An actress paid what was possibly the cheapest rent for a New York City apartment — $28.43 — until her death in March.
The $28.43 New York City rent that was paid by late actress Patricia O'Grady will be going up by $4,960, with change, following her recent death.
The 84-year-old woman was renting possibly the cheapest unit in Greenwich Village until she was fatally struck by a car near her home in March, the New York Post reported.
O'Grady had been living in the top floor apartment since 1955, when she and three roommates moved in, paying a discounted rental fee of $16 a month in exchange for sweeping out the hallway.
The girls, all aspiring actresses, slowly built the flat up by installing modest amenities but when her roommates moved out, O'Grady chose to stay.
She has lived there for all these years.
When the building was bought by Adam Pomerantz in 2002, O'Grady was paying $26.45 per month for rent, but using a rent-control-formula worksheet, he upped the rent by $1.98.
So how does this fare with other rental fees in New York City?
In a report last year, CNBC noted that the average New Yorker could fork out about $3,680 for a one-bedroom apartment.
The data was obtained by listing service RentCafe, which analyzed the monthly rental costs in the top 30 financial centers across the world.
There is little surprise that New York was listed as the most expensive city to live in, making O'Grady's situation that much more enviable, however, it was not luxury living.
According to The New York Post, the apartment was possibly the last remaining cold-water flat, with no heat or hot water to enjoy, although there were two working fireplaces.
There was no bath or shower, one single gas light bulb and the pull-chain toilet and cast-iron stove were updated only recently.
This suited O'Grady just fine.
Pomerantz said he attempted to install proper heat and other amenities but his elderly tenant would have none of it, instead pleading for him to leave the apartment as it was.
However, now that O'Grady has passed away, Pomerantz said he intends to renovate the apartment and rent it out as a two-bedroom somewhere in the $5,000 range.
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