We Call it Home

We Call it Home

By Krystle J Bailey 

“All of the stars aligned for me to make the most poignant visual image of a building that it DID happen to on a building that it COULD happen to, across the street from a building that it IS happening to,” expressed Brooklyn artist, Dave, also known as Air Rat.  

Photo by Marc Berman

Hang on tight for this story ride! This summer, Dave found himself right in the middle of a perfect storyline of “history repeating itself” 25 years later in the form of an eminent domain case. The properties in play are in, of all places, the Monopoly inspired city of Atlantic CIty.

 

Originally from South Jersey, Dave is a career artist living in Brooklyn. With ties to Atlantic City, he was inspired by the 2017 48 Blocks Arts Celebration hosted by the AC Arts Foundation. Knowing that he wanted to participate in the 2018 celebration, Dave got to work thinking of an idea for a mural that would make a powerful statement. It was important that the art that he created in Atlantic City stood for something.

 

Dave recalled stories from Atlantic City past including Celestine Tate Harrington, the quadriplegic who played the keyboard with her tongue, the gentleman who plays the clarinet under the Caesar’s overpass, and one that he vividly remembered – the story of Vera Coking.

 

Vera Coking, as Dave recalled, was the woman that had a casino built around her house. Vera Coking was the woman who beat Donald Trump in an eminent domain case in the 1990’s. Coking fought against the big guns to maintain ownership of her family home on Columbia Place where she raised her three children.

 

Coking first put up her fists to protect what was rightfully hers in the 1980’s when Bob Guccione, the founder of Penthouse magazine, offered her $1 million for her property. After turning down his offer, Guccione proceeded to build a giant structure right next to her house, even taking possession of the air space above her house, which resulted in a looming metal structure over her property. Guccione’s vision went south and taking his place came Coking’s bigger opponent in this real life game of Monopoly: Donald Trump.

 

Trump posed no threat to Coking though, as she stood confident in her decision not to sell her property. As the 22-story Trump Plaza took over the skies outside of her windows, Coking planted firmly in her single standing white home down below.

 

In May 1994, Coking was offered $250,000 from the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority along with a threat to use the powers of eminent domain to take control of her property. Coking would have none of that. With the backing of The Institute for Justice Coking fought back against the CRDA allied with Trump and all of his money. Coking came out victorious. In Summer 1998, the Superior Court of New Jersey ruled that Trump and the CRDA were wrong and Coking would maintain ownership of her property. Coking, now in her 90s, lived in that home for another decade before ultimately moving to California in 2010 to be with relatives. Trump Plaza went out of business in 2014.

 

As Dave began to recall the details of the Vera Coking case, he knew that this would be his mural inspiration for 48 Blocks. The only question that remained was, “where would he paint?” With murals resurrecting throughout the city during the weekend arts celebration, he would have to claim a wall that he could make his mark on. In a buzzing city full of life and businesses, Dave was adamant about painting his mural on a single standing building.

 

He was not lying when he said the stars aligned in favor of the art. The series of events that happened after are what make this story fascinating. It just so happened that Dave’s father was visiting a friend in Atlantic City in January 2018. She had just moved into the 3rd floor apartment with her newborn baby.  Directly across the street stood a single standing building with a beautiful blank slate siding that would be perfect for Dave’s creation. Zach Katzen, program director for the AC Arts Foundation, allocated the wall for Dave.

 

“Dave had a vision of this piece from the start, even the location. He really is a true artist that is committed to his visions and doing what it takes to see them come to life.” says Zach Katzen.

 

For one week during summer 2018, one year after he decided to participate in the 48 Blocks Arts Celebration, Dave stayed with the same family friend while he brought his Vera Coking inspired mural to life. From the apartment where he was staying, he could get a Bird’s Eye View of the mural as it took form.

 

Dave took inspiration from images of The Veras Coking home found on the internet including the red camaro featured in the iconic image of her home taken in the early 1990’s. Recreated in his own “Air Rat” unique style, Dave created the beautiful mural that you now can find on Vermont Avenue in Atlantic City titled, “We Call It Home.”

 

In a set of circumstances that could not have been planned if he had tried, during his stay on Oriental Ave, Dave learned that he was staying in the home that is facing an eminent domain case as we speak, hence the opening quote.

The three story home, owned by Charles Birnbaum, the legendary Atlantic City Piano Man, is facing near exact circumstances as The Vera Coking home 25 years ago. Birnbaum is being represented by the same firm that fought for Vera Coking, The Institute for Justice.

