Dan Doctoroff has found an outlet for his energies after agreeing to step aside to let Bloomberg resume leadership of his eponymous company come 2015, Crain’s reports—the former deputy mayor will be devoting more time to the Culture Shed in Hudson Yards, on whose board he already sits.
The New York Foundling home has found a buyer willing to pay $45 million for its Greenwich Village home, The New York Daily News reports; the foster-care-focused non-profit paid a mere $3 million for the building in 2002. And while the sale is undeniably a boon for the non-profit, which will move operations to 16th and Sixth, it also raises the question of what happens if and when Manhattan becomes primarily a place for the single-family residences of rich people. This, naturally, will be the former Foundling Home’s fate, which has been purchased by—who else?—an unnamed buyer.
Further evidence that the end of Manhattan is upon us: parking spaces in Soho are now going for $1 million, according to The New York Times. Sure, parking in the city can be hell, but is there really a good justification for the fact that the parking spots at 42 Crosby will be going for more per square foot than the apartments? Of course, it should be noted that no parking spaces, these included, have actually sold for anything approaching $1 million.
But there’s always Brooklyn, which is especially desirable now that Vogue has given Bushwick it’s seal of approval, deeming the neighborhood the seventh coolest in the world. Still, though it’s no longer “disfavored,” as Gothamist points out, it still falls behind Shimokitazawa, Japan and West Queen West, Canada in hipness. And next year, goddamn Ridgewood will probably steal all the attention.
This should life your spirits, though: Bushwick Daily has a rundown of all the ridiculously Bushwick-themed merchandise out there, from North Face jackets to Van’s sneakers.
And in proof that there’s more to real estate than cold, hard cash, the owner of Junior’s has decided to turn down a slew of big money bids to buy the restaurant’s desirable site in Downtown Brooklyn, DNAInfo reports. The largest, a $45 million offer from the Chetrit group, would have ousted the purveyor of cheesecakes and other decadent diner goodies from its longtime home. Other, lesser offers would have allowed them to stay, albeit at the base of a condo tower. “I have never felt better in my life,” said owner Alan Rosen of the recent decision.
Billionaire industrialist and arch conservative David Koch sprays his name all over yet another venerable New York Institution: the Met. Crain’s reports that the museum’s new $65 million plaza—financed, of course, by Mr. Koch—was unveiled with a choral rendition of “New York New York” by a Harlem Team Choir. Said Mr. Koch of his improvements: “It feels illuminated. I am so pleased with the project and what it means for the museum and the city.”
Another way to spend a small fortune: try to buy enough co-op shares to take over a 19,000 square-foot building and transform it into your personal mansion. That’s what Aby Rosen of RFR Holdings is attempting to do with a 10-unit building at 1025 Park Avenue, according to The Daily News. Mr. Rosen, apparently looking for some distraction after putting the whole Picasso curtain thing behind him, is apparently undaunted by the debacle that was 22 East 71st.