New Memoir Revisits Manhattan's Last Brownstone Battle – and What It Cost One Family
NEW YORK, NY - November 12, 2025 - In his newly republished memoir, The Last Brownstone in Manhattan: A True Real Estate Nightmare with a Silver Lining, author Colin Rath recounts a dream that collapsed under the weight of fraud, bureaucracy, and financial hardship—and how his family ultimately found strength on the other side.
The book follows Colin Rath and his wife, Pam, who in the early 2000s purchased two adjoining brownstones on West 15th Street in Chelsea. Their ambitious plan: combine the properties into a “Green Dream” eco-luxury condominium, part family home and part development project.
What began with optimism soon devolved into years of setbacks: unfinished foundation work, prolonged rent-controlled tenant buyouts, and a maze of ever-changing city approvals.
"We really were among the last," Colin Rath writes. "Not just the last to buy a Chelsea brownstone for under seven figures, but perhaps the last ordinary family to attempt what we attempted in Manhattan real estate development."
The ordeal wasn’t only financial. A neighbor filed repeated complaints with the city, and a New York Times article titled "Not in My Front Yard" portrayed Rath as a symbol of unchecked gentrification. Public backlash—including threats—led to the project losing a major buyer.
Then came 2008. Credit markets collapsed, financing dried up, and the family faced foreclosure on both the project and their home. What could have been the end became a turning point. Through perseverance and unconventional legal maneuvering, the Raths secured ownership of their condo. More importantly, the experience reshaped their values: the family sold most of their possessions and set off on a sailing journey aboard their boat, Persevere.
Doug Elliott, who contributed the preface, calls it “a time capsule of a city in transition, and a reminder that sometimes losing everything is the only way to find out what you’re really made of.”
The Last Brownstone in Manhattan is more than a memoir of one failed project. It captures a disappearing New York, the moment before brownstones became the exclusive domain of global wealth, when ordinary families could still imagine carving out a place of their own.
The book is available now. A feature film adaptation, titled ALL IN, is also in development.
About the Author
Colin Rath is a writer, sailor, and former Manhattan real estate developer. His memoirs explore resilience, family, and the shifting nature of the American Dream.
Disclaimer: This press release summarizes the contents of The Last Brownstone in Manhattan, reflecting the personal experiences and perspectives of the author. It is not intended as an investigative report or independent verification of events.
Information contained on this page is provided by an independent third-party content provider. XPRMedia and this Site make no warranties or representations in connection therewith. If you are affiliated with this page and would like it removed please contact [email protected]
