Judge orders Icon Realty to give Bushwick residents electric stoves

Tenants at 36 Linden St. said cooking gas was shut off in January

From left: Terrence Lowenberg, Todd Cohen and 36 Linden Street in Bushwick
From left: Terrence Lowenberg, Todd Cohen and 36 Linden Street in Bushwick

Tenants at 36 Linden Street claim they’ve been harassed by landlord Icon Realty Management and forced to cook on hot plates for months, after cooking gas was shut off in 12 apartments without advance notice. A judge ruled this week that the landlord must provide electric stoves within a month.

An LLC, 36 Linden Realty, purchased the building for $10.5 million last year, according to property records, and Icon’s Terrence Lowenberg signed the deed.

According to tenants, shutting off the cooking gas was the latest form of harassment. Soon after Icon [TRDataCustom] began managing the property, they claim, a woman wearing a NYPD t-shirt handed out eviction papers, DNAinfo reported. Later, tenants were bothered by prolonged demolition, heat and hot water shutoffs, and the landlord’s failure to make basic repairs, including broken windows and mold.

“They put all of their energy into getting people out as quickly as they could and renovate apartments as quickly as possible,” tenant Nicole Denuccio told the news website.

Sign Up for the undefined Newsletter

By signing up, you agree to TheRealDeal Terms of Use and acknowledge the data practices in our Privacy Policy.

Icon spokesperson Chris Coffey denied the claims, and said that to the contrary, Icon is investing in the stabilized units and prefers to keep the current residents at 36 Linden Street.

He said the company purchased the building with several serious safety issues and the Department of Buildings ordered the gas to be shut off during a safety inspection. Icon regretted that tenants “have been living with hardship,” Coffee said.

Coffey told The Real Deal that the firm made “significant upgrades to existing tenants apartments while providing 25%-50% rent abatements.” [DNAinfo] — E.B. Solomont