The rent-stabilized Westbeth artist's housing in the West Village accumulated nearly $5 million of damages during Hurricane Sandy, when the basement that served as the resident's studios was flooded by nearly 16 feet of water. Following months of little news about the basement's fate, anxious tenants learned that the building's owner has hired a real estate firm to rent the former basement studio to commercial tenants. Although the owner is considering setting aside a fraction of the basement space for new studios for tenants, it seems Westbeth will never again be the artists haven it once was. [NYT; previously]
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