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Photograph of Editta Sherman who resides in Apartment 1208 in the Studio Towers above Carnegie Hall by Bebeto Matthews/AP
Editta Sherman, known as the Duchess of Carnegie Hall, has been fighting to stay in her $530/month rent-controlled, 800 square foot studio apartment above Carnegie Hall ever since the concert hall announced its expansion/renovation plans last year. But now she's given her terms for moving out: $10 million. She told the Post, "They'll have to pay and find me a small place. I'm 96 years old." (Sherman previously told us, “I’m not thinking about it, I’m not worried about it, because I’m not going anywhere.”)
Sherman is one of six rent-controlled tenants left in the Studio Towers (according to the Post, all the market-rate tenants have left). Last year, NY Magazine looked at some of those tenants' apartments--given its photograph of Sherman's space, plus the one above, you can see why she doesn't want to leave.
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Cue angry landlord troll comments... now.
Is it too late for me to become her heir so I can take over the lease after she dies?
More power to her.
Is this what rent control was intended for? For people to live in luxury 800 sq foot apartments in midtown? I'm sure the city could find truly needy people.
Dumb. She's ninety six years old and lives in 800 square feet and they're giving her $10 million, they should have made a better deal. She had too good a deal all along ($530 a month). They should have offered her about 1/25th of the $10 m. and if she refused, build around her. That $10 million could have subsidized a lot of tickets for people who can't afford them. There had to be some sleazy lawyers involved and they work on a percentage of the settlement (if they were car salesmen it would be called commission). Think twice about contributing anything above the price of a ticket to Carnegie Hall, you're supporting incompetence.
Let her stay. She's 96 years old, for christ's sake.
Actually, it's cue angry and jealous "curbed.com" trolls.
Mr Mel, they are not giving her 10 million. The 10 million is her terms for leaving. They have offered to find her a "comparable" apartment and pay the difference in rent for the rest of her life.
When...ah, if...I'm 96, I'm not going to worry about $10 million: my main concern will be waking up tomorrow.
Honestly, what am I gonna do with $10M at age 96, if I have no heirs????
www.forgotten-ny.com
She has the right to stay, considering her age and the time she probably spent living there.
If I was that age, I wouldn't be in a rush to up and move either. I admire her demands and find them realistic considering what the value of a. an apartment in that area similar to it would be and b. the sentimental value of just living above Carnegie Hall. You can't put a price to a location like that.
she has not right to stay. she's in an unfortunate situation, but she's got no right to stay there. take the other apartment and hope you live to see a year in it.
She has every right in the world to stay there! She has a residential lease, which must be renewed. By law.
Smart move. If she feels like moving, she is wise to bid high, then accept a million, and send a message to all the greedy landlords in this city.
Then leave her money in her will to the Met Council on Housing to continue to stick it to the landlord lobby that controls this administration.
Shitof76 the chance of you becoming an heir is about the same as your brother admitting he had same.
The funny thing is that the concert hall
wants to remove all these artists because
they wish to build an "Arts Education Center".
You can't write this stuff.
Some people are also trying to save
Tin Pan Alley (from before world war one)
on west 28th street against the hi-rise
horror that may be built to destroy these
buildings of American Music History of
both White and Black histories ,George
Gerhswin & Scott Joplin worked there.
"Give my regards to Broadway" was written
there but soon these buildings between Broadway
and Sixth avenue may say goodbye.Booooooo!
My guess is that everyone defending her right to stay is also on rent control. I respect her age and the impossibility of moving, but she's gotta go given how she won't have to cover the cost of anything.
I know the ownership society of the past decade has gone awry, but just because people had good deals when they moved in during the 1940's does not mean that they have a right to resist progress, BECAUSE IF YOU ARE ON RENT CONTROL YOU DON'T OWN SHIT and can't pretend as though you can make a decision about the fate of your place.
I wish someone told her to get a mortgage 40 years ago, but it didn't happen. Tough shit, move on. I pay 2700 a month for 450 square feet that I share with my girlfriend, and all I ever hear about is the horrors of gentrification and the loss of culture in Manhattan.
If you have a solution to me not needing to work a real job just to afford to live in my little shit box, I'm all ears. Until you find that solution, my sympathy for people like Editta is quickly eroding.
[13] Wow, talk about original. What are you, 65 going on 12?
Not a rent-controlled tenant, but I'm amazed by the lack of compassion people have. Housing should be a right, not a privilege for the affluent few.
This woman is close to 100 years old, she has been a good tenant in Carnegie Hall for almost 60 years, and her reward is getting booted out and uprooted? Under the law she has a right to stay. She and the other tenants should be allowed to live their remaining years in their apartments in peace. It would be a lot better karma for Carnegie Hall.
Shitof76, You were the one that wanted to be an heir of the 96 year old bitch. Selfish one that you are. Why don't you marry her and inherit the place? She goes for your type and I know you go for her type. That's the only way you will have a place in the city that you can call your own and can afford.
roe - where do you live? I would like to assess my right to live in your house.
#20, the sarcasm isn't becoming. I guess you think it's acceptable to have a society where everyone isn't guaranteed a safe, affordable place to live?
Oh, and I live in a neighborhood that hasn't yet been gentrified, so you probably wouldn't like it.
screw compassion, its like a idiot born here, whos on welfare, who hasn't work a day in their lives, who have more rights than some illegal immigrant who works 70 hrs a week.
same thing goes for this lady, she doesn't own or contribute to the building yet, some how it magically entitles her more rights than the owner.
Somebody had to move to build Carnegie Towers in the first place. I doubt it was a cow and some chickens.
She single?
She should be dragged out into the middle of 57th street and beaten in front of all of the tourists. Well not really. She has lived there for a billion years, would a few more harm anyone?
they offered to move her to another apartment at their cost in the same part of town, they really shouldn't be required to do anymore. i feel for her, but the rent laws in this city are quite ridiculous and its why all of us who didn't win the RC/RS housing lotto pay through the nose.
it has nothing to do with greedy landlords, as they have a right to get what they can for their space, it has to do with the laws that create scarcity of apartments (NYC typically has an apartment vacancy rate of a fraction of a 1%)allowing prices to be so high -- either by market residents subsidizing RC/RC tenants directly in their building through a higher floor for leases or maintenance charges or though the extremely high taxes we pay in this city for other types of subsidized housing.
I think this current economy and the terrible management of money by the state and city government may finally break this system as people and the gov't can no longer afford to pay this premium -- although in a more painful way than if they simply allowed it to sunset gracefully.
How does it work in New York, her lease is automatically renewed even though the land lord wants her out? I say she can keep the place but must move until the renovation is done. Then the owners can pay the difference for her rent controlled apartment.
But can't the building go co-op where she will be forced to buy it or move?
Anyway, lots of luck Old G! Givem heck and stand your ground!!
Sorry about the 10 million dollars, I guess my speed reading is starting to fail.
toughtt ptg. all part of the mortgage lies. thats why you pay what you do. from condos in brooklyn to you. ty bloomberg for allowing this to happen. if i saw it coming im sure city officials did also.
I agree with Kevin Walsh
Although, she probably made those terms just to get them riiled up. She knows she won't get that large sum of money.
But she does deserve it! Let her live out her remaining years up there!
I think she's cool!
rent control is a party that's fun only if you've been invited to it.