Robert Durst, older brother of developer Douglas Durst, has bought a
19th century townhouse at 218 Lenox Avenue, by 121st Street, in Harlem for $1.75
million, the Wall Street Journal reported. While Robert talked about
turning one of the apartments into a duplex for himself, according to
a broker familiar with the matter, he also was said to be considering
the property for its investment value. The deal has not yet appeared in public records.
“His broker said he was also looking for other investment properties
on the commercial streets in Harlem,” said Brian Phillips, a
Prudential Douglas Elliman agent who represented the seller. Durst could not be reached for comment. The 21-foot-wide
house in the middle of the Mount Morris Park Historic District has
been divided into three apartments and a ground-floor beauty salon.
Robert has received attention in some high-profile police cases,
including one that was the basis for a film about the disappearance of
his wife that Douglas and the Durst Organization sought to block.
He admitted killing a 71-year-old neighbor in Texas in 2001 and
dumping his dismembered body in Galveston Bay, but was acquitted of
homicide charges after asserting he acted in self-defense.Teresa
Chavin, who works at the firm of Debra Lee Charatan, who is his current wife,
represented Durst in connection with the purchase of the Harlem
property. [WSJ]