11. The Ansonia became a popular home to fortune tellers, mediums and psychics in the 1970s

Jake Starr was so bitter about The Ansonia, his will specified that the money in his trust was not to be used for upkeep at The Ansonia. The building itself, with is myriad problems, was left to Starr’s grandchildren who eagerly hoped to get rid of it. During this time, The Ansonia became filled with bohemians of a different sort than the past: fortune tellers, psychic and mediums. On Sundays, “quasi-religious” services were held, sometimes to summon up dead celebrities.

12. It took $21 million to renovate the Ansonia from its near abandoned state

In a labor of love, Jesse Krasnow and a group of 21 investors finally bought The Ansonia. It took $21 million to get the place up to standards, including $1 million to get rid of Plato’s Retreat. With decades of litigation with tenants, buyouts and more, Krasnow says he’s put in more than $100 million into the building.

Next, check out top 10 secrets of another turn-of-the-century architectural wonder, The Woolworth Building.