Photo by Scott Matthews.
Learn about a bad broker, a fancy dumpster, celebrities and more in our Upper West Side news bulletin.
Real estate broker David Kim was sentenced to three to nine years in prison for burglarizing a home he had sold at 141 West 81st street. “Kim copped to grand larceny, criminal possession of stolen property, forgery and two counts of identity theft in September as part of a plea deal. Police had recovered stolen property from his residence, where he’d framed some of the pilfered art on his wall, cops said.” (NY Post)
Six UWS buildings sold to BCB Property in a package for $80.75 million. “The portfolio consists of six rental properties — 500 Cathedral Parkway and West 110th Street; 3143, 3147 and 3149 Broadway; 111 West 104th Street and 242 West 109th Street. Together, they hold 152 apartment units — 97 of them market rate — and six retail spaces that currently have five tenants.” (The Real Deal)
Home Alone 2, much of which was set on the Upper West Side, had several frustrating geographical inaccuracies. “when Kevin flees his uncle’s house on the Upper West Side, he enters Central Park at West 96th Street and finds her nearby with her birds at a second location, the Inscope Arch. In actuality, the Inscope Arch is located near the Gapstow Bridge, at East 62nd Street near the Central Park Zoo. Which is to say, this is on the complete opposite side of the park.” (Flavorwire)
A brightly colored car covered in toys and knick-knacks was parked on the Upper West Side and spotted by a film scout. (Scouting New York)
The medical examiner’s office apparently misplaced the body of Leah Lehrer, a financial adviser from the Upper West Side, and cremated the wrong body. “The ME’s discovery of her body this month shocked next-of-kin and friends, who thought they buried her cremated remains last summer in a Queens cemetery.” (NY Post)
Bruce Willis has listed his apartment at the El Dorado for $13 million. (Curbed)
Some parents are worried that construction is taking too long at Beacon High School, which is being turned into a middle school. The school is supposed to open in September. Teachers are supposed to move into West End Secondary School just a week before classes start. (DNAinfo)
Chase bank at 86th and Columbus was recently robbed. “The robber was wearing a blue construction outfit when he strolled into the Chase Bank on West 86th Street and Columbus Avenue at around 1 p.m. and passed a note demanding cash from the teller, sources said.” (NY Post)
A 22-year-old woman was struck by a car in Central Park late last month and was in stable condition. (Gothamist)
A court ruled against Conrad Gallagher and Paul Hurley, business partners at the now-closed Purple Fig on West 72nd street. “A default judgment of $137,565 (€110,400) has been registered in New York against Conrad Gallagher, a former Michelin-starred chef from Co Donegal, and Paul Hurley, his business partner in the Purple Fig restaurant in Manhattan. The pair were sued over unpaid wages by staff, including a former maitre d’ at the French bistro.” (Times of London)
Actress Frances McDormand lives on the Upper West Side. Who knew? I can’t get her Fargo accent out of my head. (Marin News)
A dumpster on 109th street was briefly turned into a community space last September using an inflatable balloon thingy. “The project was, perhaps unsurprisingly, especially popular with kids, including one child who ‘came inside, took a look around, and just started running around and yelling in the most pure expression of joy I’d ever seen. His parents were just staring dumbfounded.'” (Hyperallergic)
An Upper West Sider thinks that the people who rent out their homes on Airbnb are making the building less safe. (NY Post)
94,000 households that are eligible for rent subsidies haven’t applied for them. “Only 39 percent of eligible New Yorkers — about 61,000 households — are taking advantage of generous subsidies under programs known as SCRIE (Senior Citizen Rent Increase Exemption) and DRIE (Disability Rent Increase Exemption).” (NY Post)
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