With warm weather and the distractions of summer in New York City in full swing, you have to get creative when it comes to marketing. And creative was just what the CORE events team was all week, coordinating a pair of events that showed off exclusive CORE properties in unique ways. First up on Wednesday, just ahead of National Bourbon Day — a real day, we swear! — was a whiskey tasting hosted by CORE’s Jarrod Guy Randolph in the amazing $4.995 million penthouse of the new Isis building on the Upper East Side. An evening of high-quality cocktails in a beautiful brand-new penthouse with four terraces? If that’s not enough to snap you out of a summer haze, what is?

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When people think of historic cast-iron architecture in New York, SoHo is the neighborhood that immediately springs to mind. But the cast-iron style — prominent in the Industrial Revolution when iron was a cheap building material and modern steel was not yet available — pops up elsewhere around town. Above is a great example: 67 East 11th Street on the border of Greenwich Village and the East Village near Union Square. The landmarked building, built in 1869 and turned into a residential co-op in the late 1970s, even has the nickname the Cast-Iron Building, which must anger more than a few SoHo-ites. Landmarks aren’t typically associated with starter homes, but CORE’s Christopher Massey has the listing for a lovely studio apartment in the building featuring exposed brick walls and unobstructed south-facing views — a perfect introduction to this cast-iron classic.

It’s not news that TriBeCa is one of Manhattan’s most desired neighborhoods, with historic buildings, family-size lofts, Hudson River Park, and a thriving dining scene drawing more A-listers than a Hollywood premiere. Those large living spaces are a big part of the appeal, and with that in mind, here’s our look at some favorite three-bedroom homes on the market right now.

Where: 166 Duane Street, #7B
Size: 3 bedrooms, 3.5 bathrooms
Asking: $5,750,000
Listed by: Michael Graves

The Duane Park Building is a condominium loft conversion situated (obviously) on TriBeCa’s popular Duane Park, and the building’s roots show in the units. High ceilings and spacious layouts abound, and this three-bedroom home is no different, with over 2,600 square feet of living space. The angled living room and art-friendly proportions add to an aesthetic that the listing photos capture quite well, so check them out.

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Society continues to classify achievements by category. We create hierarchies and measurements like The Biggest, The Richest, The Strongest, The Longest, and the list goes on…

The Real Deal is the only widely read trade publication for real estate in New York, and every year they publish their brokerage rankings with data they collect. This year CORE was named the top boutique firm in the city, and while I don’t pay too much attention to awards or other companies’ business models, I must admit that it is rewarding to be recognized in the industry. Especially in the category that compliments our business model.

When Jack and I started our company in 2006, our business model and objective was clear and simple: Build the best real estate company in the city! Best by our standards meant a company with the highest ethical standards, professional conduct, creative marketing, and productive team of agents. We went about building a company that was designed for the agent (and having been a top agent for many years, I had a deep understanding of what I needed to support and grow my business, and what I felt was missing). We continue to grow CORE as a company with resources designed to build and support our agents’ business under the umbrella of our brand.

I am grateful to my incredible team of agents, and the smartest, hardest working management and support team in the city. I’m really looking forward to continuing our mission.

Shaun Osher is the founder and CEO of CORE.

Where: 170 Washington Park, Brooklyn
Size: 5 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms
Asking: $2,495,000
Listed by: Doug Bowen and Vickey Barron

“Many buyers re-entering the real estate market after years on the sidelines are discovering what they’re after in brownstone Brooklyn,” the New York Times wrote this month. “In neighborhoods including Fort Greene, Park Slope, Boerum Hill and Red Hook, brokers are besieged by buyers.” Into this highly competitive market comes 170 Washington Park in Fort Greene, which boasts a huge advantage: It’s right on a park. An amazing park, at that. Fort Greene Park, a 30-acre site with roots that go back to the Revolutionary War (it was originally called Washington Park), was the work of Central Park designers Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux, and was Brooklyn’s first designated park. Its playgrounds, tennis courts, tree-lined paths and open lawns are the heart of this historic neighborhood.

Currently a four-family house, 170 Washington Park will be delivered vacant, allowing for a new owner to consider many different single-family or multi-family uses. The house, on a 100-foot lot, is 22 feet wide and 45 feet deep, creating generous layouts. And don’t forget: Fort Greene Park is the front yard. With a small-town vibe that people fall for as soon as they visit, Fort Greene also happens to be extremely convenient for commuting to Manhattan. Given what we’re hearing about the Brooklyn brownstone gold rush, we suspect someone will have a claim on this beauty in no time. Here’s a peek inside:

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A sampling of last week’s press coverage of CORE and CORE properties.

