Arlene Eisenberg chose to live in the suburbs instead of Manhattan due to wanting to be close to a Jewish community and for the convenience of her husband's commute.
The Eisenberg family purchased a grand, detailed Renaissance Revival rental building in Manhattan in 1980 for $350,000, which is equivalent to $1.4 million today.
The family shared the building by living in the owner's duplex while renting out the other units to a rotating cast of renters, including their children.