In the News: Something to Bank On

CasaSugar — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 08:30:27 -0700

New York magazine's "The 72-Room Bohemian Dream House" unveils what is perhaps "the greatest real-estate coup of all time": 190 Bowery Street. In 1966, thanks to much pressure from his real estate agent, photographer Jay Maisel scrounged up enough money, $102,000 to be exact, to purchase the abandoned 1898 Germania Bank building in Manhattan's Bowery district, which then was largely middle-class and German and by no means a "hot" neighborhood. 42 years, Meisel still lives there with his wife, Linda, and daughter, Amanda. The six-story building, which measures around 35,000 square feet, is now valued upward of $30 million. The first three floors are used as gallery spaces. Although Maisel hasn't let a broker set foot in the building, one agent said, "I would do anything to get that building." The building has undergone no major changes to its interior, and maintains many of its original features including the safe-deposit vault, an ornate copper elevator cage, a verdigris-coated copper roof trim, tin ceiling and wall tiles, and the bank's original kitchen, which was once used by staff who cooked for the bankers. Talk about a good investment! Check out the article for more details and a slideshow of the space.
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Do You Know Anyone With an Elevator in Their Home?

CasaSugar — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 07:00:11 -0700

The White House is an unusual home, but it's not the only home that features an elevator. Growing up I had a classmate whose ranch-style home had an elevator running from the main floor to the basement. I always suspected it was an escape route because her father was possibly a Mafioso. You needn't be a world leader or a criminal to own an elevator, though. Remember photographer Jay Maisel's 72-room bohemian dream house with its ornate copper elevator cage? Tell me: do you know anyone with an elevator in their home? Apartment buildings don't count.
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