Willy Ley Was a Prophet of Area Journey. His Ashes Have been Present in a Basement.

The basement of the prewar co-op on the Higher West Aspect was so cluttered and darkish in a single space that the workers referred to as it “the Dungeon,” and final 12 months, the constructing’s new superintendent resolved to clear it out.

For weeks, he hauled the junk left behind by former tenants — outdated air-conditioners, cans of paint, historic elevator elements and rolled-up carpets — via the winding hallway with its low ceilings to the dumpster out again.

About midway via the job, he spied an outdated tin can on a shelf subsequent to a leaf blower. He learn the label:

“Stays of Willy Ley. Cremated June 26, 1969.”

This was not the form of factor you toss in a dumpster.

The tremendous introduced his discovery to the co-op board president, Daybreak Nadeau. She had loads of co-op enterprise to take care of — a foyer renovation, a roof alternative — however the disposition of somebody’s ashes was new to her.

“We would have liked to deal with the stays as respectfully as potential,” mentioned Ms. Nadeau, a model marketing consultant. “So I set out making an attempt to determine who this was and who it belonged to.”