building into a home--with a gym, nanny suite, etc.--for his family. The tenants questioned whether Economakis would really live in the building, suspecting he would rent it out at market rates or flip it for millions, and the situation raised questions about rent laws for years. In the summer, the Court of Appeals ruled that Economakis could evict them; the Post says the tenants "gave in because they weren't confident they would beat" their landlord in Manhattan Supreme Court. A tenant added, "I don't think we can afford Manhattan anymore." more ›

EV Grieve has details from Friday night's protest over the tenement-to-mansion conversion of 47 East 3rd Street. According to EV Grieve, the protest, organized by other East Village residents (and not remaining tenants at the building), seemed to be "fairly calm and orderly," with "protestors...fenced in by the police" (and the police seemed nice, too). There's also video here. Sidenote: Lately, the cousin of 47 East 3rd Street's owner has apparently been commenting on various blogs, eviscerating his "spoiled brat" cousin. more ›

The long-running dispute between the owners of 47 East 3rd Street and their rent-stabilized tenants seems over, as the Court of the Appeals ruled the owners can evict tenants from the 60-room building in order to create a single super-duper residence. more ›