How and why the owner of a neglected town house on the Upper West Side finally decided to sell Upper West Side Thirty-eight years of sitting on a moldering townhouse on the Upper West Side has finally paid off for Diane Haslett-Rudiano who last week realized a 1,320 percent return on her and her now-deceased husband's 1976 investment at 118 West 76th Street between Columbus and Amsterdam avenues Haslett-Rudiano has withstood blistering criticism from the building's neighbors repeated admonishments from elected officials and constant overtures from brokers looking to sell the property preservationists and elected officials complained about the neglect and the rats that had taken up residence and the sidewalk in front has occasionally been used as a dumping ground for mattresses and other urban detritus Inside there are holes in the roof and the floor and snow accumulates during the winter months Over the years the front façade has been graffitied over countless times have regarded its sale as a challenge: prime real estate and an eccentric widow holding out for reasons of her own Closing such a deal would be a highlight on any broker's resume The one that eventually did has been working it for 20 years and insured his firm and his name would be mentioned in this article Haslett-Rudiano said she held onto the building for sentimental reasons; her husband always had dreams of renovating it But in interviews with several people involved in the transaction it appears to be more complicated than that Haslett-Rudiano sold the building last week for $6.6 million to Holliswood 76 LLC "It's a very bizarre story and I don't really understand it all," said Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer who got involved in the effort to do something with the building 13 years ago as a city council member the Upper West Side-Central Park West Historic District was created in 1995 and 118 West 76th Street was one of over 2,000 buildings to receive historic status at the time the building's facade and structure can't be altered in any way without permission from the Landmarks Preservation Commission Simon said the building first came onto her radar in the early nineties when she had a granddaughter who attended nursery school nearby Landmark West made some attempts to reach Haslett-Rudiano between then and 2011 "It became apparent to me over the years that this building was in dire need of help," said Simon Landmark West began to receive an increase in calls from parties interested in buying the property as well as complaints from those in the community Simon and others at Landmark West redoubled their efforts to find out more about the building and to reach Haslett-Rudiano eventually assigning an intern to the project full time Haslett-Rudiano is the chief clerk with the city's Board of Elections in Brooklyn and has ties to the city's Republican Party establishment Simon said in addition to other forms of pressure which did a story on the building last year she tried a more political tack by contacting a prominent Brooklyn Democrat to reach out to his colleagues across the aisle to see if something could be done "The politics on this from day one have just been mystifying," said Simon "[The Brooklyn Democrat] called the Republicans he knew I called the Republican club she was involved with we called just about the entire world that meant anything to this whole project." "She never would take my phone calls," said Simon who even threatened to mount a social media campaign on Facebook Brewer was applying a great deal of pressure herself She said in the early 2000s she began writing letters to Haslett-Rudiano urging her to do something with the property I finally got her cell," Brewer told the West Side Spirit and it's not appropriate to bother her because she's at work And then I also contacted the head of the Board of Elections Haslett-Rudiano credits the pressure from Brewer as being responsible for the building's ultimate sale Brewer told the West Side Spirit she's surprised by that and last remembers contacting her about the property in December of 2013 'I talked to Diane and she said you convinced her to sell the building.'" "That's the other thing that's really strange," said Brewer It's hard to get mad at somebody when they're very nice Maybe she was smarter than I am and she was holding out for more money." Brewer said Haslett-Rudiano told her different things over the years as to why she didn't want to sell or would lead Brewer to believe she was taking steps in that direction "Sometimes it was 'I'm attached to the building because it was my husband's building,' and sometimes it was 'well can I have the name of the broker?'" said Brewer So you can see this went on and on and on." Haslett-Rudiano did not return requests to comment an associate broker with Fenwick Keats Real Estate who finally landed his personal Nemo Sieger said he first contacted Haslett-Rudiano 20 years ago when he was first starting out in real estate and anointed Sieger to handle the transaction Sieger said he's considered giving up on Haslett-Rudiano throughout the years "I'm very pleased that I'm the broker that was able to succeed," said Sieger many buyers that were calling her and wanted to buy it cheap and wanted to buy it direct from her." But both Brewer and Simon alluded to another reason Haslett-Rudiano chose now to sell one that isn't quite understood by anyone who spoke to the West Side Spirit At one point Haslett-Rudiano owned another neglected property on West 73rd Street that recently changed hands a number of times Simon said the ownership battle over the building on West 73rd Street had something to do with the sale of the West 76th Street building "It's one of those things where you can't quite figure out the pieces," she said is now owned by a company called Kojo Global Property Development and has been placed on the market the sale marks the end to a three-dozen year saga and is mainly a win for the community "There are so many wins and so many losses," said Simon "This gave people the notion that if you work hard enough and if you're an advocate that doesn't give up then there can be success at the end of the line."  