Chelsea's Hopper-Gibbons House at 339 West 29th Street is believed to be the last remaining Manhattan link to the Underground Railroad. You can't just mess with history like that, which the building's owner found out when the Department of Buildings ordered him to tear down the recently added fifth floor after numerous complaints and reviews. But the owner, Tony Mamounas, has devised an ingenious strategy to combat city officials and the haters: ignore them!
Today the Times wades into the issue, and while neighbors' allegations that Mamounas has continued to work on the illicit extra floor cannot be confirmed, it's clear that he isn't doing anything to take it down. His lawyer has said that the landlord plans to appeal the decision to the city's Board of Standards and Appeals, but no such appeal has been filed. Ignoring the guilt to make it go away? He must be Catholic.
· Change to Civil War-Era Building Disputed [NYT]
· 339 West 29th Street coverage [Curbed]
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