Posted to Communal Matters, Crown Heights News on

After 60 Years, Lubavitch Returns to Albany Manor

A small, unassuming building that has played a significant role in the early history of Lubavitch in Crown Heights was recently purchased by a member of the community, who intends to build affordable housing for large families on the property.

The building, 585 Albany Ave. on the corner of Rutland St., is home to the Albany Manor, which hosted five of the Rebbe’s farbrengens in the mid 1950s, during a time when the original 770 building could no longer accommodate the crowds who would flock to the Rebbe’s farbrengens, but the expansion into the neighboring building’s basement had not yet begun.

The Rebbe led five farbrengens in Albany Manor in the years 1954-56, and many Lubavitcher couples were married there as well. The raised platform where the Rebbe sat at these historic Farbrengens is still there in the hall (see photos below).

The building and its 10,000 square foot lot were recently bought by Crown Heights community member Rabbi Dovid Fisher, who told CrownHeights.info that he intends to build housing that will cater to the needs of the Jewish community.

Rabbi Fisher and a few of his colleagues held an impromptu Farbrengen in the hall where the Rebbe hosted those Farbrengens so many years ago, to mark this special occasion.

“The Rebbe always expressed his desire to make places [in crown heights] for people to live,” Rabbi Fisher told CrownHeights.info, “he even tied the safety of Eretz Yisroel with the safety and well-being of the neighborhood.”

“This is what the Rebbe wanted, and that we can today effect the will of the Rebbe, and also in a place where the Rebbe held farbrengens, is an amazing thing,” he said.

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21 Comments

  • Resident

    Shame in the satmars for destroying our neighborhood.our newly married couples live in bad condition if they can’t find an apartment.if only dovid fisher had more…the only landlord that cares about the future of crown heights.wake up, the other landlords are bringing hipsters in central crown heights

    • Fisherist

      Stop blaming everyone else. Shame on our leaders from driving fisher from ch. from using the community council to enrich themselves

    • not just satmars...

      unfortunately its mostly our own greedy fellow community members that play a bigger part in this corruption…

  • f.c.

    b’h

    Kol hakavod!
    May R’ Dovid go from strength to strength in his exemplary service to our community and chessed in general, in good health and increased vigor b’gur. May he enjoy much success and serve as an example to all.
    We are happy to recognize and appreciate the tremendous work R’ Dovid continues to do in the Rebbe’s sh’chuna.

  • Ch

    Can he please make appartments with at least 6 or 7 bedrooms, and large kitchen and living room like befitting for frum families.

  • Shlome

    Non of Fishers condos are affordable. He charges whatever he can get, like all else involved in the community council.

    • realist

      Brooklyn is one of the most expensive areas in the country/ world to live in. That the fact, his buildings are very high quality and build to last. That comes at a price as well. No one is forcing anyone to live here, it’s just a fact that it’s very expensive place and not everyone makes the income to afford to buy here. Nothing personal, it’s just the reality. You can’t expect him or anyone else to sell unreasonably cheap just becasue it’s a jewish neighborhood. Also, he could get much more if he sells to outsiders, but doesnt and that speaks louder than words.

  • Please explain

    How do you define “affordable”? Most large families will never be able to buy. Will you rent these apartments? Will they be big, or will you squash in as many apts as you can in the space you’ve got?

    signed a former Fisher renter

  • looking forward

    how can we interpret “affordable housing”

    please let us know.

    I would love to see my children live in something decent and be respectable.

  • redemption

    Another idea is for some type of organization to help families buy into a house of coop together at market value. Help not so much with paying for it but for arranging it and the funding for initial costs to get in in the first place, that should be paid back, at least mostly. CH needs this type of thing to continue…

  • Haim

    I’m not a fan of Dovid but one thing I can tell you even if he did something not to good in the past ,now he did tshuva and u can tell from he’s behavior on a day to day live basis helping young married couples the amount of tzedoko that he give is not to believe in Israel tomchei tmimim etc ,And private people much more then Popack and others it’s about time u all recognize that he is a true hosid ,may you have arichus yomim veshonim toives nahas from your children ad bias moshiach

  • duvid fisher

    doesnt look that big a property and whats dovid portifolio worth , he can easily support the mosdos almost single handidlly u mention satmar anyone in satmar with that kind of real estate is pumping millions a year into the kehilla

  • Fisher's buddy

    Fisher’s apartments building are very nice, high end and a pleasure to live in. That kind of building costs money to build and maintain. Junky building fall apart and are not fun to live in after 10-20 years of going up. Ask anyone who’s live in one of those places and thery’ll tell you the same thing. He’s a great builder and quality comes at a price. He deserves to make money like anyone else in this world. But yes, Brooklyn is very very very expensive and there is nothing that can be done about that. However, don;t be dismayed, there are plenty of nice houses in places also within an hour from NYC that many lubavs who have pulled their heads out of the sand of come realize, have bought and are living under a roof of their own that they can pass to their children.

    • monsey resident

      monsey area is always a great option
      you will get allot moire house for what you spend in CH

  • Aharon Goldstein

    concerning the years the Rebbe farbrengend at the Albany manor, to best of my memory it was at least Purim 5718 (1958), Purim 5719 (1959), and yud shvat 5720 ( 1960), and possible many more times.

  • monsey

    Monsey is very expensive too these days! its gone up so much in the last few years! the Yidden are putting the prices up by outbidding the others!!!

    y