This building located on 1025 Atlantic Avenue, bookends Classon and Atlantic Avenues at the northeastern-most intersection.

Not too many years ago, it was a forgotten low-rise hulk.  There was a tall  marquee of Sherita the cat beckoning landlords to purchase fuel because “the price is right!”

Now as part of one of the fastest gentrifying areas of New York City, 1025 stands out as highly desirable and visible prime property, and Sherita is fading fast.

Roger Leveille Jr. rents space at the 1025 Atlantic Avenue location for his R and R Auto Works and Collision. He rents from Robert Thomas, a man who was formerly a tenant of 1025, then owned by Mr. Roger Leveille Sr.

When Roger Jr. learned of the plight of Rita Gray, who is fighting to regain the 5,000 square corner building on Fulton at the Bedford/Fulton intersection, he called Our Time Press.  The circumstances of his father, he says, are similar to Ms. Gray’s.  He goes no further than that, but will say that his father never signed a document that eventually would give property rights to Mr. Thomas..

Roger Jr. is urging property owners to keep vigilant so that others may not have such a huge corner on the market.  Senior died several years after his property was taken away maintaining to the end that he had never signed anything over to anyone.

Roger is  in court on a separate real estate matter with landlord Thomas, the same person who reportedly also owns Ms. Gray’s property.  But in the case of Roger Jr., it is about Mr. Thomas resisting signing a lease for Mr. Leveille — for a portion of the space in the property where the auto body specialist first apprenticed with his dad.

More to come.