Ross Finocchio (Patrick McMullan)

This art history professor might be a little too interested in the female form.

Medieval Art expert and NYU professor Ross Finocchio, 34, was arrested for spying on two women, ages 26 and 28, in the dressing rooms of Beacon’s Closet, a West Village boutique. He is accused of hiding his iPhone in his shoe and then not-so-subtly sliding it into the neighboring change room.

“I told the store manager that I saw him put something under the door but I didn’t see what it was,” his alleged victim, a 26-year-old woman, said to The Post.

The woman notified the store’s manager, Stephanie Williams, before the pair  watched as Mr. Finocchio started creeping on another customer, the women said.

“I knocked [on Mr. Finoochio’s dressing room door] and said, ‘You have to come out right now,'” Ms. Williams said.

Ms. Williams thoughtfully snapped a photo of Mr. Finocchio as he emerged from the dressing room; as you can see from the photo, Mr. Finocchio was reportedly “sweating profusely.” As Ms. Williams led the perspiring professor to the front of the store, a co-worker called the cops.

Mr. Finocchio claimed he was  “recording myself for a project” and unsurprisingly, nobody bought it. Mr. Finocchio was charged with unlawful surveillance, a felony, and reportedly admitted to making the recordings.

“Until this matter is cleared up, he will not be assigned to any duties that involves contact with students,” said an NYU spokesman. Hear that, art history majors? Exams are cancelled! Just kidding, probably.

The courtyard at Westbeth.

The sun was setting when we arrived at Westbeth, and as soon as we entered the labyrinthine corridors of the artists’ housing complex, we found ourselves dreaming about living here, in what a friend described as “a Hotel Chelsea that never dies.”

As far as impossible dreams go, gaining residence in the rent-stabilized complex, which sprawls across an entire city block in the West Village and offers studios with rent that starts around $600 a month, is one of the most heart-wrenching. The waiting list is not only seven to 10 years long but has been closed since 2007. (As if the rent weren’t appealing enough, Richard Meier was the architect who oversaw the building’s 1970 factory conversion.)

But at least visitors got a peek on a recent Friday evening, when residents in 20 of the complex’s 383 apartments opened their doors for the PEN World Voices Festival’s “Literary Safari”—a somewhat surreal pairing of the literary and the domestic. 

Ms. Obreht reads in one of the Westbeth apartments.

In event organizer George Cominske’s spacious studio on the 11th floor, which had painfully pretty views of the Hudson, we encountered a writer who seemed just as, if not more, charmed by the cozy setup as The Observer was.

“This is a very disorienting experience, but it’s very cool,” declared novelist Téa Obreht as she turned to face a group of attendees perched on the sleeping platform overlooking the living room. The crowd’s eyes stopped roaming as Ms. Obreht, named by The New Yorker as one of the 20 best American fiction writers under 40, began to read from her first novel, The Tiger’s Wife. 

(Though she published the book at the enviably young age of 26, Ms. Obreht’s literary career has not been without a few hiccups—three other books with “tiger” in the title came out the same year as hers, leading to constant confusion, particularly between her and the “tiger mom.” “People would be like, ‘Oh, you’re that cruel lady,’ and I was like, ‘No, no, I’m the other one,’” Ms. Obreht recounted.)

Czech novelist Michal Ajvaz reads from one of his books.

When she had finished, Ms. Obreht reflected on the importance of one’s setting to the creative process, explaining how her novel had grown out of a National Geographic binge brought on by feeling “terribly depressed” by the snow and the cold in Ithaca.

“It turns out my writing environment affects me tremendously. I moved to New York eight months ago and I haven’t written a word since,” Ms. Obreht said, then looked around in faux panic. “My editor’s not here, is he?”

Unnerved by the thought that her editor, or any editor, might be in the room (they seem to have a sixth sense when it comes to neglected stories and looming deadlines), The Observer retreated to the halls, where we found photographer Beowulf Sheehan. Mr. Sheehan recommended the ninth-floor apartment of collage artist Joan Hall. He didn’t remember who was reading there (it was novelist John Kenney), but he knew that it was the loveliest apartment he’d seen in the building.

And Ms. Hall’s apartment was indeed stunning, with huge, south-facing windows, comfortable-looking pillows scattered across the floor and art on every surface.

Novelist John Kenney speaks with an attendee in Joan Hall's apartment.

“I got in early—1971. It was a blessing, the best thing that’s ever happened to me,” Ms. Hall said. “It’s like being on a grant forever.”

Indeed, all the residents we spoke with said that they’d never be able to live in the neighborhood without Westbeth—Superior Ink, a condo where an apartment set a downtown record when it sold for $31.5 million in 2010, is across the street. Ms. Hall referred to Westbeth as “a naturalized senior citizen community. The idea in the beginning is that you would become successful and leave, but people never moved on.”

