09 October 2023 , 04:22
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An 84-year-old man is living every New York City renter's dream — living in a completely FREE apartment. And he has been for 30 years. But how did Roy Fox secure this seemingly impossible miracle??
Roy's apartment is located on the property of King Manor, a historical site in Jamaica, Queens, where he has served as caretaker for decades. The manor once belonged to Rufus King, who was one of the original signers of the American Constitution in 1787 and who was a staunch advocate for the abolishment of slavery.
The former radio broadcaster walked YouTuber Cash Jordan through the quaint apartment, which he filled with over 4,000 books, and also gave the influencer a tour of the manor itself. The tour was included in a video titled "He Found a $0 NYC Apartment... How?", which has garnered almost 300,000 views since it went live on October 2.
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Roy's quaint apartment boasts over 4,000 books (Cash Jordan/YouTube)"King Manor is part museum and part full-time residence," the YouTuber explained in his video. "And Roy is perfect for this. Even when there's no tour scheduled, he still explains everything here to anybody who walks by."
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Throughout the video, Roy shares tidbits of history with Cash, including little pieces of information about the furniture in the home and about what each room was used for.
Roy moved into the space in 1989 and has been caring for the property since then, providing tours and collecting information. A few years after that, he started broadcasting, calling baseball games — he's an avid fan of the sport and also collects bats, which he showed off to Cash during the tour.
King Manor, where Roy is caretaker and lives, was once owned and occupied by Rufus King, one of the original signers of the US Constitution (Cash Jordan/YouTube)"You're looking at an 84-year-old human being who has never, ever worked a legitimate day in his life," Roy joked when Cash approached him outside the property.
The YouTuber commented on how "off the beaten path" the place is, to which Roy replied: "This is the way to live. Why would you be surrounded by buildings and noise? I don't get that."
The apartment in which Fox resides is a "secret" apartment, hidden away on the third floor of the building. Visitors rarely suspect that someone is actually living in the historic house, which provided hotel-like housing to former presidents like John Quincy Adams.
Even Roy's bedroom is filled with books. It also has a small baseball bat collection (Cash Jordan/YouTube)Roy's apartment contains a study, a full kitchen and a bedroom, which are all decorated with the thousands of books Roy owns, which span genres like religion, science, history and sports. He said each area is dedicated to a different subject or to books that have special meaning for the 84-year-old. Ultimately, they all "reflect his extended mind."
"How much money do you think you've saved by not paying rent for over 30 years?" Cash asked the caretaker, to which he replied: "It's a good deal." He then went on to explain that he had secured the living space because the historic house system in NYC and the surrounding area had decided to have people live on the properties and double as tour guides, caretakers and security so they didn't have to hire shifters.
Roy was one of the lucky few to get such a gig, explaining that it also serves to give the property visibility. The museum's website has a bio dedicated to Roy, which reads: "A King Manor fixture for over three decades, Roy 'the' Fox is more than simply our caretaker, he is a passionate Rufus King scholar. Come by on any given afternoon and his bright, impish grin and dynamic personality will welcome you through our doors and into the world of Rufus King."