Dumbo's 57 Jay Street Residents Worried New Owner Will Squeeze Them Out

Residents of the Dumbo loft building at 57 Jay Street said they are receiving threatening phone messages from the building’s new owners and are concerned that they plan to force them out to convert the building into high-priced luxury apartments. The brothers, Graham and Gregory Jones, purchased the warehouse at 57 Jay St. under the name GRJ on August 20 (it has yet to hit public records), according to a story in DNAinfo.

The warehouse has been home to artists for decades. A lawyer representing the tenants told DNAinfo that GRJ has “a history of buying buildings and doing extensive renovations to make them upscale. And they do so without regard for the rights, needs or safety or the people living in the building.” About half of the tenants in the building, which has 22 units, have hired lawyers.

GRJ’s Gregory Jones declined to discuss the company’s plans for the building but told DNAinfo, “We are not doing anything improper.”

Artist Stronghold in Dumbo Warehouse Threatened by Developers, Residents Say [DNAinfo]
Photo by Scott Bintner for PropertyShark