Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Anti-Gentrification Ghosts Haunt Luxury Flatbush Development
By
Lauren Evans
Published May 19, 2015
Modified May 19, 2015
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 .
By
Lauren Evans
Published May 19, 2015
Modified May 19, 2015
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
123 On The Park, a high-end development situated at Prospect Park's southeastern edge, has all the amenities a luxury apartment seeker could ask for: A gaming lounge, a fitness center, bicycle storage, and the ghosts of at least several hundred tortured souls doomed to eternal unrest.
The building is the site of the former Caledonian Hospital, which opened in 1910 and shuttered in 2003, to considerable community disappointment. According to the Post, it was seized by the undead shortly thereafter, who enjoyed rent-free use of the facilities until 2014, when 123 On The Park opened its doors.
Understandably perturbed by the gentrification of their longtime home, the ghosts have organized to retaliate—according to the tabloid, at least three doormen have quit in the last six months, citing "eerie visions, sounds and even smells."
We tried to confirm the haunted smells today, though employees manning the door refused to allow us into the building's yoga room. The spectral rumors, they said, were actually started by neighbors concerned that the new high-end development would raise their own cost of living.
Other enterprising locals have tried to turn the alleged haunting into a bargaining chip: The front desk manager added that some prospective renters have attempted to negotiate rent breaks on the basis that the units already come equipped with dead former tenants, an inconvenience roughly on par with mice or shower mold.
Management denied any staff retention problems, adding that the only living entities on the property aside from paying tenants is a wall garden in the library.
With Joanna Purpich
Tagged
123 On The Park
flatbush
ghosts
original
Lauren Evans
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Mamdani launches new team to help NYers keep SNAP, Medicaid benefits
Nearly 1 million in the city risk losing benefits as a result of new federal restrictions.
By
Caroline Lewis
Published Oct 19, 2026 at 12:43 p.m. ET
Riders at 53rd St. station where man was fatally shot say they worry about gun violence
A 26-year-old died after being shot on the platform at the Midtown station. Commuters are rattled.
By
Ramsey Khalifeh
News
Riders at 53rd St. station where man was fatally shot say they worry about gun violence
A 26-year-old died after being shot on the platform at the Midtown station. Commuters are rattled.
By
Ramsey Khalifeh
These are the NYC neighborhoods that will get free 2-K next fall
By
Karen Yi
Early Addition: Get to know Wanda, the donkey in the Met's 'La Bohème'
By
James Ramsay
Eric Adams' NYC buildings boss Eric Ulrich heads to trial, 3 years after arrest
By
David Brand
and
Samantha Max
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 .