In the 1970s, New York University(NYU) started buying homes in the neighborhood around Washington Square Park to build a new law school building. One of the homes purchased by NYU was a townhouse located at 504 LaGuardia Place, owned by an elderly woman named Margaret Rudenstine.
Rudenstine refused to sell her home to NYU and fought a legal battle against the university for several years. She argued that NYU's plan to build a new law school would destroy the character of the neighborhood and decrease property values. Rudenstine also claimed that NYU had used eminent domain illegally to take her home.
Despite Rudenstine's efforts, NYU eventually won the lawsuit and the house was demolished in 1982 to make room for Furman Hall. The new law school building was completed in 1984.