle class and the poor people. And they love to do that to balance their books," Williams said about the executive branch in both Albany and New York City. "The powers that be are not even now hiding their disdain for the middle class and the working... MORE»

House Porn

It's Free to Look: Just in Time for the Oscars

By Matt Coyne | February 24, 2011 | 12:55 pm

So it's not enough for you to just live in any old apartment, is it? You want one that's won awards? Is located in "a New York icon unto itself?" Well, for $24 million this property in the San Remo and featured in New York Spaces for its award-winning design can be... MORE»

Inn Demand

Luxe Hotel Could Take Off at JFK as Trump, Balazs Check In

By Matt Chaban | February 24, 2011 | 12:19 pm

When the Port Authority announced earlier this month that it was looking for a developer to build a hotel behind Eero Saarinen's iconic Terminal 5, The Observer was skeptical, to say the least. Efforts to revive the building after TWA went bankrupt and moved out a decade ago have floundered, and it seemed unlikely the sort of boutique hotel the Port was interested in could survive in sleepy... MORE»

concrete thoughts

Multifamily, Up From the Rocky Bottom

By Robert Knakal | February 24, 2011 | 11:06 am

In 2010, New York City's multifamily housing market demonstrated trends that were indicative of the market as a whole. The dollar volume of sales was up significantly over 2009 levels, and the number of buildings sold was up but not nearly by the same rate as dollar... MORE»

the lead indicator

A Timid Budget Bodes Ill for Nation’s Finances

By Sam Chandan | February 24, 2011 | 10:20 am

In the midst of the larger debate over the state of the nation's public finances, the Obama administration presented its fiscal year 2012 budget proposal to Congress last week. Following three years during which federal outlays reached unprecedented levels, the new budget has been positioned as a step forward in addressing the serious fiscal imbalances that increasingly threaten the long-term prosperity of the United... MORE»

Green Apple

ABCs and Net-Zeros: City's First No-Energy School

By Matt Chaban | February 24, 2011 | 9:35 am

Over the past decade, no one has built more "green" buildings than the city's School Construction Authority. Even before Local Law 86 required all civic buildings to be built to sustainability standards, the department had been using such measures--light sensors, efficient heating and cooling systems, recycled materials, etc.--to build healthier instiutions that also save money on energy... MORE»

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