In his column yesterday, The New York Times’ public editor Arthur Brisbane cites a study published in February that shows the paper was significantly kinder to President Obama in his first year in office than presidents Reagan, Clinton, and George W. Bush. “Readers deserve to know: Who is the real Barack Obama?” Brisbane writes. “And The Times needs to show that it can address the question in a hard-nosed, unbiased way.” Somehow we suspect that a collectible Mitt Romney Presidential Saltine Canister won’t pay the bills, but maybe some more coverage of Obama’s dog-eating youth in Indonesia and more Solyndra will. [ more › ]
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NY Times: Yes, We’re In The Tank For Obama
According to 77 pages of documents released by the U.S. Park Police in response to a FOIA request, the owner of Zuccotti Park, Brookfield Properties, contacted the USPP regarding a possible eviction of an Occupy DC encampment just 48 hours before the NYPD raided Zuccotti Park. “I have received several e-mailed [sic] from across the country I. e. Denver and Portland about police taking action against protest encampments located in the City parks,” Brookfield’s portfolio manager Don Orcutt wrote to the USPP. [ more › ]
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Brookfield E-Mailed Feds 48 Hours Before Eviction Of Zuccotti
Click here to view the full photogallery. Many, from religious factions of the 1800s to international fun conglomerate Disney, have tried to use urban planning as a societal cure-all. Attempting to eliminate social ills doesn’t always work and many master-planned communities fail, but some continue to achieve success, at least judging by market value. One such success is the planned commmunity of Seaside, Fla. Developed beginning in the early 1980s under the principals of New Urbanism, the town famously served as the backdrop for The Truman Show and features buildings by some architecture heavyweights, including Steven Holl, Deborah Berke, and Robert A.M. Stern. The architectural pedigree and quality of construction have driven prices sky-high. This four-bedroom beach house, across the street from the dunes, has no starchitect attached to the listing, but is still asking $2.43M, despite measuring just 2,800 square feet. Click here to view the full photogallery. ↑ Another marked success has been Disney’s Celebration, Fla., an idyllic community located directly adjacent to the Walt Disney World theme park. Much of the credit for the home prices in this village goes to that proximity to the theme park, but despite that obvious draw, the prices are still impressive. This seven-bedroom Victorian, built in 2006, is currently asking $2.9M. Click here to view the full photogallery. ↑ Master-planned communities have been a fixture of the suburban scene since the 60s, when the Rouse Company developed the now-famous Columbia, Md., located halfway between Washington and Baltimore. The architecture hasn’t held up very well, and, given that the larger region is one of the most expensive in the United States, home values haven’t seen the same premiums as in Florida. This 1968 build is showing its age a little, but still occupies a verdant site on a secluded cul-de-sac. The four-bedroom, three-bath home is currently asking $435K. ↑ The Chicago neighborhood known as Pullman was established by the industrialist George Pullman, who purchased thousands of acres on the outskirts of town in 1880 to build a factory and planned community for the workers. It turns out Pullman abused his powers, running the town like a dictator and banning businesses and people who conflicted with his plans. By 1894, workers had had enough and organized a massive strike that had to be quelled by the military. Today the town is out of corporate hands, but retains some architecture of the period, like this stone mansion, c. 1882. “In need of major work,” the imposing manse, presumably built for one of the town’s higher ups, is on the market for just $300K. Click here to view the full photogallery. ↑ In 1848, John Humphrey Noyes, a leader in a destined-to-fail sect of Christianity he called Perfectionism, established the Oneida Colony in New York. There’s no telling if the sect was responsible for the construction of this farmhouse nearby, listed for $249K, but it was constructed in 1850, 19 years before Noyes was forced to flee the country and the sect dissolved. · 15 Ruskin St W [Zillow] · 715 Eastlawn Drive [Zillow] · 10729 Midsummer Ln [Zillow] · 602 E 112th St [Zillow] · 336 Genesee St [Zillow]
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On the Market: Five Homes in America’s Would-Be Utopian Communities
As the country (okay, fine, Republican and Democratic pundits) debate whether Ann Romney has actually worked a day in her life (yes, she’s worked at raising her children and maintaining the household; no, she’s never earned a paycheck to feed or shelter her children), the Wall Street Journal brought our attention to a 1994 interview Ann Romney gave— here’s how the WSJ described it: “When Mitt Romney, then a successful private-equity executive, ran for the U.S. Senate against incumbent Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, Mrs. Romney gave a lengthy interview to the Boston Globe, which published a 4,000-word article that portrayed her as wealthy and spoiled. Boston’s rival newspaper, the Herald, quoted excerpts in a column titled, ‘Daughter of Privilege Knows Little of Real World.’” [ more › ]
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Vintage Ann Romney: "Daughter Of Privilege" Who "Knows Little Of Real World"
