The tenure of the previous owner of the International Toy Center at Madison Square Park was marked by feuds with tenants and litigation. The tenure of the new owners of the International Toy Center at Madison Square Park is being marked by a feud with a tenant and litigation. The Observer's Chris Shott reports that Giuseppe Cipriani, fresh off that little tax evasion spat, is locked in a battle with Toy landlord L&L Holding over his leasing of the building's banquet hall for formal events. L&L says Cipriani can't use the lobby, he says he can. L&L is trying to evict Cipriani, he's countering with a $20 million lawsuit. Meanwhile, Cipriani is alleging some vintage Toy Building landlord shenanigans:
The alleged smear campaign not only has included repeated calls to the cops and to regulators, but also shoddy renovation work in the lobby that has purportedly appalled and even chased away potential customers. On June 22, building management opened a two-foot hole in the dome of the rotunda and poked nine smaller holes in the ceiling, as part of a purported asbestos-removal program. The holes in the ceiling were covered up with panels that don’t match, and the dome was covered with an “unsightly” white plastic sheet, court papers show.
It's nice to see that for all the changes at Toyville over the years, everything has pretty much stayed exactly the same.
· Giuseppe Cipriani, New York’s Ballroom Untouchable [NYO]
· 23rd Street [cipriani.com]
· Step Into the Toy Center Wayback Machine [Curbed]