Seinfeld Found Something His AmEx Card Can't Buy

Posted Monday, March 11, 2002 at 12:15 PM Central

by Heather Koehler

It may sound like something you would have seen on an episode of Seinfeld but it's for real. Jerry Seinfeld is embattled with New York City officials and neighbors around the construction site of his new parking garage on Manhattan's Upper W3est side.

The garage isn't an ordinary garage. It is being built to house the star's vintage car collection, complete with steel-finished showroom, elevator, kitchenette, bathroom and stone-paved deck. In 2000, the builders told neighbors it would take only a few months. Now the project is heading for a few years.

Jerry has been hit with numerous fines for improper permits and not going through the proper channels for approval. Neighboring businesses (yoga studio and architectural firm) were forced to shorten their business hours because of the constant construction noice.

Jerry, in his nice-guy way, tried to smooth things over with the neighbors by sending cases of wine and offering to pay a week's worth of loss for the surrounding businesses.

Comedian Jerry Seinfeld may appear in a commercial for American Express, claiming the piece of plastic can buy anything, but the celebrity's latest project proves otherwise.