Herb Sukenik was a 73-year-old recluse living in the Mayflower Hotel when it was purchased by developers in 2004. Part of the job of the Zeckendorfs, the brothers who had purchased the property and several adjacent lots, was to buy out or relocate the residents of the top floors of the apartments. The leases of these tenants prevented them from being evicted, and their apartments had been rent-controlled for decades. There were four old men left.
One man was 98 years old and went to live with family in Mexico, taking a $1 million check from the Zeckendorfs with him. Two other men lived in their own apartments and were given similar checks in exchange for vacating their apartments. Finally, the Zeckendorfs got to Herb Sukenik. Herb, who held a master’s, Ph.D., and M.D. and never married, had lived in the building for nearly thirty years. His apartment was away from the rest of them, and he lived in seclusion, too intelligent to connect with others.
Sukenik refused the money. During his three decades at the Mayflower Hotel, he had spent most of his time in his tiny room. He was not well-liked by the staff or his fellow residents. Despite being entitled to maid service, he let the mold accumulate in his apartment and spent his days doing crossword puzzles in silence. He had worked as a school doctor from time to time, but he eventually retreated from society and spent his days in his apartment. The Zeckendorfs turned to their relocation attorney to help reach a deal with Sukenik.
The attorney engaged in negotiations with Sukenik, who did research into the acreage of the property, what the Zeckendorfs had paid, and what properties were worth at that point in time. His demand was simple, in his eyes: he wanted a new apartment with a view of the park. Sukenik found the rental of his dreams—2,200 square feet, two bedrooms, and right on Central Park South. He tried to add in other demands to the deal, like free meals twice a week at an acclaimed restaurant, but the Zeckendorfs refused.
Once the Zeckendorfs had purchased the condo for Sukenik to live in, he decided he wanted money, as well, despite having no need for it. The Zeckendorfs resisted and began construction on one half of the property. Sukenik maintained that the construction noise didn’t bother him, and that he actually liked listening to the noise. Finally, the Zeckendorfs caved. In addition to paying $2 million for the condo Sukenik wanted to live in, they paid him an additional sum, estimated at $17 million. It became the most expensive price ever paid to relocate one tenant in New York City.