In the end, it made both financial and emotional sense for the family to stay put, particularly in light of Brooklyn real estate prices. The median rental price for a two-bedroom apartment in Fort Greene in late 2015 was $3,775 a month, according to Jonathan J. Miller, the president of Miller Samuel, an appraisal firm.
“We both thought it was the best idea for me to move into the lower-level apartment — it’s cheaper than renting a new place,” Mr. Bologna said. “We also thought that for the girls, it would be less emotionally traumatic.”
Upon entering the Gitti/Bologna house, one is immediately struck by a sense of warmth and artistic flair. The laughter of all four family members resonates through the halls. Aromas from Tuscan-inspired recipes — both parents are from Italy — waft from the top of the house to the bottom. But that’s not to say their friends weren’t initially skeptical of the setup.
“My friends said, ‘What if she has a boyfriend, what will you do?’ ” Mr. Bologna recalled. “I said, ‘If she does, good for her!’ ”
Ms. Gitti said, “We have a lot of friends who I feel were watching us. They were curious to see what would happen.” She added, “And now when we sit down together, our friends tell us: ‘If we ever divorced — not that we are going to do it — you are our example.’ ”
Joy Rosenthal, the lawyer and divorce mediator retained by Mr. Bologna, said that she often works with New York City couples who stay in close quarters after separation or divorce. Some opt to continue to live together in the same apartment until one person can afford to move out.
“It’s a New York thing,” she said. “Because housing is so tight here and so expensive, I think the decisions are often based on the economic market as well as on what they want to do for the kids. Most couples who are together, they spend just about what they make. So when you’re dividing a household budget into two households, it’s very difficult.”
Nadine Adamson, an associate broker for Brown Harris Stevens in Brooklyn, said she has observed more divorced couples looking to stay in the same community after a split.
“When my parents divorced in TriBeCa 30 years ago, they lived two blocks away from each other, but had to split the supermarkets, restaurants and the blocks they walked, in order to avoid each other at all costs,” she said. “My dad got Chinatown and my mother got the Food Emporium.”