OuterB.com reports that the landmarked Steinway Mansion is for sale:Lots of sculptured plaster, huge ceilings (the tallest at 30 feet), antique wallpaper, hardwood floors, etched glass, a wonderful staircase. The basement is quite different from the rest of the house, with a jacuzzi (watched over by carved golden lions), two pool tables, and a screening room.
Photo from OuterB.com
7 comments:
Its owner, Mike Halberian (a truly great guy) has been putting out feelers for the sale of the mansion as far back as 15 years . He, and his father before him, have dedicated themselves and put countless years and resources into its preservation.
It was offered once, at a meeting that I attended, to the Queens Historical Society.
But being in an out of the way location and the asking price being far more than they could have ever afforded, probably accounted for why they declined to consider it as a viable possibility for their use.
At that time it was mentioned that the Steinway Company had expressed no interest in acquiring the property.
It is a fabulous Queens treasure. I've been there twice and seen its splendid interior. (I actually climbed the tower and walked 360 degrees around the roof to check out the view).
We all hope that a favorable outcome is in the cards for both the owner and our borough.
Maybe Yamaha, Steinway's competitor might be interested in buying it? That place would be a great musical history archive..... a scholarly music industry mecca to study manuscripts etc. or for whatever appropriate alternate purpose might be imagined.
All the luck in the world for the Steinway Mansion's future survival.
Thanks to the Halberian family for keeping it safely intact into the 21st century!
Their record is mixed, at best. The outdoor porch fell apart while the (ahem) basement was 'modernized')
Mike's son wanted to move in but they nixed that idea. Why? They care only about dollars for that house. It has been on the block for decades and they want to squeeze every penny.
A venal developer that wants to mutilate it with some tasteless scheme? Look what happened to the former Steinway factory on Ditmars. This is community board 1. Expect nothing but bad news about this property in the future.
That community looses a half dozen 150 year old buildings every year. I would say a community gets the development it deserves, but this is NYC's history being destroyed.
Their outrageous behavior deprives us all.
I think Halberian once owned (or part owned) a restaurant called "Knickerbockers"??? located in the high 40s on the East side of Second Ave. in Manhattan sometime during the 1960s-70s period???
You could be right. There's mixed history on this property..... and it appears that every 10 years or so??? it goes on the market??? !
Yeah.....I heard that Haberian built an expensive ($,$$$,$$$.?) spa-like pool with restaurant type booths in the basement while neglecting spending ($$,$$$?) on the historic portico (which is now missing)!
H-m-m-m-m!
I have a feeling that Halberian is close to selling the property. I often ride my bike by there. Several times this past winter I saw movers hauling out crates and crates of what looked like books. Hundreds? Maybe thousands of crates? No idea where the books went, but it sure looked like some kind of moving process was underway.
Anyone know what the deal was with Mike's son that made him end up not moving into the house? Is he married? Does he have kids?
I can understand why the Halberians would want to get the best deal for the property. But I'm a bit surprised it's apparently taken so long for them to factor the terrible location, the condition and the landmark status of the mansion into the asking price. C'mon, even with all the negatives, no property like that should be up for sale for DECADES!!!! And I agree that spending lots of money on a spa and jacuzzi and movie theater in the basement while letting the mansion's classic portico disintegrate is scandalous. I'm sure that sooner or later the roof will begin caving in as well. It's a 150 year old house after all, that's suffered a lot of neglect over the years.
I'm sure that Mike means well, but I just can't shake the feeling that there's something a little batty about the whole situation surrounding Steinway Mansion.
I would llike to know. Who bought. That. Beutiful. Mansion, does. Anyone. No
At this time in April 2011 they are
purportedly selling the contents of
this mansion and I am posting the
linc I have seen :
http://images.liveauctioneers.com/static/mail/client-promo-emails/capo-mar2011/webview.html?utm_source=Auction%20Email&utm_medium=email&utm_content=webview&
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