Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Flashback: The Collyer Brothers, NY's Famous Hoarders
By
Jen Carlson
Published Aug 26, 2010
Modified Aug 26, 2010
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
View all 5
By
Jen Carlson
Published Aug 26, 2010
Modified Aug 26, 2010
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
How many "Collyer Mansion" situations do you think we have going on in the five boroughs? Today the NY Times profiles one 54-year-old Bronx man, who has been hoarding forever. The paper visited his packed pad, where he requested to remain anonymous "for fear of public shame." His 500-square-foot apartment in Bedford Park did get visually documented, however, as it's in the process of being organized by a local service specializing in hoarding cases. Hurrah! Now, let's take a look back at the famous Collyer brothers—who often get mentioned in news stories like this.
Brothers Homer and Langley Collyer were not only hoarders, but hermits living together in Harlem (at 2078 Fifth Avenue). The two were found dead in 1947, surrounded by everything from stacks of newspapers to a horse-drawn carriage! According to the NY Sun, they amassed over 130 tons of waste by the time of their deaths—which was well-documented by photographers at the time. One reporter said the smell was like "a punch to the face by a chain-mail fist."
Their bodies were discovered on March 21st and April 8th of 1947; Langley—whose decomposed body was found being eaten by rats—was allegedly trying to crawl "through their newspaper tunnel to bring food to his paralyzed brother when one of his own booby traps fell down and crushed him." Homer died shortly thereafter from "malnutrition, dehydration, and cardiac arrest." They are both buried at Cypress Hills Cemetery in Brooklyn.
Tagged
Collyer Brothers
Collyer Mansion
flashback
hoarders
hoarding
Jen Carlson
Jen Carlson is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Central Park birders, others remember 63-year-old woman killed in park
People who said they knew her described her as an artist and a familiar presence in the Ramble.
By
Charles Lane
Published Sep 28, 2026 at 7:04 p.m. ET
Dump truck driver hits and kills cyclist on 34th Street in Midtown, NYPD says
It's the latest in a string of hit-and-run deaths in the city in recent months.
By
Liam Quigley
News
Dump truck driver hits and kills cyclist on 34th Street in Midtown, NYPD says
It's the latest in a string of hit-and-run deaths in the city in recent months.
By
Liam Quigley
New ingredient mandated for Latin American kitchen, restaurant plates in NJ
By
Arya Sundaram
A Brooklyn jail cell filled with smoke. The emergency button failed, a lawyer said.
By
Samantha Max
Crews launch tunnel machines to dig first new Hudson River rail tunnels since 1910
By
Michael Sol Warren
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .