Langley and Homer Collyer, like the Beales of the Maysles Brothers' Grey Gardens, were also forgotten eccentrics from a time when opportunities were grand but fleeting (albeit the Harlem version). Born into a well-to-do family that purchased a brownstone in the new neighborhood of Harlem at the turn of the century, the brothers eventually would stay in the house when the majority of white families started to move out. The older brother, Homer, went blind and his brother Langley (pictured at right) would be his sole provider. The odd house in the neighborhood would draw a crowd of over 1,000 onlookers in 1947 when the police opened up the brownstone to discover the two had passed away, buried in a gargantuan hoard (mostly newspapers) weighing over 15 tons. Langley had once said his brother would return to health one day and that he wanted the periodicals around so Homer could catch up with the times. "Collyer Syndrome" is used this day as term for those who have issues with hoarding. The house was located on 2078 5th Avenue at 128th Street, but a park now sits on its original site. See previous post for the park information: LINK
Thursday, May 7, 2009
☞ REMEMBER: The Collyer Brothers
Langley and Homer Collyer, like the Beales of the Maysles Brothers' Grey Gardens, were also forgotten eccentrics from a time when opportunities were grand but fleeting (albeit the Harlem version). Born into a well-to-do family that purchased a brownstone in the new neighborhood of Harlem at the turn of the century, the brothers eventually would stay in the house when the majority of white families started to move out. The older brother, Homer, went blind and his brother Langley (pictured at right) would be his sole provider. The odd house in the neighborhood would draw a crowd of over 1,000 onlookers in 1947 when the police opened up the brownstone to discover the two had passed away, buried in a gargantuan hoard (mostly newspapers) weighing over 15 tons. Langley had once said his brother would return to health one day and that he wanted the periodicals around so Homer could catch up with the times. "Collyer Syndrome" is used this day as term for those who have issues with hoarding. The house was located on 2078 5th Avenue at 128th Street, but a park now sits on its original site. See previous post for the park information: LINK
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The Collyer brothers had no (immediate) family of their own. Cousins of them exist today. They are like the Shefstead brothers of Hoarding. Shefsteads themselves have no family.
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