Macklowe’s 737 Park must stop harassing Holocaust survivor

Harry Macklowe has been ordered by a judge to restore essential services at 737 Park Avenue for a Holocaust survivor who is a longtime resident of the controversial building, the New York Post reported.

John Holzer, who has lived in the building at East 71st Street since 1980, claimed in a lawsuit in Housing Court that he had been without gas since January, according to the Post. The management of the building had also subjected him to “harassment,” he said, including intermittent shutdowns of electricity and holes punched in his walls.

The judge did not make a ruling on the harassment charge, but ordered certain violations corrected within 24 hours and gas restored within 30 days.

Macklowe’s lawyer, speaking in court, said this might not be feasible, according to the Post.

“We applaud Judge Cheryl Gonzales for requiring Mr. Holzer’s longtime home to be returned to a habitable condition,” Holzer’s attorney Adam Leitman Bailey told the Post.

A spokesperson for Macklowe declined to comment.

Macklowe purchased the building in partnership with CIM Group for $360 million in 2011, and has since moved to convert many of the rent-stabilized apartments into luxury condominiums. But although many of the rent-stabilized tenants accepted hefty buyout packages, Macklowe has been engaged in legal tussles with many other tenants. [NYP, 2nd item]  – Hiten Samtani