'Bankruptcy Baron' Brooklyn Buildings Auctioned for $22 Million

BROOKLYN, NY (Crain's New York) — James McGown, a notorious Brooklyn landlord, saw much of his real estate empire dismantled Tuesday when several of his properties were sold in a series of street-side auctions by AuctionAdvisors.  The auction was very successful, a three-story building at 320 Court St. in Carroll Gardens, sold for $4.95 million. Other McGown buildings sold Tuesday: a four-story walk-up at 300 Van Brunt St. in Red Hook, which sold for $1.88 million, and two four-family apartment buildings at 555 and 557 Union St. in Gowanus that have been vacant for several years due to structural problems, which fetched a total of $3.7 million.