EVERYWHERE;?For a special Halloween CurbedWire, we're diving into the scary legal world with a fun fact about a doctrine known as "caveat emptor." To shield buyers from unknowingly buying a house with serious defects, caveat emptor, Latin for "buyer beware," warns the purchaser that he assumes all risks the house might have, like a shoddy foundation, for example. But the rule does not apply to haunted houses. In 1991, a man went into contract for a house in Nyack, New York, and when he founded out that it was "widely reputed to be possessed by poltergeists," he wanted out. But the Supreme Court ruled he had no legal grounds to cancel the contract over ghosts because such things aren't covered by caveat emptor. If ghastly legal tales are your idea of Halloween fun, the judge's full decision can be found here. [CurbedWire Inbox; full decision]
DUMBO?Today marked the start of construction to turn the empty Tobacco Warehouse in Brooklyn Bridge Park into a new home for the theater group St. Ann's Warehouse. The development includes an 18,000-square-foot building by Marvel Architects that will hold a flexible performance space and a 1,000-square-foot multi-use community space. The building's lobby will face the water, with the preserved arches framing the park. A 7,600-square-foot triangle space will turned into an open-air, walled birch tree grove by Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates. Park officials also said that construction will soon start on the parkland expansions at Main Street and John Street. Next year, the John Street site will also see work begin on a 47-unit apartment building with cultural and retail space on the ground floor. [CurbedWire Inbox; previously]
BROOKLYN HEIGHTS?A little further south on the East River waterfront, construction is underway on Toll Brothers' Pierhouse. Reps recently announced that the sale gallery will open in early November, and they reveal a list of amenities for the residences and the hotel. Residence amenities include a 24-hour concierge, yoga and meditation studio, two fitness centers, a "pet wash," residents' lounge, on-site valet parking, and access to 1 Hotel amenities, which include private dining rooms, "world-class spa," 20,000-square-foot event space, screening room, rooftop swimming pool and bar, a farm-to-table restaurant, artisanal cafe, and a juice bar "by local-award winning chef." [CurbedWire Inbox; previously]