137 Oak: Tenant Organizing Meets the Greenpoint Historic District

NAG is broaching new territory (for us, at least), in organizing the residents of 137 Oak Street in Greenpoint. The building has a long and storied history. Many of the residents of Oak Street (a pretty close knit block, even for Greenpoint) are protective of the older men who live in the building. But the residents are actively trying to be pushed out by a new landlord who is willing to harass tenants and evade the law to get what they want.

137 Oak St (a/k/a "Greenpoint Home for the Aged") is an "eclectic brick mansion with Italianate massing and Romanesque Revival arches" that is a part of the Greenpoint Historic District. The building was originally built by the Guernsey family as an elderly care facility. It also seems to have been at some point a home for unwed mothers and a "cathouse." In 1953 it was officially converted into an SRO building.

Perhaps the writing was on the wall back in March of 2007 when the announcement that the Greenpoint Home for the Aged was hitting the market found its way onto Brownstoner. The author's comments about the current residents were clear: "Getting free and clear of the SRO tenants would take at least three years, we'd think; we're not even sure a developer could get them out."
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The Brownstoner post of course spurred a litany of nasty comments about smelly old men and chatter defending the rights of tenants. The building sat on the market for over a year, selling for $500,000 (according to the deed) in April of 2008. After years of requests for repairs being ignored and a couple years of complete neglect, the tenants were hopeful that the new owner would address the building's deterioration.

Unfortunately, that has not been the case. First came the harassment-- in a move typical of slumlords trying to get rid of tenants, the people of 137 Oak found that the new landlord was not cashing any of their rent checks (Landlords use this technique of hoarding rent checks and then cashing those months later, hoping the checks will bounce and rent will be owed, putting the tenant in a precarious position). The landlord also filed to evict some tenants, claiming they were not legal residents on the grounds that they were employees of the previous landlord. Tenants who had worked hard to help maintain the house in the past were now being punished for their work.

The tenants reached out to NAG & North Brooklyn Development Co. to help form a tenants association, approach the landlord, and initiate a dialogue. Together with the tenants NAG inventoried the needed repairs and sent a letter requesting a meeting. It was ignored. A request was made in person. It was denied. Meanwhile, the new landlord started to initiate some construction work on the site, completely disregarding the landmark status and the rules that apply to the building, which importantly include having plans from an architect or engineer before work can be done. Fortunately, thanks to NAG, the NYPD 94th precinct, and a DOB inspector, the illegal work was stopped. The tenants are still waiting for the Landmarks Preservation Commission to come out and inspect the property and to help determine a course of action.

NAG's tenant organizer, Ryan Kuonen, is continuing to help the tenants of 137 Oak fight for their rights. A majority of the tenants have been in the building for over a dozen years and some have lived there over 40 years, creating a community that may seem like just a "bunch of crazy old men" to people on the outside, but is really a nice group of neighbors who really love their house. These are people who worked on the docks and walked the streets of Greenpoint before they became hip. They love their home, their street, their neighborhood and have the right to have honest dealings with a landlord who treats them with respect and dignity, informing them of the future of their house.

More Information
Why we have to be vigilant about landmarked properties
Bridge and Tunnel Club walk down Oak Street
AIA listing of the building

Image courtesy Bridge and Tunnel Club.