Couple takes on downtown blight

A once neglected street near Little Italy and Soho called Centre Market Place is now home to townhouses worth about $18 million, after a husband and wife design team called Sixx Design redesigned four apartment buildings that they bought for just $5.5 million. Bob and Cortney Novogratz, who have built 10 homes from scratch in areas like Chelsea and on Thompson Street, gave the buildings a European look, with different window shapes, facade colors and balconies. Now, coffee shops and retail are replacing gun shops, and there’s talk of celebrity parties on the street.