From left: The Real Deal publisher Amir Korangy and architect Costas Kondylis

Now part of the PBS series “Treasures of New York,” the Real Deal-produced documentary “Building Stories,” aired last night at 7 p.m. on WLIW21 and will air again this Sunday, May 6, 7 p.m. on THIRTEEN. The film focuses on Costas Kondylis, who has come to be known as “the developer’s architect.” Producer (and The Real Deal publisher) Amir Korangy sat down with Thirteen to discuss how Kondylis has changed the New York City skyline. [more]

From left: David Picket, president of the Gotham Organization, a rendering of Gotham’s rental project on West 45th Street, Joseph Moinan and a rendering of 605 West 42nd Street

The Gotham Organization broke ground today on the largest new construction project in Manhattan, a $520 million development encompassing nearly the entire city block on Manhattan’s Far West Side at 550 West 45th Street between 10th and 11th avenues. The residential portion of the project, which is slated to be completed in 2014, will create 1,238 new rental apartments with 600 of those units expected to be affordable to low-, moderate- and middle-income New Yorkers.

“The groundbreaking for this development is the latest sign that the Far West Side will soon be Manhattan’s next great neighborhood,” Deputy Mayor Robert Steel, who attended the groundbreaking ceremony, told the crowd. And he’s not the only one with that vision. [more]

From left: Joseph Moinian and a rendering of 605 West 42nd StreetMoinian Group head Joseph Moinian is putting a 1.1 million-square-foot development site in Midtown West on the market, the New York Post reported. The developer wants to find financing for a $750 million, 65-story rental apartment tower designed by Costas Kondylis on the site, located at 605 West 42nd Street near 11th Avenue. However, Moinian admitted that while he’d prefer to find financing and develop the tower himself, he is leaving the options open for a sale.

“When you market something, you have to leave the door open for anything that could be beneficial to the project, including selling it,” he said. [more]

From left: Costas Kondylis signing a “Building Stories” book at the PBS screening, Kondylis and Norma Foerderer of the Trump Organization and Kondylis with The Real Deal Publisher and “Building Stories” Producer Amir Korangy

PBS picked up The Real Deal’s documentary on prolific architect Costas Kondylis for its 2012 documentary series, and last week celebrated with The Real Deal by holding a private screening at 1 Bryant Park Tower in Midtown.

Like the movie premiere in May, the PBS screening attracted many notable real estate bigwigs, including Halstead Property President Diane Ramirez, Peebles Chairman Don Peebles and many other friends and colleagues of Costas Kondylis (see more photos after the jump). — Adam Fusfeld [more]

Development activity has abounded in recent years along Sixth Avenue south of Herald Square, except at 815 Sixth Avenue where a stalled site has hit another roadblock. Curbed reported the site is entering foreclosure auction Nov. 9 with a lien of more than $27.1 million.

Adellco purchased the 3,823-square-foot lot at 28th Street in 2005 for $19.8 million with plans to build an ultra-slim Costas Kondyllis-designed condominium named Remy that included an Aloft hotel. However the plan stalled at the outset of the recession, and the firm defaulted on a $22 million loan, which was picked up by Lexin Capital in March of this year, according to previous reports. [Curbed] [more]

The final tower in the Columbus Square development at 805 Columbus Avenue and 100th Street is now open and available for lease, according to a statement released today by the Chetrit Group and Stellar Management.

The 15-story tower with 63 apartments is one of the five rental buildings that make up the Columbus Square development. The other towers are at 795 Columbus Avenue, 808 Columbus Avenue, 801 Amsterdam Avenue and 775 Columbus Avenue, with 710 rental units in total. The development also includes 500,000 square feet of retail and community space.
– Miranda Neubauer
[more]

The new amenities space at the Continental (credit: Pablo Corradi) and a rendering of the building’s exterior (credit: DBox)

The Continental, a 336-unit rental building just south of Herald Square that hit the market in January, gave The Real Deal a sneak peek at the final portion of its amenities space (see photos above). The newly opened portion includes a Wi-Fi enabled gaming lounge with billiards and flat-screen TVs, a fireplace with seating area, a garden terrace and a chef’s catering kitchen for renters to host private events. That comes on top of a 50-foot indoor infinity-edge pool, a spa, a health club and a fitness center with views of the Empire State Building, as well as a yoga studio and locker rooms. All told the amenity space comprises 15,000 square feet of the 53-story tower at 885 Sixth Avenue. – Adam Fusfeld [more]

Goldstein Hill & West Architects, the architecture firm founded by Alan Goldstein, L. Stephen Hill and David West, former partners in Costas Kondylis’ firm, are beginning to forge an identity independent of the Kondylis legacy, according to Real Estate Weekly. Having completed all their remaining Costas Kondylis and Partners contracts, they’re opting for a more diverse range of projects, and looking outside New York. One of their most recent projects is Liberty Green, Milstein Properties’ residential building in Battery Park City. [more]

Images from “Building Stories” include, clockwise from top left, Costas Kondylis, Kondylis-designed Riverside South, Donald Trump, Richard Meier and Larry Silverstein

Manhattan’s most prolific architect will get the big-screen treatment in the premier of a new documentary by The Real Deal tonight.

The film, “Building Stories,” about the career of architect Costas Kondylis, who has added more than 86 towers to the New York skyline yet has remained relatively unknown to the general public, is airing as part of an invite-only event at the Morgan Library in Midtown.

Developer Donald Trump, who has hired Kondylis for many of his buildings, is slated to introduce the film. Renowned New York journalist and novelist Peter Hamill will also give a talk. The event is expected to draw more than 750 people. TRD [more]

Stuart Elliott

From the May issue: The Real Deal is firing up the klieg lights and rolling out the red carpet.
This month will see the premiere of our first full-length documentary feature film. Called “Building Stories,” it’s a look at the most prolific architect in New York City, Costas Kondylis, who has added an incredible 86 towers to the skyline here but is a relative unknown to the average man on the street.
The film, which features interviews with real estate bigwigs like Donald Trump, Larry Silverstein, Richard Meier, Aby Rosen and many others, will be screened as part of an invite-only event May 11 at the Morgan Library in Midtown. Later this month, check out our website for more information about the film’s public release date. [more]