From the Times Ledger:Residents have long been concerned about the houses on Manse Street and 69th Avenue and have been filing complaints with the city about the sites for two years.
The house at 70-23 Manse St. has racked up $34,000 in fines in city Department of Buildings violations, including failure to fix a hole in the roof and maintain the structure’s walls. The house at 90-17 69th Ave. has been slapped with $22,000 in fines from the DOB for such violations as conducting work without a permit and illegal occupancy. Stuchinski said the house has been illegally converted into an eight-bedroom unit.
The Manse Street unit is owned by Marilyn Hargrove, according to city records. Neighbors said Hargrove has long lived in the house, but noted they have not seen her in a while, which they said raised concerns that she is dead. No one answered when a reporter knocked on the door last week and a phone number for Hargrove is not listed.
With weeds growing more than two stories high, Hargrove’s house has been a persistent eyesore in a quiet neighborhood where residents take pride in taking care of their homes, Stuchinski said. Since many of the homes were built in the 1920s, the Forest Hills neighborhood has been relatively well-maintained and has attracted a number of foreign diplomats, including the Indonesian ambassador to the United Nations, Stuchinski said.
The house on Manse Street could pose dangerous to neighbors and passersby because of its dilapidated state, including a roof that has partially caved in, Stuchinski said.
Several blocks from the Manse Street house, the house at 69th Avenue has been served with a partial vacate order due to what the city said was illegal occupation, as well as a stop work order due to conducting construction without a permit.
20 comments:
You know I grew up in a house on Manse street exactly one block from this house. How you can fit 8 units into one of those houses is actually incredible. They must be living like the Japanese people in those capsule-hotels.
Foreign diplomats don't pay taxes and reside in Forest Hills - interesting.
Looks like neighbors are mad and will not take it anymore.
"Neighbors said Hargrove has long lived in the house, but noted they have not seen her in a while, which they said raised concerns that she is dead."
the roof has collapsed and no one is checking to see if she's dead in there?
people are more concerned that the house looks dumpy than if the woman died...
What does RO with the X stand for? Can't the city condemn the house and demolish it?
Yes they have a right to be concerned it not only lowers property values but it attracts squatters and it's a health issue as well(garbage=rodents)
Crapper you kill me! the crackheads have to live somewhere. long as they're not on my block.
okay, this is it, the crackheads are keeping the old lady in the basement.
somebody go in there!!!!
shouldn't be too hard to push in the door, the crackheads did it.
I think the x means the roof is unstable. I thought RO was for rodents.
WTF happened to this woman - THAT is the question.
That's crazy why don't someone call the police to go in there could be a dead woman roting in there
That's crazy why don't someone call the police to go in there could be a dead woman roting in there
egads - with neighbors like these who needs enemies?
She's alive and she lives in Staten Island - she just doesn't care about the house.
Why isn't Assemblyman Andrew Hevesi doing something about it? He seems to rarely show an interest in the community.
glad to hear that the owner is alive. Thanks for sharing the news.
(possible double posting . . .)
There's a house like this just north of 42nd Ave on Francis Lewis Blvd across from the park. Looks like it was once a beautiful home but now the place is a total wreck, piled with garbage and overgrowth and stinks like hell.
Wow! I guess the house could be struck by lightening in the middle of the night and burn down clearing the site, right? Wouldn't that be ironic?
Those markings are warnings for firemen and Buildings. RO means Roof Open. X in a box means that the structure is unsafe and should not be entered by the FD in the event of fire unless there is an obvious life hazard. You see these markings a lot on vacant buildings.
Officials have made entry to the house. It is unoccupied. The structure is rotted through from water damage and on the verge of collapse. The cellar is filled waist deep with water (i.e. a West Nile virus breeding ground.)
It is most definitely a public health hazard and must be demo'ed, post haste. Probably will take ages to wind through the bureauacracy for any action to be taken.
You want to know who painted that R X O? Well the fire department painted it because the house poses a fire hazard and would require lots of firefighters to house the fire.
I would like to buy this house. Do any of you know how I can get in touch with it's owner?
A tree in front of this house must have fallen during the tornado and uprooted the sidewalk. There is now a brand new sidewalk in front of a house with a huge hole in the roof!
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