The four-acre site, which is bordered by Bruckner Boulevard, Jarvis Avenue and Middletown Road, was originally acquired by George Heye in 1919 as a place to build a storage facility for surplus elements of his collection of Native American artifacts which numbered more one million pieces. The collection was given to the Smithsonian in 1925 and has been relocated to new facilities in suburban Maryland, and in two museums--the National Mall in Washington, DC, and one in Lower Manhattan.

Jonathan Miller and Miriam Halpert of Grubb & Ellis New York Inc. represented the Smithsonian and said over 80 individuals and companies expressed serious interest in the parcel with more than 30 potential buyers submitting offers. The property is zoned for one- or two-family detached housing and Ciampa intends to develop the property in accordance with this zoning, according to Grubb & Ellis.