Henry Radusky is an architect based in Brooklyn, New York, USA.
Career and firm
Henry Radusky has been a licensed architect in the state of New York since 1981. He and architect Douglas Pulaski founded Bricolage Designs in 1983.
Novo Park Slope (2005–07) - New 12-story building at 4th Avenue in Park Slope, Brooklyn, designed for developers Shaya Boymelgreen and Isaac Katan.
Controversial buildings and code violations
The Village Voice reported in 2005 that investigators with the New York City Department of Buildings alleged that Radusky "failed to follow required codes" on 55 building projects". In response, Radusky agreed to voluntarily surrender his Self Certification privileges for one year.
Spencer Street Condominiums (2002–05) - These five 9-story buildings in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, with 72 apartment units, were designed for developers Mendel Brach, Moshe Oknin, and Moshe Roth. The project was filed with the City as faculty housing for the Beth Chana School for Girls in Williamsburg, which under the "community facility" rules in place at the time, allowed the new building to be much larger than neighboring structures. The apartments though were sold as condominiums, in violation of the "community facility" rules. The City in response refused to grant the final Certificate of Occupancy.
In 2002, Mr. Brach obtained a zoning variance from the city allowing him to build nine-story condominiums on Spencer Street in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, a location where the normal limit was generally only five stories. Mr. Brach took advantage of a “faculty housing bonus” allowing the extra stories by claiming that the buildings would house faculty members of the local yeshiva. However, the offering plan Mr. Brach sent to the attorney general’s office, which is responsible for approving all new condominium sales, did not say anything about selling the units to teachers. Unfortunately, the attorney general’s office was unaware of the variance and approved the offering; soon, all 72 units were sold on the open market. After the city learned of the sales, it declined to issue a permanent certificate of occupancy for the apartments; as a result, it was virtually impossible for the owners to sell, rent or even refinance them.
The residents were advised by the attorney general’s office that suing Mr. Brach would be fruitless because he did not have the money to make the buildings legal and so the residents agreed to a mediated resolution. The Brooklyn developer was barred from selling apartments in New York State. In addition, the settlement required that the developer, Mendel Brach, pay $10.9 million to the residents of the 72-unit development to repair structural defects. [1] [2]
266 22nd Street (2002–04) - This building in Brooklyn's Greenwood Heights, Brooklyn neighborhood was designed for real estate developer Jack LoCicero. Much larger than neighboring structures, the 90-foot, 9-story project took advantage of the "community facility" rules in the zoning code which allowed for increased Floor Area Ratio. 266 2nd Street was filed with the city as faculty housing and daycare for Yeshiva Gedolah Bais Yisroel in Midwood, Brooklyn, though the yeshiva's principal denied knowledge of the project. Employees of Methodist Hospital now rent units in the building.
182 15th Street (2005–06) - This proposed 62-unit, 11-story building, designed in conjunction with architect Robert Scarano, Jr. for developer Isaac Katan, encountered problems when foundation construction was rushed in an attempt to beat new zoning regulations limiting new building heights. The City Board of Standards and Appeals ultimately ruled that the project was not vested under the old zoning regulations, and could not be built as designed.
Armory Plaza (2005) - This project at 406-408 15th Street in Brooklyn, designed for developers Jack and Lorenzo LoCicero, was originally planned for nine stories and 47 apartment units. Filed under the "community facility" rules of the zoning regulations, it was later determined that the project was approved despite these regulations being removed from the City zoning code months before. The project was subsequently reduced to five stories.