Some schools bring their ‘A’ game when it matters most  Such was the case on Saturday for the Brockton and East Bridgewater boys track & field teams as the Boxers’ Rudiano Ramos placed first in the 400-meter dash (49.42 seconds) and the Vikings’ Dan Lovell was victorious in the 400-meter hurdles (56.31 seconds) at the Massachusetts State Track Coaches Association Coaches Invitational at BC High  CHECK OUT OUR FACEBOOK SPORTS PAGE We kind of left it up to him (to decide which events to participate in),” Brockton head coach Matthew Campbell said of Ramos but we wanted him to make that decision for himself  Ramos also placed seventh in the long jump  A familiar name in Brockton’s Chris McCaffrey placed fourth in the mile with a time of 4:27.6 He trailed toward the back of the pack for much of the race but then on the final lap he turned on the jets to finish a few spots from the leader  “It started off pretty slow and I was pretty comfortable and that’s when people started passing me on the third lap and I was like “I knew on the fourth lap I really had to make a move on everyone  Said Campbell of the Stonehill-bound senior: “Chris is such a talented kid I think this is the biggest crowd he’s run with in awhile I think he will even improve upon this going forward and I think as the weather gets better he’s even going to improve upon that.”  Ramos and McCaffrey teamed up with Djosue Dos Santos and Cedric Souffrant to take second in the 4x400-meter relay with a time of 3:29.50 “It’s our first time we put our indoor (4x400) team together in awhile I think it’ll improve as they work together a little bit more.” sophomore Jordan Williams had an impressive day as he placed sixth in the 400-meter hurdles (59.18 seconds) and seventh in the 110-meter hurdles (16.34 seconds)  “Jordan is going to be a very good (400-meter) hurdler,” Campbell said Jordan’s just so big and strong and he’s still growing He’s got a very bright future ahead of him.” as it gave him and his team a chance to see how they stack up against some of the Commonwealth’s top-notch programs  “It’s good to come out and compete,” Campbell said It’s good to see where you are in terms of everybody in the state This is kind of like going to an All-State meet because there’s all four divisions here so we’re getting ready for South Shore Principals and the Division 1 Meet.” Lovell outlasted Medway’s Kevin Roberts (56.56 seconds) in a race that was neck-and-neck right up to the finish line By the 200-mark it was dead even and I just pulled ahead,” the Merrimack-bound Lovell said You’re from a small school and everything and come to a big meet like this and definitely placing and winning  Lovell also placed fourth in the 110-meter hurdles with a time of 15.92 seconds  Bridgewater-Raynham’s Alex Weiler came in third in the javelin with a throw of 163 feet  The Trojans’ 4x100-meter relay team placed sixth (45.2 seconds)  John O’Callaghan may be reached at jocallaghan@enterprisenews.com Please enable JS and disable any ad blocker sat empty for decades and still has foreboding “No Trespassing” signs up on the doors those signs are visible in a photo (below) used to advertise the sale Borough President Gale Brewer called out Haslett-Rudiano last year because they were eyesores and had become dangerous Neighbors have complained about rat infestations at both buildings Haslett-Rudiano had told the Daily News that she had been holding onto the buildings because she had a sentimental attachment to them; her late husband had purchased them in the 70’s with the intention of fixing them up Brewer said at a press conference that it was time for the owner to move on and make life easier for her neighbors “Not only are they in an unsightly state a blemish to the otherwise beautiful landscaped historical setting of the neighborhood but the failure to maintain the exterior building walls is dangerous for neighbors and pedestrians in the vicinity of the buildings,” Brewer said “It is obvious the building at 44 West 73rd Street is completely infested with rats and a building wide extermination procedure is needed immediately but we are unable to get the owner to respond to our request and the situation continues to get worse,” added Frances Apgar President of the West 73 Street Block Association The facade itself was at risk of falling a couple of years ago, according to a complaint registered by the Buildings Department “OLD VACANT TOWNHSE FRONT FACADE STARTED TO FALL-OWNERS INSTALLED SCAFFOLD & NETTING BUT DEBRIS IS STILL FALLING & SOME DEBRIS IS GOING THRU NETTING WHICH PUBLIC – PLZ INVESTIGATE.” The owner added safety measures including mesh and scaffolding So, have a look at the listing those 35-year-old stains will come right out Haslett-Rudiano’s other property at 118 West 76th Street does not appear to be on the market. There’s even a Facebook page for people who want to “save” it Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value" Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_2" ).setAttribute( "value" This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed. inside they find Miss Havisham in her crumbling wedding dress and one shoe with the mouldering wedding breakfast and cake still on the table !! “But…but…HOW could she have survived all these years,” you ask I wonder how many readers will make the association with the great Dickens novel Just called on the listing and the person who answered denied it is for sale It would be great to see that nightmare on 76th Street gone It is right next to a day school and across the street from a public school The building poses a great danger to the neighborhood and its a blight to a wonderful historic district © 2025 West Side Rag | All rights reserved © 2025 West Side Rag | All rights reserved Many Upper West Siders are familiar with the rundown townhouse on West 73rd Street a neighborhood eyesore encased in scaffolding and infested with rats that’s been vacant for at least 30 years Why they probably don’t know is the strange and confusing saga of the building an attorney named Steven Wimpfheimer filed suit against Aviation Distributors and other parties that claim to own 44 West 73rd Street that the court recognize the building as belonging solely to Wimpfheimer’s client a mysterious company named Community Preservation Neighborhood Wimphheimer