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In August, ILTUWS received a tip from a resident of an Upper West Side building owned by one of New York City’s most notorious landlords–at least according to Public Advocate Jumaane D. Williams.
“Please note, David Tennenbaum owns the shell company at 325 West 77th Street. He has multiple citations and infractions, and tenants have attempted to take him to court. We have been without gas for six months with no compensation. Several elderly people have lived in the building for 20 to 30 years, but since it was sold in the last two and a half years, the consequences have been devastating. Maybe it was three and a half years ago.”
When we looked into the property at 325 West 77th Street on WhoOwnsWhat, records showed the 10-story, 48-unit building was sold on July 21, 2021, for $15,400,000, with David Tannenbaum and Zohar Levy listed as the landlords. Tannenbaum is currently ranked sixth on the Top 100 Worst Landlords Watchlist, compiled by the New York City Public Advocate. The seven buildings on Tannenbaum’s watchlist are all in the Bronx—an unflattering accolade that News 12 covered in May 2025.
Google Maps screenshot from July 2022
The 325 West 77th Street building, owned by Chestnut Holdings, currently has 54 open violations. The site, which updates monthly, shows the most common complaints over the last three years have been for heat and hot water (81), the buzzer intercom (22), and cooking gas (17). We also noticed a line item where the management company of the building replaced the front door, resulting in a landmark violation, with the gaps packed with cement. Landmark West confirmed the site was fined for the violation in 2024.
“They’ve started to replace the gas lines now, but up until this point, the gas has been out since December with no compensation—no rent remission or anything,” our tipster said during a phone call in August. They feared sharing their name, noting they had a rent-stabilized unit and didn’t want to lose their lease or be perceived as trouble by other landlords if they tried to rent elsewhere. They also mentioned they do not know who currently owns the building, as records list 325 W 77 LLC—a reference to the “shell company” mentioned in their initial email to ILTUWS. “Since the building changed hands, things have gone by the wayside.”
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ILTUWS visited 325 West 77th Street on multiple occasions in August and September to observe the work being done. The doorway had multiple signs posted detailing plumbing work, along with several work orders for masonry and waterproofing repairs. Another sign in the door states, “Status: Unsafe,” regarding the exterior walls of the building.
The heavy-duty sidewalk shed prompted our tipster to say, “So our scaffolding is like the shittiest looking one, of course, because it’s been up for three years,” as multiple buildings on the block are being worked on. Two Con Edison notices for gas being turned off due to a leak were also spotted, and a long dumpster was sitting outside as well.
On another visit, we spoke to a tenant who said they had been living in the building for over 20 years. When the building team came to work on their gas line, they caused some damage in the kitchen area, but the tenant was hesitant to provide more details because they are seeking compensation and didn’t want their dispute with management to go public. “It’s still not working,” they said regarding the gas line in their unit, though management did provide a hotplate for cooking. “I can’t make my Chicken l’Orange on that thing,” they added, glancing over their shoulder to see if anyone noticed us talking.
“I don’t think you’ll ever hear from them,” said our initial tipster. “They’re impossible to reach, which I think is like a strategy, because they set up this portal where we can reach out but all it takes is your email address, there’s no next step, they don’t communicate.” They referred to their outreach about building issues to management as a “black hole.”
On Tuesday, September 9, ILTUWS received an email from David Shorr of Denali Management Inc. Denali Management functions as the management arm for Chestnut Holdings, a real estate firm that acquires and manages properties. Denali oversees the day-to-day operations of Chestnut’s buildings.
The portfolio manager sent us this statement:
“We are almost done with the gas restoration project at 325 W 77th Street. 2 of the 5 lines already had gas restored with the 3rd line complete and waiting on Con Edison to issue the final turn-on authorization.
The Plumber has moved on to the remaining 2 lines in the building and expects one of them to be complete this week while they get started on the last. Final gas restoration will be dependent on both the Department of Buildings as well as Con Edison.
It’s an extensive job as we are re-piping the entire building with new gas lines for cooking.
Denali Management takes property maintenance very seriously and responds to all tenant requests and building issues in a timely manner.”
In a follow-up email, we shared the latest New York City HPD report, which shows several complaints through August and September, the bulk coming from the eighth floor (most notably unit 8A). This prompted David Shorr, the portfolio manager for Denali Management, with 325 West 77 under his purview, to give ILTUWS a call on Wednesday, September 10.
“[The gas] was shut off as a result of Con Edison work that was being done in the street. It has nothing to do with us,” said Shorr.
Shorr explained that when crews attempted to restore gas service, they discovered a leak somewhere in the building, which prevented the gas from being turned back on immediately. Denali Management promptly contacted plumbers and electricians to assess options. While electric service can sometimes be restored more quickly, the building’s tenants prefer gas stoves, and Shorr himself noted he doesn’t favor electric stoves. The management team ultimately decided to proceed with gas restoration.
The project has proven complex due to the age of the building, which is over 100 years old and features steel plates in floors and walls. Running new gas lines isn’t straightforward, as crews must navigate cinder block, concrete, and steel throughout the structure. According to Shorr, three of the five gas lines have been completed or are nearly finished. Two lines already have gas restored, with one awaiting final Con Edison authorization, while the remaining two are in progress. Restoration timelines remain uncertain because of potential unknowns inside the walls; Shorr emphasized it could take anywhere from two weeks to two months before the work is fully completed. Gaining access to people’s apartments to do the work can also cause delays, he told us.
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Shorr, who detailed they don’t usually speak to the press on these matters and didn’t want to get “too accusatory,” told ILTUWS he was under the impression there’s one tenant in the building who has been stirring up the laundry list of complaints. “I personally was in the building,” Shorr remarked. “I was thanked by one of my tenants there, who told me that they know there’s a troublemaker in the building and they could be on the 8th floor. “I don’t want to say, but obviously, if you look at the complaints, and [the 8th floor] seems to be submitting a lot of complaints, mostly around the restoration of their kitchen. “You can always find something, but for the most part, the tenants are happy here.” Shorr says the team feels good about the response, and they take all the complaints seriously, while respecting all of their tenants. Shorr also said, “Even if I didn’t like somebody, I am not allowed to not rent to them again. Not even possible.”
Shorr expressed frustration with what he called frivolous complaints, emphasizing the importance of tenants reporting legitimate issues through proper channels. “This is one of the things that I wish tenants would understand,” he said. “If you have a real complaint, let us know. Let the city know. We prefer if you let us know first. But if you’re just going to continue calling 311, and file complaints that are just frivolous, that just aren’t true, you’re actually just using up New York City resources. You’re using up our resources. You’re taking us away from actually responding to something that is a legitimate complaint. But unfortunately, we need to refer and look at every single complaint to confirm its veracity, and we’ve done that.”
A Denali Management contact page allows tenants to submit their email, topic, unit, and a description of their issues, along with uploading any relevant files.
Despite frustrations on both sides, Denali Management says they will continue to work on restoring services and addressing tenant complaints, while encouraging residents to report legitimate issues through the proper channels. Shorr noted that on a 100+ year-old building, it’s not uncommon for gas restoration to take a long time, with some projects lasting over two years. Timelines can vary depending on a building’s condition, and repairs for gas leaks can take days, months, or even years.
Shorr also addressed the open HPD violations in the building, noting that they are temporary. “Those violations are all going to come off once the gas is restored,” he said. “Within the next 30 to 60 days, we’re going to have a dismissal inspection, and all those violations are going to be removed by HPD.”
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