Steinway Mansion

It was built in 1858, originally on 440 acres (1.8 km²) on the Long Island Sound, by Benjamin Pike Jr., a manufacturer of scientific instruments. After Benjamin Pike Jr.'s death in 1864, his widow sold the mansion to William Steinway of Steinway & Sons in 1870. Jack Halberian purchased the Mansion in 1926 and upon and his death in 1976, his son Michael Halberian began an extensive restoration. The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission designated the building as a landmark in 1966, and it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.[2][3] Henry Z. Steinway, the last member of the Steinway family to be president of the piano company Steinway & Sons, said the "Steinway Mansion" name was misleading, since "the Halberians owned the mansion longer than the Steinways did".[4]

The mansion was placed for sale after Michael Halberian's death in 2010.[4][5] After years on the market, as well as numerous price reductions,[6] Sal Lucchese and Phil Loria paid $2.6 million for the building in 2014.[7][8] Parts of the surrounding land were then developed into commercial warehouses, leaving the mansion on a quarter acre of property. At this point being almost 150 years old, the mansion was deteriorating quickly, with many parts of the home beginning to become irreparable. The mansion's owners began a massive restoration to return the mansion to its original glory. During this process, the grand balcony that had collapsed nearly a century earlier was reconstructed using old images of the home. All interior damages were then repaired along with the decaying floorboards and walls. Other general renovations have taken place over time that would return the mansion to its 19th-century style. To pay homage to both the Pike and Steinway families, the mansion was decorated with a grand Steinway piano and numerous original scientific instruments manufactured by the Pike company.

The Steinway Mansion is a large Italianate Villa style dwelling. The architect is unknown. It is constructed of granite and bluestone with cast iron ornamentation and has a two-story, T-shaped central section, with a slate covered gable roof. It has a one-story library, that is now an office, with a wing with large bay windows. It features a four-story tower topped by a balustrade and octagonal cupola. There are three porches supported by cast iron Corinthian order columns. There are five Italian marble fireplaces, pocket doors that hold original cut glass depicting many of Pike's 19th-century scientific instruments. The center main hall contains elaborate carved walnut balustrades, a two-story domed rotunda topped with a central stained glass skylight and 12-foot (3.7 m) ceilings throughout. There are three large underground cisterns designed to collect rain water from the roof for grounds irrigation and a 1000-gallon (3,800 L) copper tank in the attic to furnish the house with a pressurized water system for bath and kitchen use.

In 2006, a documentary film titled The Steinway Mansion was produced and includes extensive interviews with Michael Halberian and Henry Steinway and many rare photos.[9]

• List of New York City Designated Landmarks in Queens
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Queens
• Modern Art Foundry

• Media related to Steinway Mansion at Wikimedia Commons
• Jason D. Antos (October 13, 2010). "Astoria Residents Tour Steinway Mansion". Queens Gazette.
• Raymond Hernandez (May 15, 1993). "A Mansion of Dreams Awakes in Urban Peril". The New York Times.
• Barron, James (February 8, 2011). "Uncertain Coda for Mansion With a Musical Heritage". The New York Times. Retrieved May 2, 2017.
• Steinway House (PDF) (Report). New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission. December 27, 1966.