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The National Herald - March 31, 2007

Archbishop Iakovos’ House Contracted for Sale at $3M

By Theodore Kalmoukos

Special to The National Herald

BOSTON – A buyer has been found for the late Archbishop Iakovos’ home, which is now under contract for $3 million, according to Michael Jaharis, vice chairman of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America’s Archdiocesan Council.

Mr. Jaharis told the National Herald that the proceeds from the sale will be used to enhance programs and ministries of the Archdiocese.

Mr. Jaharis told the Herald, “There is a signed sale-and-purchase agreement on the house. The Executive Committee has decided not to accept less than $3 million.”

Asked what the Archdiocese will do with the proceeds from the sale, Mr. Jaharis said, “If I remember correctly, the Executive Committee has decided not to use the money to pay the debt, but to enhance special programs and ministries of the Archdiocese.”

When asked why the Executive Committee has agreed to sell the house, he said, “Why not?”

Janet Strifler, the realtor declined to verify the sale price. “It’s a beautiful house, but I am not allowed to tell you anything about the price before the final closing,” she said.

Speaking about the late Archbishop, Ms. Strifler also said, “I did not have the honor to meet him, but I know that he was loved very much by those who knew him well, and I am in contact with them.”

News about the sale, and that a buyer was found, had circulated during the Archdiocesan Council Executive Committee’s recent meeting on March 15.

The National Herald learned Archdiocese Administrator and Finance Director Jerry Dimitriou has proposed that part of the sale proceeds also be used to pay down the Archdiocese’s $7-plus million debt, but Archbishop Demetrios was quick to reject Mr. Dimitriou’s proposal, arguing that “they will eat us from the outside,” an apparent reference to strong opposition from some community members who are against the sale.

The property was placed on the market a year and a half ago, shortly after the death of Archbishop Iakovos, with a listing price of $4.5 million, but the price was reduced due to the drop in the real estate market over the past two years.

The decision to sell the house was made on October 29, 2005 during an Archdiocesan Council meeting in Boston. The decision was made by acclamation of the Archdiocesan Council. The Holy Eparchial Synod did not discuss the issue, at all.

The house is located in one of the most prime locations in Rye, New York near the Westchester Country Club. The house was built in 1929. It is a two-story building with a brick exterior. It has six bedrooms, four bathrooms, an oil-heating system and a three-car garage. It’s annual property taxes run up to approximately $30,000.

Iakovos intended for the house to be the official residence of the Greek Orthodox Archbishop of America, but Demetrios has refused to live in the house, arguing that the commute between Rye and the Archdiocese in Manhattan is too great. Demetrios declines to live neither in the apartment in the Archdiocese itself, nor in an apartment at the Archdiocesan Cathedral of the Holy Trinity’s Cathedral Tower, choosing instead an apartment the Archdiocese leases for him in Manhattan for more than $100,000 a year. Demetrios has been living in the leased apartment since he came from Greece seven and a half years ago.

Many among both the clergy and laity of the Archdiocese are wondering why virtually no one seems to know the location of his apartment except for some of his closest associates. Moreover, members of the Holy Eparchial Synod said they do not know Demetrios’ residential phone number and told the Herald that, even in an emergency, they do not know how to get in touch with the Archbishop after 5 PM.

In contrast, Iakovos’ residential phone number was known to many people, and in many instances, especially during morning hours, he was answering his phone himself. Iakovos also resided in the apartment within the Archdiocese his first 11 years as Archbishop. In 1971, he purchased the house on his own for $92,000. After 20 years, he sold the house to the Archdiocese for the same amount, although its value had jumped to more than $2 million.

When the Herald noted that it was Iakovos’ wish that the house be used as the Archbishop of America’s official residence, Mr. Jaharis said, “It was a house that Archbishop Iakovos had bought for himself. He was interesting in living in a particular golfing area in Westchester County. It was not for every Archbishop. It was his own house.”

Asked why Archbishop Demetrios does not want to live in the house, Mr. Jaharis said, “Why don’t you ask him? If he wanted it, he could have it.”

When asked why the Archdiocese is not buying another house instead of paying so much rent, Mr. Jaharis said, “Do you know how much apartments cost? I know that he (Archbishop Demetrios) wants to live near the Archdiocese.”

[ The National Herald - March 31, 2007 - p. 5 ]