At a Hell's Kitchen Landmark, an Epic Landlord-Tenant Dispute

A grand eight-story apartment house in the Romanesque Revival style, the Windermere at West 57th Street and Ninth Avenue, was once famed for its marble fireplaces, its uniformed “hall boys,” and such technological wonders like the hydraulic elevator and the telephone. But today it is scarred with graffiti, its bright red brick a sickly gray covered in scaffolding. As Anthony Ramirez reports, the landlord, Masako Yamagata, wants the tenants to vacate the building, which is a prime piece of Manhattan real estate.


The tenants say Mr. Yamagata has turned a blind eye to mice, roaches, water from the ceilings, shattered windows, hallways cold enough in winter to fog the tenants’ breath, and pigeons in all seasons flying and defecating indoors. On Sept. 19, the city’s Department of Housing Preservation and Development cited the landlord for 209 violations, including fire safety problems like exposed wiring, “the accumulation of refuse and/or rubbish” and “no electrical supply entire building.” At a contempt hearing today in Housing Court, Mr. Yamagata could agree to the repairs. If he does not, the city could perform the repairs and send him the bill.