Luxury Soho Condo’s Long Nightmare Is Over

The title of the letter that went out from the board to unit-owners of the plush 95 Greene Street condominium in Soho said it all: “Our Long Condominium Nightmare Is Over!” 

The jubilant letter was inspired by a new vacancy in the 29-unit cast-iron jewel: celebrity photographer Ken Nahoum has moved out of his 8,200-square-foot triplex penthouse after years of bitter litigation with the condo association, the New York Post reports. 

The Greene House Condominium board first sued Nahoum and then-girlfriend, Victoria’s Secret model Basia Milewicz, in 2013 for $40,000 in delinquent common charges. The pair was slapped with a judgment, but it was never paid, and with interest, the charges ballooned. In response, the board – whose members include Art Spiegelman, the award-winning illustrator and author of the graphic novel Maus – cut elevator access to Nahoum’s penthouse, a common ploy against delinquent unit-owners. 

Nahoum declared bankruptcy in 2016 and later sold the penthouse to Titan Capital, his real estate lender, to settle his $13.5 million debt. Titan is now planning on listing the penthouse for around $15 million, says Leonard Steinberg, president of Compass, a real estate brokerage firm. Nahoum still owes the condo association $250,000 in unpaid common charges, but residents have the consolation of knowing that he will see none of the proceeds from the sale of the apartment. 

Before he moved out, according to the board’s letter to unit-owners, Nahoum stripped the penthouse of fixtures, sinks, doors and toilets, leaving the space “in disarray.”

Nahoum’s actions have been a “nightmare” for unit-owners, says the condo board’s lawyer, Kelly Ringston, a partner at Braverman Greenspun. “The board is thrilled that this chapter is now over.” 

“It’s one of those crazy New York stories,” adds Steinberg. “It’s mind boggling. It’s a reminder to everyone to do things by the letter, or the consequences will be brutal.”