Insectarium Destroyed During Eviction Process
by Alex Lloyd Gross
May 30, 2023
The Insectarium is gone. The bug museum located on Frankford Avenue had been through numerous court battles and today was the day for eviction. At 9:00 AM the sheriff came to serve the notice and Steve Rubin, the owner of building was outside and heard glass breaking. As soon as the Sheriff showed up the glass stopped and the people, who were breaking things high tailed it away. Inside the place was destroyed.
When you move out of a business it is customary to leave it broom swept. Fixtures and windows were broken, doors smashed open, even the toilets were smashed. A sledge hammer was spotted by the front door. According to Rubin and lawyer Gary Lightman, some of the items broken did not belong to the owner, they become fixtures, and are a part of the building.
All of the insects and animals have been removed. Their condition and whereabouts is unknown. This entire story started when Steve Kanya started an extermination business in 1974. In 1992 he opened the bug museum to teach people about insects and what they are all about. He spendt hundreds of thousands of dollars to build up his museum. Then in 2016 a PHD student named John Cambridge showed up and offered to help. Kanya accepted his offer and the two worked side by side. The debacle started about a year later when Cambridge expressed and interest in having an ownership in the museum, according to Kanya.
With no money changing hands, just promissory notes on paper, according to Kanya, he agreed. Before he knew it, no rent was being paid and Kanya found hm self locked out of the building, with no money ever exchanging hands. John Cambridge , had filed “lawsuit after lawsuit, motion after motion to keep himself inside. They were all delay tactics,” Kanya said. Both Kanya and Rubin and their lawyer insist that they reached out to Cambridge about payment arrangements multiple times but were rebuffed.
In the meanwhile, Steve Rubin had not been paid. The day of the eviction came and Rubin and Kanya were shocked and frankly pissed off. They blame Cambridge and will be looking for remuneration. When they showed up, almost everything of value was smashed or vandalized. Police were called and are investigating .