We chatted and he told me the total heating system for both buildings was in this small room!
Wondering what took up the rest of the common area/basement space residents and owners had no access to, I saw, to the left, an unlocked door with no warning signage (above), so I went thru it.
Once I entered the room beyond the boiler room, I saw a kitchen area and yet another, empty, room with no windows.
Foolishly, I didn't take a picture of the room at the time because it was empty.
I did notice there was a big hole in the ceiling of the empty room. I did not know at the time it was water damage from a leak (which occurred in 2004) for which condo association money had been allocated, but the damage had obviously had not been fixed!
So why was the money paid out?
Note: this photo is from the kitchen area facing the boiler room door.
To my right, light streamed thru yet another room's glass block window. I followed the light...
...into the large front room filled with furniture, including an easel...
...a drawing table with an old dehumidifier and space heater under it! (The antique dehumidifier explained the noise I constantly heard from the '58 lobby. I had thought it was the boiler, since I had thought this was part of the Boiler Room!)...
...other assorted furniture...
...a large couch...
...shelves containing paint, thinner, and other liquids (which beggars the question how were dangerous chemical fumes properly-ventilated with only two tiny windows in the glass-block front?)
The area was obviously being used as a living/work space, not as storage space, as I had been previously-told by Carol Krengelis!
I then moved up to the stairs leading to the '58 lobby...
...turned, took this shot of more shelving with equipment and chemicals and the inside of the exit door to the 58 lobby, which you'll note has only ONE lock...
...and finally took a shot from the '58 lobby looking into the previously-secret apartment! I later learned that the room was once designated the "Party Room" and was used by ALL residents for various functions...until 2002, when Eddie Foss appropriated it for personal use.
On August 24th, 2007, Ed added new locks to the doors of his $10 per month living space. When he saw that I was photographing the process, he called the police. After I showed them the material you've just seen, they just laughed at him and left.
Now, you may be wondering, how large is this $10 per month living space...
Would you believe over 400 square feet (424.65'...19'x22.35")?
True!
Besides the main room, Eddie has sole access to the kitchen area and the adjacent empty room, which make up the total area in red on the diagram. That's almost 2/3rds the size of the condo units on the line above him!
And the electricity for his space heater, stereo system, antique non-energy-efficent dehumidifier, lights and other assorted goodies is FREE! (Actually, since it's leeched off the basement's common-area line, the other owners & residents, including myself, end up paying for it to the tune of $30 per condo unit per year!)
Like Indiana Jones, we uncovered the Secret Apartment of Foss, now follow as we excavate the Paradoxical & Perplexing PaperWork of Fox Management!
