In 1955, John and Vivian Robinson signed a 13-year lease-and-option contract with slum landlords Sidney Albert and Irving Kirsch. Under the terms of this agreement, the Robinsons paid a monthly option fee toward the (inflated) purchase price of the house at 45 Jefferson Street at 6% interest. On top of these payments, the Robinsons were responsible for the cost of all home repairs, insurance fees, taxes, assessments, and water rents.

Purchase agreements like this are artifacts of redlining. After World War II, as more and more Southern migrants settled in Albany's South End, it became increasingly difficult for aspiring homeowners to qualify for bank mortgages. To learn more about Albert & Kirsch and William Kennedy's expose of their practices, go to the 98 Acres in Albany blog.