About four months after his father’s death , North Korean leader Kim Jong-un tried to assert his country’s position as a force to be reckoned with by launching a long-range rocket. But the rocket failed, breaking up during the launch , and the NY Times called it ” a $1 billion humiliation. ” [ more › ]
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North Korea’s Failed Rocket Launch A "$1 Billion Humiliation" For Kim Jong-un
George W. Bush hasn’t just been scooping poop since he left office—the man has devised an economic policy that will save the country. And it’s not just more tax cuts either, it’s—wait, no, no it’s more tax cuts. Bush took this refreshing new message to the New York Historical Society today for a conference entitled “Tax Policies for 4% Growth.” [ more › ]
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George W. Bush Visits NYC With Exciting New Idea: Tax Cuts
The sons and daughters of billionaires aren’t like the rest of us when it comes to buying a starter home. There’s no concern about mortgages and, in fact, some of them are setting real estate records with their outlandish purchases. Media-hungry Formula One heiress Petra Ecclestone may have raised eyebrows stateside with her purchase of Candy Spelling’s massive L.A. manor for $85M, but that’s just her second home. When in her native England, the 23-year-old Ecclestone—who has never worked for anyone but herself—beds down at a $90M London mansion (above) purchased specifically for her by her billionaire father, Bernie. The dignified spread in the Chelsea neighborhood of West London once served as an insane asylum for women, but even that didn’t prevent the Ecclestones from dropping an utterly insane sum on the place. Known as Sloane House, the mansion has as many as 30 rooms, with seven bedrooms, 16 bathrooms, a rare grassy backyard, and a Grade II listing. ↑ At least Petra Ecclestone’s near-nine-figure purchases are huge, palace-like places. Ekaterina Rybolovleva, 22-year-old daughter of Russian fertilizer magnate Dmitry Rybolovlev, spent a NYC record $88M on the penthouse at Robert A.M. Stern’s 15 Central Park West, at the awe inspiring rate of $13,500 per square foot. The ten-room aerie, previously owned by former Citigroup chairman Sanford Weill, has a wrap-around terrace, four bedrooms, windowed closets, and a den. ↑ Daughter of New York’s second richest man—yes, that’s Mayor Michael Bloomberg— Georgina Bloomberg used some of daddy’s money to pick up a very grown-up apartment on Central Park West in 2010, moving from the hip downtown neighborhood of Nolita. Just a few blocks north of Ekaterina’s record-setting penthouse, the three-bed co-op cost a comparatively paltry $4.15M, carries a monthly maintenance bill of $3,800, and, despite the address, doesn’t face the park. Still, that would be a hefty asking price for the children’s book co-author to carry on her own. ↑ The young billionaire heiresses might be making the headlines this year, but older ones have been playing the high-end real estate game for years. Libet Johnson, one of the heirs to the massive Johnson & Johnson fortune, has been a professional philanthropist and socialite for all her life, but has somehow found time to run through a litany of outrageously expensive homes. For years, she held court over a 20,000-square-foot sky-high spread at Manhattan’s Trump Tower, believed to be worth more than $65M. Eventually, she sold that place off in pieces—after all, how many buyers could afford the whole thing—and moved closer to the ground, into the $48M Vanderbilt Mansion (above), a landmark townhouse just off Fifth Avenue on the Upper East Side. ↑ Son of Warren Buffett, the country’s shrewdest investor, Peter Buffett enjoys the luxury of splashing out on risky real estate. One Madison Park, an embattled tower in NYC’s Flatiron District, suffered in the housing downturn, and currently still lacks the promised amenities and has plywood lining the entrance, all signs of ongoing foreclosure litigation. That hasn’t prevented Buffett from asking $4.1M for a small two bedroom he bought for $3.5M in ’09. The 18th-floor unit has stunning views of the Empire State Building, but an awkward layout and questionable address may hamper this resale. No matter, Buffett, now 53, has his own successful career to keep him afloat. · Heiress Petra Ecclestone Opens Up About Her $85M House [Curbed National] · Petra Ecclestone Gets A $100,000,000 House [The Real Estalker] · World’s 93rd Richest Person Buys $88M 15 CPW Penthouse [Curbed NY] · A Bloomberg Lands on Central Park West, But It’s Not Mike [Curbed NY] · Heiress Libet Johnson Buys $48 Million Vanderbilt Mansion [Curbed NY] · Peter Buffett Wants Out of One Madison Park for $4.1 Million [Curbed NY]
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Celebrity Real Estate: The Outrageous First Homes of Billionaire Heiresses and Heirs
Photo: lazybone cafe /Curbed National Flickr pool CANONSBURG, PA. —Rapper Wiz Khalifa has bought a modern home 25 miles outside Pittsburgh for $900K. [Zillow Blog] SAN FRANCISCO —Craigslist forever being Craigslist, an ad seeking a tenant for a three-bedroom Queen Anne in the Nob Hill neighborhood declares “up to twenty-eight (28) cats allowed.” [Lovely Listing] ON TV —The New York Times writer Steven Kurutz looks at Don Draper’s new home in this season of Mad Men. He has “moved on up to a deluxe apartment on the East Side. It’s a big, open-plan space, rich with texture (walnut veneers, grasscloth wallpaper) and defined by a sunken living room whose white carpet suggests an impractical streak that spells trouble for the Drapers’ marriage.” [New York Times]
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CurbedWire: Wiz Khalifa Settles Near Pittsburgh; Twenty-Eight Cats; More!
