Police caught Eric Rosa, 29, lurking in the backyard of the actor’s E. Sixth Street home near First Ave. about 12:30 a.m., allegedly trying to break in with the brick.
He destroyed the 19th-century home at 331 E. Sixth St. months after the city told him it was slated for landmark status ... The property had, in fact, been one of the oldest on the block. Schwimmer paid $4.1 million for the old house in 2010.
In 2011, the city’s Landmarks Preservation Commission sent him two notices stating that it could get landmark status by 2012. But Schwimmer razed the home in the fall of 2011, earning him the wrath of neighbors and preservationists.
As it turns out, Second Stage isn't the only place in New York where Mr. Schwimmer feels pressure to prove himself. He bought and in 2011 demolished a historic townhouse in the East Village, replacing it with a six-story mansion, angering preservationists. "Ross is not cool" was spray-painted on a construction board outside his home, photos of which went viral.
"I never responded. I haven't talked about it," Mr. Schwimmer said. "My plan is to demonstrate that we're good neighbors."
A recent crime-fighting assist might have aided his case. In May, security footage that he shared with detectives helped them catch the assailant in a stabbing that happened on his street. "I had it on three different cameras," Mr. Schwimmer said.
The East Village was the New York neighborhood that most closely resembled where his wife, Zoe Buckman, was raised in east London. "She fell in love with it when we were walking around," he said. "It's incredibly diverse economically, racially, culturally. We really hope that in time we'll just be accepted totally by everyone."
David Schwimmer’s Townhouse, East Village
This spring the scaffolding finally came down from around actor David Schwimmer’s East Village townhouse, which has outraged nearby residents for years. In 2011 he demolished the original structure, built in 1852 and considered the oldest townhouse on the block, before it could receive landmark status in 2012. What followed was years of construction, falling debris and angry notes from neighbors, include the graffiti, “Ross is not cool” scrawled on nearby plywood in August as a welcome note to the Friends actor, who played Ross on the hit show. The result: a totally bland brick facade on a six-story mansion with a rooftop terrace.
"There is a lot getting dropped onto the roof of the Schwimmer manse.
Trees and a huge silo shaped thing just landed. Yes, full-grown trees are being hoisted onto the roof.
@evgrieve possible schwimmer sighting on the roof of the schwimmer mcmanse
— terrence geary (@artisanmatters) April 6, 2013
