In a city that plasters over its unhappy memories as quickly as money can be made from doing so, the obstinate persistance of the hole on East 62nd Street is turning out to be as stubborn as the man who presumably blew himself and his townhouse up rather than divide the property with his soon-to-be ex-wife. Dr. Nicholas Bartha allegedly blew up his town home in 2006 with a manufactured gas explosion?killing himself in the process. The property was quickly sold to a high-profile flip artist named Janna Bullock and plans were afoot to turn her $8.3 million purchase into a $30-$40 million re-sale after building a modern green-style home designed by architect Preston T. Phillips on the lot. Alas, the economy intervened, plans went unbuilt and the neighborhood nears its sixth anniversary with Dr. Bartha's unwedding present to the world. [NYT]
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