To call The Berkeley Carroll School "fancy" is like calling the public school system in NYC terrific. Berkeley Carroll has been educating children since 1966, and is a decent and dedicated institution. No offense to rent controlled and rent stabilized tenants, but there are owners of these building. Renting is a temporary condition. Only in NYC can a program for returning veterans and elderly people from WWII be transformed into an entitlement. At least with veterans and elderly, there was a valid reason to control rents in a free market. $147.08? Yeh, that's fair, especially for everyone else paying market rates. Suppressing rents by law does have an effect on other apartment rents in the area. Having said that, I understand there are usually two sides to a story, and this story is genuinely sad. However, tears are like rain in this city.

Perhaps one of the students at BC has a parent that owns a nice RC apartment building up in East Harlem, the Bronx or East New York that they would like to plop down the unfortunate victim of BC's greed.

Berkeley Carroll,

Liberal bastion,

Not-so-liberal,

Rotten bastion.

wow... I shouldn't try to post while in traffic. :/

A great display of how broad the qualifications are of a non-profit organization are, and the power they posess. Also, this shows how insane these artificial rent prices are.

I'm sure they'll be able to set her up in a nice "rent stabilized" one bedroom in Parkchester in the Bronx for $1375.

"Don't worry, Ella, Berkeley administrators will have the eviction marshal help you with that."

This has to be the most arrogant asshole statement ever by Gothamist.

I have disagree with nearly everyone in this thread. Look, when she signed her Rent Stabilized lease in 1958, those where the rules. She lives through the horrors of Park Slope in the 1970's and 1980's and stuck it out. In the mid 70's you would be lucky to fins anyone that wanted to live in that neighborhood.

If she has a legit lease, even though we are all ultra jealous of that low rent, she deserves to stay; that's what rent stabilization laws are for. How can feel comfortable kicking an old lady out into the street because 'They didn't save'.

In the 1950's doctors endorsed cigarettes in print ads, so do you really think 'saving' was a big priority for a woman with dead kids living in a crappy part of Brooklyn?

I have no sympathy for BC, it's the NYC school that turns out failed artists and junkies with attitude problems.

This is a tough one. I feel bad for the couple, and their situation. Reality is: if you live in a rent space, you gotta contemplate the day they'll want you out. Sadly, you will never own it, no matter how long you've lived there.

That article needed some info on what does the old couple do for a living and how much do they make. But I'm guessing they'll probably need to relocate to another city.

I don't get all the jealous hatred towards this old couple. If they live in a rent-controlled apartment, they probably can't afford basic rent... anywhere.

Can't blame the school much either. And they offered them money. I wonder why they didn't take it the first time around. 50k in the 80's must have been decent money!

Of course mayor Mike was testy, he's losing his attempt to become a mayor again in city council. Every one of his major projects are being shot down. Who said money can bring you happiness? Get off it Mike and spend some of your own billions to make the city a better place. Then again a billion ain't what it used to be. Look at Trump. He's got his name and face plastered all over the place and Mike is worth seven times as much as "Mr. Combover." So shape up Mike and get to work. Let the lady rent a floor in your townhouse at the RC rates she has grown accustomed to.

this is getting press but the law is on the landlord's side because they're a non profit. on another note, I see someone on the block owns a vintage Mustang. another another note, the mayor was testy again this afternoon.

I love the picture. She just got a notice from the school regarding her back rent charges dating to August of 1988 when the school bought the building and she refused to take the 50 grand. She now owes $540,000 plus fuel surcharges, interest and penalties. Sleep well my dear.

The reason a lot of people pay tons of money for their shoebox apartments is because of rent control and rent stabilization. And these people want police and fire department protection?

As was mentioned earlier, her $147 a month pays for approximately thirty-six gallons of fuel oil. That would be approximately one and a half day's useage. Who pays for the other days in the month? Not to mention all the other expenses in maintaining a building.

I definitely don't feel THAT bad for her, but all these gothamist rent-control haters are annoying. Rent Control and Rent Stabilization are laws! They seem ridiculous to you people because YOU pay too much for your shoebox. Not everyone is a freelance such-and-such with no kids or families. NYC used to be a city of neighborhoods - rent laws ensure that neighborhoods survive.

On one hand, she's getting bounced with no fanfare which is harsh. On the other hand, the fact that Berkeley Carroll owns her building and not some scumbag landlord means that she didn't have gang kids let in to spray the walls and harass her out of there, or her utilities shut off for "emergency repairs", or garbage piled in the locked basement to bring in the rats. At the very least she should accept the fact that she more than broke even here and move on. And there is help available for her if she didn't save anything for this rainy day.

Berkeley Carroll my ass. Where are those machete boys when you need them?

The $20K she turned down was more than the cumulative rent she has paid in the previous 11 years. She and her husband are in a tough situation but the school is not to blame.

Fine lesson in Social Studies. From Berkeley-Carrol's catalogue: (we) "aim to create an atmosphere of compassion and fairness". Yeah, right!

Little rich Park Slope kids need their schooling.

Sorry, I feel for the oldsters, not some Yuppie's prep-school brat willing to pay $29,000 for a first-grade education.

For any non-profit to dispossess any elderly couple is just not right. They get tax breaks, the couple gets the shaft.

Typical arrogance and b.s. of the rich

I'm sure if she paid the school their going rate of $29,000 a year, they will rent her and her husband the basement apartment next to the boiler room.

I still can't figure out why she was offered $50,000 years ago and $20,000 now. Shouldn't the figure go up? I also realize they don't have to offer her squat. The school is 100% legal in taking over her apartment. Tough poops. Take the money while you can lady. Let's see $20,000 divided by two bedrooms equals one years rent.

maybe i should have read the article first...but i didn't want to, no time for that when you're a judgmental asshole... i wanted to have my opinion and i still think you guys are total pricks