Photographs of the Bedell House, clockwise from upper left: Normal-looking in 2005 (from Tottenville Historical Society), covered in graffiti in 2005 (from Tottenville Historical Society), and boarded-up in 2008 (from Staten Island Advance)
A landmark Tottenville home that caused a bitter fight between its owner and neighbors has entered a new stage of its existence: foreclosure proceedings. The Staten Island Advance reports John Grossi, who bought the 1869 Bedell House in hopes of razing it to build townhouses, is happy to let the bank have the building, "I won't put another dime into the property."
Grossi bought the house on Amboy Road for $675,000 in 2005, taking out a $540,000 loan. When neighbors got wind of Grossi's plans - as he told the NY Times in 2005, "I bought this house to knock it down. It ain't like George Washington slept here or nothing." - they quickly mobilized to get the house landmarked. Grossi retaliated by covering it with graffiti, including "Section 8 Comming Soon" and offensive remarks directed at neighbors.
The Landmarks Preservation Commission had approved his plans to move the house forward on the property and adding attached townhouses back in 2006, but new zoning regulations means needing to apply for another permit (involving a review of historic maps, building records, and more) from City Planning. Now that the house is going into foreclosure, the city says it will work with the bank.
After the graffiti incident (Grossi did paint over it) feelings all around were hurt but now everyone is just tired - some even sympathize with Grossi to a degree. Grossi blames the city, "Everything is finished. The ball has not been in my court for a while. The city is the slowest animal in the world. This house would have been renovated and restored a year ago if the city didn't want to make such a big deal out of every little thing."