“Big Deal: Trophy Hunting”
New York Times
CORE chief executive Shaun Osher commented on the wave of “trophy apartments” for real estate columnist Alexei Barrionuevo’s piece on the most desired high-priced apartments in town. Barrionuevo also highlighted CORE’s new Chelsea development, Walker Tower, where sales will begin this month: “Several brokers said they were waiting for new downtown developments that will provide fresh trophy penthouses to challenge uptown’s dominance. Projects like Walker Tower in Chelsea (at 212 West 18th Street), where a two-floor, 12,470-square-foot penthouse is expected to list for $94 million later this summer.”

“Patience Pays for Chelsea Flipper on West 17th”
Curbed
Tom Postilio’s and Stuart Sussman’s sale at 246 West 17th Street in Chelsea (above) was featured on Curbed, which wrote, “Market timing helps, but patience and resolve seemed to pay off in this case.”

“Billionaire discounts $21.5M Fifth Avenue spread”
The Real Deal
Michael Graves commented on the tremendous amount of interest in the luxury segment of the real estate market for The Real Deal’s story on Seagram heir Charles Bronfman, who is marketing his full-floor apartment at 810 Fifth Avenue for $21.5 million.

Go West!
The Observer’s Luxury Rentals
Elizabeth Kee was interviewed on the growth of Midtown West in the Observer’s bimonthly magazine on the luxury rental market. (Please see page 15 for the story.)

“Just sold!”
New York Post
Michael Graves’s sale of a small Upper West Side condo at 595 West End Avenue was featured.

One of the biggest benefits of a river view? You never know what will float by your windows. The much-publicized journey of the Space Shuttle Enterprise to its new home at the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum included a float up the Hudson River earlier this week, where we spotted the retired spacecraft from the windows of 520 West 19th Street, recently profiled on the CORE Blog. Even seen-it-all New Yorkers couldn’t help but stop in their tracks to get a look at the Enterprise, and “space” meant something totally different around the CORE offices on this day.

One of the greatest living American architects, Robert A.M. Stern is also the only contemporary architect to have designed two buildings along Central Park: 15 Central Park West, the two-tower limestone complex regarded as the most successful condominium of all time, and 1280 Fifth Avenue, home to the Museum for African Art and, above, the residences of One Museum Mile. CORE founder and CEO Shaun Osher sat down with Stern, who is also the dean of Yale University’s School of Architecture and an accomplished architectural historian, to talk about the unique design of One Museum Mile, the history of Central Park, and the similarities and differences between Stern’s pair of buildings along New York’s most iconic park. For more on Stern’s work, visit his firm’s website, and for more on One Museum Mile, click here.

Though sometimes lost in the shuffle of more glamorous abodes, the studio apartment is authentically New York. These apartments are always in demand as starter homes and pieds-a-terre, and allow buyers to plant their flags in great neighborhoods without breaking the bank. Studio apartments make the New York housing stock even more vibrant, and here are three of our favorites on the market right now.

Where: 1280 Fifth Avenue, 8-E
Asking: $695,000
Listed by: CORE

One Museum Mile is Fifth Avenue’s newest masterpiece, and it’s hard to imagine a more ideal location: on Central Park, surrounded by the best cultural institutions in the city. Studios apartments on Fifth Avenue are somewhat rare, and this unit is bigger than most studios in new-construction condominiums. The finishes are top-of-the-line, and all buyers in the building enjoy the same perks, including 24-hour doorman/concierge, gym, children’s play room, teen game room, roof deck, and outdoor swimming pool.

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Where: 520 West 19th Street, 9CA
Size: 4 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms
Asking: $6,875,000
Listed by: Emily Beare & David Beare

We tend to mock dated real estate adages like “location, location, location,” but in the case of this sensational West Chelsea condo, those old words of wisdom ring true. Situated between the High Line and the Hudson River, with dramatic views of both, this 4-bedroom, 3,353-square-foot apartment is on West 19th Street’s “Architect’s Row,” featuring new buildings by Frank Gehry, Jean Nouvel, Shigeru Ban and Annabelle Selldorf, who designed this boutique condominium building to have floor-to-ceiling windows and a striking midnight blue terracotta façade.

The apartment is modern, fresh and contemporary, much like its neighbors and the surrounding art galleries of Chelsea. It’s also the rare new apartment that manages to be perfect for entertaining (with an open 40′ living and dining area) while not sacrificing any space for the bedrooms (the two master suites attest to that). While we recommend checking out the entire photo gallery, below is a quick peek at one of the views, of the High Line, Chelsea’s landmark London Terrace towers, the Empire State Building, and beyond.

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