Opposing owner spray painted home on eve of Landmarks’ vote. On March 29, 2005, Landmarks voted to hold a public hearing on April 12, 2005 on the possible designation of the James L. Bedell House in Staten Island, an 1874 single-family home and carriage house located on Amboy Road in Tottenville. A Landmarks survey of the architectural resources on Staten Island’s South Shore identified the Bedell House as one of the best preserved Second Empire-style homes, which are typified by mansard roofs, decorative dormers and prominent entryway porches. Once prevalent in New York’s rural areas, a small number of these homes remain.

Just before the March 29, 2005 vote, the Bedell House’s owner of seven weeks spray painted bright orange and neon green patches on the home. Landmarks staff displayed a photo of the spray painted house at the presentation, noting that the owner had since re-painted the home white.

Voting to calendar the proposed designation for a public hearing, Chair Robert Tierney stated that the house clearly met the threshold test for designation. Landmarks voted to immediately open the public hearing to allow the property’s owner, John Grossi, Jr., to testify. Grossi told Landmarks that he invested his life’s savings in the building’s purchase seven weeks prior to the hearing, and he faced bankruptcy due to its potential designation.

Landmarks noted that Grossi would have time to present further testimony at the April 12th hearing.

LPC: James L. Bedell House, 7484 Amboy Street (LP-2180) (March 29, 2005).