Scranton can legally demolish 'castle house;' officials hope for sale

Scranton can legally proceed with demolition of the unique yet long-vacant “castle house” in Green Ridge, but officials are holding off as a real estate agent attempts to sell it.

Lackawanna County Judge James Gibbons upheld in July a city demolition order for the structure at 1021 Richmont St., but gave the man responsible for the property, Yury Abdurakhmanov, nine months to rehabilitate it and obtain a certificate of occupancy.

It marked the latest legal development in a decadelong saga involving the “castle house,” which earned that nickname for its distinctive cone-capped turret. Scranton condemned the structure in 2013 and issued a demolition order in 2015, prompting appeals, stays and delays that frustrated some nearby homeowners fed up with the property’s condition.

The nine-month window Gibbons gave Abdurakhmanov to rehabilitate the house and secure an occupancy certificate closed in April, allowing the city to “legally move forward with demolition at any time,” assistant city solicitor Mariclare Hayes confirmed in an email.

But Hayes also noted that the property is listed for sale and said the realtor working to sell it, Michael Rollin of Nisk Real Estate, reported interest among potential buyers.

“Although the city can now take action, we remain hopeful that the property will be sold soon through the current realtor and that it will be rehabbed and stay on the city’s tax rolls rather than taken down,” Hayes wrote.

Reached last week, Rollin said he’s shown the property about 20 times, with some people interested in it as a single-family home and others interested in the potential of converting it back to a multi-family dwelling.

But the demolition order remains a source of concern among potential buyers “wary if they were to buy the property that the city would still go ahead with the demolition,” Rollin said.

He also said he’s waiting for a letter from the city explaining to would-be buyers that the “castle house” won’t be razed as long as they go through the proper process to bring it out of condemnation and show that they’re making progress on improvements.

Abdurakhmanov, meanwhile, sought but wasn’t granted a permit for a minor roof repair that would make the property more attractive to potential buyers, according to the realtor. City Business Administrator Eileen Cipriani said Friday that Abdurakhmanov has yet to file a release from condemnation form and post a $10,000 bond, both of which the city requires before issuing the permit for the roof project.

Abdurakhmanov declined comment.

His sister, the late Russian artist Elena Nikolaevna Flerova, bought the “castle house” in 2002 but never lived there. In fighting to save the house since the city issued the original demolition order in 2015, Abdurakhmanov has long maintained that it’s beautiful, historic and structurally sound.

Neighbors and officials who testified before Scranton’s housing appeals board painted a different picture, describing the property as an eyesore, nuisance and potential safety hazard. One of those neighbors, Robert McKeon, was particularly frustrated with the state of the rear of the property that’s visible from his yard.

He described overgrown vegetation, broken and boarded up windows, wild animals and other issues when testifying before the board in July 2022.

“It’s nine years now since this began,” McKeon said Friday. “Nothing’s going to change, I don’t think.”