Steinway Mansion

The Steinway Mansion (also the Benjamin Pike Jr. House) is at 18-33 41st Street on a one-acre hilltop in the Astoria neighborhood of Queens in New York City. 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.

Steinway Mansion
NYC Landmark No. 0632
Location18-33 41st Street, Astoria, Queens, New York 11105
Coordinates40°46′43.5″N 73°53′49.5″W
Arealess than one acre (4,000 m2)
Built1858
Architectural styleItalianate villa
NRHP reference No.83001780[1]
NYCL No.0632
Significant dates
Added to NRHPSeptember 8, 1983
Designated NYCLFebruary 15, 1967

History

The mansion dates to 1858. After Benjamin Pike'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 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] The mansion was then renovated. At the time, although the Steinway Mansion had been preserved as a landmark, the surrounding neighborhood had been developed with warehouses.[9]

Description

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.[10]

See also

References
  1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
  2. Larry E. Gobrecht (n.d.). "National Register of Historic Places Registration: Steinway House". New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. Archived from the original on October 18, 2012. Retrieved January 16, 2011.
  3. "Accompanying six photos". Archived from the original on October 18, 2012. Retrieved January 25, 2011.
  4. Barron, James (February 8, 2011). "Uncertain Coda for Mansion With a Musical Heritage". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved March 18, 2023.
  5. "Live In The Steinway Mansion For $2.5M". NBC New York. October 7, 2010. Retrieved March 18, 2023.
  6. Polsky, Sara (April 18, 2013). "Astoria's Unsold Steinway Mansion Cuts Price – And Size". Curbed NY. Retrieved March 18, 2023.
  7. Evelly, Jeanmarie (May 6, 2014). "Astoria's Historic Steinway Mansion Sells for $2.65M to 'Local Guys'". DNAinfo New York. Retrieved March 18, 2023.
  8. Colangelo, Lisa L. (May 6, 2014). "Exclusive: Mystery duo purchases historic Steinway Mansion for $2.6 million". New York Daily News. Retrieved March 18, 2023.
  9. Spagnuolo, Christine (July 9, 2015). "Steinway Mansion concern continues". Queens Chronicle. Retrieved March 18, 2023.
  10. The Steinway Mansion, documentary by James Sebastian on YouTube
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