No Regrets (or Complaints) From Dumbo Pioneer
While we enjoyed the piece on Pep Gay’s slice of old Dumbo for nostalgic and voyeuristic reasons alone, we were also struck by the contrast in attitude between the Spanish-born make up artist and the South 11th Street colonizers that generated so much discussion last week. Pep’s had a good run–almost a decade renting the…
While we enjoyed the piece on Pep Gay’s slice of old Dumbo for nostalgic and voyeuristic reasons alone, we were also struck by the contrast in attitude between the Spanish-born make up artist and the South 11th Street colonizers that generated so much discussion last week. Pep’s had a good run–almost a decade renting the 2,500-square-foot space for an initial price of $1,600 a month and recently a good bit more–and is now resigned to the fact that market forces are pushing him out. Instead of suing the landlord, Pep is focusing his energies on building his savings and dealing with the fact that he won’t be able to afford the building or neighborhood he helped colonize.
A Pioneer Knows When to Move on [NY Times]
7:26 what kind of stupidity is that?
I find it shocking that anyone would criticize someone for illegal occupancy. Everyone knows if you live in a building for more than five years you legally own it.
Think about it this way, if your son or daughter wanted to live illegally in a commercial loft space, would you advise them to think of it as a long term housing solution? Would you advise them to to sink a lot of money into fixing the place up in the hopes they’d never have to move so they’d be able to realize the benefits of their time and money spent on the illegal rental. This guy in Dumbo is clearly no dummy. He went in with eyes wide open and understood what the arrangement was, unlike the archivist and book dealer “artists” descibed in the other article who clearly did not plan for the future and just hoped their situation would never change.
I agree 1.10am. All of the money spent by the renters to bring the commercial space up to a livable standard is really wasted in the end. It will all be ripped out if the place is ever used for a legal purpose (residential or commercial).
Right on Anon 01:10am.
I believe tenants have rights, and my politics are such that I lean towards giving renters the benefit of the doubt, but at the end of the day the renter is renting somebody else’s property. You know from the day you move in that you don’t own the building, and that’s the reason your grandmother tells you not to sink money into improvements you can’t take with you and to put that money away instead to pay for your own place. Landlords shouldn’t screw people over, we need rent laws and housing courts to protect people’s right to the shelter they have paid for and to make sure landlords are responsible and not discriminatory. But artist or not, you can’t claim ownership of what you don’t own.
So far I havent’ heard any artists whining, only people whining about artists whining.
Can we please hear from the supposed whiners? I want some authentic creative type bellyaches to balance things out.
Anon 1:19pm. you are awesome for sharing that story. We forget the context. Good luck with the brownstone shopping.
Agree with the last post. It’s not like he moved here (Dumbo) in 1979.