Queens College has let a historic $2.5 million waterfront mansion with sweeping views of Little Neck Bay stand empty for three years after its current president chose to live in his Westchester home while getting a $5,000 monthly housing allowance.
While Felix Matos Rodriguez collects $60,000 a year to live in his own house, the CUNY-owned Douglaston manse collects dust, used only sporadically for college functions.
14 comments:
Its a planned demolition by neglect
Watch them sell it to a developer next claiming the old "too old, rotten timbers" hardship next!! I bet holes have been drilled in the roof, plumbing not winterized so every bathroom, boiler, radiator, pipe and major structural beam needs replacing.
--Then claim its a hazard in need of a emergency demolition permit.
BEWARE!
This is the kind of post that diminishes the value of Queens Crap.
Crappy, the site is at a tipping point.
There are more and more ignorant posts than there are reasoned ones appearing of late.
As this continues, the informed readers will stop visiting.
The house is in a Landmarked District and has been well maintained.
This "Anonymous" should do a little research before writing such a comment.
What is the QC president annual salary?
And they wonder why college costs Are so high??
60 grand for living in your own crib? Not a bad deal if you can get it (YOU can't).
Pricey digs, why does CUNY need them if they can't (or won't) preserve/restore and USE them?
Why do the CUNY by-laws mandate presidents live in these places? Why do they get housing allowances (probably because presidents are often hired from outside NYC...maybe start by changing that) at all in the first place? You give your students housing allowances...your top-administration brass doesn't need them.
"CUNY defends the housing, saying its leaders are on call day and night for university business, plus they host alumni, business and community leaders in their homes." (https://nypost.com/2009/06/21/mansion-perks-for-cuny-bigs/)
Uh-huh
I don't disagree that CUNY (I went to Lehman and Baruch) should HAVE these places, but they should most certainly NOT use them as private residences for ONE occupant! Use them for hosting functions for donor contributions and the like.
If these academic elites want to live in what for all intents and purposes are mansions, let them PAY CUNY for the privilege, out of what I'm am sure are their substantial salaries...
You know, I went to QC, was part of student government, stayed active after I graduated - and I never knew about this house. This could be put to use by students and facility for events and retreats if it's lying fallow.
they should most certainly NOT use them as private residences for ONE occupant! Use them for hosting functions for donor contributions and the like.
They were used for both purposes. For example, when previous York College presidents also lived in a CUNY-owned house in Douglaston, they would host events there as well as live there. When the current President of York was appointed, she was a New Yorker and already had a house, so she didn't need to live in the Douglaston one - so CUNY reassigned that house to the Dean of the Law School. The Dean of the Law School eventually became President of Brooklyn College, so she moved out - and the Law School moved from Flushing to LIC, so I guess there was no one else for CUNY to put there, so they sold it.
"The house is in a Landmarked District"
Landmarking dont mean shit, they will destroy it somehow or torch it anyway. And get away with it with the shitty mayors blessing.
That's the way we are headed, total lawlessness by both the city and property owners.
Whats wrong with Queens people, why dont they understand this and still think they are in 1960 and nothings wrong "The house is in a Landmarked District" means nothing.
The President's salary minimum/maximum $165,528 - $371,460.
http://www2.cuny.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/page-assets/about/administration/offices/hr/policies-and-procedures/ECPSalary-Plan-for-distribution-07052016_06162017.pdf
###This is the kind of post that diminishes the value of Queens Crap.###
You sound like some judge in a reality show. Who put you in charge?
^anon of the diminishing value: take your alarmist illogical hot air elsewhere.
salary anon: thanks, my pressure was almost normal there.
Anonymous Anonymous said...
BEWARE!
This is the kind of post that diminishes the value of Queens Crap.
---------------
AND please tell ANON ASSHOLE, how this diminishes the value of Queens Crap. I mean this is exactly what Queens Crap does, expose this kind of shit. Go back to ready People or US magazine and leave the heavy lifting to those that know.
Considering its location, this mansion could easily be used for environmental and historical preservation classes. What a missed opportunity!
***Considering its location, this mansion could easily be used for environmental and historical preservation classes***
True that, but liberal snowflakes are not interested in anything like that.
They are all talk, but no action.
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