Situated along the Grand Central Parkway, Jamaica Estates is lovely, suburban-like enclave of upper middle class homes on streets lined with big leafy treesnot exactly the place one expects to find a crumbling, half-built megahome. But there it is. Surrounded by graffiti-covered construction fencing, the wannabe castle at 179-16 Grand Central Parkway is a fairytale gone wrong. According to the Post, the property sold to Joseph Jimenez and his wife Josette Said in 2001, who planned to build their dream home. Construction permits were filed in 2003 for a 6,255-square-foot manse, and work began in 2005. The last update from the DOB was 2007. The site has sat stagnant ever since, and the neighbors are none too pleased.
It's unclear exactly what went wrong, but it seems like the owners ran into some financial troubles. The Post reports that they failed to pay $2,900 in fines to the Department of Buildings, they were behind on their taxes, and they defaulted on a $13,562 payment agreement. The architect on the project, Emilio Susa, told the Post he hasn't heard from Jimenez in years. Jimenez, on the other hand, insists that the house is "almost finished on the inside," and says construction stalled after he had a heart attack and stroke a few years ago. But never fear, the mansion will be complete "as soon as possible." The finished product is supposed to look like a Mediterranean villa, which is definitely something we want to see.
· Abandoned Jamaica 'castle' has become neighborhood eyesore [NYP]
· 179-16 Grand Central Parkway [DOB]
All images via Google Streetview
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