A historic Brooklyn apartment complex once praised as a humane alternative to dangerous tenements is now at the center of a growing dispute over housing conditions and affordability.
Residents at Riverside Apartments said years of neglect came first — and steep rent hikes came after.
What's happening?
Brooklyn Paper reported that philanthropist Alfred T. White developed Riverside Apartments in Brooklyn Heights in 1890 as a safer, affordable housing experiment for workers. Tenants now say the rent-stabilized complex has badly deteriorated under landlord Joel Wiener's Pinnacle Group.
Tenant Hew Evans blamed years of reduced services and tenant harassment for what he described as the property's decline. Speaking at a July 15 rally, residents cited crumbling plaster, broken lights, leaks, rodents, mites, and damaged stairwells. "The landlord has consistently harassed tenants and reduced essential services, leading to the building's neglectful decay."
Roughly 100% to 400% rent hikes, along with demands for years of back rent, followed the end of a long-running rent freeze in 2024, tenants said. That freeze was lifted after a courtyard that an earlier owner had illegally paved over was restored.
According to Council Member Lincoln Restler, Pinnacle is now pursuing 22 residents in housing court, with some tenants facing claims of as much as $30,000.
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Jean Campbell, who has lived there since 1973, said the increases feel especially unfair after years of unsafe conditions. "Pinnacle does not get to profit from decades of neglect," Campbell said.
Why does it matter?
Tenants described infestations, water damage, and basic maintenance failures that can make everyday life difficult and, in some cases, dangerous. Farhia Hagi, who moved into Riverside during the pandemic, said of her daughter's experience with mice: "She shouldn't have to get used to having mice in the house."
Evans also said mite infestations caused painful welts and led him to spend more than $1,000 on hotel stays, laundry, medical care, and pet boarding.
What can I do?
"Our attorney confirmed yesterday that the courts must now decide two things," said TA member Kathleen. "First, whether DHCR was correct to approve that rent increase at all. And second, if the increase is not overturned, whether conditions in this building warrant rent abatements for tenants instead."
Mayor Zohran Mamdani visited a Pinnacle-owned building in Brooklyn on his first day in office and attempted to intervene in the bankruptcy sale to ensure the units sold went to a responsible owner. Though the effort failed, the city's involvement in the case appeared to influence the buyers' pledge to forgive back rent and make significant repairs within months of the sale.
"Mamdani, we need you, you talked about this … we need more," Hagi said.
Restler said the Mamdani administration has shown a "more concerted effort" to address poor living conditions and hold landlords accountable. If necessary, the city has the ability to take Wiener to court or appoint a 7A administrator to take over the building and make repairs, he said.
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