Worst Houst on the Block, Anything We Can Do About It?
Hello, We live near the worst house on the block… 432 Clermont Ave in Ft. Greene. The house is so special that it The New York Landmarks Conservancy Endangered Buildings Initiative. http://www.nylandmarks.org/programs_services/endangered_buildings_initiative/432_clermont_ave/ From what we hear on the block, it’s been sitting in its current state for 15-20 years. The woman who owns it inherited…
Hello,
We live near the worst house on the block… 432 Clermont Ave in Ft. Greene.
The house is so special that it The New York Landmarks Conservancy Endangered Buildings Initiative.
http://www.nylandmarks.org/programs_services/endangered_buildings_initiative/432_clermont_ave/
From what we hear on the block, it’s been sitting in its current state for 15-20 years. The woman who owns it inherited it and refuses to do anything with it. We actually tried to buy it when we were looking at our place. She claims she’s going to renovate it and even has a plan on file with the city, but that was a few years ago and nothing’s happened. The building has violations going back to 2002. It seems that several years ago, the city boarded up the basement and parlor floors. The 3rd and 4th floors do not have a pane of glass in the windows, front or back. There’s holes in the skylight. You can see from the back that the plaster has fallen long ago and the lathe that the plaster was mudded to is falling in as well.
We’ve called the DOB via 311 to complain and they’ve done nothing. We also always leave our information as a contact and ask that they contact us to gain access for a view of the rear. You can see on the back of the house that there is mortar missing from the brick joints and that some of the bricks are swelling. Our complaints are always about the rear of the house, believe it or not, the rear is in worse shape than the front. One of two things happen with our complaints. One, an inspector comes out, notes in the file that the building is sealed and they were unable to gain access. Or two, that they came and inspected the building from the front and there is no problem.
Yes the building is Landmarked. Landmark has done nothing about the building either. Somehow I don’t think a sheet of plywood for a front door is period correct. There are no open violations for the address with Landmark. We checked. We also asked Landmark why they’ve taken no action and got silence as a reply.
Is there anything we can do to get somebody to do something? I’d hate to see nothing happen and the same thing happen to 432 Clermont as happened to a similar house down the block, 348 Clermont, which was well chronicled on this site.
http://bstoner.wpengine.com/brownstoner/archives/2010/03/goodnight_348_c.php
It seems 348 Clermont was in similar shape, nobody did anything about it, the owner refused to sell and the city didn’t step in until the roof fell in and the mess needed to be cleaned up.
So I come to you Brownstoner forum, is there anything that can be done to avoid a similar tragedy?
Shame about the neglected home – looks like it was pretty once upon a time… but please don’t forget.. you probably got your own home at below market value because of that eyesore.
From what i’ve read of the article – the home isn’t quite near the cave-in state that you represent it to be.
This reminds me of the nosy neighbors who bought a brownstone next door to a frat house in downtown brooklyn… got it REAL cheap because of that also – and then set upon a campaign to force those residents out – who had occupied the home as a fraternal organization since the 20′.
When that failed – they tried to force their needs and tastes on not only that house, but much of the rest of the block also – petitioning for new garbage pail rules (keep your garbage pails inside until pickup day), new flowerbed-around-trees rules (muffy can’t get out of the car without stepping in flowers.. icky!) and all sorts of BS they were probably used to getting their way with in some midwestern HOA.
I was a renter at the time on this block – and we didn’t have a block association, nor a need for one until these busybodies showed up. We got together as a neighborhood and set them straight.
We won’t get into the dozens of examples of similar HOA minded non new yorkers who move here and buy a cheap brownstone next to the PJ’s and then try to enforce housing projects reform, for no one’s benefit but their own (but certainly with a smile and pretending its for everyone)
Now – I’m not saying this is you – I’m just offering a devil’s advocate cautionary tale, because I’ve seen this play out a hundred times.. and its almost NEVER as innocent and well-meaning as the teller makes it out to be. From your efforts you seem hell bent on minding someone else’s business… so it begs the question – Why? If there’s a legitimate danger – bravo for the effort.. but if there isn’t – or if you’re exaggerating it – and you’d just like your block to look a little prettier without this eyesore- shame on you and MYOB.
To all, thank you for the input.
I will add that we reached out to Councilwoman Leticia James about the problem.
She also did nothing about it.
And yes, we will begin a broader letter writing campaign. Though, I will admit, it’s discouraging given what little progress we’ve had so far.
I made the comment about Landmark because I find it odd that they have done nothing about the building. Not even issued a violation. We bought our place and it had open violations from Landmark for having the wrong type of window installed 15 years ago. And getting plans and final work approved through them was, politely put, an arduous process. The feeling of selective enforcement really challenges one’s sense of fairness.
We have spoken, Midnight. I knocked on your door after your last post last year. Bessie’s and Arkady’s comments are on the money. Also, getting the neighborhood involved.
Buying the building will not work, squatting will not work, shaming will not work. This is a borderline crazy (if not actually over the border) owner with a lot of emotional problems.
Please contact me at donatellaoffortgreene at hotmail dot com.
We have spoken, Midnight. I knocked on your door after your last post last year. Bessie’s and Arkady’s comments are on the money. Also, getting the neighborhood involved.
Buying the building will not work, squatting will not work, shaming will not work. This is a borderline crazy (if not actually over the border) owner with a lot of emotional problems.
Please contact me at donatellaoffortgreene at hotmail dot com.
Yes to what others have said about reaching out to your community board and council person. Work the public safety angle. Try EPA too. As to LPC, their mission is to only to make sure renovations and improvements within historic districts are done to a certain set of standards. They are not empowered to pursue a homeowner for lack of maintenance. Though they are well aware of the phenomenon of “demolition by neglect” whereby a property owner will deliberately allow a building to fall down so that they can sell the lot or build something new for less than the cost of renovating.
Boerumresident they’ve already stated in their post “We actually tried to buy it when we were looking at our place. “
Write a letter, not an e-mail, to your Council Person and State Senator and Assembly Member and get some of your neighbors to do the same. There’s are intergovenmental reps at the DoB. DoB will agree to have one of their inspectors meet a person from the elected official’s office and you (or one of your neighbors) on your block (and in your place to look at the back of the building). Be aware that, sadly, the outcome of this action will only likely result in another violation.
ASk you CB to put you inn touch with someone at Buildings who will be willing to view the house from your property. If the damage is severe enough, they can take action.
Or why not offer to buy the house? If you put up a big enough premium she’ll likely sell.
Good luck. It’s horrible the way NYC so freely allows this kind of abandonment and neglect of buildings. ANY building but especially historic ones.
Suggestion for new Brownstoner section:
The Wall of Shame
Where the worst cases of abandonment and/or neglect of houses and buildings in Brownstone Brooklyn are featured along with the history of neglect, names of the owners, before and after photos.