The Story Behind the Demo of 69 Vanderbilt
Hats off to Times reporter Matt Chaban for his piece yesterday about the sad story of 69 Vanderbilt. The owner, 85-year-old retired lawyer Louis Somma, grew up in the house and lived there among piles of refuse and with a cracked foundation until the city ordered him out in 2009. He has refused offers for…
Hats off to Times reporter Matt Chaban for his piece yesterday about the sad story of 69 Vanderbilt. The owner, 85-year-old retired lawyer Louis Somma, grew up in the house and lived there among piles of refuse and with a cracked foundation until the city ordered him out in 2009. He has refused offers for as much as $800,000 to buy the house. He is holding out for $3,000,000, he told the Times, but now that the city has demo’d the lot, he believes it may be worth $5,000,000. (In 2013, the renovated twin house next door sold for $1,000,000, and Landmarks rules prevent a building taller than four stories.)
Meanwhile, he owes $120,000 in back taxes, and the city has sold the lien, so if he does not pay, the bank will foreclose, leaving him with nothing.
“It was such a nice house, so full of memories, until Louie filled it up with his junk,” said his youngest sister Marie Brown. “He defies everybody. I still don’t know what he thought was going to happen here.”
An Eyesore, Also a Piece of History, Is Demolished in Brooklyn [NY Times]
69 Vanderbilt Coverage [Brownstoner]
City tax photo below via NY Times
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I wonder how 71 Vanderbilt faired? I saw a huge bacco tearing down walls. It reminds me of this story : http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/14/realestate/how-to-cope-with-a-neighbors-renovation.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0
Let me guess…the usual suspects are probably at work trying to get this property without having to pay this old man a dime
I doubt you need to defend yourself here.
Breadknot is a big fat troll- you don’t need to justify anything to him/her.
breadnot = readnot
The demolition costs must be paid by Somma before a period of time . If he doesn’t pay for the demolition the city picks up the tab and adds a fee. Bottom line is, at least a half million with the cities processing fees.