The Mysterious Case of 187 Plymouth Street
Joshua Guttman’s latest project at 187 Plymouth Street is unlikely to improve his already battered reputation in Dumbo, or Brooklyn for that matter. (In case you’ve been living under a rock, Guttman has treated his tenants like dirt, stiffed the city for the numerous fines he owes, and had a suspicious number of fires at…
Joshua Guttman’s latest project at 187 Plymouth Street is unlikely to improve his already battered reputation in Dumbo, or Brooklyn for that matter. (In case you’ve been living under a rock, Guttman has treated his tenants like dirt, stiffed the city for the numerous fines he owes, and had a suspicious number of fires at his properties, including the Greenpoint Terminal Market.) Neighbors are now up in arms over the destruction of some historically significant buildings and alleged disregard or manipulation of proper building procedures.
The property in question runs through the block from 187 Plymouth Street to 64 John Street. Both 1890s buildings were cited as “contributing structures” when Dumbo was calendared for landmarking in July of this year, a month or so after Guttman started demolition without, according to one version of the story, a proper building permit in place. Unable to find any permits posted on site or online or get any response from DOB more than two months after a two-man crew had begun disassembling the building brick by brick, a group of neighbors approached Councilman David Yassky’s office in August for help in getting some answers. According to a letter the councilman’s office says it sent to DOB Commissioner Patricia Lancaster’s office (but that a DOB spokesperson says they have no record of receiving), a member of Yassky’s staff called the 84 Precinct to check out the site. The officers found work taking place and no permits posted. When the police then contacted DOB, according to the letter, they were told that a “permit had been issued within the last two days, and that it was retroactive to June 6, 2007.”
Why is this timing important? Dumbo was calendared by the Landmarks Preservation Commission on July 24, so any approvals prior to that date were free and clear of landmark-related constraints. According to the DOB, though, there’s no such thing as a permit being issued retroactively. The official record indicates that Guttman filed for the permit on March 26 and that it was granted on June 6. The DOB stands by the veracity of that timeline and says that it there are too many parts to the application process for the information posted online to be anything but on the up-and-up. The DOB is currently looking into whether the scope of work performed conforms to the what was allowed on the permits. More on that later. GMAP P*Shark
More photos on the jump…
187 Plymouth before and after
64 John Street before and after
Guttman surveying his workers’ handiwork
The problem is that Guttman does not operate alone. He is tied into a whole conglomerate of Hassidim who form different partnerships on every project. This way they can’t be traced. It all boils down to politics and money. If someone can get away with starting one of the largest fires in the city’s history, they can do just about anything. Perhaps the city should just be upfront and officially give Williamsburg and DUMBO to Guttman and his friends. This is what is really happening anyway.
Brownstoner,
GMAP and PropShark links are incorrect…
What I don’t understand is why do people continue to buy properties that this guy is involved in? Buyers really need to learn that NO ONE will look out for their best interests; you’ve got to research carefully and exercise serious due diligence on your own. I would never ever buy anything that this guy has ever owned, or has ever been involved with.
I looked at 50 Bridge St. back in 2004, before anyone had closed, and am so relieved I didn’t buy there.
It’s common knowledge that the building has lots of serious construction defects and fire safety issues, but whoa! – I was looking at Property Shark the other day and according to them, there are toxins on that site and a brownfield right across the street. How was this guy ever allowed to sell these things?
Where is the public protection here? Why doesn’t anyone with power investigate this and stop the ongoing crimes that this guy commits? I have very little faith in NYC government to do what is right any more. It’s really sad.
His name says it all. Guttman. Greedman. Arsonman. Slitherman. This criminal and his family outfit have been illegally ‘gutt’ing five buildings calendared for landmarking all within one block radius. The purpose of landmarking is to determine which bldgs are deemed significant to Dumbo history for many various reasons. Being an ugly building is not one of them. Renovating an old warehouse and painting it the color of a purple cupcake is ugly. What has this ‘Mr. Smithers’ done right? Welcome to the man’s own town of Deadwood. Dirty, dusty and lawless.
This reporting focuses on work going on day after day demolishing these bldgs as fast as the Indy 500 without any pre-approved work permits. This technically means no destruction. Huh? Wha? Who? Me? Why? What’s the big rush? Back-dated permits? Impossible. The bldgs are already torn down by the time DOB finally reacts to 5 million complaints and a profile in the NY Post-but it’s always a day too late. Bye bye history. According to DOB it is illegal to grant building/demolition permits until all previous fines are paid in full. It’s time for the DOB inspectors to be inspected.
I support rebuilding Dumbo and respect the Landmark Preservation Committee decision to deem what has value to this NYC waterfront history. I support integrating different architectural styles to add some fresh life to the old. But that’s not his style. If it’s not gutted, then it’s torched.
P.S. Thanks for action photo of the ‘construction’ worker crawling across the steel beam. Ah, such disposable workers. As long as the ‘man’ carries deep pockets and continues to slither around the issues of not paying his never ending $$$$ fines, those deep pockets will continue to grease the squeaky wheel.
Thanks to Brownstoner for bringing the spotlight on this very poewrful issue.
Guttman is a POS-just ask anyone who has done business with him. Him and his son Jack belong in a prison cell. Two con artist lowlife m…f…s. He doesnt pay his bills or his subs and knows nothing about construction. This is officially the worlds cheapest human being.
Another Guttman project just down the street from this is not only a terrible apartment building but the owners are suing him for over 300mil. Aparently the project was done so poorly that they are still not able to put the first two floors on the market.
4:49 it should be noted that the economy is in a poor state in part due to gross over development and shady mortgages that sometimes are a result of a gluttony of available real estate.
I would love to explain.
We have laws in this country. If you choose to ignore and/or break the law for your personal gain, then punishment should be handed out.
The only people that a developer helps when he/she is breaking the law are lawyers. Because it will be the lawyers who gain when the homeowners have to sue the developer due to shoddy half-assed construction work.
And 4:49 you know what I mean. Just based upon your writing skills I can tell who you work for.
All Developers are the same.
Its nothing wrong to demolish and to build and work in the boundaries of the law.
When builders stop, the economy stop’s.
Don’t push for to much, the economy is not so well we should fight developers.
Also, the fire issue is coming up again & again, was this inquiry closed with a conviction of a homeless?
What is in the attitude of developers are bad and guilty?
Explain……
Stop stealing my material 12:13, heh heh.