Willem Beeckman was a Dutch scholar and translator who arrived on these shores in the seventeenth century, when New York was New Amsterdam and Manhattan was the woods. Beeckman rose to prominence in the colony’s government, putting down family roots in the sleepy grasslands on the island’s east side. Eventually, the location of the Beeckman estate evolved into a two-block stretch of cosmopolitan paradise known as Beekman Place. Occupying the blocks between East 49^th Street and East 51^st Street, just east of First Avenue, it’s one of the loveliest corners of midtown.

The jewel of Beekman Place is 1 Beekman Place, an elegant sixteen-story apartment building designed by two firms (Sloan & Robertson and Corbett, Harrison, & MacMurray) and completed in 1929. The capital was procured by David Milton, who married into the Rockefeller family and helped make this one of the city’s most prestigious addresses for decades.

Although the street view of 1 Beekman Place is suitably impressive, its true face is turned toward the East River. Seen from a boat on the river, or from Roosevelt Island, the building becomes a startling vision of urban majesty, described by The City Review as “an asymmetrical mass of balconies and bay windows that is not beautiful but as awesome as any castle’s battlements.”

The proximity of Beekman Place to the United Nations headquarters makes it a desirable neighborhood for those who work in international relations, and its classical grandeur has inspired countless mentions in the world of fiction and fantasy. Many a starry-eyed immigré has been drawn to the area due to the fictional Beekman Place address of Auntie Mame, the lead character in Patrick Dennis’s novels (and their subsequent stage and screen adaptations).

One Beekman Place is a cooperative, and it includes more than eighty units, some of which are currently available. Visit our listing for 1 Beekman Place at New York Condo Domain, or call (877) 852-6636 to speak with a representative.

It was another snow day here in New York City, and I don’t know if you noticed but the day was a perfect for heading to New York public parks for some fun in the snow. Minus the transit troubles, the city was beautiful. Just check out my friend Gillian’s view outside her balcony on East 89th Street, a tree line shot right to Central Park:

If you are a new comer to New York, or you are planning to buy a new condo in the area, here are some tips for adjusting to the harsh New York winters.

1) Make sure you have serious snow boots that can take the deep slush puddles on every corner as the snow slowly melts. Great snow boots are key to wintering in New York.

2) Make sure you have the proper socks, jacket, hats and gloves because you are going to need it. You never know when a the subway is cancelled or the buses get cancelled and you need to do a little more walking.

3) If you have a car, I would suggest parking it in a garage for the winter. Digging your car out in New York can be impossible. Just check out my friend Marley’s car in Chelsea:

It took my friend several hours get this car out.

4) Watch out for falling trees, icicles and the over abundance of salt eating away at your shoes. Check out what happened on my co-worker Anna’s block, a tree could not handle the weight:

I feel like I see way to many people out there that are unprepared. If you are new to town or planning on moving to New York in the future, you will look like a natural with my tips.

If you need help in your process of buying your piece of New York, contact one of our agents. We can help you save money that you can use to buy your stylish winter gear.

The New York Times recently reported that twenty-somethings moving to New York for the first few years are doing everything they can do to survive in this expensive city during this horrible economic slump. Being a twenty-something myself, going on my fourth year in the big apple, I understand all these baby New Yorker woes.

Living in a city where you have to start out residing in a windowless box, sleeping on a twin bed with your feet hanging off one end is not the ideal situation for any young adult trying to make it on your own, but hey this is New York. If you can make it here, you can make it anywhere. Hang in there my fellow twenty-somethings, one day you will be able to afford that luxurious condo with a view like the this picture above.

My suggestion to those parents out there that are worrying about their off spring living in closets in the sketchiest New York neighborhoods, is to invest in the New York real estate. Why not buy a condo. If you are lucky enough to afford one, your starting out twenty-somethings can take care of your investment until they get on their own feet.

Hey it might not be the best option for everyone. But if you are parents that can afford the option, help a struggling baby New Yorker out.

If you are interested in buying a condo and saving money at the same time. Check out Condodomain. We can help you help your struggling twenty-something.

Kronkite's UN Plaza Home. Photo courtesy of New York Magazine

Walter Kronkite’s three-bedroom, five bathroom co-op at 870 United Nations Plaza is set to close today, adding some serious celebrity leverage and provenance to the hope that the city’s real estate market is boiling once again.  Reports New York Magazine, “Listing broker Joanna Simon, vice-president of Fox Residential Group and the renowned journalist’s longtime companion in his later years (she’s also the sister of singer Carly Simon), says the apartment was only on the market for four days, and the buyers — who aren’t in the news business — were the first to see it. “They loved the views and felt a reverence for his spirit and reputation,” she says, and as a fitting homage, plan to keep his office fairly intact.”

While celebrities at 30 Crosby Street in Soho are having trouble unloading their places (it famously took Lenny Kravitz seven years to sell his home in the building!), Kronkite’s humble abode went like hotcakes! Are we to supposed that Kronkite’s legend is more interesting and more respectable than that of Kravitz and other 30 Crosby resident Courtney Love? Of course. This is Walter Kronkite we’re talking about.

Want to live in Kronkite’s former building? Check out 870 United Nations Plaza here.

Buy your home in the building through CondoDomain and you’re looking at a wad of cash in your pocket!