Click here to view the full photogallery. Here now, a look at some of the best starter homes around the country, taking into consideration relatively affordable properties in neighborhoods appropriate for young families. These picks come from some of the country’s most populous urban areas—so don’t expect much space to spread out—but all benefit from the cultural bounties at their doorstep. In some cases the perennial love for luxury won out; in others, get ready for a renovation! South Boston used to be famous as the headquarters for Whitey Bulger and the rest of the Irish mob. Today, it’s a thriving and thoroughly gentrified district where first time buyers just might find a deal in the otherwise pricey Boston real estate market. This third-floor penthouse, with two bedrooms and one bath, is one of the most luxurious units on the market in “Southie” and it still comes in at $580K. Panoramic views of Dorchester Bay and the islands can be enjoyed from the private roof deck, a covered porch, and the unit’s numerous windows. Additional luxuries include built-in speakers, central air conditioning, a jacuzzi tub, and an updated kitchen with stainless appliances. Short on space at 1,165 square feet, this well-kept condo makes up for it with the finishes and the view. Click here to view the full photogallery. ↑ Shopping for a home in famously expensive NYC on a first time buyer’s budget is no mean feat, but it’s certainly possible to find something other than a shoebox if buyers look outside of Manhattan. The Brooklyn neighborhoods of Park Slope, Cobble Hill, and Carroll Gardens have all emerged as cheaper alternatives. That’s not to say cheap, as a roster of excellent restaurants, bars, and retail keep these neighborhoods pricey. In the southern section of Carroll Gardens, close to Red Hook and, unfortunately, the elevated expressway, this two-bedroom loft penthouse offers the feel of Tribeca for $775K. Highlights include the high ceilings, expansive private roof deck, open kitchen with marble counters, and a coveted in-unit washer/dryer. Click here to view the full photogallery. ↑ Compared to the expensive Northeast, there are considerable deals to be found in some of Chicago’s lesser-known neighborhoods. Considered an isolated pocket of prosperity on the city’s otherwise depressed South Side, Hyde Park is sandwiched between the lake, Washington Park, and the campus of the University of Chicago. The students give the area a youthy vibe and provide a source of potential rental income should the buyers’ circumstances change. This six-bedroom townhouse, built in 1895, is rife with historical detail, but gravely in need of some TLC. A buyer willing to rehab the place could get quite the deal considering the interior houses six bedrooms and the place is asking just $229K. Perhaps first time buyers would do well to steer clear of such a daunting challenge, but, then again, they just don’t make inlaid floors like that anymore. Click here to view the full photogallery. ↑ Make it to San Francisco and you’ll find real estate prices that rival New York for big price and small space. Still, the City by the Bay has some deals, even in the traditionally upper class neighborhood of Nob Hill —sometimes derisively referred to as “Snob Hill.” While this two-bedroom, 1,100-square-foot condo can’t rival the billionaires’ abodes up on Broadway, the unit is well finished and sits in a charming, nine-unit Spanish-style building that was completed in 1913. Built-ins and bay windows abound, and while the listing photo of a wood paneled room illuminated by a bare bulb gives us pause, the rest of the place is immaculately presented considering the $599K price tag. Click here to view the full photogallery. ↑ Down in sunny Los Angeles, home to famously expensive areas like Beverly Hills, finding an affordable first home requires venturing off the beaten (or televised) path. The gentrifying neighborhood of Highland Park, in the northeastern section of the city, has experienced a wave of renovations lately, most in an accessible price range. Listed for $380K, this revamped bungalow might be small, with just two beds and a single bathroom in 843 square feet, but it certainly beckons with outdoor space ripe for entertaining and a garage that could be converted into extra interior space. For those that find this too small, a third bedroom in this neighborhood runs roughly $75K more. · 1774 Columbia Road UNIT 3 [Zillow] · 529 Court Street #PH4 [Streeteasy] · 1314 E 52nd St [Zillow] · 1236 Washington St [Zillow] · 5611 Meridian [Zillow]
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On the Market: From Luxe to Money Pit, Five of America’s Best Starter Homes
Photo via Apartment Therapy THE INTERNET —On Thursday, Apartment Therapy will kick off its 8th Annual Small Cool Contest in hopes of finding the best small space in the country. [Apartment Therapy] BOSTON —There’s a new campaign underway to preserve an icon of Boston architecture: the triple-decker. Curbed Boston has more. [Curbed Boston] THE INTERNET —CB2 has launched its outdoor-furniture catalog. [CB2] SAN FRANCISCO —The guys over at Curbed SF compiled a solid list of the best places to buy a condo in San Francisco right now. [Curbed SF]
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CurbedWire: Cool Small Spaces; Preserving Boston; Condos in San Fran