Celebrity News

Embattled Dakota head selling

Bruce Barnes, president of the Dakota co-op board, is leaving the landmark apartment building, sparking buzz that he’s leaving following an undignified racial controversy. Barnes took fire last year after former board president Alphonse Fletcher Jr., who is black, filed a lawsuit against the board for not allowing him to buy a second apartment in the building at 72nd Street and Central Park West, claiming the board engaged in “discriminatory and racist practices.” A source speculated that former hedge fund executive Barnes “may have announced his departure from the building ahead of the next board meeting for a reason.” But Barnes insists he merely wants to downsize and move out of town. Yesterday, he sent an e-mail to friends and neighbours announcing, “As of this afternoon, I have listed my Dakota apartment for sale . . . For seventeen years, I have loved the Dakota as both a building and a community, but my apartment is very large for two people, and several of the rooms are rarely used. If I do sell the apartment, Joseph Cunningham and I are planning to spend most of our time outside of the city. It has been a pleasure to serve for the last three years on the Board of Directors, and I remain fully committed to my role as its president for the remainder of the current term.” The three-bedroom abode overlooking Central Park was last night listed by Brown Harris Stevens for $29.6 million.