The complex does welcome new residents on occasion. Like Ken Aptekar and Eunice Lipton, who moved in just two months ago after 14 years on the waiting list. Eager to settle into the community, the couple had readily agreed to host literature fans and Czech novelist Michal Ajvaz in their first-floor apartment, which looks out onto the river, but also, at eye level, the cars zooming by on the West Side highway.

“It feels like a very distant thing, very unobtainable, as an international student,” said one of the event volunteers, Chuck Kuan, whom we found hauling around a sketchpad and pencils. “This seems like a dream come true—to be an artist in this residence.”

Buyers with a little more girth might need a bit of retouching to squeeze into this 15 footer.

Master photo retoucher Pascal Dangin might make his living zapping the life-sustaining fat off of models and actresses, but it looks like he's going to make his fortune in real estate.

Mr. Dangin bought a three-story townhouse in the West Village for $5.8 million in October 2007, right as the housing market was beginning to take a turn for the worse. After a starchitect renovation and a few years waiting for the market to return, he's now cashing out: Mr. Dangin just sold 281 West Fourth Street to the not-so-staidly-named Crazy Snack 05, LLC for a healthy $9.55 million, according to city records (maybe someone had already snagged 281 West Fourth Street LLC?).

The townhouse, which sits near the corner of West Fourth and West 11th Streets, where the space-time continuum (or at least the Manhattan street grid) collapses in on itself, includes a planted roof deck and cellar—with two dryers by the looks of the listing photos, which makes us wonder if Mr. Dangin didn't go a little overboard with the clone tool.

The house started out asking $9.75 million, which was at one point reduced to $9.6 million before eventually selling for $50,000 shy of that price. Abigail Agranat and Andrew Darwin of Douglas Elliman had the listing.

While it contains 2,720 square feet of space and three bedrooms, the home is a bit narrow—city records give the lot width as a hair over 17 feet, and the floorplans show that the interiors are only 15 feet wide. Given the lack of closet space (the two bedrooms on the second floor have none), we wouldn't recommend it for a family (no word on whether there are any little Crazy Snack 05s in the picture).

That said, the Corsica-born photo retouching maestro probably didn't need to Photoshop the listing images to make the place sell—the house was recently given an Annabelle Selldorf gut renovation, complete with a large wood and steel spiral staircase and "antique slab stone floors imported from France." (Which raises the question: isn't all stone "antique"? We weren't aware that they were making it any more!) The interiors are decked out in classical style, although the house doesn't appear to have any of its original touches—which we can forgive, given that the house dates to 1869, back in the days when Photoshop was still in beta.

When trendy, chic restaurants can no longer afford to stay in Soho, who can?

The say that New York is not the city it once was is a statement so obvious and oft-repeated that it is all but meaningless. And yet, even for the blasé, who view negative neighborhood change as a losing battle, there are occasionally startling changes, changes that suggest the city has reached an altogether different stage in its gentrification and development.

Like the impending closure of a hip Soho hot spot that has consistently studded its small, intimate tables with celebrities over its 20-year run. And, less than a mile away in the West Village, the opening of a juice bar.

Boom, at 152 Spring Street, is going out of business after Hurricane Sandy flooded the basement kitchen, causing some $100,000 worth of damage. But the real reason is that Soho has turned a corner when it comes to gentrification. The trendy eatery, once a symbol of how much Soho had changed from the gritty, industrial district it once was, cannot afford to rebuild and pay the $150,000-a-month rent.

“The rents are just ridiculous. It has become really hard for smaller restaurants and shops to survive when big luxury brands want flagships in Soho, the Chanels and Louis Vuittons of the world, even though there are never people in those stores,” former Boom partner Rocco Ancarola told the Post. “It’s just too costly to fix things up from the hurricane and fight the high rents.”

It's enough to make a person nostalgic for the earlier waves of gentrification that washed over the neighborhood.

Meanwhile, in the West Village, Elixir Juice Bar is opening its only storefront at 434 Avenue of the Americas between West Ninth and West 10th Streets, Crain's reports. Specializing in juice cleanses, Elixir has outposts in 10 Equinox gyms around the city, but this was apparently not enough to sate New Yorkers' cravings for juice and/or the dubious health benefits of juice cleanses. It will replace a lo-cal dessert shop. We're not sure if that's an improvement or not, but not all hope is lost: an Elixir at 532 Hudson Street closed down earlier, despite offering occasional specials like $5 smoothies. Maybe not all hope is lost?

kvelsey@observer.com

Signage will be something artsy, painted, but not graffiti style paint. Classy style paint.

