On one of the most unique corners in NYC sits one of the most mysterious buildings, previously owned by one of the most eccentric real estate investors: the Northern Dispensary, a triangular Georgian brick building, unoccupied since 1998. Click here for more photos. It is remarkable for having been continuously operated since 1827 as a public clinic – Edgar Allen Poe was treated here at no charge for a cold in 1837. It is also unique in that it has one side on two streets (Grove meets Christopher) and two sides on streets with the same name, where Waverly meets Waverly.

The previous owner, William Gottlieb, drove a beat-up station wagon with broken windows, yet after his death in 1999, his collection of properties was found to have a value of between 100-300 million dollars. He was notorious for acquiring properties and doing nothing with them; his sister, Mollie Bender, continues the Gottlieb tradition, with no apparent plans for the building. A private deed placed on the building stated that the property had to be used to provide medical care to the “worthy poor.” However, since the deed is private, it is not clear whether or not it could be enforced. So its future is very unclear as the building stands eerily empty…

Park Avenue is one of the most well-known NYC streets in the world. This wide boulevard runs two-way through the Upper East Side, what is considered to be one of the most affluent neighborhoods, with many large magnificent prewar apartment buildings. The legendary Waldorf-Astoria Hotel is located here. Park Avenue’s wide center median with trees and plantings is unique in the city. For those who believe that it is a product of favoritism by the public sector, it is not – it is maintained by a private organization: the Fund for Park Avenue. Begonias are a popular flower owing to its ability to withstand sun without constant watering.

Park Avenue actually runs through several different neighborhoods (including Grand Central), starting at 4th Avenue (its original name) in the Village. This photo was taken at 70th Street, prime territory in the neighborhood, with Woody Allen’s new home just down the block. But that’s the subject of another future post…

Across from the Metropolitan Museum of Art, facing Central Park, are blocks of townhouses which are something like a slice of an old European city set down in NYC. They are generally late nineteenth century and quite elaborate – some of them have been turned into embassies, etc., but there are still many that are occupied by single families.

Something that is commonly done by this crowd is to completely gut renovate the building at every turnover. Typically, the entire interior is ripped out, rebuilt with the most state-of-the-art modern comforts, and completely refurnished with the most extravagantly expensive antiques and/or fine interior decoration. Because of divorce, death, remarriage, or the rise and fall of fortunes, these places do turn over, usually about once every three years. It seems a shame that all the work that has been put into these fine homes is not preserved, but the city thrives on providing luxury services to this ever growing elite, and the wealth keeps expanding and changing hands frequently, as it has always done in NYC. Here is an example of one of these streets and the corner house which had workmen inside going about their business of interior demolition…