1) Yes! Downturn over! So say the real estate pros, who claim deal-making in May only slightly lagged behind or in some cases surpassed May 2008 sales totals. Of course, closed sales still remain crazy low and prices are still falling and new condos are languishing, but it's the "climate" that has changed, and hey, at least "it is exciting to be in real estate again." ['Honk if You Think It’s Over']
2) The illicit bit of floorplan porn above comes from 155 Lexington Avenue, a 15-foot-wide townhouse recently gut renovated and put on the market for $5.49 million. Last week the asking price was reduced to $4.6 million and the listing now screams "Distressed Sale!!" One potential reason why: the DOB never approved the new fifth floor. Whoops! [Big Deal/'Fifth-Floor Snafu']
3) Some big guns are weighing in on the new Barclays Center design at Atlantic Yards, and we're not sure but we think the Post's Steve Cuozzo liked Frank Gehry's design a bit better: "Sure, Ratner says he still plans to build. Yippie! The new arena design now on the table bears as much resemblance to Gehry's as a Dumpster does to his Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao." Meanwhile, Brooklyn mascot Marty Markowitz thinks the Hangar is a better look. ['Net Loss is Devastating'/NYPost]
4) Starchitect Robert A.M. Stern completed the first two McMansions in his Villanova Heights project in Riverdale, and they're insane. We're talking three-car garages and over 11,000 square feet (each!). They're priced at $11.95 million and $11.2 million, and neighbors think they're a bit over-the-top. Stern on why they're not McMansions: "This is not a house for the Sopranos. These houses have fine detailing; they are based on creative interpretation of traditional designs." So hands off, Gandolfini! [Posting/'Smile When You Call Them McMansions']
5) The Post notes the dozen new historic district that may be approved by the Landmarks Preservation Commission and wonders if the city will become a "mausoleum." West End Avenue certainly might, because the LPC is reviewing a proposal to landmark the whole friggin' thing. The HDC's Simeon Bankoff says the boom increased interest: "Communities woke up to losing what they really valued and said we want to become a landmark." ['Historic Battle for NYC'/NYPost]
6) It's the five-year anniversary of The Hunt(!), and this week's column is an update on five previous Hunt subjects and how their lives have played out since Joyce Cohen first came into their homes. It's less about real estate and more about marriages and a slightly heart-wrenching cat relocation, but for Hunt fans (like us!), it's a must-read. [The Hunt/'So Where Are They Now?']
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