Paul Manafort's Vacant Carroll Gardens Brownstone An 'Eyesore' On Brooklyn Block

CARROLL GARDENS, NY — Carroll Gardens residents are raising a stink about a brownstone owned by former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort that has been vacant for more than four years.

Manafort, who stays in a Trump Tower condo when he is in New York, bought the four-story unit at 377 Union St., between Smith and Hoyt streets., for $2.9 million in 2012, city records show. He got a permit to convert the unit into a single-family dwelling, but the renovations still aren't finished and work stopped at the beginning of February, documents show.

On a recent stroll down the leafy, sleepy block, Patch saw cinder blocks and rusty beams lying in the front yard and city documents plastered on the front door, cluttering up an otherwise idyllic street in brownstone Brooklyn.

Manafort's ownership of the home was first spotted by the neighborhood blog Pardon Me For Asking. Commenters on the blog also say that snow in front of the building wasn't shoveled after recent snowstorms.

"Nobody is taking care of the snow removal, nobody is sweeping in front of the property, nobody is maintaining the sidewalk to make sure that it is safe," one commenter said. "Also the front yard is full of rust and construction equipment that's been there for at least a year, which is not only unsightly but can also be dangerous."

"This isn't simply a case of a famous or rich person buying a house for their own purposes and nosey people digging into their dirt," another commenter said. "This is the case of an eyesore on a nice block that the owners are purposely neglecting."

Do you live near Manafort's Carroll Gardens unit? Patch would love to hear from you.

Manafort has lobbied on behalf of pro-Russian politicians in Ukraine and was hired by the Trump campaign in March to make sure Trump secured the required delegates to win the GOP nomination. He was fired in August after The New York Times reported on a $12.7 million, off-the-books payment Manafort got from the pro-Russian political party.

Manafort is also reportedly under investigation by multiple U.S. intelligence agencies for contact with Moscow during the campaign.

It's unclear exactly why work stopped on his Carroll Gardens home.

Manafort secured the permit in 2013 to convert the home at an estimated cost of $527,900, according to city records.

On January 4, 2017, Manafort transferred the property from a holding company to his name. Days later, he and his wife, Katherine, took out more than $6 million in loans against the home, the records show, more than double what they paid for the unit.

A full work-stop order was issued on February 1 because of "applicant withdrawal."

A number listed for Manafort in city documents was disconnected when tried by Patch. Manafort told the New York Post that he has hired a new architect, who he expects “to complete construction by the end of the year.”

Image via Marc Torrence, Patch