Caretaker seeks sale or auction of 'castle house' in Scranton
Apr. 28—SCRANTON — The caretaker of the Green Ridge "castle house" listed for city demolition asked a judge Friday for more time to try to sell it on the real estate market or, failing that, via auction.
Yury Abdurakhmanov is the administrator of the estate of his sister, the late Russian artist Elena Nikolaevna Flerova, who bought the home in 2002 and died in Moscow, Russia, in 2020. He also seeks court approval to submit information into his appeal against demolition, including reports that the building is structurally sound and free of rodents and pests.
Lackawanna County Court James Gibbons heard arguments Friday but did not immediately rule.
The hearing was the latest event in a decadelong saga of the condemnation of the home known colloquially as the "castle house" for its cone-capped turret. The long-vacant building was condemned in 2013 and has been on and off the city's demolition list for the past eight years.
The Scranton Housing Appeals board's reinstatement in July of a demolition order prompted the appeal to county court by Abdurakhmanov, of Wurtsboro, New York.
His attorney, Wieslaw Niemoczynski, asked Gibbons to allow supplemental records to be submitted as evidence into the case. Those include the engineering and pest-control reports, letters of probate and power of attorney, a letter signed by eight neighbors attesting to lawn maintenance and snow removal, a purchase agreement that fell through, a proposed real-estate listing agreement and an affidavit by Abdurakhmanov.
"If the house is not sold during the term of the real estate listing agreement, which I understand is customarily six months, then I am prepared to sell the house at public auction to resolve the issues of concern to the city of Scranton. I believe this is a more rational solution to the problem that Scranton sees," Abdurakhmanov's affidavit says.
Niemoczynski also argued in court that razing the house would be an extreme remedy.
"A forfeiture of the house is grossly excessive to satisfy the needs of Scranton," Niemoczynski told the judge.
Michael Genello, solicitor for the city Housing Appeals Board, opposed having new evidence submitted based upon the record being incomplete. Noting the home had been the subject of four prior city hearings over the years, Genello asked what would be the point of having such hearings if an applicant could just belatedly submit evidence.
"There is nothing to indicate the record wasn't (previously) complete," Genello told the judge. "They're saying we have additional evidence and therefore the record wasn't complete."
Genello also argued there was no abuse of discretion or error of law on the part of the city that would justify overturning the demolition order.
Gibbons said he would consider the arguments in rendering a decision. Allowing supplemental information would mean reviewing the case as if it were new and starting from scratch.
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