ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) — The three-story brick house on a mostly deserted street in the shadow of the failed $2.4 billion Revel Hotel Casino was Charlie Birnbaum’s father’s livelihood. It allowed him to reside a couple of blocks from his beloved beach and earn income by renting out two floors to tenants.

“This building gave him dignity. It was his refuge,” Birnbaum, 67, said this week. “As it was for my mom when my dad passed away. Because of this building, my dad didn’t die in a nursing home.”