argues that his client is in possession of the “true copy” of the property deed which Community Preservation acquired last February from a woman named Lois Voyticky which Wimpfheimer maintains is the sole heir of the most recent previous owner saying they acquired the property from Miller in 1977 and since then have continued to maintain the property and to pay taxes on it The response goes on to say Aviation recently transferred ownership to an affiliated company named Kojo Global Development and accused Community Preservation of engaging in fraud in claiming ownership over the building and filing their suit At the center of the dispute is whether Lois Voyticky really did have a claim to the property and was indeed Miller’s sole heir and was within her legal rights to sell it to Community Preservation last year Public records indicate a Frances Voyticky acquired the property from Jean Rudiano in 1964 who is listed as Rudiano’s attorney in legal documents from that time presumably before she was married to Rudiano when she bought 44 West 73rd Street from Otec Realty Corp (Haslett herself was in the news earlier this year for her involvement in a speparate building Haslett finally sold that building last year for $6.6 million after much pressure from community groups and elected officials.) the City of New York began foreclosure proceedings against the property in 1971 It’s unclear how or why Haslett bought a property that was in the midst of being foreclosed upon Marion Miller acquired 44 West 73rd Street sometime after it was foreclosed upon and sold it to Aviation in 1977 the deal seems have only involved the land it appears as if two deeds for the property were created public records with the New York City Register indicate Lois Voyticky sold the property last year to Community Preservation Neighborhood Aviation initially appeared to have the better case A title trace commissioned by Kojo Global and carried out by Blackstone Land Title Agency found that Lois Voyticky while indeed the sole survivor and distributee for the estate of Marion Miller did not have any legal right to the property NYS Civil Supreme Court Judge Carol Edmead granted a motion filed by Wimpfheimer that effectively declared Community Preservation sole owners of 44 West 73rd Street The default judgement was granted after the defendant failed to appear in court the Manhattan DA announced an indictment against John Kojo Zi on charges that he obtained titles to five buildings on the Upper West Side and Hamilton Heights by fraudulently filing forged deed transfers with the city’s Register’s Office allegedly filed a fraudulent deed transfer for the property “transferring the property from its legitimate owner to his company…” He’s charged with multiple counts of grand larceny Zi’s lawyer is none other than Solomon Zabrowsky The DA’s press release goes on to say that Zi told the Register’s Office his father founded Aviation Distributors and even submitted a forged contract from 1976 showing Aviation’s original purchase of the building for $360,000 cash “By filing forged deed transfers and lying on official forms this defendant allegedly defrauded three Manhattan property owners stealing five buildings out from under them,” said Manhattan District Attorney Vance in announcing the indictment “Deed fraudsters use publicly available housing data to target properties that are not actively managed by their owners including those that are falling into disrepair or burdened with tax liens and unpaid utilities.” But the legal dramas surrounding the property have gone largely unnoticed to neighbors of 44 West 73rd Street and misconceptions about the property continue to abound such as when a local blog erroneously reported that Haslett-Rudiano had finally put the building up for sale for $5 million I know that Diane [Haslett-Rudiano] does not own it,” Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer told the Spirit recently Brewer said she does not know who currently owns it the former president of Landmark West who was involved in the campaign to pressure Haslett-Rudiano into selling 118 West 76th Street told the Spirit last year that even she doesn’t quite understand the history or legal status of 44 West 73rd Street “It’s one of those things where you can’t quite figure out the pieces,” she said How was Community Preservation able to buy the property from Lois Voyticky last year for a paltry $205,000 and the only point of contact in state registration records is Wimpfheimer who said he wouldn’t comment on the case as litigation is ongoing (both sides are due back in court Aug When asked about topics not related to the litigation Wimpfheimer said he’s “not authorized to give out any additional information.” Calls to a number listed as belonging to Lois Voyticky went unanswered A spokesperson for the Manhattan DA’s office declined to comment beyond the press release and referred a request for more information on Zi to the NYPD who said they have no arrest record for him either this year or last Zabrowsky did not return requests for comment about Aviation’s ownership claims over 44 West 73rd Street It’s also unclear why he is representing Zi in court or affiliates Aviation with Kojo Global in court documents prior to the DA’s indictment If 44 West 73rd Street hasn’t belonged to Diane Haslett-Rudiano in decades why has it been allowed to languish for all this time The biggest and most practical mystery of when and what will happen to the property It has dozens of building violations and complaints ranging from trash pileups on the roof and rodent infestations to unsafe scaffolding and debris falling off the facade The last valid certificate of occupancy is from 1986 Cigarette butts and pigeon droppings litter the stoop The door is secured by a pair of shiny Master locks that seem as if they were recently installed which is painted red and covered in black netting And while most people are in the dark when it comes to 44 West 73rd Street handwritten sign with what looks like a picture of Zi standing on the top step of 44 West 73rd Street that warns It isn’t clear who wrote the sign or how long it’s been plastered to the door with transparent tape A parting admonition urges people to “call the cops if anyone sees him.”