February 19, 2008
Pre-Foreclosure Proceedings for Staten Island Landmark
Photographs of the Bedell House, clockwise from upper left: Normal-looking in 2005 (from Tottenville Historical Society), covered in graffiti in 2005 (from Tottenville Historical Society), and boarded-up in 2008 (from Staten Island Advance)
A landmark Tottenville home that caused a bitter fight between its owner and neighbors has entered a new stage of its existence: foreclosure proceedings. The Staten Island Advance reports John Grossi, who bought the 1869 Bedell House in hopes of razing it to build townhouses, is happy to let the bank have the building, "I won't put another dime into the property."
Grossi bought the house on Amboy Road for $675,000 in 2005, taking out a $540,000 loan. When neighbors got wind of Grossi's plans - as he told the NY Times in 2005, "I bought this house to knock it down. It ain't like George Washington slept here or nothing." - they quickly mobilized to get the house landmarked. Grossi retaliated by covering it with graffiti, including "Section 8 Comming Soon" and offensive remarks directed at neighbors.
The Landmarks Preservation Commission had approved his plans to move the house forward on the property and adding attached townhouses back in 2006, but new zoning regulations means needing to apply for another permit (involving a review of historic maps, building records, and more) from City Planning. Now that the house is going into foreclosure, the city says it will work with the bank.
After the graffiti incident (Grossi did paint over it) feelings all around were hurt but now everyone is just tired - some even sympathize with Grossi to a degree. Grossi blames the city, "Everything is finished. The ball has not been in my court for a while. The city is the slowest animal in the world. This house would have been renovated and restored a year ago if the city didn't want to make such a big deal out of every little thing."
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There was a 19th-C mansion on our block in Bay Ridge when we moved here a decade ago, and its owners wanted to sell out as well. Neighbors got it landmarked, and at the time I kind of thought it was bullshit. BUT, a buyer was found who sunk millions into the thing and now it's really beautiful.
Obnoxious, greedy, Guido neanderthal. I would sympathize with him if not for his racist, fear mongering, vandalism.
uh, link?
Wow, bklynd, that is a really gorgeous house.
Is that a Delorean parked in front of the house?
That's not a Delorean, that's a Nissan Z series (probably a 280Z).
What a great restoration job (@ bklynd). Reminds me of my uncle's neighborhood, I spent a lot of time there as a kid (he was also in Bay Ridge. He actually had a double lot and when he sold the house, they constructed condos there or something. So sad.)
It's a shame about the Staten Island house. Nice shot bklynd! bay Ridge has soem really outstanding private homes, and is very underrated architecture wise. I think every NY'er should own the AIA Guide to NYC, by White and Willesnky. It will vastly imtpove your knowledge of the cities buidlings.
Someone should frog-march the idiot from Staten Island over to Bay Ridge and have him look at brooklynd's neighbor's house. That home is incredible and a touchstone to the neighborhood's history. Very impressive.
The Staten Island buyer bought the house for $675,000 in 2005, taking out a $540,000 loan. The house is now in foreclosure. It doesn't exactly sound like the buyer has the kind of money needed to turn the house into some kind of Victorian showplace. It wasn't landmarked when he bought it, so it's not like he did anything wrong.
I suspect that those in favor of landmarking the place would change their tune pretty quickly if they were the ones who had to pay to buy and restore the place.
The guy did pay a lot of money for the house and expected to make a mint based on the old zoning, which is perfectly fine.
But the atmosphere on the Island was changing, as the "overdevelopment" wave was already hitting its shores when he made the purchase.
For that reason, you could make the argument that, as a businessman, he should have seen it coming.
As with any business transaction, there is risk. In this case, the risk was that residents would complain and zoning (or landmarking) would take place.
I would assume he knew this going in,
All this being said, (and even if he knew none of this) nothing, and I mean nothing, can justify how he reacted.