A trip into a once-moldy and -asbestos-ridden basement

We’re following up today on the legal battle between a landlord and Scholars Armenian School and Arts Center, which led me hunting for mold.

Not really. It was the school’s principal, Anahit Grigoryan, who did the leading.

We went into the basement of the building, the site where she spotted toxic mold and, eventually, asbestos.

Upon opening a door from a sparkling lobby with colorful walls and hardwood floors, we walked down a set of what appeared to be bare concrete floors, with splatters of paint and cobwebs in the corners. Clearly, no one walked down there often.

As we walked into the basement, the air was thick and moist.

The landlord does not now deny that mold had existed at the site.

Grigoryan argued that for the mold to have built up and for such a humid environment, the basement must have been flooded and neglected at some point.

No word on whether that happened.

The battle is continuing, however, with Grigoryan claiming she was leased a property that wasn’t free of hazardous materials, as was promised.