Archinect - News

Accused Gilgo Beach murderer Rex Heuermann was also the architect of a wage theft scheme, new lawsuit claims

2023-09-06T15:14:00-04:00

Not only is he an accused serial killer, Rex Heuermann is also a deadbeat boss, according to the state Department of Labor. It filed suit Tuesday to recover nearly $70,000 in back wages, penalties and interest for stiffing a former executive assistant.

Rex Heuermann, an architect, was arrested in July near his firm’s Midtown Manhattan offices on charges related to the murders of three women. Their remains were discovered at Gilgo Beach in 2010. In a separate legal matter, Heuermann and his architectural firm, RH Consultants & Associates, are accused of wage theft. They allegedly underpaid an employee, Donna Sturman, by more than $20,908.10, which includes $9,454.56 owed to her as vacation pay. Before his arrest, Heuermann had paid $16,385 towards the owed amount. However, he defaulted on the remaining balance, leading to a lawsuit. As a result, he now owes an additional $33,362.16 in civil penalties and $9,767.48 in interest.

His firm has been the subject of scrutiny since Heuermann became a suspect. Tax liens and other investigations into his business dealings have also been publicized. An account from one former employee in New York magazine recently also detailed a culture of high stress and “creepy” behavior on the part of Heu...

Suspected Long Island serial killer Rex Heuermann was a Manhattan-based architect

2023-07-14T16:03:00-04:00

Rex Heuermann, an architect who had lived most of his life in Nassau County and worked in Manhattan, was taken into custody in connection with at least some of the killings, said an official with knowledge of the case.

The 59-year-old was the owner of a Midtown Manhattan-based consultancy practice that offered “concept-driven designs at multiple scales from educational facilities, residential works, as well as mix use and office design, public works, and master planning,” according to its website. Heuermann usually met his victims in the vicinity using a series of disposable “burner” phones which were later linked by investigators to those used by the women via what the New York Times deemed "sophisticated technology."

Heuermann has pled not guilty. An odd 19-minute interview in which he describes his expertise in building codes and regulations can be viewed below via Bonjour Realty.

Robert Durst's favorite spot in LA? SCI-Arc!

2016-07-05T15:22:00-04:00

In an exchange with The Times following his sentencing Wednesday, real estate heir Robert Durst reflected on his health, politics in America and the 16-year-old murder case that’s expected to bring him back to Los Angeles this summer. [...] Were there places in L.A. that he liked best? “SCI-Arc,” he replied.

Of course.

For more news from the Southern California Institute of Architecture, check out these links:

Un-haunting a house: the art of selling a building with a grisly past

2015-11-03T13:48:00-05:00

A chain-link fence surrounds the stately brick mansion at 3201 Woodland Dr. NW in Woodley Park. Most of the windows are covered with plywood. Cars sometimes drive past slowly, with passengers leaning out... In May, Savvas and Amy Savopoulos; their 10-year-old son, Philip; and their housekeeper, Veralicia Figueroa, were brutally killed inside. Now, less than six months after the shocking quadruple homicide that horrified Washington, the house is for sale. Asking price? $3.25 million.

"She had got it." Razan Abu-Salha remembered by her architecture professor

2015-02-18T15:18:00-05:00

Before Razan Mohammad Abu-Salha was killed on Feb. 10, she had an epiphany in her architecture class. [...] "Within a few moments after we began the demonstration, she lit up like she completely got it. In her eyes, I remember the most, just the kindness in her eyes. Behind those deep eyes, a little bulb went on, and she no longer needed me. It's the moment any teacher wants to have with their students, like, 'OK, they get it, you can go now.'

Restoration Home: nostalgia, architecture and murder

2011-07-05T12:35:39-04:00

Olly Grant talks to some of the people behind a new BBC Two series on turning crumbling buildings, laden with history, into sleek modern homes.