 

With the opening of Revel Casino in 2012, Charles Birnbaum received notice that the CRDA was planning to take ownership of his property under eminent domain law. Birnbaum, who has built memories in this home for nearly 50 years, marched right up to the next CRDA meeting and held up a photo of his home. He stood before the CEO’s that make up the CRDA and stated, “I’m Charles Birnbaum. I am the owner of this building that you want to take from me. I’m the guy who has tuned your pianos in all of your casinos and kept your shows going for over 35 years. I’ve been able to do it well because I have this property to call my home base. This is what you’re taking away from me.”

 

Birnbaum felt he had a strong case in the matter and reached out to the Institute for Justice, which agreed to represent him Pro Bono. To Birnbaum, that was like hitting the lottery.

 

“Thousands of people lose their homes under eminent domain all the time because nobody can afford to fight for it. Lives are shattered because they don’t have the money. Win or lose, having the Institute for Justice fight for me meant everything.” shared Birnbaum with Shore Local News.

 

This house on Oriental Avenue isn’t just an empty building to Birnbaum. It’s where his life began after he was given a second chance at making life count. His parents bought the home in 1969 after a lifetime of tragedy. They were both Holocaust survivors having fled to the United States. After losing the only apartment building that they could find in Philadelphia that would allow them to practice the piano, Charles’ mom suffered severe depression. Not long after, Charles attempted suicide in his junior year of college. Their life felt hopeless until they decided one day to visit Atlantic City and begin again.

 

Charles and his father found their perfect home – something that they could finally call their own in the United States. It was that year that the Birnbaum family began to thrive and find their new lease on life. The home offered refuge to the Birnbaum family for decades and continues to serve as a space of safety, connection, and rest for Charles and the families who rent the upstairs apartments.

 

Birnbaum isn’t going down without a fight against the CRDA. Since 2012, there have been numerous court hearings between Birnbaum and the CRDA. In November 2014, the first ruling stated that the CRDA could have access to the property and in 30 days, the house would be destroyed. Immediately after, the Institute for Justice appealed the ruling, resulting in a 9 month stretch without any action being taken on the property. In early 2015, the judge denied the CRDA rights to the property unless they could prove what their plans were for the vacant lot.

 

In 2016, after another hearing, it was ruled that what the state and CRDA were trying to do was a manifest abuse of eminent domain. The following month, the CRDA appealed this ruling and just this past week oral hearings between Birnbaum’s team and the CRDA were held at appellate court in New Jersey. It will be another six months or so before we find out the outcome of this story.

 

“Working on this building is my therapy. It’s being close to my family legacy. The more I work on this building, the more respect I have for what was built here. This is the place that survived the storm of 1944, the storm of 1962, Hurricane Sandy, and storms that have decimated other properties. This building has a right to exist. It embodies a spirit of its own.” – Charles Birnbaum.

 

Vera Coking, Charles Birnbaum, and countless others take great pride in calling Atlantic City home. The CRDA holds great interest in the betterment of Atlantic City and does a world of good for the redevelopment of the city including investment in housing and neighborhood development. Unfortunately stories like these and the people connected to these stories find themselves caught in the crossfire.

 

The AC Arts Foundation is in place to provide a platform for artists to express themselves on canvases small and large throughout Atlantic City. In using his creative expression, Air Rat found himself with a unique opportunity to share the past, present, and future of a battle plaguing many community members living in evolving cities.

 

Atlantic City is full of rich history and no matter how the Birnbaum story continues to unfold, Coking, Dave, and Birnbaum have certainly left their marks on Atlantic City in ways that they can all take pride in.

Vera Coking, Charles Birnbaum, and countless others take great pride in calling Atlantic City home. The CRDA holds great interest in the betterment of Atlantic City and does a world of good for the redevelopment of the city including investment in housing and neighborhood development. Unfortunately stories like these and the people connected to these stories find themselves caught in the crossfire.

The AC Arts Foundation is in place to provide a platform for artists to express themselves on canvases small and large throughout Atlantic City. In using his creative expression, Air Rat found himself with a unique opportunity to share the past, present, and future of a battle plaguing many community members living in evolving cities.

Atlantic City is full of rich history and no matter how the Birnbaum story continues to unfold, Coking, Dave, and Birnbaum have certainly left their marks on Atlantic City in ways that they can all take pride in.

Follow Air Rat’s art on Instagram @Air_Rat.
Connect with the AC Arts foundation at AtlanticCityArtsFoundation.org.

 

 

 

 

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