It can be hard to pinpoint the moment when a neighborhood passes from one phase of gentrification to the next—was it the wine bar that opened on the corner, the coffee shop that only served espresso, the French language pre-school? But the West Village, whose change has been a source of constant hand wringing for at least the last two decades, has undoubtedly crossed a new threshold: the gentrification of even the XXX establishments.

The Villager reports that the new owner of a seedy 24-hour adult video store at Clarkson and West Streets is looking to revamp the space into a high-end topless bar for an upscale audience. The new place will reportedly be "classy." Or at least way classier than a XXX video store with a naked dancer on duty in the back. In fact, the owner is so serious about turning the space into a sophisticated establishment for gentlemen (and are not all men who visit such establishments gentlemen?) that he has ended the naked lady's gyrations.

The club would, for example, have a $20 cover charge and a dress code. The dancers would be topless, not totally nude, in compliance with New York's liquor license requirements, which prohibit alcohol consumption in the presence of fully nude dancers.

And while the club would have a stripper pole, the owner stressed to The Villager that it would be a "satellite pole" off in a corner, not on the main stage. And lap dances would be done 3 feet away from patrons, with no groping allowed.

Even classier? The sign's name—Platinum—which would not be lit up on one of those trashy illuminated signs, but painted “in a classy way, not in a graffiti way—an artisty way,” he told The Villager.

What's next? Burlesque? Cabaret-style topless performances that can taken in while sipping signature cocktails? It hasn't come to that yet, thank god. If the owner is stymied from opening his tasteful topless bar, he says he's going to open a fully nude dance club.

kvelsey@observer.com

The deal went down in a very hush-hush manner, as the townhouse at 763 Greenwich Street was already in contract when the listing, held by Corcoran brokers Meris and Kenny Blumstein (sharing a name and the commission—how sweet!), hit the market. We suppose the Steven Gambrel's interiors really did make the five story, five-bedroom, 5.5-bathroom townhouse look as pristine as the listing boasts (Mr. Sutherland did a gut renovation on the place in 2009). Still, there can be no comparison between the awesomeness of this house and the beautiful vampire cave that Mr. Sutherland and his crew occupied in Lost Boys.

As for those pristine interiors? Befitting a man who once left acting to ride the rodeo circuit, the home has somewhat masculine touches like the outdoor shower and leather furniture that flanks the home's many fireplaces. But for those days when the rough and tumble life becomes too much, the place also has a multitude of modern comforts—an elevator, for instance, as well as a sauna and a roof deck.

Mr. Sutherland purchased and sold the home through the Dave T. Douglas Trust, naming Howard Altman as trustee. And it appears that the buyer is just as press shy as Mr. Sutherland, purchasing the home through 763 Greenwich, an LLC named after, and registered to, the home's address. Let's see... what celebrities love buying Village townhouses? Could it be Sarah Jessica Parker?

Looking for a love nest to share with LiLo?

It looks like Lindsay Lohan may not need to camp out at her assistant's Tribeca apartment forever. Which is great news, as couch surfing can grow old, even for someone like LiLo, accustomed to crashing everywhere from club banquettes to L.A. county lock-up.

Ms. Lohan's portraitist and rumored lover Domingo Zapata is reportedly checking out townhouses in the West Village, according to The Real Deal, who spotted a tweet from NestSeekers broker Ryan Serhant announcing that he was taking the Spanish artist to view a townhouse on Downing Street.

Alas, Mr. Serhant, after the twitter declaration, apparently played coy when The Real Deal pressed for more details.

Perhaps Mr. Zapata is hoping that an attractive abode will encourage Ms. Lohan to spend more time indoors after last week's unfortunate hit-and-run incident, during which she allegedly hit a pedestrian while behind the wheel of Mr. Zapata's Porsche?

The relationship between Ms. Lohan and Mr. Zapata remains unclear, but besides the fact that the two were seen leaving the Bowery Hotel together last week (Mr. Zapata is said to make his hom there whilst in New York), we'd guess that only love could compel a man to lend his Porsche to a woman with Ms. Lohan's driving record.

Certainly, Mr. Zapata might be hesitant to hand over the keys of a new house to LiLo, but staying with Mr. Zapata would certainly be a win for Ms. Lohnan. At least, not having to cover rent should help Ms. Lohan pay off her $46,000 bill at Chateau Marmont?

kvelsey@observer.com

Once 79 Horatio started selling, it was hard to stop.

It seems that the proclivities of the late real estate hoarder William Gottlieb did not attach to his property at 79 Horatio Street. In just a few years, the West Village tenement house has been listed twice (thrice if you count a brief marketplace hiatus preceding a re-listing this July).

But we suppose that Gottlieb, who died in 1999, was onto something with his inflexible "buy and hold" approach to property acquisition and management. In just a two years, the vacant multi-family property nearly doubled its price and is now asking an audacious $12.5 million. It's only a matter of time before it makes its post-renovation debut for $24 million, an outcome that Halstead listing broker Barbara Godson sees as more than likely.

