I read that the World Bitcoin Association (NYC) that has the lease in its name was once penned about via the World Bitcoin Association (Zurich):
http://www.bitcoinnews.ch/475/bitcon-an-der-wall-street/http://worldbitcoin.info/Please note: The World Bitcoin Association located in Zurich (Switzerland) is not connected in any way with the Bankruptcy Case #: 1:15-bk-10618 (Zurich - March 18, 2015)
Dorian Credé of the Zurich WBA even visited the NYC WBA in May of last year:
http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:sL8WjZQf5zkJ:www.bitcoinnews.ch/category/bitcoin-center/+&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us (apologies for the cache URL, but for some reason the page has been removed from their website)
Deputy Director of Bitcoin Center, Austin E. Alexander , I was able to learn that in addition to the co-founder Nick Spanos also some strong financial investors are involved - unfortunately could (or would) he not tell me their names. The monthly rent is supposedly moving between 40,000 and 50,000 US dollars - and a business model for the center were previously unavailable (all previous events were free, and be in the foyer - more symbolic - only Bitcoin Center NYC T-shirts sold ).
I honestly don't know where the landlord gets off worrying about WBA (NYC) being a shell company when a ten year lease was signed to garner $40-$50K USD/mo in rent. Look, the WBA was selling tee-shirts and had an inoperable Bitcoin ATM in its lobby, more than enough revenue generated from them two sources to overcome said rent and still be able to provide a free incubator service to fellow Bitcoiners. As the donations were pouring in, it was only a matter of time before one full bitcoin would've been amassed.
Clearly, the WBA was in the right here, for there as a leak that the landlord needed to fix, albeit I believe the leak was not water base, but some other type of leakage.
All I know is what my Lithuanian father once told me when he took the training wheels off my bicycle... Let me look at my notes to see what else he told me (promise not to laugh while viewing the following - bike story starts at 4:00 then continues to the end of the 18 minute talk):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=189Q0LJOxHA