"The house next door is on the market for $20 million," she told The Observer. "I think once converted to a single-family, this house would be worth more than $2o million."

In 2008 the five-story brick building went up for sale for the first time in 40 years, following a lengthy legal battle that started when Gottlieb's heirs and the building's co-owner Vicky Gabay could not agree on what role Ms. Gabay should play in the building's management, or if she should even be allowed to have a key to the property.

And although Gottlieb's estate was able to purchase Ms. Gabay's share of the building back at auction, things were apparently never the same after the home was tainted by market forces. The old tenement was listed again and sold to Waco Enterprises LLC in 2010 for $6 million. It appears that selling can be as addictive as buying, especially when you own a property in the impossibly hip far West Village, close to the Meatpacking District and the Highline. A sidenote: Gottlieb bought the building for $68,000 in 1969.

Ms. Godson told The Observer that the current owners, a family who lives in Brazil at the moment, had planned to do the single-family conversion when they moved back. But after a delayed return to the states, they made the distinctly un-Gottliebian decision to sell. And why not, if you can double your money while doing nothing (although it remains to be seen whether they will be able to).

"It's special because it has wonderful river views," said Ms. Godson. "Also, there is a magical garden in the back."

The 6,750 square-foot structure will need a gut-renovation, of course, in order to become a stunning single family. As the listing puts it, the old tenement "provides a rare opportunity to build an amazing 6-bedroom house with staff quarters." But really, you can build however many bedrooms you want, as you'll be tearing the insides out and redesigning all the interiors. Gut renovations are so freeing!

kvelsey@observer.com

Mr. LaPaglia has sold his West Village home.

Aussie actor Anthony LaPaglia has sold his West Village townhouse at 292 West 4th Street and left without a trace.

Did the block become too chic for Mr. LaPaglia's liking? After all, the man is famous for playing mobsters and cops; a fancy address messes with a man's street cred. Or perhaps starring in the Australian made-for-TV movie about Julian Assange and playing an Aussie in Quentin Tarantino's upcoming Django Unchained left him feeling homesick for a house in his native land? In any event, Mr. DiPaglia will have more than enough cash to cover his tracks after selling the place for $7 million, according to city records.

Mr. LaPaglia bought the Italianate townhouse for a mere $1.3 million back in 1995, when he was a rising star hoping to become a household name with his role in Empire Records, where he played alongside other budding celebrities of the era like Renee Zellweger and Liv Tyler.

Buyers Ava and Rachel Hovnanian, who helm K. Hovnanian homebuilders, will be relocating from the Greenwich Village townhouse they just sold for $18 million. Either the couple is downsizing (the new place is 3,500 square feet to their previous home's 8,100), or they're also hoping to flip this house for a pretty profit.

We know that the Hovananians love an aesthetic of "modern lines and open space set against historic furnishings and classic architectural details" from their last home's listing, and they will certainly have enough historic and architectural details to work with here. There are "pine floorboards, marble mantles, lovely plaster moldings and ceiling medallions," according to the listing, held by Prudential Douglas Elliman brokers Jan Hashey and Leslie Mason.

And it's a good thing that the Hovnanians are moving in, as the place will need a little work if it's going to be converted to a single family from its current set-up: a 5-bedroom triplex with a one-bedroom floorthrough. We wonder what became of the lucky renters who once called Mr. LaPaglia their landlord?

kvelsey@observer.com

Will his next article be about the ameliorative effect of a larger apartment?

Most ink-stained wretches in New York make their homes in cramped quarters, but Malcolm Gladwell is an outlier when it comes to journalistic abodes: he now owns not one, but two apartments in his West Village co-op.

Mr. Gladwell, who has lived in the trendy neighborhood for quite some time, has purchased the third-floor of 23 Bank Street, an 1850s townhouse, for $999,000, according to city records. And unless the avid trend-spotter is already jumping on board with Mayor Bloomberg's small apartment push, we assume the guru of clever catch phrases is expanding out from his fourth-floor pad in the same building.

The New Yorker scribe and New York Times bestselling author bought his first apartment in the building for $1.5 million back in 2008. Neither the old nor the new apartment were publicly listed; Mr. Gladwell purchased the second apartment from the estate of his neighbor, Barbara Joyce Michael. Apparently, he didn't want to blink and miss his chance to expand his real estate holdings in the building.

We guess Mr. Gladwell has done well with the speaking fees these last few years, as we doubt his recent compilation of previously published New Yorker essays financed this most recent purchase. Which makes us wonder, is he working on another trendy tome? Maybe it's about the crazy, quirky secrets behind the New York real estate market?

kvelsey@observer.com